Some Thoughts on Nepal Tourism Year 2011

So 2011 is Nepal Tourism Year, and they are aiming at getting one million tourists into the country during this year. Now I want to be the first person to say that if you even think you might be interested in visiting Nepal you should. I've visited over thirty countries, and Nepal is one that offers more than almost any other. Culture, natural beauty and a relatively low cost (once here) combine for a spectacular holiday. I have plenty of countries I still want to visit, but here i am in Nepal (for the third time) and even though I have spent a combined 10 months or so in this country there is still a lot more that is worth exploring. The little tag line that 'once is not enough' that they are using to advertise their tourism now is accurate. Nepal is a country you could come back to again and again and always find something exciting to do.

Now all of that said, from an outside standpoint this whole tourism year thing seems like it is being as well managed as most Nepali government endeavors; terribly. Now to be fair, some of the promotional pieces that they have put together aren't all that bad. I've seen some decent posters and to be honest the website that they put together looks better than what I would expect (you can see it HERE), but i am highly skeptical that these kind of promotions will bring many additional tourists. Other promotional measures taken overseas are also of dubious value.

The largest problem I currently see is that there is a huge question mark as to what is actually being offered. This uncertainty and ambiguity is really not a good thing as we start to near the time when people are planning their trips for the next year. For many people a trip to Nepal is a rather large undertaking, and it isn't uncommon to plan well in advance. As someone who has a vested interest in how visas will work next year, I don't even know exactly how that will work. I've heard rumors that the normal five month limit will be lifted, and others say no way. I've heard that the visa fee will be waived, I've heard that only a second visa fee will be waived, and I've heard that they will not waive any visa fees. There were rumors of increased flights into KTM through both Nepali airlines and other international carriers, but as someone who is researching flight costs for family and friends for early next year, I can attest that they are as high as ever right now.

On the NTB website (Site is HERE) there are some stated goals;

1- Establish Nepal as a choice of premier holiday destination with a definite brand image,
2- Improve and extend tourism related infrastructures in existing and new tourism sites,
3- Enhance the capacity of service renders,
4- Build community capacity in the new areas to cater the need of the tourists, and
5- Promote domestic tourism for sustainability of the industry.

Now they announced this project in 2008, and all five of these stated goals are not anywhere close to being realized. You could argue that they were over ambitious to start with, or that most of it was a way to funnel public funds into the hands of connected people within the government and contractors that did the promotion, and you may have a strong argument. But if certain steps had been taken, ones that were available with the funding they received they could be much closer.

Now point one the devil is in the definition, but Nepal will not be a premier holiday destination any time soon. It lacks the infrastructure, it lacks many amenities that western tourists would consider required to fit that definition, and it would need destinations that included more relaxing experiences. Nepal is an adventure tourism destination, and that is what it will remain for the foreseeable future, its appeal is only to a limited segment of those societies outside Nepal and that really should be where the focus of their marketing should stay for now.

Now number two is something that I agree is a good goal, but has it been done? Not that I can tell. In fact sites like Durbar square in Kathmandu seem less accessible now than the first time I arrived due to the increase in traffic through that part of the city. Roads to trail heads  like Dunche and Jiri are amongst some of the most frightening I have ever been on and the buses that take you to them very rarely inspire any confidence. As to new destinations, there is a lot of buzz about the Great Himalayan Trail, but I'm not aware of any tourist sites receiving any significant upgrades or  easing of infrastructure.

Number three has not been implemented to my knowledge, and I don't have a whole lot to say about it.

Number four is implying that an infrastructure would be created for tourism in these new tourism areas they are developing. Again aside from some talk of expanded infrastructure on the Great Himalayan trail I have no idea what they are even promoting that is new. I should add that I actively look for these kind of things, I love going to new and different places here, so if these places are being worked on, the promotional division is doing a terrible job of getting the word out about them.

I can't say a whole lot about number five, aside from saying that I've been more places in Nepal than many Nepali's I have talked to, but many of them don't express a whole lot of interest in going to the same kind of places that western tourists like to go. Mostly when I bump into Nepali's traveling in the same circles as myself they are going to Hindu pilgrimage sites like Mukinath or Gosainkund lakes. You see some people going to Pokhara or to Kathmandu, but not really as tourists so much. While there is a segment of Nepali society, especially in Kathmandu, that has the time and the money to travel within Nepal as domestic tourists, most seem to be lacking the desire. I could however be very wrong about this one.

Now anyone can complain or say negative things about the job someone else is doing, that's easy, the harder thing is to come up with sollutions and practicle ways of meeting at least the obtainable goals that were mapped out for this project. There are a couple of cheap inexpensive things that could have been done, and then there are other things that are not as cheap, but would have much larger payouts. So here are a few of my recommendations for things that could be done to make Nepal Tourism Year, and really tourism in general more attractive and increase the number of tourists.

1- Beautify Thamel- This is the tourist nexus of Kathmandu. Now I love Kathmandu, I chose to move here from the US, but many (meaning 90%) of tourists I talk to describe Kathmandu as something like hell. Westerners can't stand the honking (the use of horns has a cultural difference), the streets that are both for foot traffic and speeding motorcycles is unnerving to many, they hate the burning trash, and the constant harassment by kids sniffing glue, touts and tiger balm salesmen can be really tiresome. Most tourists come through this section of the city at one point in their travels, so changing this one section could change the opinion of many tourists, and more importantly change what they tell their friends back home. So what to do:

   A- Close Thamel to Vehicles- This is done in tourist districts the world over with the result of making them much more pleasant. Now there are some vested interests (most notably the two parking garages in the area) that wouldn't like this plan, but that would immediately make that section of town much more enjoyable and immediately give a more laid back atmosphere where tourists are not jumping out of the way of oncoming traffic or cursing at the honking taxi that is behind them. Bollards and police could enforce the zones easily enough it would seem.

  B- Trash Collection & Waste Baskets-  Waste baskets or rubbish bins are cheap, and with the cost of labor in Nepal the collection should be as well. Trash on the streets is an eyesore that can be easily cleaned up and managed. while city wide this would be great, if it at least worked to clean up where most tourists see it would be an improvement.

  C- Enforce a No Harassment Policy- I would confine this rule to just Thamel, make it a special zone or something, but limit the selling of goods and services to people that have shops. Get the guys selling tiger balm and those annoying instrument things as well as the trekking, rafting and other scammers off the street. If someone wants a service or a handicraft there are hundreds of stores in Thamel where you can get those things, tourists don't need to be bothered every step they take by people trying to sell them things that they don't want.

2- Diversify the Tourist Seasons- Right now most people are under the impression that Nepal is not worth visiting in the "off seasons". This is a terrible misconception that needs to be dealt with so that people will come to Nepal on a more even schedule. Trekking in some of the western parts of the country, the back side of Annapurna and even the Langtang region that I just did can be very enjoyable this time of year. For people that are traveling here for more cultural purposes it would seem that much more attractive to come during the times of year when the country isn't over run with trekkers. Also the myth of the monssons needs to be dispelled. The monsoon rains are not the endless deluge that many westerners believe them to be, in fact most days during the monsoons are no different than what many parts of western countries are like year round. The perception that Nepal can't be traveled in during this season really reduces tourism, and it doesn't have to be that way.

3- Reduce and Open Some Restricted Trekking Areas- Some of the existing restricted routes would be the easiest to open up and develop. If you really plan on doubling the number of tourists, especially in the peak seasons, then you need to give them places to go. As the new roads reduce the appeal of large sections of Annapurna, it only makes sense to open up some of those nearby areas that currently require guides and additional fees and paperwork.The areas that stand out as able to accommodate trekkers with only a minimal increase in infrastructure would be the Nar & Phu valleys, as well as Manaslu. Making Upper Mustang and Dolpo more accessible might not hurt either. By doing this you not only open these places up to more tourists dollars, give tourists more options as to where they can go, you also create an incentive for people to come back to Nepal for a new hike that they wouldn't have done before.

4- Create Financial Incentives That Are Clear- As I said at the beginning, one of the big problems with this campaign has been its ambiguity. If this years financial indicators are any forecast to the future, many western nations will be filled with economic uncertainty and reduced incomes. This makes it all the more important to promote Nepal in a way that reduces the largest costs, which is getting here, permits and visas. Reduce or negate visa fees and streamline the process, so that when tourists get off the plane there is a favorable first impression. The current first impression is one of inefficient over priced bureaucracy that one does not often encounter at "premier holiday destinations". If there is any way to reduce flight costs that would also help get people here. Currently the better deals coming from the States are somewhere near $1500 which is about as high as it has been since I've checked flights here. Any incentives that would reduce that up front financial obstacle would be a big help to getting people here.

5- Target the right Population- Look, hardly anyone in the US or Europe uses travel agents since the internet has been around, so the promotion or development of trips that are to be peddled through overseas travel agencies will not bring the numbers. Besides, package tourists generally come for shorter stays, they spend most of their money on some foreign firms and do less to benefit the larger segment pf Nepali society. Independent travelers on the other hand often stay for a month or longer, spend their money at more diverse restaurants, adventure outfits, shops and hotels and all that money goes directly to Nepali people, it isn't siphoned off by western tour operators or one large Nepali travel company. Target independent travelers, not only in their home countries but ones that may already be in places like India or south east Asia.

Well those are my thoughts. I realize it's all a pipe dream, but thought I'd put it out there. Nepal is a great destination, and it could receive far more tourists than it currently does, but my guess is that the promoters won't be able to get out of their own way.

Buddhism & Greek Philosophy

Many people who travel to Kathmandu at least have a passing curiosity in the Buddhism that they encounter here. My first trip here in 2002 was my first real exposure to it, following up on the month I had spent looking at Buddhist temples in Thailand. My view of Buddhism then was rather clouded by what I had learned about it via Hollywood and New Age garbage. As someone whose two least favorite actors include Leonardo DiCaprio and Richard Gere their speaking up for it didn't increase my interest any. On top of all of that the pop-culture fetish in the US with Buddhism and especially phony causes like Beastie Boys and the whole Free Tibet thing did nothing more to kindle my interest. In fact all of this worked to create a bias in me that would keep me from seeing Buddhism as it should be seen, on its own terms as a serious philosophy.

My trips through Buddhist countries in Asia did very little to change my opinion either. To an outsider, the forms of cultural Buddhism that are practiced through Asia can seem rather odd. Be it offerings of beer and whiskey to divine protectors, or the thousands of divine entities that are present in Tibetan Buddhism all of this works against  seeing Buddhism as a rational philosophy of life, at least it does to me. Touts and hawkers in the tourist districts of these countries don't help any either as they try and "sell" Buddhism through the trinkets that western patrons will buy, be it prayer wheels, crystals, thanka paintings, beads, even whole monk outfits. Some of this can be relevant to philosophical Buddhism, like the thanka paintings, and some can be nonsense, such as the crystals. More importantly though, because tourists regions sell what westerns want to buy, the things that they already think Buddhism consists of, your view of it is unlikely to change passing through these regions.

So strangely my introduction to Buddhism came to me through the Greeks. I have a long standing interest in Alexander the Great, as is evident in some previous posts. That interest lead me to study what happened to the far Eastern Greek Kingdoms after his death, especially the regions of Bactria (present day Afghanistan) and Greek India (essentially modern Pakistan). Many people are unaware that the Greeks and Greek influence would have a major role in this region for about the next three hundred plus years. These years include the rise of the Indian King Ashoka who is credited with being one of the greatest Buddhist proselytizers, as well as the fall of the Maurya dynasty only fifty years later to the Sungas. In fact many beleive that the Greek conquest of India that happened under the Bactrian King Demetrius and later Menander (Who is featured as King Malinda in the Buddhist Malinda Panha) were done on the grounds of defending Buddhists from their new Hindu rulers.

Anyway the mix is not only historically interesting (at least to me) but it also allowed for the transmission of ideas to flow even more readily than they did before between east and west. Historical texts are very clear that many Greek settlers in this region converted to Buddhism, and some texts suggest that the Greeks sent many ethnic Greek Buddhist monks to Sri Lanka and others as far north as the Tarim Basin. No doubt some also traveled back to the Mediterranean to Anatolia, Greece, and Egypt.

It was while reading about some of these transactions that I came across text that showed philosophical Buddhism to be the serious work that it really is. I began to see that there were very strong connections between what it prescribed as a way of dealing with the world around us, and what the Greek stoics taught. In the most basic sense both philosophies teach that since we can not always change the world around us, we must change what we can, which is our opinion and perception of a thing. Both the Greeks and the Buddhists saw that we are not offended by a thing if we remove from ourselves the sense of offence. This got me interested enough to do a good amount of reading to see where Buddhism stands on its own. My misconceptions of Buddhism were plentiful, and this post is long enough without going into full detail.

All of the preceding text was to get to one of the books I just recently read which is one of the better I have read in a long time; Pyrrhonism: How the Ancient Greeks Reinvented Buddhism. Now I was vaguely familiar with Greek Pyrrhonist philosophy, but I had always thought it was very similar to the other schools of Greek Skepticism. The excerpts I had seen were from Sextus Empiricus and usually his arguments against the dogmatic beliefs of the stoics. Although i am often a fan of much in stoic thought, the line of attack from Sextus was usually demolishing some part of their line of thinking that I was also not a fan of, such as their teleological outlook or some other claim about nature.

This book shows clearly why Pyrrhonism is not just another branch of Academic Skepticism and instead expounded a philosophy that does not infer the negative from those things we deduce that can not currently be known but instead advises a suspension in judgement about all things non-evident. The parallels with early Buddhism are quite striking, and one could easily view Pyrrhonism as an adaptation of a western form of Buddhism. As someone who has always struggled with epistemology in philosophy as the more problematic field that derailed just about any philosophical endeavor, section three of this book on things evident and non-evident was a real joy to read, and gave me one of those rare "aha!" moments that make the world seem just a little more clearer.

As a quick example, in the west when we experience an apple, we take it that underneath all of our perceptions is a form that actually is an apple. It is from this form that exists in the "real" world that the "real" apple transmits to us the look, touch, taste, and sound (if you tap it) and smell of an apple. The Pyrrhonists (and Buddhists alike) do not assume that there is anything beyond experience itself, that what we experience as an apple is merely a bundle of sensations that are consistently correlated, there is nothing in anyone of them that dictates to the others a sense of "appleness". Put another way if you were blind, you could not infer a visual apple from a tactile, or audible apple. Basically there is no common quality that one can observe in which all these modes of sensation adhere, no underlying substance or form.

Another book that has made it on to my reading list because of this book is Buddhism Without Belief, which seems to be very much in line with Pyrrhonist thinking. Although this will have to wait until I finish A New Stoicism which at this point I unfortunately can not recommend all that highly. While it is a well argued book the author has a way of making even interesting topics excruciatingly boring. It's written in a format that is the result of a terrible habit of spending too much time talking and debating with people only in academia.

Getting a TIMS Card as an Individual Trekker

Some time ago Nepal introduced the TIMS card under the guise of safety for trekkers. I'm dubious of safety through paperwork in countries that are efficient with their data like the US, and I'm downright cynical when it comes to its application in Nepal. Regardless, if you want to strike out on the trail you need to go and get one of these. Although they use to be free, they now cost independent trekkers $20 ($10 if you go through some tour agency). It's rather clear which lobby was pushing for this nuisance. 

Many agencies offer to get the card for you, and depending on the fee that they charge it might even be worth it. Personally whenever I need one I have just walked down to the office. The first thing to keep in mind is that Nepali government offices have abysmal hours, often opening late in the morning and then closing in the early afternoon. Staff can also be light around noon as people have lunch. Currently the TIMS desk at the Tourist Information Center is open from 9AM to 3PM. If however you need to get a permit for the Annapurna Sanctuary, that office is only open from 10AM to 2PM. One can only pray that they plan on expanding these hours and personnel for Nepal Tourism Year in 2011, but I'm not holding my breath.

Before you set out for the office be sure you have your passport, 2 passport sized photos and the equivalent of $20 in Nepali Rupees.  Even though the price is always stated in US$, they only accept Rupees, so make sure you have the correct kind of cash with you. Also on some occasions I have been asked for a copy of my passport, including the page with my Nepali Visa, and other times I have not needed it. It's not a bad idea to have a copy with you while you're trekking anyway so I'd advise to make the copies ahead of time, and if they don't need them then you have another backup. If they decide there that they do want a copy, they have a copier on site, assuming that there is power.

So where is the office?

The above image shows the central part of Kathmandu. If you are arriving in Nepal as a tourist you are most likely staying in the Thamel area near where Kathmandu Guest House and Fire and Ice are labeled. The other easily recognizable features that you can navigate by are the royal palace seen at top center of the image and Ratna Park which is the long North South running green brown space in the center south of the map. The Tourist Information Center I have marked with the blue information symbol labeled Trekking Information Center.

Here is a closer look;

The easiest landmark to keep in mind is Ratna bus park, which is just to the north of the building, this is the bus park where you can go to Jiri or Shivalaya if you are trekking in the Everest region and not flying into Lukla.

The people at the Tourist information office generally have a good grasp of English and have for the most part been much more helpful than other government offices. If you have questions, and they are not overwhelmed at the moment, they have always helped out in answering them. If there are some questions you are unsure of, like how long you will be trekking or your exact route, just answer to the best of your knowledge and give yourself more time than less. The card will be checked at various police checkpoints along the trail and entering the reserve/conservation areas. The most useful thing they do is record your information as you pass certain checkpoints, leaving a definite trail of where you have been if something were to happen to you on the trail. In the past they used your passport info.

Again remember that if you are going to Annapurna to pick up your conservation area permit at the nearby counter, it costs 2,000 NRS. You can also get your ticket for the Langtang and Everest regions, but there is no need as they are available at the entrance  to those regions for the same fee.

Water in the Streets

The other day Kim and I were working o our computers, and had decided that we were going to go to Bhat Betini to pick up some groceries. Some distant thunder and light rain started to come down just as we were going to leave, so we decided to wait a bit for it to clear. Then it really started to rain. It was pouring, the rain was coming down so hard that the water coming down off the roof near the spiral stairs was literally a waterfall. It kept up like this for at least two hours.

The KC's Garden is Flooded

The result was the worst flooding I have seen to date in Kathmandu. as I went out on to our patio and looked down at the garden down below, it was completely covered in water, at least a foot of it. The small river just down the road was apparently overflowing its banks completely and water from it was flowing down the nearby road and directly into ours. Having seen and smelled that water I resigned myself to staying indoors for the night. The flooding got so bad that it got into the first floor of our building (raised several feet above ground level) and our power was cut for the night.

A woman attempts to navigate our street, up to her waist in water.

The house owners told us that this was the first time they had seen flooding of this level since they have lived here (over a decade I believe). The water actually went back down fairly quickly, as the drainage on our street is better and a more modern design than most of the city. By late evening the water had subsided from the garden, and in the morning it was completely gone. Even the debris that had been left behind was cleaned up by 10AM. I have to give credit to the people that take care of the street I live on, they really do a nice job keeping it up. Some other parts of the city are still a bit of a mess. 

Water fills our street in Lazimpat

Mike's Breakfast, More than just Breakfast

Mike's Breakfast is one of those places I knew about before I even came to Nepal, and I'm not even sure how. Its been around for quite some time and is an expat staple for food. Mike apparently was a peace corps volunteer back in the 60s and opened the restaurant in the 80s. They have locations in both Kathmandu and in Pokhara. The Pokhara location is in lakeside right on the lake, and the Kathmandu location is in Naxal set back from the main street in a garden set next to a Rana style Newari home.

As stated in the header, the food is more than just breakfast despite the name, and it has some of the more authentic western food in the city. That said you should also be prepared to pay something a little closer to western prices. The breakfast dishes include the normal combination plates offering eggs, toast, muffins, home fries, bacon, sausage, yogurt and mixed fruit. They also offer pancakes that are much better than what most Nepali places serve, French toast, breakfast burritos and waffles. My personal favorite is the special waffle with yogurt and mixed fruit. They also offer a variety of coffee drinks, and teas.

Now to be entirely honest I've almost always eaten at Mike's for brunch with friends and thus my experience is mostly with the breakfast food. I have however tried some of the Mexican dishes that they offer, and while it's nothing that would be memorable back home, it is better than most of what you can find in Kathmandu. They do also have rotating specials that include steak and rainbow trout, but the price has usually kept me from trying them. Which is generally how I feel about Mike's, the place has good atmosphere, and decent food but I always feel like the bill is just a little higher than the quality and content of what actually got served.

That negative bit said, I do also find myself going back, so I don't mean to be too negative. The truth is that if your with friends and just want to make sure the food you order isn't just a bad imitation of what you wanted, Mikes is the place to go. It's also a good stop before or after a trek, or a hard day of mountain biking. It's convenient locations is central to where most expats are in Kathmandu and makes it an easy meeting point as well. If you're traveling to Kathmandu and staying in Thamel though, it is a bit out of your way, being just East of the palace in Naxal  before you get to the police headquarters (west of the petrol pump).

100th Post: Evolution of Blog

I started this blog last December, with the intention of having it fill the same roll my other travel websites have filled while I was away from home; as a way to keep in touch with family and friends back home. At first that is exactly what it was, and it never occurred to me that other people might actually be interested in some of this. Slowly I kept seeing an increase in traffic and Kim made some changes to the format and added some links via other expat sites and the traffic increased even more. I even ended up doing some travel writing thanks to an editor coming across my blog, and have since had some other opportunities thanks to readers.

So while I have supplied the writing content on this blog, and the pictures that scroll on the sidebar are mine, I have to give full credit to Kim for really adding the aesthetics and the marketing that  has opened this blog up to a wider audience. After some more changes recently to how posts are labeled and another page layout change recently views on this page are up some 40%. While I'm not getting thousands of views a day like some websites, we'll most likely get about 400 unique views this week from increasingly diverse parts of the planet. So I owe Kim a big thanks for most of this blogs transformation. Someone might wonder what exactly this is transforming into, and that is the purpose of this post.

While I still fully plan on having the occasional opinion piece or a post where I talk about stuff I'm doing in Nepal, I'm also focusing on turning the site into more of a resource for people that plan on spending time in Nepal. The post content won't change dramatically, but I plan on having more reviews of different services from trekking outfits to restaurants as well as adding a better organization of information so that if people are interested in information about the Annapurna circuit for instance they can find it a little easier. I plan on fully expanding that list of restaurants and helpful websites on the side bar as well as creating additional pages that will contain information on different treks or what there is to do in Kathmandu, Pokhara or other locations. I have also noticed that I get a lot of referral trafic from other bloggers that discuss Nepal, and I'll start a sidebar that links back to other Nepal blogs as well. Eventually I would like this to be a fairly central information center to all things Nepal. This won't happen over night, but slowly this is more the direction that the blog is headed to.

At its heart though, this blog is about an American living in Nepal, what happens here and my perspective on it. That's what it will always be most likely. The new things that are being added are to be a resource for people who are travelling to this place I love so much in order that they can get as much out of their time here as possible. Nepal can be a notoriously hard place to find accurate information about what is going on, where stuff is or how things work. I mean this is a country that doesn't have something like a phone book or yellow pages, it's not navigated in the same way as back home. Internet resources are often biased, dated, or both. I'm hoping to kind of fill the gap of lack of good up to date information for what goes on here.

Lastly thanks a bunch to the people who have been reading consistently. I see a lot of repeat traffic and it's great to hear from people who enjoy reading about Nepal and my small place in it. If anyone ever has any questions that they are having trouble answering about something over here, always feel free to ask me via a comment on the blog or via an e-mail to me directly (Brian@harilo.com). So thanks for reading and hopefully this blog can continue to improve over the next hundred posts!

1905 Farmer's Market

A while back I had mentioned (link HERE) that there was a farmer's market at the Summit Hotel in Patan. The probelm of course is that it was all the way in Patan...it might as well be another planet most of the time. I mean yes there are some good restaurants and shops in Patan but the taxi ride is more than i normally want to deal with, at least just to go to the farmers market. In the last couple months though they have started having a market at the restaurant 1905 on Kanti Path, just across the road from Phora. As this is only a twenty minute walk from the house we have made it a weakly stop unless we're out trekking, biking or whatever.

1905 Market

It's not only the best place in the city to get cheese, including chèvre and Greek style feta, it's also a nice way to spend a Saturday morning. The setting is great, the 1905 restaurant was once an exclusive club that entertained the elite of Kathmandu, and was located next to the famous Royal Hotel. It has a great laid back feel and you would never suspect that you were within a stones throw of one of Kathmandu's busiest streets. There are plenty of gardens fountains and man made ponds on the property, and the setting is something you would expect to find on the outskirts of the valley as opposed to the heart of the city.

Looking out over the Pond

Aside from cheese, there are vendors with organic vegetables, bees wax products, fruit drinks, dried strawberries and  tomatoes, baked goods, pâté, and more treats that can make into a good brunch. Because it is the one of the only places you can get all this kind of stuff in one place it is also common to run into plenty of people in the expat community, and you almost always run into at least a few people you know. After buying some different cheeses, spreads and bread we'll sit, talk and sample. If I'm not doing something active, it's a great way to spend a relaxing Saturday morning.

Donnie Wants More Salsa

I have come to the conclusion that there is however a lack of good salsa available in this city, and no one sells any at the farmer's market. Sure you can buy crappy brand name stuff that has been shipped from the states, but it has a good size mark up on it, and to be honest isn't all that great. The other kicker is that corn chips are so pricey here, like $4 for a bag that would cost you maybe $2 tops back in the states. So I may be looking into making salsa for the expats of Kathmandu, it would only be the civic minded thing to do. I brought a batch of regular chunky and some mango salsa today to test out and people seemed to like it, and so I might give it a try. I was thinking of making a regular, a spicy one, mango, pomegranate, and possibly tequila-lime. I may also look into a corn based one and a black bean salsa. Kim drew up a label with a fat Buddha in the lotus position with a sombrero on as the label. I got a kick out of it.

Prime Ministers, Toaster Ovens, and Shipping Products from the U.S.

Politics & Prime Ministers
So the Prime Minister of Nepal, Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned five weeks ago. Does Nepal have a new Prime minister yet after three different votes? Nope. Most of it seems like politics as usual in Nepal to me. There was an interesting take on it in an opinion article in Republica today. The article basically makes the case that the coalition that formed to force the Maoists out of power needs to hold or there will be a People's Republic of Nepal. The article struck me as a little alarmist, and though I certainly am not a fan of the Maoists, I don't see any of the other political parties riding to the rescue any time soon. The Maoists actually seem organised and have a plan that they are following through on, to ends that I'm sure will not be good for Nepal. The other parties, instead of offering a real alternative seem to exist mostly to legitimize the government bureaucracy that fleeces the people here of more of their money then it seems to provide in meaningful services and often stands in the way more then helps development in the country. That's my take for what it's worth. The article in Republica by Kanak Mani Dixit can be read HERE if you are interested.


Toaster Ovens
The other day I broke down and got a toaster oven, as I hadn't baked anything in about seven months. Having gone so long, I was immediately quite excited with all the opportunities that opened up. Chicken and eggplant parmigiana? Check. American Style Nachos (full chili and vegies)? Check. Bruschetta? Yes again. To those of you sitting comfortably in the first world none of this sounds like much to you I'm sure. Try going without an oven for half a year and your perspective will change, I promise.


The only problem is that due to some damage at one of the hydro power plants we are back up to eight hours of dreaded load shedding again. They seem to pick the worst times to cut the power too. Today I was about to make some lunch in my new favorite appliance and the power got cut....and didn't come back on for four hours. Sigh. When I plugged the oven into one of my outlets powered by my battery the inverter started beeping, which I took to be a bad sign and quickly unplugged it. They also seem to like to cut the power right around when I make dinner, and although I normally can find the "Power Assassination Schedule" on lline, I haven't seen the latest one, so cooking is a bit of a gamble at the moment.

Monsoon Trekking: Helumbu

At the beginning of these posts I advised that these blog posts are a retelling of my experience, and should not nescisarily be used as an itinerary. When talking about the route we took through Helumbu, I really mean it; both because we took a few wrong turns and because we squeezed it all into one epic 31 mile day with my GPS unit telling me that we had near 6,500' of elevation gain and over 13,000' of elevation lost. I think some of the mistakes we made should be somewhat informative to other hikers and act as a warning to not make the same dumb mistakes.

I passed through this section of trail before back in 04', but unfortunately the more interesting villages of Melamchigaon and Tarke Ghyang were not on our itinerary. Our route took us over only half of the Helumbu Circuit, starting at Therapati and heading south to Sundarijal and on to Kathamndu.

Another Clear Morning; Hills as Seen from Therapati

Another clear morning greeted us, and for some reason that morning nothing on the menu really appealed to either one of us and we settled for just some lemon tea and decided that we could stop possibly in Khutumsang for a late breakfast or early lunch. The morning was a bit on the cool side, but again the skies were clear and it looked to be another great day for trekking. Our plan for today was to do a double days hike and make for Chisopani, a village just on the outskirts of Shivapuri National Park, and only about four hours from Sundarijal. My plan was still to walk all the way back to my front door. I figured it was just over five miles from Sundarijal to Boudha and then only two and a half miles from Boudha to my apartment. 

Fog Surrounds a Stupa just South of Khutumsang

Monsoon Trekking: Gosainkund

The trail up to and through the Gosainkund area was by far my favorite part of this trip. We got some stunning views, and the trail itself was a real joy...though Donnie may disagree with me on that last part. When I left off in the last post we had spent the night at the Landslide Hotel, named I guess for the large landslide coming down the valley face on the opposite side of the river. After a good nights sleep and some breakfast the next morning we were ready to go..kind of. Donnie, on top of his cold and bum ankle, was now also experiencing some gastro-intestinal distress. Being the task master I am, I told him it was a mere 6,000 vertical feet to Singh Gompa, a spot I hoped we could have some lunch at before pressing on to Laurabina Yak, where I hoped to spend the night.

Chorten in the Forest North of Singh Gompa

After leaving the guest house we quickly came to the split in the trail with the right path leading to Syrafru Besi and the one on the left heading to Thulo Syrafru, where we were headed. The trail almost immediately became steep, turning to switchbacks. Some Nepal gray langur monkeys played in the trees at the edge of the trail, though they were a bit too shy for pictures. After about a thousand feet or so of climbing the trail leveled off a bit, we passed a seasonal tea shack and rounded the mountain to a suspension bridge. As I was crossing the bridge I was lamenting that we were five days into this trip and I had not seen a single leech....I mean I didn't want to really deal with the things, but to go a whole trek in the monsoons and not even have an opportunity to brag about fending them off and such was disappointing in some strange, possibly masochistic way. Well, as they say be careful what you wish for.