sonauli

i was e-talking to a friend in  kathmandu who says the trip from varanasi to his place takes 3 days..   . yesterday i went to the bus stop at 7 am.. in varanasi.. and caught the one going to gorakhpur..   the bus actually wouldnt start.  flat battery.. i was astonished to see an unassuming bystander take position in front of the full sized bus.. and gave it a shove. he was actually a very strong man.. well. the driver slipped the clutch in reverse and we were on the way..
its a very noisy run to gorakhpur.  6 hours.. the road isnt so bad.. just crowded and fairly dangerous.. and noisy.. i was thankful for my bright orange earplugs.. something like the shade popular among shiva devotees in the city i was leaving..
a quick rickshaw ride to a different bustop in gorakhpur and then another bus for the 3 hour ride to the border town.. sonauli..
one last predatory rickshaw wallah who told me to pay him an inflated price for a distance he lied about.. to the border from the bus stop there..(you can read about predatory rickshaw wallahs in the guide book.. they do not exaggerate . oh mind you dont miss indian immigration on the right..  very fine gentlemen who efficiently do the stamping...
the 10 hours on the road were exhausting..  once over the border in nepal i found the first inexpensive hostel i came across and slept..
i was eaten by mosquitos..
i walked the 5 kilometers with day pack and backpack on the trolly to the bustop to lumbini.  (oh..i dont carry the backpack.. i strap it to a small folding trolly and drag it.. i'm just too old for that xxxx.

lumbini is where the buddha was reportedly born..
as soon as he could,  he bolted.  he probably tried to buy some bread..   there is none in the kiosks.  chappati and nan are unavailable in the village..   one can go to a restaurant and order white rice and dhal..   a more unfriendly place would refuse to sell water. they do sell water.. the reticulated water not fit for washing the face.
but there is a peaceful  reverential atmostphere.  today i plan to visit the maya devi temple..  the spot where siddhartha is said to have suffered his last rebirth..

later)    it would be wrong to write about the birthplace of siddhartha.. it is at the mayadevi temple.  by the temple is a pool where mother and child are said to have bathed.
there is a stern old monk who keeps an eye on the place, seated under a tree.  seems that he acquires merit in this world.
none of my friends would be disappointed by undertaking the journey to the mayadevi temple ....  i certainly wasnt.  the place is honoured by its custodians.  from the countries where the buddha is esteemed.