We've been here since Christmas Eve, leaving tomorrow for Olympia, Washington. This is contingent on the weather. It is snowing heavily. Kate and I are loving it, but since Portland has only one snowplow and no one seems to have snow tires this is iffy. I'll make a post within the next few days with an update.
I'm a bit pressed for time, so this will be something of a collage.
We love the hikes in Forest Park, NW section of town. Miles and miles of trails through doug fir/red cedar/big leaf maple forests. We followed a delightful stream for about a mile. Lots of people were out hiking on Christmas, which was fun.
We have been in the Southeast section of Portland for the last two days. We like this better than the Northwest on the whole. It's more laid back, funky, creative, progressive, oddball - the way the Bay Area was years ago. There's a nice food co-op, and a dessert cafe called Rimsky-Korsakofsky House with wonderful desserts and surreal decor. The lighting is kind of soft violet, and things like neclaces, a picture of Shrek and an onion dangle from the ceiling. The bathroom decorations are indescribable, you have to see them when you are in Portland.
The other night we went to see a movie, "Sita Sings the Blues" in which Nina Paley compares her divorce to the old Indian epic the Ramayana. Pretty cool movie. When we got to the theatre about 15 people were lined up outside but the theatre was closed. I went into the bar next door and got the owner's address from the bartender. Someone called and he said "I'll be right there."
He showed up five minutes later and laughed, "I guess I'm working tonight." Everybody laughed.
How good natured can you get?
You can see chickens walking around the neighborhoods and bald eagles flying over the Oak Bottom wildlife sanctuary. We went to a great park on the eastern edge of town today and great views of Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and other Cascades. People are friendly on the street and in restaurants; this part of town is open and accepting. Every restaurand has veggie and vegan options. People decorate walls by their houses with toy Spidermen, Wolverines and grazing deer.
They hand tire swings for their kids over the sidewalks, build treehouses adorned with Pirate flags and jave bumperstickers like "Zombies for Health Care Reform: Prople Before Profits". Busses are efficient, comfortable and on time and it seems safe to wander about at night (at least in this neighborhood.)
I could describe more but gotta get moving. It sure is snowing!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Oregon days
I haven't posted in days, have to be quick. Oregon is relaxed, friendly. People talk to you in line in cafes, in hotel lounges,on busses, on the street. I rarely find this happening in the Bay Area. I have many ideas about why this is but will save them for now.
There are also a lot of down and out folks here. The state is having its own financial crisis - nothing like the one we have in California but worrysome. There are two initiatives on the ballot for the January election.. I don't know the details but I do know teachers are one group supporting them. They would increase taxes to support education, social services, etc. I hope they pass!
The state is beautiful of course. The Coastal region totally won us over. I need to do some research on the geology of the Coastal Mountains, that seperate the valley where Portland and other larger cities lie from the Coast. They may be volcanic; our Coastal Mts. in California have a different origin. They are formed from ocean floor sediments that were scraped onto the North American Plate when it collided with the Pacific Plate way back when. If the Oregon mts. are volcanic, you could say both ranges originated from the plate collision.
The Coastal Mt. forests are very different from the ones we have in California. Our mountains are dryer. We get chapparal and oak/bay laurel forests in the hills. Wet canyons that can gather fog can be the home of redwood trees. Here, there are douglas fir forests that are thicker and lusher than California's (except for the redwood forests, which are quite lush.) These forests grow pretty close to the ocean. I am not sure of how the trees survive the salt wind, which is toxic to many plants. Redwoods have to be a mile from the ocean.
The coast is rocky, of course... many of the offshore rocks look volcanic, but I'd have to research this. Oregon doesn't seem to get the masses of shorebirds that California does in winter. Sandpipers, dunlins, curlews and many others migrate to our region to spend the winter and forage along the beach for critters and food scraps in the sand. They come from the Arctic where they eat bugs in the summer. These die off in winters, so the birds visit us. I am guessing they can find more food in our region than they can here... I hope to find someone who can answer this question while I am here.
We are in Portland, and will be here until Tuesday. Portland is a relatively laid back city, more relaxed and friendly than many cities I've passed through. There are huge forest parks in town...
we hiked through a doug fir/red cedar/big leaf maple forest today, about 9 miles in all.
The city seems pretty shut down for Christmas. Almost no businesses are open. A few restaurants are operating - we just had a great Thai meal. The place was packed and getting busier; we noticed this in other businesses we passed. It's interesting - Christmas seems to be a very private holiday in the US. Things shut down and many people stay in their houses with their families. It is a more public holiday in some other countries. We found street parties in a town in Mexico's COpper Canyon a few years ago. People came out for a pinata breaking and music, and brought food from their homes to share. We also found a festival and a parade in Pokara, Nepal last year.
I hope the US can change to celebrate in this way. Thanksgiving and Christmas can be very lonely and sad days for people who are far from their families, or who have no family or community. Public events would improve the holidays for them.. and people who do have families around might enjoy attending them too.
That's all from me for now... much more to say but I'll save it. Take care.
There are also a lot of down and out folks here. The state is having its own financial crisis - nothing like the one we have in California but worrysome. There are two initiatives on the ballot for the January election.. I don't know the details but I do know teachers are one group supporting them. They would increase taxes to support education, social services, etc. I hope they pass!
The state is beautiful of course. The Coastal region totally won us over. I need to do some research on the geology of the Coastal Mountains, that seperate the valley where Portland and other larger cities lie from the Coast. They may be volcanic; our Coastal Mts. in California have a different origin. They are formed from ocean floor sediments that were scraped onto the North American Plate when it collided with the Pacific Plate way back when. If the Oregon mts. are volcanic, you could say both ranges originated from the plate collision.
The Coastal Mt. forests are very different from the ones we have in California. Our mountains are dryer. We get chapparal and oak/bay laurel forests in the hills. Wet canyons that can gather fog can be the home of redwood trees. Here, there are douglas fir forests that are thicker and lusher than California's (except for the redwood forests, which are quite lush.) These forests grow pretty close to the ocean. I am not sure of how the trees survive the salt wind, which is toxic to many plants. Redwoods have to be a mile from the ocean.
The coast is rocky, of course... many of the offshore rocks look volcanic, but I'd have to research this. Oregon doesn't seem to get the masses of shorebirds that California does in winter. Sandpipers, dunlins, curlews and many others migrate to our region to spend the winter and forage along the beach for critters and food scraps in the sand. They come from the Arctic where they eat bugs in the summer. These die off in winters, so the birds visit us. I am guessing they can find more food in our region than they can here... I hope to find someone who can answer this question while I am here.
We are in Portland, and will be here until Tuesday. Portland is a relatively laid back city, more relaxed and friendly than many cities I've passed through. There are huge forest parks in town...
we hiked through a doug fir/red cedar/big leaf maple forest today, about 9 miles in all.
The city seems pretty shut down for Christmas. Almost no businesses are open. A few restaurants are operating - we just had a great Thai meal. The place was packed and getting busier; we noticed this in other businesses we passed. It's interesting - Christmas seems to be a very private holiday in the US. Things shut down and many people stay in their houses with their families. It is a more public holiday in some other countries. We found street parties in a town in Mexico's COpper Canyon a few years ago. People came out for a pinata breaking and music, and brought food from their homes to share. We also found a festival and a parade in Pokara, Nepal last year.
I hope the US can change to celebrate in this way. Thanksgiving and Christmas can be very lonely and sad days for people who are far from their families, or who have no family or community. Public events would improve the holidays for them.. and people who do have families around might enjoy attending them too.
That's all from me for now... much more to say but I'll save it. Take care.
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Sylvia Beach Hotel
Yeah--- as I just mentioned on Facebook, Sylvia Beach founded Shakespeare and Company Books in Paris in the 1920s, so this is a great name for a seaside literary B&B.
There is a Hemingway room, one for F. Scott Fitzgerald, one for Gertrude Stein - denizens of Shakespeare and Company. Also Tennessee Williams, Melville, Virginia Wolfe (the room is called "A Roof of One's Own", of course) and many more. We have the Tolkien room which includes the riddles Gollum and Bilbo asked each other painted on the door, murals of Middle Earth forests, a mushroom shaped lamp and a painting of Sauron's tower on the bathroom wall and more. Lots of fun except for the orcs stomping through and someone hissing "Preciousssss..."
The hotel has a board game and reading room with windows facing the ocean. They serve free hot spiced wine at night - we only had a little, it was good. The coast itself is amazing this time of year. It is cold and rainy and windy, indeed, and very beautiful.
We are in the town of Newport, btw - heading for Yachuts (sp?) down the coast for a few days shortly. Happy winter solstice, have a cup of hot spiced wine.
There is a Hemingway room, one for F. Scott Fitzgerald, one for Gertrude Stein - denizens of Shakespeare and Company. Also Tennessee Williams, Melville, Virginia Wolfe (the room is called "A Roof of One's Own", of course) and many more. We have the Tolkien room which includes the riddles Gollum and Bilbo asked each other painted on the door, murals of Middle Earth forests, a mushroom shaped lamp and a painting of Sauron's tower on the bathroom wall and more. Lots of fun except for the orcs stomping through and someone hissing "Preciousssss..."
The hotel has a board game and reading room with windows facing the ocean. They serve free hot spiced wine at night - we only had a little, it was good. The coast itself is amazing this time of year. It is cold and rainy and windy, indeed, and very beautiful.
We are in the town of Newport, btw - heading for Yachuts (sp?) down the coast for a few days shortly. Happy winter solstice, have a cup of hot spiced wine.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
We're still alive and rambling
Hi all. This time we are rambling through Oregon and Washington for a few weeks. We took an allnight train from Oakland to Albany, Oregon and a bus to Corvalis. Trains are a joy, very soothing to the body mind and spirit. It's amazing, we took the Coast Starlight which is notorious for being late. Amtrak rents tracks from rail companies and the trains have to stop wien a freight train comes by. This time we were only 20 minutes late, which is remarkable. I wonder what changed? We passed through the Cascades - forests of cedarss, Ponderosa pines and firs.
Volcanic cones were everywhere. WE wanted to get out and hike, but 'twas not to be.
Corvalis is a really nice town - artsy without being pretentious as far as we can tell. There is a very nice riverfront park. We joined a peace vigil that has happened every day since 2001 -
that takes strength and commitment. Apparently they have worked it out so the core group comes frequently but others come on other days. Good strategy, nice folks.
There are huge flocks of migrating geese passing by. I've also heard nuthatches, jays and chickadees. There's lot of public art and public gatherings on holidays... that is great, public festivals on Christmas are a rare thing in the US but a necessary one; many people are far from their families. And another nice thing about Oregon is you can find many veggie options in most restaurants.
Gotta run, Just want to let you know we are rambling and always will be. PG
Volcanic cones were everywhere. WE wanted to get out and hike, but 'twas not to be.
Corvalis is a really nice town - artsy without being pretentious as far as we can tell. There is a very nice riverfront park. We joined a peace vigil that has happened every day since 2001 -
that takes strength and commitment. Apparently they have worked it out so the core group comes frequently but others come on other days. Good strategy, nice folks.
There are huge flocks of migrating geese passing by. I've also heard nuthatches, jays and chickadees. There's lot of public art and public gatherings on holidays... that is great, public festivals on Christmas are a rare thing in the US but a necessary one; many people are far from their families. And another nice thing about Oregon is you can find many veggie options in most restaurants.
Gotta run, Just want to let you know we are rambling and always will be. PG
Sunday, September 6, 2009
If you are wondering...
... we are still around and planning more rambling. More to come, I just want to keep this blog current active for now. PG
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Last thoughts on Japan
Japan is definitely the fastest moving place I've ever been to. People are always moving at top speeds in all directions. We definitely found it challenging to get around - street and direction signs in English are minimal, and the Tokyo Metro - YOW! There are actually at least 4 subway and train systems, and you often have to transfer from one to another TO ANOTHER! when you need to cross town with crowds everywhere. Dan Marlin comments that he has developed the senses of a bat since he has lived there. And restaurants - DOUBLE YOW! Menus are almost never in English. Most restaurants have models of meals on display - I'm not kidding. You look at a particular place's models of its sushi, tempura, soup, etc. etc. etc., with descriptions in Japanese. Asking if a place has anything veggie is a super challenge.
But we miss Japan!!! Contrary to their reputation, the people are friendly, helpful and willing to
struggle with the language barrier to help lost travelers. Many neighborhoods, mostly in Kyoto but also in Tokyo are beautifully constructed. The streets are narrow, and people tend to walk or bike. It is sometimes impossible to drive or park a car on one of these streets - a great relief, especially after the chaos of Kathmandu. We did find wonderful veggie meals - Dan and Toshiko helped, as did Kate's friend Kumio, but we did ok on our own as well. The food was great!
Kyoto and Nikko are wonderful walking towns - you never know if you will run into a temple, a castle, mountain views or a troupe of monkeys. The museums we mentioned were wonderful and yes, there was a strange fascination to the ultra- urban sections of Tokyo. Again, I am glad we had a small dose of these parts of town. We only scratched the surface of Japan and hope to return - especially if it is warm enough for trips to the mountains. There are big social problems, which Kate mentioned - economic bad times, layoffs, increasing numbers of homeless people - again, we have to keep an eye on it.
So where on earth are we? What is this Oakland place anyhow? We slept for at least 10 hours last night; I am personally not sleepy but very disoriented and slightly run down. I'll recover soon. It is pretty amazing to have our first morning in the U.S. be Obama's inauguration day. I wish him and all of us luck - the future is going to be very interesting. Did we mention that people in Japan and Nepal are excited about this administration and wanted to talk about it a lot? Travelers we met from Europe were also pleased... we'll see what the future holds.
We will post pictures on the blog after we go through them - between us I think we have at least 1500 digital shots. Also, I have drafts or plans for about 15 poems. All need to be revised and worked on - I am thinking I will set up a writer's blog for myself soon. I will place the poems there. We will send out messages when the pictures are posted, and I'll send one about my writer's blog. And yes, there will be more descriptions of our adventures on this blogspot.
For now, namaste and sayonara. Watch this space! PG
But we miss Japan!!! Contrary to their reputation, the people are friendly, helpful and willing to
struggle with the language barrier to help lost travelers. Many neighborhoods, mostly in Kyoto but also in Tokyo are beautifully constructed. The streets are narrow, and people tend to walk or bike. It is sometimes impossible to drive or park a car on one of these streets - a great relief, especially after the chaos of Kathmandu. We did find wonderful veggie meals - Dan and Toshiko helped, as did Kate's friend Kumio, but we did ok on our own as well. The food was great!
Kyoto and Nikko are wonderful walking towns - you never know if you will run into a temple, a castle, mountain views or a troupe of monkeys. The museums we mentioned were wonderful and yes, there was a strange fascination to the ultra- urban sections of Tokyo. Again, I am glad we had a small dose of these parts of town. We only scratched the surface of Japan and hope to return - especially if it is warm enough for trips to the mountains. There are big social problems, which Kate mentioned - economic bad times, layoffs, increasing numbers of homeless people - again, we have to keep an eye on it.
So where on earth are we? What is this Oakland place anyhow? We slept for at least 10 hours last night; I am personally not sleepy but very disoriented and slightly run down. I'll recover soon. It is pretty amazing to have our first morning in the U.S. be Obama's inauguration day. I wish him and all of us luck - the future is going to be very interesting. Did we mention that people in Japan and Nepal are excited about this administration and wanted to talk about it a lot? Travelers we met from Europe were also pleased... we'll see what the future holds.
We will post pictures on the blog after we go through them - between us I think we have at least 1500 digital shots. Also, I have drafts or plans for about 15 poems. All need to be revised and worked on - I am thinking I will set up a writer's blog for myself soon. I will place the poems there. We will send out messages when the pictures are posted, and I'll send one about my writer's blog. And yes, there will be more descriptions of our adventures on this blogspot.
For now, namaste and sayonara. Watch this space! PG
Monday, January 19, 2009
We're home...
We've been home for about 2 hours - Jan. 19 at 7:20 PM right now. at some point I will just fall asleep and that will be that. I better just stop for now and continue tomorow - we are home safe. Good night. PG
Sunday, January 18, 2009
one last post from the road
We took a morning walk around Nikko. The mountains here are wonderful - Sierra height (not Himmalayan height) and spectacular. The streets are icy; mountain trails are probably worse so this wouldsn't have been a good time for serious hiking. It would be fun to come back for some backpacking one fine day...
As we approached our hotel, we ran into a group of very large monkeys. They were digging in the ground for something; the hotel manager says they search for nuts this time of year. We were pretty close to them, and we got some great shots which we will post soon - HONEST!!!
We will send out a general message when we get pictures on the blog.
I really cannot believe this odessey is ending. What next? Time alone will tell. We probably won't post again until we are back in Oakland (where's Oakland?) Monday night or, more likely, Tuesday morning. Until then - PG
As we approached our hotel, we ran into a group of very large monkeys. They were digging in the ground for something; the hotel manager says they search for nuts this time of year. We were pretty close to them, and we got some great shots which we will post soon - HONEST!!!
We will send out a general message when we get pictures on the blog.
I really cannot believe this odessey is ending. What next? Time alone will tell. We probably won't post again until we are back in Oakland (where's Oakland?) Monday night or, more likely, Tuesday morning. Until then - PG
possibly our last post from the road
Too much to go into, I may have to be brief here.
Three days ago (Was that Thursday? Is this Sunday in Japan?) we took the train to Osaka, a 30 minute ride. We treated Dan and Toshiko to lunch at a cafe that belongs to a friend of Dan. The owner is interesting - his parents are Korean; he and his relatives are considered second class citizens. He has been involved in getting civil rights for Koreans in Japan - not totally successfully. The cafe is art and peace oriented and the site of music, art shows and community discussions. The owner is also a great cook.
After that Dan and Toshiko treated us to a Bunruku puppet performance. It was totally amazing. The puppets are almost life size and very real looking. A master puppeteer manipulates the faces and expressive right hand; two assistants work the rest of the puppet. At first the puppeteers are distracting but you spoon forget about them. There is also a narrator who handles all the dialogue and descriptions of actions, and musicians. We watched a couple of seasonal stories, a complex tale of a samurai and his master and a tragic love story with a happy ending. It was enthralling - you forget you are watching puppets!
Yesterday we walked around Kyoto - it is a fascinating walking town. We discovered narrow streets that cars can't use but that are great for walkers and bikers. Great neighborhoods! WE discovered temples and shrines and a wonderful wooded park. Nice last day for that city.
We are in Nikko for our last day in Japan. It is a lovely but very cold mountain town with a huge temple complex. The Shoguns built these here to separate their center of religion and culture from the Kyoto nobility. They are the most ornate temples we have seen, quite beautiful. WE hoped to hike in the hills but spent more time than we expected at the temples and couldn't find the hiking trails. We will have to come back.
Dinner is being served so I gotta end. I will try to post tomorrow AM from this hotel or the airport - if I don't have a chance I will post from home Monday night or Tuesday. We fly from
Tokyo Monday evening - because of different time zones and the International Date Line we arrive Monday afternoon. I will figure all this out someday. PG
Three days ago (Was that Thursday? Is this Sunday in Japan?) we took the train to Osaka, a 30 minute ride. We treated Dan and Toshiko to lunch at a cafe that belongs to a friend of Dan. The owner is interesting - his parents are Korean; he and his relatives are considered second class citizens. He has been involved in getting civil rights for Koreans in Japan - not totally successfully. The cafe is art and peace oriented and the site of music, art shows and community discussions. The owner is also a great cook.
After that Dan and Toshiko treated us to a Bunruku puppet performance. It was totally amazing. The puppets are almost life size and very real looking. A master puppeteer manipulates the faces and expressive right hand; two assistants work the rest of the puppet. At first the puppeteers are distracting but you spoon forget about them. There is also a narrator who handles all the dialogue and descriptions of actions, and musicians. We watched a couple of seasonal stories, a complex tale of a samurai and his master and a tragic love story with a happy ending. It was enthralling - you forget you are watching puppets!
Yesterday we walked around Kyoto - it is a fascinating walking town. We discovered narrow streets that cars can't use but that are great for walkers and bikers. Great neighborhoods! WE discovered temples and shrines and a wonderful wooded park. Nice last day for that city.
We are in Nikko for our last day in Japan. It is a lovely but very cold mountain town with a huge temple complex. The Shoguns built these here to separate their center of religion and culture from the Kyoto nobility. They are the most ornate temples we have seen, quite beautiful. WE hoped to hike in the hills but spent more time than we expected at the temples and couldn't find the hiking trails. We will have to come back.
Dinner is being served so I gotta end. I will try to post tomorrow AM from this hotel or the airport - if I don't have a chance I will post from home Monday night or Tuesday. We fly from
Tokyo Monday evening - because of different time zones and the International Date Line we arrive Monday afternoon. I will figure all this out someday. PG
Saturday, January 17, 2009
we are alive and well
I have not had time to post today and do not have much time now. We are waiting for a bus to our last stop in Japan. We saw a Bunruku puppet festival performance with Dan and Toshiko. It was great but I will try to send details tomorrow night. PG
Thursday, January 15, 2009
World Peace Museum
What can I say about this in a brief entry? There are peace museums in several cities in Japan, the biggest being in Hiroshima. The Kyoto one is run by the university as a way of making up for the fact that the university was complicit in the war culture of imperial Japan. The exhibits start out by presenting some history and the war culture of Japan 1920 - 45; chilling stuff. It goes on to focus on the air raids on Japan and the A bombs. After that it focuses on wars since then and peace movements. It is devastating but ends on a note of cautious hope. It is good Dan was along to translate and explain things but much of it needed no translation. It was also interesting to see after the Tokyo-Edo Museum, which did not comment on this at all.
There is a clause in the Japanese constitution, Artical 9 saying that Japan will not rely on war to solve international disputes. Some politicians want to modify this, others want to preserve it as written, the country seems evenly divided. Some of Dans friends are working to preserve Article 9. The issue is much more complex than I can try to explain here, but I do hope they succeed.
Tomorrow we will go to Osaka to see a puppet festival with Dan and Toshiko. I will post again
tomorrow night or the following morning, PG
There is a clause in the Japanese constitution, Artical 9 saying that Japan will not rely on war to solve international disputes. Some politicians want to modify this, others want to preserve it as written, the country seems evenly divided. Some of Dans friends are working to preserve Article 9. The issue is much more complex than I can try to explain here, but I do hope they succeed.
Tomorrow we will go to Osaka to see a puppet festival with Dan and Toshiko. I will post again
tomorrow night or the following morning, PG
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
still in Kyoto
Sorry about misspellings in yesterdays post. I was half asleepwhen I wrote it and cannot edit it from this computer - I will keep trying. Also, I cannot find an apostrophe key - that is why I am not using contractions.
Yesterday, Dan Marlin showed us around Kyoto. We visited a huge temple and the home of an artist who strove to revive traditional Japanese art 50 years ago. We also walked along a river where there are many birds that I know from California -canvass back ducks and others.
Many ducks spend summers in the Arctic; when summer ď˝’comes some migrate across to either Asia or North America via the Berring Straight. Birds are pretty amazing. We also had a fine veggie dinner with Dan and his wife Toshiko; for those of you who know them, both seem fine.
Dan is about to arrive and show us the Kyoto Peace Museum, which should be really interesting.
Kyoto is a slower city than Tokyo but still with plenty of things to see and do. The analogy I came up with is that it is Pittsburgh to Tokyos New York. It is also pretty hilly, shich makes it resemble Pittsburgh.
I think Dan just arrived, more later.
Yesterday, Dan Marlin showed us around Kyoto. We visited a huge temple and the home of an artist who strove to revive traditional Japanese art 50 years ago. We also walked along a river where there are many birds that I know from California -canvass back ducks and others.
Many ducks spend summers in the Arctic; when summer ď˝’comes some migrate across to either Asia or North America via the Berring Straight. Birds are pretty amazing. We also had a fine veggie dinner with Dan and his wife Toshiko; for those of you who know them, both seem fine.
Dan is about to arrive and show us the Kyoto Peace Museum, which should be really interesting.
Kyoto is a slower city than Tokyo but still with plenty of things to see and do. The analogy I came up with is that it is Pittsburgh to Tokyos New York. It is also pretty hilly, shich makes it resemble Pittsburgh.
I think Dan just arrived, more later.
Monday, January 12, 2009
last night in Tokyo
This was a quiet day. We wandered down to a park that was packed with people. It is a holiday -Adults Day- not sure of what it is about. The park was packed with people and street performers - lots of fun. Then it started to rain so we went to the Science and Natural History Museum. There were good exhibits on Japans human and natural history and a 360 degree theatre with dinosaurs charging about. On the whole, we have liked Tokyo more than we expected to. We are in quiet areas and there are lots of parks and walking spaces. We may see the frantic downtown tomorrow. We are meeting Kate's friend again tomorrow, then we will take an all night bus to Kyoto. We will have some time with Dan Marlin, who some of you know. I probably will not get a chance to post before the evening of the 14th, 2 days from now. Gotta run for now, computer time is running out. PG
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Getting around
Getting around Tokyo is actually more challenging than getting around in Nepal. Most signs and menus are in Japanese, and we find fewer people who speak English. We're learning, though, and took our first solo subway ride today.
Tokyo is a very pedestrian friendly city, at least in our part of town. And there are bikes everywhere, not to mention trains, subways and buses. We walk for hours here.
Our hotel is a lovely, 60-year-old ryokan, an old fashioned Japanese inn with futons on the floor and bathroom down the hall. It's quite nice, and for the first time on our trip, we have heat and electricity. We missed them more than anything else, I think.
One recession related fact we learned is that many Japanese workers live in company dormitories, so as the recession hits hard here and people are getting laid off, they lose their housing and jobs at the same time. Something like one-third of the workforce is temporary workers, so people are easy to get rid of.
Anyway, Japan is interesting, more later.
KR
Tokyo is a very pedestrian friendly city, at least in our part of town. And there are bikes everywhere, not to mention trains, subways and buses. We walk for hours here.
Our hotel is a lovely, 60-year-old ryokan, an old fashioned Japanese inn with futons on the floor and bathroom down the hall. It's quite nice, and for the first time on our trip, we have heat and electricity. We missed them more than anything else, I think.
One recession related fact we learned is that many Japanese workers live in company dormitories, so as the recession hits hard here and people are getting laid off, they lose their housing and jobs at the same time. Something like one-third of the workforce is temporary workers, so people are easy to get rid of.
Anyway, Japan is interesting, more later.
KR
Having fun in Tokyo
We spent today at the Edo Tokyo Museum, a really fascinating place. It focuses on Tokyo history,starting with the Shogun period. If I am understanding things, Tokyo (which was originally called Edo) was founded by a high ranking Samuri. Political power had been centered in Kyoto, but that was in decline. This Samuri set up a center of control here and intermarried with nobility from Kyoto to create a new class of leaders. This was around the mid 1600s. Life in Edo seems to have been interesting in some ways. Common people could write and public books, and there were literary and intellectual gatherings, along with Kabuki theatre and street performances. It was also a very stratified society and authoritarian culture though, very much subject to the will of the Shogun and his close followers.
The Shoguns lasted until the mid 1850s when Admiral Perry arrived and demanded that they open Japan to commercial trade with the US. The Shoguns lost power, and a new government introduced industry and western culture. All this was very interesting; we both noticed there was almost no focus on imperial Japan and WW2. The one thing it focused on was the bombing of Tokyo, which I gather was pretty horrific. One could speculate on why the Museum ignores this period. Still, I:d recommend it for a visit when you are in Tokyo.
This is quite a city. A cup of coffee or tea can go for $6. We discovered that 7-11 sells warm bottled coffee and tea for about a quarter of that price. 7-11 also sells sushi, salads and other
useful things - when will they catch up in the US? The strangest thing we saw was a wind up Hello Kitty in a cow costume walking around in a circle singing "Twinkle,Twinkle Little Star
in a very jangling voice. I hope that was a tongue in cheek thing by that store! It can be a little tough to find a veggie meal, but we had soba noodles with veggies for lunch - very good - and Chinese for dinner. We will do ok.
We will explore more tomorrow and post more then. PG
The Shoguns lasted until the mid 1850s when Admiral Perry arrived and demanded that they open Japan to commercial trade with the US. The Shoguns lost power, and a new government introduced industry and western culture. All this was very interesting; we both noticed there was almost no focus on imperial Japan and WW2. The one thing it focused on was the bombing of Tokyo, which I gather was pretty horrific. One could speculate on why the Museum ignores this period. Still, I:d recommend it for a visit when you are in Tokyo.
This is quite a city. A cup of coffee or tea can go for $6. We discovered that 7-11 sells warm bottled coffee and tea for about a quarter of that price. 7-11 also sells sushi, salads and other
useful things - when will they catch up in the US? The strangest thing we saw was a wind up Hello Kitty in a cow costume walking around in a circle singing "Twinkle,Twinkle Little Star
in a very jangling voice. I hope that was a tongue in cheek thing by that store! It can be a little tough to find a veggie meal, but we had soba noodles with veggies for lunch - very good - and Chinese for dinner. We will do ok.
We will explore more tomorrow and post more then. PG
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Here we are in Tokyo
We had fun with Kates friends. You wouldnt believe the feast they made for us! They also poured cup after cup of excellent green tea - I went zinging towards the ceiling but am ok now.
Tokyo is interesting. We have been exploring our hotels neighborhood. It is a historic district with a pagoda and other interesting buildings. We will figure it all out and let you know. It is also a major shopping and restaurant area. Lots of stores very close to each other, but they are doing better business than those in Kathmandu or Pokara. It must be really a place for locals since the menus and signs are almost all in Japanese. This is more disorienting than Nepal, where we generally managed to find info. in English.
Tokyo is a shock after Nepal - a very modern city, just like New York only different. I will try to express that better after we have ve done more exploring. It seems in touch with the rest of the world. One of Nepals problems is that it was isolated for many years and is still remote and hard to get to. Some thoughtful Nepalis think that this why a generally repudiated ideoliogy like Maoism can be taken seriously. I am not sure if this is the whole story; people are responding to extreme poverty as well. But rigid ideology sure is not the answer.
That is it for now. We are here for two more nights, more later. PG
Tokyo is interesting. We have been exploring our hotels neighborhood. It is a historic district with a pagoda and other interesting buildings. We will figure it all out and let you know. It is also a major shopping and restaurant area. Lots of stores very close to each other, but they are doing better business than those in Kathmandu or Pokara. It must be really a place for locals since the menus and signs are almost all in Japanese. This is more disorienting than Nepal, where we generally managed to find info. in English.
Tokyo is a shock after Nepal - a very modern city, just like New York only different. I will try to express that better after we have ve done more exploring. It seems in touch with the rest of the world. One of Nepals problems is that it was isolated for many years and is still remote and hard to get to. Some thoughtful Nepalis think that this why a generally repudiated ideoliogy like Maoism can be taken seriously. I am not sure if this is the whole story; people are responding to extreme poverty as well. But rigid ideology sure is not the answer.
That is it for now. We are here for two more nights, more later. PG
Friday, January 9, 2009
Changi Airport again
Well, here we are, back in the Singapore airport. It's odd being back in a super consumerist setting after 3 weeks in Nepal which is anything but. We do miss it, I got a little teary seeing the Himmalayas receed from the plane - again we hope to return some day.
Nepal is enthralling, joyouus, heartbreaking, spectacular and full of moral dilemnas. Very much the real world. Travel there is not always easy but it's worth it. WWe'll think about it a lot.
There is more instability than we expected at first. Nothing effected us but the highway blockade, and that was no more than an inconvenience. We do have to keep an idea on the political situation there. We read this morning that hundreds of tourists had to leave Pokara this morning because of a general strike of hotel and restaurant workers. Something doesd have to happen to iomprove wages, but I'm glad we were gone when it happened.
The Maoists who waged guerilla war for years have wound up being the dominant party in the legislature. They are constantly in different conflicts with other parties. Pachandra, their leader, seems to be trying to take a moderate social democratic approach, although he is hard to define. Others in his group are less thoughtful. Kate mentioned the attacks on jounalists and the youth wing has pulled some nasty stuff. The other parties are not more reasonable and are also capable of pretty nutty behavior; we do fear for Nepal's guture.
Still - we hope things work out and will follow them carefully. The political situation will be a big factor in our deciding if and when we'll return. Time is running out, I gotta sign out, more soon.
I got a little more time. Just thought I'd mention that the Thuru family we had dinner with near Chitwan was paid half of the fee for that program. It was a nice chunk of money for them.
Again, we will visit Kate's old friend and her husband tomorrow so we may not post again for a couple of days. But we'll be fine. More soon. PG
PG
Nepal is enthralling, joyouus, heartbreaking, spectacular and full of moral dilemnas. Very much the real world. Travel there is not always easy but it's worth it. WWe'll think about it a lot.
There is more instability than we expected at first. Nothing effected us but the highway blockade, and that was no more than an inconvenience. We do have to keep an idea on the political situation there. We read this morning that hundreds of tourists had to leave Pokara this morning because of a general strike of hotel and restaurant workers. Something doesd have to happen to iomprove wages, but I'm glad we were gone when it happened.
The Maoists who waged guerilla war for years have wound up being the dominant party in the legislature. They are constantly in different conflicts with other parties. Pachandra, their leader, seems to be trying to take a moderate social democratic approach, although he is hard to define. Others in his group are less thoughtful. Kate mentioned the attacks on jounalists and the youth wing has pulled some nasty stuff. The other parties are not more reasonable and are also capable of pretty nutty behavior; we do fear for Nepal's guture.
Still - we hope things work out and will follow them carefully. The political situation will be a big factor in our deciding if and when we'll return. Time is running out, I gotta sign out, more soon.
I got a little more time. Just thought I'd mention that the Thuru family we had dinner with near Chitwan was paid half of the fee for that program. It was a nice chunk of money for them.
Again, we will visit Kate's old friend and her husband tomorrow so we may not post again for a couple of days. But we'll be fine. More soon. PG
PG
Thursday, January 8, 2009
safe in Kathmandu
We're here, safe and sound - the blockade ended yesterday. How can I quickly describe 5 days in Chitwan?
The region where the Park is located is in the far south of Nepal, about 15 miles from India. It reminds me more of images of India than of Nepal. It is flat, partly agricultyural and partly covered with rain forests. Cars are sparse, people travel in horse drawn buggies and bike pulled carts. Some ride elephants! They growlots of rice, lentils and mustard, among other crops.
We stayed at a lodge that uses part of its earnings to fund social projects. They want to start a school, a clinic, a
factory where women can produce and store handicrafts and a home for seniors. I think Kate included the URL in a recent message; I highly recommend it when you are around Chitwan. The staff is bery helpful, friendly
and fun. I interviewed the manager and hope to come up with an article about our stay.
On the first day we rode bikes through some villages. The Thuru people have lived in the area for many years, and they are farmers. They live in concrete houses with thatched roofs, and some villages have no electricity. Adults were busy, but kids waved at us calling "Hello! Namaste! Bye-bye!! One girl blew us a kiss! Goats, chickens, ducks and dogs were scurrying about everywhere.
Then we biked into a community forest; a monkey sat in a tree and watched us enter the forest. We saw more birds than I can describe here, but I do have a list. Some are familiar. There are bright orange, yellow and black orioles, and their kingfishers are iridescent blue and green. Herons, ibises and ospreys watched us; so did monkeys and a baby crocodile. Our lodge organized this activity as well as others we participated in.
On the next day we went to a remote Thuru village with no electricity. We met a family and helped them gather
spinach and leaves from coriander, garlic and radishes from their garden.We tore these up, chopped potatoes with a small scythe and ground massala into a paste using a grinding stone.Dinner was daal batt (lentils and rice)
cooked with our greens and the massala. We also had tomato pickles, and a glass of home brewed rice wine.
The latter tasted like strong sake, with an unusual but good fruity aftertaste. Quite an amazing experience! KIds and adults kept coming into the house to see who we were and what we were about, Our hostess liked it that
we enjoyed the meal!
Then we went to a wildlife observation tower for the night. After dark, two rhinos wandered into the clearing near the base of the tower. One was a male, intent on mating with the female. He bellowed a lot, and seemed to be following her about while she concentrated on grazing. We could hear them clearly, and sometimes they were close enouigh that we could see them - great moving forms without shapes is the way I described them in a poem.
They stayed for about 3 hours and then went on their way. At one point we shone our flashlights around the clearing and the light was reflected back from a tiger's eyes. It was across the clearing, and didn't come near us;
we were safe in the tower even if it had come close. Talk about awesome!!! Dawn overthe misty jungle was awesome.We discovered that a peacock had spent the night in a tree next to us. Oh yes - we also heard barking deer during the night. They are big, and they do indeed bark!
We got back to the lodge around 8 AM and relaxed until early afternoon.Then we canoed down a river into
the jungle. We passed many, many birds - the kingfishers here dig burrows in the riverbank for their homes. So do the crocodiles. We saw two species. The fish eating crocs are endangered, our guide told us we were really lucky to see them,. WE saw a whole lot of marsh muggers. These crocks are known to eat people at time, but they were busy sunning for warmth and ignored us.
Our naturalist suddenly spotted rhinos on land. We put ashore and got a good look at them; they were a mother and baby. The mom watched us closely but we kept a healthy distance. After this we walked for a few miles to a jungle lake that was home to many birds - lovely! We also stopped at an elephant breeding center on our way back to the lodge. These elephants are raised to work in the Chitwan National Park; rangers use them for various tasks. I achieved another goal of petting a baby elephant!
We tried to take the bus to Kathmandu yesterday; as I mentioned, we were stopped when landless people blocked the road. It was really pretty amazing; the line of trucks and busses went on for miles. People were making the most of things: talking by the road, buying fruit and peanuts from vendors, etc. After an hour our driver decided it was futile to wait and took us back to Chitwan. WE went back to our lodge where the staff
assured us we'd make it today. We also had some good laughs with them about the whole thing.
We made it to Kathmandu easily enough today. The afternoon and evening have been devoted to laundry and other last minute errands. WE leave for Japan tomorow morning. WE DON'T WANT TO LEAVE NEPAL!!!
DON'T MAKE US LEAVE!!!
We'll be at the Changi Airport in SIngapore tomorow evening; I'll try to send some more thoughts before we change planes for Japan. We'll send the following day with a friend of Kate's and may not be able to post until the
nex day. In other words we'll post again in about 72 hours if not before, depending on how things go.
Namaste, dear Nepal, we plan to come back.PG
The region where the Park is located is in the far south of Nepal, about 15 miles from India. It reminds me more of images of India than of Nepal. It is flat, partly agricultyural and partly covered with rain forests. Cars are sparse, people travel in horse drawn buggies and bike pulled carts. Some ride elephants! They growlots of rice, lentils and mustard, among other crops.
We stayed at a lodge that uses part of its earnings to fund social projects. They want to start a school, a clinic, a
factory where women can produce and store handicrafts and a home for seniors. I think Kate included the URL in a recent message; I highly recommend it when you are around Chitwan. The staff is bery helpful, friendly
and fun. I interviewed the manager and hope to come up with an article about our stay.
On the first day we rode bikes through some villages. The Thuru people have lived in the area for many years, and they are farmers. They live in concrete houses with thatched roofs, and some villages have no electricity. Adults were busy, but kids waved at us calling "Hello! Namaste! Bye-bye!! One girl blew us a kiss! Goats, chickens, ducks and dogs were scurrying about everywhere.
Then we biked into a community forest; a monkey sat in a tree and watched us enter the forest. We saw more birds than I can describe here, but I do have a list. Some are familiar. There are bright orange, yellow and black orioles, and their kingfishers are iridescent blue and green. Herons, ibises and ospreys watched us; so did monkeys and a baby crocodile. Our lodge organized this activity as well as others we participated in.
On the next day we went to a remote Thuru village with no electricity. We met a family and helped them gather
spinach and leaves from coriander, garlic and radishes from their garden.We tore these up, chopped potatoes with a small scythe and ground massala into a paste using a grinding stone.Dinner was daal batt (lentils and rice)
cooked with our greens and the massala. We also had tomato pickles, and a glass of home brewed rice wine.
The latter tasted like strong sake, with an unusual but good fruity aftertaste. Quite an amazing experience! KIds and adults kept coming into the house to see who we were and what we were about, Our hostess liked it that
we enjoyed the meal!
Then we went to a wildlife observation tower for the night. After dark, two rhinos wandered into the clearing near the base of the tower. One was a male, intent on mating with the female. He bellowed a lot, and seemed to be following her about while she concentrated on grazing. We could hear them clearly, and sometimes they were close enouigh that we could see them - great moving forms without shapes is the way I described them in a poem.
They stayed for about 3 hours and then went on their way. At one point we shone our flashlights around the clearing and the light was reflected back from a tiger's eyes. It was across the clearing, and didn't come near us;
we were safe in the tower even if it had come close. Talk about awesome!!! Dawn overthe misty jungle was awesome.We discovered that a peacock had spent the night in a tree next to us. Oh yes - we also heard barking deer during the night. They are big, and they do indeed bark!
We got back to the lodge around 8 AM and relaxed until early afternoon.Then we canoed down a river into
the jungle. We passed many, many birds - the kingfishers here dig burrows in the riverbank for their homes. So do the crocodiles. We saw two species. The fish eating crocs are endangered, our guide told us we were really lucky to see them,. WE saw a whole lot of marsh muggers. These crocks are known to eat people at time, but they were busy sunning for warmth and ignored us.
Our naturalist suddenly spotted rhinos on land. We put ashore and got a good look at them; they were a mother and baby. The mom watched us closely but we kept a healthy distance. After this we walked for a few miles to a jungle lake that was home to many birds - lovely! We also stopped at an elephant breeding center on our way back to the lodge. These elephants are raised to work in the Chitwan National Park; rangers use them for various tasks. I achieved another goal of petting a baby elephant!
We tried to take the bus to Kathmandu yesterday; as I mentioned, we were stopped when landless people blocked the road. It was really pretty amazing; the line of trucks and busses went on for miles. People were making the most of things: talking by the road, buying fruit and peanuts from vendors, etc. After an hour our driver decided it was futile to wait and took us back to Chitwan. WE went back to our lodge where the staff
assured us we'd make it today. We also had some good laughs with them about the whole thing.
We made it to Kathmandu easily enough today. The afternoon and evening have been devoted to laundry and other last minute errands. WE leave for Japan tomorow morning. WE DON'T WANT TO LEAVE NEPAL!!!
DON'T MAKE US LEAVE!!!
We'll be at the Changi Airport in SIngapore tomorow evening; I'll try to send some more thoughts before we change planes for Japan. We'll send the following day with a friend of Kate's and may not be able to post until the
nex day. In other words we'll post again in about 72 hours if not before, depending on how things go.
Namaste, dear Nepal, we plan to come back.PG
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
the eternal wonders of travel
Well guess what? We were on a bus to Kathmandu this morning, but a traffic jam got in the wat.. A group of landless people had seized the road a few miles away and were letting nothing get through. So we are back, and will try again tomorrow. We are safe at our lodge, and the surrounding area is very peaceful. We would actually rather be here than in Kathmandu. This kind of thing seems to happen a lot around here. We're told this will probably be over by tomorrow but are making contingency plans in case it goes on another day - possibly a private car that will take a different route, possibly a flight. We'll be safe and fine and will keep you posted, update tomorrow afternoon or evening.
So we got back to our wonderful lodge where we had lunch and hand washed some clothes. Then we walked into town singing "Always Keep On the Bright Side of Life." Thank you, Monty Python.
Our experiences in the Chitwan area have been ASTOUNDING - the jungle here is amazing! I will send details when I am using a faster - and cheaper - computer, hopefully tomorrow evening.
Nothing is more educational than travel! Take it easy. PG
So we got back to our wonderful lodge where we had lunch and hand washed some clothes. Then we walked into town singing "Always Keep On the Bright Side of Life." Thank you, Monty Python.
Our experiences in the Chitwan area have been ASTOUNDING - the jungle here is amazing! I will send details when I am using a faster - and cheaper - computer, hopefully tomorrow evening.
Nothing is more educational than travel! Take it easy. PG
Sunday, January 4, 2009
We're alive and very well
The only computer is in our lodge's office and I don't want to tie it up, so I'll be very brief.
Yesterday we took a long bike ride through some villages and into the jungle where we saw many birds and other critters. Today we'll go to a local village in the jungle to help prepare a meal; then we'll sleep in a treehouse out there. Tomorrow we will do a combination/hike to an elephant breeding center.
We'll be back in Kathmandu in about 2.5 days, expect another past in 2 or 3 days. Again, I don't want to tie up the lodge's computer.
Actually, we are locked in our apt. in Oakland making all this up. Aren't we good story tellers? PG
Yesterday we took a long bike ride through some villages and into the jungle where we saw many birds and other critters. Today we'll go to a local village in the jungle to help prepare a meal; then we'll sleep in a treehouse out there. Tomorrow we will do a combination/hike to an elephant breeding center.
We'll be back in Kathmandu in about 2.5 days, expect another past in 2 or 3 days. Again, I don't want to tie up the lodge's computer.
Actually, we are locked in our apt. in Oakland making all this up. Aren't we good story tellers? PG
Friday, January 2, 2009
last day in Pokara
It's been an excellent day here. We spent the morning kayaking around Phewa Lake, the big lake here. The kayaks are MUCH lighter than the ones we are used to, and there was a strong wind on the Lake, so they were tough to handle at first. We got the hang of it pretty quickly but it took lots of concentration.
The kayaking was FABULOUS! It's been cloudy and sometimes rainy for the past few days. and the mountains have vanished into the clouds by 9 AM. Today they were kind enough to stick around until about 12:30. The mountain views from the lake were incredible, one of the finest experiences of the trip. The lower foothills surrounding us were also amazing, and we paddled past some villages that can only be reached by foot. or by boat.
On the way back we also passed by an island where there is a temple to Kali. As I recall, she is the mother goddess, and also an aspect of the major god Shiva. Yes, Hinduism is complex, especially to the Western mind - I sure can't keep everybody straight! It was a really picturesque, pagoda type temple in a great setting. Sorry, we didn't get any pictures on the kayaking trip; we had to keep control of the wind blown kayaks. I'll try some verbal descriptions later.
By the time we got cleaned up and ate lunch, it was too late for another major adventure. (Nepal is supreme among the slow food nations - meals are wonderful but you wait and wait and wait for your order to arrive... you get used to it.) We wandered along the lake shore and wound up in some back streets, saying goodbye to Pokara.
We are sad to leave this area; we'll miss the mountains, lake and wonderful people. We'll be in Royal Chitwan National Park tomorrow afternoon; it is a rainforest area and should be an adventure in itself. I think we'll have Internet access but I'm not positive. We'll be back in Kathmandu in 5 days - that's the afternoon of Jan. 7 (it is Jan 2, 4 PM here now.) I'm guessing we'll post before then; if we don't have access, that's when you'll see the next post.
Oh yes - Ellen G, thanks for the comments. Hope everybody else is well, how is life in the USA???PG
The kayaking was FABULOUS! It's been cloudy and sometimes rainy for the past few days. and the mountains have vanished into the clouds by 9 AM. Today they were kind enough to stick around until about 12:30. The mountain views from the lake were incredible, one of the finest experiences of the trip. The lower foothills surrounding us were also amazing, and we paddled past some villages that can only be reached by foot. or by boat.
On the way back we also passed by an island where there is a temple to Kali. As I recall, she is the mother goddess, and also an aspect of the major god Shiva. Yes, Hinduism is complex, especially to the Western mind - I sure can't keep everybody straight! It was a really picturesque, pagoda type temple in a great setting. Sorry, we didn't get any pictures on the kayaking trip; we had to keep control of the wind blown kayaks. I'll try some verbal descriptions later.
By the time we got cleaned up and ate lunch, it was too late for another major adventure. (Nepal is supreme among the slow food nations - meals are wonderful but you wait and wait and wait for your order to arrive... you get used to it.) We wandered along the lake shore and wound up in some back streets, saying goodbye to Pokara.
We are sad to leave this area; we'll miss the mountains, lake and wonderful people. We'll be in Royal Chitwan National Park tomorrow afternoon; it is a rainforest area and should be an adventure in itself. I think we'll have Internet access but I'm not positive. We'll be back in Kathmandu in 5 days - that's the afternoon of Jan. 7 (it is Jan 2, 4 PM here now.) I'm guessing we'll post before then; if we don't have access, that's when you'll see the next post.
Oh yes - Ellen G, thanks for the comments. Hope everybody else is well, how is life in the USA???PG
Last day in Pokhara 2
This is our last day in Pokhara. We kayaked around the lake then walked around town for a bit. We've enjoyed our time here and are sad to be moving on. Our trip is now half over.
Our next stop, by Chitwan National Park, is Sapana Village Lodge (http://www.sapanalodge.com/sapana_lodge.php). They say there's internet access there, so we should be posting regularly. If not, we'll be back in Kathmandu on the 7th.
KR
Our next stop, by Chitwan National Park, is Sapana Village Lodge (http://www.sapanalodge.com/sapana_lodge.php). They say there's internet access there, so we should be posting regularly. If not, we'll be back in Kathmandu on the 7th.
KR
Thursday, January 1, 2009
restful and fascinating day
New Year's Eve was amazing!!! After dinner, there were music and dance troupes walking up and down the street, stopping to do performances. Our favorite was a dance performance with people in full constumes dancing - it was amazing. There was a king or mythological figure wearing a long red gown, long red hair and a gold colored mask dancing with a queen figurtes, prince and princess figures and small figures who looked something like monkeys. At one point the main character was approached by a demonic looking figure in a dark blue costume. They had a wild dance/swordfight; the red wigged dude won, and everyone danced around the defeated demon. I thought at first this might have been part of the Ramayana, a classic Indian folktale which is sometimes presented as a long, long theatrical/dance piece, but someone told me it was a Nepalese folk tale.
The family who owns the hotel we're staying at invited us to sit around a woodfire with the. We wound up staying several hours, singing songe, and talking about life in Nepal and the US. We had a long and very interesting discussion with the owner's teenaged son and daughter. They are very fun, interesting and with it young folks; they're really aware of their country's problems and what they need to do with their lives. They asked lots of questions about the US. We also talked about music; they know Metallica, Nirvana and Bob Marley, but not the Beatles, Grateful Dead or other musicians we like. We did share a love for Bob Marley's music!
We needed a restful day today and hung out around town, drinking chai and reading. We spent a couple hours by the lake and a couple of college students from India started a conversation with us that lasted several hours, all about life in our countries and Nepal. Very interesting. It's funny, they liked the same bands the teenagers did, but the only Beatles song they knew was "Love Me Do". We also had some tea with a crafts merchant from Kashmir who has spent time collcting plants with a famous British botanist.
Dinner time. We think we'll have computer access in Chitwan. Happy New Year! PG
The family who owns the hotel we're staying at invited us to sit around a woodfire with the. We wound up staying several hours, singing songe, and talking about life in Nepal and the US. We had a long and very interesting discussion with the owner's teenaged son and daughter. They are very fun, interesting and with it young folks; they're really aware of their country's problems and what they need to do with their lives. They asked lots of questions about the US. We also talked about music; they know Metallica, Nirvana and Bob Marley, but not the Beatles, Grateful Dead or other musicians we like. We did share a love for Bob Marley's music!
We needed a restful day today and hung out around town, drinking chai and reading. We spent a couple hours by the lake and a couple of college students from India started a conversation with us that lasted several hours, all about life in our countries and Nepal. Very interesting. It's funny, they liked the same bands the teenagers did, but the only Beatles song they knew was "Love Me Do". We also had some tea with a crafts merchant from Kashmir who has spent time collcting plants with a famous British botanist.
Dinner time. We think we'll have computer access in Chitwan. Happy New Year! PG
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
