Heading Back to Nepal

Heading Back to Nepal

November through December, 2017

I went to Katmandu in 1999.  When I got off the plane, I looked around and thought that Katmandu was a dirty, ugly version of India.  I started to like it a bit more when I discovered that I could get a decent cup of coffee here. 

After four days, I flew off to Tibet for three weeks. And that is an even dirtier place.  When I came back to Katmandu to catch my return flight I couldn’t believe how much cleaner the city looked to me. I feel in love with the place.

Now I am going back for 7 weeks in November. I will be teaching there.  My students will be young, college students who want to become world leaders.  I look forward to this challenge.  And I plan to embrace this city and all it has to offer me.

Here are a few things I want to do:

Visit Chitwan National Park. I wanted to go there in 1999 but I got sick.  This is unfinished business for me.-  DONE

Listen to traditional and current music- DONE

Pick up a Nepalese name.  When I taught in China, my students helped me pick a Chinese name (Long Nv- Dragon Lady).  Now I want a Nepali name.

Try lots of local foods

·       dal bhat consists of rice and lentil soup--- DONE

·       Momo, a type of Nepali version of Tibetan dumpling,-- DONE

·       Buff (meat of water buffalo)-- DONE

·       Ailaa and thwon (alcohol made from rice) are the alcoholic beverages of Kathmandu, found in all the local bhattis (alcohol serving eateries). Chhyaang, tongba (fermented millet or barley) and rakshi are alcoholic beverages- DONE

Visit a Buddhist temple- DONE

Visit a Hindu temple--- DONE

Check out the theater district- none of these places were performing while I was there.

·       Mandala Theatre

·       Sarwanam Theatre Group 

·       Vajra Dance Company

Eat at the Yangling Tibetan Restaurant- I searched and searched and searched for this damn restaurant and I know it wasnt far from my hotel.  But without the help of street signs, it is impossible to find some places.  So I went back on trip adviser and found that OR2K was a comparable restaurant and went there and had a great Middle Eastern dinner.

Visit the Museums:

·      Brass and Bronze Museum (Kathmandu)

·       Buddha Nepal Art Gallery (Kathmandu)

·       City Museum Kathmandu (Kathmandu)

·       Dirghaman &  Ganeshman Chitrakar Art Foundation (Kathmandu)

·       Gallery Mcube (Patan (Lalitpur))
     Garden of Dreams- DONE

·       Hanumandhoka Palace Complex

·       Himalayan arts gallery p.ltd (Kathmandu)

·       International Mountain Museum (Pokhara)-  DONE

·       Kaiser Library

·       Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre (Patan (Lalitpur))

·       Living Traditions Museum (Bhaktapur)

·       Narayanhiti Palace Museum (Kathmandu)

·       National Art Gallery (Bhaktapur)

·       National Museum

·       National Woodworking Museum (Kathmandu)

·       Natural History Museum (Kathmandu)

·       Nepal Art Council Gallery (Kathmandu)

·       Patan Museum (Patan (Lalitpur))

·       Purna Work Shop (Kathmandu)

·       Sherpa Museum (Namche Bazaar)

·       Taragaon Museum (Kathmandu)

·       Tribhuvan, Mahendra, and Birendra Museums (Kathmandu)

·       Universal Art Gallery (Kathmandu)

Visit a few breweries:

Gorkha Brewery Pvt. Ltd.- I made a huge attempt and finally found this place only to discover that it was just the corporate headquarters.  There are no brewery tasting rooms in Nepal.

Himalayan Brewery Pvt. Ltd.

MOUNT EVEREST BREWERY PVT. LTD.

McBorg Nepal Pvt. Ltd.