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.
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