momos al fresco

Even though the pilgrimage is over for most of us - though a few from our group remain in Nepal - I wanted to post a few more pictures and descriptions of events.

Khandro Ten'dzin Drölkar couldn't go back to Yang-lé-shöd because of the strike so she and Ten'dzin Wangyal appeared at our door somewhere around 7:30am. This time we were both in our underwear so we hustled into our clothes while they waited with Mé-sèl and Bar-ché outside the door. This time they hadn't brought breakfast but parting gifts for us all: bu-ré and other fabrics. There was even something for Pema Zangmo to take home to 'ö-Nyi. It was kind of a bittersweet occasion because Pema Zangmo probably won't be coming back to Nepal so she and Khandro Ten'dzin Drölkar may never meet again in their current lives. A whole bunch of picture-taking ensued but I don't seem to have any.


After this, Jomo Samp'hel arrived with Lama Tséring. Bar-ché went to fetch them in a taxi. We set up chairs outside in the guest house courtyard and watched as they sat and talked with Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen. There were a lot of us, and the guest house courtyard is flat, so most of us could not see or hear all that much, but it was nice to be there for the occasion anyway. Here are some more pictures.

We each got a chance to present a katag, which took some time since there were so many of us. Rinpoche presented Jomo Samp'hel with a copy of 'Wisdom Eccentrics' which was sort of a surreal moment (two worlds coming together), and eventually momos were procured from the Double Dorjee for the hosts and guests. Apparently the whole conversation was taped so eventually those of us who couldn't hear (and those of you who weren't there) can find out what was said.

blog from the big chair

Hello, I'm back in Penarth with some sort of hideous illness involving the digestive system in an unpleasant way. I guess I shouldn't have said so many times that I have guts of steel and never get digestive issues since it's obviously not true. I hope to do some retrospective blogging, plus catch up on email, when my brain unfuzzes sufficiently for more than 5 minutes of focused activity.

Occupying Bodha

Yesterday was a strike, which meant that the taxis and buses weren't running and most of the stores were closed. Rinpoche thought it would be a good day for the gö kar chang lo'i dé to Occupy Bodha.

We assembled in the guest house courtyard.

Everyone dressed in their best robes and clothes.

We walked to the chörten en masse and circumambulated, trying to stay together as a group. We collected a lot of gawkers and photographers.

After a while the group followed Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen through a gate and up onto the chörten.

After this some people followed Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen to the Stupa View restaurant.

Many of the pre-ordained who were having robes made here were allowed to wear them for this occasion. It was great to see so many white skirts.

After this the group dispersed.

But with so many of us it felt like we really did Occupy Bodha.

pictures from Lily

No time to write except photo captions.

Thrin-lé.

Khandro Déchen.

Bag o' chilies.

Laughing faces with bad teeth.

Robert.

Suicidal dogs.

Druktsal.

Viveka shopping for fabric.

Sanjay, former shoeshine boy, now shoeshine tycoon.

People waiting for a bus that never came. They were supposed to go to Yang-lé-shöd to the Padmasambhava caves but Something Happened and our bus couldn't get here because people were throwing stones at it and there was a big fire in the road as part of some sort of protest or riot. We heard that someone had been run over by a bus and there was a big protest but we also heard that some political leader had been assassinated in prison and that's what it was about. I have no idea if either or both of these stories are true.

Ja-zér and Sonam's daughter Elaia.

Tsül'dzin.

Maria.

Me blogging in the guest house courtyard, taken by 'ö-Dzin.

visiting hours

I have tried, no less than 5 times, to post a description of my breakfast with Khandro Ten'dzin Drölkar wearing longjohns - me, that is, wearing the longjohns. She arrived at our room around 8am, escorted by Mé-sèl, who had run into her in the street, accompanied by her brother-in-law who speaks English (somewhat). That is normal Tibetan visiting hours in Bodha. She used to come around 7am but has probably accommodated herself to decadent Western habits.

She brought hard-boiled eggs, chapatis, and a huge thermos of sweet tea. I was wearing a white turtleneck shirt and long underwear, which I wear under my robes because it's cold here unless you're standing in a direct path to the sun with nothing in between you and it.


Khandro Ten'dzin Drölkar always comes to see Pema Zangmo when she's here, and Pema Zangmo is sharing a room with me. Pema Zangmo had been wondering if she would even be able to see Khandro Ten'dzin Drölkar on this trip. She usually just runs into her around the chörten. She had written when she was coming but it turned out the letter had gotten lost. Pema Zangmo and Khandro Ten'dzin Drölkar have been friends for many years.

No one seemed to care that I was wearing my underwear so I didn't either. We ate eggs and chapatis and made awkward conversation. It was nice to see her, it always is, but it was even better to see her with Pema Zangmo. They kept smiling at each other.

final total: 66

Oy. All sorts of tedious technical problems: intermittent wifi, disappearing posts, having to reinstall the blog app 6 times, and much much more. However I am still taking lots of pictures so I'll put up some of those, with explanations.


Claire, wearing robes for the first time. She came to my room for help in putting on her shamthab and when I demonstrated, Pema Zangmo told me I was doing it wrong because I only had one fold in the front. Who knew. There are others among the pre-ordained getting a taste of wearing robes here and if the tailor hurries up and finishes some orders there will soon be more. Our group has gone fairly bonkers about tailoring, with new arrivals literally running to the shop to get their orders in immediately.


Just before 30 people arrived on the 15th the guest house put up a tent to hold a heater and more tables for us to use during breakfast. The furniture has been moved out of the lobby and it's now filled with tables and more tables to hold the food. What we get for breakfast each day is hard-boiled eggs, chapatis, some kind of sweet bread or pancakes, butter, cheese, honey, jam, peanut butter and yogurt with bananas in it. There are bananas all over the place here for some reason, though I can't imagine they're grown locally.

Lots of people arrived on the 15th, some of them, like Garwang, wearing the new fancy robe boots.

A bunch of us assembled in the guest house lobby to wait for Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen and their party, who arrived somewhere around 10pm.

Finally, they appeared. Bar-ché went over to the Double Dorjee and got them some chow mein. The guest house supplied beer, tea and water.

Rig'dzin arrived wearing a replica of Brad Pitt's jacket from Fight Club that he got on eBay.

People waiting for breakfast to begin.

Mé-sèl with Martine, who, along with her husband, owns and runs the guest house.

Raechel found one of the cats.

Isabelle, taking the air situation seriously.

Santeri (autofill tried to make that Santeria) with his teng'ar strung on five-colored string which he describes as "infested with mantra".

Rig'dzin and I ran into Ngakpa Jig'mèd, whom I first met on the 1998 'Three Witches' pilgrimage.

Another interesting encounter.

Lots of colored flags for some local festival.

More tomorrow, I hope.