We were up far before the sun today! Left the hotel for the train station at 4:15. Day 11 was mostly about travelling. By train and then by bus. Just over a kilometre from the India-Nepal border, we left the bus and visited the Immigration India office for our passport stamps. Afterwards, we had to walk the rest of the way to the border. It was about 40 degrees Celsius and the traffic we walked beside was utter congestion. The trucks wait for days sometimes to get through the border. There must have been over a thousand of them all lined up and waiting patiently. Crossing the border on foot was the only way we’d make it in one day.
The border crossing was relatively painless, as we picked up our Nepalese visas at the Ottawa, Ontario Nepalese Embassy.
All that was left of our day was the bus ride to our hotel. We switched buses to one that was already in Nepal awaiting our arrival. The hotel was lovely. It had a beautiful pool, though we didn’t make use of it. The group had supper together and from there we called it a night.
Day 12 – Lumbini, birthplace of Siddhartha!
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine visiting the birthplace of Buddha. But that’s exactly what we did today. After a short bus ride, we were in Lumbini. Once a place in India, it is now situated in Nepal.
We visited the Bodhi Tree, the Mayadevi Pond, and the Maya Devi Temple, which contains what is said to be the precise spot where Siddhartha was birthed.
After visiting the sacred grounds, we were ready for lunch. The bus took us up into the mountains and we had lunch with a view. There was much fog and mist, though, so it wasn’t as spectacular as I’m sure it sometimes is… but it was still a sight to see.
After lunch? The last leg of the day’s journey. We arrived at the Barauli Community Homestay in which we’re staying for two days. The arrival was such a lovely experience. We were greeted by the village and were anointed and given flower leis as we walked through the procession.
The room is lovely and the people are beautiful. After settling in, another exciting highlight awaited us. A bike ride through the village and down to the river, where local women awaited us with masala chai and cookies and crackers. So much fun!!
Supper was an incredible delight. One of the best yet. And just before we sat down for supper the community came together to entertain us with song and dance. So lovely!
Tomorrow is a safari, but we were warned long ago that there may not be much wildlife to see. One can always hope. Loving Nepal so far!
KEVIN CRAIG 