Today was my first day of truly exploring all on my own. And for that, I'm rather impressed with myself, for although you can walk from one end of Darjeeling to another in about an hour and a half, I succeeded in going everywhere I wanted to, alone, and without getting lost.
I visited the Japanese Peace Pagoda, a buddhist temple of sorts, and saw some nice buddha sculptures and sandstone relief sculptures depicting his life. I was always moved by the scene in which, after deciding to sit under the Bhodi tree, is tempted by the full power of Mara, and sits unmoved. When she asks who will vouch for the Buddha's worth to receive enlightenment, only then does he move to touch his fingertips to the earth, which responds by an earthquake, the earth itself vouching for the Buddha's enlightenment.
In the afternoon I visited the local zoo and the Himalayan Mountain Institute museum. For a third world country, the zoo was quite nice, with a variety of local yaks, deer (barking deer are pretty much the cutest things ever), as well as black bears, tigers, leopards, and wolves. I'd be for giving them more space and more places to hide, but oh well. Though I have decided, apart from the barking deer, I want a red panda for Christmas. My God those things are cute.
And the Everest museum in the Himalayan Mountain Institute was cool, and I got to recognize portraits of George Mallory, Irvine, and Hillary.
And then when I got back to my room I had way too much fun trying on my tibetan dress.
I visited the Japanese Peace Pagoda, a buddhist temple of sorts, and saw some nice buddha sculptures and sandstone relief sculptures depicting his life. I was always moved by the scene in which, after deciding to sit under the Bhodi tree, is tempted by the full power of Mara, and sits unmoved. When she asks who will vouch for the Buddha's worth to receive enlightenment, only then does he move to touch his fingertips to the earth, which responds by an earthquake, the earth itself vouching for the Buddha's enlightenment.
In the afternoon I visited the local zoo and the Himalayan Mountain Institute museum. For a third world country, the zoo was quite nice, with a variety of local yaks, deer (barking deer are pretty much the cutest things ever), as well as black bears, tigers, leopards, and wolves. I'd be for giving them more space and more places to hide, but oh well. Though I have decided, apart from the barking deer, I want a red panda for Christmas. My God those things are cute.
And the Everest museum in the Himalayan Mountain Institute was cool, and I got to recognize portraits of George Mallory, Irvine, and Hillary.
And then when I got back to my room I had way too much fun trying on my tibetan dress.
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