Tomorrow I leave for the Shangri-la Hotel, where my dear friend Brian got his Auntie Celedra a discounted room.
The rain is pouring down again here in the middle of monsoon season and I realize that I’m getting a bit tired of the combination of rain and dirt alleys that turn into big, slick mud puddles that are filled with rotting vegetables and all kinds of things I don’t want to think about. Every night I’ve watched one of the many DVD’s I purchased about the Cultural Revolution and the Tibetan refugees – little children that get frostbite on their little feet from walking for days through the icy mountain trails on their way to safety here in Nepal.
So, I stop my complaining, get my computer bag securely strapped around me and take off to the stupa and to my Internet café. Oh, it is so slowww! And, for some reason, I’m not getting all my e-mails. But, I see one – it is from the Shangri-la, dated yesterday and says that will see me tomorrow. That would be today! Suddenly, I realize that today is the 31st and the day I check into the Shangri-la. I cannot believe the joy and excitement I feel and virtually skip over the puddles as I hurry my way back to the monastery to pack my bags.
The one thing I still haven’t had in a month is a HOT shower! I’ve had a ‘not very cold’ shower, but never warm and certainly not hot. I can hardly contain myself and surprise myself with this level of absolute giddiness. I say good-by to my little place that felt so luxurious just a week ago, bow to the dear Lama who is there by my taxi and so eagerly await my ‘real’ hotel!
Yes! They greet me with a delicious mango cocktail with a splash of rum and walk me to my lovely 4th floor room overlooking one of the most beautiful gardens in Kathmandu. There is a plate of cookies from their bakery and a basket of fruit. And a big bathtub! I am delirious!
And, not only has it stopped raining, there is actually some blue sky above. Oh, it is Shangri-la!
The girl at the front desk tries to get the wifi going and I take off for Thamel district, just a 30-minute walk away. Today, I will find Akka Lama, whose name I received from Jeff’s brother Ron. Finally, I find his Thanka shop, but he is busy, so I tell his brother I will walk around a bit and come back.
Now, are you r ready for this!!!
As I’m strolling down the busy Thamel streets, I see a Tibetan bookstore, and remember that I am looking for a book – Blazing Slender. So many wonderful books here, it’s hard to leave. I make my purchase and slowly head back to the Thanka store.
Suddenly, a monk comes up next to me and looks right at me and says “Tashi Delek”. For a moment I wonder how he knows that I know this greeting. He stops me and, (oh my gosh! A monkey just crossed my window!) with this huge smile on his face starts talking about Nangchen. I am trying to understand him and finally realize that he saw me in the monastery I visited in Nangchen and he is so excited. He says I don’t remember him because he had on more robes and that he is a Khenpo. He says he remembers my hair and points to his own shaved head. He bows with me over and over and we make our way down the bustling street to a little restaurant for tea. He knows all of the Rinpoche’s that I’ve been with in Tibet and tells me he will be in Crestone, Co September 25th and we must meet there. He says he has just been praying for help to get the bus to Lhasa to see his mother, who he hasn’t seen in years, and then he saw me there on the street and that I am his guardian, his Green Tara. He needs 30,000 Rs. I give him the 12,000 that I have with me and wish I had more. Maybe I’m not his Green Tara after all. But he is so grateful – says he will pray for my children and grandchildren and call me in the United States. We go on and on about the auspiciousness of this meeting with many “Om Mani Padma Hungs” and many, many touching of heads. He takes the red string off of his neck and puts in on me, telling me it is from the Dalai Lama, and gives me a picture of the Dalai Lama. He is a fountain of prayers and blessings and smiles and great joy! I am just a bit overwhelmed with this serendipitous meeting and we both cry a bit. Finally, we leave each other with a big hug and many more touching of foreheads! Oh, I feel so blessed!
I meet Akka Lama, drink tea and wonder why I’m here. Then I find out. His wife has a small factory that employs Tibetan women in the making of Dharma articles. She will make whatever I want. He tells me that they make real prayer flags - prayer flags that have legible prayers on them, not the ones mass-produced by the Chinese. He talks about her intention of preserving the true Tibetan dharma as well as her intention to help Tibetan women who are in need. Oh, this is the perfect last piece of my trip.
We make plans for tomorrow. We will go to her factory and I will take pictures. I tell him about my intention to bring in more of the awakened feminine aspect to our culture and he understands.
The last stop before home is to my favorite Third Eye Restaurant where I ate last week. As I’m asking someone outside directions, two well-groomed young men dressed in maroon shirts tell me that they work there and they will walk with me. It is dark and the lights of Thamel make it look festive. My old waiter remembers me and even remembers that I had a glass of white wine and finds me a seat in the back room. The tables here are low and you sit crossed legged. There is an altar against the wall with candles and the music is gently wafting through the air. I bring out my new book to read by candlelight, but we get into a wonderful discussion about casts and Mongolians and Christians. Dinner is again delicious, interrupted only by the Korean and Chinese couple who ask me to take a picture of them. Good-by CC my new friend calls as I jump into a rickshaw and head for my new home.
