I always want to recreate with photograph that specific moment when you finally arrive to Boudah after all that long and hard way. This is the main gate between two houses where you look at the Stupa for the first time and the stupa looks at you. All those times I've come there the road always had been was long and hard. You might still remember what happened in Kiev but my adventures were not over yet. Why? Because... I lost my passport!
About one year and half ago during small prostrations retreat in Bodhgaya I used to miss Boudah very much and think that it would be much better place for practice. One year passed, we're in Boudah doing prostrations.
Unlike Boudah stupa Swayambhu is located at the top of a hill. If you plan to go up by main stairway then be ready to pay an entrance fee. But my tourists use entrance as an exit only.
Most of all in Nepal I fancy balconies and windows decorated with wooden carving. This photo shows not the most picturesque option but then it's new and cozy, most beautiful windows are usually old and covered with dust.
Streets of big cities in India are totally a hell but somewhy all the same mix of people, auto rickshaws and cows on streets of Kathmandu, Nepal's capital looks natural and fine. This could be because there are much fewer cows and buddhist temples and stupas are virtually at every corner. But let's start from the very beginning. Taxi brings you to crossroads before entrance to district of Thamel which is a tourist mecca full of souvenirs, trekking stuff, hotels, restaurants and agencies. Thames is right on the back of this photo and if you walk left then you would reach Indian and British embassies in about 5-10 minutes. However, you hardly will even need the latter one.
If I didn't like this place then I would have to start liking it because this time everybody wanted statues and buddhist gaos, sometimes going to look for them few times in a raw. This is the difficulty of making one's buddhist choice :)
Now I know absolutely sure that the time difference between Nepal and India is 15 minutes. Well, time difference between Moscow and India is 2 hours 30 minutes. My friends used to laugh: what a time zone can be there for 30 minutes, it's impossible. But no, even stranger things happen.
I don't quite know what I can write about Boudah. I've come to this place so many times, walked around it so many times, did prostrations together with Tibetans so many times... I bought so many statues, thankas and different little things in the local shops... Hardly I have right to call this place my home but I can definately adress the Stupa as homely and native.
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