Bengali Tiger

Bengali Tiger
Chitwan National Park
Nepal
November 2017

I was told that this was little to no chance that I would see a tiger in this park. They are there but they do not roam too close to the road. We were in our jeep and resolved to seeing lots of rhinos instead.  Then, five minutes in to the trip, this tiger walks right out on the road.  As he saunters away, he turns and glares at us.  We are filled with excitement. He turns away and continues walking down the path.  He stops again, turns around and see us and then takes a left and wanders off, into the brush. I loved it.

THE TREKKERS

POKHARA, NEPAL

November 2017

I think I was the only tourist in town who was not running off to trek somewhere.  Unlike the others, I took a taxi through life.

The Himalayan Mountain Range

The Himalayan Mountain Range

Pokhara, Nepal

November 2017

Enough said!!!

Rickshaw Drivers- Nepal

Rickshaw Drivers

Kathmandu, Nepal

December 2017

I was hoping to find my way from my hotel to Dunbar Square.  I was told it was only a 20 minute walk.  So I attempt it but soon discover that I really don't know where I am going.  I hail a rickshaw driver and we negotiate a fee of 300 rupees.  That seemed like a far price, particularly since I discovered I was going in the opposite direction of my destination and would have never found it on my own.

As I am awkwardly getting off the rickshaw, the driver asks me, "OK, I wait for you madame."

I tell him I don't know how long I will be here and he tells me, "No problem, I will wait."  But I send him on his way as I do not want to feel rushed.

Coming home, I pick up another rickshaw and he tries to charge me 500 rupees to take me back to my hotel.  I tell him this is a ridiculous price as I only paid 300 on the way over.

"No, round trip, I bring you back here when you are finished."

Then it dawned on me that my initial driver was so willing to wait because these guys probably only get one job a day.  If he waited for me, he would have doubled his income for the day. And I regret that I didn't let him wait for me.

Nepali Artwork

Nepali Artwork
Nepal
November 2017- January 2018

For many Nepalis, their entire industry centers around Westerners and trekking.  I can even see it in their artwork.

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Mountain Museum

Mountain Museum

Mt. Everest Museum

Pokhara, Nepal

November 2017

I have an obsession about Mt. Everest.  I don't know why because i have no desire to climb this mountain.  I don't even want to go to base camp. Even that is a dangerous place. 

So when I had the opportunity to go to the national Mountain Museum, I was so damn excited.  The museum is divided in to three parts: the culture of the people of the region, the geology of the mountain and the trekking history.  I was only interested in the trekking history.

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Weekends in Thamel

Weekends in Thamel
Kathmandu, Nepal
November 13, 2017 to January 8, 2018




I am spending two months in Nepal, teaching young college women how to be world leaders.  The teaching is great.  But my living conditions are poor.  So I am escaping to Thamel every weekend as a reward for my poor living conditions. Thamel is a bit of a tourist trap that caters to the Western trekkers.  But I don't care.  Here is what I am perusing:

• hot showers
• a decent cup of coffee
• orange juice
• a comfortable bed
• clean sheets
• baked goods
• a good breakfast
• massages, facials and body scrubs
• Sherpa Brewery Kolsch
• The Living Goddess
• a variety of food
• conversations with random people
• live music
• a friendly atmosphere
• some night life
• heat at night
• sightseeing
• shopping
• clean restaurants
• museums

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Thanksgiving 2017

Thanksgiving Dinner

Kathmandu, Nepal

November 23, 2017

I return to Thamel after a week of traveling throughout Nepal.  I wait at my hotel for Laura, Nirmala and Jebin to join me for Thanksgiving dinner.  They are traveling from Imadol.  We, Laura and I, are resigned to the fact that we will not have a traditional meal but we are committed to overeating.  We convince our Nepali guest that this is really the essence of Thanksgiving: overeating.  However, much to my surprise, we do find a restaurant that is offering a Thanksgiving buffet which immediately sparks a nostalgia in me.  I eat turkey and something that resembles stuffing and yellow pumpkin pie.  My two Nepali guests convince the waiter to let them split a Thanksgiving dinner and he does and they eat way too much food and are satisfied that they had a Thanksgiving moment.

The proud chef.

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Even More Thoughts On Nepal

Even More Thoughts on Nepal

Kathmandu, Nepal

Nov 13, 2017 to Jan 9, 2018

• The restaurants in my neighborhood are filthy and I have to look away when I eat or I would just starve to death.  There is an effort to wipe down the tables and clean the dishes but that is the extent of cleaning.
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• The temperature during the day is 70F and my students think this is cold weather.  They ask me why I am not wearing my winter coat.  They keep their coats on all day long.
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• Water bottles are placed on the tables in the restaurants and everyone just drinks right out of the bottle.  But they do not put their lips on the bottle. Instead, they open wide and pour water right in to their mouths and down their throats.
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• Most people get around on motorcycles.  However, there are plenty of taxis and they drive the road as if all the streets are properly paved.  They ride over potholes without concern of blowing out a tire.
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• Cars drive on the opposite side of the road for me.  So, when I walk the streets, I try to walk against the traffic so I can see the vehicles ahead of me.  However, not all drivers adhere to the law of driving on one designated side of the road.  They drive anywhere there is an opening.  All road spaces are filled at all times.
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• I don’t see much wildlife here.  There are lots of feral dogs and a few feral cats.  But I don’t see may birds or bugs or butterflies or squirrels or other rodents.  I do see pigeons and monkeys around the temples.
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• The roads are so dusty that all the plants and trees are caked in dusty and they look like fake plants and trees.
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• Most people wear face masks as the walk or drive through the streets.  I have-not started to do this yet.  I view it as a surrender to something.  But I am not sure what that surrender is.