A good day, today. Walked further than any day so far. Had fish and chips at a nice place. It even has a restroom. Public restrooms are rare here. They make a good Americano, also. I have eaten at 3 places, so far. I have only gotten sick at one. But, I drank some lime water there and I think the water came from the tap.
It seems to work if I use the same rules here that I used for street vendors in Thailand: Only eat thoroughly cooked food that has just been cooked. I will have to forego veggies until I get my own apartment and can set up a system of making purified water via bleach and soaking the veggies.
Meanwhile, the hotel owner and his assistant continue to make my meals to order. I have been eating french fries that they make from scratch with a couple of buffalo sausages sliced thin and cooked well. Like India, they don't eat beef. Fortunately, they just substitute buffalo.
They also make me chicken fried rice. I think I will ask for some vegetable fried rice with about 1/3 chopped vegetables fried before the rice is added so the germs are killed. In the next couple of days he wants me to teach him how to make grilled cheese. So, I will do that and he has some yak cheese.
Namaste from The Roof of the world
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
August 9, 2017
The internet is terrible at this hotel and the connection breaks frequently, too frequently to upload pictures. So, I will just have to write off line and then post without pictures.
With everything that has happened, my plans must remain flexible. Fortunately, I have 5 months until school starts. I should have things all settled by then. I made a reservation fore a place in Patan for 2 weeks for after my 4 weeks here.
Basically, I will just sacrifice this month for getting acclimated and enjoy the hustle and bustle of this downtown area. Patan is more rural. The place I will be staying is more like an acreage with gardens and a children's playground and plenty of free parking for guests.
The Immodium did its job and I just stayed in bed mostly, Tuesday. I felt better today and went out to a place and got breakfast: eggs, toast, fries, and Sprite for 240 rupees.
$1.00 = 100 rupees, so it is easy to figure out how much I am spending. There are 2 price systems here, marked and unmarked. In some stores, like the bookstore I went to, have price tags. Restaurants have menus with the prices listed. These are the prices you pay. A zillion little stores have no price tags and there seems to be a dual system, one price quoted for Nepalis and a higher price qwuoted for foreigners.
I found a little store today that is a bit bigger (about the size of the Burlwood TV room) that sells packaged goods. I will get some tomorrow.
Namaste from The Roof of the World
With everything that has happened, my plans must remain flexible. Fortunately, I have 5 months until school starts. I should have things all settled by then. I made a reservation fore a place in Patan for 2 weeks for after my 4 weeks here.
Basically, I will just sacrifice this month for getting acclimated and enjoy the hustle and bustle of this downtown area. Patan is more rural. The place I will be staying is more like an acreage with gardens and a children's playground and plenty of free parking for guests.
The Immodium did its job and I just stayed in bed mostly, Tuesday. I felt better today and went out to a place and got breakfast: eggs, toast, fries, and Sprite for 240 rupees.
$1.00 = 100 rupees, so it is easy to figure out how much I am spending. There are 2 price systems here, marked and unmarked. In some stores, like the bookstore I went to, have price tags. Restaurants have menus with the prices listed. These are the prices you pay. A zillion little stores have no price tags and there seems to be a dual system, one price quoted for Nepalis and a higher price qwuoted for foreigners.
I found a little store today that is a bit bigger (about the size of the Burlwood TV room) that sells packaged goods. I will get some tomorrow.
Namaste from The Roof of the World
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
The Land of a Thousand Germs
Internet at the hotel is very spotty. So, I am writing this offline. And, pictures are a no go until I move.
My current plan is to stay here the 29 days I reserved for. I will use this time to let my body acclimate to altitude.
Then, I will move to Patan which is about 8 km away. This will get me out of the smog. I am looking at a few nice places. I want to live in Patan. I will ride the bus to class. And, it will be close to church and a bike will give me huge mobilty as there will be hundreds of businesses within 3 km.
I lived in Thailand and Malaysia for 5 months and never got sick. It has only been 5 days here in Nepal and I have my first gastrointestinal disease. Pop, pop, Immodium.
Once I get my apartment, I think I will be spending 2 hours a days cooking safely. However, since I will be learning a language, any waiting time can be used to study.
One nice easy meal in Thailand was Peanut Butter and crackers. I may get me a jar of peanut butter again, since that is a safe, easy meal.
Namaste from The Roof of the World
My current plan is to stay here the 29 days I reserved for. I will use this time to let my body acclimate to altitude.
Then, I will move to Patan which is about 8 km away. This will get me out of the smog. I am looking at a few nice places. I want to live in Patan. I will ride the bus to class. And, it will be close to church and a bike will give me huge mobilty as there will be hundreds of businesses within 3 km.
I lived in Thailand and Malaysia for 5 months and never got sick. It has only been 5 days here in Nepal and I have my first gastrointestinal disease. Pop, pop, Immodium.
Once I get my apartment, I think I will be spending 2 hours a days cooking safely. However, since I will be learning a language, any waiting time can be used to study.
One nice easy meal in Thailand was Peanut Butter and crackers. I may get me a jar of peanut butter again, since that is a safe, easy meal.
Namaste from The Roof of the World
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Houston, The CaliNebraskan Has Landed
Well, after 29 years, I finally made it. Now, may I come home???
Wow, what culture shock. One week after I arrived in Thailand I just wanted to back to good old USA. But, I guess things have gotten better. Now, I just want to go back to good old Thailand!
Anyway, I arrived and my ride was waiting. The taxis were not nice newer cars that were almost all identical like in Bangkok. Ours was this tiny hatchback about the size of a Volkswagen bug. It herked and jerked and crawled along.
We got to the hotel and I was not excited. We were dropped off about 2 blocks from the hotel. All those streets shown on google are not car drivable. These last 2 are about 15 feet wide from building to building with about 8-9 feet of brick street - used by only motorcycles, bikes, and pedestrians.
Notice the building across the street - a very narrow street. Also, notice the width of my room. Note that this is the width of the hotel, also.
Anyway, I was on the 5th floor. They use the British system where the ground floor is called the ground floor and the next floor up is called the first floor, etc. So, I was looking at 5 flights of stairs. They switched me to the 4th floor for that first night and today they switched me to the 2nd floor. The 2 flights seem to be alright.
The first room was nicer. It had a ceiling fan and I was nice and cool. The toilet worked right. With this one I have to poor water into the bowl. If it's yellow, just be mellow. If it's brown, flush it down! The room is about 6 inches narrower and you really notice it. Should I complain some more? (grin)
That wasn't bad. The worst part is I could hardly breathe with walking. I read up on it and this is normal when going from sea level to Denver (about the same change.) I also had sleep apnea the first night and woke up gasping for air. This is also normal.
Fortunately, I slept fine the second night and I feel better today. I was able to walk up the stairs one flight at a time without resting on the way.
So, I guess I'll stay. Even though the room is super tiny, it has what I need.
Internet is spotty. So, I'll post this for now.
Namaste from The Roof of the World
Wow, what culture shock. One week after I arrived in Thailand I just wanted to back to good old USA. But, I guess things have gotten better. Now, I just want to go back to good old Thailand!
Anyway, I arrived and my ride was waiting. The taxis were not nice newer cars that were almost all identical like in Bangkok. Ours was this tiny hatchback about the size of a Volkswagen bug. It herked and jerked and crawled along.
We got to the hotel and I was not excited. We were dropped off about 2 blocks from the hotel. All those streets shown on google are not car drivable. These last 2 are about 15 feet wide from building to building with about 8-9 feet of brick street - used by only motorcycles, bikes, and pedestrians.
Notice the building across the street - a very narrow street. Also, notice the width of my room. Note that this is the width of the hotel, also.
Anyway, I was on the 5th floor. They use the British system where the ground floor is called the ground floor and the next floor up is called the first floor, etc. So, I was looking at 5 flights of stairs. They switched me to the 4th floor for that first night and today they switched me to the 2nd floor. The 2 flights seem to be alright.
The first room was nicer. It had a ceiling fan and I was nice and cool. The toilet worked right. With this one I have to poor water into the bowl. If it's yellow, just be mellow. If it's brown, flush it down! The room is about 6 inches narrower and you really notice it. Should I complain some more? (grin)
That wasn't bad. The worst part is I could hardly breathe with walking. I read up on it and this is normal when going from sea level to Denver (about the same change.) I also had sleep apnea the first night and woke up gasping for air. This is also normal.
Fortunately, I slept fine the second night and I feel better today. I was able to walk up the stairs one flight at a time without resting on the way.
So, I guess I'll stay. Even though the room is super tiny, it has what I need.
Internet is spotty. So, I'll post this for now.
Namaste from The Roof of the World
Friday, August 4, 2017
The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men Often Go Awry
Wow, did I make a big mistake! Since the airline had business class on sale for $550 (about 1/3 price), I flew that instead of economy $350. I flew China Eastern Airlines because they allow a 3rd bag for a fee. Other airlines that don't would only cost about $275.
I got to the airport and checked in my bags. I only needed 2, since I bought bigger luggage. I did have a gym bag as a carry on, as well as a near empty back pack and a heavy huge fanny pack. I was flying via Shanghai, China and Kunming, China - huge mistake. A ginormous, humugous, mistake! They told me I had to pick up luggage at Shangai and recheck it. Ditto for Kungming. It seems that since Shangai is a domestic route, there are 2 different systems - domestic & international - to allow them to keep more control over people.
I thought I would just be pampered on the plane, meander from arrival gate to departure gate and wait at a coffee place and relax. Noooooooo! Instead, I had to rush through customs & immigration, explain to the guard why I had no VISA, get my luggage, find the right airline counter, get my boarding pass and check my luggage, go through customs & immigration again, and then to my gate.
Well, in Shanghai I had a 3 hour layover. I made it, all frazzled with 15 minutes to spare. I was the last business class person on.
In Kunming, I only had a 2 hour layove. I figured my luggage would get rechecked. But, I was thinking I would be spending 24 hours in the airport after I missed the plane. I made it with 2 minutes to spare. And, fortunately, the plane was delayed 45 minutes. But, I was too exhausted to even get up and walk across the aisle to this great looking coffee shop.
"Though I walk through the airport terminals of death . . . "
Experiencing all this kind of ruined the luxury air flight. I had 3 three-hour flights.
Starting at 02:30 I was kind of sleepy. Fortunately, the seats recline to about 80% so you are almost horizontal. I had a huge breakfast. The basket of hot rolls they came by with every few minutes was nice. Then got about 2 hours sleep before it was close to debarkation.
It turns out that business/first class is not really luxury. It is more like less suffering than economy. You are still up at 30,000 feet in a hollow metal tube being flown by someone you don't know and you are stuck in your seat.
The next seats were not quite as nice, but still quite nice. You basically had 2 seats where there were 2 rows of 3 seats in economy. So, the seats were wider with a small table between people. There was a huge space to the next row. The slippers they give you really come in handy. Again, another nice meal. This time I really appreciated the hot towels and orange juice and water they give you when you sit down because I was all sweaty and thirsty from running around the airport.
On the 3rd flight, there were 2 seats where there were 3 in economy class. However there was very little leg room, maybe only 20% more than economy class.There were only 8 such seats on this plane compared to 20 - 24 on the other 2 planes. Again, the hot towels were very nice. I declined the meal because I was still full from the first 2 meals. I just drank a lot. They are very stingy with the ice. Finally, I just asked for a glass of ice with ice to the top.
Finally, I got to Kathmandu. Since there was no time pressure, I could leisurely get everything done. It took about 45 minutes and I was outside where my ride from the hotel was waiting with a taxi.
Namaste from the Roof of the World
I got to the airport and checked in my bags. I only needed 2, since I bought bigger luggage. I did have a gym bag as a carry on, as well as a near empty back pack and a heavy huge fanny pack. I was flying via Shanghai, China and Kunming, China - huge mistake. A ginormous, humugous, mistake! They told me I had to pick up luggage at Shangai and recheck it. Ditto for Kungming. It seems that since Shangai is a domestic route, there are 2 different systems - domestic & international - to allow them to keep more control over people.
I thought I would just be pampered on the plane, meander from arrival gate to departure gate and wait at a coffee place and relax. Noooooooo! Instead, I had to rush through customs & immigration, explain to the guard why I had no VISA, get my luggage, find the right airline counter, get my boarding pass and check my luggage, go through customs & immigration again, and then to my gate.
Well, in Shanghai I had a 3 hour layover. I made it, all frazzled with 15 minutes to spare. I was the last business class person on.
In Kunming, I only had a 2 hour layove. I figured my luggage would get rechecked. But, I was thinking I would be spending 24 hours in the airport after I missed the plane. I made it with 2 minutes to spare. And, fortunately, the plane was delayed 45 minutes. But, I was too exhausted to even get up and walk across the aisle to this great looking coffee shop.
"Though I walk through the airport terminals of death . . . "
Experiencing all this kind of ruined the luxury air flight. I had 3 three-hour flights.
Starting at 02:30 I was kind of sleepy. Fortunately, the seats recline to about 80% so you are almost horizontal. I had a huge breakfast. The basket of hot rolls they came by with every few minutes was nice. Then got about 2 hours sleep before it was close to debarkation.
It turns out that business/first class is not really luxury. It is more like less suffering than economy. You are still up at 30,000 feet in a hollow metal tube being flown by someone you don't know and you are stuck in your seat.
The next seats were not quite as nice, but still quite nice. You basically had 2 seats where there were 2 rows of 3 seats in economy. So, the seats were wider with a small table between people. There was a huge space to the next row. The slippers they give you really come in handy. Again, another nice meal. This time I really appreciated the hot towels and orange juice and water they give you when you sit down because I was all sweaty and thirsty from running around the airport.
On the 3rd flight, there were 2 seats where there were 3 in economy class. However there was very little leg room, maybe only 20% more than economy class.There were only 8 such seats on this plane compared to 20 - 24 on the other 2 planes. Again, the hot towels were very nice. I declined the meal because I was still full from the first 2 meals. I just drank a lot. They are very stingy with the ice. Finally, I just asked for a glass of ice with ice to the top.
Finally, I got to Kathmandu. Since there was no time pressure, I could leisurely get everything done. It took about 45 minutes and I was outside where my ride from the hotel was waiting with a taxi.
Namaste from the Roof of the World
Seasons Of Life
August brings 2 major life changes to people close to me.
(1) Sharon has officially gone into hospice as her time is near. Soon there will be a great burst of joy and laughter in Heaven when Charlene and Sharon meet again. Use the contact button at the right if you want phone number and/or address.
When I first arrived 5+ years ago they played Euchre a lot via computer. As time went by and Charlene couldn't play anymore, John (her husband) & Sharon would come over frequently to visit. They were always ready to help up to the very end.
(2) David retired this month. I am curious if he got to sleep late or if his wife, Irina, rolled him out of bed early to make everyone breakfast. Enquiring minds want to know!
Namaste from the Roof Of The World.
(1) Sharon has officially gone into hospice as her time is near. Soon there will be a great burst of joy and laughter in Heaven when Charlene and Sharon meet again. Use the contact button at the right if you want phone number and/or address.
When I first arrived 5+ years ago they played Euchre a lot via computer. As time went by and Charlene couldn't play anymore, John (her husband) & Sharon would come over frequently to visit. They were always ready to help up to the very end.
(2) David retired this month. I am curious if he got to sleep late or if his wife, Irina, rolled him out of bed early to make everyone breakfast. Enquiring minds want to know!
Namaste from the Roof Of The World.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
10 . . 9 . . 8 . . Last Day In Thailand
Almost all packed and ready to go. Doing a last bit of laundry. Bought a big suitcase. So, I will only need 2 suitcases and not have to pay any extra charges. I didn't realize how small my other suitcases were.
Car will be here at 9 pm. I am allowing an hour to get to the airport. So, I should be there by 10 pm. It is a different airport than when I left for Malaysia. Bangkok has 2 International airports.
My flight leaves at 2:30 am on China Eastern Airlines. I am taking the scenic route. Normally, you fly Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur-Kathmandu. That is like going Albuquerque-Los Angeles-Seattle.
However, I am going Bangkok-Shanghai-Kunming-Kathmandu in 15 hours. That is like going Albuquerque-New York City-Chicago-Seattle. This is actually less time because the shorter route involves a 15 hour layover in Kuala Lumpur, so it actually takes longer.
I have 2.5 and 3.5 hour layovers in China. Like when I transferred in Taipai, I won't have any Chinese money. So, no snacks since there are no money changers. Hmmmm, maybe they will take a credit card.
Hmmmm, just found this interesting post:
"If you buy at the duty free shopping, it's ok to use the USD because the products in these shops are almost labeled with USD price. If you go to the convenient shops, RMB is needed. Bank of China provides the currency exchange. It is located between G15 and G16 in the International Departure Area. "
Namaste From (halfway to) Nepal
Car will be here at 9 pm. I am allowing an hour to get to the airport. So, I should be there by 10 pm. It is a different airport than when I left for Malaysia. Bangkok has 2 International airports.
My flight leaves at 2:30 am on China Eastern Airlines. I am taking the scenic route. Normally, you fly Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur-Kathmandu. That is like going Albuquerque-Los Angeles-Seattle.
However, I am going Bangkok-Shanghai-Kunming-Kathmandu in 15 hours. That is like going Albuquerque-New York City-Chicago-Seattle. This is actually less time because the shorter route involves a 15 hour layover in Kuala Lumpur, so it actually takes longer.
I have 2.5 and 3.5 hour layovers in China. Like when I transferred in Taipai, I won't have any Chinese money. So, no snacks since there are no money changers. Hmmmm, maybe they will take a credit card.
Hmmmm, just found this interesting post:
"If you buy at the duty free shopping, it's ok to use the USD because the products in these shops are almost labeled with USD price. If you go to the convenient shops, RMB is needed. Bank of China provides the currency exchange. It is located between G15 and G16 in the International Departure Area. "
Namaste From (halfway to) Nepal
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