Health and Safety? Making painting fun?

Time to take it easy today after the last few days excitement we have been feeling the heat of Nepalese life. This place is amazing and stimulating, but can be a bit much at times. I think this was one of the reasons I wanted to come here for an extended period, to see how I coped with this as a day to day existence rather than a two week holiday. So far so good!

As an example of the amazing/stimulating aspect there was another monk in the kitchen this morning and then outside I could here something happening. There was a group of people and two white rabbits. There was a priest guy (the lama from downstairs) doing some blessing (puja). It turns out that a group of Tibetans had bought these two rabbits from two Indian lads (who had been carting them about in very small cages). They had the intention of releasing them into a safe place into the "wild" of a monastery garden and the lama was blessing them to ensure a long and pleasant life free from cages. The two Indian boys looked somewhat bemused and happy to have found people to buy their rabbits. It wouldn't surprise me if they will come straight back to the Tibetans when they have another two rabbits for sale...

We had a lazy morning and then went out to do a few bits and bobs and get the sun. Two weeks ago I took some pictures of this guy (link) and he asked for copies to put on his wall. He was very nice and it was our pleasure to print out the pictures and today we went over to give them to him. We found him sat in the sun outside his shop and he was genuinely pleased to see us and delighted to have some pictures for his walls. It was a very nice moment. We will go back to check that he has stuck the pictures up next to his pictures of Hindu deities...

We had a chill by the Supa Stupa and then went to the internet shop to call Natalia (link) who we saw on Skype, it was fantastic and we were very pleased to hear that she misses us almost as much as we miss her. Then a rat ran in through the front door and under the computer equipment at the back of the shop.

We came home, made soup and watched a film (Little Buddha, pretty rubbish and with Keanu Reeves "playing" the Buddha. I shall never see the great man (the Buddha) in the same way again!!).

Note: This man is painting the two deer that every monastery here have over their entrance gates. They are a reference to the deer park where the Buddha gave his first teaching :-)