what a field day for the heat, a thousand people in the street

We've been having a wonderful time traipsing about Rajasthan since we talked to you last. We have crossed off Varanasi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur, and Udaipur.

In Varanasi, we stayed at the ill-named Elvis Guest House, and saw the famous sunrise over the Ganges from a boat. Nils got a turn at the oars, which he bungled quite badly. Varanasi is the site of several burning ghats, since it is an auspicious place to be sent to the next world. Five sorts of people are not allowed to be cremated, though: (1) Women with child, (2) Lepers, (3) Infants, (4) Beggars, and (5) Those killed by snakebite.

An overnight bus to Agra let us take a whistle-stop tour of the most beautiful building in the world. Well, Nikki claims the Al-Hambra was better, and Nils isn't quite sure about the Sultanahmet Camii. The Taj has a steep entrance fee (750 rupees, about 20 US dollars), which means it is rather peaceful inside the spacious grounds. Restoration work seems to be going around the clock. The inner archaeologist in Nils is a little disappointed that there seems to be more of a focus on restoration than on preservation, but at least it keeps the buildings lovely. We also began to run into "the change problem". Nobody has change. Any change. I was skeptically evaluated for paying a 15 rupee bill with a 20 rupee note. I have no idea how tourists are supposed to ever get small bills to pay with exact change. It might be a scam to elicit tips.

A few hours away is the much grander--if less pretty--Fatehpur Sikri, "Akbar's Only Folly". Fatehpur Sikri is an entire city with a large palace complex built by Akbar the Great to be his new capital. It was a city of great learning and great ambitions, but unfortunately little in the way of aqua vita. Despite heroic efforts of Akbar's engineers, Fatehpur shrivelled and died, much to the delight of the present day. We spent the day wandering around all the red ruins. Fatehpur Sikri was definitely the high point of India for Nils.

We hitched a ride to a bus station where we caught a departing bus to Jaipur, the Pink City. We fit in a showing of a Bollywood film at the famous and blobulous Raj Mandir cinema, which did not need subtitles to convey the plot of "let's dance and sing". The same producers also did "Neal 'n' Nikki", which has confused everyone to whom we try to introduce ourselves. The old city of Jaipur is filthy with banana peels, cow dung, plastic, and rickshaw drivers. It is home to the fantastic observatory Jantar Mantar, which is what you would get if you asked Disneyland to install several half-scale models of Stonehenge. We spent altogether too much time lovingly pawing pashminas and saris. Nils arrived at the conclusion that the only grass in India is behind very tall walls.

Another overnight bus (comfier!) took us to Udaipur, "the most romantic spot on the continent of India". We believe it. The wedding cake Lake Palace and fortresslike Monsoon Palace were the setting of 007's Octopussy, a fact which no budget restaurant will let you forget when they flick on their nightly showing. The implausible autorickshaw chase scene is twice as awesome when you've spent the last few weeks in those very contraptions. Sometimes I think our zealous drivers have taken tips from the movie. We also took a day trip to the remote many-pillared Jain temple of Ranakpur and long-walled impregnable mountain fort of Kulbalgarh, now uninhabited. Ranakpur also has a 50-cent all you can eat lunch, which almost disproves TANSTAAFL.

Tonight we catch another overnight bus to our final destination, Jaisalmer, the Golden City, where we plan to leave behind the "sandcastle fort" and take a camel safari into the scrub desert, before returning to catch a jet plane from Delhi to home sweet home Seattle. That means this will probably be the final post on this humble blog. Be sure to check out the image galleries we've linked here before for plentiful updates in late December or early January. From South Asia,

Namaste.

--Neal 'n' Nikki

so make a plan or hold a hand but don't ever be a passerby

We have a lot of turmeric here. Lunch, for example, was rice, dal (with turmeric), potatoes (with turmeric), and cauliflower (with turmeric). We were not about to pass up the opportunity for turmeric-less rice-less Thanksgiving dinner. Although we four Americans (Lucy, John, Nikki, and I) aren't cooks, we managed quite a feast between us. (And emails from mom. Thanks, mom.) We cooked chicken, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, and had bread, apple pie, and ice cream afterwards. It was fantastic. It will be another long while before we taste rosemary or celery. Mr. Patel was very surprised when we chucked all the "good stuff" out of the "soup" to make gravy. Also, he was disappointed to not be allowed to dump turmeric and masala on the chicken, but was allowed to refry the leftover chicken as he saw fit. A couple photos of the miracle can be found at my PicasaWeb page.

Mary Knox arranged a generous donation of ten laptops from her school, which made it through customs cleanly. We set them up in the computer lab, and have spend the past week and a half teaching five 40-minute classes a day. We teach grades 6-10 typing, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Publisher. For the most part, they are quick learners. Most students are remarkably uncreative, though. We think it's the rote educational system that just pounds out any individuality. Whenever we did a creative writing project, like writing a letter about themselves, they would do something like write their name and stop. If we gave them suggestions for further material, they would copy it down and stop. If we didn't suggest new material fast enough, they would close the document and start over again with exactly the same letter. When asked their favorite food, half wrote "Nepali food". When asked their favorite music, half wrote "Nepali music". It was very frustrating. If you let them loose with free time on PowerPoint, even after they knew how to use it, some would simply wait for further direction. Most kids have never been out of Kathmandu, and few have hobbies that we could coax out. I spend two days trying to get a kid to write more about swimming than "I like swimming", but never succeeded. One kid said Pokhara was his favorite place, but when juiced for more information, he had none, and it turns out he had never been there, and had heard remarkably little about it. Older kids were much better. One even wrote a QBasic program on his own. For the most part, kids enjoyed the computers tremendously, and we hope they will continue to be used to their full potential when we leave. You can find a few pictures of kids using their computers at my PicasaWeb page.

And on that happy note, I bring more sad news: we have abandoned our computers in customs. We went to the airport today to take one last stab at freeing them. While we have been trekking and teaching, Mr. Patel has visited many times, so we did not have much hope of actually getting them, but we wanted to do what we could. We re-offered the maximum bribe that Mr. Patel had offered (about $1200 US) without success. The asking price is actually pretty funny. Each of the eight computers is being valued at $750. Customs wants to charge duty (17%), "premium" (101%), and $200/day storage fees. This works out to something on the order of $15,000. The customs officials have generously agreed to consider the storage fees. (Insert eye-roll.) We were able to "inspect" the computers today, during which time we were able to smuggle out some RAM and wireless cards. They noticed, of course, and kicked us out, but in the ensuing discussions they forgot to frisk us. We asked for a second "inspection" later, which was denied after about half an hour. We were considering sabotaging (maybe permanently, maybe reversibly) the computers at this point, but did not get the opportunity, which I think might be a good thing for my conscience. A few officials were actually trying to help, but most were useless, greedy, and afraid. These officials do not say "No, no, no", they say "I want to help, but I can do nothing. Come tomorrow. You can speak with my boss. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow." They have in fact "agreed" to deliver the computers to us several times now. They pass the buck faster than a sawmill. There is no accountability. Mr. Gyanendra needs to agree to this. I have no authority.  He is next door. He is coming. Yes he is coming? What, he has not come? Then, he is over there, by the green line. No? Then he is over there, inspecting the machines. No? Then he is not available now. Time has come for him to leave work. Come tomorrow. I would like to help, but it is not allowed. 80,000 rupees will do nothing. I might lose my job. You must speak with Gyanendra. Come tomorrow? You are leaving the country tomorrow? I am sorry, I can do nothing.

AAAAAAARGH!

--Nils

well i was sitting, waiting, wishing

We needed a bite of lunch, so we stopped in at a cramped hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Hole-in-the-wall means something different in Nepal than it does in the US. It's pretty spartan. We weren't exactly sure it was open at first. There was a boy helping an older man install a replacement pane of glass in the counter. We asked the boy if they were open. He didn't understand. People speak English here, so don't be overly sympathetic. We repeated the question. "Yes," he said. We took a seat. He produced a menu and went back to helping the man install the glass.

Ten minutes passed.

I got his attention. "Do you work here?" Nod. "May we order?" Wobbly Nepali head movement that can mean anything, but usually means "OK." I explained our order, counting off the items on my fingers for clarity:

"One veg momo." Menu price, 30 rupees.
"One veg spring roll." 60.
"One Miranda." 20.
"One black tea." 5.

"Momo?" Uh-oh. Slight confusion. Repeat, with fingers:

"One veg momo."
"One veg spring roll."
"One Miranda."
"One black tea."

"OK." Phew. A momo is basically a potsticker. You get a plate of maybe eight. A spring roll is basically an egg roll. You get a plate of maybe two. Nepal is a nation of Indians eating Chinese food and Tibetans eating Tibetan food.

Boy goes behind the counter and produces two Mirandas for our approval. "One Miranda," I repeat. He pops the lid of one and hands it over, stowing the other one back beneath the counter. Back to the pane of glass. He produces my tea in a few minutes.

Time passes.

Man walks in the door. Appears to be the actual owner here. Boy speaks with him in Nepali. The man turns to us. "Veg momo?" Alas. Repeat, with fingers:

"One veg momo."
"One veg spring roll."
"One Miranda."
"One black tea."

I point out the last two items as I mention them to indicate they have already arrived. "OK. Momo steam or fry?" "Steam." Man disappears to kitchen. Phew. Boy leaves for parts unknown, comes back with a cabbage, holds it up for our approval. He's got it correct. "Yes, veg."

Time passes.

Begger comes in; begs.

Time passes.

A plate arrives! It's veg spring rolls. The two forks on the plate are a little disconcerting. I eat. Nikki mooches. I finish.

Time passes.

Begger leaves.

Time passes.

Nikki steals a glance at the bill. It definitely says "momo".

Time passes.

I go pick up the bill and read:

1. Veg Momo 1 @ 30
2. Miranda 1 @ 25
3. Black Tea 1 @ 10

Numbered just like that. 1-2-3. Nevermind that I counted off four items on my fingers every time. Nevermind that a spring roll arrived, but wasn't recorded. Nevermind that since the chef asked about steam/fry there couldn't have been any confusing a momo and a spring roll. Nevermind that he was overcharging our drinks. Nobody from the restaurant was in sight.

We borrowed a pen, corrected the price of our drinks, left exact change, and stopped at a bakery on our way home. We paid the momo price, not the spring roll price. Sorry, dude. You lose.

I have no idea what happened to the steamed veg momos. After all, this is Nepal.

--Nils

looking for adventure, or whatever comes our way

Hello!
So we are back from trekking alive and well, as Nils announced. It would take much too much time to cover everything we did, so I'll just have to cover some highlights. We became friends with some other trekkers - a group of 3 Germans, and a group of 3 Minnesotans who happened to be going the same way we were. We saw tons of beautiful sights and places. The star were amazing as Nils noted. We went for a polar bear swim in Gosaikund lake, which is at about 13,000 ft, and is absolutely freezing cold. There was snow on the ground. The Germans had the idea originally. It was fun, and we all managed to survive without hypothermia somehow. We experienced the unique cuisine of the mountains, which includes "Snicker Momo", which is essentially a turnover filled with chocolate, caramel, and peanuts. It's suprisingly a lot better than it sounds. We took an amazing day hike (on our rest day, haha) to 14,100 ft, which afforded us the most spectacular view of the Langtang range, and the surrounding glaciers. Overall, we had an amazing time. We have lots of pictures, but, they are all analog, as there isn't really much electricity to charge digital camera's. We saw one guy with a solar panel rigged to his backpack to charge his camera, but we were not quite so sophisticated.

I do have some pictures I posted of some of our time in Kathmandu. They are not a lot, as it takes quite a bit to upload photos here, due to slow internet, but it's something. If you're interested, you can see them at http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18373&l=6fb0a&id=598591945
Yes, they're on facebook, but that link should allow you to see them even if you don't have a facebook. I don't have a better photo hosting service at this point, or I would host them elsewhere. Apologies.

And now finally, for the most important, and probably best news. Our computers are not out of customs, but, one of the volunteers who just left, Mary Knox, shipped us ten Thinkpads from her old high school, and they did make it through customs! So while our computers are not here, we still have ten very useable computers to work with. We are setting them up this week, and then we will be starting teaching next Monday! We are very excited.
Anyway, thats most of the new for now. We are off today to get Indian visas.
-- Nikki

we breathe adrenaline, elevate organically

We're back from the Langtang Trek, alive, and well. It was awesome. We saw many stars, but no firefoxes, and I have muscles on my legs that I did not know about before. The Himalayas, for those of you wondering, are big. For future trekkers, I have compiled a short Nepali-English glossary.

Nepali phrase: "Today, we go uphill."
English meaning: "Today, we will climb stairs up a mountain until your legs fall off."

Nepali phrase: "Today, we go flat."
English meaning: "Today, we will climb a mountain until your legs fall off. There will, however, not be many stairs."

Nepali phrase: "Today, we go downhill."
English meaning: "Today, we will climb a 700 meter mountain, then jump off a 701 meter cliff. Your knees will regretably not survive intact."

Nepali phrase: "Tomorrow, we rest."
English meaning: "Tomorrow, we will scale a vertical rock face until there is no oxygen left in your lungs. We will then descend the rock face, and return to this same lodge to pass out."

Nepali phrase: "Gopte is near."
English meaning: "Gopte is far away."

Nepali phrase: "We have arrived at Gopte."
English meaning: "We have crossed some ancient boundary that once denoted the edge of the district in which Gopte lies. We will arrive at the town in one hour."

Nepali phrase: "Gopte."
English meaning: "That farmhouse to your left was part of Gopte when it was inhabited. We will arrive at the town in forty minutes."

Nepali phrase: "Yes, that is Gopte."
English meaning: "No, that is an abandoned outhouse, not a lodge. We will arrive at the town in twenty minutes."

Nepali phrase: "Maybe here is Gopte."
English meaning: "After three bridges, two waterfalls, and one hour of false hope, our lodge is that building there."

--Nils

i want to love you like the sun loves you

So we spent the last two days in Pokhara, which was lots of fun. I will expand on that later, but for now I don't have much time. We leave for trekking tomorrow bright and early at 6 am! We will be gone for two weeks, so don't expect to hear from us until then. Other than that, computers are still in customs, but being worked on, and should be here when we return from trekking in theory. Nils and I are both alive and well, Nils is cleanshaven now, and both are excited for trekking tomorrow.
Cheers!
Nikki

we watch the sky, confusing stars for satellites

So the past two days have been slow - they're the peak of the festival weeks, so everything in the city shuts down as people go back to villages, and spend time with families. It's the equivalent of the the Thanksgiving-Christmas period for us. As a result it makes it difficult to get places or do things though. We were invited to a student's house for lunch yesterday, and we made it there, but it took us a good 15 minutes to catch a timpo, when it normally would've taken two. Lunch was delicious and well worth the difficulty of finding a ride though.

Everyone here is so hospitable. At lunch at Amar's (the student), his family is clearly not incredibly well off - it is him and his mother, who is a widow, and they live in a modest -but well-kept and clean- one room apartment. They are also a lower caste, which I will get into later. In spite of this though, she was incredibly hospitable and generous and insisted upon feeding us a very large lunch, when she could have just as easily given us a snack of tea and biscuits. What someone said in Tanzania rings true here also - those with the least to give are the most generous. Everyone here is so kind and welcoming. After lunch Amar showed us his kite flying skills, which were quite impressive. The minute I touched the kite string (he insisted we try flying it), it dropped a good 30 ft almost instantaneously, but he was immediately able to fix whatever error I had made. Kite flying is huge here during festival, and dozens of kites dot the sky. While we watched he engaged in battle with another kite, which culminated in his successfully cutting the line of the other kite and setting it loose. This is a common goal among the kids of the city, and you will occasionally see groups of kids running down stray kites that have been cut out of the sky.

For the evening we went out to dinner in Thamel with the other volunteers, as it is the only place in the city still open, being the tourist district. It's a weird place, filled with knock-off hiking gear and street vendors who offer, "hashish? magic mushroom?", and more white people than you will see anywhere else in the city. It's odd in a way to see so many white people in one place, since you rarely see them in such large numbers in other parts of the city. It's quite disconcerting. We found a nice rooftop restaurant to have dinner at though, where we were serenaded by Reggae from a club on one side, and a terrible rock cover band on the other. They served the most Western style food I've seen yet, which included such things as garlic bread. This turned out to be bread with butter and crushed (uncooked) garlic on top. Tongue tingling. After dinner we indulged in dessert at a nearby bakery, and then stopped at a pub for cocktails for those who desired more alcohol, before turning in. The taxi ride home was a cozy six people in a compact car. At least if we crashed there was no way anyone was getting flung out of the car.

This morning started off lazily again, being festival, but Lucy and John (two of the other volunteers) decided to make banana pancakes as a treat for everyone. Maple syrup is not available here, but Nutella and honey are great substitutes. The rest of the day was spent talking and eating, and various other lazy activities, and then of course, receiving blessings.

The big thing for today's festival I guess is blessings. You are given blessing by your elders. This is particularly enjoyed by the kids, as blessings from your elders are accompanied by small monetary gifts. We were all blessed by Mr. Patel's mother, who gave us tikka's, and sprinkled us with marigold petals and holy grass (grass grown on specially designated holy plots) as blessing. We also received blessing from Mr. Patel and Sudha, as they are both our elder's technically (Sudha is 24, and thus not really older than some of the volunteers, but being volunteers , she is our elder). My hands and jeans are now coated in a fine red powder, from when my tikka came off, but it will come out, and besides, it is bad luck to refuse blessing (unless you are in Thamel, then it's just a scam). We still have a large dinner to look forward to tonight, and probably blessings tomorrow.

Oh, and then caste system. This and women's role in society here was a big conversation topic at yesterday's dinner, and is something that is currently somewhat prominent in politics here. Tyler, who studied abroad for 4 months here, and is now back again on a grant, knows a fair bit about the issues, so we were asking about it. What I have come to understand, is that there is a very defined caste system here. Westerner's rarely see it because Nepali's can know what caste someone is by what their name is, so unless you know how to interpret the names of people, it is invisible to you. Mr. Patel wants to be addressed as that because it conceals what his caste is. Him and Sudha are different castes (he was of a lower caste) and her parents still do not give their blessing to the marriage, and so she visits her family alone, because they do not approve of him. Caste is becoming less of an issue in Kathmandu - you will see Brahmins in poverty and dahls (untouchables) who have risen out of it, but it is a big political issue here, because dahls have virtually no representation, and it is still very existent in rural areas from what I understand.

Womens role has also been changing - until fairly recently a womens role was only in the house, and for many women it is still that way. Again, in Kathmandu that is slowly beginning to change - some women hold jobs, and are well educated. Although as Sudha pointed out, the oldest class at the school is all male - they have a very high drop out rate for girls. And for instance, Mr. Patel will sometimes cook dinner, and that is considered a very big step because that is typically considered a female domain. However, as evidenced today, there are still steps to be taken - when Nils tried to wash the dishes today, he was strongly opposed by Sudha. He persisted but she was very unwilling to let him do so, and Mr. Patel never washes dishes. And again, the most liberal practices and ideas are found in Kathmandu - rural villages are less so. Both of these are things that are not very evident unless you know what you're looking for, or until you hear stories or it is pointed out by other people.

Anyway. Now that I have given you an overly lengthy post, I will go entertain myself with some reading until dinner.
Have a Happy Dasain!