Travel Notes from Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal

What a terrible waste of time, energy and Nepalese Rupees today is. I’ve been reading my Lonely Planet Nepal travel guide, and on the edge of Shivapuri National Park is the now popular Kopan Monastery. Looks interesting plus i haven’t been here. There are only a handful of tourist places now in the Kathmandu Valley that i haven’t visited, and Kopan is one of them. As part of my rented car from Budanalikantha, me and my driver Yogi Gautam mazed our way to Kopan. The ride was long and zig zag going up, snaking our way to one of the worst road condition i have ever experienced in my lifetime. It didn’t help that we’re riding a beat up, worn down White Tata Express. Terrible! As soon as i arrived at the gate, the security officer asked if i had a booking. Of course, not. What the hell?! Who books for a tourist spot ahead of time to take photos and visit the exterior of the place? This is a first. The driver talked to him, begging for us to just come in for a few minutes to take photos and maybe walk around for a bit. Mind you, the ride going there wasn’t short. And in its maze like path, you become dizzy. Sadly, he said no. And he left us - bored and nonchalant. Like nothing and without any consideration. I was shooed away from a Buddhist Monastery - the irony of it all. I think, this is the first time i experienced something like this in Nepal. Why the heck would Lonely Planet put Kopan Monastery in their guidebook and not put a reminder to book before going there. I get that maybe they’re quite strict with the visitors, but hey i don’t even have to go inside. I just need to make sure that i didn’t go all the way there for nothing. A photo or two wouldn’t hurt. I left the place, confused but as in my previous blog — reminder to always have a back up plan. Things don’t always go how we envisioned them to be. That is a way of life.

The driver must have felt my disappointment. But i wasn’t taking it too seriously - just calm and collected and ready to move on. In true Jerik fashion, i just kept quiet like i always do. Meanwhile, my driver kept on stopping by every temple he sees so i could take photos. It’s not his fault really but i can sense the Nepali pride in him. He would do his best to make up for the disappointing Kopan Monastery. This kind gesture is very much appreciated and one of the reasons why Nepali people are very close to my heart.

I just started reading a book called Simple Living by Shunmyo Masuno and its 100 daily practices for Zen Buddhism. I am pretty sure this debacle is one of them.

I’ve arranged 2,000 Nepalese Rupees earlier via in Drive to take me to 3 places with waiting time im between — Budhanalikantha, Kopan Monastery & Boudhanath. I’ve researched the route and which place to go first. This is the best route possible one can take yet only to be disappointed with Kopan Monastery. 

On my way to Boudhanath, we stopped at this view point, one where no guidebook has ever written before, where one could see the whole Kathmandu City from a great vantage point. I took photos of the driver, and he took mine. In true Nepali fashion, mine wasn’t so good. I laughed it all out. Because today I realized - sometimes it’s not even the photos that matter. One can have the best photo with no meaning. I, on the other hand, had a not so good photo but with memories of failed Kopan Monastery. A selfie with Yogi Gautam would suffice. All is good in this 8 degrees weather as i type my experiences yesterday.