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

Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet

skip's retirement travel tarafından 17 günlük bir macera Okumaya devam et
  • Gezinin başlangıcı
    29 Ağustos 2019

    Durbar Square, Kathmandu

    30 Ağustos 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.Okumaya devam et

  • Bhaktapur

    31 Ağustos 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.Okumaya devam et

  • Pashupatinath temple

    31 Ağustos 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.Okumaya devam et

  • Paro, Bhutan

    1 Eylül 2019, Butan ⋅ ⛅ 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 ParoOkumaya devam et

  • Thimpu, Bhutan

    1 Eylül 2019, Butan ⋅ ☁️ 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 ValleyOkumaya devam et

  • Punakha Dzong, Bhutan

    2 Eylül 2019, Butan ⋅ ⛅ 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.Okumaya devam et

  • Gangtey Valley, Bhutan

    4 Eylül 2019, Butan ⋅ ☁️ 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.Okumaya devam et

  • Tiger's Nest Monastery

    5 Eylül 2019, Butan ⋅ ☁️ 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.
    Okumaya devam et

  • Lhasa Drepung Monastery, Tibet

    8 Eylül 2019, Çin ⋅ ⛅ 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.Okumaya devam et

  • Lhasa

    8 Eylül 2019, Çin ⋅ ⛅ 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.Okumaya devam et

  • Potala Palace

    9 Eylül 2019, Çin ⋅ ☀️ 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.Okumaya devam et

  • Jaffna, Sri Lanka

    16 Eylül 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 weeksOkumaya devam et

    Gezinin sonu
    14 Eylül 2019