Bhutan, Nepal and India

Bhutan was a beautiful and welcome break from the craziness of Calcutta. It also marked a change in the format of the tour because our itinerary was so closely controlled. Bhutan has strict guidelines surrounding tourism, and we were assigned a local guide for the duration of our stay, ate all of our meals in the hotel restaurants and stuck to a prearranged schedule. The highlight of the trip for me was our trek up the the Tigers Nest monastery, and the beautiful scenery along the way. At the close of the trip we flew to Nepal on a flight with the Queen of Bhutan. It's not everyday that your pilot announces, "good morning your royal highness and ladies and gentlemen". In addition to flying with royalty we were also treated to some amazing views of Mt. Everest as we made our way to Kathmandu! Upon arrival in Nepal we scheduled another flight to view the mountains closer up, but it was cancelled mid-air because clouds made viewing the peaks impossible. We spent the next three days soaking up the sights, sounds and flavors of Kathmandu. This is one of my favorite cities thus far, and I could have spent many more days exploring the hundreds of sites and side streets. From Kathmandu we descended into Lumbini and began our world wind tour of Buddhist sites. Lumbini is home to the birthplace of Buddha, and we spent the evening exploring the ruins and multiple monasteries in the area. From there we travelled on to Kushinagar, Varanassi and Bodghaya, the locations of Buddha's death, enlightenment and where he preached his first sermon. We were also treated to a delicious lunch at the home of our tour guide, and got to cook and relax with his family. All of this has left me exhausted but so excited to share all that I have learned when I return. Unfortunately the internet cafe does not allow me to post photos, but I will do so as soon as possible. I am now off to five days of silence and meditation in the mountains of Darmasala. Wish me luck!