Everyone meets in Kathmandu. Our local staff will pick you up at the airport and transfer (20-30 minutes) you to the hotel. First you will go through immigration (obtain visa) and then go up stairs to claim your luggage (please don’t bring more than two pieces total). Take a cart for this and finally go through customs and proceed to exit the airport. As you go outside look for a sign with your name on it.

If you do not see anyone at the airport, or if there has been a last minute change in your flight details, contact Amber, our local guide in Kathmandu. There is a free phone in the arrival area of the airport.

A TIP FROM AMBER TAMANG, YOUR NEPAL GUIDE:
“According to airport rules, only one person per agency can receive a group (no matter if it’s a big group or one person). Many people are coming in on some flights. There will be people at the airport asking for money to help you with your luggage. Either use a free luggage cart or have a small bill (USD or AU $1 or 100 rupees per bag) handy in your pocket to give them. Keep your wallet well hidden as you exit the airport and be patient. I will find you and make sure you and your luggage are safely transported to the hotel”.

Meet in the hotel lobby for dinner at 6 PM This will be with the entire group including Ven. Robina and our local guide Amber. Overnight at Hyatt Regency. Set on 37 acres, it is a ten minute walk from Boudhanath Stupa, the most holy of Tibetan Buddhist shrines outside Tibet. The hotel has all the services you’d expect including good restaurants and a pool set in a beautiful garden. (Dinner)

Kathmandu. Our first day is free to relax or to explore the city. Nepal’s capital is a delight to the senses, the imagination and the heart. For centuries Kathmandu was forbidden to outsiders. Since it opened to the world in the early 1950’s, it has been one of the most eagerly sought travel destinations. Durbar Square is at the heart of this historic city. There are options to have lunch on your own in the city or at the hotel. Just be sure that what you eat is cooked. Avoid eating fresh foods such as salad and stick to bottled or hot drinks. An optional half day sight-seeing of Kathmandu will be offered. Cost per person, assuming a minimum group size of six, is $25USD payable directly to your local guide, Amber Tamang. This cost includes vehicle, driver and guide but not entrance fees. We return to overnight at the Hyatt Regency. (Breakfast)

Meditation retreat at Kopan Monastery with Ven. Robina. Meet in the Hyatt lobby at 8 AM for the drive to Kopan and its sister nunnery Khachoe Ghakyil, located on a hilltop outside the town of Boudhanath.

Established in 1970 as a monastery for the monks of Solu Khumbu (where Lama Zopa Rinpoche is from), Kopan is beautifully situated on the crest of a hill above the Kathmandu Valley. One of the best Gelug monasteries in Nepal, it is home to 400 monks and, at Kachoe Ghakyil down the road, 400 nuns. People come from all over the world to attend retreats and courses at Kopan, especially the famous November course led by Rinpoche. You will find the accommodation simple but comfortable and the food very satisfactory. There has even been a cook book published with favorite recipes from Kopan. Note that single rooms are not available and also that men and woman room separately at the monastery.

A typical day on retreat starts early with meditation, followed by breakfast. Then there will be teachings and discussion until lunch, with a tea break. After lunch there will be a two-hour break, during which you can take a short easy walk, rest, or study quietly in the excellent library or on your own. During the afternoon there are more teachings and discussion; and after dinner a final session of teachings and meditation. Often a group in retreat will opt to maintain silence for all or part of the time (for example before breakfast and after dinner) as this adds to the contemplative quality of the experience. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

In the morning visit Boudhanath stupa and temples, monasteries and the village. Boudhanath is the religious center for Tibetans living in Nepal and is especially beloved by them. Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that upon first sight of the stupa, all one’s prayers will be fulfilled.

In the afternoon visit Swayambhunath stupa. According to legend, Kathmandu Valley was filled with a great lake, at the center of which a lotus flower grew. With the slash of the bodhisattva Manjusri’s sword the lake was drained and the lotus settled on top of the hill and transformed into the stupa. There is evidence that the great Indian Buddhist Emperor Ashoka visited the site 2,000 years ago. Overnight at Kopan. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Lumbini. Meet at the lobby at 7:00 AM (after tea) for transfer to the airport. Our airport reporting time is 8:00 AM and flight time is 9:00 AM Fly (30 minutes) to Bhairahawa airport on Buddha Air and drive to Lumbini in one hour for our hotel check–in (tentative schedule).

After lunch, visit the birth place of Prince Siddhartha, who became the Buddha. Here there is an Ashokan Pillar with an inscription of King Ashoka from 250 BC, a sacred pond, ruins of the ancient monasteries, stupas and the temple of Mayadevi, the prince’s mother. The site is a 15 minute walk from the hotel. (Tea, Lunch, Dinner)

After breakfast we visit Jetavana, in Sravasti, capital of the ancient Kosala kingdom, where Buddha and his disciples retreated each rainy season for twenty-five years, and where he gave many of his teachings. According to Rinpoche, it is easy to meditate here, so blessed is it.

Relax in the afternoon with lunch on your own or visit Angulimala Cave. This is where a dreaded bandit used to live. After meeting Lord Buddha, he calmed down and embraced Buddhism. Overnight Hotel Lotus Nikko. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Enjoy an early morning return to Mahabodi Stupa and in the afternoon, visit several centers to learn about charitable activities such as the Maitreya School and Tara’s Childern Project. This evening, we can enjoy another return to Mahabodi Stupa.

Bodhgaya also has shops and restaurants to explore. From Root Institute it’s a short walk into town. Rickshaws are also available — ten minutes for thirty rupees. Overnight at Root Institute. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 19
(Nov. 14, 2016)