Sunday, March 31, 2013

Tiger for Breakfast (Interesting Book)

I always love an interesting book! Here's a good one, somewhat related to my current trip.

From a review: "Biography of the fantastically exciting and dramatic life of a Russian man, tracing his childhood escaping from the bolsheviks, to his days living it up as part of a famous ballet troupe touring Europe and subsequent tour through Asia, leading to his setting up an exclusive club for socialites in Calcutta and finally becoming party planner and hotel owner extraordinaire in Kathmandu. Boris the extrovert, whimsical and full of creative energy with amazing organisational skills as proven in his key role in the royal hunt of Queen Elisabeth II in Nepal - the likes of which will probably never be seen again in terms of sheer grandeur and scale. Would have been rated even higher if not for the occasional chapter on more tangential subjects like mountaineering or describing his mother in law's eccentricities. Surely one of the most interesting and intense lives of any person of the 20th century!"

(Be patient, the reader might take a while to load. Click here for alternate link to full text online.)

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Having too much fun to post...

Sorry, it's true. My goal was to take pics and post daily, but between having too much fun here and the lack of consistent power/internet access, I just can't keep up with daily posts. I'm still taking THOUSANDS of photos, had an amazing time during Holi, just got back from The Last Resort up near the border w/Tibet, and will put up some posts and more photos in time.

Again, sorry for the delay, but I am just having too much fun visiting with my friends and seeing the sites. More later... :)

Saturday, March 23, 2013

My Transportation Adventures in Kathmandu

I've been taking too many photos to process and post every day. This post I'm just going to talk a little about transportation in Kathmandu. (You can click any of these photos to bring you to more, or view my entire Flickr photostream by clicking here.)

I'm staying with friends who have a car and a driver. Me being the independent traveler that I am, though, I like to hoof it out on my own and use the local transportation as well. At 5' 10", blond hair and blue eyes, no matter what I do, I stick out like a sore thumb. That isn't stopping me in Kathmandu this time around, though.

While the roads in DC might be cause for headaches, especially during rush hour, they cannot even begin to compare to the chaos found in the capitol of Nepal. If you find yourself on a paved road, it may have suggestive lines for traffic to follow, suggestive being the key word. Most transportation travels on the left side of the road. When he opportunity arises, they also drive on the right side of the road, if there is temporary clearance for passage. Are there two or three lanes total for traffic on the road? No problem. Five or six threads of trucks, buses, micro buses, tuk tuks, four-wheeled tractor thingies, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, rickshaws and the occasional holy cows can easily needle there way through for passage, also using the dirt on each side of the road for additional lanes when possible (all the time). I have video of the traffic chaos, but haven't yet taken any good still photos. There is still time for me to do so, and plenty of opportunity.

Going around a corner on a narrow road and concerned about possible oncoming traffic? Honk your horn. Pedestrians/bicyclists/parked cars in the road, blocking your easy travel from point A to point B? Honk your horn. Holy cow meandering down the road, blocking traffic from all directions? Don't honk your horn--not because the cow's so holy you don't want to upset it, but because the cow simply doesn't care. You'll pass a stone Vishnu soon enough. Say a quick prayer that the holy cow will soon find some weeds to munch on in a nearby field, thereby clearing the road for all.

 It is my firm belief that Nepali vehicles are the most hardy in the world, and that those who repair the vehicles are the most adept at reinforcing said vehicles when necessary. Why do I believe this to be true? I have ridden in cars, tuk tuks, micro buses and buses on some of the most non-smooth roads possible, weighted down by more passengers than clowns coming out of a circus car, in and out and around the most cavity jarring potholes imaginable, and yet these vehicles keep chugging along. Some of the vehicles look older than the orange Pinto my father used to drive (in the 1970's), and chug chug chug, honk honk honk, they still get us all from point A to point B without side panels falling off.

Yesterday in a microbus (for micro people? I am anything but micro...), a school bus was heading toward us from the right and the road expansion crew was working on the left of the very narrow road, pick axes and shovels in hand, stirring water into a pile of cement mix on the road like I would stir eggs into a pile of flour when making pasta on the counter at home. All I could think of was, "Please dear God, do not let us roll over, past the road work and into the little valley below. Today is not a good day to die...in a microbus." I closed my eyes and we all made safe passing, most likely with a little dose of Harry Potter style magic, temporarily shrinking all of us so we could fit together on the narrow path. At least that's what I chose to believe, from behind my closed eyelids.
Road Expansion Work

We continued along on our safe journey, heading south toward Kathmandu Durbar Square. Every five or six major potholes we'd stop and pick up more passengers, and more passengers, and more passengers... Last I could count we had 25 people in the microbus! Granted, I was smashed back into the far right corner of the microbus, I couldn't tell if anyone else jumped on to ride after my last count of 25 souls aboard the bumpathon ride to anywhere. I didn't care about our destination at that point, I just looked out the window and reminded myself, "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto." I stared out the window to distract myself from the bone crunching squeeze of a ride. I tried not to panic. I am a wee bit clausterphobic, and needed sedation for an MRI years ago. This ride was quickly rising my anxiety to a much higher level than during that simple medical procedure. Ah, I could crack open the window for some fresh... carbon monoxide from the tailpipe, yeah... Visions of sardines in a can came to mind. The circus clowns getting out of tiny cars after driving around the center ring. Yes, back to Harry Potter, magically shrinking bodies or an impossibly large interior of a tent or house that otherwise looked so small from the outside! No magic here, just bodies crammed into a vehicle, and a few others hanging on for dear life from the outside (lucky ones who were breathing fresher air with lungs that could expand to hold said air...).
Kathmandu MicrobusHow big is a "microbus"? When my dad passed away in 1988 I started driving his Chevy Beauville 20 van to and from school. The microbus is about the same size as that van, possibly a foot or so longer. And for the life of me I cannot imagine stuffing our old van with 25 human beings and driving it around a bumpy non-holy-cow pasture back in Wisconsin. After much thought, that's about the closest description I can come up with re: the size and ride of a Nepali microbus.

Inside (near empty) MicrobusWe finally came to the end of our ride, extricated ourselves from the tin can, and paid our fares. What? Only 18 rupees (less than $.25), vs. 300 rupees ($3.60-ish) for a taxi? Hmmm... Yup, the cheapskate in me decided to the microbus home after our visit to Durbar Square (accompanied by Talim Shrestha, my trusty guide). I counted only 21 passengers on the microbus ride home, not so bad.

A few days earlier Talim and I went to Swayambunath, the National Museum and the National Military Museum. We road to Swayambu by taxi. Then we took a tuk tuk from Swayambu to the museums. To me, a tuk tuk is another tin can, smaller in size, and set on the frame of a very large, motorized "tricycle" frame. I counted 16 people total riding inside and hanging onto the back as we bounced along the roads.

My View from Inside Tuk Tuk
 
Our Tuk Tuk (continuing on after we got out)

Without Talim as my guide, I could not have so easily navigated our bus, microbus and tuk tuk rides. I might venture out on my own next week on some form of public transportation, taking enough money to hire a taxi to deliver me to the intended destination once I realize I've jumped on the wrong bus line. With taxis costing anywhere from 200-500 rupees within the city ($2.40 - $6.00), I think I can afford the transportation adventure. I will head out, armed with a good map (with most roads unnamed), Swayambunath sometimes poking out high above the smog, helping to me to reorient myself within the city, and a heavy dose of positive attitude for when all (loosely made) plans invariably go astray. Last resort, when I can't remember the name of the location where my friends live, I shall request of the taxi driver, "Please take me to the American Embassy." I think I know how to walk back to my friends' house from there. :)
 
View from Bus Ride (Talim on left)
 
Business by Bike - note the scale
 
Kathmandu Rickshaws - fancy tricycles
 
Flatbed Tricycle, on a water run
 
Starter Trike, the simple days. :)

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Nepal Day 5: Thamel

(Clicking on any of the photos here will bring you to where they are posted on my Flickr site, or you can view the entire set by clicking here.)

I've been in Kathmandu for a few days now and have been avoiding Thamel. When I visited last year, I visited Thamel several times to shop, see what was available, compare prices, etc. After the first few visits I grew tired of the shop keepers hawking their goods, following me down the street, trying to pull me into their shops to buy any assortment of trinkets. This year I packed my photo gear and prepped myself to say, "NO, THANK YOU," in a most convincing manner.
 
Ready for Thamel

The first place I stopped was a jewelry store, right at the entrance to Thamel. Last year I met a deaf man who works there, Moshin, and I had wondered if he'd still be there. The second I stepped into the shop one of the men who works there said, "Karin! Are you Ms. Karin? I remember you!" No kidding. Not only does Moshin still work there, but the whole shop still remembered me from my visits last year. We sat and talked for a while, in English and a mixed up version of Nepali and American Sign Languages. How fun! Since it was Saint Patrick's Day, while we talked my friends from Kiss decided to hang out out and check out some green gem stones (peridot?).
 
Kiss checking out peridot for St Pat's Day

With my eyes forward, looking for potential photos, and well prepared with my, "NO, THANK YOU," I finally ventured into Thamel.
 
Police at Thamel Entrance

Street scenes from Thamel, stores...
 
Thamel Street Shops
 
Thamel Street Shops
 
Yarn Shop
 
Bong House
 
Pilgrim's Bookshop
 
Himalayan Java coffee shop

Thamel

When I walked past these guys they yelled out, "Hey! Let me take your money!" I give them points for honesty, but am still not giving them my money...
 
Not getting my money. :)

People spotting in Thamel...
 
Police in Thamel
 
Selling Flutes
 
Thamel Hippies
 
School Children
 
School Children
 
I spotted some stone carving that I thought would make good souvenirs. Then I heard the tap-tap-tap of work being done in the shop. Stepping back into the shop I saw these two young men working on some new pieces. I asked if I could take some pictures of their work, and we started talking. They learn this trade through their family, not at a school. They are brothers, from a very small village south of Mt Everest. With no work in their village, they've travelled to Kathmandu, hoping to sell their hand made items. I gave them 500 rupees and asked for three small stones to bring back to my boys, "From you brothers in Nepal, to my boys who are brothers in the US." I will most likely go back and buy more from them before I return home. 
 
DSC_0073
 
Stone Carvers

Stone Carvers
 
Stone Carvers

Butcher and street food vendors (I couldn't even look at or process these pictures yesterday when I was suffering from my third day of "Montezuma's Revenge".)...
 
New Anjal "Cold Store"
 
New Anjal "Cold Store"
 
Butcher, sharpening knife
 
Street Food Vendor
 
Street Vendor, Nepali Tea
 
Street Vendor, Nepali Tea

I walked around Thamel and the area a little more, took some photos, then met my friends and had a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant. Unfortunately I was already feeling sick, so wasn't able to eat much. It was a very nice place, though, amazing service, dinner by candlelight and live entertainment. I'm so glad I took photos throughout the day, because they help to keep the memories alive. It's also very nice to be able to share these memories with my boys, too. :)
 
Indian Restaurant

It was a long, wonderful day, even with the tummy upset. I still have problems looking at any food pictures, though. I keep wondering about what I ate or drank that made me so sick. I went to bed hoping I felt better in the morning. Didn't feel much better, but not much worse. With only a piece of bread and some water, I went out exploring on Day 6, and visited Swayambunath (Monkey Temple), the National History Museum and the National Military Museum. I'll process those pictures and post them next. I have taken many, many photos, but am just feeling better now, catching up with processing and posting them. But what a fun adventure!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Day 7, Taking a Break

I'm having a great time in Nepal, not going to lie. On the flip side, the reality of this grand adventure, the air is so dirty that after walking around for a day I have black gunk coming from my nose, out of my ears when I clean them and from my eye goop in the morning. Every time I start hacking I begin to wonder what's made it's way into my lungs. To top that all off, Montezuma is vehemently seeking revenge on me, for whatever reason. I had Nepali tea at one restuarant. Did the water for the tea come from the tap or was it bottled? Or was it the mango juice I got at another restuarant? Or I could have simply touched something when walking around and accidentally touched my mouth when blowing black snot from my nose?

I'm taking the "day off" to recover, never far from a nice, clean bathroom. The temples, shrines, stupas and pokharis can wait for another day. There are literally hundreds of photos waiting to be processed. Hopefully I'll get through a huge enough batch while taking it easy today. I hope to post photos from Days 5 and 6 later. Wish me luck (and health). :)

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Nepal Day 3, Part 2: Mike's, Nag Pokhari, Garden

(Remember, you can click on any photos in the post to take you to the flicker pics, or click here to view the entire set from Nepal Day3.)

Well, I made it to Mike’s Breakfast. My first walk out in the city brought me to a familiar place. This outdoor café features mainly American style breakfasts. I think it was originally owned by an American expat, and has been around for many years.
Mike's Breakfast

I ordered the vegetarian burrito which came with Nepali tea and cookies. I don’t know what the original cost was, but after I hung around, talked with the staff and took a bunch of photos, they gave me the “friend price” of approximately $4. Didn’t sound like a bad deal to me!
Burrito Breakfast

I sat and read the paper about the “bandh”, or strike yesterday, and the governmental changes taking place in Nepal, and caught up on some emails via my Ipod and the café wifi.
DSC_0147

I was there between the breakfast and lunch rushes, and had some time to take photos of the place after finishing breakfast. The staff was very interested in what I was doing, so I taught them a little about the photos I was taking. They were especially interested in the infrared filter I was playing with. This was the first time I took the filter out in Nepal, and I didn’t screw it on tight enough. Some light leaked into the exposures, so I’ll probably go back and take more pics on a later date.
IR at Mike's Breakfast
 
IR at Mike's Breakfast

IR at Mike's Breakfast

I also experimented a little with HDR photos. There was a great variety in shadows, flattening out some of my “regular” photos. I wondered how the colors would play out in the photos. The pics were bright, but actually reflect the warmth I felt at Mike’s.
HDR at Mike's Breakfast

HDR at Mike's Breakfast

HDR at Mike's Breakfast

I’ll be back, guys! Soon enough.
Mike's Breakfast

Just around the corner is a big open dust field, and a pile of garbage with a crew of garbage pickers making their way through the waste. I don’t remember this much waste at this spot last year, and it looks as if they’ve built up their little place a bit. With those observations made, a big gust of wind picked up a ton of debris and started blowing it my way. THEN the wind turned into a nice little tornado, headed straight for me! I was so interested in taking photos that I hadn’t even noticed the twister was headed right for my camera, until a guy on a motorcycle stopped in front of me and hunkered down. I quickly covered my camera until the biggest of the wind passed. The guy on the motorcycle said, “Good, huh?” My reply, “Yes, good!” He wanted to see the photos. As if crossing the streets in Kathmandu weren’t death defying enough, might as well throw in a mini-tornado to make things even more interesting.
Garbage Pickers

Dust Storm, Mini Tornado

Dust Storm, Mini Tornado

Dust Storm, Mini Tornado

Dust Storm, Mini Tornado

On with my walk. So, just a thought… If you build your house with bricks hand made from dirt/clay/other materials (factories east of the city), then said house eventually falls apart and the bricks break up back into dust, does this make the house a recyclable, “green” facility?
From Dust to Dust

Free range chicken!
Free Range Chicken

More people spotting on my walk…
People Spotting on Day 3

People Spotting on Day 3

People Spotting on Day 3

People Spotting on Day 3

People Spotting on Day 3

People Spotting on Day 3

Not much further and I reached Nag Pokhari, a rectangular pond/lake with a tall snake god figure standing in the middle of it. There was some sort of religious ceremony taking place. I have to claim ignorance, because I have no idea what the people were doing, but I took plenty of photos and video.
Nag Pokhari

Nag Pokhari

Nag Pokhari


Nag Pokhari

Nag Pokhari

Nag Pokhari

Nag Pokhari

Nag Pokhari (HDR)

The lollipops packed in my bag were well appreciated by the local kiddos. The kids even came back and asked for seconds. I kind of signed to them that they’d get more only if I could take more photos of them (with their mother’s approval). A man in an orange vest jokingly asked for candy, too. I looked at him with a face that read, “Really?” in any language, then joked back, took him photo and gave him a lollipop. He was laughing hard when I left. J
New "Friends"

New "Friends"

I finally made it to the bank to exchange money. After changing over the cash, I kept a close eye on who might have followed me out of the bank. Then I crossed the street and visited my favorite oasis in Kathmandu, the Garden of Dreams. A big bottle of water there is only NPR 50, or about USD $.65, quite a bargain. I sat and relaxed for a while in the peaceful surroundings, then took my tripod out again, and played around a little more with my IR filter. I haven’t used it much at all yet, so am learning as I go.  Also need to work out post-processing for the IR photos. Here are some of the results…
Garden of Dreams, Infrared Photography

Garden of Dreams, Infrared Photography

Garden of Dreams, Infrared Photography

Garden of Dreams, Infrared Photography

Garden of Dreams, Infrared Photography

Garden of Dreams, Infrared Photography

Serenity…
Garden of Dreams, HDR

And some lovely kids who were all dressed up for their last day of college (our high school).
Garden of Dreams, HS Grads

It was a good day, walking down toward Thamel. I was tired, though, and hung around the house with my friend on Day 4. Today is Day 5, and I plan on either walking or taxiing to Swayambunath today. We still don’t have power at the house, so I’m typing my posts in Word, then will post them when I am able. It’s still a strange thought, that I’m sitting here on a Sunday morning, typing out my post, while back home Saturday Night Live is about to begin. The night is probably quiet at home on post, while here I’m listening to horns honking, dogs barking, birds chirping and bells being rung. Well, the camera is cleaned and ready. On with my day! J