Some Thoughts & Pictures from Around Kathmandu

When I first got to Nepal I use to carry a camera around in my pocket and take photos on a rather consistent basis. As time goes by, no matter how exotic the locale, it just becomes the place you live and it is less likely to stir in you that need to take a photo every few feet. Still Nepal tends to have situations that catch even the long time observer off guard, and since I got a smart phone during my trip to the US I'm back to having a camera in my pocket to document the things that go on in day to day life.  Below are a few photos from the last few weeks and some thoughts about them.

 Oktoberfest at Imago Dei

Imago Dei has an excellent kitchen staff, and I hope I get a staff that is at least half as competent as these guys.A few weeks back I had the pleasure of working with these guys while helping to cater a birthday event here. The above picture is at an Oktoberfest event that raised money for charity to try to help get dental care into the hills and mountainous regions of Nepal, put on by Patricia and her family that owns Skylight. The Imago staff in this photo are cooking a very large number of German style sausages. The meal included the pictured sausages, ham, goulash (both meat and paneer), sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and a tomato and mozzarella salad. It was a good time and a great event.

Laundry on the Line

Nepal has a very carefree attitude about it's wiring system, as demonstrated by the sheer number of wires that pass through any given pole. Even for me though, seeing laundry hung on these lines was something new, and as I shook my head in a bit of disbelief, I had to get out the phone to take a photo. In Maine it's "No line is safe to touch, evah!" In Nepal, it's use it if you got it. It's a different place.

The Dogs Have Their Day 

During Tihar, Nepal's festival of lights, there are three days where animals are given their special day. One for dogs, one for cows and one for crows.  Tjhis little street dog lives over by Gita Store on my way toward the Saraswati Temple area, and commonly comes down my way to hang out with the dogs on my block. Here he can be seen with his little tika on his head, a necklace of marigolds and some markings on his paws. The dogs also got fed some biscuits and other treats by people, and I didn't see one dog get kicked that day! It was good to be a dog in Nepal, for at least one day anyway.

 Lights of TIhar

This was the night of the Laxmi Puja day of TIhar, as seen from one of my neighbor's rooftops. Of all of Nepal's festivals, Tihar is my favorite, as it reminds me in many ways of the 4th of July back home. The whole city was lit up with candles, lamps, and Christmas lights, and the night sky was further filled with the flashes and sounds of fireworks streaming from one corner of the valley to the other. With the weather just starting to cool off, it's still very pleasant out even at night and it made for a great setting for a rooftop cook out. 

Eva & I Pictured at the BBQ

I ended up cooking for the first half of a BBQ had on my neighbors roof, making burgers, wings, marinated pork, veggies, and someone even brought Nepal raised ostrich. Aside from the fireworks this is the part that made this holiday feel like the 4th of July to me. Anyway, good music, good food, and good company made for a fun night. 

 Brian's Grill House Table at the Farmer's Market

My table keeps filling up more and more with items as I get all the recipes and ingredients ready to open the restaurant. Pictured here from left to right are vegetarian chili, pomegranate salsa, garden salsa, roasted hot pepper salsa, chipotle pulled chicken, and jumping over to the other mat we have BBQ pulled pork, Thai peanut sauce, tzatziki, sun dried tomato & basil pasta sauce, and bruschetta topping. Coming soon will be the hot pepper sauce, dijon mustard, BBQ sauce, and buffalo wing sauce. The bread basket is empty because the bread guy keeps showing up a little late due to some last minute baking.

Nepal's Movie Posters Continue to be  Source of Entertainment

Nepal's movies seem to lack any kind of diversity. People with guns, weapons, crossbows and whatever, looks of desperation, fake blood, sunglasses and an unending attempt to look cool grace the posters for Nepal's locally made movies. This one just struck me quite funny, so I took a picture, though I do have to give it credit for the lack of sunglasses, fake blood and woman with flab and absurd outfits desperately trying to look hot. Still the guy with the crossbow, and the dude with the stache at the bottom along with the laughable name make this one too good not to get a full laugh out of. 

So that's a little peek into what I see in my daily life, I hope you enjoyed it even a tenth as much as I did living it!