The birthplace of Buddha: the ruins of a monastery built in the 3rd century BC on the very site of the birth are now housed in the red building
Of course, our stay in Lumbini included lots of meditation practice
And we celebrated Christmas with crisps, fruit juice and a few Christmas carols
The nuns cooked wonderful food for us every day
The ruins of the monastery built by Buddha's father for him because he refused to return to the palace where he grew up
One of the many wonderful trees growing amongst the ruins of Buddha's family's palace compound
Squatters live on the site now, with their goats
And their houses
Fresh samosas in a roadside cafe ...
... fried while we waited (on the left Lama Sotop, the caretaker of our monastery in Lumbini)
Shopping for the essentials (drinking water, chocolate and biscuits!!)
And bringing the shopping home (there are no cars within the area reserved for monasteries)
Mostly we walked, and walked, and walked between the different monasteries
Our Khenpo during a tea break going back to his roots as a shepherd playing to his flock
Another important daily routine - the after-lunch Keram game
