Archive for August, 2008
Musical Koreans from Hell
By Tony on August 20, 2008 | 2 Comments »
They came marching into our beautifully quiet hotel, an army in baby blue. A hundred singing automatons goose-stepping through the lobby singing a series of bizarrely militaristic tunes.
Grand pronouncements were made by their supreme leader. The army clapped in wide-eyed jubilation. The females squealed and bounced in titillation at their leader’s perfection. Euphoria.
Hotel guests retreated to their rooms and watched in horror as » Continue reading this post »
Northfield Cafe (and Tortoise)
By Tony on August 18, 2008 | No Comments »
Breakfast in Kathmandu means the Northfield Cafe. And after the forced vegetarianism of India, I’m ready for my steak and eggs special. (I’m a practicing carnivore again!)
Just as I was starting to sip my bottomless cup of coffee, I felt our little friend, the Northfield tortoise, bumping up against my foot under the table. He’s the restaurant mascot/comic.
But don’t worry, if he wanders past the security guard out of the Northfield gardens into the dangerous streets of Thamel, he has the restaurant’s address clearly written on his shell, so he can be safely returned to his home 
Trash Strikes Kathmandu
By Thomas on August 16, 2008 | 3 Comments »
When we arrived in Thamel this time around, we weren’t greeted by the oh-so-common smell of incense, but rather by the stench of rotting garbage.
There are mountains of trash 100 meters (100 yards) long and 4 meters (12 ft) wide along the congested road leading to Thamel. Kids are playing in it, and beggars are digging through it fighting dogs for anything edible. It’s quite shocking!
But trash strikes are not out of the ordinary. When we were in Nepal last time, a strike ended the day we flew to Lukla to start our Everest trek. To get rid of it all, people set the heaps of garbage on fire, and from the air, it looked like Kathmandu was burning.
For the sake of my lungs, let’s just hope for rain this time.
Back in Kathmandu
By Thomas on August 14, 2008 | No Comments »
We left India screaming our lungs out at the Jeep driver who had been racing one of his buddies on the busy road to the border. As we were stepping over the invisible line into Nepal pursued by Indian rickshaw drivers and touts, the Nepalese border officials welcomed us with a big and knowing smile. It was good to be home.
Unfortunately, the ugly reality of bureaucracy quickly caught up with us when we went to renew our Indian visa in Kathmandu. » Continue reading this post »
Baby on the Sidewalk
By Tony on August 12, 2008 | 4 Comments »
India challenges in every way – we’ve made no secret of that – the filth, the poverty, the corruption, the bureaucracy. Don’t get me wrong, the palaces, the wildlife, the stunning tribal clothing thrill visitors, but sometimes the “cultural differences” stop you dead in your tracks.
While walking around Connaught Place in central Delhi braving the 100+ temperatures, we came across beggar woman who was using her baby as a prop. She had laid the naked baby (less than one year old) on the burning sidewalk, the unconscious child covered in a blanket of flies.
Noticing my attention focused on her, she whipped the child up and thrust it towards me gesticulating wildly to make me feel some pity. The malnourished child’s arms and legs hung motionless – there was no movement. I don’t even know if the child was still alive.
When I failed to react to the perverse show, she » Continue reading this post »
