Never again

Never again will I mock the bugs. Never. God I was so sick this time but at least I received treatment fast. We finished up our meetings at the border quickly, and successfully, and flew home Monday night. On the plane ride home I knew that I had a problem and just starting mentally willing myself to make it home. This was a small plane without a bathroom. Then I had to make it through traffic for 20 minutes and then I had to make it through a 15 minute period of locating my keys which I had left with management to have a new set cut for Janice. All I'm saying is that I don't know if I can ever eat paneer (cheese) or rice again, which is a shame because both are delicious when experienced once per meal. But the crazy part was that I got so sick so quickly and lost so many electrolytes that my blood pressure dropped and I passed out after trying to stand up too quickly. So that was a first and a little freaky and when I came to my senses on my living room floor I called my neighbor who came and talked to me for a while until I felt better and went to bed. The next morning I had to confess to work which meant that it was a huge deal and the company doctor plus tons of other people piled into my apartment (FINALLY!) and checked me out. Blood pressure was low and I was medium dehydrated and went back on my best friend antibiotics that worked so well last time. And nothing like a stool sample to keep you humble. And so after a day of rest I feel pretty good and had a chance to tell the rest of the guys at work that no matter how many times they send me into the field, I'll just keep coming back. Alive. And only one new person asked me how much I pay in rent. My favorite part was the silent tea delivery boy came with one of the nurses because he knew the neighborhood (strange) and I couldn't miss his look of amazement at my ostentatious apartment. What can I really say, silent tea boy? My building has an elevator and TV during the power cuts. But I'm nice and I don't have a private tea boy...just you. So other than trying to compete with Erin who recently had to have 3 bags of fluids following her flu, I'm good. So I'm out until tomorrow because the power is about to go. xoc

Slimming

So I went to get a manicure & pedicure at the new fancy Indian spa place. It was quite nice and I could have been in NYC. But it was not in the tourist part off town, it's more for wealthy Nepalis, and so I could tell that I was "interesting" because people kept coming and slightly opening the door to have a good look. Two men gave the manicure & pedicure and I was feeling a little "Passage to India" self-conscious until one of the men happily told me that his name, translated, meant Diamond Barber. His last name was his caste, which is common, and his cast dictates that he be a barber. So he was born to work in that profession; caste is so trippy. Then, of course, he asked me if I knew anyone at the US Embassy and could I help him get a visa to America. I have learned to expect this question from nearly all new people that I meet and am happy that I actually don't know anyone at the US Embassy. I almost told him how much rent I pay for my apartment.... Nepalis are very persistent people. The spa also heavily advertises that they offer "slimming services" and I don't quite know if that means liposuction or some kind of wraps. What I DO know is that the guys kept asking "You get slimming next?" and pointing to their stomachs. The were quite chipper when saying this and of course kept saying repeatedly "You need slimming, you get slimming next?" to which I kept replying "No, I need to eat less!" in a joking manner. You gotta be tough when you're surrounded by men who are 5 feet tall and weigh 110 pounds. I hope to get another parasite soon for some more FREE slimming, buddy. But a mani/pedi that took a full 1 1/2 hours only cost $10; maybe I'll give it a try....or perhaps I'll just eat less.
I return from the border late Tuesday evening and Thursday evening Janice comes!!!! Hooray!!! So more in a few days. xoc

Electricity

So it's a race against the clock to get on-line before the power goes out. I think I have 15 minutes. But to tell the truth, it's kind of nice (though cold) because I do have one plug that works off of the building generator which equals TV and the DVD player. No heat, but TV. So I bought a ton of bootleg DVDs for $2.50 a piece and am making my way through all of the new releases: Michael Clayton, I am Legend, No Country for Old Men. Sometimes they're good bootlegs and sometimes they'll randomly lapse into Russian dubbing for a few minutes. Morally I try to rationalize that bootlegs are OK because I simply couldn't otherwise see these movies. Kind of like rationalized that killing mosquitoes on the Buddhist trip was OK because they potentially carried diseases. Truth be told, I have a little too much time to think because really who cares? Besides the mosquitoes. I'm off on another trip to the Indian border on Sunday to talk to customs/immigration about setting up a booth to distribute HIV/AIDs information and condoms. Nepal's AIDs mostly is coming in through migrant workers and truck drivers. Damn India (just kidding, Sabs). Clearly I personally will not be working the booth nor, actually, will I literally be talking to customs/immigration. The other guys talk; I smile and look importantly white. But it sure is interesting. Alrighty, goodnight. xoc

So the protesters won

Today was a little crazy with the protests. It's pretty impressive when a city of 2 million people doesn't have a single car or motorcycle on the road. The protesters, mostly students, built tire fires in the big intersections and I could look off of my balcony and see a dozen columns of black smoke rising into the air. It felt weird this morning and on top of it I was watching "I am Legend" alone in my apartment and between the fires and vampires I felt it wise to go upstairs to my friend Audra's apartment to hang out for a few hours. But the government caved in and will subsidize prices because they can't afford to have things turn into political protests on top of the energy problems. I guess a couple of years ago people protested for 24 days. So tomorrow should be fine to go back to work and so one more aspect of life in the 'Du becomes more normal. Next time I won't even mention a little protest or a tire fire...ho hum. Am assuming that there won't be an ongoing vampire problem. Here's a fun picture that my coworker took of me in Jumla (the mountain trip). Kids love to see digital photos of themselves. xoc

oh, dear

So today is my first day of developing world reality. The reality is that India owns all of the hydroelectric plants in Nepal and sells power back to Nepal at outrageous rates. So today marked a hike in rates and thus massive public protests. Burning tires, no traffic allowed, etc. Two men from work walked me home; tomorrow might not be safe to walk to work. We shall see. More tomorrow but am safe in the apartment compound....xoc

More India

Back to really important India stuff: I was kinda partial to the box lunch we got nearly every day when we were truckin' through areas that didn't support 25 prissy Americans stopping for lunch. It was always a banana, apple (not to be eaten for fear of whatever could have been living on the apple), white bread (weird), a chapati (yum). two boiled eggs and a boiled potato to be eaten with a packet of ketchup. This combined with Mint Mischief potato chips....good times. But on some level it was kind of sweet and I'm a believer in how boiled potatoes travel. But imagine people from New York City facing this lunch everyday. It was near anarchy but then we had to remember that we're Buddhist.

I don't know if you can make it out but everyday a cow goes into this sari shop in Varanasi and just hangs out. It is considered to be totally lucky and everyone shops there. Amazing, huh? Alright, enough deep thoughts for one day. xoc

India

This is my teacher giving a talk at the ruins of Nolanda University, an ancient Buddhist University in India that at one point had over 10,000 students. And here are the trouble-makers in the back of the bus. It's taking sooooo long to upload pictures tonight that I must stop here just to preserve my sanity. xoc

Back from India

So who's idea of a relaxing vacation is a bus ride across Northern India? ME, ME!! Once again I'm left with Wow as a response. Maybe the next trip will be a beach someplace. I actually got back Thursday but KTM is having 36 hours of power outages per week (January is the coldest month and there isn't enough power to go around) and it's tricky getting on-line and blogging. I might cut this one short since I'm still figuring out the schedule. The Buddhist pilgrimage was amazing on the one hand and simply crazy on the other. There are four main pilgrimage sites (Buddha's birth, enlightenment, first teaching and death) and other sites in between across Northern India and they're really only accessible by bus. The sites are understated and amazing as is befitting a philosophy that never overthrew a government (including Tibet's unprecedented 50+ year experiment in mostly nonviolent resistance), never promoted starting a war for any cause, never promoted burning down or blowing up someone else's sacred sites and has abhorred using the association as a rallying cry to denounce or oppress anyone. I'm not bad talking anyone else's faith; I'm just happy with the Buddhists and feel like sharing. At the enlightenment site at which there were tens of thousands of people a friend commented that so many people were simply celebrating one person as a representation of countless people who have practiced compassion and analyzed life/reality for long enough that something clicked in their minds and their perception changed. Amazing. And then there was the bus...also amazing. It was fun is a way that combines dust, potholes, flies, mosquitoes, peeing in sugarcane fields, dozens of kids appearing from thin air to watch, cow dung on your shoes, 12 hour rides, slap-happy people, shared ipods, shared magazines, fear of bandits at night and new Lays potato chip flavors (Mint Mischief!). It was, to borrow a phrase, biblical. Alright, I will not further taunt the Nepali power gods and will save and post this. Oh, but congratulations to Bev for her MASSIVE promotion at Visa and congrats to Ria for deciding to move to Atlanta! Hooray. And the biggest thanks EVER to the amazing JenRose. She's a girl that knows that everyone needs French shower exfoliation gloves, People magazine, and See's toffee. I mean, let's just be civilized and after India it was the loveliest surprise. And this is not a coy request for packages! What I'd like are emailed photos! xoc

New Years

So what else.....New Year's Eve was unique. There were 5 guys from a cell phone company in Kathmandu staying at our inn because they were putting up a tower in Jumla. They were all in their mid-20s and pretty fun and decided that they wanted to throw the American a New Year's Eve party. Bearing in mind that Nepal has its own calendar and so their New Year starts in April. So I was unable to eat or drink but partied around the bonfire with my water/oral rehydration salts solution while they drank evil Nepali rum & coke and ate fried chicken that the hotel owner cooked over the fire. It was Himalayan ghetto. The guys got progressively drunker and sang Nepali songs. Then one guy, a really nice one, decided that he just HAD to tell me how beautiful I was - no, he really meant it! - and proceeded to sing over and over again "I just called to say I love you...." by Stevie Wonder. I kept telling him that it was the rum talking and he'd put his glass on the ground and say "no, you're STILL really beautiful!" So Jumla knows how to treat a girl. I turned in early but they all looked appropriately remorseful in the morning; what's a new year without a massive hangover and regret? As an American cultural ambassador I (and, of course, Angelina) like to encourage all of the best western traditions world-wide. If only I have been able to provide Tostitos Gold chips and 7-layer dip....man that sounds good right now....and if only we had had a couch, electricity, a TV, and the MTV Real World marathon. The unshowered part would have been just fine.

I like this street scene that I shot from the inn roof for obvious bovine reasons.

We made it to one of our clinics on the 1st and the doctor gave me the antibiotic that Nepali people take for such issues and I felt better within hours. Now I won't travel without it.

So on Saturday 27 people from Jewel Heart (my Buddhist center) arrived in Kathmandu to start a tour of Buddha's footsteps. He was born in southern Nepal and died in northern India. They didn't have good antibiotics back then! Just joking, Big B. And so it was so great to see familiar faces from Ann Arbor and New York. On Sunday I went with the group and monks at the big stupa that I photographed right when I got here (huge white structure with eyes painted on the top) had a special ceremony for us and Rimpoche, out Tibetan teacher. It was really unique. After that we went to Baktapur, one of the three ancient cities (Kathmandu and Patan are the others) and it was lovely. Pictures tomorrow because it's taking 10 minutes to upload each picture. I mean, what am I, in the developing world or something?! xoc

In retrospect

I was too wiped out after the Jumla trip to write about it and now I'm a little over it, (and lazy, of course). But it's time to get motivated!

To understand how inaccessible is Nepal you have to realized that the south of the country is flat, contains an insane amount of people and has an open border with India, (I'm going there this week), but the entire middle is like a crumpled piece of paper with hills and valleys. This is the view out of the plane window. If people get sick then they're carried for days on some one's back to the nearest doctor. And the north is the Himalayan range.

So here is the cook at the inn making dinner. There is a big problem with cooking with wood indoors and the resulting problems from smoke inhalation and blindness.

So little shock that I got a parasite on the second night and was sick as a dog. At 4:AM I was in the bathroom which is outside off the hall, unheated, and unlit. After a short while I couldn't squat anymore and so was literally sitting on the squat toilet getting sick in my trashcan for 2 hours. It was another "how the hell did I get here?" moment for sure. I couldn't get the right meds for a parasite for 4 days and so just stopped eating after day 2 until I could regain control over my body. But don't get me wrong, overall the trip was fascinating. To open clinics you have to network with all of the important people in a town: the district health officer, the district Governor-type guy, the other NGOs that work in the area, the local businessmen and landowners. We interviewed at least 50 people for various positions. Caste is so important here that a job candidate has to list his/her caste, father's name, family town, etc. on the application. It's even more strict than India.

Alright....more tomorrow.....time for bed.......xoc

Pictures

A few pictures....

This is the plane that took us to Jumla. It felt like a movie scene.

Walking about 20 minutes to our "hotel". We were at 7,500 feet and these are foothills. The big mountains are 20,000 feet to 29,500 feet (Everest).

And our hotel.

That's me in the middle with the green scarf. In the sun it's quite warm but in the shade it's downright cold and when the sun sets it quickly gets below freezing. Since bathing consisted of a boy delivering a pan of warm water in the morning, it wasn't my best hair day. I like to think that they understood.

Just Joking

If any of you remember me joking about what a great diet it'd be to get a bug over here, I didn't mean it. It's a really effective diet but certainly not great! So I'm back from the trip - and it was epic - and am glad to be on meds that kill parasites and other nasties. I feel like I've earned some street credibility now that I've done the whole "no electricity or running water to speak of and it's really, really cold" thing. The remote regions certainly are that and it was an experience of a lifetime. But rest assured, all of you visitors to Nepal will enjoy modern amenities. It's late and I'll post pics and such tomorrow. Happy New Year! xoc