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Where Is Robert?

Indian women dancing at a Wedding

Based on the emails I have received, I understand the following:  Some of you are worried about me, some of you are curious about me and my non-traditional ways, and some of you simply want something to read while at work. To all, I apologize for not keeping up with the posting as I had hoped; there is a simple reason however:  I am spending most of my time creating new stories verses writing about the past ones.  That is not to say that the past is not important, and I will be getting all the good stuff posted…but not today or even likely in the coming days.  Why?  Well, I am in Udiapur, India for another 5 days and I am supper busy during those days.  My day starts with a walk to Yoga, (I buy a liter of water from the same little girl each morning).  I spend 90 minutes at Yoga and then walk to my favorite cafe where I inevitably meet interesting people (this morning it was an accomplished Yogi and fascinating man from Delhi).  Breakfast is rarely over before 11.  Then back to my $6 room.  Mid day I have a bit of time, but as is typical, today we found ourselves in an Indian home looking at miniature paintings, enjoying great company, and figuring out if we have enough time to get our hands or feet painted with Henna (not enough time today…but later for sure).  In the afternoon I have another 90 minutes of Yoga.  For the last several days, Yoga has been followed by Indian Weddings that go late into the night.  Starting tonight, Yoga will be followed by 2.5 hours of Reiki classes. Tomorrow we have to try and squeeze in a Shiva festival after Reiki class….NO I am not complaining – I am living.

Women at another Wedding

But there is good stuff coming in my writing.  Or At least I think it is good.  The experiences certainly were, the writing simply is what it is.   Topics include:

  • I personally met the Dalai Lama and it was beyond transforming – he is the most amazing human I have ever had the privilege of holding hands with.
  • I delivered 100kg of rice to Muslim families from the back of a bicycle rickshaw – this was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.
  • I saw poverty in Kolcata that will break your heart; and yet I now greet beggars and those less fortunate with a smile and Namaste rather than looking away
  • I saw the erotic art of Khajuraho and realized why yoga is important – but more importantly realized that the erotic sculptures were only a small percentage of the temples that reflect the entire human experience.
  • I saw the greatest temple of love, the Taj Mahal, with a most wonderful friend and person.
  • I have gone to more weddings in India then I have been to in 20 years in the U.S.

And so much more, that may or may not ever be writen; it certainly will not be forgot.

I greatly appreciate the support for me to keep writing:   It is not something I ever thought I would do or ever enjoy.  And it is most certainly nothing I thought others may enjoy.  I am in your debt, I enjoy writing, and I enjoy that some of you enjoy it.

Boys at yet another Wedding (last night)

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By comparison to my limited Indian experience, Dargeeling is quite  peaceful.  The demographics here are more similar to Nepal and the populous is comprised of many Nepali and Tibetans, along with the fairer skin toned Indians. Thus in Dargeeling you see much more of what we would consider an Asian influence on peoples faces; or as Choezom’s sister said when I said I was going to Dargeeling:  “You see more chinky eye their”.  This was not a racial slur,  it was simply a way to describe how people in different regions look differently.  There is an enormous amount of prejudice in India but that is based more on the Caste system.

India will make you marvel about our vanity regarding skin color.  We more fair skinned people dream of having higher melanin and thus darker skin.  We use to work on our tans until we realized it was killing us, some drink carotene to the point of looking like carrots, and some paint their bodies to make their natural color look darker.  Not in India -ust the opposite and every other commercial on television is for a skin lightening product – “Up to three shades lighter” is the typical claim.  I think Michael Jackson must have used the super strength stuff. In India this apparent obsession regarding how we look goes far beyond just physical appearance and as skin tone can demonstrate your place in the society. the upper Caste are typically more fair while the lower Caste are often very dark.  This is partly due to the different labor categories that each cast holds; laborers are low Caste and work outside in the sun, while high Caste hold merchant and other more leisurely post.  This system, while not as all inclusive as in decades past, is still the dominant social structure throughout the sub-continent, and is going to continue to be so for at least a few more generations.

Tiger Hill ans tar

Dave and Sue had not gotten a good view of the Himalaya so we hired a car to take us to the base of Tiger Hill, and although foggy we decided to make the walk up to the top regardless.  Upon summiting we were granted a tad bit of a view, but given my Nepal trekking experience it was indeed marginal.  And to add insult to the fog, at the top of the hill, the road crew was boiling tar and we were forced to cover our noises and mouths as the wind swirled the black smoke around the lookout point. But the kids who were walking up the hill had a great time because this road crew actually had a compactor and rides were being given to everyone; I talked to both the OSHA representative and the Union Steward both and they said this was fine 🙂 It was Christmas Eve after all.

Monkey enjoying the offerings at Hindu shrine

The three of us enjoyed a nice dinner together and called it an early evening.  While working hard not to, be I was indeed in a bit of a melancholy mood as I retired to nice but freezing cold room…. alone. At sunset the temperature drop precipitously and given the rooms are poorly insulated with single pane windows the room was an ice box without the ice.  Rather the windows were dripping with condensation and the blankets themselves felt heavy with moisture.  The blankets are hard to describe….like some kind of heavy cotton fill sewn inside a sheet.  They weighed a short ton, were about 4 inches thick – and lumpy.  I had three of them on top of me – any more and I would have been crushed to death, and they still lacked any real semblance of insulation The fantastic hotel manager secured a mini electric heater to put by our beds.  At one point, I had on all my clothes including my down jacket – and Himalaya hat,  was smothered in blankets, and held the electric heater to my nose and ear to thaw them out. I wonder what it is like here in the real winter which is still a few months away?  And, why the hell did I send my down sleeping bag home from Nepal?  India is warm!  That is like saying California is warm…..say that from the top of Mt Whitney in the winter. I watched bad action hero movies (first TV in three months) and shivered for hours.  It is Christmas 2009.

Observation hill: Hindu, Buddhist again sharing space

Sue got very sick on Christmas day so after the first day of sightseeing together  Dave and I were on our own as Sue opted to throw-up for 4 days.  We did very little actually as I was becoming less interested in seeing things and more interested in interacting with people and simply hanging out.  The days went quickly, we enjoyed some good meals together while each day Dave and Sue evaluated if Sue was up  for a couple of day trek into the Himalayas. Each day Sue answered after breakfast by throwing up everything she ate. When it became obviously that a trek was out the question we all began to make independent plans for leaving Dargeeling.  But before we did we were all able to go for a small outing to the Happy Valley tea plantation where we tasted and explored the fascinating world of the worlds most famous teas. I am a coffee guy, but this is damn good tea; like Folgers to Petes coffee…..comparing Happy Valley to Lipton is well no comparison.

Clock tower

Throughout the Dargeeling area you see signs supporting an independent Gorkhaland. The inhabitants of these foothills and surrounding mountains want, very much, to be an independent state of India. The argument is similar to elsewhere in the world – we are represented by Bengali’s from Kolcata……we are Gorkha, we demand to represent ourselves. These lands have changed political boundaries so many times that I got lost just trying to follow the chronology. The British were the latest architected and crafted some elaborate compromises that seemed to have largely served no-one but themselves. So, I can say this – it is obvious that the vast majority of the people want to represent themselves as a separate state, they are organized and getting more so. And they control a cash crop that is worth a fortune to the state of Bengal…this is going to be a conflict not easily resolved.

Kids getting a ride on compactor

Studded tires and chains are apparently unknown in Dargeeling.  Their alternative snow traction strategy is ingenious however. The roads or Dargeeling are small, narrow, and very steep, so as they put down a heavy layer of tar they imbed golf ball sized sharp angular rocks into the surface.  A bit hard to walk on, but it must work. Like squat toilets, we do not have a monopoly on truth or doing things the ‘right” way. But we typically think we do.

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Gorkhaland, India

The British were here: Christian Church of Dargeeling

Like tribal people everywhere, westerners are drawn together at Indian train stations like  Hindus to the Ganges. Thus, while Dargeeling is not a popular destination (cold) this time of the year, I met five others travelers trying to figure out what platform the train may be leaving from. We quickly formed a partnership, spit up and checked each platform and agreed we would share a private jeep to Dargeeling from the train station. Well all but one person agreed.  A new to India solo women said she preferred to travel alone as she was on a personal pilgrimage and would make her own arraignments. I informed the group that I was assured we could also catch an express train once we got to the NJP station.  “Never heard of that was the collective response”. When I was told this by the hotel manager in Varanasi I had my doubts as to the validity; could not confirm in the guide book or on line. But he insisted it was easy.  What he meant was it was an easy lie for him to tell me so I would not worry about how to get from the train station to Dargeeling, this is unfortunately a rather common occurrence: Tell em something even if you do not know or if it is incorrect; there is no such train. There is the historic steam train, that only leaves in the morning (we arrived in the evening) and it is far from express given it takes 8 hours to climb to the hill station. I was disappointed in Christopher for taking this approach as I had very much liked his little affordable hotel, found his other information to be valid, and like the guy. But I have told lots of travelers that the hotel is a bargain but unfortunately you can not trust he manager; wonder what that has cost him?  Not being vindictive here, it is simply a matter that I choose to do business with honest people; particularly important for travelers in a challenging travel environment. And by doing so, the good ones will also make more money and other will not – seems appropriate and helpful to me.

Municipal building; notices the Swastika -symbol of good luck in Hinduism and prevalent throughout Asia with similar meaning.  Mirror image stolen and inappropriately used by Hitler

Someone in our group, Sue I think, finally found and English speaker and got us to the correct platform; which was again not the platform listed on the board.   I had fortunately booked the right compartment this time as well and was in relative  luxury in a 3ac sleeper (complete with a sheet for my bunk and a blanket…wow).  Three bunks on each side, but separated in a cubicle sort of way.  Much cleaner, and the car had it own bathroom that was a far more manageable dirty….but not filthy. And I had some travel mates so was less concerned about my gear (it was still locked) as I slept.  In the morning I was due for a panic and so one materialized as I realized that either the lock on my gear had failed or more likely I had inadvertently (rather easy to do) changed the combo the night before. “Shit, we were arriving at our station in about two hour and my bag is locked securely in a Pack Safe stainless steel mesh bag“. Fortunately, because I had been with others I opted (something I never do) to not fully synched down the metal mesh bag and so after 20 minutes I was able to free my pack with only one small tear  “.Ok, relax, you have your pack”. Now the lock, cable, and mesh cover were securely attached to the bulkhead of my bunk.  I sat and looked at it for a long time, tried dozen of combinations and finally said “oh well”. Then Dave, and Electrical engineer from Alaska who had obviously been thinking about it for awhile looked at it for an equally long time. We ultimately determined that there was a “weak link” in the system  – actually an aluminum compression connector that made a loop in the cable.  If we could cut that we could get the bag and lock back even though it would still be locked.  Go McGiver. Dave had a silly small multi tool with an even sillier small file and off to work we went. “Hey, what else do we have to do”. After 20 minutes we had a small grove, and after 40 minutes we had a space big enough to get a knife blade into; after an hour and some bruised and bloodied fingers we were free. The guy at the coffee shop in Dargeeling cut the lock with nothing more than a hack saw blade (no saw) in about 5 minutes….so much for case hardened.

Economics is apparently not a widely taken subject mater by jeep drivers.  Outside the train station we started negotiating with an entire group of drivers who wanted to take us to Darjeeling (about 3 hours by jeep).  Each driver was asking 100rp (2 dollars) per person and they would take 15 people in their jeep.  Now I, along with others had experienced that nightmare before so we wanted to hire a jeep to take only the 5 of us.  “No problem, we take you 5 for 2000rp”.  Humm, 15 times 100 is 1500 but if we do not want to be packed like small fish in a can, we have to pay a 500rp premium, we have to wait for 9 others who want a ride, it will take more petrol….. this is odd.  We each tried to rationalize with the drivers and offered to pay a small but not 500rp premium but had no luck.  Ultimately we regrouped, the solo female traveling came running up saying she REALLY wanted to go with us now as she realized she was about to be stuck at the train station for the night, and we decided to pay the 2000rp and base on decision on our perception on the best driver, with the best jeep.  We choose wisely, and after a steady climb beyond the valley and into the steep tea country of Dargeeling and Gorkhaland we arrived safely. Humm, maybe they did take econ….we paid the premium and I am certain they new we would.

Three in our group had previous reservations and three of us did not.  So we followed the couple with reservations and figured we might all stay at the same hotel. Then as is often the case, our friends discovered that their reservations were good until someone else showed up and took there room.  While the hostilities began to rise, Sue, Dave, and I said our good byes and sent out into the cold night to find lodging.  In the process we met the solo women again who said her hotel appeared to be permanently closed even though she also had a pre booking. We did not have to go far as the hotel next door was happy to give us a room for a reasonable rate. When we told them we may stay for upwards or a week, the rate got even better.  The manager was fantastic in providing lots of blankets, and helpful honest service. Sue went directly to bed, and I happily bought Dave dinner and a tall Kingfisher (national beer of India) as a celebratory meal after a tough day of travel and a successful pack recovery.

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Sarnath, India

Historic Sarnath

After a few days of the Hindu holy city of Varanasi I was ready for the  more (maybe perceived)  subdued nature of Buddhism.  So Jack, a personal chief from rural Texas, overland adventure, and practitioner or many great religions including a very devoted period as a practicing Muslim, an English chap who travels much more then he works, and I hired an auto rickshaw (three wheels, two rear – one front,  vehicle built around a small motor with motorcycle type steering and a semi enclosed seat in back) and headed to my third major pilgrimage site of Sarnath. A car was recommended as the trip was nearly and hour, but going 40kmh at full throttle while marveling at the sights with friends was a blast. We nicked one cow, but the holy animal, our vehicle, and all aboard were intact; we had a good laugh with our driver as to the nature of our collective bad Karma if we had actually killed the animal that gives rise to the incarnations of nearly 33 million gods in Hinduism (this is one reasons cows are holy, they are the birth vehicle for gods).  Jack and I sat in the back and he told me about his plan to drive his custom built rig from Texan to Tierra del Fuego at the tip of Argentina, south America. “You are kidding my right, that is the same trip I have been dreaming about for years but I hoped to do it by motorcycle”. After comparing notes on a lot of other plans – like sailing around the world, we realized we were not alone on this planet with some crazy ass ideas regarding how to live life. Later I reviewed Jack’s web site and discovered he was beyond my dreaming about stage and was actively building this wild self contained vehicle, and making plans to point south and depress the pedal; Good luck Jack, I will see you on this crazy road again.

Historic  Stupa

Upon arrival in Sarnath we were swarmed by children begging, men wanting to serve as our guide, and all types of trinket sells people.  Straight to ticket off, and inside gate – safe.  Ok, outside is certainly not unsafe, it is however draining, often intimidating, and frequently  frustrating.  Sarnath is the sight where the last (there were others before, and there will be others in the future) Buddha (Sidhartha) taught his first teaching after achieving enlightenment in Boda Gaya. The site mostly consist of an excavated archeological site that once housed a great stupa in honor of the enlightened one. Like, Lumbini, and Kushinagar, Sarnath also supports monasteries from many Buddhist countries. Given the time constraints of my companions we kept our visit brief, but spinning the now familiar prayer wheels at the Tibetan monastery while repeating the mantra felt comforting amongst the humanity that is India.

Dogs and pups hanging out

Being largely anti-religious (angrily so, some would argue…correctly) I have been drawn to Buddhism since my 2006 thru – hike of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.  After hiking 2600 miles and debating the nature of god or the lack there of with myself and my companions, I became intrigued with something my friend Nate (Sunny) had said: “You know go-big (my trail name), I have never once heard you say anything inconsistent with my limited knowledge of Buddhism, I think you should check it out when you get home”. I did not give it much more thought after that until I unexpectedly got divorced and found myself once again completely lost and rudderless.  Ultimately, I shook the poor poor pitiful me bullshit and found myself at a Buddhist retreat near Santa Cruz.  The rituals were stupid, the vegetarian food mediocre, the women uninterested in, the room shabby, but the teaching of the straight talking Australian Nun (Robina Courtin) to be spot on with my fundamental beliefs and experiences. As typical, I left the retreat with new found focus, perspective and interest; I bought books, I downloaded teachings….and I did not do a damn bit of reading or listening or any type of follow-up.  Then I end up in Nepal using the Himalayas as the reason for the trip; “Funny, sure are a lot of Buddhist in those mountains, and I sure like their Monasteries?”  Now, without planning, I find myself being drawn to Boda Gaya (the place Buddha, awakened into enlightenment).

For Chryss

So the seed that was planted years ago was apparently starting to ripen. A few weeks back I had also heard that His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet was going to be giving a teaching in Boda Gaya, and the timing could actually work for my schedule.  “Humm, how is it that I have been to three of the most sacred sights of Buddhism, I am now eager to see the fourth, and the Dalai Lama is going to be there, wouldn‘t that be something”. Not that checking off sites has ever been all that important to me, or that  I am rarely if ever excited about seeing an unknown famous person – but these sites and this man (his smiling photo is everywhere ) have given this part of my trip some particular meaning and seeing it through is becoming important to me. Estimates suggested that 40-50 thousand people would be in Boda Gaya for the teaching and I was told that without a hotel booking (impossible to get now), I was running a fools gamble regarding finding lodging. So as is common practice now, I  rubbed my bracelet that Sara had given me and said to myself: “We are going, and it will either work our or it will not”.

Sleeping, not dead

The teachings are 12 days from now, and while Varanasi is alive with fascination and  frustration, I am ready to move on. But where to go?  It will be Christmas. A quick look at the map gave me my instant answer; Christmas should be cold so why not head back into the foothills of the Himalaya and go the famous former English hill station of Dargeeling, India.  Besides no-one goes to Dargeeling this time of the year.  I have a plan,

On my last day in Varanasi, Jack and I walked across the pontoon and bamboo bridge to the historic fort and remarkable but frightening weapon museum. We shake our heads in disbelieve as we noticed that the recently placed huge pillars for the new bridge over the Ganges are leaning.  Not leaning a little bit, but Tower of Pisa leaning; and know this was not per the design…that was obvious. As I stood their looking on while still shaking my head, I spontaneously said “Shit, these guys have a lot of nuclear weapons, and this contractor can’t build a bridge over the Ganges, I sure hope the nuke contractor got the off switch wired correctly”.  Instead of walking back we hired two very lucky fisherman to take us back across the river. Lucky because we nor they had change and thus they made more in an hour than they likely make in a week. The boat was river worthy but reeked of Ganges sludge that was all over the boat.  The first mate organized lines,  sorted the fish that should not be consumed by any man or beast given the guaranteed high levels or contaminants, and rinsed the fresh (not) water mussels that would be sold at market.

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Varanasi, India
Cow in street garbage

On the river Ganges, the sacred city of Varanasi is sensory overload. “Is that micro shop’s (maybe 3X4X5ft) shopkeeper really sitting in the lotus position while doing business by reaching over the cow lying in the alley; while a monkey swings from the wires above carrying undergarments, as a women chases the monkey with a broom while screaming in Hindi; while we eat samosa’s  (deep fried dumplings) directly from the boiling hot oil of a coal fire built atop an old paint can“? Yes, but of course he is! “Is that guy really peeing against the wall while that women washes her clothes and self in the Ganges; while that boy cleans chai tea cups in the same water as they are pushing the cremated remains (upwards of a hundred a day) bodies into: while the holy men smoke hash pipes with their nearly naked bodies are covered in bright orange and white pant and fully dusted in fire ash ”. Yes, but of course he is. “Are those guys really directing those trained pigeons with flags and walling noises while those boys try and cut each others kites atop the same roof that the guy is making buffalo crap fuel as the women sleeps on the more dried dung”? Yes, but of course they are. “Are those Muslim guys really cutting themselves and bleeding across the chest as they reenact the murder of one of their martyrs while others beat haunting drums and wail as we look down at the mayhem from the rooftop”?  Yes, but of course they are.  “Is that guy really feeding those hundreds of squealing frantic monkeys while more hundreds of Hindu wipe off the excess orange blessing paint onto the walls of the shrine so as it drips a brightly colored goo over the shrine“? Yes, but of course he is. Welcome.

Gulls and the Ganges

A 150rp ($3) room, all you can eat street food for under a dollar, new friends from around the world, sunrise and sunset boat rides on the filthy but somehow magical river; Varanasi will charm you or frustrate you – you decide.  Upon arriving at the train station 4 of found ourselves at the curb together, and we quickly made introductions, secured a rickshaw, and agreed to check out a guest house that one of the group had heard about….fast friends, and we spend the next 4 days traveling together; fantastic.

Hindu Holy man (Sadhu0

I needed to get a Hepatitis B booster and the guide book suggested that Varanasi had a very good western hospital. I walked across town along with the cows, water buffalo, taxis, auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, thousands of people, hundreds of dogs, and dozens of monkeys until I found a good landmark in the local University. Then I began asking for directions.  The key to asking direction is to NEVER point or say is the Hospital “this way”.  The reason being is that people do not want you to loose face and thus if you act like you know where you are going they will often confirm your direction even if it is completely wrong.  So, keep your hands at your side and simply ask “do you know where the hospital is”.  The second key is do not go very far before you repeat this process.  After you ask a half dozen times a pattern will develop and you will get a since if you are on the right path. Regardless, keep asking and soon enough someone you ask will point up and laugh because you will be at your destination.

Vegetables, motorcycles, cow, and people

Upon finding and reflecting on the hospital, I am thinking the author maybe has never actually been in the west and seen a western hospital.  Regardless, the security guard recognized I was totally confused by the mass of human suffering in the waiting room and took me to see a doctor whom I showed my international vaccination card, and explained what I needed.  “No problem, you have the vaccine, I give you shot”. Humm, just so happens I am not carrying Hepatitis B vaccine in my backpack.  I explained this to rather large staff that was now interested in why this westerner was in their hospital, and they sent me to the pharmacy to secure the vaccine – that is different.  At the pharmacy, I explained again what I needed, showed them my shot history while they actually looked up the drug on a computer of all things….but no, we do not have any of that drug; in a country where Hepatitis is quite prevalent  “What is up with that Doc”? He simply shrugged, gave a slight head bobble and said: “We do not immunize in India, thus no drug”.

Man selling vegtables


Cows in alley

Ghats at sunrise

Bathing in the Ganges

Hindu women with Sadhu

For Janna

At sunset

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Welcome to India

Gorakhpur and Kushinagar, India
December 14, 2009
Welcome to India

The border crossing into India was chaotic and I was completely uncertain as to the requirements regarding checking out of Nepal and checking into the sub continent.  So I followed the mass of people and ultimately ended up at a jeep stand where rides were being offered to Gorakhpur – my next destination.  “Humm, seems like I missed something”.  I doubled back and found a lien-to that housed Indian Immigration and they reviewed my passport and visa and started to sign me into their country until I mistakenly inquired about signing out of Nepal. After lots of pointing, head bobbing (an Indian phenomenon that is neither a yes or no nod, rather it is a bobble from left to right and means any number of things depending on the situation). I shrugged my shoulders, pointed to my ears indicating I had no idea what they were saying, and simply followed the mass of people the other way; figured out that the only people who have to check in and check out are non-Indians and non-Nepali, everyone else just does what ever they want. Once on the Nepali side, again, I found a micro sign that pointed to the even more micro office, and after a silly amount of scrutiny given that I had just walked from Nepal into India and back to Nepal,  I was checked out of Nepal.  I walked once again back across border and after an even greater amount silly amount of scrutiny I was checked into India.

Protector of the Stupa

The contrast between these two countries was immediately apparent. While I had found Nepal wonderful it was nonetheless dirty, crowded and generally chaotic. That naturally was in contrast to beautiful California – In contrast to India, Nepal is a model of cleanliness, civility, and calm.  The first indication of this was when for 100rp (about a 2 to 1 exchange rate in India, thus 100rp is about $2.00) I secured a ride in a jeep to Gorakhpur. I was told this was a MUCH better and more comfortable option than a bus; then we put 15, yes that says fifteen, people in a 4 door jeep – 4 in front seat, 5 in back seat, 6 behind back seat.  I was in the back seat…in the middle of the back seat; two men on my left, and a woman and her son on my right. The ride was 3 hours and our young driver was, candidly, a little punk who drove completely out of control with the horn depressed a full two hours of the drive. Upon arrival he was adamant about a tip – I told him I needed my pack from the top of the jeep, mumbled to myself that you are on crack if you think you are getting a tip for making me a human sardine, and then trying to kill me.  I walked away with him shouting….likely calling me something rather poetic in Hindi.

Shops outside are less weathly

Upon arriving at the train station I set out to buy a ticket to Varanasi where I was planning on going in a few days after visiting the final resting place of Buddha (Kushinagar).  I had read the book on how to go about doing this, and I entered the station with great confidence and resolve.  An hour later I left the station with no ticket, a list of resentments, and a high level of frustration.  The fact that the guide book said there was an excellent information center only added to my frustrations because after asking dozen of people where it was I discovered it had been closed for a very long time; and my guide book had only been published a few weeks prior. I was not getting off to a particularly good start in India.

I figured I would try my luck at an Indian ATM as I was limited to the Indian rupees I had been able to secure in Nepal.  Tried taking money from checking account – Denied.  Tried taking money from savings account – Denied.  Tried other bank card – Denied, Denied.  On the fifth try, to the eye rolling of the security guard who was dealing with the 30 people in the queue who were about to kill the westerner, I tried taking money out of my “current” (what ever that is)  account and out spit 10,000rp (~$200). “Lets get out of this town all ready”.  I pre-paid (MISTAKE, as I lost all of your leverage) for a taxi and headed to my second major pilgrimage site of Buddhist. A few minutes into the trip the driver pulled into get petrol (which I later found out is typical as they never have any fuel in the cars) and insisted that I pay.  I just sat there and refused; once the queue started to back up and it was obvious I was not paying, he put a few litters into the car and we headed out.  Ten minutes later, he stops again and tells me that he “takes lunch”.  At this point I resulted to yelling…something about having to meet friends and pointing to my watch – we kept going. Upon arrival in Kushinagar, I felt instantly at ease as it was obviously a place of Buddhist pilgrims and thus much less insane…almost calm even. The driver, unbelievably, again insisted on a tip and as I walked away from the cab I again muttered to myself.  I then thought: “Ok, you need to figure this out or you will not make it a week here and you’re  are likely to kill someone if you do not adapt quickly.”

Remains of the old Stupa and Monastery

I had read that the Japanese monastery had very nice rooms available for a donation.  I found the monastery, confirmed with the gate man that they indeed had rooms available and sought out the Monk I needed to confirm with.  When I met the monk, he literally looked me up and down and then proceeded to lie and tell me they had no rooms available. Before this trip I held monks, like priest before them,  in the highest regard and many, even most, deserve this respect. But some are no better than pedophile Priest; I have seen them kick dogs and children on the street, and have heard many hide behind their robes and do much worse than that – they are people, most are good, some are not.  A guy on the street said he new a good place for me to stay, and given my options were limited in this small town I went to see the room; pretty much beyond description, but feces all around the squat toilet and tracked into the filthy room had me think better of touching anything let alone staying there.  My Tibetan friend Choezom told me if I was ever in need of help, I should find a Tibetan.  She actually said: “Indians sometimes helpful, Nepali most times helpful, Tibetan’s always helpful. Biased for sure, but I was in a jam. So while the guide book said the Tibetan monastery was marginal, I figured I would try and find a Tibetan. The care taker, an Indian and most likely Hindu,  quickly and pleasantly introduced me to one of the two monks who live there and I explained my friends from Tashling said I may seek lodging or assistance here.  “You are our welcomed guest, we can not offer much but what we have is yours”. The room was old and decrepit but they kept it clean and provided me the best blankets they had available.  I know they were the best because I saw theirs, full of holes, airing out. They also gave me anti mosquito smoke sticks, and candles as their power was very limited.  The toilet was outside, but clean and I took my turn at filling the large roof top water tank using the hand pump. Tibetan pilgrims from Ladak accompanied by their local Lama arrived the next day and I felt guilty as a dozen of them shared a room similar to my single occupant room. I asked if they needed extra space as I had more than enough, they simply looked at me like I was confused and explained they had more then enough also.

Final resting place of Sidhartha Buddha

Seeing the gold statue of the resting Buddha, and more importantly the reverence that pilgrims from around Asia gave the statue, I was moved in my understanding that this truly is a holy place. I found myself also kneeling, hands clasped, and head bowed out of respect.  I spoke with two Burma (Mirmar) monks who gave me a comprehensive overview of the historic significance of Kushinagar and then politely asked for a tip.  I find this often with the Indian monks, and the Burmese monks while the Nepali or Tibetan monks never ask for money. In fact, when you try to give them some, they often refuse. Regardless, I gave a donation and we parted ways friends.

I also learned a common scam prevalent throughout India; seems many restaurants or other businesses just never seem to have the correct change and suggest that if you come back for another meal they will have change or give you credit.  I fell for this a few times, but have now developed a better (for me anyway) strategy.  When they say they do not have the correct change, I simply say “That is not a problem as I may come back again and will pay my bill later“, or I tell them “That is ok, you can give me a mineral water for the road to make up the difference you owe me”.  Funny thing, they always seem to find change after that.   Please don’t get me wrong, I find the Indian people lovely with most being incredibly kind, generous, and honest.  But there is enough of the population, particularly around tourist areas, who are simply crooks that you have to keep your guard up…which is unfortunate as it can make you think less of the people as a whole.  My rule of thumb is: trust everyone with discretion, and always always always, listen to your gut feeling.  When you get honest behavior thank your benefactor profusely, and when you are getting cheated, call the perpetrator out, look them in the eye and tell them I know you are cheating me. I do this politely but firmly.

There was still that little problem of getting a train ticket to Varanasi and again I sought the help of the local Tibetan monk who “knew a guy”.  Now from what I can tell, knowing a guy, is pretty much how everything gets done in India. Like Pulk Fiction, you simply need a “Cleaner” to get stuff taken care of.  So the “guy” who gives me a ride back to Gorakhapur, also helps me navigate how to secure a train ticket. Once I was confident I was in the right line, with the correct paper work I gladly paid him for his assistance.  Ah, but how do you keep you place in an Indian line at the train station?  Being polite simply does not work as people just keep cutting in front of you.  This went on for about 30 minutes until a big bloke from Australia showed up and we compared notes on not going anywhere in this line. “Ok, you block on the left and I will block on the right”.  Pretty soon, after politely demonstrating we were not about to let anyone else cut in line we were in the front of the queue. What we did not know however was that women are allowed to go to the front of the line. So when we double blocked a Muslim women in full veil we were duly and appropriately chastised and educated.  We let her go but jokingly got into a blocking posture to the great laughter of the hundred men behind us. Ok, this works, keep a good attitude, and when you make mistakes just laugh at yourself. Fortunately I booked my ticket for the correct train and while amazingly stressful actually found the correct platform; this is not easy when the message boards are written in Hindi, the announcements are impossible to understand, and no-one seems to speak English in the smaller outlying stations. I did however book into the wrong compartment.  I booked “sleeper” class.  It was marginally ok for me and I have pretty high tolerance.  Compared to general seating or standing it must look to many locals as elegant, but for a westerne,r, it was a bit rough. There was three small bunks on each wall and once my pack and I were on the top level I remembered my Marine Corps days, not fondly, experience aboard a U.S navel ship.   The car was filthy, and the bathroom made the car look clean, but as typical I slept pretty darn well.

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Burning bodies

Pashupatinath, October 29, 2009

“What are the men, the ones in the river, below the cremation platforms doing with the fine toothed rakes and other garden tools” I asked my very knowledgeable and passionate Hindu guide.  “They are looking for the jewelry and gold teeth of those who have been released from this earth” he said in a matter a fact manor. Thus started my tour and sobering experience at the most holy Hindu site in Nepal – Pashupatinath.

platformsCremation platforms

About 50-60 people are cremated here every day and the environment is hard for a westerner, at least me, to get my head around. Most of the bodies are from the Kathmandu area and some come from the hospice facility here at the temple.  If you happen to be lucky enough to ever leave this hospice alive, you are considered a miracle and are given a new name because you have been saved by the gods are “reborn”.

man tending cremationMan tending cremation fire

There are three main components to this temple; the cremation area (dead and mourning), the fertility section (trying to make life – either happy or sad depending on how you are doing), and the main temple area (general Hindu worship – happy or sad also seemed to be the prevailing conditions) that is restricted to those born into the faith.

phallic symbolsFertility shrines with phallic symbols

On the day of my visit, I watch and/or invade in morbid fascination as 8 bodies burn on the platforms, and their ashes are pushed into the filthy but highly sacred river that ultimately connects to the holiest of all Hindu river – the mighty Ganges in India. I see young couples praying over phallic symbols in the hopes of conception – specifically male conception. And, being it was the first day of the marriage season, the main temple is full of joyous or worried worshipers celebrating the potential opportunities available during this holy “union” season.

people leaving templePeople leaving temple

Large pieces of saddle wood are stacked in a manor similar to the “log cabin” camp fire method taught by the Boy Scouts.  Smaller pieces of wood are put inside the frame, and very light and dry material is added as kindling. The bodies, all of which died today, come wrapped in shrouds of white linen.  As per custom, nothing has been removed from the body after death.  In fact, most of the person possessions will be given away or thrown into the river so the persons soul we leave unencumbered by worldly possessions and leave the home.  Often a piece of shroud is torn away and filled with rice or other offerings, and carnations are abundant throughout the entire temple and float down the stinking coco brown river as orange islands. The toes of the body are touched in the blessed river and the dead are placed north or south on the “cabin” depending on gender.

old manHindu man

While Hindu people do not believe in organ donation, they do allow for the corneas to be removed and reused.  Therefore, immediately behind the platforms is the eye removal center, complete with a huge sign advertising such. A man is assigned to light and tend the fire that will burn for 4-5 hours. A mourning man will shave his head and eyebrows and will wear all white for an entire year after the ceremony.  Mourning women completely forgo all color from their traditional dress of gorgeous red, green, yellow Sari’s. If they are touched with color during the year, they will start the grieving anew.

oled womenWomen leaving temple

When the process is complete, large pieces of wood are still smoking, and they along with the ashes of the body and other fuel are pushed into the river.  This wood is retrieved and made into charcoal for further burning in homes for fuel or heat. While standing a respectable distance away, contemplating the inappropriateness of taking photos, I struggle with understanding what I am watching: “Those are bodies, those guys are looking for their teeth, that cow just below the platform just defecating in the water, that wood is going to be made into charcoal, those people over there are pouring a liquid that simulates bodily fluids into and on a phallic symbol, those goats are humping amongst all those pigeons and kids throwing rice, that women is prayer her daughter marries a good Hindu man, that man has no feet….”

Above the public platforms there are concrete stands for those of royal (not now as the Monarchy was dissolved post Maoist revolution (which has apparently started again since I got here, but that is another story) or other “important” people.  While here, one of these VIP’s is also torched off, but I never figure out who he was; no one seems to know. In the high rent section there is a larger area for public viewing and a lot of followers look on between praying for babies and marriage success. They seem neither happy or sad, but simply at the temple like any other day.  Some threw coins in the water, and young boys who wade in their underwear cast large magnets into the liquid that started as water, and drag the bottom in hopes of securing their fortune. Like committed fisherman they throw and retrieve their lures over and over and over.

Some of the dogs (those who go in the water) around the temple are frightening in appearance. Like Chemo therapy, the chemical soup of liquid has made their hair fall out creating an alien and grotesque looking creatures. Apparently there are rug factories up stream that discharge a deadly toxic slurry directly into this sacred river. The people know this, but readily wash there feet in the water before entering the holy site.  My guide tells me that it is sad the river is polluted, but he dreams of the day he to will be pass from this life and be put into this water body also.  He is not looking to die, but rather is a man of great devotion, who believes things are as they are supposed to be…..it is all a process.  “I do hope I do NOT come back as a dog” he adds however.

We see the holy men who truly look like highly colorful (complete with face painting), dreadlocked,  sunglass wearing, pot heads.  I don’t get any photos because they expect a commission in order to refill their pipes. I begin to think I am being closed minded and try to remember these are the holiest men in the Hindu religion. As reading my mind, my guide says: “The Sadhas, are the holiest of men, they are buried and not burned because this is there last incarnation….they have reached nirvana or perfection and will not be coming back, so they get to sit around all day, be lazy, and smoke hash in this life; very lucky”.

cows in riverCows below the cremation platforms

After paying my guide I go back into the temple area.  I put my camera away and walk to the cremation side of the river.  I am welcomed by a stoned Sadhas, who tries to bless me with grey ash (who knows where that came from) he was covered in,  to an area just above the bodies and the burn platforms.  I sit for a long time.  I do not remember what I think about, but I know it forever changes my perspective on “How things are”.  It has been said that this type of travel will “Rearrange your internal furniture”. I liked the sound of that before I left easy street California, but now that I am in deep, I wonder what happens to you when the furniture is complexly turned upside down?

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October 14, 2008, Namche Bazar

namche bazar monistaryNamche Bazar Monastery

After some looking I found the Sherpa museum. It was locked, but a care taker let me in and I wondered alone amongst the tools and belongings of the people who truly have a mastery of these mountains. Nothing was behind Plexiglas, and there were no alarms; simply a “request to respect” our small collection.  After walking around, I was offered the opportunity to see a slide show about the area that had been prepared  by a local hotel owner and photographer.  It was a very low tech power point but I enjoyed sitting in the musty room (which was also storing Yak dung) while the ancient PC labored to load each photo. Given my interest, I was then given a private tour of the Everest room that included a great newspaper collection (under Plexiglas this time) documenting the climbing history of the worlds tallest mountain.  They were all here: Tenzing Sherpa, Sir Ed, Jim Whitaker, Rob Hall…all the great climbers and their greater Sherpa support teams. One memorable quote from the great Kiwi caught my eye from 1953:  “We knocked the bastard off”.  I may use that line on Island Peak.  HUBRIS dummy…never forget hubris.

yak drying wallYak and other dung drying

After awakening to the Tibetan horns of the monastery, I went for a walk and saw what I had previously been described at the museum.  Away from the tourist routes I saw two men mixing human waste with Yak, Yakow and likely other dung.  They were forming the mixture into large pancake sized disk.  After the disk are dried, according to my understanding, the cakes are burned for heating and cooking fuel and the “ash” is used as a fertilizer in the high altitude gardens which support mostly potatoes and HUGE cabbage I see growing around town.

cabage

Big dung cabbage with help from Stupa

The morning air was also filled with juniper smoke as small dried branches are traditionally burned to make the “Gods happy”.   This smoke smells really good as it wafts up in small clouds from mini shrines at nearly every home, lodge, and shop.

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October 13, 2009 Phakding – Namche Bazar

“Look asshole, just because people are poor and it may appear they don’t care, you don’t pee on the wall of someone’s home. You also don’t snap your fingers at the people who are trying, with limited resources, to meet your wimpy (myself included) needs”.  The bad behavior is isolated and most people are fantastic but occasionally a few have tempted my walking stick to end up against their arrogant colonial heads.  We often hear about the justly named ugly American traveler, and I certainly witnessed this previously in Paris, and to a lesser extent New Zealand, but the American crowd here are mostly the outdoor type and they are representing the stars and stripes rather well.  In fact, my friend Martin who is Polish but lives in Sweden said: “Not to be rude and please take no offense, but if the Americans here in Nepal, yourself included I would add, would show up more often abroad and in the media, you guys would have a much better world reputation”. The big groups seems to cause the most consternation and I guess some is understandable. They paid a lot of money for this trip (about double what I paid by booking local), they have unrealistic high expectations (the operators have some responsibility – as they over promise and under deliver), and large group dynamics create a feeding frenzy of “Us first, us first, we are German after all”. The best “You have got to be flipping kidding me story” was the French guy I witnessed who wanted to buy bottled water.  Now bottled water is carried up these mountains by man and/or beast and it is dusty out here.  So while the proprietor hands this snob. bottle after bottle of water (after wiping each top as is customary) he continues to reject them for being “dirty”.  After 12-15 bottles, the owner sends her son to another tea house and he brings back more bottles of water; again “disgusting – dirty”. Finally, she starts speaking in Nepalese and the boy disappears; I see him outside polishing the plastic water bottles out of sight of the French guy.  When presented with the sparkling plastic bottle this pin-head Parisian says: “finally, clean water”;  he then wants to negotiate the price. My hiking pole almost went through his spleen with a “No, you eat cake” comment from Versailles.
jax with load

Yakow

We followed many Yakow trains out of Lukla and up to Namche Bazar.  These sturdy beast are a cross between a Yak and a cow and are used at lower elevations.  Yaks, apparently do not feel good below 3000m and actually start loosing their hair if they get to much oxygen. Yakows on the other hand like thick air and work hard; they are no match for the size and strength of the big male Yaks up high however. Now at home, I give things weighing about a ton with attached horns a wide berth, and this has, to the annoyance of locals, been my practice here.  When I see these buffalo looking things coming, I get the hell out of their way while little school kids walk right by them and slap-em, silly if they get out of line.

We stay at a lovely tea house for a day of acclimation in Namche Bazar where I enjoy talking to the owner about his holiness the Dali Lama.  She has several photos of her family with the exiled leader of Tibet and her husband has traveled with the great monk to the United States and I believe elsewhere. I visit the local monastery and witness the local monks continually chanting their mantras in order to bring focus and quiet to their minds.

mt above namcheMt. above Namche Bazar

I got off to a good start with this tea house owner when I requested a shower. She gave me the keys and I went into the small closet that was the shower room.  On the wall was a propane instant hot water heater.  I got naked, turned on the water, and waited for the heat.  Instead, I found myself bathing in the fumes of highly explosive gas.  I turned off the water, threw on my skivvies and got the hell out of there.  I call for help and this traditionally dressed Tibetan women with a huge smile shows up and turns the water back on and laughs hysterically when the not so small explosion ultimate happens as the unit lights. “Happens every time, you pay me extra, I pay to have fixed”. She then looks at me standing in my briefs and starts laughing uncontrollably while shaking her head. About an hour later a British fellow runs up the stairs half naked complaining of a “gas” smell in the shower and a possibility of “real danger”.  The Tibetan women looks at me and I say to this poor chap: “Happens all the time, you pay her extra and she will have fixed, otherwise just wait for the explosion”.

jax hanging

Yakows hanging out

I was very happy,  to the point of smugness, with my performance on the way to Namche; I beat the porter with the plywood to the top of the hill! I was carrying Angin’s small day pack while he carried my full pack. The plywood guy was hauling 4 full sheets of our U.S equivalent (4X8X¾) laminated wood. To be clear, I can not carry one of these sheets from the rack at Home Depot to my truck in the parking lot.  This guy walked, bent over to nearly 70 degrees, with this wood on his nearly flat back.  He was wearing flip flops, had to cross several narrow suspension bridges, and walk up a trail that was effectively a boulder strewn staircase.  It took me about 5 hours, but I beat him by over 20 meters: Go America! Later in the week I would see another porter carrying 7 (4X4X7is) post in the same manor; he would beat me easily and walked out of sight within an hour.

Below the tea house two men are making the foundation material for structures I will see throughout this region.  The are making blocks out of solid granite that they have exposed beneath the earths surface. One man swings a huge sledge hammer while the other holds a short handled tool that has a spike on the end of it. After several blow, the a small hole begins to appear and water is added to the hole as a lubricant. Ultimately a big piece of granite is broke free and the men turn their attention to the more careful work of forming very uniform rectangular blocks. They utilize the natural crack lines in the rock and during my two day stay they hand chisel about 12 blocks.  When I returned 10 plus days later, the underlying granite had been completely transformed into a stack of nearly a hundred perfect blocks.

making boards
Making boards
Beyond building blocks, timbers are hand made throughout Nepal also.  A tree is felled and a platform structure is built out over a ledge.  This allows for one person to stand about 4 feet above his partner sawyer. A long saw is drawn up with a “touch down” motion from the upper person and drawn down with the opposite motion from the person below.  In doing this the four bark sides are carefully sawn away leaving a square timber.  I watched several men perform this task and it looks to take about a half a day to make one 4x4x8 post.  If you need a 2×4, well that naturally takes one more long and careful cut.

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Kathmandu, Nepal

budha

Sitting Buddha, little Tibet

Ok, so maybe an expedition is a bit of an exaggeration, but I figure a porter and a climbing guide, along with boots, crampons, ropes, helmet, ice ace, and 20,000 ft….has to count for something. I leave in the morning and will be gone for nearly a month.  My new summit attempt day is October the 30th.  On Dad’s birthday, the 23rd of October, I should be on top of Kalipathar enjoying the reported best view of the Himalaya (happy early birthday Dad); I should be able to see California from the top and will be thinking of you.  My schedule is below and the locations can be found on any good map of the Everest regions if you are interested. Oh yea, “lodge” does not mean Timberline Lodge in the North Cascades; rather think of a shelter with a plywood bed complete with 4 inches of foam, a squat toilet down the hall, and some hot noodles to eat….all good.

Number one fact checker comes through again.  I reported that Cei had pulmonary edema but she actually had cerebral edema. the former being a lung problem while the later is the much more serious brain swelling problem attributed to lack of oxygen reaching he brain. Thank you John, appreciate the help as always.

My dear sister Sheri said: ” Next time you post translate the mountain heights into feet for me :)”.  I love you girl, but that is not going to happen. I am having to train myself in metric because when you say “feet” here people just role there eyes with that “catch a clue American” look.  Seriously, I have talked to people from no less than 20 countries and NO ONE uses feet and can not believe the idiocy of the U.S for keeping  a system that is archaic, difficult, inconsistent with the world’s scientific community, and directly responsible for conversion errors that have caused human life.  But then again the “American government is famous for their arrogance” is typically the conclusion we jointly come to; albeit with good humor.  I often respond with one of my favorite quotes that RT shared with me: “Yes, it is easy to be principled when you are insignificant” .  That pretty much drives a final nail and solidifies the arrogance argument completely. Wanting to help  my math challenged sibling however,  the math is: 1 M = 3.28 ft.  Or simply multiply the meters times 3.3 and you will be close enough for understanding purposes.

go-BIG 2009 Himalayan Expedition: Gokyo valley, Chola pass, Everest base camp, Imja  Tse summit

Day 01: (October 12, 2009)

Fly to Lukla early in the morning (2827 m. 45 minutes flight) and then trek to Phakding (2-3 hours walking). Over night at lodge.

Day 02:

PHAKDING – NAMCHE (3440 m 6-7 hours.). Over night at lodge.

Day 03:

Fully day acclimatization and explore to climbers museum, Sherpa culture museum and visit to monastery.

Day 04:

Trek to Khumjung (3850 m 3-4 hours)  Over night at lodge.

Day 05:

KHUMJUNG – DHOLE (6 hours 4130 m.). Over night at lodge

Day 06:

DHOLE – MACHHERMO (4 hours 4520 m). Over night at lodge

Day 07:

MAHHERMO – GOKYO (4 hours 4860 m) Over night at lodge.

Day 08:

Wake early morning, climb Gokyo peak (5480 m)  Over night at lodge

Day 09:

Early morning walk to Chola Pass (5430 m 8-9 hours) Over night at Dhongla (5060 mtrs) Over night at lodge.

Day 10:

Trek to Labuche (5 hours 4860 m) Over night at lodge.

Day 11:

Rest day at Labuche.

Day 12:

Early morning VISIT KALAPATHAR for best Himalaya view (4 hours 5545 m) back to Gorekshep. Over night at lodge.

Day 13:

Early morning visit Everest Base camp (5 hours 5340 mtrs.) trek back to  Labuche (5 hours 4830 m) Over night at lodge.

Day 14:

Trek to Dingboche. Over night at lodge.

Day 15:

Trek to CHHUKUNG (7-8 hours 4730 m). Over night at lodge

Day 16:

Rest day at Chhukung. You will be meeting your climbing guide and check all the equipment.

Day 17:

CHHUKUNG – ISLAND PEAK BASE CAMP (6-7 hours 5130 m). Over night at tent

Day 18:

ISLAND BASE CAMP TO HIGH CAMP (Imja Tse) (5-6 hours. 5820 m.). Over night at tent.

Day 19: (October 30. 2009)

HIGH CAMP SUMMIT PEAK  (Imja Tse) (6189 m.) back to Base camp/Chhukung Over night at lodge.

Day 20:

PHERICHE – THYANGBOCHE  (3868 m 5-6 hours.) Over night at lodge.

Day 21:

THYANGBOCHE – MONJO (7 hours.). Over night at lodge.

Day 22:

MONJO – LUKLA (7-8 hours). Over night at lodge.

Day 23:

LUKLA fly to KTM.  (35 minutes flight.). Transfer to selected hotel in Kathmandu. Over night stay.

Talk to you all in a month; know you are in my thoughts and my heart.

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