We get a 7 am wakeup call at Chitwan, with breakfast at 7:30 to fuel us for our four hour trip to Lumbini, the birthplace of Prince Siddharta Gautama – otherwise known as Buddha. The temple complex features temples that have been constructed by Buddhists around the world including Japan, Germany and Vietnam. We cross the plains, head up into the mountains again and down again. The roads aren’t quite as curvy, but they are almost as treacherous. Yep, that's a tour bus in the ditch.
We pull into the Lumbini Buddha Lodge at 12:30 for lunch and our tour of the temple complex begins at 2:00. We saw many pilgrims from all over the world, chanting. As for the lodge where we are staying -- it is best known for bird watching, but with the cold and foggy weather, not many birds are out. This would be a great place to stay in the summer but in winter, not so much since there's no heat. Just a few weeks ago in Indonesia, we thought a tour of Iceland sounded so nice and we couldn't wait until the cooler weather!
Once we get to the Nepalese border tomorrow morning, we will bid goodbye to our Nepalese guide and meet our Indian guide for the remainder of our journey.
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