Time is flying...

... and as soon I reach half time in my journeys it start to go so fast. So sometimes I have hard to live in the moment. I am thinking about how it will be to come home, to leave this Monastery and all the kids behind....uhh...

LittlesLamas at our front yard, with Himalayas and the monsoon in the background 

Local bus to Kathmandu

I don´t know, but it feels like it is so near to go to Barcelona from here, but more far away to go from Barcelona to Nepal again...

Cow all over the place in Kathmandu...

Ahh you hear, I'm in the future with my thoughts... So STOP , here and now!!!


Last weekend I was i Kathmandu,  I found a new super great hotel, low rate, perfect situated,

My hotell is on Freak Street,as is next to  and Durbar Square 

 a great roof terrace

Great breakfast at the roof terrace, Nepali tea, fruit salad and more goodies... 

 with a view over Kathmandu valley... So tomorrow Ill go back again.

View from the old Palace on Durbar Square

Hanging out on Durbar Square, as in an World Heritage Site

Candles, coconuts, flowers... you can buy all the holy things you need here... 

Protected...

I had a dream to go to Ganges, were she starts... But everybody tells me it is impossible this time of year... So we will see how i best use my last month here... I have some ideas :)

beautiful handcraft in the old Palace

Amazingly Kathmandu!!! 

By the way, last week I got a roomie, A Taiwanese woman that lives in US, she is here teaching for 2,5 week only, and we share room. She been here before, and she is a Buddhist so I get a lot of answers from her. She is very goodhearted and funny, giggling all the time, so sometimes we laugh so much so maybe the Abbott that lives in the room next to us, want to throw us out hihihih... But nice with a roomie after 2 month without any fluently English talking person in the monastery :)

Bus back home, see the police van.. :)

Amazing kids - Our future...

This text is from one of my students, something he wrote in the end of a test we had, like a "signature" (actually many of them write small message like this at the end of the test tasks)

If you can see beyond the wrong spellings and see what he is trying to express, what he has inside him, you will see something else -Hope!

First of all, he is in one of the new beginners class, he has not been here much longer than me, the others in his class, just learn to write the alphabet, and can not spell yet, so he is very good.

His thoughts are about doing good, to be kind... I think it is amazing! And gives hope to all of us, cos kids are our future!! And I mean ALL kids in this world. So we better take care of them in the best of way, and guide them good.

I´m blessed to be able to work with these kids for a while. Every single one of them are special, with a remarkable inner, thoughts and ability.  In this "monastery school" they are learning,  Tibetan language & script, as well as  English  and Chinese. And of course, all the Buddhist practicing that is mandatory. Humanity of our future!

Just amazing!!!! 

Nepali Tea

I just love the Nepali Tea!
(Chiya/Chya/Chai )
And it´s super simple to make.

what you need for two cups

Milk – one cup
Water – One cup
Sugar – 2 t-spoons
Tea Powder– 2 t-spoons

(You may add: Cardamom, Cloves, Ginger, Black pepper, etc. If you want to spice it up, but it´s not necessary)

Boil water with tea power in it for 5 minutes
Put sugar in boiling water and stir it, add, if you want, Cardamom, Cloves, Ginger, etc.
Pour a cup of milk and let it boil for a while
Watch the color. Make it darker for strong ones.
Add some black pepper, if you want for flavor.

Yummy!!!

from Things To Love

Morning walk to Seshnarayan Temple

This morning I took a walk to  Seshnarayan Temple, it´s just outside Pharping village. 
The temple is known cos Guru Rinpoche have one of his two meditation caves there.

 A statue of Guru Rinpoche...

 ... and here we have his feet...

The Temple, and cave is almost melted into the mountain, you have to clime up some stairs to reach it...

 As in whole Nepal, there are so many beautiful deitals, coulours, symbolism...

 This pic, is a very true "Self portrait" of me! I am sooooooooo white (most) & black in my taste & style. And right now I am in the middle of an explosion of colors!!! So this  is exactly a good pic "Of me in Nepal" :) Surrounded of colors.

 Here is the door into his Cave, if you go in here you can take you to the other cave, that is near my monastery. But now it is locked, cos people actually disappeared in here, and never were found again.

I lighted candles outside the cave, it´s suppose to give light to the once lost in the cave, and luck to the one that light it. (and of course, money to the once that sells it :) hihihihi... )

 Yepp, this is a goat! not a dog!!! And this goat started to chase me! It really scared me for a moment, but people started to laugh and talk to me... so I relaxed, BUT with one eye on it, and one ear for the sound of the bell on its neck.

A view down on parts of the garden & fish pond...

A woman sitting near the entrance to the Temple, selling rise and color....

while a boy washes up in the water at the fish pond....

 There are beautiful details all over, I could take so many pics here... and I did. I do all the time...

Down, on the street, you have a local bar... This is very much how it looks like here... This is Nepal.

 On the other side of the road, were lots of monks doing their morning washes... almost on the road, and from a water stream, no larger than a ditch.

 This road is the road between Pharping and Kathmandu. It´s super narrow, and I think is scary as hell from time to time to walk here...

 Look!!! No sidewalks, no nothing, and here are lots of traffic..as well as people & animal...

Just jump up on the sand piles or right out in the vegetation.... It is heavy traffic, driving fast, and honking the horn ALL the time. I'm not joking!!!

 But, it is working... they know how to deal with it... i don´t... :) I'm terrified!! But, I do it!

The entrance of Pharping! <3

Wonderful Incense from Nepal

I am always looking for things that I like, and that will help me create my own harmony, good feeling & atmosphere  "my own temple" at home (ore were I am) and this, I´ll buy plenty of to bring home with me :)

My favorite Incense, Jasmine.
It´s 100% Pure & natural, handmade from inside out. The package is made of beautiful handmade paper, decorated with an Himalaya flower. And if that was not good enough, it also contains a beautiful message for the users: "MAY PEACE & LOVE PREVAIL IN THE WORLD"
For me it is just WOW!!! I like it :)

There is a lot more fragrances of this brand, some you can see at Things to Love


Simply Love!

My village life...

So, honestly, absolutely everything is different here comparing to my home town, Barcelona :) and even more comparing to mother country Sweden.

 This is on the local bus in to Kathmandu... a bit different standard from Barcelona local traffic.. :) But I love it! Everything here is exploding of color.

 In Kathmandu, as is the Capital city, don´t forget that, are  the cows walking freely all over the place, eating and doing what they want.

 Holy cows, cos it´s the Hindu religion as is largest here...

 The laundry we wash by hand and dry it in the sun, this is at the Monastery in Pharping, outside one of my windows...

 My local supermarket in Pharping, "stores" like this, is it plenty of ...

Pharping´s one and only Doughnut bakery :)

Different from the western standard perhaps, but everything is working beautifully, and here are a lot of happy  kind faces all over.

Traditional handcraft...

My interest in interior design, yoga, feng shui, and to create harmony in areas were people spend their time made me start looking for unique items in Nepal.

So on  my free time I´m out searching for genuine nice Nepali handicraft. And I´ve been finding so many beautiful handmade objects, often with a purpose, that will increase harmony and a peaceful home.

This woman makes the most beautiful Buddha figurines. All are handmade, of genuine wood. The ones I´ll show you here are made of sandalwood, with a lovely smell. The tree is light and bright, with an untreated surface.

If you want something unique, with an artistic value, you should invest in one of these beautiful pieces.  And in the same way you support the handcraft from a poor country, helping to make people take care of their own living.

This Tibetan man is living in exile from his mother country, as many other Tibetans, and lives now in Nepal. He took the tradition with him, and makes Tibetan prayer flags. 

They are all, printed by hand, with this lovely print plates from Tibet, he cut, sew and measure all by himself. There is also a tradition that the flags, depending of the prints should be made the right day in the month. 

And as Buddhist he follows the moon cycles. All flags have different meanings. We have selected some of them, and also together we design a new banner for prosperity. You can find fabric made prayer flags, but this once are a handcraft, and we believe with stronger and more genuine power.

Handmade objects from one place on earth where the knowledge of faith, harmony and kindness bloom in an ancient culture.

An art that is not well known to the rest of the world. That is why I want to highlight this craft and skills for the rest of the world. For a people living in an underdeveloped country with so much hidden knowledge.

By creating a harmonious beautiful home with items from here, will it not only give you a good living, balance and harmony, it will also benefit the people of Nepal!

Simply, things to Love!

Wanna see more? Things To Love

Momo - Yummy!!!

Some time ago the student made MOMO, If you don´t know what Momo is, I can tell you it is delicious, and a nice super good Nepali snack, and not so difficult to do. I´ll do it when I go back to Spain.

 production is one :) The kitchen were "boiling" of activity....

 Filling....

 dough working....

 Our monastery´s cook, is supervising and guiding...

 chopping dough.....

 Momos waiting for steaming....

 Dough preparing...

....and of course!!! Were should the monastery dog be, if not in the middle of the whole activity :)

A good recipe, you find here: http://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-food/momos.html

Enjoy!!!