• skip's retirement travel
  • skip's retirement travel

Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet

17-dniowa przygoda według skip's retirement travel Czytaj więcej
  • Rozpocznij wyprawę
    29 sierpnia 2019

    Durbar Square, Kathmandu

    30 sierpnia 2019, Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Durbar = King's Palace. This is the most recent palace. You may recall that the crown prince massacred the king and the rest of the family (2001, I think). This is where it happened. However, there was an earthquake in 2015 with lots of damage, including royal buildings. These are various views of the palace. 2nd is a Krishna temple. 3rd is a courtyard with pool and a statue of the snake water God. 5th is a lion statue typically with a matching lion at an entry. You can see some scaffolding. Last is a strut supporting a temple eave in the palace complex. There are 84 of them here, each one depicting one of the 84 positions of the Buddhist Kama Sutra. Czytaj więcej

  • Swoyambunath temple

    30 sierpnia 2019, Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Aka the Monkey Temple in Kathmandu. The story has it that an ancient priest got a haircut here. His hair become trees, and his lice became monkeys. They are still here. Interestingly, there are both a Buddhist and Hindu temple a here side by side. It is said to show that Buddhists and Hindus are good friends. Czytaj więcej

  • Bhaktapur

    31 sierpnia 2019, Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Another city near Kathmandu. This one famous for pottery and woodcarving. First are a couple of pagodas, the 5 level one most famous here. Then a street paved with brick, like most streets in this town with lots of clay works. Next is a look at some of the wood carving, including the peacock carved in the window frame. Notice in the next that the Potter is turning a heavy stone wheel that he uses to work the clay. This is a new type of wheel to me. The last looks down into pottery square from a 6th floor walk up cafe. Czytaj więcej

  • Pashupatinath temple

    31 sierpnia 2019, Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Hindu temple in Kathmandu. This is the Varanasi of Nepal. Funeral rites, including cremation, are in process in the first 4 photos. The other two are at the entrance to the temple itself, dedicated to Shiva. The top image on the wall is Shiva; the other two are his sons. The bull statue recalls the holy place that cows enjoy in Hindu tradition. Czytaj więcej

  • Paro, Bhutan

    1 września 2019, Bhutan ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The first 2 pics are of Kimchu much monastery, one of the 108 monasteries built in a day in specific locations to tie down a demon that had stolen a king's soul. Next is a dzong being rebuilt after a fire. It was built in the mid-17th century to commemorate a victory over invading Tibetans. 4th is a long view of the Paro Dzong, and last is a street scene on downtown Paro Czytaj więcej

  • Thimpu, Bhutan

    1 września 2019, Bhutan ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Capital of Bhutan. First is Buddha Point up over the city. Second is the national library. Third is the memorial stupa erected in memory of a previous king who decided to build the mind and body of Buddha. He was to gather 1,000 Buddha statues as the body and these are housed at Buddha Point. The mind is a gathering of 1,000 sacred texts, and these are housed in the national library. The memorial stupa is about this goal being fulfilled. 4th is a nunnery. 5th is a farmhouse preserved in a folk museum here. Last is a bit of scenery as n the Thimpu Valley Czytaj więcej

  • Duchala Pass, Bhutan

    2 września 2019, Bhutan ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Spectacular scenic spot to see the Himalayas when the clouds cooperate. Also the site where the queen mother erected 108 stupas to honor the king and the victory in the 3 days war against mercenaries from India. 108 is a sacred number in Tibetan Buddhism. I crossed the pass a second time, but that was worse. We were in the clouds. So no Himalaya photos. Czytaj więcej

  • Punakha Dzong, Bhutan

    2 września 2019, Bhutan ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Fortress built in the early 17th century. Dzongs now serve as the administrative center for the districts of Bhutan. The first pic shows the fortress from a distance. Seond is a painting at the entrance depicting an old legend about cooperation. 3rd and 4th are inside the fortress. 5th is the view from there, and last is the downtown of the little town of Punakha. Czytaj więcej

  • Gangtey Valley, Bhutan

    4 września 2019, Bhutan ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Beautiful valley that is also very important ecologically. This is the place where the black necked cranes come to mate when the fly down from Tibet. The first 2 pics are of the crane, taken at the crane center. One is stuffed and in the museum. The other is a live injured bird housed at the center. The next two are of the valley, taken from opposite sides. The last two are from Lawala Pass on the road to Gangtey. 5th is a long view from the top. Last is a stupa and prayer flags, also at the crest. Czytaj więcej

  • Tiger's Nest Monastery

    5 września 2019, Bhutan ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Most famous monastery in Bhutan, not far from Paro. The first 3 pics give a sense of the place, it's beauty, it's cliff hanging setting, even a long look as the morning mist was lifting. The 4th looks across from the entry to the monastery at part of the path to get there cut into the cliff side. I was seriously uncomfortable way up there, but I made it. Next is the waterfall in the middle of the monastery, and last is the view.
    This is a hard place to get to. The path is 7-8 km each way with about 900 meter of elevation rise. No road access. But worth it.
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  • Lhasa Drepung Monastery, Tibet

    8 września 2019, Chiny ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    The largest in Tibet. Also the home of the Dalai Lama numbers 2-5. This is another beautiful place where no indoor pictures are allowed. So we have a look at one of the buildings near the parking lot. Second is the large incense burner that smokes all morning. Third is the Garden Palace. This was the home of the Dalai Lama until number 5 moved to Potala Palace ( see another post). 4th is the main assembly space/temple where a couple hundred monks were chanting mantras. There are 600-700 monks in residence. At it's height, there were about 7,000 monks here. Most of these buildings were badly damaged during Mao's cultural revolution. They have been faithfully restored. 5th is a Buddha painting on a rock at the edge of the monastery. Last is some of the view from up there at about 3,600 meters elevation. Czytaj więcej

  • Lhasa

    8 września 2019, Chiny ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Capital of Tibet. Most of what is here of significance has to do with Tibetan Buddhism, and that is covered in other posts. Most of the rest of the city is reminiscent of other cities in China. 1st is an overview of the city taken from Potala Palace, followed by a few pictures of what remains of the old town. Last is a fountain at night. Czytaj więcej

  • Potala Palace

    9 września 2019, Chiny ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Dating to the 7th century, it was updated by the 5th Dalai Lama In the 17th century when it became the residence of the Dalai Lama and center of Tibetan governance.
    The first pic is of the palace from ground level. Note the stepped walls. That edges a stairway up about 10 stories to the entrance. The next three are internal courtyards. Again, no indoor photos here. The palace house a vast collection cultural relics and is effectively the Tibetan culture treasure house. And it is spectacular. The 5th picture looks at an area at the foot of the palace near the entrance. The last picture is from the side to give a sense of the ridge the palace is built on. Czytaj więcej

  • Jaffna, Sri Lanka

    16 września 2019, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Main city in the North of Sri Lanka and the main city in the Tamil portion of the country. First is the largest Hindu temple in Sri Lanka. The Tamil are majority Hindu. The rest of the country is majority Buddhist. The second pic looks in from out front as no indoor pictures are allowed. Next is Saint Mary's Cathedral, the largest in the North followed by a look inside. Finally is a street scene in the city. Folks here are wondering if the monsoon might come early this year. I hope not. Otherwise it's gonna be a wet couple of weeks Czytaj więcej

    Koniec wyprawy
    14 września 2019