"A sum of money is a leading character in this tale about people, just as a sum of honey might properly be a leading character in a tale about bees." - Kurt Vonnegut

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Taking a Walk

Last night was another weird night in Pokhara featuring the return of The Brit, the introduction of a bunch of hilarious Aussie girls, the unexpected gift of a joint, carefully rolled then inexplicably left behind by an older Russian paragliding instructor, and a campfire circle of hippies of diverse nationalities.  I guess these things just happen when you're traveling alone.  I never knew.

Tomorrow I'll leave on my trek.  I've got granola, chocolate, iodine tablets, instant soup and a pretty good idea where I'm headed.  I doubt I'll have internet access, but I'll try to finally post some pictures when I return in 6-8 days.
 

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Seven Thousand Seven Hundred Ninety-Eight Dollars and Nineteen Cents

Christmas Eve was spent in revelry with a large group of fellow travelers while blowing entirely too much money on dinner and drinks.  Interesting people of various nationalities were met.  Drunken philosophical positions were batted back and forth between repeated rounds of a steaming-hot alcoholic punch of some kind. A British traveler was ridiculed mercilessly when his fondness for the sentimental nonsense written by Mitch Albom was brought to light. 

Christmas Day was spent in solitude, walking the streets around the lake, reading Walden, thinking of people I miss and mistakes I've made, wondering what's going on here and what's going to happen next. 

I like this town though and I'm finding it difficult to leave.  In one more night maybe I'll feel differently.  My next step is a 6 to 10 day trek to Anapurna Base Camp which should afford me the opportunity to view the Himalayas up close and personal.  After a generous gift from my grandmother for my birthday mitigated some of the ridiculous Christmas revelry expenses, I'm running at a little less than 15 USD per day (not counting the visa).  It's not ideal, but I'll take it.  It's already been an interesting journey and it's just begun.  

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The Sound of Silence

"I sound my barbaric YAWP over the rooftops of the world" - Walt Whitman

Like most sensitive young men, I was introduced to the work of Walt Whitman just as I imagine he would have intended:  By Robin Williams during the Saturday Evening Movie, "Dead Poets' Society."  At the time, being an emotionally unstable child of thirteen, I wept like a baby while carefully hiding my tears from my father.  I would say, in retrospect, that I identified more with "Todd" (Ethan Hawke), the stammering, inarticulate mope longing for meaning and connection in a world he doesn't understand, but I aspired to be "Charlie" the rebel who re-christens himself "Nawanda" and always stands up to authority.  Of course, the film's appeal is easy to discribe:  It's about finding something transcendant, in this case through the power of language, about finding something perfectly true and beautiful in a world that feels false.   It's the same thing that appeals to us about love or drugs or music or even sports, and it's also why people do crazy things like spend their time in a meditation center in Nepal. 

I went to the Panditerama International Vipassana Meditation Center knowing little about it.  I've dabbled a little in eastern religious philosophy and tried my hand at meditation a time or two, but this was quite different.  This was a group of true seekers:  18 individuals under the care of 1 monk and 3 nuns, focusing 18 hours per day on the search for enlightenment.  Far from sounding the "barbaric YAWP" of Mr. Whitman, there is not a peep to be heard from the meditators.  We spoke only for ten minutes per day, in hushed tones, and only to the clergy in their capacity of guiding our practice.  Most of the other meditators (I gathered, having never spoken to them) were there for at least a month.  I was just a dilitente, passing through to see the sights. 

I could write a lot about my time in this place, but for the time being I'll keep it brief.  This was one of the most intense, physically and mentally chalenging experiences I've ever had.  The sitting itself is painful, on the knees, on the back, and on the hips (particularly for the world's least flexible person: me).  You learn to seperate yourself from the pain and view it as an object, detatched, as if it's not part of you, but this only works for awhile and the times I thought I had mastered it were balanced by the times when I was shaking, sweating, frustrated and just wanting it to end.  Add to this the mental chalenge:  Label each thought that comes into your head, observe it, and try to know its nature, then bring your focus again to your physical self, to the pain, to the rise and fall of your abdomen, to the itch on your nose and do the same. Label it, observe it, know its nature.  When you're not sitting, you're walking in slow motion, observing the rise and fall of your feet, examining each contraction and relaxation of each muscle and, again, labeling and observing every thought.  If you remember the girl who broke your heart or your favorite line from The Wire, you label it: "Remembering. Remembering."  If you start thinking about how you'll describe the experience on your blog, you label it: "Planning. Planning."

As turns out, this is extremely difficult to do for 18 hours per day.  I considered giving up several times, but there was always the interview with the clergy to get me back on track, to gently guide me and correct my thinking.  It was a unique experience and I'm glad I did it and I'm glad I didn't leave, but I'm relieved it's over.  In the end, I'd have to say that I prefer a more "yawping" approach to my transcendance, but I can see that the silent approach does have its merits.

There's a strike today which shuts down the buses, so it's one more night in the remote jungle town of Lumbini, the birthplace of The Buddah.  After that, it's off to Pokhara for some views of the Himilayas for Christmas.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

A note about comments

I'm trying to stay somewhat anonymous, people.  Enough said.

Roadies

"....not quite sure which turn-off to take. . . but absolutely certain that no matter which way I went I would come to a place where people were just as high and wild as I was: No doubt at all about that. . . ."  - Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

When you come to a place like Nepal and you stay in the places I've been staying, you begin to notice something strange. It starts to seem that all the western world is on a once in a lifetime, shoestring budget, life-altering journey to the far corners of the globe.  Every traveler you meet has a curiously similar story: 

"How long are you traveling?"

"Not sure, maybe 6 months.  I came through China and Laos.  It was wild.  I'm trying to get to India by January to hear the Dalai Lama, but I'm still working on the visa...."

"Ah...I see.  Just the usual then."

After my arival in Lumbini I checked into the Korean Monastery.  It's not exactly written in any guidebooks that I know of that you can stay there, but sure enough I ran into one of my dorm-mates from Kathmandu.  I also met a Russian from New York who was on his own crazy journey accross Asia.  We were all planning on doing some meditation (everbody is right?) so since my first choice of centers was booked until the 16th, we all decided to try a different place.

We went through the rules and regulations.  We filled out the paperwork.  We got an idea about the type of meditation that would be practiced.   Then they led us to the rooms. The door opened onto what appeared to be a thriving mosquito farm.  Then I opened the bathroom door, and I found the actual mosquito farm.   We all, in our own minds, debated the merits of sticking it out.  My brethren decided they could handle it.  I decided to go with my first choice.  Too many times in my travels I have failed to trust my instincts.  Not this time, my friends.  Not this time. 

One more night in the monastery for me.  Then we'll try some meditation.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Seven Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty-One Dollars and Twenty Two Cents

A word about the money theme:  As my short time here expands to a longer one, I realize that although saving money is important for reasons of fiscal prudence, my 10 USD per day goal requires a little further explanation than that.  After all, I could live here for 300 days on 20 USD per day and still have plenty left to fly home and pay a month's worth of rent (or get some hookers and blow, depending on how I'm feeling).  The goal is more about living a simpler life, as you may have gathered, although I haven't actually said it. Dubai is a magic funhouse of ways to waste your money.  You find all sorts of excess that you are tempted to believe that you can't live without.  My first few nights in Kathmandu showed me that I can live a pretty fun filled life here too, but that would kind of miss the point, wouldn't it?

I met a Korean nun at a tourist attraction (temple) a couple of days ago.  She was already aquainted with The German from a previous bus ride, and having just had a harrowing taxi experience, she decided to join the two of us while we did some touristing.  We watched the corpse burn together and then she laughed and joked while she watched us smoke a joint in the temple garden.  She was 34 years old and this was her first trip abroad.  She was a funny and beautiful person who spoke with joy about her life as a nun, and with equal joy about traveling and adventure and breaking the rules.  She came back to our dorm while we drank some beers with our French dorm-mate.  Then she bought us dinner and shed tears at our parting. 

Tonight and tomorrow, at her suggestion, I'll stay at a Korean monastery.  The price is only a donation for three simple meals and a mat on the floor.  After that, I'm told that the meditation center will accept me for an intensive meditation practice that has me a little nervous.

A Burning Corpse

I saw a man's body carried to a pile of wood, set on top, and lit on fire.  It was done at a famous temple with a small ceremony while tourists and greiving relatives looked on. At the same time, I saw three more bodies on stretchers, adorned with flowers, waiting to be carried to their own fires.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Escape From Kathmandu

I'll give you a money tally later, but the short story of Kathmandu is that one friendship lead to another and pretty soon I was involved in a full-fledged social life that went hand in hand with drinking obligations.  For the sake of the budget this had to stop.  I heard about a "donation only" meditation retreat from some of my new friends and decided to check it out.  After a fucked up 12 hour and 3 bus journey through the hinterland I've arived in the town that I set out for, but too late to check into the meditation center.  I'll try tomorrow and hopefully drive the average cost per day back down, but for tonight, a $4 hotel room and a $1 supper await, which puts me just over $10 for the day including travel. 

I may go dark for about a week if I can get into the meditation center, so don't be alarmed.  If all goes well I'll be back with a clear mind and a sound budget. 

(No little-red-line-spell-checker here?  Fuck it. Judge me if you must.)

Friday, December 11, 2009

Seven Thousand Nine Hundred Twenty-Seven Dollars and Ninety-Six Cents

I've got to get out of this town soon.  

Day 1 expenses (1 USD = 74.5 Nepali Rupee or NPR):

30 Day Visa (renewable): 40 USD
Taxi From Airport: 250 NPR
Bottle of Whisky: 320 NPR
Lunch (Tea and Fish): 400 NPR
Map of Kathmandu: 150 NPR
Drink at a Bar:  150 NPR
Drink at another Bar: 165 NPR
Beer from a market stall: 150 NPR
2.5 grams of Hashish: 750 NPR

Kathmandu is a frenetic, colorful feast of the senses.  My accomodations are excellent and many travelers have spoken with envy of my "cheapest in town" find (ok, not many...only two but still...).  Unfortunately, even with bargain basement lodging, it was still an expensive day, and while there's an evil temptation to give myself a pass, (It's the first day!  You practically have to live it up...at least a little!) I'm going to have to go ahead and chastise myself for a couple of those purchases.

My day started in a somewhat foggy eyed state after sitting in the fucked up Delhi airport for 6 hours starting at 3am.  I was barely clear headed enough to pick up my visa and manage not to get hustled by the airport cap drivers.  I checked into my room at 1pm with the idea that I would wander around, meet some backpackers, and see if I can see a few sights, but with my map-reading skills at an all time low, the sightseeing didn't work out too well.  Instead, after 2 hours of wrong turns and swatting away people offering me hash and treks, I overpaid for lunch so I could chat up some cute Australian girls who had been volunteering at a nunnery.  Nice enough girls, but after a drink at Tom & Jerry's, which hosted such a pitiful version of ladies night that I don't know weather to be angry or sad, the vibe was gone and we parted ways.

On my way home, or what I think was my way home, I succumbed to the charms of another pretty volunteer who convinced me to come into a bar which was hosting a performance by local street children for charitable purposes.  The play was almost unbearably depressing, although I thought at the time it was perhaps overdone, a thought that lasted until this morning when I saw 9 year-old street kids lying in piles and using markers and plastic bags to get high.    

I got out of there after a drink and decided I would trust Lonely Planet's advice that hash was safe to purchase in this country. I was in a strange mood I guess.  I don't usually purchase drugs on the street in a foreign country, on account of my desire to stay out of foreign prison, but I do enjoy altering consciousness, so I made a plan to sue LP if I went to jail, gave the shifty looking local standing on the corner a nod, and followed him to a dark and frightening restaurant where he told me to wait.  I was joined almost immediately by a German who, like me, was not in there for the atmosphere.  Having another westerner there made me feel less like I was going to be beaten and robbed and/or fed to the police, so I relaxed, haggled a questionably good deal with the drug dealer when he arrived for 5 grams, which I agreed to split with The German and went back to my fifth-floor balcony with my new friend in tow to smoke our prize.

I've always said: You meet the best people at drug deals.  The German had been living in Yemen, so we exchanged a couple of Arabic phrases.  He was a pursuing a degree in religious studies, so we exchanged some theories about god.  He had been traveling in Nepal for awhile, so he gave me some advice on places to go, particularly a monastery in Lumbini where I may be able to stay for free.

After a somewhat wild first day in Nepal my expenses totaled 31.61 USD (not counting the visa fee).  The whiskey, which will last awhile, was a good purchase.  The hash, which I still have the bulk of, was an excellent purchase in that it lead to pleastant conversation and a road-friendship.  The rest were probably poor choices, but lessons were learned and valuable information was gathered.  Today, I vow to keep expenses under 10 USD to make up for the first-day madness.  Tomorrow, I'm thinking I'll head to Lumbini, where I will continue my faithful reporting. 

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

It Begins: Seven Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine Dollars and Fifty-Seven Cents

"Let us first be as simple and well as Nature ourselves, dispel the clouds which hang over our brows,and take up a little life into our pores.  Do not stay to be an overseer of the poor, but endeavor to become one of the worthies of the world."  H.D. Thoreau

I've been reading a little from Walden lately.  Every page is littered with little pearls like that. Good stuff to read when one is planning to live the life of the ascetic voyager whose home is the road.  Today I made my first purchase:  The deposit on my first night's lodging in Kathmandu.  Hostel.com is the site you want to use for this kind of thing, brothers and sisters.  I found dorm style lodgings for 2.14 USD per night.  I booked 2 nights and paid the deposit of .43 USD with a credit card. Three factors swung my decision to go with this bargain-price five-bed dorm.  First, since my funds are finite, I want to get into the habit of going cheap.  If I can string together a couple of 5 to 6 dollar days then my options down the road will expand.  Second, I want to start thinking in terms of what I need, instead of what might be pleasant.  And Third, one meets other people in dorms and meeting people when you are traveling alone is definitely a good thing.  

I'm currently sitting in my flat in Dubai that I will likely never see again, drinking wine from a box, with ice.  My flight leaves at 10:35pm and arrives in Kathmandu at 9:00am.  Here we go....