Under the bodhi tree

 

Many months ago I started reading a book that turned out to effectively be Buddha’s biography.  It was pretty dry reading “and then he…and then he…and then he…” none the less I found it really interesting.  At about the same time I was forming a plan for this trip and thought “wouldn’t it be cool to visit Bodhgaya, the place where Buddha attained enlightenment?” and here we are.

Unfinished temple, is going to be most spectacular when done.

Unfinished temple, is going to be most spectacular when done.

After many big cities Bodhgaya is quite a bit more relaxed.  It is not very big and there are rice paddies about 50m from our hotel.  There are, as you might expect lots of Buddhists coming to visit Mahabodhi Temple, the site of the wondrous event and the location of a descendant of the original Bodhi tree under which Buddha was sitting.

Mahbodhi Temple in the location where Buddha attained enlightenment.  Likely the most holy place for Buddhists.

Mahabodhi Temple in the location where Buddha attained enlightenment. Likely the most holy place for Buddhists.

Many countries have built monasteries and temples here; Vietnam, Japan, China Bhutan to name a few and while they may not be intentionally trying to outdo each other (are Buddhists competitive?) there are some spectacular buildings, all within walking distance.  There are also many, many monks and nuns walking, riding bicycles, motor bikes and autos.

30 metre high Buddha built by the Japanese

30 metre high Buddha built by the Japanese

The Mahabodhi Temple is a very peaceful place with lots of people praying and meditating.  Some walk, some sit, some prostrate themselves.  We sat for about an hour just watching people around the tree which seems to be the focus for pilgrims.

Meditating monk passing bodhi tree at Mahbodhi Temple

Meditating monk passing bodhi tree at Mahabodhi Temple.  I love this photo.  We sat for a long time and this guy was walking slowly around and around the temple, occasionally he would pick up a little train of 3 or 4 followers then they would drop off and he would keep going.  We made eye contact a couple of times and he had a lovely gentle smile.  I also love that to the left of him is people sitting meditating, to the right of him is people walking, western clothes.  For me the photo is a story that I am not sure conveys well if you weren’t there.

There is another focus and that is catching the occasional leaf that flutters to the ground.  I had spotted a couple and each time was beaten to them by someone else.  It wouldn’t be good form to elbow an elderly nun out of the way over a leaf.  Eventually I told a monk I was after one and when he saw one hit the ground he grabbed it and gave it to me.  I have a plan for framing it when we get back.  Sitting again I saw another come down and this time I was quickest and now had my second leaf, but I had beaten an older monk to it so I gave it to him and the look of excitement on his face was worth it.

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Not the same monk ;o)

Neither of us has been 100% well here, Sheila especially so, so on our last day, after she faded badly out in the streets we came back to the hotel where she slept much of the afternoon and I borrowed a bicycle to head into town.  Using the road in India at all is quite an interesting exercise, riding a bike when you haven’t been on one for a few years what could possibly go wrong?

In fact nothing went wrong, but unlike me, I did forget the golden rule for getting services of any sort;  Negotiate a price first.  The seat on the bike was a little high so I stopped at a “bike repair shop” i.e. a spot by the road where someone fixed bikes, and asked the guy to lower the seat about 2cm.  At home a 3 minute job like this, mechanic would just say “don’t worry about any money” but this is India so I reckon it would be a Rs5 or Rs10 job.  Like I said, I didn’t fix a price up front and the guy wanted Rs50!  OK, this is only $1 but that’s beside the point, I had been well and truly cheated and despite him not speaking English, he got my message very clearly and one of the blokes standing around who could speak a little English also passed on my displeasure.  I ought to add that the blokes standing around had wry smiles on their faces that I read as “you got done mate, it wasn’t fair, but what did you expect?”.  But the bike was more comfortable.

[EDIT] Days later again finally some decent wifi.  Jump to photos to fill out the story.

Sheila under the bodhi tree

Sheila under the bodhi tree

 

The main Buddah idol inside the Mahabodhi temple

The main Buddah idol inside the Mahabodhi temple

 

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I was on my bike and noticed all the banners and bunting hiding the street seller stalls. Kept riding, somehow I was unwittingly through barricades and right alongside the Governor of Bihar’s car. No one panicked but they did move me back pretty quick ;o). Then they removed the decorations and the non-existent stalls that the Governor surely knew about anyway magically reappeared.

Cow dung pats used for cooking drying on a wall.  This is a really common sight.  I am sure the cooking fires are a major contributor to the poor quality of Indian air.

This is a really common sight, cow dung pats used for cooking drying on a wall.  I am sure the cooking fires are a major contributor to the poor quality of Indian air.

Tergar Monastry - there a loads of monastries in bodhgaya

Tergar Monastry – there a loads of monastries in bodhgaya

Dragon staircase at the unfinished temple above.

Dragon staircase at the unfinished temple above.

 

 

I’m listening…

I have received plenty of advice and I appreciate it.  Especially from those who have ventured to the Indian subcontinent before me.

Information is best shared so this is a collection of advice offered to me *.

  • Travel by train whenever possible and take Sleeper Class
  • Eat vegetarian cooked food , avoid salad.
  • Street food is fine
  • Visit the Taj Mahal as early as possible in the morning. Do this by staying in Agra the night before
  • You will get sick , you will get better.
  • Try not to get bitten by a rabid dog
  • Get over it and stop being such a wuss. What happened to the spirit of Crocodile Dundee?
  • Don’t leave Chaitrali Mahanwar hanging! Let her know if you still want to stay. (Auto response from CouchSurfing)
  • You can basically buy anything in the world at an Indian pharmacy
  • Travelling light – did you hear about the guy a few weeks ago who fainted at the airport because he had like 4 layers on, trying to avoid being overweight with his carry-on?!
  • Allow 1 more working day for receipt of your visa
  • Take care!
  • Remember  – the worst experiences at the time, make the best stories later
  • Wash your hands at every opportunity
  • Don’t forget to view our handy travel insurance claims guide
  • Don’t forget every bank-note is contaminated with all sorts of lurgies. Think about BUYING food then eating it without implements
  • from 18 Nov to 25 Nov there is India‘s biggest tribal fair near to Jaipur at Pushkar.  it would be your life time opportunity to experience this fair.. I am planning to attend this fair. Can help and guide you If you’re interested in it
  • Varanasi has one of my favorite stepwells, hidden in the city, you’ll probably need to keep asking, it’s surrounded by temples: LOLARKA KUND also known as CHARAN GANGA…really amazing.
  • Go to the Red Fort (in Delhi) and hunt for the baoli

This is all very useful information that I have taken to heart.  No doubt you have some advice that isn’t on the list yet.  Please add it as a comment.

I hope this list will benefit not only me, but any one else who stumbles on this blog.  I found the writing of other people useful, I can only do my best to keep the information flowing.

I will add this advice of my own:  Do not pay much attention to the guru in the image 

* These are all genuine.

Don’t bug me…please

I am going to take the advice of a commenter and not focus on toilets…until I desperately need to.  And at the same time, Delhi Belly is not something to be ignored or sneezed at…especially when you have it.

Being labelled ‘reckless’ has been a staple of married life for me.  The Sheila and I live in different worlds when it comes to risk assessment.  For me, taking calculated risks makes life exciting but not so much for her.

I am unlikely to eat a meal in a hotel or fancy restaurant – I don’t do it at home, so why when travelling and the lure of street food is irresistable.  So going prepared for anything and hoping for the best is not a bad idea, especially since I will be a long way from home and by myself for 5 weeks.  “But don’t you have a real doctor in your family these days?’ you might ask.  Yes, but it isn’t much help really unless trying to get a diagnosis via email is your thing.

And getting sick when you are supposed to be exploring and having adventures seems much less fun than taking an ideological stand and remembering that you are a wuss when it comes to injections.needlesThis was the formidable looking line up.  In fact, two of them were absolutely painless, seriously!  Zero pain!  I have learned a lot about the value of relaxing when having your body intentionally punctured.

Common sense tells me to have what I might need at hand rather than having to struggle to a doctor or chemist and try to figure out what I needed 60 minutes ago. So here’s the kit – it is only because of weight limits that I am not including a defibrillator.

House calls

Six days to go and I raise my glass of boiled, UV treated, filtered, iodined water from a sealed bottle in a toast to good health.