She recalled, "We spent two weeks in the orphanage we just fell in love with the kids, my daughter especially," Costa reminisced. We were told we had been lucky, that we had just received a blessing, simply by the look on her face as she looked down."Ĭosta was in awe of the things she and her daughter Jillian learned while while they stay at Elvira's Children's Home, where she saw "the paradox of our countries their wealth within their poverty, our poverty within our wealth." "I was in the courtyard, a small little courtyard that could fit no more than 50 people, and the audience looked up to this window to see a small girl in heavy makeup, very regally looking down. The chosen goddess is then raised in an ornate, beautiful building. "She is a living goddess in Kathmandu, and much is selected through an number of intensive tests, much like the Dalai Lama. "I was able to have an audience with the local goddess, Kumari," Ms. Spirituality is a living thing for the people."Ĭosta was also lucky enough to experience truly living spirituality when she attended an audience with the famed living goddess in Kathmandu. There are so many gods and goddesses, and their spirituality is built into the infrastructure, and is visible everywhere. But spirituality is in their being, their way of living. "Kathmandu shops are the sizes of closets, and each one is very specialized. "It was absolute culture shock- the bizarre driving, the cars coming from everywhere, wild dogs and sacred cows all over the streets," she said. Though she was disappointed, Costa used her extra time in Nepal to really explore Kathmandu, and was amazed to experience some cultural differences she had expected, and others that pleasantly surprised her. I was concerned, as a woman traveling alone, but I was assured that it was totally safe, and ended up being really comfortable the entire trek." "I talked to agencies and came across Gurkha Encounters, and I give them the most credit, especially my guide, Mingma. It was grueling, but fun."Ī communications professor at Bristol Community College, Costa planned her trip with the help of the Gurkha Encounters travel agency, which specializes in adventure holidays and tailor-made travel plans. "I always had this fantasy about trekking, set against the beautiful background of the Himalayas. "This was a plan that had been brewing for about 20 years," Ms. While many travelers dream of the same opportunity, Costa's trip was enriched with a unique experience, as she spent two weeks volunteering her time at an orphanage in Kathmandu. WESTPORT - This past spring, Westport resident Madeleine Costa fulfilled a lifelong dream of trekking through Nepal.
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