Happy {Tibetan} New Year!

Yesterday I took a day trip out with Erik and Tracey (new friend from Toronto) to Bylakuppe, the largest Tibetan settlement outside of Tibet.


The drive took about two hours.


We stopped to check out some elephants at Dubare Forest along the way.


Unfortunately we missed their bathtime, but we arrived in time for their feeding.


They were quite large.


I enjoyed getting up close and personal.


Nyingmapa Monastary is where the monks study.


The Golden Temple is located inside. I definitely felt like this place is very special.


Jampa was our kind host. Nicolai, another yoga student, was staying the weekend at the monastery and was nice enough to let us join him for a tour of the grounds.


The monks even cooked us dinner!


The inside of the Golden Temple was simply breathtaking.


Erik was kind enough to take my direction and snap this great photo!


It was such a visual feast for the eyes.


Too many photos to choose from! That's not a bad problem to have.


We just missed the Tibetan new year which is today (Saturday). Some friends are returning tomorrow (Sunday) to see some of the celebration, but I was feeling slightly run down this afternoon and decided to stay put.