Boudhnath, Kathmandu and into the Valley

It is the beginning of Dashain in Nepal and there is lots of excitement around town and all the kids are now on break from school. Luke and I headed out on a walk last night to visit a nearby temple and to also get into some green open space that we spotted from a rooftop inside Boudha gate. As soon as we started to walk off the beaten path, we were greeted by a friendly, too friendly, guy named Rahul. He was pleasant and chatty, though right off the bat, he started to plug us: "I moved here from Rajasthan..." and "My shoe shine kit was stolen on the trip..." and
"I have girlfriend/wife..." and "I will show you the plastic village where the poor live...this is where I live too." This guy, in his early 20s, speaks impeccable English and won't leave us alone. Literally. He won't stop commenting on everything that Luke and I try to say to each other. He won't stop interrupting once we arrive in field full of kids swinging on the amazing bamboo swings and where some of the local kids and adults are trying to chat with Luke and me. Ahhh, what to do? I don't always know. I try to keep my heart open, to this kid, and to what is coming up for me: my own desire to just be left alone. And, at the same time, in situations like these, when out of frustration I just want to come out and call his game. To tell Rahul, after a short friendly chat, that we would rather walk alone, which was the truth last night. Or to let him tag along for a bit, but to tell him straight away that we are happy to chat with him for a little while, but we are not, under no circumstances, giving him any money. We have more than he does and I totally get that. I don't know what his situation is beyond that. We have traveled enough around this world to also know that giving money to anyone working the street does nothing to actually make a difference in the lives of these kids. Even giving leftovers or food, which is the comprise I make with myself, is discouraged by local agencies because it gets taken from them or resold. They ask you to give to the agencies that help families with food and clothing that can not be sold back for money. These agencies circumvent the street-system that basically pimps these kids out to gather money from the tourists. It is always hardest in the bigger cities, where the poverty is concentrated and people need money to get anything they may need. It is the hardest parts of traveling for me, and one thing that always feels incomplete and unsettled.

The swing! And you will see from the photos, what a swing it was! Luke and I watched everyone taking their turns while we all laughed on the sidelines. After a little bit, a sweet-faced girl offered to give me a push on the swing, so I accepted her offer and jumped on myself! Yippee!

We walked many times around the stupa in the evening with the many other folks who are praying and walking too. I love this! It is like a spiritual merry-go-round and I usually end up giggling and try chatting with the kids, while Luke is doing mantras and walking with the rest. I sometimes have to jump out and sit for a spin because it is really something to maintain---I think you have to experience it to know what I am speaking of. Heather, can I get a witness?

Our friend Heather turned us onto the most delicious Dutch apple pie at the Double Dorje restaurant. We had one piece the other night and we when we returned yesterday, there was a freshly baked apple pie! We shared one piece before dinner and another for dessert after a gorgeous plate of stir fried veggies.

I am not sure how long we are going to stay in Nepal; perhaps another week and then maybe off to Tibet. We are going to the city of Pokara first to get out on the lake by ourselves in a rented boat and to catch the view of the Annapurna Range. We are also wanting to visit the Royal Chitwan Park to wash the elephants and to hopefully spot a black horned rhino. Lumbini is place Luke is hoping to visit it too, but I think we may try to stop there on our way back across the north of India, once we head back. Tomorrow we arranged with a driver to take us to Bhaktapur for a day trip and I am looking forward to getting out of the city and seeing more of the valley.

We got an email back from Roger, a man who runs trips to Mt. Kailash in Tibet, and a friend of Wyndham, a childhood friend of Luke's. He is organizing a budget trip and we just sent back an email back with a bunch of questions about whether we can make that trip work for us too. I hope we can!

The swing!

Nichole gets a push

kids showing off...

..and then they love to watch the video

This sweet girl offered Nichole a ride on the swing

Monky at the Vajrayogini temple