Reblogging: Boudhanath – One of the Holiest Buddhist Sites in Nepal

Christmas is over and time really flies so fast. As an Overseas Filipino Worker, celebrating the Yuletide season away from home is ordinarily normal. I have gotten to commemorate Christmas on my own as if it's not Christmas at all, specially if you are in a non-christian country.
Nevertheless, it's like a pretty normal days for me since I've gone abroad for a longer times. Anyway, I'd love to share snippets of a neighboring country here in Asia, a country which I dream to visit one day because of it's uniqueness in culture, belief, intriguing life and shared experience from a travel blogger   ( Flipnomad) whom I have been following since then...let's take a look then.

Boudhanath – One of the Holiest Buddhist Sites in Nepal  

Posted: 16 Dec 2014 07:29 AM PST

Boudhanath is said to be one of the most holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal. During my entire stay in Nepal, I rented a room near Boudhanath and had the chance to observe the daily life that revolves around this holy stupa. Just like Swayambunath, Boudhanath’s structure includes a dome which represents the world, the eyes (Wisdom and Compassion) which represents enlightenment and thirteen pinnacles on top to represent the thirteen stages that we need to go through to attain enlightenment of Buddhahood.
On a daily basis, you’ll see so many pilgrims walking clockwise around the stupa while uttering their prayers. Most of them are also holding their prayer beads or mallas and some are carrying prayer wheels. A lot of these people came from nearby villages and some of them come from as far as the remotest place in Nepal like Dolpo and visit Boudhanath once in awhile.
Since Boudhanath is one of the holiest Buddhist sites, there’re also so many rites and rituals being done here by the Buddhist community. Boudhanath also has a large population of Tibetan refugees and there are around 50 Tibetan monasteries scattered around the area. This place also attracts so many Western people who are interested in studying Buddhism. A lot of monasteries are offering classes about Buddhism and Tibetan Language.
Around the main stupa, you’ll see numerous guesthouses, restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops.
This is one of my favorite places in Kathmandu because of the laid back atmosphere and the positive vibe that I feel every time I walk around the area of Boudha.
Here are some pictures of Boudhanath:

 The pictures are so intriguing and captivating, one day I would see this exotic and historical country and it's on my top list to visit. More stories of fascinating photos and stories about Nepal, please do visit : Flipnomad's blog where you can read about his travels.

Reblogging: 11 Beautifully Untranslatable Words from Other Cultures

Reblogging: from Matador Network

THE RELATIONSHIP between words and their meaning is a fascinating one, and linguists have spent countless years deconstructing it, taking it apart letter by letter, and trying to figure out why there are so many feelings and ideas that we cannot even put words to, and that our languages cannot identify.
The idea that words cannot always say everything has been written about extensively — as Friedrich Nietzsche said.

Words are but symbols for the relations of things to one another and to us; nowhere do they touch upon the absolute truth.

German: Waldeinsamkeit

A feeling of solitude, being alone in the woods, and a connected-ness to nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson even wrote a whole poem about it.

Italian: Culaccino

The mark left on a table by a cold glass. Who knew condensation could sound so poetic.

Inuit: Iktsuarpok

The feeling of anticipation that leads you to go outside and check if anyone is coming, and probably also indicates an element of impatience.

Japanese: Komorebi

This is the word the Japanese have for when sunlight filters through the trees — the interplay between the light and the leaves.

Russian: Pochemuchka

Someone who asks a lot of questions. In fact, probably too many questions. We all know a few of these.

Spanish: Sobremesa

Spaniards tend to be a sociable bunch, and this word describes the period of time after a meal when you have food-induced conversations with the people you have shared the meal with.

Indonesian: Jayus

Their slang for someone who tells a joke so badly, that is so unfunny, you cannot help but laugh out loud.

Hawaiian: Pana Poʻo

You know when you forget where you’ve put the keys, and you scratch your head because it somehow seems to help your remember? This is the word for it.

French: Dépaysement

The feeling that comes from not being in one’s home country — of being a foreigner, or an immigrant, of being somewhat displaced from your origin.

Urdu: Goya

Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, but is also an official language in five of the Indian states. This particular Urdu word conveys a contemplative ‘as-if’ that nonetheless feels like reality, and describes the suspension of disbelief that can occur, often through good storytelling.

Swedish: Mångata

The word for the glimmering, roadlike reflection that the moon creates on water.