December 1 Entry:
This is a Tibetan Meditation and Retreat Centre, where I will be staying for a short while; since it feels like a good time to chill.
The town of Pokhara is nestled beside a lake with fabulous sunset views.
Pictured here is the Phewa Lake with the Annapurna Range in the distance.
Earlier, while in Nagarkot, I took a short hike up to a viewing point to see the Langtang Range.
As I continued walking through terraced mustard fields, I came upon a local tea shop, where a young man was noodling on his guitar. He let me play a couple of tunes! What a treat!
I also met a group of Theravadan Buddhists from Thailand, who were here to witness the ordination of 1,000 Nepalese in Lumbini (the birthplace of Buddha).
In Kathmandu, I saw the Boudhanath Stupa and the Wayambhu Stupa.
These are both World Heritage sites. The Buddhism here seems to be a very happy blend of Tibetan, with Hindu, local godess worship, and even some remnants of animistic religions. Fascinating!
This is a picture of the Main Stupa in Bodh Gaya.
Late November and Early December Entry:
Oh my goodness all of Delhi and the Sikhs are out in full force today in Old Delhi, where I am staying overnight before heading to Kathmandu.
They are celebrating the birth of six of their gods, consecutively.
There were several hours of recorded chanting right outside my hotel window, followed by huge parades, plus loads of free food being given out. I'm stuffed!
There were displays of juggling, sword play, stick fights and other macho displays, that continued on until dawn.
And the mess in the streets! But already they have started to clean up. Thank goodness, because it is downright hazardous walking down the street.
I've had to dodge vats of tea, rice and other stuff being dumped out onto the street. The dogs will feast tonight, as well!
On to Kathmandu - the roof of the world.
What an incredible flight into Kathmandu, with marvelous views of the Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas.
Currently, I am staying at Hotel Kathmandu Terrace. The sun seems much brighter here, and the pollution does not seem as bad (depending on which street you are traveling). Compared to Delhi, this is heavenly!
I hope to do some hiking and visit Chitwan Forest before heading to Lumbini, as well as sight-seeing around this city.
I did go for a walk this evening, and there seemed to be at least two temples or shrines on every corner. There were marching bands, portable shrines, and dancers all flooding the streets. I'm told that all religions are celebrating the birth of at least one god...but did not understand which one.
I had a dream last night that I was at some kind of music festival and going to play and sing with some friends.
On the agenda today is the North Toronto CPR Station, aka the Summerhill L.C.B.O.
There were only three tours today, and I arrived just before noon to find a crowd gathering near the tipping fountain at the south entrance.
There is only one photo of the station's interior at the City of Toronto Archives.
This black and white photo print was taken around 1915-16.
If you compare it to the picture taken below, you will see where the ticket windows are still in evidence along the west wall of the liquor store.
Behind this wall is the "testing kitchen", where we were treated to some free wine samples. The drawers used by the ticket sellers are still intact, and can be seen here:
Our tour guide was the manager of the store; and he explained some of the history behind the railroad station and a story about the ghost that appears in the basement.
This is one of the benches that was preserved form the station when it was being renovated.
Directly east of this bench is the "table wine" section of the store. Here was the Men's and Women's Waiting Room/Lavatory. Behind a locked door the manager showed us an original spittoon that was part of the men's room.
This is the largest L.CB.O. store in Canada, and has managed to keep a lot of the history of the old train station intact; including a conductor's uniform.
