Kathmandu It

Last weekend I took a trip up north to explore Nepal, and most specifically, the infamous capitol city of Kathmandu. What do you say about a destination that has been touted as a "hippy hangout" since the 1960's where many came in search of tranquility and nirvana? Or a central hub for trekkers and backpackers as they seek to set down their footprints on Mount Everest? One word: interesting.

I thought that India (specifically Bangalore) contains an abundance of dichotomies: old and new; immaculate and filthy; colorful and gray; ancient and modern--but Kathmandu was all of that and more. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful time, but Kathmandu felt more crowded than Bangalore and there was more pollution, more traffic, more condensed tourists areas, and more chaotic energies all around. It felt "primitive" to me and I could constantly feel energies of the past still lingering... like they were still holding onto something unrequited. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the energy just felt "darker". I'm convinced it was the city and its memories. Funny how I felt that way while if you head a few hours up the Himalayan mountains the realities of the modern world melt away as you breathe in the clean mountain air and escape the chaos. Therein lies another of the many dichotomies. Interesting.


I had a chance to travel around the city (not on foot this time, however... had to rent a car for the day--this is not a walking city, per se) and visited several of the famous Buddhist and Hindu temples. Of note, Swayambhunath Stupa (also known as the monkey temple, and you will realize that from my photo gallery), Boudhanath (which is home to one of the largest "Stupas"--the dome-- in the world), and Pashupati Temple (an ancient Hindu temple). I was able to walk around those areas and snap photos to my heart's content, so that was very nice. I also took a short trip down to the city of Patan, another home to ancient temples in the Lalitpur district. On the way back to my hotel in central Kathmandu, I took some time to visit the busy shopping district of Thamel where I picked up all sorts of souvenirs from Nepal and Tibet. Another extremely busy area, Thamel, like the whole city, is a cacophony of sounds, sights, and smells. Interesting.

Probably my favorite part of the trip was my hotel, the Kantipur Templehouse. The building was a stunning display of Nepalise and Asian architecture, the grounds were immaculately groomed and full of flowers, and the service was excellent the entire time. I took the opportunity each night to eat freshly-prepared foods in the hotel restaurant choosing from Nepalise, Chinese, and Thai cuisine--all delicious! My room was comfortable and spacious, though it took me a couple of days to understand why there would be power outages for hours at a time (we have many outages in India, but generator back-ups so the downtime is minimal), until I was told that the government deliberately cuts power for blocks of time every day to save energy. I eventually adjusted to it and actually enjoyed living my candlelight in the evenings. Interesting.

The weather was not very cooperative for taking a mountain flight up to see Everest and the upper Himalayas (it's off-season), but I got an eyeful of the snow-capped mountains on the flight out, so when you've seen mountains, you've pretty much seen mountains. They were as stunning and beautiful as ever. And I will, to this day, swear I saw what appeared to be Mount Everest (please don't take this dream away from me! :o) It was a wonderful sight to see. Wonderful, and interesting.

So overall, I had an "interesting" weekend! There were many things about Nepal that I loved; and many things that I found fascinating. I do know one thing, however--if I return there again I am bringing three things: a buddy, a backpack, and trekking gear. Everest Base Camp One is only a 12-day round trip journey and my instincts just say one thing about that: "bring it on!"

Now off on my last "big" trip next weekend--Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia--the homestretch of an amazing year. Stay tuned for stories and snaps!

Namaste.

Rome If I Want To

A couple of years ago I made a decision. Since I've always enjoyed the benefits of traveling (relaxation, refreshment, perspective, introspection...), I decided that every month I would devote at least one weekend to traveling somewhere new. Now, my definition of "traveling" didn't mean it needed to extravagant... or expensive... or even far from home--I just needed to get out of my element for a couple of days and open myself up to new sights, sounds, smells, (foods!), and experiences. Many of my weekends were spent staying with a friend on the other side of town, traveling up to northern Minnesota, or hopping on a plane to Chicago, San Diego, even Hawaii :o) But I made the commitment to travel... to book out a minimum of one weekend a month. After all--if it's not the calendar, it's not gonna happen!!

So when I moved to India last November I wanted to keep my word--however, now I have a bigger playground :o) It's easier to get to other countries while being based in India, so I've been off to Dubai, London, Sri Lanka, Europe... you can see by my blog entries. When I was planning my "monthly trip" for June, I wanted to travel somewhere I've never been but always wanted to take pictures of... instantly I thought of Rome. What amazing history, art, food :o), culture... all waiting for me to explore it. So I did.

I love to travel with others, but I also love to travel alone. This was going to be a trip for me. I decided to take Friday and Monday off and extend my weekend to 4 days: fly out from Bangalore to Paris Thursday night; to Rome on Friday morning; stay at a bed & breakfast on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights; and then spend the entire day traveling back to India on Monday. A "whirlwind tour" of sorts. The trip was amazing! I probably walked over 20 miles a day, toured the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Coliseum, Circus Maximus, ate pasta, gelato, croissants and espresso (mmmmmm). Amazing. One of my favorite moments was standing in the main chapel of the Sistine Chapel with about 300 other people staring at the walls and the (famous) ceiling admiring Michelangelo's work... it was breathtaking. And to think of the hundreds of times I've heard reference to that one single space, to stand there and just be "present" was incredibly powerful--I could feel the energies of hundreds of years gathering is such a sacred and revered place. Intense; powerful; memorable.

I walked around the whole city just taking in the sights and sounds. Lots of tourists from all over the world, many of us taking pictures for each other to be sure we didn't miss the opportunity to capture the moment. The streets were alive with vendors, musicians, artists, and food everywhere you looked. There was such a mixture of new and old, modern and classical, traditional and contemporary... every time I turned a corner another piece of history revealed itself. Fountains, statues, gardens, cobblestone, columns, history...

I also got some good writing done (another reason I love traveling...) and had some interesting insights as I observed people and events--mostly when I was eating--so I will share a couple of them with you:

Michael's Italian Food Insights

• Re: Restaurant service: After they drop your food at your table they don't return to check and see if everything's okay. Why not? Because they'd never need to! Every meal in Italy is spectacular :o)
• Re: Ice Cream/Gelato: Always have just a little bit... every day. It's good for the soul... and it happens to taste out of this world!!
• Re: Napkins: Why need them? Just don't eat with your hands (very contradictory to India, mind you)
• Re: Seasonings at your table (i.e., ketchup, mustard, black pepper, etc): Besides perhaps a shaker of salt (which, as you may know, can naturally enhance flavor), if you need to add any additional seasonings to your food it's not good food to begin with!
• Re: The eating experience: Food brings people together, and there's nothing better than gathering people together to celebrate, relax, and enjoy one another. Eating together strengthens those bonds!
• Re: Strolls at night: It's important to take a stroll at the end of the evening, reflect on the day, and get some good fresh air. It also helps with digestion after an excellent meal, and it's also a great time to have that last taste of gelato before bedtime :o)
  

Grazie molto, Rome. I will return again!

Sri Lanka Siesta

This weekend, Michael (aka "Curly"), Paul, Will, and I took a hop flight down to Sri Lanka to see the country and check out the sites. It was absolutely amazing... I tell ya, between riding elephants, strolling along the ocean, wearing boa constrictors, visiting the over 70 elephants at the elephant orphanage (and then watching them bathe in the river), touring the spice garden, jump starting the van, running through the tea fields, spending the day at the botanical gardens, eating great food, shopping in crowded markets, relaxing to an herbal massage at the health spa, watching a cultural dance show, swimming in the hotel pool, road tripping through the mountains, playing with monkeys, jumping out of the van to "get the shot", or just hanging out with J.D. and playing 20 questions, we really didn't have anything to do... and all in 56 hours. Whew! :o)

Sri Lanka is incredible. It's sort of like India, but sort of not. How to explain... well, it looks a lot like India, but it's cleaner and more orderly. For example, in the cities, such as Colombo and Kandy, the streets are clean and the traffic stays in its own lane. Imagine that! The prices are a little more expensive than India, but now that we're all seasoned hagglers, it's not a big deal. The landscape is truly breathtaking--the mountains, the ocean, the rain forests, the flowers--something to see around every corner. The animals are amazing--elephants, monkeys, lizards, snakes, bats (huge ones! see the gallery slide show), dogs everywhere (much like India), and all of the exotic birds make this another tropical paradise.

Despite the ongoing issues in Sri Lanka (another car bomb went off north of Colombo yesterday), people just keep moving. Like any other part of the world, unrest continues but life doesn't stop. Violence is present, but so is peace. In so many places in Asia, peace is present--so much so--on the faces of the people, in their smiles and laughter. Even the noisy vendors on the streets trying to make a living will laugh with you when you try to talk them down to a reasonable price.

Overall, Sri Lanka was an excellent vacation which provided a beautiful and relaxing experience for all of us--and it's only two hours away from Bangalore. The people were very kind, the hospitality excellent, and our driver, Joseph, was wonderful. All of us said we'd like to return again soon--and with the short flight and reasonable prices, its a sure win for a revisit!

Well, I'll be off for a couple weeks touring Europe with my Mom & Dad, so be ready for "snaps" from Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria by the end of the month!

Namaste.