I'm back in Kathmandu. I arrived 2 days ago after a crazy 18-hour bus trip which took 6 hours longer than expected due to road construction. It was long, bumpy, and exhausting. But I made it.

I'm now taking a few days to relax after an intense couple of weeks and before starting my next volunteering experience, which begins tomorrow.

Since my last update, I visited Bandipur, Chitwan, and Lumbini.

Bandipur is a charming little village. I spent some time exploring the area and even did a half-day excursion to an even smaller and cuter village in the middle of nowhere. To my surprise, I ran into a few volunteer colleagues from my last school volunteering project while walking through Bandipur. We spent some time together - it's always nice to cross paths with people you like and didn't expect to see again.

Chitwan is known for its national park, which is why I went there. But even outside the park, you see animals everywhere. I often saw domesticated elephants walking along roads shared with cars. Near the river that flows through the town, I spotted rhinos and lots of crocodiles.

Of course, I had to go on a safari in the national park. I chose the half-day jeep tour. There's also a walking tour, but to be honest, that scared me a bit. Although rare, there have been incidents where guides - or even tourists - were attacked by wild animals. It's more dangerous for the guides, who lead the group and are responsible for ensuring everyone's safety. This park is home to wild tigers, leopards, bears, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, and even venomous snakes. I went with the safer option - the jeep tour. It's true that the noise probably scares off many animals, but it was still a great experience. I saw plenty of monkeys and deer, a few elephants, one big snake, and the highlight of the day - a Bengal tiger. We only saw it for a second before it disappeared into the forest, but that moment was unforgettable. I heard people saying that it's not that easy for this tiger to be found.

One day in Chitwan, I had an unexpected surprise while walking through town. A man on a motorbike stopped beside me - it was the owner of a restaurant where I'd had lunch the day before. Apparently I was near his house, and he invited me to come over and eat with him. At the same time, a Hindu wedding ceremony was taking place at his home - his brother was getting married. I got to witness a bit of the ceremony, which he told me would last 4 or 5 hours. I didn't stay for the whole event, but I shared a meal with him and his son while the celebrations were underway.

My next stop was Lumbini. My main purpose there was to take part in a 10-day Vipassana meditation course.

Honestly, it's hard to put the experience into words, but I'll give it a try.

The course took place at Dhamma Janani, a center dedicated to teaching Vipassana meditation. These centers exist all over the world, but doing the course in Buddha's birthplace made it feel even more meaningful.

I had already heard that it would be hard - 10 hours of meditation per day plus feedback from others who had done it - but nothing really prepares you for how challenging it is until you live it yourself.

The first 2 days were the toughest. Physically, I was struggling to sit cross-legged on a cushion for hours. My back and legs were aching, and I kept thinking, "How am I going to finish this without injuring myself?" Mentally, it was just as difficult. We were instructed to solely focus on our breath - nothing else. For whoever is new to longer meditations, this is much harder than it sounds. My mind would constantly wander, and I had to keep bringing my attention back to my breath.

To make things even more challenging:

1. The heat - Lumbini gets very hot this time of year, often reaching 40°C. Even with fans running, I was constantly sweating, in both the meditation hall and my room.

2. The rules - During the course, we weren't allowed to use our phones, read, write, or do any kind of physical exercise. The only thing we could do was walk in the garden - which takes about 3 minutes to circle. I did countless rounds.

3. The routine - The daily schedule ended at 9 p.m., and we were woken at 4 a.m. by a bell. Sleep was limited. I took naps whenever possible during the short breaks.

4. The mosquitoes - They appeared every evening and stayed until morning. While mosquito nets were provided for beds and windows, a few still managed to sneak in.

5. The rooms - very basic. The bed was a cement plank fixed to the wall with a mattress that felt more like a camping mat.

On day 4, we were finally introduced to the actual Vipassana technique. By then, I had become more focused, and the back pain was bothering less (though my legs still ached). I often had to change leg positions - stretching them out - but we had to stay seated the whole time.

Vipassana involves scanning the body - concentrating on one part of the body at a time and observing any sensations without judging them. The idea is to understand that everything is impermanent, even sensations (good or bad ones), which constantly change. This observation can go very deep, and at times, I gained some interesting insights from it. Even my dreams while I was there became very vivid and intense.

I appreciated the body scan technique more than the breathwork from the first days, though after hours of scanning, it became hard not to get bored. However, I gradually adapted. The routine started feeling slightly less brutal, and I began to notice some of the technique's benefits. I now think I understand why they make the course so intensive - it's a way to truly internalise the practice. They recommend meditating at least twice a day after the course, in the morning and evening.

I'm proud I stayed until the end. Completing something like this gave me the sense that I was ready to handle anything life throws at me... until, 2 days later, I realised my body was not prepared to sit on a bus for 18 hours.

Not sure which was harder -  the course or this bus trip. The roads are in terrible condition, the buses are uncomfortable, and you can't drink too much water because you never know when the next stop will be. Ours only stopped 3 times. At least we had a television playing Bollywood movies, which helped keep me entertained - especially once they added English subtitles. I suspect I was the reason for that, as probably being the only non-Hindi speaking on the bus.

I arrived in Kathmandu at midnight. Thankfully, the owner of the hostel kindly waited up for me - otherwise I wouldn't have had a place to sleep.

Now, I'm about to start a new volunteering experience at a children's home here in Kathmandu. It will last for 2 weeks. After that, my flight to India will be just around the corner. I have no idea of what awaits me there, but if this journey has taught me anything, it's that the unknown is where the magic often happens.