Fabulous Fab World

Pictures from the World Cup (finally!!)

2010-07-31T02:57:00.001+05:30

So most of you probably stopped reading my blog since I hardly posted while in South Africa. But in case you're still out there here are my pics from the trip, complete with captions. Just click on the picture below...

South Africa 2010

USA!!! USA!! USA!!!

2010-06-25T14:29:00.005+05:30

The picture above, of Bill Clinton with Carlos Bocanegra after the Algeria game, might be the greatest picture ever.

Internet sucks here, so I'll have to do this posting without more pictures...

USA vs. Slovenia

As you can imagine, this game was incredible. 1st half was incredibly depressing, and the 2nd half was incredibly awesome. Ellis Park, which is normally a rugby stadium and is the oldest stadium in the country, is a sweet place to watch a soccer game. There are no bad seats in it, it's pretty small, and even though we were 3 rows from the top, we still had perfect views of the entire game. Think Fenway Park, but better.

As you can imagine, there was absolute pandemonium after Bradley scored to tie the game 2-2. And then after we scored our 3rd goal, I felt like my head & body were going explode from sheer excitement. That would have been the 1st time in World Cup history that a team was down 2-0 at halftime and came back to win. So when they took the goal away, my head & body were about to explode to frustration. But after a few hours of calming down, all I could think of was a quote from a UConn soccer player after our game against them a few years ago. With a smile, he said "A point to stay alive." And that's just what we did.

USA vs. Algeria

I still have no idea how to put this game into words. We met up with some Fletcher classmates before the game in Pretoria for some drinks, and then headed to the stadium. Loftus Versfeld is similar to Ellis Park, and was a great place to watch a game...small, with a rocking crowd. And on the way to our friend's apartment, we saw the USA team bus drive right by. I saw Landon Donovan, looking completely focused and ready for action. What was even better was that our seats were in the 1st row of the upper level, so we had amazing views of the game. And while I was getting my head painted before the game, I was interviewed by NBC news and made it on the evening news:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So the game got more and more tense as time ran down...we missed chance after chance, and it started to get serious. Since were were in the front row and there was a walkway in front of our seats, so in the 75th minute I took my USA flag off and held it up and sprinted back & forth in front of the upper level to get the crowd going. We had to keep believing, and I had to do what I could. It was much for me & to get rid of some nervous energy as it was to get the crowd going.

So when we finally scored that goal, the crowd ERUPTED louder and with more energy than anything I've ever experienced before. The group I was this immediately formed a group bear hug, with some spraying beer into the air. After a second or 2 of this, I started to freak out because I knew we already had 2 legitimate goals taken away in this tournament, and I needed to see the field to see if this goal was also being called off. And when I saw it wasn't, that's when the complete awesomeness of the situation hit me.

After the game, all the US fans stayed in the stadium for probably 20 minutes, cheering on the team, and then the party continued outside the stadium for another 20 minutes, with "USA" chants, group singings of the "Star-Spangled Banner" and chants of "We are top of the group say we are top of the group hey hey!" I wish everyone who is reading this right now could have been there to experience such an incredible night...

Road Trip, part Deux

2010-06-17T19:39:00.012+05:30

(countryside sunset on my last night on the road)

So I already covered the first part of our road trip...we did Cape Town, Franschhoek, Boulders Beach, and the Cape of Good Hope already. From the Cape of Good Hope we drove to…

Hermanus
We spent the night in Hermanus, at a sweet B&B with views of the water. Hermanus is known for whale watching, and we were there just at the beginning of the whale season. We didn’t see any when we were there, nor did we see the Hermanus Whale Crier, much to my dismay. Highlight of this stop was seeing Alex get really scared because she was surrounded by Dassies, those cute and innocuous groundhog-looking animals we saw on top of Table Mountain.

(how could you be scared of these little guys?)

Plettenberg Bay
We moved on to Plettenberg Bay, which is supposed to be another beautiful bay, but we only saw it in the rain. Not much to report on here, other than our hosts were an awesome older couple who were uber-excited for the World Cup. Well, that and their daughter hugged Nelson Mandela 10 years ago and it made front page news, with the headline being “The Hug able President”. Highlight of this night was watching Alex freak out when a cockroach crawled on the wall at our restaurant (she didn’t like me pick out any more restaurants after that).

(rainbows abounded on our drive through the countryside)

Schotia Game Reserve / Addo Elephant Park
From Plettenberg we drove to the site of our safari, Schotia private gamepark. It used to be a cattle ranch, but the owners changed it and now you can go on a safari through it. Since it was winter and before the World Cup, there was hardly anyone there and so we got a personal safari with no one else on it (having a lot of stuff to ourselves happened a lot to us on our trip, which was pretty sweet). We went around in a Land Rover with our guide, who did a great job of both spotting the animals and explaining their behavior. Over the course of 2 days we saw some zebra who had just gotten in a fight with each other, giraffes grazing, lots of wildebeests, some monkeys, ostriches, rhinos, hippos, and some lions.

From there our guide took us to Addo Elephant Park, a national park with lots of wildlife in it. We drove around and saw a lot of elephants just off the road, living their lives and being awesome. Highlight of the safari was either staying in a hut on the reserve overnight or watching a male lion try and mate with a female and repeatedly getting denied.

(the lady was having none of it)

(mama elephant with her kids on at the elephant park)

Middelburg
From the gamepark we drove to Middelburg, which as its name states, is in the middle of nowhere. We arrived at night, grabbed a bite to eat, and headed out at 7 am the next morning…so there isn’t much to say about this town. However, our night here really showed what race relations here are like. Basically, a lot of people here bring up race in some way/shape/form about 10-15 minutes after meeting them. Often times, it’s in a negative way.

When it comes to the World Cup, many whites (especially Afrikaans, the descendants of the Dutch settlers and the people behind Apartheid) don’t want anything to do with it. In South Africa, soccer is a traditionally “black” sport, while rugby & cricket are traditionally “white” sports. Based on what we saw, these stereotypes hold more true in rural areas such as Middelburg than they do in more cosmopolitan places like Cape Town or Johannesburg. Hence our guide at the safari said he wanted nothing to do with the World Cup and wouldn’t watch a game, while in Middelburg the restaurant wouldn’t show the World Cup kickoff concert on TV because it was soccer-related. While some of this boils down to a dislike of soccer (just like it does in the United States), a lot of it appears to boil down to racism.

Johannesburg
From Middelburg we drove to Johannesburg, arriving just in time to catch the opening game of the World Cup between South Africa and Mexico. Evan MacTavish was already at our apartment, and we had a great night of drinking wine and watching soccer. And the day after was the USA/England game, which I’ve already written about…and from which I’m still recovering.

(pure happiness after picking up my game tickets)

Road Trip, part 1

2010-06-17T19:34:00.016+05:30

With the World Cup fully in swing, I thought I’d post a little bit about my pre-World Cup road trip, which was amazing. The journey lasted about a week, so I’ll break it up into 2 entries.

And since it was a road trip, I had to quickly learn how to drive on the left side of the road, with the driver seat in the front right of the car, with the stick-shift in my left hand. Luckily, none of this proved as difficult as I had thought, or else Alex and I would never have made it through the trip.

We basically followed the Garden Route, a beautiful drive along the coast of South Africa. It starts in Cape Town, and heads east towards Port Elizabeth. Below is a brief summary of each stop along the way, with lots of links to click on and some pictures…

Cape Town
It’s an amazing place with Table Mountain rising 3,000 feet above the city, beautiful beaches facing west for amazing sunsets, and friendly people and delicious seafood. Unfortunately, we only had 1 sunny day while we were there, so on that day we took the cable car up Table Mountain and hit up the beach for a sunset dinner. The other days were spent visiting Robben Island, Kirstenbosch Gardens, and the waterfront. One of the best parts of the trip was seeing the name of the city’s Ferris wheel…it was called the Wheel of Excellence.

(if i had 1 word to describe that wheel, it would be excellent)

(Alex frolicking in Kirstenbosch Gardens)

Franschhoek
Franschhoek is one of the 3 main towns of the wine area of South Africa. It’s quaint, with lots of vineyards & wineries. We only had one night there, but did 2 tastings, bought way too much wine, and had an absolutely incredible dinner. We stayed on a vineyard that had 7 dogs running around and were fun to play with. Best quote of the night here was when we wanted to do our tasting outside, because it was during sunset and it was beautiful outside. The woman doing the tasting responded, “Why would you want to do that? It’s MISERABLE outside!” Mind you, it was about 60 degrees, and it’s winter here. I’d take South African winters over Boston winters any day of the year.

(the view during our "miserable" outdoor wine tasting)

(the wine really did flow like water in this town, as shown by our flights at dinner)

Boulders Beach
From Franschhoek we backtracked towards Cape Town so we could see the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point on the African continent. On the way we passed Boulders Beach, where hundreds of African penguins come to mate & raise their young. It was incredible to walk on a boardwalk with penguins just on the other side of the fence and right in front of you…you could touch them if you wanted to, but they bite and you also have to pay a hefty fine if you’re caught. It was one of the more surreal moments of my life, and absolutely incredible. Other than being surrounded by penguins, the best part of the drive was seeing a solitary stray penguin just off the side of the road on the putting green of a golf course.

(penguins!!!!!!!)

(and more penguins!!!!!!!)

Cape of Good Hope
We had to hustle to get to the Cape of Good Hope before it closed for the evening, but the 45 minutes we had in the park were well worth it. The tip is about a 20-minute drive from the entrance of the park, and the drive is incredible. It’s as if you’re driving on Mars or something like that…just completely different looking. Apparently the park contains baboons, zebras, penguins, ostriches, and a lot of other exotic animals, but we didn’t see any. It was a grey and drizzly afternoon, and we parked our car near the tip and ran up the path/stairway to get to the end…which was breathtaking. You can stand on lookout points that are at the top of a sheer cliff that drops probably 30 or 40 stories straight down to the ocean, with waves crashing against the rocks. If it was this beautiful on a grey & cloudy day, I can only imagine how beautiful it is on a sunny day.

(the Cape of Good Hope in the background)

(that red dot is me peering over the edge of the cliff)

USA vs. England...Where a Tie = a Win

2010-06-15T11:20:00.011+05:30

After 4 years of planning, the moment finally happened: the 1st game for the USA in the 2010 World Cup...and it just happened to be against England. England is stacked with some of the best players in the world: Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, and Frank Lampard. Luckily, they don't have a world class player at goalkeeper, and because of this we were able to tie 1-1 due to a horrible play by the English goalie. Take nothing away from the Americans, because we played well and had some chances of our own. I was so nervous the whole game that I almost couldn't watch.

The game itself was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I woke up at 6 am like a 5 year old on Christmas day, and the 4 of us took off for the shopping mall where our day was to start. First item on the agenda: getting my haircut & dyed into a blue mohawk.

blue mowhak, American flag & 2 Budweisers

After spending way too much money and 2 hours at the barber, it was done. By the time I got my haircut, it was time to hop on the bus to the game. A guy out of Chicago organized buses for 300 US fans to travel to and from the game (which was 3 hours' drive from Johannesburg). We met some awesome and terrible people on the bus, but a few beers makes anything bearable. We got to the stadium after sunset, and immediately entered the grounds and had beers, met fans from both sides, and had a blast. We entered the stadium about an hour before kickoff, and basked in the glory of being at the most anticipated game of the World Cup.

Highlights of the day include being interviewed by Al-Jazeera Sports, ESPN Brazil, and a South African radio station; meeting USA fans from Dayton, Tipp City, and Boston; all the costumes people were wearing (2 guys wearing Elvis wigs, 2 guys dressed up as Uncle Sam, someone as a Statue of Liberty); and just the camaraderie among US fans and the good-natured British fans.

Alex & Mikey, ready for the bus ride with a case of beer

being interviewed by ESPN Brazil

maybe Alex will now understand why I love soccer so much

South Africa...It's Alright, I guess

2010-06-06T14:29:00.012+05:30

After a 21 hour journey via 2 flights & Amsterdam airport, we arrived in Johannesburg & to our hotel outside of the airport. It was late, so naturally we went straight to the bar to have a celebratory drink. In the bar, we heard one of the most stereotypical conversations possible. It goes like this:

White South African Woman, to an older Australian Guy: "What brings you to South Africa?"
Old Australian Guy: "The diamonds."

Seriously, that happened. Anyways, the next morning we hopped a flight to Cape Town, which is probably the most beautiful city I've ever seen. Naturally I got lost driving to town from the airport, but somehow I've managed to get used to driving on the left side of the road, with a stick shift that's in my left hand. Oh, and our car is slightly larger than a Smart car (see below).

It's winter here, so the weather has been grey, cloudy & dreary. But yesterday was absolutely gorgeous, so we hit up Table Mountain (which rises over 3,000 feet above the city) and Camps Bay for a sunset dinner on the beach. In the meantime we hit up Robben Island for a tour, the V&A Waterfront (kind of the Fanuiel Hall of Cape Town, but nicer), and had some amazing meals.

On the soccer/World Cup front, the country is extremely excited for the tournament, and for their national team (nicknamed the Bafana Bafana). Cars drive around with South African covers on their mirrors & flags on their windows...I obviously followed suit and dressed up our rental car accordingly. I've only been in Johannesburg and Cape Town, but if they're any indication of the whole country, then this tournament is going to be AMAZING.

USA! USA! USA!

Highlight so far are pictured below, but all in all the trip has been awesome so far. I love Cape Town in the winter, so I can only imagine how awesome this place is during the summer.

Sparks, our tour guide at Robben Island. All tours of the prison are given by former inmates. He spent 7 years there for being guilty of terrorism

Yes that is a real penguin, only 3 feet away from me in the wild

Me & our guide on the top of Table Mountain, Derek. He's the man...78 years old, still hikes the mountain once a week, and did push ups on the edge of a cliff

This might be the cutest animal ever...it's called a Dassie, and its closest relative is an elephant...even though it's the size of a small dog. This one was sunning itself on a rock on the top of Table Mountain

sunset on Camps Bay, with Lion's Head (2,400 foot peak) in the background

Off to South Africa & the World Cup

2010-06-01T23:04:00.003+05:30

me being uber-patriotic before the USA vs. Czech Republic game at the 2006 World Cup

Hi everyone,

So after an 8-month hiatus to finish my graduate studies, I'm back & ready to update you on my next adventure. I'll be heading to South Africa for 5 weeks to travel around and to be a fan at the greatest sporting event in the world...the World Cup. I'll be road-tripping around South Africa for 10 days before settling into an apartment in Johannesburg and following the United States team for 5 games.

I'll be updating this blog on what South Africa is like, along with updates on what it's like to follow the US National Team through the tourney. Please feel free to comment below and tell me what you want to hear about. In the meantime, I'll let Homer Simpson speak for me...

American Awesomeness

2009-09-20T07:11:00.004+05:30

This might be the best blog ever. It's just pictures of people at Wal-Marts throughout the U.S. I mean, what can be better than seeing pictures of people like the guy above at the mom & pop shop we all love?

Too Controversial of a Movie?

2009-09-18T18:48:00.003+05:30

There is a movie coming out, called Creation, which is about Charles Darwin's life. According to this article, it is supposedly one of the best movies of the year. That's great if you don't live in the United States, because you'll be able to see it in a theater. If you live in the U.S. you're out of luck, at least for now.

The film is too controversial for mainstream America, because it supports Evolutionary Theory. Because of this, "...US distributors have resolutely passed on a film which will prove hugely divisive in a country where, according to a Gallup poll conducted in February, only 39 per cent of Americans believe in the theory of evolution."

Now I remember why I love living abroad so much...

It's been a long time...

2009-09-17T18:00:00.003+05:30

So after about a month of travels/moving apartments/school starting, I'm finally back and ready to rant. Rants will be less about Nepal, and more about anything I find interesting & comical. But for the moment, here is a link to the pictures from when my girlfriend visited me in Nepal & our trip to Thailand together.

Alex in Asia & A'Dam

Pics from Bhutan (finally)

2009-08-31T01:41:00.002+05:30

I know you've all been waiting anxiously to see my pictures from Bhutan. Well, here they are. Just in case you were wondering, I went to Bhutan to interview government officials and others about the refugee situation in Nepal (who fled Bhutan in the early 1990s and have yet to return). I also got to be a tourist for a few days, which was awesome. If you want to hear more about the trip, you know how to get a hold of me.

Bhutan

Sorry for being M.I.A.

2009-08-24T23:14:00.003+05:30

I'm not quite sure to whom I'm apologizing, but just in case you have no life and read this blog, I do apologize for the lack of posts lately. I was in Bhutan for 5 days, Kathmandu for 3 days, Thailand for 7 days, Kathmandu for 2 days, and now I'm about to head back to Boston over the course of 3 flights, 2 layovers, and 36 hours. I promise to post pics from Bhutan soon.

And just to whet your appetite, a quick story about Bhutan. Before leaving, my friend Josh said "Dude, have fun there. I heard they love dicks in Bhutan." I had no idea what he meant, but after visiting that country I can say that yes, Bhutan does love dicks. See the picture below for proof...

I'm off to Bhutan (yes, it's a country)

2009-08-10T09:25:00.002+05:30

I leave this afternoon for a 5-day trip to the Kingdom of Bhutan. It's a country of only about 650,000 people sandwiched between India & China. The picture above is one of the Dzongs (aka fortresses) built throughout the country. I'll post pictures once I return...

Pics from Damak

2009-08-08T23:16:00.002+05:30

So I spent last week in Damak, where UNCHR and IOM are processing the resettlement of refugees from Bhutan. I got to spend the week hanging out with staff from both organizations, visiting the refugee camps, and seeing what it takes to resettle a refugee from Nepal to the United States. It was an unbelievable experience.

Damak

Tibetans & Pollution in Modern Nepal

2009-08-06T08:40:00.000+05:30

2 great pieces in the Washington Post recently...

The first article talks about how the Tibetan refugees in Nepal are struggling under pressure from China and the economic downturn.

The other great article is about how terrible pollution has become in Kathmandu. "The snowy peaks of Mount Everest draw climbers from around the world. But a decade of civil war, rampant corruption and lack of consistent environmental policies has turned the serenely beautiful Kathmandu Valley into a harshly polluted one, too. The bowl-shaped valley traps the air, which turns thick from standstill traffic belching thick, black smoke."

Awesome Music Project from 2 BC guys

2009-08-06T00:01:00.001+05:30

Canyon Cody & Sean Dwyer of Gnawledge records just produced an album focusing on Grenada, Spain. They were interviewed on NPR's "All Things Considered"

CEOs, Business Class, & Oral Sex

2009-08-05T12:11:00.000+05:30

This is the CEO of RyanAir. Can you imagine what would happen if the CEO of a U.S. company were caught on film saying something like this?

Videos from Nepal

2009-08-01T12:13:00.007+05:30

These are all videos that I've taken at various points during my site visits around Nepal. They capture a bit more than just pictures & captions

This is a plane landing at Phaplu airport. I did the same crazy landing on the same small plane 2 days before...

...and this is the plane taking off, pretty much off the edge of a cliff

This video is of some kids in the street of Burtibang doing traditional song & dance (sorry about the poor video quality)

This was my experience on a bus from Baglung to Pokhara. They played this music for the entire 3-hour drive

And this was what it was like for me for 3 full days...bouncy, crammed jeep rides on the sides of mountains

The boarding students at Mt. Everest school doing their pre-dinner prayers. They did this for 30 minutes, and got really loud when they saw me filming

The following 2 videos are of the morning assembly at the Mt. Everest school

Man-Love

2009-08-01T12:06:00.005+05:30

Nepal is a country where men hold hands as a sign of friendship. Or as shown in the photo above that I took in Bhaktapur, men can hang all over each other while just hanging out. It's really interesting to see, especially since it puts into perspective just how homophobic the U.S. really is. It took me a couple of days to get used to this sight, but now I just find it one of those nice things about Nepali culture.

Pics from Bhaktapur

2009-08-01T12:03:00.003+05:30

Here are some pics from a day trip to Bhaktapur, one of the 3 original kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley.

Bhaktapur

Humorous Pics, Round 2

2009-08-01T11:33:00.009+05:30

Here are some more pics that I found funny here in Nepal...

Not quite sure what this is getting at...

If I were trying to look "fine", this sign wouldn't attract my business

This restaurant was called NEPALICA, and it was in the same font/design as the Metallica logo. I mean, that's just badass

I don't eat oats, but I wanted to just because the red wheel-thingy looked so happy

This was by far the coolest airplane sickness bag I've ever seen. Not only does it have an action photo of a woman blowing chunks, but the instructions read: "This bag can be used for vomiting, spitting, throwing the wrappers of chocolates, disposal items, etc. and throwing baby's excreta in the flight period. Thanks!"

Baggage x-raying is clearly taken seriously at the Kathmandu airport

American Converts?

2009-07-31T18:49:00.003+05:30

Is this guy really going to be a soccer fan?

Probably not, but according to this article, soccer (aka football for the rest of the world) is finally catching on here in the U.S. of A. While I've heard this same argument many times before, I have to say that I agree with it. With soccer being the most widely played youth sport in the country, it's only a matter of time before those kids (people like me) become adults spending $$$ to make it part of America.

I mean, if f-ing NASCAR can become the most popular sport in the country, anything is possible....

Some More Pics....

2009-07-26T18:47:00.002+05:30

Here are some pics from my site visit, this time to the foothills of the Himalayas. I visited another Tibetan refugee settlement, as well as a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Not gonna lie, I'm really enjoying this internship...

Solukhumbu

Japanese Pervs

2009-07-25T12:44:00.001+05:30

This New York Times article is really kind of disturbing. It’s about Japanese men who have relationships with 2-D video game women or dolls….aka non-humans. I mean, this stuff is really, really twisted.

[Nisan] knows it’s weird for a grown man to be so obsessed with a video-game character, but he just can’t imagine life without Nemutan. “When I die, I want to be buried with her in my arms.”

[Men like Nisan]…have real romantic feelings for their toys. The less extreme might have a hidden collection of figurines based on anime characters that they go on “dates” with during off hours. A more serious 2-D lover, like Nisan, actually believes that a lumpy pillow with a drawing of a prepubescent anime character on it is his girlfriend.

And then there's this gem....

Momo, whose real name is Toru Taima, has more than 150 body-pillow covers at home. His current favorite is Karada-chan, a copper-haired sixth grader from the anime “A Direction in the Day After Tomorrow.” She’s fully clothed in the cartoon, but in Momo’s imagination and thus on his pillow cover, she appears naked, her cheeks flushed, her prepubescent nipples hidden by her forearms, her white panties rolled down to her ankles. A translucent square etched onto the pillow cover censors her hairless vagina.

Every night, Karada-chan and at least two other animated preteens, drawn with large pink nipples and exaggerated labia, share a mattress with Momo, one on each side and another on top. “They’re so cute, I can’t stand it,” he said shyly. “It’s like my favorite girl comes to marry me every night. I just can’t stop thinking about them.” When Momo talks about Karada-chan, his mousy face lights up like a kid opening Christmas presents. “Her existence to me is like daughter, younger sister and bride all put into one.” Does he have sex with her? “Yes.” Is he interested in real women? “It’s not like I’m completely uninterested. But the last girl I really liked was when I was 12 years old.”

Nude Farming

2009-07-24T09:18:00.004+05:30

Apparently the lack of rains in India have driven some farmers to alter their usual routine.

Farmers in Bihar have asked their unmarried daughters to plough parched fields naked in a bid to embarrass the weather gods to bring some badly needed monsoon rain, officials said on Thursday.

Witnesses said the naked girls in Bihar ploughed the fields and chanted ancient hymns after sunset to invoke the gods. They said elderly village women helped the girls drag the ploughs.

"They (villagers) believe their acts would get the weather gods badly embarrassed, who in turn would ensure bumper crops by sending rains," Upendra Kumar, a village council official, said from Bihar's remote Banke Bazaar town.

"This is the most trusted social custom in the area and the villagers have vowed to continue this practice until it rains very heavily."

India this year suffered its worst start to the vital monsoon rains in eight decades, causing drought in some states.

I think the whole thing is pretty funny, although of course only women are supposed to get naked for the good of the people. Apprently naked men aren't embarrasing enough.

Rivers of Poop & Trash

2009-07-23T12:21:00.006+05:30

This piece done by the East-West Center (thanks Josh) does a good job of profiling the Kathmandu Valley, and the strains being put on it by a rapid increase in population coupled with a lack of government services/planning. My favorite quote concerns the rivers (if you can even call them that) flowing through the valley.

"Along with an increase in population and unplanned and haphazard urbanization, the city is becoming an example of a terribly polluted city with open sewers and unhygienic disposal of waste leading to the pollution of all the existing rivers in Kathmandu. The three major rivers—Bagmati, Bishnumati and Dhobi-Khola—which flow through the heart of KMC [Kathmandu Metropolitan Center] were in ancient times the jewels of the city, but have now turned into open sewer."

The picture above is supposedly of the Bagmati River. I've never seen it look THAT bad, but the river is absolutely disgusting...and people swim in it. Yum.

World Cup Hype

2009-07-22T10:28:00.001+05:30

ESPN, which will broadcast a majority of the World Cup games in 2010, has started their marketing push for Americans. The video below pretty much captures the current apathy in the average U.S. fan towards soccer & the World Cup.

Nepal Leading Nepal

2009-07-21T08:56:00.005+05:30

The Prime Minister of Nepal (aka the head honcho) is named Madhav Kumar Nepal. So he is always referred to as "Prime Minister Nepal" or "PM Nepal". It would be like having a "President America" or "Prime Minister Britain". PM Nepal is definitely the most country-appropriate-named leader around.

Oh, and the eclipse this morning was a bust...too many clouds.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

2009-07-21T08:42:00.002+05:30

I'm just lucky enough to be in Nepal during a Total Solar Eclipse. It'll start here in Kathmandu at around 5:45 in the morning and last about 2 hours. If you wanna see the path of the eclipse, click here.

According to Hindu mythology, an eclipse is an event of ill-fortune, so all work should be postponed during one. There have been some pretty interesting (I mean hilarious) articles in the local newspapers about the eclipse. Apparently a lot of people here still hold traditional beliefs about them. One article mentions common beliefs regarding things that should NOT be done during an eclipse...one of the things mentioned was about pregnant women. "She is not only supposed to stay indoors but she should also not touch her stomach or use any sharp objects." Another belief is that the eclipse is a precursor to the decline of a major empire, because it's happened before (watch out America!)

Getting Paid to Marry?

2009-07-20T10:58:00.002+05:30

After returing from another site visit to a Tibetan settlement (pictures to come soon), I came across this article about men being offered a payment from the Government of Nepal to marry widows. Pretty sure they could use the money for social projects, instead of putting prices on a woman's head.

Pics from my 8-day Trip

2009-07-12T20:37:00.005+05:30

Here are the pictures from my trip to Dhorpatan. It's a valley at 9,600 feet, and is inhabited by less than 1,000 people. I went there to visit the Tibetan refugees that are living in settlements, and to figure out ways that the donor community can help. It was an amazing trip, and in the off chance you have 2 weeks to spare in Nepal, I'd recommend going. I'm off on another site visit this week to some Tibetan settlements in the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal, but in the meantime enjoy the pictures...

Dhorpatan & Back

Weird Pictures from the Road

2009-07-10T13:43:00.012+05:30

This is from book teaching English grammar, and this page is out of the letter writing section. I have absolutely no idea what the last sentence of the 1st paragraph means, "Let me write how I am going to enjoy it, will you?"

If you're a guy, how do you say no to this ad?

I didn't know shawls could talk

I didn't know Nepalis were Dutch beer connoisseurs. Hess, this one's for you.

I wonder if this beer is strong...

I could think of nothing worse: banana-flavored chewing gum

No way I'm messing with this badass baby

These were the babes on display at a billiards hall. Apparently Nepali men love women from the 80s with bad haircuts

This was the sign hanging in a medicine man's shop. Not sure what kind of product he's selling, but it appears to be cross-dressing men's leg shavings

No comment needed

2 Sets of Pics

2009-07-09T16:42:00.002+05:30

Here are some pictures. The first album is from my visit to Swayambhunath, one of the 2 main Buddhist areas of Kathmandu. It's nicknamed Monkey Temple, and there are a boatload of them around. The second album is of my classmate's wedding here in Nepal. She's Newari, so the wedding followed Newari traditions. It was held at 3 am, since that was deemed to be the auspicious time for it to occur.

Swayambhunath

Shailee's Wedding

8 Days on the Road

2009-07-08T20:25:00.004+05:30

So I just got back yesterday from an 8-day trip to visit a Tibetan refugee settlement in Dhorpatan. I ended up traveling for 6 days, with the actual site visit lasting less than a day & a half. I'll post pictures soon with commentary...but in case you are interested, here's what my life has been like for the last 9 days or so. I don't think I woke up any later than 5:30 on any of these mornings, and most days were at least 10 hours of travel.

June 29 - 12:15-2:30 am, watch the US soccer team lose to Brazil in an exciting game. 3-5:30 am, attend the traditional Newari wedding of a classmate of mine. 6:30 get picked up to catch my 8 am flight to the touristy town of Pokhara. Spend the day there relaxing by the lake.

June 30 - Attempt to make it to Burtibang, via multiple Jeep rides. Only make it to Baglung due to a bandh...aka we only completed 3 hours of what was supposed to be a 12 hour journey.

July 1 - Get stuck in Baglung, then are able to depart at 5 pm when the bandh is lifted. We travel in a knock-off Jeep up & over a 7,000 foot pass on dirt roads carved out of the side of the mountain, with massive drops off the side of the "road". I'm pretty sure that ride could be considered an extreme sport since I was pretty sure we almost tumbled to our death a few times. End up spending the night in some random small town.

July 2 - Take 3 separate Jeeps to make it to Burtibang, the last town with a road in that part of the country. We had to take 3 Jeeps because the road had washed out in a few places, which necessitated a little bit of hiking.

July 3 - Combination of hike/horseride from Burtibang to Dhorpatan, my destination. It takes 12 hours, with the trail getting steeper & steeper. I'm told I need to ride a horse, which wasn't bad...except that a 72 year old Tibetan hiked the whole way with us, and 2 porters carried 70 pound boxes up the trail. I've never felt so lazy in my life. Arrive in Dhorpatan...a beautiful valley at 9,000 feet with no roads or electricity. Do some visits to the local homes

July 4 - Celebrate our nation's birth by doing site visits all day.

July 5 - Depart Dhorpatan back to Burtibang.

July 6 - Burtibang to Pokhara, via 4 Jeeps and 1 bus.

July 7 - Flight back to Kathmandu after having an amazing lakeside breakfast.

And I'll be doing a similar visit for 5 days next week to the Everest region of Nepal....

Stuck in Baglung

2009-07-01T11:18:00.002+05:30

So I'm stuck in Baglung, Nepal for the time being. Since it's monsoon season I don't have the mountatin views as depicted on the wikipedia site, but it's still surrounded by lush green mountains with clouds skirting them. We are on our way to Tibetan settlements in Dhorpatan, via the towns of Baglung & Butibang. But why are we stuck here in Baglung? A bandh, of course.

This bandh was called by the members of a town somewhere on the highway between Pokhara & Baglung. 2 kids from this town were hit & killed by a bus, which was then overturned & burned. The town is demanding 3,000,000 rupees in damages for the children's death (about $40,000) Since they haven't recieved the money yet from the owners of the bus, they called a bandh & blocked the road between Pokhara & Baglung.

So yesterday we heard the bandh was called off, so we headed off on our journey...and got stuck for 4 hours in the town where the 2 kids were from. The only cars allowed to pass were ambulances, and if you went thru on your own miscreants (as the newspapers call them) will pelt your car with stones. We saw an ambulance that was mistaken for a regular car drive by with a shattered winshield as proof to how strictly the bandhs are enforced.

After 4 hours the townspeople let us thru because we are delivering solar panels to the Tibetans & because I'm a tourist. We got stopped once more in another town, but they phoned back to the 1st town to make sure we weren't lying. So we finally got to Baglung & heard the roads were shut down going on to Butibang.

Long story short, we're here in Baglung at least for 1 more day. If the bandh ends, then we'll continue on via jeep. If it hasn't eneded by tomorrow, then we'll get some porters and start a 3-day hike to Dhorpatan.

I'm cool with either one, but just frustrated by the stupidity of the bandhs. What's worse is that they made schoolbuses stop for 2 hours, which means the kids missed out on schooling. Talk about stupid & counter-productive. The other frustrating thing is that the people enforcing this are just the local boys/young men/adult men. The police are powerless & do nothing...it's basically mob rule/justice. They only turn violent if you disobey the bandh, which we aren't doing.

To kill time I've slept, read, walked around town, and played some crazy billiards game on a massive table with double the amount of balls. I've also made friends with the kids at the hotel, who are really cute but refuse to believe that I don't speak Nepali.

Rafting Pics

2009-06-29T14:36:00.002+05:30

Here are the pictures from our 2-day rafting trip on the Trusili River. It was the first time outside of the Kathmandu Valley for me, and it was a welcome break from the massive amounts of pollution in the capital. Just a note on how cheap things are here. The trip, which included 2 days of rafting, transportation to/fro, 4 meals & lodging cost $70.

Rafting the Trisuli

Some Pics of Historic Kathmandu

2009-06-27T13:29:00.003+05:30

These are some random pics, including some from a visit to Patan's Durbar Square. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is pretty amazing.

Patan & Tina's BBQ

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T10:21:00.003+05:30

Unquestionably weird, but immensely talented. He also provided fodder for one of the best South Park episodes ever.

Let's all take a moment to remember one of the most infulential musicians of all-time...

USA Beats World #1 Spain

2009-06-25T11:19:00.004+05:30

"This was the victory American fans have been dying to see. It was against a major team, in a major tournament, and on foreign soil. Tonight's result was the biggest win ever in American soccer's long and fitful history."

The United States beat the world #1 team (Spain) by a score of 2-0. I made the decision to wake up for the 12:15 am kick-off, and was not disappointed. The U.S. came out and played attacking football, and withstood the Spanish attack throughout the course of the game. Boston College product Charlie Davies got the start at forward alongside Jozy Altidore, and the 2 combined well. Jozy's got a ton of strength and Charlie's got a lot of speed. This pairing bodes well for the future, since they're both young and have complimentary but different styles of play.

The game was not easy, and Spain had a huge advantage in terms of possession and attacking opportunities. But they couldn't break through our defense, and we were able to capitalize on their defensive lapses. This is the farthest the U.S. has gotten in a FIFA tournament and it will certainly raise hopes that we'll perform well at the World Cup next year. If the team's performance vs. Spain is any indication, we might have some success on our return trip to South Africa in 2010.

Awesome Signage & Translations

2009-06-24T15:30:00.007+05:30

The 2 best parts of traveling to the developing world: 1) cheap & delicious food, and 2) terribly translated, weird or funny signs. Here are 3 that I've found so far....

This one is for a school. Can't wait to see how the students' level of English is.

Never heard of an UNO card, other than for the sweet card game. Almost as awesome as the Diner's Club card being the card of choice in Ecuador, even though no one in the U.S. uses it anymore.

I have no idea where to start with this. It's a lighter/flashlight combo that cost me 25 cents, says "Cheers for China" on it, and has a silhouette of a golfer. Just like the Rorschach inkblot test, I'll let you create your own interpretation of what it means.

New Pics

2009-06-23T11:20:00.001+05:30

Below are some pictures of a recent hike I did with some friends and another 2 visits to Bodhnath.

Dreamfactory Cafe, Nagarkot, Full Moon at Bodhnath

Where is the monsoon?

2009-06-22T11:37:00.006+05:30

Kathmandu is hot as hell right now. Highs are averaging about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with some awesome humidity to raise the heat index. The monsoon should have arrived around June 10 (apparently Mother Nature keeps to a strict schedule) but has yet to arrive.

What this means for me is hotter days & nights, more pollution & dust, and a really gross and expanding cess-pool of sewage covered in flies & mosquitoes that I walk past every day to work.

More important is what the delayed monsoon means for the people of Nepal...and it's much worse than for me. Nepal is in the midst of its worst drought in 75 years, and the delayed monsoon is not helping matters. In a country where 95% of the people spend 60% of their income on food, the drought will only cause more despair and probably make food a little more scarce than usual.

USA! USA! USA!

2009-06-22T11:09:00.002+05:30

As many of you know I'm a huge soccer fan, so it sucked to know that I'd be missing just about all of the Confederations Cup due to the time difference here in Kathmandu. This year's version of the tournament is in South Africa, and it pits the host country (South Africa), the defending World Cup Champion (Italy) and the champions of the 6 FIFA regions of the world.

The United States lost in style in its first 2 games, losing 3-1 to Italy, 3-0 to Brazil. Brazil and Italy are ranked 4th & 5th in the world, so losing to them wasn't unexpected. But I was able to watch the Brazil game, and we played like absoute $hit and looked awful. It was a total disgrace, and one American writer said that we should be ashamed, which I certainly was. I watched the game with a British guy, who remarked dryly afterwards, "Well, at least you aren't playing as badly as New Zealand," which is ranked 82nd in the world.

Then last night, the U.S. beat Egypt 3-0, and coupled with Brazil's victory over Italy (also 3-0) enabled us to advance to the semifinals of the tourney. The best part about the game is that Charlie Davies (Boston College alum) scored the 1st goal and provided the spark that the U.S. didn't have in its first 2 games. It's all the more sweet, since Davies hardly gets any playing time even though he is dangerous as hell every time he steps on the pitch.

The U.S. oppenent for the semifinal: Spain, the world's #1 team, which hasn't lost in 35 games and has won 15 straight games. Hopefully we'll pull out an upset, but probably not with the way Spain is playing. I was pissed and angry at how poorly we had played the 1st two games, but I'm extremely happy to be eating my own words & cynicism right now.

Nepal's almost-Political Crisis

2009-06-20T00:22:00.003+05:30

The Economist just published a concise summary of the current political situation in Nepal. It will be interesting to see what happens, although no one thinks another civil war will occur.

1st Day of Work = No Work

2009-06-19T23:01:00.008+05:30

So it's June 1st...the 1st day of my internship. I put on my suit in an attempt to look professional, and head out the door for the 10 minute walk to work. I see my boss around the corner, and she looks at me and says, "You look nice...but go home. The Embassy is closed...it's a bandh. Welcome to Nepal."

Basically a bandh is a crappy form of protesting. During bandhs in Nepal it's ok to walk around, but you don't drive around the city on anything...cars, motorcycles, or even bicycles (they'll deflate your tires) Bandhs can be called by any group, but they are usually for political reasons. The bandhs are enforced by groups on the major streets, many times by groups of kids/teenagers supervised by an adult. They happen all the time, but are often regional or local in nature...and they cost the country millions of dollars a day in lost revenue & inefficiencies.

The one on June 1st was called by an ethnic group that was protesting for their own state within Nepal...which was to encompass Kathmandu and surrounding areas (fat chance of that happening). A more serious one happened this past week, which was enforced by the Youth Communist League (YCL) and was a bit more violent.

And since the Embassy is paranoid about safety & closes when there's a bandh in Kathmandu, I don't mind them so much...

Monkeys, Cremations & Monks

2009-06-19T22:49:00.013+05:30

Those 3 things pretty much sum up my first tourist outing in Kathmandu. My classmate from Fletcher (Josh) and I went to Pashupatinah Temple, one of the most holy place for Hindus in the country. Most of the areas are off-limits to non-Hindus. But we did see monkeys running around, and we also saw bodies being cremated along the Bagmati River. For one reason or another, if you're a Hindu and you die in Nepal, you want to be cremated at Pashupatinah. (Unless you're an untouchable, then they don't let your body to be burned there. Ah, the joys of the caste system)

Basically the cremations are public events, and you can watch the whole process. It's pretty amazing to watch, and that something so tragic for a family is put on display for all. We watched the process from the beginning...preparation of the body through lighting it on fire. Whoever it was must have been a Maoist (more to come on them later) because they draped a Communist flag over the corpse, and put another flag in the background. Josh wryly noted "The irony is amazing." Oh...and we saw guys like the one pictured above, which are called Sadhus

From there we headed over to Bodhnath, the Buddhist area of Kathmandu. I'll let the pictures do the talking....

Pashupatinath & Bodhnath

Transit to Nepal

2009-06-19T22:40:00.006+05:30

After almost 2 days, I made it to Kathmandu from Boston (via Amsterdam & Delhi). Kathmandu is a typical capital city in a developing country...overcrowded, poorly-planned, and polluted. However, the house that I'm living in is pretty sweet, and way nicer than anything I've ever lived in while abroad.

Here are some pics from my trip & the new digs...

Transit to Nepal & Sneha Sadan

And Here We Go...

2009-06-19T22:14:00.007+05:30

As you may know, I'm spending the summer in Nepal focusing on refugee issues at the U.S. Embassy. For obvious reasons I won't be talking about where I work, but I will comment on refugee issues generally here and there. I'll mostly be commenting on what life is like here in Nepal...especially what I fined weird, hilarious, beautiful, and frustrating.

Since I've been here for 3 weeks already, I've got a lot to catch you up on. I'll start off by posting about World Refugee Day, which is on June 20. Check out UNCHR's website for the latest figures on refugees & IDPs around the world. The picture of the old lady in front of the basketball hoop was from a UNHCR photo exhibit for World Refugee Day. If you look closely, you can see written on the backboard "I love this game", which was the motto for the NBA a few years back.

And just in case you're wondering why the hell I called my blog something so stupid, well...that's a valid question. But there's a store here in Kathmandu called Fabulous Fab World, and I think it's probably the best name for a store I've ever seen anywhere in the world...well, besides the restaurant I saw in Beijing that translated into Dog Meat King.