Category Archives: Travel

Visit to Doleshwor Mahadeva Temple

Doleshwor Mahadeva is a Hindu Temple of Lord Shiva located in the Sipadol VDC, south eastern part of Bhaktapur District, Nepal. As my mum wanted to go there, one morning I went there with my parents. The temple is believed to be for the head of the bull at KedarNath Temple of Uttarakhand, India.

doleshwor mahadev (3)

Legend has it that Pandavas reached the Kedarnath region to seek forgiveness from Lord Shiva for the loss of lives during the 18-day Mahabharata war. But Lord Shiva was not ready to forgive them and he took the form of a bull. The Pandavas soon realized that the Bull was Lord Shiva and tried to stop it by pulling the tail. Suddenly the head got separated from the body of the bull and the Pandavas could not locate it.

The body of the bull is presently worshipped in the Kedarnath Temple. People have been searching for the head of the bull since the period of the Mahabharata as they believed that it was hidden in the Himalayas. But so far all search proved futile and now Bhim Shankarling Shivacharya who was on a visit to Nepal happened to visit Jangam math in Bhaktapur in Nepal and was surprised by the striking resemblance of rituals followed in Kedarnath and Bhaktapur. Thus the temple is believed to be for the head of the bull at KedarNath Temple.

The road leading to the temple is good until the last 4 km where it turns into a small gravelled road. I loved the green land and cute village houses that we find on the drive to the temple. It was a very quick ride I have to say.

Once we parked and went through the main gate of the temple, I was surprised to find that the temple was smaller than I had expected and not many people were around.

doleshwor mahadev (8)

My mum bought the puja from a local vendor and we went inside.

doleshwor mahadev (4)

We were lucky that we got to do our puja straight away because as soon as we were done, there was busload of people coming to worship. Suddenly the place was busy and noisy that we even had to watch where we stepped when we moved.

doleshwor mahadev (1)doleshwor mahadev (11)

Apart from the main temple, the area also has one Dhunge Dhara (a traditional stone water tap found extensively in Nepal), a big trishul (a trident, Shiva’s particular weapon) and damaru (A small drum, shaped like an hourglass) and a few small idols around.

doleshwor mahadev (5)

At one corner there was a sadhu who was blessing everyone passing by. I asked him if it is ok to take a photo with him and he agreed so here is the snap.

doleshwor mahadev (2)

The visit to the temple as short as there was not much to do. My mum bought some fresh veggies from the local villagers and we were back on our way home.

doleshwor mahadev (6)

The place is really nice to go to if anyone wants a short trip out of the city.

Back and alive

You must be wondering where I have been for so long but I have had one hell of a busy time in Nepal that I went MIA. Now I am back in Sydney so here is the update.

 nepal2014 (1)

The wedding of my BIL went well but for the first 3 weeks I was there, I was so busy that I didn’t get to do much but just concentrated on the wedding. I was glad that AS was with me the whole time. I was sleep deprived most of the time for one reason or another.

After the wedding AS came back to Sydney and for the next 2 weeks I was just being lazy and missing him a lot. I know I might sound like a broken record to all of you but I miss him very much whenever we are apart. Skyping and Vibering definitely helped but still it was not like holding him or getting a kiss from him. I am just glad to be sleeping next to him again and seeing him when I wake up in the morning.

Lots of things were fun in Nepal expect being sick multiple times. I was sick a couple of times before the wedding and I was scared I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. I was really careful the whole time drinking only bottled water outside and going to selective restaurants for food but I still got sick.

The day before the wedding, I was vomiting the whole night. We had gone to this fancy (supposedly good) restaurant at Darbar Marg in Kathmandu and we had had momo and pakoda. Looks like that made me vomit the whole night and the diarrhoea started the next morning.

DSC01150-tile

Imagine my state of mind and body when everyone was coming to our home. Thankfully, I took some medication and I was mostly OK for the wedding.

nepal update 10

As I mentioned before, my SIL is from a different caste from us so there was a slight confusion regarding tradition during the wedding but apart from that it was a great experience. The reception was equally fun, me meeting lots of relatives and friends. The wedding went really well and we have a new family member in our house who calls me sister :).

nepal2014 (4)

I was glad once everything was over because I was planning to rest for a few days. It turned out to be just a dream because when the wedding was over, AS had just a week before he would leave for Sydney which meant we have to finish his shopping and on top of that, meet and eat with all the relatives who had invited us.

The week went really quickly and suddenly it was the day AS was to leave. I made a decision at the airport that I would never travel separately again. I know I was going to see him in 2 weeks but still my heart was crying for him not to go. Stupid me, but it was really hard.

The following day, finally I got to go and live with my parents and it was a good feeling. Even though, my new home (AS’s home) is good in every way, I had a different feeling when I got to sleep in my old bed and to be with my parents. I think the history I have with the house, my dog and seeing my old stuff is simply priceless and definitely, it will be my home forever.

nepal2014 (6)

My parents spoiled me rotten for the next 2 weeks, breakfast in bed was really nice. My mum made sure she cooked whatever I would feel like eating. It was heaven just to wake up late and relax. I was so busy for the first 3 weeks that I just wanted to be lazy and relax the next two.

I did go for day trips to a few places with my parents but apart from that I spent lots of time at home just talking with them and relaxing.

I did went and visit my grand ma, who is 86 now. She is always so happy to see us and give her blessing. I can see a pain in her eyes sometime but still she smiles and tells me to be happy. The time I went to visit her before I came to Sydney, she almost made me cry. She told me , “I may not see you again so be well and make sure you look after your parents.” I am sure I am going to see her again and hope she will be strong and well for a long time to come.

ma

This time I managed to meet Kathy, from Himalayan Happenings with her lovely husband. It was such a nice moment and it was great to know you guys. I will be in touch and thanks for the momo. I loved it so much 🙂

nepal2014 (5)

Thanks to one of my friends from school, I got to attend the gathering of my friend from primary school. I hadn’t seen most of them for 15 years now and it was so good to catch up. I couldn’t believe how much we have changed but at the same time we have the same level of comfort with each other. It’s like we had never been apart, conversation flew so easily. It was one of the most memorable moments of my visit to Nepal this time.

The other one has to be taking a family portrait with my grandparents in law. As I mentioned before granddad is 95 and grand mum is 90. We got a photographer to their place and had a great time taking photos. Here is one of the many photos we took. Having so many people, it was really hard to make sure everyone was OK in the same photos but finally we did get a few good shots.

nepal2014 (2)

The highlight of my trip was definitely the wedding of my BIL but I am also glad to let you know that I managed to bring heaps of Nepali things for our new home.

We managed to bring two big carpets (Nepali carpets are quite famous and good), many showpieces like the idols of Buddha and Tara as well as the painting we were after.

Over all a great trip back home but now back to real word. I am still jet-lagged and tired from the trip. I might take me at least few days to be OK and normal.

I almost forgot to mention, I managed to be in Nepal for 5 weeks without any exercise. I took my yoga stuffs with me to exercise but it never saw the light of day. This afternoon after 5 weeks, I managed to go and swim during lunch. It was refreshing and relaxing. 🙂

nepal2014 (3)

Of course, you will hear a lot about things from Nepal but for now, I need to stop typing. My hands need a rest.

Until my next post take care everyone and come back to blog. I am back now  🙂

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

More photo update from Nepal

nepal update (9)

Chatpat 🙂

nepal update (8)

Idol of Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts and nature: Saraswati

nepal update (7)

Swarovski in Kathmandu

nepal update (4)

Enjoyed Newari bhoj after ages

nepal update (6)

The beautiful site you see around temples in Nepal, love it…

nepal update (1)

Went to movie with SIL and MIL

paau

Paau, my favourite dish in newari bhoj

nepal update 10

Me and AS during the wedding receiption

nepal update (5)

Wedding venue

nepal update (3)

Chir at Basantapur for Holi celebration

More update  soon. Till then take care…

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

Photo update from Nepal

Temple bells

Temple bells

Wedding procession

Wedding procession

Nepal (3)

Temple

This is how traffic is controlled in Nepal

This is how traffic is controlled in Nepal

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Pashupati Nath

Pashupati Nath

Nepal (8)

Morning view from the rooftop

Nepal (7) Nepal (9)

Diyo

Diyo

Nepal (11)

Traffic controller’s horse

Kathmandu Kumari Ghar

Kathmandu Kumari Ghar

Sel roti

Sel roti

Nepal (14)

Nepali flag

Nepali flag

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Load shedding in Kathmandu

Load shedding in Kathmandu

God of Sun

God of Sun

More update  soon. Till then take care…

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

 

My China Southern Airlines trip from Sydney to Nepal

This time for our trip to Nepal, against everyone’s advice, we booked China Southern Airlines to Guangzhou and then to Kathmandu, Nepal.

Few months ago, before our decision, I had put the question in my Facebook if anyone had any experience with the airlines before. The response appalled me because everyone was complaining about how awful it was. Everyone suggested not going ahead with them. Their exactly words were, “Nightmare”, “Flight from hell.”, “Do not fly with them.”

Me and AS has never flown the airline and I was shocked to read a few of the reviews and I definitely don’t want to be in their shoes. I was not too keen to book the flight.

But while doing my research, we found out that even though many people were not happy about the airlines some time ago, since October 2013, they introduced A380’s from Sydney to Guangzhou and the reviews were saying it is better now.  The fare for the airlines came to be cheaper than others by $150 per person return with only 2 hours for transit compared to above 6 hours in other airlines. The other thing was on certain routes the airlines allowed 2 pieces 20 kg luggage which was a big bonus.

As you can imagine it was a tough decision for us but finally we decided to give China Southern airlines a try. I was not expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised from the start. The check in was smooth and the flight was not too full. Apart from 45 minutes delay before take-off which was announced, things seemed to be going fine. At that time I was a bit worried what would happen with our connecting flight.

As we boarded and took our seats, the passenger in the seat in front of me called the flight attendant as something was leaking from above. It seemed like water from the air conditioning. The matter was dealt smoothly and he was allocated another window seat.

Thus our 9 hours flight started.

I am very happy with the plane as there was enough leg room but I am not very tall :). We settled down well and I spent the next 2 hours watching a movie, The Job. Great movie btw and very intriguing, made me want to go ahead and do what I believe in instead of living an ordinary life to just die one day.

Anyway, the first meal was served and we had a choice of seafood or beef. As we don’t eat beef (why not can be another post for later), we had seafood. This reminded me of getting the meal order beforehand next time.

Anyway it was an ordinary meal like in any other plane, so no complaints. I was hungry so I ate some. No matter how many times I travel; sometimes it is so hard to kill the time in flight.

I was glad that I was not travelling alone. I talked to AS from time to time and then watched more movies followed by another meal and I was delighted when the pilot announced we were going to land in Guangzhou soon.

Once we landed in Guangzhou airport, we ran to find our connecting flight to Kathmandu as it was only an hour before boarding. We ran pass the security check and were breathing with relief when we located the sign that said flight to Kathmandu Nepal. We stood in the queue and were happy that in next 6 hours we would be in Kathmandu. This would be the first time that I will be landing in Kathmandu in less than 24 hours so I was feeling very happy. So far our experience with China Southern was great and I prayed that we didn’t miss the connecting flight as there were many people in the queue.

As we were waiting, an airport staff came and asked all the people who were travelling to Kathmandu to come to the side. It was a great relief for us as it meant we would be in an express line to the gate. As we stared to gather at the designated area, the staff gave all of us a sticker with our flight number and explained the following.

“As the weather in Kathmandu is really bad right now, planes cannot land there which means there will be no flight tonight. The next fight will be tomorrow morning at 9 am (14 hours later) so please follow me so I can sort things out for you. I am really sorry but you have to spend the night in Guangzhou. We will be providing you with accommodation for tonight”

There were around 15 of us and all of us were not pleased with the announcement. We had all booked the flight because it was the quickest but now it turned into be the longest. I looked at AS and just laughed and said, “Let the adventure begin.” with my luck it should be a great one too 🙂 .

It’s time for me to go upstairs and help my MIL with breakfast so I will continue my adventure in the next post.

Till then take care everyone. Nepal holiday is going great, more updates soon 🙂

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO