Volunteer Society Nepal : The best experience for volunteers, the best value for Nepal.
After arriving in Kathmandu the previous day, I woke up and had a lovely breakfast at our homestay, then off to our Nepali language lesson. Lunch was a delicious bowl of Momo (Nepalese dumplings) and mine was the spicy steamed version. Sooooo goooood!
Then we took 2 public buses to get to the famous Boudhanath Stupa. The bus rides were an interesting local experience, reminded me of my time in Cambodia and Laos navigating my way through remote places on dingy public buses with no way of communication. This time though we had our trusty guide, Shakti, to lead us so we just had to follow. There are no bus stops, we just stood by the road and waited for the right bus to come by. No idea how to identify the right bus though, there is a bus boy hanging out by the door of each bus shouting out names of places it goes to. Wonder why they don’t just label the buses. ?
The majestic Boudhanath Stupa was a sight to behold against the cloudless blue sky of a beautiful day. It is surrounded by a lovely perimeter of shop houses, cafes, and buildings that evoke a fusion of European architecture with some local influences. The vibe in this area was so Zen, such a big contrast with the streets on the other side of this perimeter. We also visited the temple here and received some blessings from the monks in the form of a red thread tied around our wrist for a small donation of 100 rupees.
On the way back, we went to get my local sim card. I had to fill up a form that asked for my father and grandfather’s names! I actually don’t even know my grandpa’s name, and it probably would be rude to put “Ah Gong” so I just made up some name ?. Overall a fun day, now off to revise my Nepali words! ?