A visit to the birthplace of Lord Buddha at Lumbini, Nepal

Back in December last year I enjoyed visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site at Lumbini in Nepal, the birthplace of Lord Buddha. At the time I did not write anything on our blog however it is worth describing to you as this is an interesting place and well worth incorporating into a tour of Nepal especially if you entering Nepal from India through Sonauli.

Photo: marker stone showing birthplace of Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in Lumbini in 623 B.C. This holy site is surrounded by a monastic zone where commercial enterprises such as shops or restaurants are not allowed. The zone is separated into two areas, the eastern side having Theravadin monasteries and the western side with Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries. The Mayadevi Temple at the centre is the actual birthplace of Buddha.

It is well worth wandering around the monastic zone and visiting the monasteries from various Buddhist countries and soaking up the peaceful atmosphere. Lumbini is a sacred spot and attracts many pilgrims so you will see monks and nuns as well as other devotees from all over the world.

Photo: inside Mayadevi Temple

Photo: Maya Devi temple complex

Photo: eternal flame in monastic zone

There are a number of good hotels near Lumbini, I stayed at the Buddha Maya Garden part of the Kathmandu Guest House group, I also visited Lumbini Hokke and Lumbini Garden hotels to take a look at their facilities and rooms. Please get in touch with The Mountain Company if you would like any further information.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Our August '10 K2 & Gondogoro La trek is now guaranteed to run

Photo: K2 as seen from Concordia

I am looking forward to travelling to Pakistan this summer to lead our K2 & Gondogoro La trek, we now have sufficient numbers booked on this trip to guarantee to run the departure. Please get in touch soon if you would like to join the group.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Photos of Kilimanjaro trek on the Rongai route in January 2010

As mentioned in my earlier post from today I have uploaded some photos of The Mountain Company's recent expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro via the Rongai route.

Photo: Mount Kilimanjaro seen from Rongai route

Photo: Simbha Camp with Mawenzi behind

Photo: Mawenzi Tarn Camp

Photo: sunset from Mawenzi Tarn Camp

Photo: high altitude desert on the Saddle

Photo: crashed plane on the Saddle

Photo: a cup of tea at Gillman's Point

Photo: sunrise over Mawenzi

Photo: dawn near Stella Point

Photo: sunrise near Uhuru Peak

Photo: Roland at Uhuru Peak 5,895m

Photo: glacier seen from Uhuru Peak

Photo: Uhuru Peak

Photo: Western breach and crater seen from Uhuru

Photo: Kilimanjaro crater rim

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Our January 2010 group successfully climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro

I have just got back to UK after leading a private group to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, this is the highest point in Africa and one of the seven summits (highest mountain on each continent). Congratulations to the team who all successfully climbed to the highest summit on Mount Kilimanjaro at Uhuru Peak.

We trekked on the Rongai route taking seven days in total, this is a beautiful walk on the north east side of the mountain with far fewer trekkers compared to the busier Marangu and Machame routes. I will post photos of the trip into his blog shortly.

This trek was organised to support the "I Give U Give" campaign where they launched the world's highest-ever petition that seeks to lobby the G20 to match their fundraising to help eliminate malaria.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Islamic Relief Everest Challenge successfully reach Base Camp

The Islamic Relief Everest Challenge team all arrived safely back to Kathmandu today. Congratulations to eleven members of the team who successfully trekked to Everest Base Camp on December 13th.

This group has raised a significant amount of sponsorship for various water projects in Africa.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

A few days in Bandipur

Between my Mera Peak group leaving Nepal last week and the Islamic Relief Everest Challenge arriving on December 5th I had a few spare days so decided to go visit the small town of Bandipur. Bandipur is located on a ridge above the Kathmandu to Pokhara road and has superb views of the Himalayan peaks to the north (Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Ganesh Himal).

Bandipur has been considerately developed for tourists whereby some of the old houses have been carefully converted to hotels and there are thankfully few concrete buildings like elsewhere in Nepal. Compared to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu Bandipur is very peaceful as vehicles are not allowed into the main square.

Photo: Bandipur town

The history behind Bandipur is that it was originally a Magar village then in early 19^th century Newars moved in to take advantage of its location on the historical trading route from Kathmandu and also the absence of malaria due to its higher altitude. However once the road the Kathmandu to Pokhara road was built lower down in the valley below, Bandipur lost its importance as a trading centre and many people moved out. Since the arrival of tourism the town has been revived and fortunes reversed.

Photo: old library in town square

Bandipur would be a lovely place to visit after a trek or if you only planning on having a short tour of Nepal. By wandering around the town and nearby villages you will get a good feel for Nepalese village life. There are several places to visit including a number of temples and also Siddha caves the largest in Nepal.

Photo: entrance to Siddha cave

Photo: stalactites in Siddha cave

Photo: Gaun Ghar hotel

There are some good hotels in Bandipur, by far the best is Gaun Ghar off the main square. This hotel is an old village house that has been restored and renovated into a guest house while preserving the traditional architecture. Other hotels worth considering are Old Inn (next door to Gaun Ghar) as well as Bandipur Mountain Resort.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

The Colonel arrives to Kathmandu!

Photo: KFC on Durbar Marg, Kathmandu

The big news in Kathmandu this week is the arrival to Nepal of KFC and Pizza Hut, the new restaurants opened their doors on Durbar Marg on November 25th for the first time. For purely research purposes I went to visit yesterday and can confirm that the chicken at KFC tastes very similar to the last one I had in Rawalpindi last year!

It seems that Kathmanduites are pleased with the new arrivals and there was a long queue out of the door onto the street. It looks like Pizza Hut will give the established pizza restaurants in Kathmandu like Fire and Ice, Dolce Vita and The Road House a run for their money.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk