Wonderful Beautiful Nepal

We always hear about police in developing countries and how bad they are for corruption and such. Being an expat here in Nepal I had been curious about the police and have been pleased with most encounters that I’ve had with the police here in Nepal. After the first earthquake last year I went to the police department with a guest so she could see about getting evacuated. The police department in Changunarayan is located on a hill at the front of the village. There had been about 5 small buildings there, but they had all fallen quite badly the day before.  While we were there another earthquake began! The officer who was talking with us started telling me to sit down. I couldn’t, the earth was moving so violently beneath me. The shaking seemed to go on for quite some time, even though it was actually less than a minute.  From this vantage point, I could see plumes of smoke where more homes were falling, and where more people must have been losing even more. It would rain soon...

Photo by: Ajay Ranabhat It is my great pleasure to tell you that I have finally been able to overcome my laziness and procrastination to write a post in my blog after a hiatus of almost 10 months and that for the first time in Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , a play promoting ideas of liberty is being performed in a theater. I am also happy to report that I was involved in the writing, refining and rehearsal process of this play albeit in a minor role.  The play "Yojana Park" which is being performed in Mandala Theatre currently, is based on the ideas presented by F.A. Hayek in his book "The Road to Serfdom". It was written and adapted to Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, i context by Suresh Sapkota and directed by Buddhi Tamang. This is his first work as a theater director. Yojana Park is the story of a family consis...

People often remark on the lack of infrastructure in Nepal and I agree. Sometimes even finding a clean toilet can be a problem. I’ve learned a few tricks during my 5 years in Nepal this is one of them. First, you can ask to use the toilet anywhere and no one ever seems to mind, however you will find toilets locked in many businesses. Someone will be happy to provide you with a key. You will come upon some toilets that are monitored by a woman who sits there and expects 5-20 rupees per use. Sometimes these toilets are a bit cleaner, but not always. The cleanest toilets are at banks. I was quite surprised to find a condom dispenser of free condoms in the ladies toilet in the Standard Chartered Bank in New Banaswhor, but it’s the same with most toilets at banks. This is usually convenient, but keep in mind that banks close early on Friday and there are many holidays.  The city of Kathmandu has recently started provided mobile toilets in enclosed trucks in the busy, Ratna Park, City Ce...

About two years ago I went to Europe for the first time. I visited Berlin. Being an enthusiast for old buildings, I thought I’d quench my thirst for architectural tourism, but I never enjoyed ancient buildings in Berlin, and I could never figure out why until last year when I visited the ancient towns of Vence and St. Paul de Vence in France. At first I thought the buildings in Berlin were not old in the strict sense of the word, since the city was obliterated during WWII and many sites had to be reconstructed, or rebuilt from scratch, but I did not feel any thrill while exploring Vence and St. Paul de Vence. Travelers admire Belvedere auf dem Klausberg, in Sanssouci park, Potsdam, Germany I love old buildings, not just because of the fantasy that they might be haunted. Something about man-made structures that have lived for eons captivates me. Each time I see one, I wonder why has it stayed alive all this time? Bazar street, Tororo, Uganda, where I grew up. I grew up in one such ho...

What an incredible festival! It's a combination of paintball, and tag. It's a lot like a water balloon fight, but everyone is playing-even people who don't know it. As far as my research tells, March 22 is the best day to celebrate Holi, but be sure to check to see what else is going on on other days. A few years ago I my Holi companion saw a couple of older tourists just walking along minding their own business. As she took off to pitch a water balloon at them I laughed so hard I couldn't tell her not to do it. They just had no clue what was happening or why. So, be advised that if you go outside you will play Holi. So, just be ready and get your old sour puss in check. This is the day to let your inner child out to play. I want to add a couple of new tips this year. We are pre-monsoon and it's pretty dry in the Kathmandu Valley. That means some of the water that's tossed from rooftops, buckets, water balloons and squirt guns will be contaminated. I'd sug...