Saturday, March 22, 2008

A Nepalese Holi-day!

Hello everyone, Josh here. I know I've been somewhat silent--and I'll probably let Ellen do most of the talking anyway. Still, I thought I'd share my trip last week to Kathmandu, Nepal. Most of the time was spent at work, but I did get out a little bit to walk around. Next time I will definitely be taking Ellen for some real sight-seeing.

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My first impression of Kathmandu was definitely that of a third world country. We came in through a haze of smog, and then the city sprawled out beneath us. We disembarked directly onto the tarmac and then were ushered inside. Immigration was quick and simple, without much fuss, and outside there were throngs of people. The weather was nice, however--hot, but dry. Dry is good.

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Driving is hair-raising, to say the least. Lanes are more like guidelines, if they are indicated at all. If you are going to turn right (they drive on the left), then you first get into the right lane--with on-coming traffic!--and then turn right. Sometimes people will do this 50 yards or more ahead of where they are turning, and the people in the right hand lane are expected to get into the left lane to go around them. It is absolutely crazy! Our driver was also passing motorcycles--not sure I want to know how fast he was going in these winding streets. Pedestrians are just as likely to be on the road as on the sidewalk (if there is one). Same goes for motorcycles.

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Horns are also used often. Even though all of traffic is obviously gridlocked, drivers will honk their horns mercilessly in a futile attempt to move traffic. These same drives will then stop in the middle of the lane and let people out to do shopping, waving traffic to go around. Apparently if you stop on the left side of the road and turn on your right blinker, it is to tell others to go around you. If you stop in the middle of the lane and turn in on, you are signaling a right turn. If the lane isn't wide enough to tell, the driver behind you decides what he thinks you are doing and acts accordingly.

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Sanitation seems almost non-existent. Trash is often removed from the street by sweeping it into piles and setting it on fire. This can be done right next to a house or other structure, in some instances. Men will relieve themselves on the street, and the two toilets I had to experience did not have toilet paper (one I didn't use, the other I had an alternative). There is a reason in many Indian and Islamic cultures one does not eat with the left hand.

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Meat is kept fresh by keeping it alive. I saw many butchers starting in the morning--most of them preparing goats or boars. The meat was freshly cut and then just lying on a table--in one instance it had been thrown on the seat of a taxi for transport. I also noticed a house that had a small 'pit' made apparently for the meat, so the blood wouldn't drain everywhere. The folks hacking up the boar meat were particularly interesting--they left on some of the bristles, especially the mane, and otherwise coated the carcasses in an orange preservative of some kind--it may have been iodine or something similar. They cut them up as-is and sold them right there. Once an animal is slaughtered, the meat may sit out for the day. Though I did not see it, I am fairly certain as much as possible of the animal is used.

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Vegetables are also sold on the street, with cars, bikes, and pedestrians kicking up dust all around. I've heard that food preparation can be a lengthy process of washing the food, soaking it in an iodine solution for 20 minutes, then washing off all of the iodine. And you still probably want to cook most of your vegetables just to be sure. That said, there are restaurants in Kathmandu that can be quite tasty.

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This was Anatolia, a Turkish themed Indian and Tibetan restaurant. It was awesome! Some friends and I had chicken biryani, mutton rogan josh, panak paneer, chicken tika, and mutton shish kabob. We ordered regular, garlic, and butter naan. We finished it all off with Nepali (masala) tea. It was excellent. The Nepali tea here is almost like the Butter Tea we had at the Bhutan booth at the Diplomatic fair (where we met the Bhutanese princess that Ellen still hasn't elaborated on).

I have to admit, most nights we ate at our hotel, the Radisson, at the Olive Bar and Bistro:

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They offered steaks (something you can't always find in Nepal or India), including chateaubriand, rib-eye, filet mignon, etc. It was fairly tasty, too. If you really wanted, though, you could order a Nepali thali--a Nepalese meal with an assortment of dishes, either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. The non-veg consisted of rice, naan, roti, gulab jamun (pronounced almost like glab zamn), lamb rogan josh, chicken in a creamy yoghurt, paneer in a sweet tomato sauce (I think it might have been paneer khadai), dhaal, and fried saag. There was a side of raita which we were told you can eat with things or, as our server likes it, straight. That was definitely one of my best meals.

This was much better than my first lunch, where I ate a whole chili--yikes! I thought it was a peapod, at first, based on the color and, frankly, the fact it was by itself (who would take chilies to eat them whole? I guess some people...).

I was warned not to drink the water, but the hotel gives out complimentary bottled water in the rooms.

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The Radisson is nice--I would definitely stay there again. There are a lot of backpackers here--especially tour groups. You can see them getting ready to get on their buses--everyone has the exact same colored luggage--I'm guessing most of it is equipment provided by the tour company or some such. It is also close to the Royal palace and the Thamel district, where most of the tourists hang out.

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Thamel is quite the happening place at night--and apparently all day, though I'll get to that later. Watch your wallet--make sure you have taken precautions because there are pickpockets about. Also, Nepalese do bargain--I know I ended up buying two hats that were at least twice what I was quoted at the next stall over! Oh well, live and learn. In the end, bargaining comes down to finding a price that you and the seller think is fair--beyond that, it shouldn't matter. Caveat emptor, however--it is really up to you to decide the provenance of any given item as the seller may or may not give you the real information. Oh, and I have to wonder if some of the shops are 'authorized' vendors:

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Friday morning I went back to Thamel. I already knew it was going to be interesting; you see Friday was the Holi festival in Nepal--the festival of colors. Celebrated in most Indo-Asian nations in one form or another, some of the largest features are: 1) Throwing water, and 2) colors. These often combine in the tradition of throwing colored water.

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Somehow I missed getting any of the colored water on me--though I did get splashed with a few regular water balloons. Here they are small, plastic bags that are filled and tied off. People especially like to throw them from the upper stories of multi-storied buildings. The height of Holi day is apparently after 11am, when things really kick into gear.

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Fortunately, things were pretty quiet early in the day--I went down to Thamel to look around and there wasn't much going on yet. First I came through the main entrance, past a pagoda/bank on the right side of the road:

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I got up around 5:40 in the morning and was out of the hotel just a little after 6am. The tourist district, centered on 'Thamel', was pretty sleepy in the early hours, so I did a lot of walking, taking pictures of the architecture, shrines, and daily life.
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The buildings here are quite amazing. I took a lot of pictures so you can see what I mean. Some of them almost look ready to fall apart, yet there are details such as the wood carvings that are exquisite. Wood is quite prevalent in their construction, and I noticed that it was common for there to be wooden ladders, rather than stairs, connecting the floors. Many doors were also below street level, with a very small entrance that you have to duck into. Store fronts aren't large, open fronts, but rather multiple doors that are all opened up. All sorts of businesses have this same structure.

Sacred spaces were omnipresent. From temples:

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To large shrines:
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And small shrines:
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Trees:
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And even what appears to be a hole in a set of stairs:
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(Not sure about the last one, but it makes a good story...)

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Apparently a lot of people make offerings of a sort just outside their doors--I'm not sure if this was because it was Holi or not, but I had been seeing the after effects and finally found one in progress.

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I eventually came upon a large temple area called Kathe Simbu, at least according to my maps. It was pretty impressive--a large square with many small shrines and a large stupa. There were several temples around the complex with monks chanting and performing rituals with fellow religionists. Around the stupa you can see a common item--prayer wheels. Inside each prayer wheel is a copy of a mantra, prayer, etc., which is also printed around the outside. Each turn of the wheel is as though you had said the mantra, thus increasing merit.

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Another common practice is to put some paint or dye on the image of a deity as a kind of offering. Red is a common color, usually placed upon the head, though sometimes (as you can see above) it is used all over. I have heard that Ganesha, in particular, is fond of red, but I don't fully know its significance otherwise.

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Walking down the street, I felt somewhat out of place, but not overly threatened, even in the relatively abandoned side-streets I occasionally walked down. I was on the lookout for water balloons--though one did catch me by surprise. I had on a jacket for the occasion, though, and a change of clothes waiting back at the hotel. I did get accosted a few times by people who were trying to sell something and would keep after me for a block or more.

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As more people showed up, you started seeing more people with the water balloons. At one point I heard a commotion and turned around. I saw another tourist running around a corner towards me, and soon a parade of men, all of them doused in red dye, came after him, turning up the street away from us. I decided that my best course of action was to move from store to store, in case a large group of colored water-throwers happened through. They never did, though.

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Kathmandu is an interesting place. Religious icons are everywhere, and despite all the issues (Maoists, Tibet, and a lack of fuel which must be imported from India) I did not feel any oppressive sense of doom. Holi day, especially, was a time when complete strangers were laughing with one another and enjoying themselves. Smiles were everywhere, even in horrible conditions, proving the resiliency of the human spirit. I believe it was Anthony Bourdain who pointed out the symbolism of my penultimate photo. Something that I believe encompasses a human ideal found throughout the world that keeps all of us going, whatever reasons we may have to quit: Hope. Here we have the class third-world icon; a building, occupied and in business, with girders sticking out of the roof. It is as if it is saying, "I may have only one floor today, but one day..." It expresses, for me, a feeling that the owners have not given up, but are looking forward to better times. That is a powerful message.

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But if that's my penultimate photo then what, might you ask, is the ultimate? A monkey of course!

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And that concludes my slideshow. Thank you for reading. (And now you see why I don't post much--this has taken up way too much of my time and yours)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Overhead, without any fuss, one of the stars went out.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke has passed away at age 90.

He was my dad's and my favorite sci-fi writer, and the first one who I really grew to appreciate. I remember borrowing my dad's copies of Clarke's novels and short story collections, and the incredible sense of possibility they engendered.

I'm sure Sri Lanka is a fascinating country on its own merits, but I always knew it as Sir Arthur's adopted home, and nursed a quiet fantasy that if Josh and I ever got to visit the country (which we probably will) we would be able to stop in and enjoy a cup of tea with him.

Rest in peace, Sir Arthur. You were my hero.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Not Thailand-related, but this brought a tear to my eye...

Monday, March 17, 2008

Skytrain

I've mentioned the BTS Skytrain in previous posts, so I thought I should actually post some pictures of it!

The Skytrain is a relatively new elevated railway that provides quick and easy transportation around central Bangkok (along with a single subway line, the MRT, and an extensive bus system). Generally, *anything* that allows you to avoid traffic is desirable, because the traffic jams can be horrendous here!

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This is what the Skytrain line looks like from street level (actually, slightly above street level, since I was standing on a pedestrian bridge). The large street here eventually becomes Sukhumvit Road, and the Skytrain follows this road (one of the main drags in Bangkok) for much of its length. We live near the start of Sukhumvit.

(ETA: I realized after I posted this that I talked about the horrendous traffic, yet showed a rare picture of Sukhumvit/Ploenchit with almost no cars! The reason is that the police were stopping traffic a little ways behind where I took the picture, for a Royal motorcade of some kind to go through. As it was passing they wouldn't even let people up on the walkways, because being elevated above a member of the royal family is a no-no. This photo was taken after they waved us on but before the traffic had been released yet.)

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Where there is a station, there is a platform about halfway up, where you buy tickets (and buy DVDs/VCDs, get a snack at the little shops, etc.) This is the entrance to one of the platforms. There are also certain areas (especially downtown) where this extends into a sort of "Skywalk" for pedestrians, from which there will be bridges to the different shopping centers, department stores, etc. This is a much more convenient way of getting around than trying to walk at street level!

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This is the platform itself, at Nana station (the one closest to us). The train on the left is just leaving this station (Thais drive on the left and so do their trains!) and there is another train at the next station which will shortly arrive. I don't have any pictures of the trains proper because I'm always busy trying to get on, but the Skytrain site I linked to above has some pictures, plus route maps if you're interested.

Our building


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This is our building, seen when looking up from the entrance area. I meant to add this to the previous post but couldn't locate it at the time.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Well, I promised some pictures of the neighborhood-- so FINALLY, here we go! (Plus I figured out how to post multiple pictures from Flickr...click on an image to get the full version!)

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This is the entrance area to our apartment building. The first few floors there are the parking garage, and on the right is a 6-story block of offices and such (on top of which is the swimming pool). The umbrella marks the security guard's stand: he checks non-residents going in or out. The guy on the bike has just delivered a pizza (and his particular pizza chain is pretty good, we're eating it for dinner tonight).

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This is the small, unnamed street our building is on. You are looking east to west, and the building is on the right about halfway down (you really can't see it from here). This is a very busy lane and there are no sidewalks, so it can be a bit hair-raising walking around.

The building on the right with the "Penthouse" sign is an hourly hotel. There is actually another one on the other side of the building called "PB", for "Playboy". You can guess from the names what general clientele they are catering to!

We were a bit surprised at first, but this is actually a very safe neighborhood-- "adult" businesses aren't really "undercover" here, and seem to coexist peacefully with other, tamer things. I really haven't seen anything out in the open in our neighborhood (so you can bring your kids to visit, no worries!)

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This is another part of the street connecting us to Soi 11. The building here is one we find very interesting because of the design. During the day and into the evening, there are several food vendors that regularly set up here-- we haven't eaten at their stalls, but I believe that they serve red roast pork, which is a common street food and supposed to be really good. There are small tables set out for people to eat at, and they seem to be always busy (and taxis and other cars often pull alongside and park so folks can grab a meal). In Bangkok, this translates to a high recommendation!

The orange banner is actually for a tonkatsu or Japanese pork cutlet restaurant on the other side of the building. We've eaten there a couple of times, and I have to say I think it beats anything we had in Tokyo! It's mostly patronized by Japanese visiting Bangkok (they were a bit worried at first when two Americans walked in, but they warmed up when they found out we could speak Japanese...)

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This is a stretch of Soi 11, which runs all the way to the main road, Sukhumvit. We regularly walk down here to eat, shop or get to the Skytrain (the station is down at the end of the soi). This is actually one of the more boring stretches of Soi 11-- I'll try to get some more interesting shots next time, but I have problems with trying not to be too much of a tourist! At least you can see some food vendors, a taxi, and one of the famous tuk-tuks (three-wheeled open vehicles).

Trivia Contest (part 1) - the results!

Thanks to those of you who responded. The winner is Peter, who was the only one to get all the answers correct:

1) What is the full, official name of the city Josh and I are currently living in? What does it translate as, and what is noteworthy about the name?

The full name is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit (Thai: กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลกภพ นพรัตน์ราชธานี บุรีรมย์อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์). It translates to "The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukam". (from the Wikipedia article)

The distinction of this name is that it is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's longest place name. Peter also pointed out that the words making up the name are a "Thai-ized" combination of two ancient languages, Pali and Sanskrit. (I would also have accepted that Bangkok is the "other City of Angels" after Los Angeles.)

Nowadays people refer to the city as Bangkok or Krung Thep Mahanakhon.

2) Particularly hot Thai chilies are known as phrik khii nuu. What does this translate as?

"Mouse shit chilies" (phrik = chili, khii = dropping, nuu = mouse). These are small, green chilies, hence the name. (The general rule here is the smaller and greener the chili pepper, the hotter it is.)

3) Which Thai author won a World Fantasy Award in 2002, and what is his other job?

S. P. Somtow, or Somtow Sucharitkul, won a World Fantasy Award in 2002 for his novella "The Bird Catcher". He is a prolific author of sci-fi, fantasy and horror fiction and has directed a couple of movies. His other job, for which he first became famous, is as a composer-- and he is the current artistic director of the Bangkok Opera. (His blog is at http://somtow.blogspot.com.)

Peter wins a copy of Dragon's Fin Soup, a collection of eight of Somtow's short stories! It is really, really excellent and is out of print in the US.

Thanks for playing!