Tobler One

The main reason I've been so terrible at posting photos recently is that I keep forgetting to take my camera out and am relying on friends to forward me images to put up.
But I did manage to spot this sign post out and about the other day. The signs are brilliant out here and I will post some more as soon as I can. This isn't the best example but it's the only one I have to hand.

Load Shedding

Just so you are all aware of current "power sharing" schedule and accept my apologies for lack of postings and replies to emails. I bought more cards tonight as I think snail mail may be the way to go.

These are the hours when I will definitely have no power although it is no guarantee that electricity will be freely available the rest of the time:

Monday 10 - 16, 18 - 23
Tuesday 3 - 9, 12 - 17
Wednesday 3 - 8, 12 - 18
Thursday 5 - 11, 16.45 - 21.45
Friday 6 - 12, 14 - 19
Saturday 8 - 14, 16 - 21
Sunday 9 - 15, 17 - 22

Visa troubles

In the past week I have spent an inordinate amount of time at the Indian Embassy trying to secure a visa. I was hoping to get my hands on a 6-month multiple entry visa which despite being ‘technically’ feasible is now ‘not encouraged’ for un-specified reasons. The officer I spoke to said that this kind of permit is no longer 'advised' and the embassy would get into trouble if they issued them, which begs the question why are they theoretically available at all. I finally conceded that I was clearly not the kind of person who would be able to get around this and settled for a visa allowing two visits into the country. I was expecting to be joining a trip to India this week. It was cancelled as an indefinite strike was planned to start today but in the end this was called off a few days ago. Obviously this is a win for the country and economy, although I have planned a walking tour with K today and would have liked the roads to be free from traffic!

Royal Palace again

I also noted down some of the books found in the private office of the King which make for an eclectic collection:
Building A Bridge To Europe
Yacht Club of Monaco
Encyclopedia of Warfare
1001 Wonderful Things (I wish I could have looked inside this one)
Korean Art Guide
Gandhi
Dalai Lama
The Story of Pompeii
The Age of Expansion
Finland: Land of Natural Beauty
And my personal favourite: Nepal Who's Who 2003

Culture Vulture

Something I have been meaning to do for a long time now is visit a few tourist attractions in the city and I finally managed it today. Along with another volunteer I climbed the Bhimsen Tower in the city centre. At 213 steps high my declining level of fitness was evident as I huffed and puffed all the way up (which does not bode well for my impending trek). The view from the top was good although it was a very hazy day so no sight of the mountains. Later I sat in the gardens to do some sketching – very civilized. Until you see the sketch at least.

After this we meandered over to the Royal Palace, which is described in the Lonely Planet as “like something out of Buck Rogers” and it really is. Sadly the palace was the scene of a gruesome tragedy in 2001 when the Crown Prince shot and killed nine members of his immediate family, including the then King and Queen, before committing suicide. But put this to one side during the visit (which isn’t hard since for the most part there is no mention of it, nor is there any historical information, or guide book for sale – a unbelievable missed opportunity by the tourist board) and you will have a fabulous time. It’s a pretty frugal palace by global royal standards and caught in a time warp. I would describe it as a large-scale recreation of your Granny’s living room. You’re not allowed to take any photographs but luckily I had my sketchbook to record a few gems. In many rooms wooden and glass display cabinets (reminiscent of suburban homes UK-wide) yielded a wonderful range of ornaments with neither poor quality nor design being any kind of impediment to exhibition. There were many gifts from foreign dignitaries on show, including a small plastic paperweight from the Mayor of New York in the early 1980’s (an indicator that nothing is too small to be on show). I noted down “chintzy curtains, dated glass chandeliers, Hummel ornaments, ruched blinds, hostess trolleys, wood paneling, formica tables, 50’s style furniture”. And my personal favourite several intricate works by the ‘shell wizard’ (picture frames and mirrors decorated with sea shells). What Queen Elizabeth made of it (on her 1983 visit) I dread to think. It was a vision of pure kitsch, each room more fascinating than the room before and a treasure trove for students of design. One room (the ceremonial coronation hall) has a futuristic (for it’s day) atmosphere with each corner hosting a giant noodle (according to Carol - otherwise large white cylinders) rising from the floor before branching into two near the ceiling and proudly presenting enameled pictures of some of the gods. It really is something else. Built in the 1960’s I can’t imagine it was ever up-to-date and my companion for the day hypothesized that it was the lack of taste which finally sent the prince over the edge.

Sorry for the lack of photo’s recently, I’ll get some up soon – just waiting for other people to forward them to me.

Yoga-tastic

I’m now back at work and things are good. I have two new flatmates for the next couple of months and lots of extra activities planned. We had our first yoga class tonight from a qualified yogi, Shiva. I thought he was great. It wasn’t an energetic class, just gentle movements which were fully explained and sitting in a variety of positions. I find it all fascinating, particularly how different positions can help with different ailments. For example sitting on your knees for 10 minutes after each meal means you will never get digestion problems again. This is definitely worth a try for me out here! He had a very soothing voice and I felt relaxed and invigorated at the end of it. So much so that I still had the energy to come back and make some parkin this evening. It was the first time I have made parkin and the lack of scales was a problem. I tried to resolve this holding a 100 gram box of cheese in one hand while trying to discern if the amount of flour in a large plastic bowl was roughly equal to two and a quarter times this weight. It turns out I must be gifted in this area because the parkin is delicious – how have I not discovered it before now?

Happy New Year

Of course this only applies to those of you in countries using the Gregorian calender. Over here, it is the year 2066 (using the Bikram Sambat calender) and the New Year will not arrive for another couple of months.


I opted to celebrate my traditional New Year none the less and ended up going back to Pokhara with D, a friend of hers over on holiday, G, and a couple of volunteers from another project, M and K. I really love Pokhara and had a great time again. I only arrived on the 31st after a horrific bus journey. It was a 6am departure again but I was pleasantly surprised to be offered the ticket at 50 rupees less than I expected. I was directed to ‘my seat’ at the back of the bus. I should have realised that it would have to be cheap for a reason. It felt as if the bus had no shock absorption or suspension and I spent the whole journey bouncing around 2 feet in the air. And clearly the backseat is the worst place to be. Half way through the journey a large bolt fell from the roof into the middle of the aisle.


Anyway New Years Eve was spent partly at the party of a friend of a friend in a remote café/bar. Sometime after midnight we were wandering back to the hotel and stumbled across another party in a restaurant on the banks of the lake. This was, I believe, my first trance party and I was suitably intoxicated to enjoy it. Though I was also conscious of the fact that it should also probably be my last.


The 1st was pretty much a write off but D and I wandered up into the foothills to a lovely guesthouse and café for a late lunch. On the way back down (to head into town for more food) we hit upon an idea which may be the making of us (or breaking). We are now planning a little venture for the coming year. I won’t write about it here since there is a good chance that it won’t come off – I just wanted to record the date of the inspiration which I take to be somewhat auspicious. We’ll see…


The following day we crossed the river to climb up to the Peace Pagoda. It was a glorious day with stunning views of the mountains. The Peace Pagoda is beautiful – painted white and gold and striking to see both up close and from a distance. On the descent (having spotted Himalayan Griffins soaring around us – some birdwatchers told us the name which I love because it sounds quite mythical) we stumbled across a fortune teller in a tiny hut with a sign outside reading “palm readings”. We were unable to resist (well, I probably could have resisted when he told me the price and refused to negotiate but I was swayed by peer pressure). D and I both sat down on little mats outside the hut (I’ll put the photo’s up soon) with a wizened old man between us. His teeth had been ground down almost to the gums and he was chewing on red seeds which turned his saliva scarlet. Every now and then beads of red spittle would spray out of his mouth and land around him. It was a little off-putting. However after asking our first names, and ages, he took my hand (albeit briefly) and proceeded to tell me (in very poor English) how my life was mapped out. Interestingly, despite a current ambivalence towards marriage, I will be married twice. It is a little disappointing to think that despite waiting until 33 (for this is the age I will marry. For the first time.) I will still get it wrong. I will also go on to have two girls and a boy. Work will be good apparently and I will earn lots of money surprisingly (which could bode well for my new plans, and I will clearly need to pay for the divorce). So, watch this space…and start saving for my two hen weekends, weddings and wedding gifts.