Nepal

I find myself:

-kneeling in front of the Tibetan monk, who gives me a blessing "om mani padne hum" (which roughly implies long life and good luck), while he drapes a special cloth around my neck. He adds in a blessing for good health, every day. It's the every day part which I find touching, and secretly hope that it means I'll have healthy knees.. We finish our conversation about life, politics, and then head out. I still have the cloth.

-In the main part of Pokhara, asking my Nepali friend Dilip to please take me away from the tourist trap of Pokhara. We're eating dinner at a local place. I suspect I'm the only westerner that has been here in a long, long time. But am treated with great service, and a great meal. Dilip kindly leads me. We've ordered a variation of Daal Baat (the normal Nepali rice/lentil/curry meal) and are having Dhido, which is a soft polenta-like mash which is dipped in sauces. I know I'm off the tourist path when I don't automatically get offered silverware. So, I eat with my hands. Which is oddly gratifying. And I'm thinking back to the meal LR and I had at a superb Ethiopian restaurant in NY back in the spring, and thinking that silverware is slightly over-rated.

-Having breakfast with Dilip, watching Pokhara wake up. Shop keepers sweeping the stoops of their doorway. It seems odd that more shops aren't opening. We watch a mob trying to attack a taxi driver, as about 20 police officers show up to recue the taxi driver. It will be the last taxi we see that day... We're planning to head a bit out of town to the Tibetan Refugee center, I want to meet these people. We're also planning on seeing a bit more of the real city. But there are no busses. It's oddly quiet. It takes half an hour to figure out what's going on, and as it turns out, there is a one day strike, called by the students, in protest of something??? We spend the day walking up and down, up and down, up and down, the main tourist road. Having tea. Having coffee. Me trying to learn a bit of Nepalese. Learning about growing up here. Difficulties of daily living. We run into 4 or 5 people I met while trekking. We have dinner with a Danish friend I met, and her guide and her guide's wife and child.

-On the bus. Which is typical of what you expect if you think of the stereotype of what you've heard about if you think of buses in India. Except there are no chickens. I could write a whole blog entry alone on the bus. I marveled at the insanity of how the bus was packed with people, mixed with slight waves of anxiety thinking that if the bus crashed, it would be damn near impossible to get out easily. (and buses crash regularly). The bus ride is 17 hours, overnight to Bardia National Park.

-On a stopped bus, at 10pm. On the middle of the major east-west highway. I don't know why we stopped. I kind of don't mind, since it's likely more safe to be stopped at night. A fight breaks out on the bus (while we sit idle) at about 1am. I wonder why we're still stopped. The older women pray. But most people don't seem to care. The police show up. It's dark outside, and I can't see much. It's 8am, we're still not moving. I get out of the bus and se buses lined up and down the road. Seems odd, so finally I enquire. An unannounced strike has been called. the 17 hour bus ride has now been delayed 10 hours. We leave an hour later.

-On a Jungle Safari with Santa. I kid you not. Christmas is the furthest thing from my mind, given that I'm in a hindu/buddhist country, no signs of xmas, and no snow. It could be July for all I know. but meeting my guide, and learning his name is Santa (I asked twice) makes me realize that is is towards the end of December, and xmas is getting close. The Jungle is wet this am from all the dew. I get soaked. It's great fun, just me and Santa, tracking a rhino. I'm informed: If a rhino charges, climb a tree, if an elephant charges, run in a zig-zag. Santa doesn't mention what to do if bengal tiger charges. I'm putting all my faith that Santa will be able to beat the tiger with his walking stick. He has no gun. I think back to having been blessed recently for long life, and good luck. That must count for something. We do end up finding a rhino and an elephant. The tiger remains elusive.

-Riding an elephant through the jungle. Crashing through the underbrush. On the elephant as it pushes over trees in the way. That's impressive.

-On a raft trip. Ok, more like a float trip. But we are on a raft. It's fucking cold. cold cold cold.

-Sitting at dinner, drinking beer with Santa, and the other guides in the lodge. I'm hearing stories of what it was like when the Maoists troubles were going on. Bomb attacks. Constant harassment by the police, the army, the Maoists. Not knowing if the lodge would be bombed. Bad times. I read in the paper that 170 people are still missing from the area, all suspected to be dead, but nobody telling where the bodies are located.

-At the "Exact Spot" where Gautama Siddharta Buddha was born. Before he became enlightened and started buddhism. Being the skeptic, I look for signs of this. Maybe some amniotic fluid splash marks? Maybe the placenta? I was annoyed so I didn't pay the dollar equivalent to take photos there, and not it seems stupid to have balked over a dollar. Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha. And it's not at all inspiring or peaceful. I've already booked to leave the following morning.

-Back in Kathmandu. 3 days earlier than planned. My hotel costs US$ 4 a night. You get what you pay for. :)

-Shocked that the price of a life is 17,000 Nepali Rupees. With is about US$ 250. This is the price a taxi driver has to pay to the family if he kills somebody.

I am booking a bike trip for the next 3 days, so will head out tomorrow on a bike trip for a few days. Then will be back here to finish exploring Kathmandu for a few days before heading back to warm Jo'burg.

From Nepal, I wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season, and a great 2009.


Brian