Lhabab Duechen

Yesterday was tough. Shortly after 08:00 I went to Thamel to drop off a copy of my Indian visa so that the ticket agent could confirm my flight to Varanasi. Looked at a couple of backpacks for my trip to India and visited the bookstore before heading to immigration. There I stood in line for 2 hours, then went to a clinic for a Japanese encephalitis vaccine (prevalent in North India and south Nepal). After a short rest chatting with the staff there, it was back to Thamel for lunch, picked up my ticket, more looking at bags, and visited a second bookshop before going back to immigration to pick up my passport.

By the time I got back to Boudha I was pooped. Looked at a couple more bags in Boudha, chatted with the guy from Tushita thangka, found the New Orleans cafe has closed or moved, then watched the preparations for a special puja celebrating Lhabab Duechen, Buddha's descent from Tushita. It is one of the major holidays on the Tibetan calendar. I wanted to stay and watch the ceremony, but by then I was too beat, tired of the noise, the jostling, and the dust to want to do anything but find a shower and some place quiet.

I did, though, take a few photos before going home.

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