SamyeLing Bhuddist Temple

Now we've known about this place for a while and never got around to visiting it but Sunday seemed ideal, heavy showers and thunder and lightning forecast so a run on the bikes down to the borders seemed like a great idea. We had a nice run down mainly deserted roads, deserted apart from the hordes of suicidal sheep that is, we met George Martin in Peebles and stopped for a quick chat, he offered us a cup of tea but didn't have chocolate biscuits so we politely declined, these Triumph owners can be a bit tight with the chocolate biscuits you know.
As we approached the monastery which is near Eskadalemuir I spotted the golden temple roof, not quite what you expect to see in Dumfries & Galloway, in Tibet maybe but not in the Scottish borders.
We rode in and parked the bikes in the heavy rain, Bhudda wasn't doing his best for us at this point, not sure what we expected but we both agreed to a little disappointment, nobody seemed overly friendly and the monks seemed a bit crabbit. I think I expected monks to be wandering around looking serene, full of enlightenment and projecting inner peace, the one I spoke to to ask if we could park our bikes at the cafe was pleasant enough but I wasn't ready for the Scottish accent, I suppose I wasn't ready for the concept of Scottish Tibetan Monks.
Worth a stop though as the cafe is good, the beans on toast was just what I needed!
To be fair Bhudda was kind to us on the way home as we managed to dodge all the downpours on the way back up the road.


 

The entrance gate, not what you expect to see at the side of the road here

Bikes resting in the rain

The Temple, you see the roof as you get near, makes a change from slates!

Fi asking why its raining

And then meditating in an effort to chase the rain away, it worked!

The godess of something or other (obviously a temptress as snakes usually mean evil?)

Not sure what this building was, the BBQ? the chimnea? or a giant teapot