After spending a week in agony with stomach issues, I finally felt better and decided to start eating real meals again. Shehrish and I met up with her friend Arpana and went to Thuche, a Thakali restaurant. Thakali people come from northern Nepal, and the food is quite spicy. We ordered an array of snack-type food: aloo sadheko (Nepali potato salad), sukuti (mountain sheep jerky), mutton momos and aloo tareko (fried potatoes). The mutton momos were fantastic, the potato dishes were okay but ultimately forgettable and the sukuti was strange. I almost didn't eat it because it smelled terrible and nobody could tell me exactly what it was other than some mountain animal. I eventually gave in and tried it; good flavor but weird. We ordered Thakali brandy to go with the meal, and I could smell the alcohol as the waiter approached the table. It came piping hot, and was really good.
India and Pakistan played in the cricket world cup yesterday, and every place we went was packed with rabid cricket fans who mostly supported India. The atmosphere was electric, and crowds went nuts any time something went India's way. It would be like people going crazy over any out in a baseball game, which actually happens in the Dominican Republic. I have enjoyed learning the game, but find it a little bit boring. There seems to be commercial breaks every three minutes, which gets annoying. I really am missing the NCAA tournament and NBA. VCU and Butler (and Kentucky) in the Final Four? The Bulls being among the favorites to win the East, and Rose likely winning MVP? At least I have UEFA Champions League coming up.
Teaching has been going well so far. I have been shadowing/assisting with grade one, and the kids I'm with now will be my class next term. Out of thirteen (?) kids, only one is constantly disruptive. The other challenge is having a little girl with selective mutism who has yet to make eye contact with me. She always has fun playing with her friends during recess, but has never uttered a word in a classroom environment. Hopefully we can find a way to communicate. They refer to me as 'sir' or 'Mr. Kyle'. One highlight so far happened when I was reading the kids a Berenstein Bears book. I was about halfway through when all of a sudden one of the kids farted really loudly. I bit my lip and tried to maintain composure as the children giggled away, but they definitely saw me smile.
Load shedding seems to be coming more and more, and we've been going to bed around 10 or 11 every night. I saw my first and last episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians last week. The family was on 'vacay' (their word) in Breckenridge and Kim felt like the family was teasing her too much. She proceeded to throw her mother's cell phone down a flight of stairs and lock herself in her room, eventually coming to the decision to leave and head to a bus station. Upon arrival at the station, she realized she didn't know the bus schedule and went back home to her family who were in tears worrying for Kim's safety. Hugs around, end of episode. I know reality TV is a favorite vice of many of my friends, but no one can justify watching this show.
American Idol was a bit of a letdown this week. The contestants all had to sing Motown songs, and 80% were terrible renditions. The judges used their one 'save' for the season on some strange guy named Casey, whose claim to fame is having really old parents who waited to have kids until their mid-40's. He seemed to have a panic attack on stage when the judges revealed that they saved him, which was more weirdness than entertainment.
Steven Tyler critique of the week: "E to the Z, oh tweedily dee" (I think it was meant to be positive)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Compare/Contrast
Someone asked me to compare various aspects of life between the USA and Nepal, so...
Food: Eating healthy, flavorful food for reasonable cost in America is impossible unless you have lots of money to go out all of the time or you can cook really well. Flavors aside, everything from vegetables to meat just has a fresher taste, as a result of not undergoing processing. If you can handle spicy, you'll like Nepali food better. The only drawback is the absence of good coffee. I like tea (especially here), but miss a good cup of coffee. Edge: Nepal
*This may change if my stomach doesn't improve in the next few days. Everyone told me I would have issues for about a month; it took a week or so to start, and is an ongoing struggle.*
Entertainment: Several factors to weigh:
Commercials- I pick up a magazine or flip channels when commercials come on in the States, but Indian/Nepali commercials make me laugh out loud, even though I can't understand them. The acting is so eccentric, and most times the message has nothing to do with the product.
TV shows- Due to load shedding, I don't get that much time to watch anything, but when we do, the popular show in the house is American Idol, which I hadn't seen since Kelly Clarkson won 10+ years ago. The concept is the same: mediocre singers battling it out for a bad contract and three weeks of fame before becoming obsolete, but the addition of Steven Tyler makes it worthwhile. He was dressed like a cross between Keith Richards and a native American while looking half coherent, and I must of missed when he battled drugs/alcohol however many years ago, but his critiques were simply amazing:
"Girl, just hitch your wagon to a star and you will go places"
"You need to keep being YOU, my brother. I love YOU, but you gotta be YOU"
And apparently, Aerosmith is coming to Kathmandu later in the year. Hopefully he speaks between songs.
But as great as Steven is, big edge to American TV. I miss my shows, but can probably find bootlegs for pennies if I look.
(By the way, Haley totally deserved to get the boot this week after butchering a Whitney Houston track and smearing her lipstick all over her face with the microphone, causing Ryan to awkwardly clean the smudges with a tissue post-song. America missed on this vote)
Sports- The US likes football, basketball, baseball and hockey. Nepal likes cricket, and to a lesser degree, soccer. I was hoping soccer would be bigger here, but cricket is far and away top dog. I do get a lot more soccer here than what FSC has to offer, but it comes at strange times and is usually replayed. Everybody likes Man U, Arsenal or Barca; nobody likes Chelsea. The one thing I really miss in the US (besides family and friends) is basketball. The Bulls are tied for first, Derrick Rose should win MVP, Tyler Hansbrough's stat lines make it seem like he's actually gotten good, and I can't see any of it. ESPN 360 is spotty and with the electricity issues, I am left to rely on Sportscenter recaps and Youtube for hoops.
Music- I am an admitted snob about music, but I think we can all agree that Bryan Adams has seen better days. A few weeks back, Bryan Adams made his mark in KTM by being the first 'big' Western act to perform. All good and well; the only problem is that it's Bryan Adams and the country is still in a euphoric state because of it. I hear Bryan Adams songs every time I am out, and he is quickly rising to Nickelback and Kings of Leon levels of being unlistenable. I'm sure that "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Cuts Like a Knife" were rocking tunes at one point in time. But no more. NO MORE.
Slight edge (overall): America
Miscellaneous:
Walking: Sidewalks and stop signs in America; cow dung, strewn trash, attacking dogs and anarchic traffic in Nepal. America is safer, but Nepal is definitely more exciting. Edge: push
Sleep: I usually go to bed after 2 in the States on a plushy mattress; in Nepal, I go to bed around 11 on a firm mattress and am initially woken up by roosters, pigeons, crows etc. around 4, after which I go back to bed and get up around 8. I have successfully adjusted to a normal cycle in Nepal. Edge: Nepal.
Soda (Pop): I drank Diet Coke like water in the States; in Nepal, it's Coke Light, and tastes great, but as an imported product a can of it runs for about Rs. 140 ($2 USD). I used to never drink regular soda, but everything here is less sweet, making a product like Pepsi drinkable. Edge: US. I miss cheap, sizable Diet Cokes.
Alcohol: Was always beer in the US for me, along with the occasional glass of wine. In Nepal, beer is far more expensive than the States, and the selection is limited to about five: Carlsberg, and than Nepali beers (Tuborg, Everest, Nepal Ice, etc). The average beer is about Rs. 320 ($4.50 USD), and the average liquor drink is around Rs. 200 (about $3 USD). The drop in liquor price is nice, but I prefer American beer and their prices, although Carlsberg being everywhere is nice. Edge: US
Food: Eating healthy, flavorful food for reasonable cost in America is impossible unless you have lots of money to go out all of the time or you can cook really well. Flavors aside, everything from vegetables to meat just has a fresher taste, as a result of not undergoing processing. If you can handle spicy, you'll like Nepali food better. The only drawback is the absence of good coffee. I like tea (especially here), but miss a good cup of coffee. Edge: Nepal
*This may change if my stomach doesn't improve in the next few days. Everyone told me I would have issues for about a month; it took a week or so to start, and is an ongoing struggle.*
Entertainment: Several factors to weigh:
Commercials- I pick up a magazine or flip channels when commercials come on in the States, but Indian/Nepali commercials make me laugh out loud, even though I can't understand them. The acting is so eccentric, and most times the message has nothing to do with the product.
TV shows- Due to load shedding, I don't get that much time to watch anything, but when we do, the popular show in the house is American Idol, which I hadn't seen since Kelly Clarkson won 10+ years ago. The concept is the same: mediocre singers battling it out for a bad contract and three weeks of fame before becoming obsolete, but the addition of Steven Tyler makes it worthwhile. He was dressed like a cross between Keith Richards and a native American while looking half coherent, and I must of missed when he battled drugs/alcohol however many years ago, but his critiques were simply amazing:
"Girl, just hitch your wagon to a star and you will go places"
"You need to keep being YOU, my brother. I love YOU, but you gotta be YOU"
And apparently, Aerosmith is coming to Kathmandu later in the year. Hopefully he speaks between songs.
But as great as Steven is, big edge to American TV. I miss my shows, but can probably find bootlegs for pennies if I look.
(By the way, Haley totally deserved to get the boot this week after butchering a Whitney Houston track and smearing her lipstick all over her face with the microphone, causing Ryan to awkwardly clean the smudges with a tissue post-song. America missed on this vote)
Sports- The US likes football, basketball, baseball and hockey. Nepal likes cricket, and to a lesser degree, soccer. I was hoping soccer would be bigger here, but cricket is far and away top dog. I do get a lot more soccer here than what FSC has to offer, but it comes at strange times and is usually replayed. Everybody likes Man U, Arsenal or Barca; nobody likes Chelsea. The one thing I really miss in the US (besides family and friends) is basketball. The Bulls are tied for first, Derrick Rose should win MVP, Tyler Hansbrough's stat lines make it seem like he's actually gotten good, and I can't see any of it. ESPN 360 is spotty and with the electricity issues, I am left to rely on Sportscenter recaps and Youtube for hoops.
Music- I am an admitted snob about music, but I think we can all agree that Bryan Adams has seen better days. A few weeks back, Bryan Adams made his mark in KTM by being the first 'big' Western act to perform. All good and well; the only problem is that it's Bryan Adams and the country is still in a euphoric state because of it. I hear Bryan Adams songs every time I am out, and he is quickly rising to Nickelback and Kings of Leon levels of being unlistenable. I'm sure that "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Cuts Like a Knife" were rocking tunes at one point in time. But no more. NO MORE.
Slight edge (overall): America
Miscellaneous:
Walking: Sidewalks and stop signs in America; cow dung, strewn trash, attacking dogs and anarchic traffic in Nepal. America is safer, but Nepal is definitely more exciting. Edge: push
Sleep: I usually go to bed after 2 in the States on a plushy mattress; in Nepal, I go to bed around 11 on a firm mattress and am initially woken up by roosters, pigeons, crows etc. around 4, after which I go back to bed and get up around 8. I have successfully adjusted to a normal cycle in Nepal. Edge: Nepal.
Soda (Pop): I drank Diet Coke like water in the States; in Nepal, it's Coke Light, and tastes great, but as an imported product a can of it runs for about Rs. 140 ($2 USD). I used to never drink regular soda, but everything here is less sweet, making a product like Pepsi drinkable. Edge: US. I miss cheap, sizable Diet Cokes.
Alcohol: Was always beer in the US for me, along with the occasional glass of wine. In Nepal, beer is far more expensive than the States, and the selection is limited to about five: Carlsberg, and than Nepali beers (Tuborg, Everest, Nepal Ice, etc). The average beer is about Rs. 320 ($4.50 USD), and the average liquor drink is around Rs. 200 (about $3 USD). The drop in liquor price is nice, but I prefer American beer and their prices, although Carlsberg being everywhere is nice. Edge: US
Thursday, March 17, 2011
White Like Flour!
After going in for the morning to the school to sit in on a classroom, Sherry picked me up and we went to a barbershop to get my beard trimmed. I have never had facial hair for more than a week or so, and was looking really ragged. Sherry tells the barber in Nepali what I want done, and I sit down in an old chair that I barely fit into. The guy starts to comb my facial hair, and begins to trim away. Everything is going well at this point, aside from the barber's ripe armpit being shoved into my face numerous times and it smelling like B.O. mixed with B.O. After the trim, he tilts my head back and beings to lather underneath my neck. Having never had my throat area shaved before, I was nervous, but once he started everything went fine. By this point, three other men have crammed into this tiny shop and begin conversing and laughing in Nepali. I am 100% sure it is about me (as Sherry was laughing too), but maintain my tilted position to avoid my jugular or throat being sliced. Once he finished, he removed the towel and I stood up to leave, but he put me back into the chair and started slapping my head as if it were a drum. Some slaps were light, and some actually hurt. He then went on to abruptly pull my arms behind my back to pop my shoulders, and proceeded to crack each individual knuckle in my head. This is apparently common, but I more it to be more painful than relaxing. After we left, I made Shehrish translate what was being said by the men:
"Oh my god, so white, how does he go out into the sun?"
"He must be Irish to be that white, there's no sun there."
"He is white like flour! God must have blessed this one!"
However, the trim/shave was great and only cost Rs. 40 (approximately $.60), so I plan on never shaving while here and going back to be laughed at again.
Not much else new has been going on. I have started to shadow classes at the school, and the kids seem well-behaved. We met up with friends in Thamel (again) for a dinner party and ate Malaysian/Nepali food. I ate fish head for lunch today, and nearly threw up. It was jelly-like and really fishy, will not try it again. All the best to everyone.
"Oh my god, so white, how does he go out into the sun?"
"He must be Irish to be that white, there's no sun there."
"He is white like flour! God must have blessed this one!"
However, the trim/shave was great and only cost Rs. 40 (approximately $.60), so I plan on never shaving while here and going back to be laughed at again.
Not much else new has been going on. I have started to shadow classes at the school, and the kids seem well-behaved. We met up with friends in Thamel (again) for a dinner party and ate Malaysian/Nepali food. I ate fish head for lunch today, and nearly threw up. It was jelly-like and really fishy, will not try it again. All the best to everyone.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thamel
Shehrish and I have gone to Thamel the last couple of days, a tourist area of Nepal crawling with activity. We have been walking from her house, a considerable hike but I have enjoyed seeing more of the city. The only problem with walking through these areas is the amount of dust and gasoline fumes from all of the bikes. A lot of people walk around with masks on their faces to avoid inhaling the allergens, and eventually I may follow suit. On the way we turned a corner to be greeted by 10-15 cows walking in our direction. Shehrish got terrified and hid behind me like a child. Sometimes I wonder who is the foreigner. Walking by the palace, a massive golden eagle flew right over us and landed in a tree. Being irrationally petrified by birds of prey, it gave me quite the fright. Entering Thamel, we walked by a lot of street children who would tug on my clothes begging for money. Lots of them had their faces buried in small paper bags, huffing glue non-stop. This was heartbreaking, but an unfortunate reality in KTM.
The heart of Thamel is really exciting, with tons of shops and restaurants condensed in really narrow streets filled with cars, motorbikes and people. Many of the shops sell bootlegged things, and I got the entire series of both Sopranosand Loston DVD for the equivalent of $12 USD. I don't think that copyrighted material exists in Thamel. We met up with some of Shehrish's high school friends at OR2K, a dirty hippie place with good vegetarian food. We ordered veggie momos (dumplings), chips chilly and hummus. Chips chilly is essentially french fries covered in a spicy, chili red sauce with vegetables on the side. I loved it, and love that in Nepal it is common to get appetizers while having drinks. All of the food is Thamel was good and relatively cheap; the momos were Rs. 80, about $1.25 USD. While hanging out at OR2K, there was a massive thud on the metal roof. One of Shehrish's friends made a remark that it was probably a monkey, and I thought he was messing with me, until all of a sudden a big monkey jumps out on the ledge and skittered away along the roof. I had thought that the monkeys were only in the jungle areas, but apparently I was wrong. Later on, we went to Buddha Bar, a small place with beautiful ambiance and good hookah. I liked OR2K because it was more spacious, but Buddha Bar was a lot nicer.
We walked around a bit more, and the area got kind of shady after it got darker. Some of the streets were poorly or completely unlit, and walking through these areas was rattling. Lots of people came up to us either begging or trying to sell drugs, and I was happy to get back to the lit areas. While in this nasty part, I stepped on something squishy and wet. Having stepped in crap the day before, I looked back to see if I needed to clean my shoes yet again. I had stepped on a fat dead rat, laying in the side of the road. I have never been more grossed out in my life, aside from having to clean fraternity house bathrooms after parties.
To end the evening, we met up with Shehrish's dad at Upstairs, a place sort of on the outskirts of Thamel that had live jazz. I tried buff (alo) momos for the first time, and liked them alot. In America, I got tired of momos, but in KTM every place has different styles and different 'achar', the sauce on the side that is usually spicy. I don't see how the Nepali crowd at Salem can even eat momos in America, because they are terrible in comparison. I guess any momo is better than no momo. Upstairs was nice, but a bit crowded for my taste. Being sandwiched on a rickety bench isn't fun, and the smoke factor is annoying after getting used to smoke-free restaurants/bars in North Carolina. Most of the places are well ventilated or partially opened, but not Upstairs.
All in all, things are great so far. I plan on taking a class to learn Nepali, and have been told by several people that it is a pretty simple language to learn. There have been some communication issues with the maids, and they have actually done better than me in that they ask me things in English now. Seems like a uphill battle to be able to pick it up at this point, but I am going to try. Everyone speaks predominately in Nepali around me, but I am used to this from hanging out with the Salem crowd.
Hope that everything is well in the States. The predominant news stories lately have been the political scene with the upcoming Nepali constitution (so confusing with the different parties splitting/merging/disbanding that I can't even keep up) and the tsunami in Japan. The Kathmandu paper is fun to read, but the English is written slightly differently that I have to reread a lot of sentences. For the most part it's Nepali news but some world stuff too. In today's paper there was a write-up on Indianapolis malls, which was fun to read because I had been to them. Why they would put an article in Indy malls in a Nepal newspaper is beyond my comprehension, but I have stopped overanalyzing everything to avoid going insane. They also have a section for celebrity birthdays; happy belated birthday, Joel Madden of Good Charlotte. Lodeshedding just kicked in, so I'll post this when I can, ciao.
The heart of Thamel is really exciting, with tons of shops and restaurants condensed in really narrow streets filled with cars, motorbikes and people. Many of the shops sell bootlegged things, and I got the entire series of both Sopranosand Loston DVD for the equivalent of $12 USD. I don't think that copyrighted material exists in Thamel. We met up with some of Shehrish's high school friends at OR2K, a dirty hippie place with good vegetarian food. We ordered veggie momos (dumplings), chips chilly and hummus. Chips chilly is essentially french fries covered in a spicy, chili red sauce with vegetables on the side. I loved it, and love that in Nepal it is common to get appetizers while having drinks. All of the food is Thamel was good and relatively cheap; the momos were Rs. 80, about $1.25 USD. While hanging out at OR2K, there was a massive thud on the metal roof. One of Shehrish's friends made a remark that it was probably a monkey, and I thought he was messing with me, until all of a sudden a big monkey jumps out on the ledge and skittered away along the roof. I had thought that the monkeys were only in the jungle areas, but apparently I was wrong. Later on, we went to Buddha Bar, a small place with beautiful ambiance and good hookah. I liked OR2K because it was more spacious, but Buddha Bar was a lot nicer.
We walked around a bit more, and the area got kind of shady after it got darker. Some of the streets were poorly or completely unlit, and walking through these areas was rattling. Lots of people came up to us either begging or trying to sell drugs, and I was happy to get back to the lit areas. While in this nasty part, I stepped on something squishy and wet. Having stepped in crap the day before, I looked back to see if I needed to clean my shoes yet again. I had stepped on a fat dead rat, laying in the side of the road. I have never been more grossed out in my life, aside from having to clean fraternity house bathrooms after parties.
To end the evening, we met up with Shehrish's dad at Upstairs, a place sort of on the outskirts of Thamel that had live jazz. I tried buff (alo) momos for the first time, and liked them alot. In America, I got tired of momos, but in KTM every place has different styles and different 'achar', the sauce on the side that is usually spicy. I don't see how the Nepali crowd at Salem can even eat momos in America, because they are terrible in comparison. I guess any momo is better than no momo. Upstairs was nice, but a bit crowded for my taste. Being sandwiched on a rickety bench isn't fun, and the smoke factor is annoying after getting used to smoke-free restaurants/bars in North Carolina. Most of the places are well ventilated or partially opened, but not Upstairs.
All in all, things are great so far. I plan on taking a class to learn Nepali, and have been told by several people that it is a pretty simple language to learn. There have been some communication issues with the maids, and they have actually done better than me in that they ask me things in English now. Seems like a uphill battle to be able to pick it up at this point, but I am going to try. Everyone speaks predominately in Nepali around me, but I am used to this from hanging out with the Salem crowd.
Hope that everything is well in the States. The predominant news stories lately have been the political scene with the upcoming Nepali constitution (so confusing with the different parties splitting/merging/disbanding that I can't even keep up) and the tsunami in Japan. The Kathmandu paper is fun to read, but the English is written slightly differently that I have to reread a lot of sentences. For the most part it's Nepali news but some world stuff too. In today's paper there was a write-up on Indianapolis malls, which was fun to read because I had been to them. Why they would put an article in Indy malls in a Nepal newspaper is beyond my comprehension, but I have stopped overanalyzing everything to avoid going insane. They also have a section for celebrity birthdays; happy belated birthday, Joel Madden of Good Charlotte. Lodeshedding just kicked in, so I'll post this when I can, ciao.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Flight/First Couple Days
Notable events from flying across the world
**I wrote this the day I got there when extremely jet-lagged, so forgive the rambling**
-Starting in Greensboro, we had to pay an extra $100 since we each had two massive bags. Not cool.
-From Newark to Brussels I sat next to an Hasidic Jew whose hat was an uncomfortable 4-6 inches from my face. To cope, I listened to 2Pac for a good hour and envisioned him eccentrically freestyling. "Dear Mama" was my personal favorite.
-The food on the international flights was absolutely fantastic. They offered an Indian option and a continental option. I went with the Indian one every time and was never disappointed. It was probably the best food I had eaten in over a month (no offense to those who have cooked for us recently). If you fly in that direction of the world, you're in for a treat.
-We landed in Brussels around 6:30 am, and wanted to get coffee. A small coffee and small bottle of water cost $13 USD. Go, dollar!
-The international flights had these TV screens in the back of every seat where you could watch current movies and TV, listen to a wide array of music, play games, puzzles, etc. I expected a couple of bad Nicolas Cage movies and maybe a bunch of commercials, but was pleasantly surprised, except for wasting 90 minutes watching something where James Franco gets trapped between a boulder and cuts his arm off.
-Given the recent meltdown of Charlie Sheen, morbid curiosity led me to watch my first Two and a Half Men. episode. I have never found anything less entertaining.
-From Brussels to Bombay, I fell asleep in the morning while leaving Brussels and woke up a few hours later to pitch black conditions over some body of water. We had gone from day to night in a matter of hours of flight.
-In Bombay at 2 am, I watched Shakthar thrash Roma 3-0 sitting next to a rabid Shakthar fan screaming and going crazy the whole time. Made up for watching Two and a Half Men earlier in the travels.
-Paid a rate of 37:1 Indian rupee to USD for a small meal in Bombay, while the real exchange rate was something like 55:1. Lesson learned: always know the exchange rates.
- We were in Bombay for about 13 hours, and both of us were completely exhausted at this point. I was lucky enough to stumble across a TV showing Rugrats episodes from the early 90's with a sign above the TV saying "Introduce your kids to space". Still don't get the connection or why they were airing old school Nickelodeon, but needless to say it was the best thing ever.
-When landing in Kathmandu and exiting the plane, I thought I was in the fifth season of Lost where they take off in present time and land somewhere 30-50 years earlier. If I had seen Matthew Fox on the plane, I would have actually believed this scenario had occurred.
-Exiting the airport was highly chaotic. Every third Nepali person asked me if I needed a cab, and a police officer raised his cane at me for not being able to shift my 200+lb. luggage cart quickly enough. A gentleman who helped me with this subsequently stuck to me like glue, expecting some rupees. I gave him a dollar, and he was not pleased.
More blogging to come when I can think and not feeling delirious from 50 hours of travel..
First Couple of Days
Shehrish's dad picked us up at the Kathmandu airport, and we made the drive back to her house. This area of Kathmandu reminded me a lot of the Dominican Republic, with shanty buildings, trash everywhere, etc. The driving situation is also like the DR: no lanes, no traffic lights, and cars and bikes coming from every conceivable direction. Being used to this, I wasn't rattled, but if one has never experienced it, expect to be terrified and praying for your life. We got to Sherry's house and were warmly greeted by her dog and maids. Her maids don't speak English, but are quite friendly and as helpful as possible. I was shown to my room and laid down for a couple of hours but didn't sleep. I was so completely exhausted from travel that I couldn't even think; just kind of laid there. After awhile, we got up and ate some delicious potato dish that Sita Di (her maid) had prepared. Shehrish caught up with her maids and I played with the dog. Everyone took pictures and just hung out. Even with the language barrier, I feel comfortable as I am used to the Salem girls speaking in Nepali around me and not really having a clue as to what is being said. I can always sort of follow the flow of conversation, but am never 100% sure what is going on. For dinner, we had chicken and saag, a kale dish, and both were delicious. I met Shehrish's aunt from her dad's side, later on had a drink with her dad before going to bed around 9pm. I have never been so tired in my life, and slept as soundly as I ever had.
The next day was more of the same, getting acclimated and looking around. We met up with Nisha, a friend from Salem College, and made plans with Sherry's father to have dinner out. The initial destination was some Japanese restaurant on King Street, but the traffic was terrible and we decided to go to a Newari restaurant nearby. (Wikipedia it for those who do not know; I will figure out hyperlinks eventually). The tables were quite low to the ground, as were the seats. It was almost like sitting around a coffee table and eating, but I found the experience relaxing and intimate. After ordering drinks, Sherry's dad ordered a bunch of appetizers in Nepali (which turned out to be filling enough that nobody ordered entrees). Before they came, he told me what he had ordered: mutton choila (goat), lung, tongue, boar meat, and some pizza-like things. I was rattled, but I think still being jet-lagged enabled me to not really think about it and give everything a try. The first ones that came out were the mutton, lung and tongue. Figuring the mutton was the safest, I went for it first. I loved it, a bit spicy but delicious. The next thing I went for was the lung, which was considerably more intimidating. I took a deep breath (pun intended) and went for it. Loved it. I think it could be labelled as some chicken appetizer at a restaurant like Applebee's and Americans would like it too. Tongue was up next, and I found it to be like dry beef jerky with lots of spices. It was good, but really spicy. I probably wouldn't order it normally, but would eat it again if it were presented as an appetizer. I actually found boar meat, the most benign of the "weird" things, to be disappointing. It is served boiled and plain, and is then dipped in an array of spices that come on the side. Boar was Shehrish's favorite, but I found it to be forgettable. After that round of food, Sherry's dad ordered him and myself a shot of 'aila', which is flaming rice Newari alcohol, designed to aid digestion (picture of Facebook). I liked it as well. It was a sipping shot, quite strong but less abrasive than if one were to sip a shot of vodka. All in all, an enjoyable evening, and I loved Newari food. Sherry's dad said that we will try brains next time, so stay tuned.
**I wrote this the day I got there when extremely jet-lagged, so forgive the rambling**
-Starting in Greensboro, we had to pay an extra $100 since we each had two massive bags. Not cool.
-From Newark to Brussels I sat next to an Hasidic Jew whose hat was an uncomfortable 4-6 inches from my face. To cope, I listened to 2Pac for a good hour and envisioned him eccentrically freestyling. "Dear Mama" was my personal favorite.
-The food on the international flights was absolutely fantastic. They offered an Indian option and a continental option. I went with the Indian one every time and was never disappointed. It was probably the best food I had eaten in over a month (no offense to those who have cooked for us recently). If you fly in that direction of the world, you're in for a treat.
-We landed in Brussels around 6:30 am, and wanted to get coffee. A small coffee and small bottle of water cost $13 USD. Go, dollar!
-The international flights had these TV screens in the back of every seat where you could watch current movies and TV, listen to a wide array of music, play games, puzzles, etc. I expected a couple of bad Nicolas Cage movies and maybe a bunch of commercials, but was pleasantly surprised, except for wasting 90 minutes watching something where James Franco gets trapped between a boulder and cuts his arm off.
-Given the recent meltdown of Charlie Sheen, morbid curiosity led me to watch my first Two and a Half Men. episode. I have never found anything less entertaining.
-From Brussels to Bombay, I fell asleep in the morning while leaving Brussels and woke up a few hours later to pitch black conditions over some body of water. We had gone from day to night in a matter of hours of flight.
-In Bombay at 2 am, I watched Shakthar thrash Roma 3-0 sitting next to a rabid Shakthar fan screaming and going crazy the whole time. Made up for watching Two and a Half Men earlier in the travels.
-Paid a rate of 37:1 Indian rupee to USD for a small meal in Bombay, while the real exchange rate was something like 55:1. Lesson learned: always know the exchange rates.
- We were in Bombay for about 13 hours, and both of us were completely exhausted at this point. I was lucky enough to stumble across a TV showing Rugrats episodes from the early 90's with a sign above the TV saying "Introduce your kids to space". Still don't get the connection or why they were airing old school Nickelodeon, but needless to say it was the best thing ever.
-When landing in Kathmandu and exiting the plane, I thought I was in the fifth season of Lost where they take off in present time and land somewhere 30-50 years earlier. If I had seen Matthew Fox on the plane, I would have actually believed this scenario had occurred.
-Exiting the airport was highly chaotic. Every third Nepali person asked me if I needed a cab, and a police officer raised his cane at me for not being able to shift my 200+lb. luggage cart quickly enough. A gentleman who helped me with this subsequently stuck to me like glue, expecting some rupees. I gave him a dollar, and he was not pleased.
More blogging to come when I can think and not feeling delirious from 50 hours of travel..
First Couple of Days
Shehrish's dad picked us up at the Kathmandu airport, and we made the drive back to her house. This area of Kathmandu reminded me a lot of the Dominican Republic, with shanty buildings, trash everywhere, etc. The driving situation is also like the DR: no lanes, no traffic lights, and cars and bikes coming from every conceivable direction. Being used to this, I wasn't rattled, but if one has never experienced it, expect to be terrified and praying for your life. We got to Sherry's house and were warmly greeted by her dog and maids. Her maids don't speak English, but are quite friendly and as helpful as possible. I was shown to my room and laid down for a couple of hours but didn't sleep. I was so completely exhausted from travel that I couldn't even think; just kind of laid there. After awhile, we got up and ate some delicious potato dish that Sita Di (her maid) had prepared. Shehrish caught up with her maids and I played with the dog. Everyone took pictures and just hung out. Even with the language barrier, I feel comfortable as I am used to the Salem girls speaking in Nepali around me and not really having a clue as to what is being said. I can always sort of follow the flow of conversation, but am never 100% sure what is going on. For dinner, we had chicken and saag, a kale dish, and both were delicious. I met Shehrish's aunt from her dad's side, later on had a drink with her dad before going to bed around 9pm. I have never been so tired in my life, and slept as soundly as I ever had.
The next day was more of the same, getting acclimated and looking around. We met up with Nisha, a friend from Salem College, and made plans with Sherry's father to have dinner out. The initial destination was some Japanese restaurant on King Street, but the traffic was terrible and we decided to go to a Newari restaurant nearby. (Wikipedia it for those who do not know; I will figure out hyperlinks eventually). The tables were quite low to the ground, as were the seats. It was almost like sitting around a coffee table and eating, but I found the experience relaxing and intimate. After ordering drinks, Sherry's dad ordered a bunch of appetizers in Nepali (which turned out to be filling enough that nobody ordered entrees). Before they came, he told me what he had ordered: mutton choila (goat), lung, tongue, boar meat, and some pizza-like things. I was rattled, but I think still being jet-lagged enabled me to not really think about it and give everything a try. The first ones that came out were the mutton, lung and tongue. Figuring the mutton was the safest, I went for it first. I loved it, a bit spicy but delicious. The next thing I went for was the lung, which was considerably more intimidating. I took a deep breath (pun intended) and went for it. Loved it. I think it could be labelled as some chicken appetizer at a restaurant like Applebee's and Americans would like it too. Tongue was up next, and I found it to be like dry beef jerky with lots of spices. It was good, but really spicy. I probably wouldn't order it normally, but would eat it again if it were presented as an appetizer. I actually found boar meat, the most benign of the "weird" things, to be disappointing. It is served boiled and plain, and is then dipped in an array of spices that come on the side. Boar was Shehrish's favorite, but I found it to be forgettable. After that round of food, Sherry's dad ordered him and myself a shot of 'aila', which is flaming rice Newari alcohol, designed to aid digestion (picture of Facebook). I liked it as well. It was a sipping shot, quite strong but less abrasive than if one were to sip a shot of vodka. All in all, an enjoyable evening, and I loved Newari food. Sherry's dad said that we will try brains next time, so stay tuned.
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