DISCOVERING NEW MAGIC IN AND AROUND OUR BELOVED BOUDHA….

The Boudhanath Stupa, where Cary’s heart lies

I cannot count the number of times I have posted photos of the Shechen Guest House and the Boudha Stupa, our home-away-from-home in Nepal. And you probably can’t, either. But it’s a place that never remains static. This hub of Buddhist culture in Kathmandu weaves its magic, giving us daily discoveries and insights as we circle the stupa, push the large prayer wheels, and wander the streets and alleys. It was our base camp during this two-month adventure, to which we returned after exploring Prakriti, Lumbini, Swayambhu, Thamel, and Namo Buddha. Now we want to share our new friends and new experiences in this small area we have come to know even better this time around.

As I mentioned, previously, we decided, just for fun, to stay at other hotels in the area this year. Our first choice came as a result of trying to find Tenzin, an old friend and former Tibetan student we knew from the TCV school in Suja, and whom we had connected with in 2018. His mother had opened a small restaurant on Phulbari Rd. and Cary walked up and down, trying to find it, but to no avail. However, she discovered the luxurious Pema Boutique Hotel, owned by a Tibetan, and just ten minutes from the stupa. It seemed like a perfect choice. Perhaps they would know Tenzin’s whereabouts. Bingo! The first person we asked, Nyekap Lama, the owner, knew Tenzin, personally, and even bought homemade tsampa from his mom for the hotel restaurant. He called him on his cell phone and within 30 minutes we were having coffee together in the lounge. Later that night we had dinner together and caught up on the last four years.

The Pema Boutique Hotel was luxury incarnate. Soft beds, soft pillows (not the usual hard neck-breakers prevalent in Nepal), a shower that made you feel as if you were standing under a steaming waterfall, and an elevator, which was a great help transporting our heavy bags.

We will not keep you hanging on the ledge for the rest of our adventures, but we accidentally published this before it was finished! So we will temporarily leave you luxuriating at the Pema Boutique while we finish the rest of this post! Stay tuned!