Music- Not really for what is played, which is mainly Nepali music and tolerable rock songs from cover bands, but for what isn’t played. You never hear unbearable music like Seether and Nickelback, and I have only heard one country song in three months, which was amusing. I think country music is one of the most abominable creations of the last fifty years. How can such a limited genre still be successful? The theme of almost any country song is one of the following: America, God, drinkin’ alcohol and raisin’ hell, momma, workin’ hard or lost love. Some CD store was playing the Toby Keith song where he talks about stomping out US enemies through vulgar metaphors that was an embarrassment to rational Americans nationwide. I saw Nepali guys singing along and pumping their fists. It was one of those moments where you hope that you’re in a nightmare.
T-Shirts- No fashion movement in the last ten years is as awful as Ed Hardy t-shirts, but in Nepal the trend is taken to the next level. While out, the average male is bedecked in a skin tight variant of an Ed Hardy shirt with five or more colors and fonts, pierced ears and/or eyebrows, spiky hair going in every direction and usually with blonde or orange highlights, skinny jeans complete with chain wallets and stylized patches and Converse All Star sneakers. This is the average costume of someone between 25 and 40. The trend among younger guys is either the exhausted trend of ironic statement shirts or this incredible Emo brand, which depicts individuals of the emo lifestyle engaging in emotionally charged activities, like crying, looking downtrodden and cutting one’s arms. If I can find where these shirts are sold I will buy one in a heartbeat. My button down shirts and patchless jeans are starting to make me feel like a herb.
Commercials- Most channels air the same commercials incessantly for weeks, but some of them are true gems. One of my favorites is one where a girl gets rejected from a pageant for being too dark. Her friend hands her a bottle of whitening face wash, and a demonstration shows her skin immediately losing color and she becomes white. Of course she subsequently wins the pageant and thanks the makers of the product. I would love to see the outrage of the ACLU and Huffington Post if such an item was marketed in the USA. It’s pretty nice that people take efforts to get whiter here, as I pretty much have the title of Whitest Cracker sewn up. It is strange that white folks want the exact opposite, spending lots of money sitting in tanning beds and risking skin cancer to look bronzy and orange, whereas others want to be white. My other favorite is one where an eccentric young man gets a tattoo of his girlfriend, only to reveal it and discover that he got her friend’s name tattooed instead. The girlfriend slaps him and leave. Cut to a scene where the friend and tattoo guy are eating ice cream, that’s marketed as edgy and different! I love the continuity.
Food- As previously stated, I have been vegetarian for over a month, which started because I would get ill every time I ate meat. I have stuck to this diet, and the vegetarian options are delicious and plentiful. My favorites include mixed vegetable curry, malai kofta, dal bhat masala dosa, veg chow mein, pani puri and aloo paratha. The strange thing is aside from eliminating meat, I have made no other alterations to my eating habits and have lost considerable weight in the last month, to the point where none of my pants fit and I have to tighten my belt to the point where the pants bunch up. I don’t care about going vegetarian for the PETA reasons at all, but I have much more energy and have zero desire to eat meat at all. Go veg, kids, it’s worth a shot.
Haircuts- I can get a straight razor shave, a good haircut that far exceeds the standards of chains like Fantastic Sam’s and Great Clips and a back/shoulder massage for Rs. 120 (less than $2 USD). Maybe the best bang for your buck in Nepal.
Weather- Still haven’t decided if it’s a good or bad thing, but the weather can shift from sunny and nice to rainy and awful in a matter of minutes, Lost style. The sun is up at 5am, which can be annoying waking up and feeling like it’s time for work only to learn that you have 3 more hours to sleep. It can be 85-90 degrees walking to school at 8:20 am, and my classroom can get above 90 degrees on a hot day with no electricity, but the temperature at night is usually cool and breezy. I guess it’s a love/hate relationship.
Bluntness- If you’ve gained weight, you will be told. If you look sloppy, you will be told. If you have an unsightly blemish, you will be told. If one’s makeup makes them look like a cheap trollop, they will be told. Such bluntness may turn some people off, but after adjusting, it’s great. Why waste time with fake friendliness and lying to someone about how great their new hairstyle looks, when in reality you hate it? People learn when they are told the truth, and skirting around honesty usually ends up poorly. Cut to the chase and tell it like it is.
Cover Bands- Cover bands can be useful as entertainment if they play a diverse set and not try to take attention away from songs through improvisation. The problem with many Nepali cover bands is that they play the exact same songs. If a band is playing, you will almost certainly hear “Californication”, “Hotel California”, “Sex on Fire”, “Like a Stone” by Audioslave and “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz, which has become the most insufferable song in recent memory for me. I feel like I hear it every single day, and the chorus sticks inevitably gets stuck in my head every time:
“But I..wont…hes..i..tate…no…more..no more…it..cannot…wait ….I’M YOUUURRSS”
Just typing it was a bad decision, as it’s 11am and already stuck.
Sports- Sports fall into both the best and worst categories, as soccer is huge and the games come on during prime time, but basketball only comes on once or twice a week as replays with Hindi announcers. I know it’s football for everyone else, but I still say soccer so as not to confuse myself. I’m going to a party for tonight’s UEFA championship between Man U and and Barca, whereas in America it would probably come on at 1pm when everyone is at work or busy doing things. Everyone likes Manchesher United, but same goes for American fans of the sport. I will be cheering for Barcelona in a fake Messi kit that I got for Rs. 300. It’s spelled ‘Mesi’ and gives him #11, but whatever. By the way, after Roman Abramovich ruined Chelsea by giving Fernando Torres 80 million and sacking Carlo Ancelotti, I am considering switching EPL allegiances. Candidates include Tottenham, Fulham and maybe Arsenal.
Go Mavs.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
All Alone in KTM
So last Wednesday, Shehrish and her parents took off for Delhi to visit her uncle and niece. I was home alone with one of her maids from Wednesday to Sunday without much to do aside from going to work and coming home. At first I appreciated the down time, being able to read, download music, eat when I wanted to etc., but things were somewhat difficult in that Shehrish's dog understands more English than her maid (not an exaggeration). One time I thought she was insinuating that I needed to shower again when in reality she wanted me to lock the door. I felt like I had mastered the art of non-verbal communication with Nepali people, but apparently I need to improve.
Friday was yet another 'bandh' (political protest, where everything is shut down for the day/night), and that Friday dragged on endlessly. I read two books, Disgrace and Outliers, and both were huge failures. Outliers is a popular book by Malcolm Gladwell, but it turned out to be a nearly 300 page run on which hammered home these two facts through myriad examples: people with affluent parents and people who work hard will probably do better in life. Was it a NYT bestseller? Of course it was.
On Saturday I had my first lesson with Nisha, who agreed to give me free Nepali lessons. Free, in the sense that I didn't pay her directly, but ended up getting stuck with the entire tab for the evening. We went to Electric Pagoda and had dinner and drinks with other friends before heading back early. We shared a cab, and after she got dropped off I got stopped by policemen and had to get out of the car. I was roughly searched and interrogated by a young looking cop. Unfortunately, neither of us spoke each other's language, so the interaction was complicated and frightening. After about a minute or so of grilling me with questions in Nepali, he let me get back into the cab and head back.
I got back and was a little shaken up by this whole incident. We had only eaten nachos at Electric Pagoda, and I was still hungry, so I grabbed some leftover rice from the refrigerator and heated it up. I thought it tasted a but strange, as Sita Di had made plain rice for lunch, so I got some ketchup to stir in. Upon mixing in the ketchup, I realized there were grayish chunks of meat in the bowl, and I realized I was eating the dog's food. Missy (the dog) eats a mixture of rice and meat which is kept in the refrigerator in a pot that looks just like the one I had my lunch rice in. I nearly threw up, but was able to keep it down. It is the only meat I have ingested in over a month now, as the vegetarian diet has been going well. Always look before you eat.
Shehrish and her parents got back on Sunday, and the rest of this week has been rather routine: get up, school, come back, read, check/watch NBA, listen to music, eat dinner, shower, watch Dexter, go to bed. I can't decide if I sort of like Dexter or if it's terrible. The acting is pretty bad and the concept is weird, but its mildly entertaining. Julia Stiles was introduced as a dark heroine for season 5, which I feel is a huge mistake, but I'm admittedly picky over TV, only thinking series like The Wire, Sopranos and Mad Men are fantastic. Early seasons of Lost, The Office and House were good, but quickly burned out once the writers had exhausted interesting themes. Does anyone else agree with me that Seinfeld sucks?
The NBA playoffs have turned out about as good as I had hoped for, aside from Chris Paul and the Hornets making a completely improbable run at the title. I hope I don't jinx anything, but it could be the first time in my life that my two favorite teams in a league (Chicago and OKC, not necessarily in that order) play for the title. I think I would have to pull for the Bulls in this scenario, but Kevin Durant is my second favorite player in the league (behind CP3) and Oklahoma City has no former Dookies.
I still would pull for Chicago and I love Derrick Rose even though he came out of Memphis, but would also be happy for Durant to win a title early in his career. An OKC win would be sweet for monetary reasons as well, as I put the remaining $25 in my old Bodog account on the Thunder to win the title at 18-1. I never bet sports anymore, but when I did, I would almost never bet long shots (or relative long shots). To win one and turn $25 into $450 would be pretty sweet. Go Bulls/Thunder.
Friday was yet another 'bandh' (political protest, where everything is shut down for the day/night), and that Friday dragged on endlessly. I read two books, Disgrace and Outliers, and both were huge failures. Outliers is a popular book by Malcolm Gladwell, but it turned out to be a nearly 300 page run on which hammered home these two facts through myriad examples: people with affluent parents and people who work hard will probably do better in life. Was it a NYT bestseller? Of course it was.
On Saturday I had my first lesson with Nisha, who agreed to give me free Nepali lessons. Free, in the sense that I didn't pay her directly, but ended up getting stuck with the entire tab for the evening. We went to Electric Pagoda and had dinner and drinks with other friends before heading back early. We shared a cab, and after she got dropped off I got stopped by policemen and had to get out of the car. I was roughly searched and interrogated by a young looking cop. Unfortunately, neither of us spoke each other's language, so the interaction was complicated and frightening. After about a minute or so of grilling me with questions in Nepali, he let me get back into the cab and head back.
I got back and was a little shaken up by this whole incident. We had only eaten nachos at Electric Pagoda, and I was still hungry, so I grabbed some leftover rice from the refrigerator and heated it up. I thought it tasted a but strange, as Sita Di had made plain rice for lunch, so I got some ketchup to stir in. Upon mixing in the ketchup, I realized there were grayish chunks of meat in the bowl, and I realized I was eating the dog's food. Missy (the dog) eats a mixture of rice and meat which is kept in the refrigerator in a pot that looks just like the one I had my lunch rice in. I nearly threw up, but was able to keep it down. It is the only meat I have ingested in over a month now, as the vegetarian diet has been going well. Always look before you eat.
Shehrish and her parents got back on Sunday, and the rest of this week has been rather routine: get up, school, come back, read, check/watch NBA, listen to music, eat dinner, shower, watch Dexter, go to bed. I can't decide if I sort of like Dexter or if it's terrible. The acting is pretty bad and the concept is weird, but its mildly entertaining. Julia Stiles was introduced as a dark heroine for season 5, which I feel is a huge mistake, but I'm admittedly picky over TV, only thinking series like The Wire, Sopranos and Mad Men are fantastic. Early seasons of Lost, The Office and House were good, but quickly burned out once the writers had exhausted interesting themes. Does anyone else agree with me that Seinfeld sucks?
The NBA playoffs have turned out about as good as I had hoped for, aside from Chris Paul and the Hornets making a completely improbable run at the title. I hope I don't jinx anything, but it could be the first time in my life that my two favorite teams in a league (Chicago and OKC, not necessarily in that order) play for the title. I think I would have to pull for the Bulls in this scenario, but Kevin Durant is my second favorite player in the league (behind CP3) and Oklahoma City has no former Dookies.
I still would pull for Chicago and I love Derrick Rose even though he came out of Memphis, but would also be happy for Durant to win a title early in his career. An OKC win would be sweet for monetary reasons as well, as I put the remaining $25 in my old Bodog account on the Thunder to win the title at 18-1. I never bet sports anymore, but when I did, I would almost never bet long shots (or relative long shots). To win one and turn $25 into $450 would be pretty sweet. Go Bulls/Thunder.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Things
I had curriculum night on Friday, and all of the parents came to see the classroom, hear about the curriculum and grill me with questions. My favorite exchange was this:
Parent: "Why exactly are you in Nepal?"
Me: "New adventure, opportunity arose to teach here, blah blah."
Parent: "No, but why Nepal? What is your agenda here?"
Me: "I don't really understand, I don't have an agenda."
Parent: "Allow me to be frank; are you pushing your religion on my child? Is that why you're here?"
The gentleman was relieved to hear that I have no interest in indoctrinating his child, and the rest of the night was smooth sailing. Apparently a lot of white people come to Nepal as underground missionaries these days and attempt to convert people. The only white people I see are dirty hippies eating falafel; maybe it's part of an elaborate con.
School has been going well. The bad kids have become slightly less disruptive and we have started covering new material. I enjoy the teaching aspect but am not fond of all of the peripheral work. Designing bulletin boards and cutting out tiny shapes gets really monotonous, as I cannot cut things out to save my life. I still get tired at the end of the day but no longer come back and collapse for an hour. We are doing a bird unit in science and will be going to the zoo on Wednesday to observe exotic birds. I hope that things go well.
My second attempt at vegetarianism may come to a screeching halt soon. On Friday night Shehrish and I went to K-Too, a steakhouse in Thamel. I hadn't even thought of eating any meat until going there. All of the steaks that came out looked fantastic, and Shehrish ordered a chicken sizzler dish that was equally impressive. I was nearly salivating until my food came out. I ordered veggie fajitas, and my food looked and tasted like it was flown in from a Golden Corral buffet. The next day while out I had eggplant lasagna, which had no flavor and hit my system like liquid Drano. I am going to tough it for now, as I have noticed a slight increase in energy and stamina, but will revert back to eating meat if I continue to crave for it.
On Saturday night while heading back home, a little kid jumped out from behind a pile of rubbish and grabbed my arm, yelling something in Nepali. I later found out that he was calling me a 'sister f***er'. I still don't know whether to be amused or offended by it, but at least it's better than having to chase down a runaway cab or getting hassled by aggressive drug dealers.
Nothing much else is new, except that I have been listening to a lot of rap music lately. I last went through a rap phase in 8th-9th grade (DMX, 50 cent, Master P etc.) and haven't really listened to it since. I only enjoy listening to it while walking to school in the morning. I always get stared at on my way to school and usually avoid eye contact, but I find myself glaring back at people if I have rap music playing in my headphones. Hopefully this doesn't end up with me getting jumped or worse, but it's fun to have a ridiculous Lil' Wayne song in my head all day. Peace
Parent: "Why exactly are you in Nepal?"
Me: "New adventure, opportunity arose to teach here, blah blah."
Parent: "No, but why Nepal? What is your agenda here?"
Me: "I don't really understand, I don't have an agenda."
Parent: "Allow me to be frank; are you pushing your religion on my child? Is that why you're here?"
The gentleman was relieved to hear that I have no interest in indoctrinating his child, and the rest of the night was smooth sailing. Apparently a lot of white people come to Nepal as underground missionaries these days and attempt to convert people. The only white people I see are dirty hippies eating falafel; maybe it's part of an elaborate con.
School has been going well. The bad kids have become slightly less disruptive and we have started covering new material. I enjoy the teaching aspect but am not fond of all of the peripheral work. Designing bulletin boards and cutting out tiny shapes gets really monotonous, as I cannot cut things out to save my life. I still get tired at the end of the day but no longer come back and collapse for an hour. We are doing a bird unit in science and will be going to the zoo on Wednesday to observe exotic birds. I hope that things go well.
My second attempt at vegetarianism may come to a screeching halt soon. On Friday night Shehrish and I went to K-Too, a steakhouse in Thamel. I hadn't even thought of eating any meat until going there. All of the steaks that came out looked fantastic, and Shehrish ordered a chicken sizzler dish that was equally impressive. I was nearly salivating until my food came out. I ordered veggie fajitas, and my food looked and tasted like it was flown in from a Golden Corral buffet. The next day while out I had eggplant lasagna, which had no flavor and hit my system like liquid Drano. I am going to tough it for now, as I have noticed a slight increase in energy and stamina, but will revert back to eating meat if I continue to crave for it.
On Saturday night while heading back home, a little kid jumped out from behind a pile of rubbish and grabbed my arm, yelling something in Nepali. I later found out that he was calling me a 'sister f***er'. I still don't know whether to be amused or offended by it, but at least it's better than having to chase down a runaway cab or getting hassled by aggressive drug dealers.
Nothing much else is new, except that I have been listening to a lot of rap music lately. I last went through a rap phase in 8th-9th grade (DMX, 50 cent, Master P etc.) and haven't really listened to it since. I only enjoy listening to it while walking to school in the morning. I always get stared at on my way to school and usually avoid eye contact, but I find myself glaring back at people if I have rap music playing in my headphones. Hopefully this doesn't end up with me getting jumped or worse, but it's fun to have a ridiculous Lil' Wayne song in my head all day. Peace
Friday, April 29, 2011
Bits and Pieces
I'm exhausted and don't feel like writing a cohesive blog. Deal.
- I started my job as full-time teacher on Monday. Things have gone well so far, but I have had to be stricter than I expected. Some 8 year olds just can't stop talking, and hearing 14 different voices asking me variants of the same question simultaneously makes my head hurt worse than anything I have ever experienced, aside from the day after drinking the majority of a bottle of cheap tequila and having numerous scrapes/cuts all over my body. That being said, the job itself is rather enjoyable. For the most part, the kids are sweet and don't give me much trouble. Only having power at the school on Thursday and Friday makes things difficult, but I'm adjusting. I have a newfound respect for teachers and parents; on Friday when I got back, I collapsed on my bed for two hours and didn't move. Kids can be thoroughly exhausting.
-My only blunder this week was not permitting a student to go to the restroom upon request. He asked to go right after Child #1 went, and I assumed they wanted to just leave and talk in the hall (two of the troublemakers). I asked if Child #2 could wait for the Child #1 to return; he said he could. Oops. When Child #1 returned, Child #2 waddled out of the room, having wet himself and the pillow he was sitting on. Lesson learned, always grant permission for the bathroom.
-I went to a tattoo convention last week with artists from all over the world (pictures soon). The buzz of 60+ needles made the room feel like there were thousands of angry bees buzzing about, and watching people getting inked was entertaining in a creepy way. I spent a lot of time watching a guy get a butterfly-like creature tattooed on his face. I'm all for expression, but this felt like a poor life decision. The guy kept flinching, which probably made life difficult for the tattooer. Nobody wants an asymmetrical butterfly tattooed on their face. My favorite individual was a gentleman named Rishi, who had all of the flags of the world tattooed over his face and body (poorly). He enjoys breaking Guinness records, and was talking about attempting to set some record involving using 50 drinking straws simultaneously to drink something. No clue on if he reached his goal, but you have to respect the ambition. (http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahbellecher/1/1303795732/tpod.html)
-I have decided to become vegetarian, not for tree-hugging reasons but for the fact that I get ill every time I eat meat. However, there is something slightly unnerving about seeing living goats roped up outside of a butcher shop while other goats' heads and bodies are laying about, but such is life. If I leave for work early enough, I sometimes get serenaded by the horrific sounds of slaughter. Not the best way to start one's day. Unlike America, being vegetarian is pretty easy here, as vegetables are more plentiful and there are many meatless options that are wonderful. I still eat meat if it is part of a dish and I have no other substantive options, but plan on avoiding it otherwise.
-I have replaced American Idol with Dexter as my guilty pleasure TV show. The premise is weird and the acting is bad, but I can't turn away. We just started season four where Dexter is after some new serial killer. Fun times, at least compared to Idol.
-The NBA playoffs have been great so far. Even having only seen three games in replay, I would contend that this could be the best playoffs of my life as a sports fan, which started around 1992-93. The Grizz just knocked off the Spurs in the West, I saw one of the best games of basketball I have seen in years between the Nuggets and Thunder and Chris Paul torched the Lakers single-handedly in what should have been a sweep for LA. CP3 is my favorite player in the league, and I hope that he ends up somewhere in 2012 on a contender, and not with Carmelo in NY.
-As much as I root for the Bulls and hope they win everything this year and every year, I don't really like the players. I love watching the team and think they're among the most entertaining in the league, but being from NC and absolutely hating Duke, I have a hard time rooting for Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer. Joakim Noah was my most hated college baller of the last decade, and while I like him now, I still find him hard to look at. I love His Holiness Derrick Rose, but he did come from a sleazy Memphis program and forged his SAT scores, which the media has brushed aside. Regardless, blood is thicker than water, and I hope Chicago wins it all. The Eastern Finals should be legendary.
Peace
- I started my job as full-time teacher on Monday. Things have gone well so far, but I have had to be stricter than I expected. Some 8 year olds just can't stop talking, and hearing 14 different voices asking me variants of the same question simultaneously makes my head hurt worse than anything I have ever experienced, aside from the day after drinking the majority of a bottle of cheap tequila and having numerous scrapes/cuts all over my body. That being said, the job itself is rather enjoyable. For the most part, the kids are sweet and don't give me much trouble. Only having power at the school on Thursday and Friday makes things difficult, but I'm adjusting. I have a newfound respect for teachers and parents; on Friday when I got back, I collapsed on my bed for two hours and didn't move. Kids can be thoroughly exhausting.
-My only blunder this week was not permitting a student to go to the restroom upon request. He asked to go right after Child #1 went, and I assumed they wanted to just leave and talk in the hall (two of the troublemakers). I asked if Child #2 could wait for the Child #1 to return; he said he could. Oops. When Child #1 returned, Child #2 waddled out of the room, having wet himself and the pillow he was sitting on. Lesson learned, always grant permission for the bathroom.
-I went to a tattoo convention last week with artists from all over the world (pictures soon). The buzz of 60+ needles made the room feel like there were thousands of angry bees buzzing about, and watching people getting inked was entertaining in a creepy way. I spent a lot of time watching a guy get a butterfly-like creature tattooed on his face. I'm all for expression, but this felt like a poor life decision. The guy kept flinching, which probably made life difficult for the tattooer. Nobody wants an asymmetrical butterfly tattooed on their face. My favorite individual was a gentleman named Rishi, who had all of the flags of the world tattooed over his face and body (poorly). He enjoys breaking Guinness records, and was talking about attempting to set some record involving using 50 drinking straws simultaneously to drink something. No clue on if he reached his goal, but you have to respect the ambition. (http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahbellecher/1/1303795732/tpod.html)
-I have decided to become vegetarian, not for tree-hugging reasons but for the fact that I get ill every time I eat meat. However, there is something slightly unnerving about seeing living goats roped up outside of a butcher shop while other goats' heads and bodies are laying about, but such is life. If I leave for work early enough, I sometimes get serenaded by the horrific sounds of slaughter. Not the best way to start one's day. Unlike America, being vegetarian is pretty easy here, as vegetables are more plentiful and there are many meatless options that are wonderful. I still eat meat if it is part of a dish and I have no other substantive options, but plan on avoiding it otherwise.
-I have replaced American Idol with Dexter as my guilty pleasure TV show. The premise is weird and the acting is bad, but I can't turn away. We just started season four where Dexter is after some new serial killer. Fun times, at least compared to Idol.
-The NBA playoffs have been great so far. Even having only seen three games in replay, I would contend that this could be the best playoffs of my life as a sports fan, which started around 1992-93. The Grizz just knocked off the Spurs in the West, I saw one of the best games of basketball I have seen in years between the Nuggets and Thunder and Chris Paul torched the Lakers single-handedly in what should have been a sweep for LA. CP3 is my favorite player in the league, and I hope that he ends up somewhere in 2012 on a contender, and not with Carmelo in NY.
-As much as I root for the Bulls and hope they win everything this year and every year, I don't really like the players. I love watching the team and think they're among the most entertaining in the league, but being from NC and absolutely hating Duke, I have a hard time rooting for Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer. Joakim Noah was my most hated college baller of the last decade, and while I like him now, I still find him hard to look at. I love His Holiness Derrick Rose, but he did come from a sleazy Memphis program and forged his SAT scores, which the media has brushed aside. Regardless, blood is thicker than water, and I hope Chicago wins it all. The Eastern Finals should be legendary.
Peace
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Pokhara
We woke up at 5:15 in the morning to meet with the group near ___ (Freak street) to depart to Pokhara. Techno music started to blare around 7, and rainfall soaked everyone before we left around 9. Our first stop was about 20 minutes out of Kathmandu and then we were onwards. We had lunch about halfway through down by a river, and the weather got extremely hot. Afterwards, I apprehensively got onto a motorbike and rode with a biker for nearly an hour. Once I gathered my bearings it was nice, but the fear factor never went away. We were zipping past bikes and around buses and turns at around 80 km/hr. The scenery was beautiful, aside from seeing a freshly decapitated goat getting eviscerated by the roadside. We would go past several little villages on the way, where people were going about their daily routine and paying us no attention. I felt every minor bump in the road between my legs and was numb for hours upon stepping off at one of the stops. Once nearing Pokhara I got my first glimpse at real mountains in my life and spent the remainder of the trip in awe of my surroundings. We got to the hotel around 7, and I was thrilled to discover that I had a TV and unlimited power in my room. I was unaware of the result of the Chelsea-ManU game, and watched Chelsea waste yet another Champions League campaign by playing Fernando Torres in the first half, who did nothing and was promptly subbed out (End rant). We ate dinner around 9 and then partied to live music late into the night to bring in the Nepali New Year.
The next day Shehrish and I got up and started making our way through Pokhara. Everything was so much cleaner than Kathmandu and I was taking deep, full breaths for the first time in a month. Shehrish thought that Devi’s Fall was worth seeing, so we paid Rs. 1500 to take a 5 minute cab ride to see a glimpse of a dried up waterfall that was hugely disappointing. Turns out it was nearly half of what we spent, but whatever. Later on we took a boat out on Phewa Lake with a guide and watched the sun set over the Himalayas and snapped pictures whenever the clouds broke. The night life was similar to Kathmandu, little bars and clubs with live music. One nice thing about Pokhara was that everywhere had happy hours where we could get beers and snacks for cheap.
Pokhara was amazing, everything was cleaner, people were friendlier to tourists and the weather was nicer (albeit hotter). The one complaint I had was that the food wasn’t as good as Kathmandu. On the last night we went to a restaurant with live music, and I ordered a hot dog from the continental menu, as I was tired of eating mediocre Nepali food. I have no idea where they got their concept of a hot dog, but they brought me something that looked like a southern style biscuit on a weird bun with a half-cooked runny egg on top. I ate it and was sick two hours later. I guess it serves me right for ordering a hot dog in Nepal. We got up early on Sunday and made the trip back to KTM. Hope everybody is doing well.
The next day Shehrish and I got up and started making our way through Pokhara. Everything was so much cleaner than Kathmandu and I was taking deep, full breaths for the first time in a month. Shehrish thought that Devi’s Fall was worth seeing, so we paid Rs. 1500 to take a 5 minute cab ride to see a glimpse of a dried up waterfall that was hugely disappointing. Turns out it was nearly half of what we spent, but whatever. Later on we took a boat out on Phewa Lake with a guide and watched the sun set over the Himalayas and snapped pictures whenever the clouds broke. The night life was similar to Kathmandu, little bars and clubs with live music. One nice thing about Pokhara was that everywhere had happy hours where we could get beers and snacks for cheap.
Pokhara was amazing, everything was cleaner, people were friendlier to tourists and the weather was nicer (albeit hotter). The one complaint I had was that the food wasn’t as good as Kathmandu. On the last night we went to a restaurant with live music, and I ordered a hot dog from the continental menu, as I was tired of eating mediocre Nepali food. I have no idea where they got their concept of a hot dog, but they brought me something that looked like a southern style biscuit on a weird bun with a half-cooked runny egg on top. I ate it and was sick two hours later. I guess it serves me right for ordering a hot dog in Nepal. We got up early on Sunday and made the trip back to KTM. Hope everybody is doing well.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Random Anecdotes
Last week, Shehrish and I were in Thamel at night having dinner and listening to music. I had mentioned to her earlier that the streets felt a bit shadier than normal, as less people were out and a lot of shops were closed early. While waiting to check out at the super market, we saw some Nepali guy run up to a girl, punch her in the face, and run off. People tried to apprehend him, but he was gone in a flash. I was really rattled after this, and we went to the main entrance area of Thamel to get a cab back. Shehrish always negotiates price before I get in the car, as the drivers tend to rip white people off. She approached the cab, and the driver motioned for her to quickly get in. She did, the driver slammed her door shut, a kid came and hit the trunk of the cab with a stick, and he peeled off into the night. At first I thought he just didn't see me, and I was running to catch it, but after about thirty seconds of sprinting barefoot through tourists, beggars etc. it became clear that he wasn't stopping. At this point I am in panic mode thinking that she was just kidnapped or something, as the guy was just weaving through cars and driving erratically as if he were trying to escape capture. He finally stops after I have sprinted for about two minutes, and I get in. Shehrish and I start yelling at him, but he just keeps driving, saying he doesn't understand. The guy was definitely on something, as his driving was all over the place even on empty roads. At one point we nearly get into a head on collision with another cab, and when we get to her house, he demands Rs. 300 (we had agreed on 200). Shehrish says no, and the guy threatens to follow us and stay until we pay. I cough up the extra 100, and he left. We have been back to Thamel since, but have avoided taking cabs from there at night.
We went to Durbar square recently, and it was absolutely beautiful. Being white, I was supposed to pay around Rs. 400 for entrance, but we went a roundabout way to avoid having to pay. I find it funny when I have to pay more for entrance than SE Asian people. Garden of Dreams cost me twice as much to enter as it did for Shehrish. Not exactly the best message to send when the country is promoting tourism for 2011. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked as we went late afternoon and it got dark quickly, but all of the carvings on the temples were so intricate and beautiful. Most of the temples in the area are over a thousand years old, and the area had a peaceful vibe. We spent an hour or so having tea at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the entire kingdom. My only complaint was the amount of dust/fumes. The high walls seemed to trap everything, and breathing was difficult.
March/April seem to be prime birthday months in Nepal. I only know probably around 30 people by name so far, and have been to four or five birthday parties in the last few weeks. An average party involves a lot of eating, drinking and playing guitars and singing. I am amazed to have actually lost weight since being here given the amount of food served at any given time. People eat gargantuan portions at every meal, I have no idea how they stay thin. I recently went to one last Saturday when the cricket final was going on. India won, and everyone was in full on celebration mode. We ended up staying until around 1 in the morning, quite late for Nepal. Most nights we get back around 10 or 11.
I am currently on a two week break from work, as the school is between terms. On Wednesday we are leaving for Pokhara, a city about seven hours from Kathmandu by car. Shehrish's dad organizes an event every year for motorcyclists, going from KTM to Pokhara and back (www.enfieldpokerrun.com). I will be going in the car; I have been on a motorbike since being here and it was terrifying. The Nepal new year is coming up, and that will be celebrated as well. I am really looking forward to the trip, as the pictures look beautiful and I could use some fresh air.
American Idol has gotten so bad. America voted off the best singer this week, Pia, in a 'shocking' turn of events. I think Steven Tyler is on or off drugs again, as his comments have been really succinct, like "I loved it". Most of the contestants have nauseating personalities, but my least favorites are Scotty, a country singer who is a dead ringer for Alfred E. Neuman of Mad comics, and James, a pro wrestling enthusiast who looks like a cross between Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) and Sloth from The Goonies. Our Saturday and Sunday mornings are devoted to watching the program. I'm amazed by how many Nepali people seem to enjoy it year after year.
Hope everyone is well back home.
We went to Durbar square recently, and it was absolutely beautiful. Being white, I was supposed to pay around Rs. 400 for entrance, but we went a roundabout way to avoid having to pay. I find it funny when I have to pay more for entrance than SE Asian people. Garden of Dreams cost me twice as much to enter as it did for Shehrish. Not exactly the best message to send when the country is promoting tourism for 2011. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked as we went late afternoon and it got dark quickly, but all of the carvings on the temples were so intricate and beautiful. Most of the temples in the area are over a thousand years old, and the area had a peaceful vibe. We spent an hour or so having tea at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the entire kingdom. My only complaint was the amount of dust/fumes. The high walls seemed to trap everything, and breathing was difficult.
March/April seem to be prime birthday months in Nepal. I only know probably around 30 people by name so far, and have been to four or five birthday parties in the last few weeks. An average party involves a lot of eating, drinking and playing guitars and singing. I am amazed to have actually lost weight since being here given the amount of food served at any given time. People eat gargantuan portions at every meal, I have no idea how they stay thin. I recently went to one last Saturday when the cricket final was going on. India won, and everyone was in full on celebration mode. We ended up staying until around 1 in the morning, quite late for Nepal. Most nights we get back around 10 or 11.
I am currently on a two week break from work, as the school is between terms. On Wednesday we are leaving for Pokhara, a city about seven hours from Kathmandu by car. Shehrish's dad organizes an event every year for motorcyclists, going from KTM to Pokhara and back (www.enfieldpokerrun.com). I will be going in the car; I have been on a motorbike since being here and it was terrifying. The Nepal new year is coming up, and that will be celebrated as well. I am really looking forward to the trip, as the pictures look beautiful and I could use some fresh air.
American Idol has gotten so bad. America voted off the best singer this week, Pia, in a 'shocking' turn of events. I think Steven Tyler is on or off drugs again, as his comments have been really succinct, like "I loved it". Most of the contestants have nauseating personalities, but my least favorites are Scotty, a country singer who is a dead ringer for Alfred E. Neuman of Mad comics, and James, a pro wrestling enthusiast who looks like a cross between Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) and Sloth from The Goonies. Our Saturday and Sunday mornings are devoted to watching the program. I'm amazed by how many Nepali people seem to enjoy it year after year.
Hope everyone is well back home.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thakali food, teaching, etc.
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)
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)
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