An Elephant, a Jeep and a Canoe...

Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but it's not, it's the modes of travel I've used for wildlife viewing in the past 24 hours.

Yesterday I started by taking a canoe across the river to get to  the the Jeep safari I took through the Chitwan national park.  I wasn't sure if I was more scared of the canoe tipping over and me falling out due to the large crocodile on the river bank, or due to the fear of ruining my camera!  (I was due to take a canoe trip down the river the next day, and seriously started to reconsider after that very short trip across the river)  The jeep was not exactly the same as the safari jeeps we had in Africa, but what they did have in common was a lack of shock absorbers.  They also didn't seem to have the same understanding that you should turn off the motor and watch/be able to photograph the animals, so I didn't get very many good shots.  Even when I could see the animals, the vibration from the jeep made it hard to get a steady shot.

The park was lush and green, but that also made it more difficult to see the animals.  I did see a crocodile (the normal one), some peacocks, a wild pig, some deer, and finally a rhino, but he was far away and sadly, I didn't get a good shot.  This trip really made me appreciate my Africa trip all over again!

This morning was my rescheduled elephant safari and it was raining- UGH!  Those of you who know me well know how much I hate being outside in the rain, but I had to put my "I don't do weather" motto aside and donned my windbreaker and ventured out in the rain.  Yes, I did have a picture taken on the elephant but most of you will never see it as I am rain drenched in it, which is not a good look for a princess in hiking boots.

If I thought taking photos on the jeep was hard, taking them on an elephant is so much harder, especially when I was hanging on for dear life!  I really underestimated the rocking/fear of falling off that comes from riding an elephant.  I have also realized that with age I've lost what little balance/agility I had.  As a teen I was able to stand up on top of a moving horse, using just my balance not to fall off, and now I can't get on/off an elephant or in/out of a canoe without help and fear of falling.  Who was it that said youth is wasted on the young?  He was right!

I really thought that I'd want to do an elephant safari every day that I'm here, but I was wrong about that!  Once was enough (my feelings might also be influenced by the rain and lack of animals that we saw).  I didn't get great shots today either, and we only saw some deer and monkeys.  No rhinos :(

I ended the day with a canoe ride (yes, I believed the people who told me it didn't rock.  Who were they kidding?!  What kind of boat doesn't rock?  Esp one made out of a dug out tree?!) and a walk through the jungle to an elephant breeding center.

The canoe was driven by a local with a big stick, and so when our guide joined us with another stick, I thought it was to help steer.  I didn't think much of it when he sat down with us and put down the stick, but I later learned what it was for...
The guide told us that the "normal" crocs along the bank were aggressive, and so we should be silent (although he continued to talk).  When we passed one resting croc that was I thought was a good photo opp because he started to move, our guide then picked up his stick and said that the croc looked too excited.  Once i realized the stick was to fight off crocs, I had many doubts about who would win that battle, stick or croc?  I'm just glad that we didn't have to find out!

Once we got downriver we disembarked and took a walk through the jungle.  We were lucky to come across a rhino, but he was laying in the grass, and apparently not in the mood to pose for picts because he never got up, so again, I didn't get any good shots :(

We ended the walk at an elephant breeding center and I hopefully got some good shots of some mother and baby elies, but it felt like cheating, as they weren't natural shots in the wild.

Tomorrow, my last day in Chitwan,  I will be going on a bird watching walk in the morning followed by a tour of a local Tharu village.  The day after that I get back on a bus and head for Pokhara, my next stop.

Namaste for now,
Robyn

Chitwan

Hello!

I made it to Chitwan National Park yesterday.  It's a 6 hour bus ride from Kathmandu.  I was originally going to fly, but a budget revision led to a bus ride.  The tourist only" bus was not exactly tourists only, and was a far cry from even a Greygound bus.  But it wasn't as bad as a bus I once took in Costa Rica, and if anyone remembers the movie "Romancing the Stone", it wasn't as bad as the bus Kathleen Turner ended up on in search of Cartajenga.  At least there were no livestock on the bus!  In the end, I'm glad I took the bus, as it gave me the opportunity to see a lot of the country.

The drive went through the mountains and I was able to see people living literally on the hillside (in shacks, but in LA that kind of real estate would be worth a fortune!)  There were also people living on the hillside, but across a river, and so they built suspension bridges that they use to cross the river and get to the road.  Imagine that as your daily commute instead of the freeway (that thing you east coasters call a parkway or a turnpike).

The us stopped several times at roadside shacks for refreshments and potty breaks.  I give myself many gold stars for using what they,very, loosely called a toilet.  My Mom use to tell stories about strengthening her thigh muscles in preparation for her trips to Asia so that she could squat over the whole in the ground.  Well, we now have that in common.  However, thanks to the capitalism in America, and the marketing of Target, I had tiny rolls of toilet paper with me.  A luxury that I doubt any of the other women had with them.  If I had had more with me I could have sold them for a profit, I'm sure!

I made it to Chitwan around lunchtime and enjoyed a walk to the edge of the park with a guide (and two women from Chile) were we saw the gov center for Elephants.    It was so hard to see them chained to a post (to keep them from wandering off) after having seen so many wild elephants in Africa.  Asian elephants are smaller,esp their ears, but have been bred for domestication for decades.  We then took a walk through the park along the river where we saw an eagle, an oriole, some parakeets, and a crocodile.  They have two types of crocs here (again, I'm not catching the names as well as I did in Africa, so I'm going to use my own), a "regular" looking one, and one with a long pointy snout full of sharp teeth (the name starts with a G, that's as much as I got).  We saw the regular one.  We ended the walk by the river to watch the sunset.  After dinner we were taken to a Tharu (the local people here) cultural show.  They did some fantastic dances with sticks and I was quite impressed that no one got their head smacked by the fast moving sticks!  They even had a Peacock dance/costume that could have rivaled the horse costume in The War Horse stage play.

This morning was supposed to be my elephant ride, but in my excitement to have electricity last night, and my rush to get out on time this morning, I left my camera battery charging :(  so I'll have to do it tomorrow morning.  I was going to use the time to visit the shops in town, but the atms were all closes (and I'm out of rupees) so lucky you, I used the time to post.  There won't be pictures for a while,as they have wifi here, but no actual computer for me to use to upload my pictures.  Also, this post is taking forever to write.  I bought an external bluetooth keyboard for my kindle, but it's so mall that I cant't fit my hands on and type normally, so I have to do the hunt and peck method which, for someone who can atcualy type, is very slow and frustrating!

This afternoon, with my camera AND battery intact, I will be taking a jeep safari.  Yipee!

That's all for now,
Robyn

Shavua Tov (A Good Week To You!)

HI!
I've had a few action packed days, thankfully followed by a restful shabbos, and now I'm ready to go again!

On Thurs I went from Kathmandu to Bagktapor, (I don't have my itinerary or guide with me, so I am not sure how to spell the cities names, but I'll do my best), one of the three ancient cities in Nepal.  Kathmandu, Bagktapor, and Patan were three separate states in Nepal, and (I can't remember when) where unified by one of the kings.  Each one has a square called Durbar Sq (Palace Sq) filled with temples and statues.

I had a guide who drove me, and picked up a local guide to take me through the city square and its surrounding areas.  There was a ton of information coming at me (both Thurs and Fri) filled with dates and names and I don't really remember much, as it was hard to catch/remember the names that are in Nepali or Sandskrit or Hindu, so I'll just describe what I saw.

Bagktapor has one of the best squares (of the three cities) since it is small, well maintained, and not as crowded as the one in Kathmandu.

One of the surprises was a symbol that we called the Star of David on lots of buildings, sometimes with a book in the middle.  My guide told me that is the Hindu symbol for knowledge.  (Also interesting to note is that they use the swastika symbol as a greeting on their doorsteps.  I think it's interesting that they have symbols that are both recognized as Jewish and Anti-Jewish by us Jews as central symbols of their culture).

Another surprise was that the Hindu temples are frequently decorated with carvings of the Kama Sutra on the outside.  One reason for this, I was told, is that it protects the temples from lightning, as the lightning gd is supposedly a virgin gd and will not look at picts of the Kama Sutra.  Another explanation is that it was for sex ed in ancient times.  Take your pick...

The Hindus still sacrifice animals, and there were several shrines with blood on them, and we even passed a buffalo enjoying his last day on Earth.

This is also the wedding season, and there were two wedding processions in Bagktapor while I was there, and they passed each other in the street.  The procession consists of a band in red jackets proceeding a car with the couple (I think, I couldn't really see inside) which is decorated with flowers, followed by their entourage/wedding guests.  It's very lively!

I was also able to visit an artists school for Tangka, the art that makes Mandallas (again, no help with the spelling here).  The art is so intricate and takes years (about 14) to master.  Once the artist becomes a master, then they paint with real gold and natural pigments.  One painting can take about 3 months to complete.


I have discovered that I am definitely not an architecture photographer.  I'm either too close, too far away, don't have the right lens, ect... so don't get your hopes up for many of the photos.  Here are a few I shot in Bagktapor:

Golden Gates made of real gold

A school (Star of David is the symbol for knowledge)

 On one of the temples

 A kama sutra carving on one of the temples

 This woman is collecting garbage (of which there is PLENTY in Kathmandu, tho she is Bagktapor)

 A wedding procession

From Bagktapor I went on to Nagrakot.  Nagrakot is up in hills and if it's a clear day, is supposed to have great views of the Himalayas. It's known for its sunset and sunrise views.  Unfortunately, it was a really cloudy day, and so there were no sunset views to see. I did make up for it by having a massage!  I needed it after the harrowing trip up the mountain.  It was a windy road big enough (seemingly) for only one car, and a small one at that.  However, we had to share the road with cars/busses coming down, so I spent most of the drive screaming OMG in my head (VERY proud of myself that it stayed in my head).  I also spent the drive wondering how long it would take, if ever, for someone to ID my body and ship my home when we went off the side of the mountain.  Yeah, it was a fun ride, and I knew that I had to do it again to get off the mountain the next morning!  (Elisa, do you remember the harrowing drive at night, down the mountain in AZ?  It was like that, but daytime).

Although it was a cloudy night the previous night, I woke up to see the sunrise.  While it was still cloudy, it was very cool to see the sunrise over the Himalayas (I'm sure they were out there somewhere!)

 

The harrowing drive back down the mountain on Fri brought me back for what I'm calling (for my frum friends) my avodah zara tour of Kathmandu.

A guide took me to 4 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kathmandu.
The first was the holiest place in the world for Hindus, as set of temples, which to my dismay (OK, horror) included several cremation sites (which, here comes the horror) were active while I was there!  Thankfully, non-Hindus are not allowed in the temples, so I didn't have to try to explain why I couldn't (by Jewish law) go in anyway.

I can't remember the name of the place, but here are some picts:
A cremation

 A "hindu" guy playing the flute (His name was probably Bob originally.  By the hindus, he's not considered a real Hindu- I guess they don't believe in converts)

 A real Hindu

 Monkey!  There were lots of them running around :)

 The top of the Hindu temple that is the holiest to them.  I couldn't see the whole temple, as it's surrounded by buildings that are now used to house homeless senior citizens

 A "holy man" (he and his partner are sitting at the entry way to this site waiting to pose for pictures, then you have to pay them.  They are the Hollywood Blvd version of Hindu Holy men)

 A Pagoda style (hindu style) temple

 The other Holy Roller!

From the Hindu site I went to a Buddhist site.  This is the largest Buddhist Stupa (temple) in Nepal (maybe the world, I can't remember)
The Nepal Flag

 The Stupa

 You spin this and it contains some kind of prayer

 Monks

From the Stupa we went to the the Kathmandu Durbar Sq.  It was larger, but much more crowded, more touristy than the one in Bagktapor.  The Kathmandu square contains the house of the living goddess, the Kumari.  They choose a goddess in early childhood and she remains the goddess until puberty.  She comes to the window sometimes, but one is not allowed to take pictures of her.  She only comes out for selected holidays a few times a year.

Nicknamed the Hippie Temple.  In the 60's when it was fashionable to be a hippie in Nepal this is where they hung out

 Windows where the Kumari comes out when she feels like it

 A Nepali woman selling pictures in front of the Kumari house

 A statue of one of Vishnu's selves

 A statue of the Monkey Gd.  It's covered, because he is a bachelor gd, and it is situated across from a temple with kama sutra carvings that he should not be looking at.

 A palace guard

 One of the only round style pagodas in Nepal

 A traditional pagoda

From Durbar Sq we then went to the Monkey Gd temple, another Buddhist site with a great view of the Kathmandu Valley.
A carving made from a single use stone

 Hard working Nepali women

 Kathmandu Valley

At the end of the day I was exhausted and ready for shabbos!
Even though I went to the Chabad for shabbos, it was a quite one for me, as I was the only non-Hebrew speaking Jew there (the Muslim was there too, but not his wife :(  ).

I leave tomorrow for Chitwan National Park and am looking forward to my elephant safari!

I'll post again when I can!
Robyn

Namaste from Nepal!

I'm here!  It only took two days and many flights, but I made it.

I left LA on Mon at 2pm and arrived in Kathmandu on Weds at 2pm.
Here was my journey: 3 hour wait at LAX, 12 hour flight from LA to Tokyo, 2 hour wait in Tokyo, 7 hour flight to Singapore, 8 hour wait in Singapore, followed by a 4 hour flight that brought me to Kathmandu.

I LOVE Singapore Airlines.  Everyone said it was great, and they were right.  Even in the sardine class it was good.  I was greeted with hot towels, and unlimited movies/tv, and best of all, I had an aisle seat with no on next to me the whole way there!
I finally got to see End of Watch, which my friend Babette worked as the script supervisor.  Edgy, has an indy feel, but somewhat of a tearjerker (amid all the graphic violence).  Way to go Babette!
The other great thing is that I was able to get lots of kosher snacks on the plane including Hagen Daz Ice Cream, and Hershey bars (they went directly into my bag for a treat here in Nepal).

I didn't sleep much on the first flight, and only got a few hours of sleep from Tokyo to Singapore, so in Singapore I checked into a transit hotel.  What a great idea.  Travel in other countries is so much more conducive then in America (at times).  However, I was shocked at the prices, but the promise of sleeping on a bed and showering without having to clear customs and go to a hotel was great.  Definitely worth it!

The flight from Singapore to Kathmandu was on a smaller airline, Silk, a subsidiary of Singapore Air.  Not as nice, but OK until meal time.  Then I learned that there was no kosher meal, and if there had been, it would have only been in first class!  Hmm, so many thoughts about that....what kind of political statement is that?  Jews only travel first class (stereotype), while my neighbor was able to get a Hindu meal (what does that consist of?  How is that different from a vegetarian meal?)  I'm still composing a letter to Silk in my head.  Anyway, that is why, Mr. TSA agent, I carry my own lunch! (see previous post)

The flight was really turbulent and I am very thankful that I did not need the airsick bag!

On arrival I was met by the travel agency rep and taken to my hotel.

Kathmandu looks less developed, in some ways, than some of the places I saw in Africa.  My heart sped up as the taxi driver turned onto a side street in a definite slum area, and I was really afraid they were going to stop at my hotel there.  Thankfully, the kept going!
Here's a tip for being a passenger in a car in Kathmandu: look out the side windows and take in the sites.  Do not, under any circumstances, look out the front.  This way you can avoid the heart stopping views of near head on collisions that happen frequently as you're driving.  Also, being a pedestrian is an act of bravery.  There are no sidewalks, so you are sharing the very small space next to the cars as you get around the city.

My hotel is in a very touristy area called Thamel.  Definitely just 3 stars.

Electricity is scarce, as there are major fuel shortages, so all of Nepal is on a rationing system which creates 16-20 hours a day of no electricity!  The times vary by day of the week.  My hotel has a back up generator, but that only meant that the bathroom light worked during the shut off hours.  I have a feeling my grandiose plans of using my rice cooker to make dinner anywhere outside of Kathmandu are just that, grandiose plans!

What my hotel lacks in luxury (which is a lot!) it makes up for in convenience, as it's across from the Chabad House.

I made my way over there last night was was thrilled to discover that they make Nepali food, not just Israeli food.  Food is the cheapest thing in Neapl.  I had a dinner of Dat Bahtl (I think that was the name: chicken/onions/seasonings with rice) served with lentil soup.  It cost about $1.50!  No Kidding!  I also ordered an appetizer of Chicken Momos (I had read about them and was so excited to be able to order them- stuffed dumplings), but they took a looong time to make, so I took them back to the hotel as a midnight snack.  I also made a reservation for meals for shabbos, and ordered lunch to take-away for today.  All of that came to about $15 usd!
I also met a really interesting couple last night...

I was alone at first, and a guy walked in and said "Shalom".  He was very tall, broad and dark, and not wearing a kippa, so I thought maybe he was a Sefardi Jew from Yemen, but he also looked sort of African-American.  Turns out he is a religious Muslim from Bangladesh and keeps Hallal, so eats kosher at the Chabad house.  He lives here now, but has lived all over the world, including Silver Spring, MD.  His father was the Bangladesh Amassador.  He grew up surrounded by Jews, which is ironic, since his passport says that this passport is valid for any country except Israel.  Bangladesh, being a part of the UAC, does not recognize Israel, and for that, they are given $600 million dollars a year by Islamic countries.  He explained to me that Bangladesh is a Muslim country, but not an Islamic one.  He was so interesting to talk to.
Then I met his wife, who is Swiss, and a tiny, Caucasian thing (next to his at least 6'5 dark frame they make an interesting couple).  Turns out she is a psychologist who came here as a tourist, felt so bad for the street children that she moved here and started an NGO to get them off the streets.  Many are addicted to glue.  We spent some time talking about what it's like working with kids like that, and there were so many similarities to the kids I've worked with.  I'm looking forward to spending more time with them on Shabbos (he comes every shabbos, and she will come to hang out with me!)

Well, that was my first night.  I'm off now to another city with amazing views, and will write about that when I can.

Namaste,
Robyn

Hello from Singapore!

Just a quick hello as I traverse the VERY large airport in Singapore.  I'm 2/3's of the way there, having stopped in Tokyo last night before landing here in Singapore.

I've never been the type of girl who rents hotel rooms by the hour, but let me tell you, it's expensive!  But worth it!  There's a transit hotel in the airport and you can sleep/shower, etc for the low, low price of $75 for 6 hours. 

I was lucky that when I arrived at 3am last night all the stores were closed.  Unfortunately, they are open now, so I feel the pull...

More to come, but let me just say, that I think future overseas vacations will be determined by where Singapore Airline flies, it's great, even in coach.

Talk to you all later,
Robyn

Bon Voyage!

Ok here I go!  Off to Nepal today.

In keeping with my typical last minute packing, i discovered last night that I could not find my camera battery charger so the ride to the airport involved a detour to sammy's camera in culver city (after my trip to the fairfax store was a bust).

Thankfully there was no line to speak of either to check in or at security. However, no trip is complete without tsa rifiling through my bags. This time the tsa guy wanted to know why I was not only bringing my own lunch (has he ever eaten airplane food????) but also so much other food. This led to a discussion about Judy's doing the catering for singapore air and I happen to be friends with "judy" who is now her son allen. He then tested my bag for something nefarious and I asked if he was afraid of exploding pudding cups.

Flying internationally allows me to shop duty free and I scored two mac lipglosses minus the tax :)

Now the waiting begins. It's mon and I'll be in nepal on wed. Wish me luck!
Robyn

Nepal or bust!

Hello Again!
It's been quite a while since I've posted on the blog, but since Hiking Boots in the city are pretty unnecessary, you can understand why.

Now I'm getting ready for a trip to Nepal.  No, I won't be climbing Mt. Everest.  The closest I will get is an airplane ride designed to show you the Himalayas and hopefully allow you to get some good pictures.

As I get ready for the trip here are just some musings:
Things I learned from my last trip- pack for all kinds of weather!  I froze!!!! in Africa, so while the temps are reported to range from the 50's to the 70's depending on where in Nepal I'll be, I'm packing fleece lined tights and a boiled wool sweater/jacket just in case!

This, again, will not be a gourmet trip, so here are the yummy things I have to look forward to:
Salami sticks (my heart almost stopped when I went to Jeff's tonight and they said they are no longer "allowed by law" to make dried salami!  Thankfully they are making salami sticks.  I have no idea what the difference is, but I bought them anyway).
Since I will supposedly have electricity (according to Lonely Planet, the electricity can go out in Kathmandu for up to 16 hours a day, and who knows if my three star budget hotel will have a back up generator) I'm bringing a rice cooker.  I plan to make my famous couscous/veggie crumble mix (although this time it will be with quinoa and/or rice).  I also found boxed tofu that doesn't need a fridge so yes, a few boxes are going with me.
PB&J
Tuna- again, what I learned from the last trip.  Tuna with flavors in foil pouches are gross!!!!  So with experience comes knowledge- I found mayo packets at smart and final and will be mixing the non-flavored tuna in a pouch with mayo this time.  Hopefully it will be edible.
For a treat I found pudding packs.  Having just watched a rerun of Sex and the City, the movie, the other night, I hope I will not pull a Charlotte!
Almonds and raisins.  I am making my own little snack packs.
Cliff bars- ever so trusty!

I am looking forward to getting dinners at the Chabad in Kathmandu, but was sad to learn that the branch in Pokhara will not be open until Purim (end of Feb), as that's when the "tourist" season starts, according to them.  That meant getting grape juice boxes again, so back to Trader Joe's I went...

I am now almost set for my trip, just a few more things to get then I'll pack.  Wish me luck, as this time I"m doing it all on my own...

As a final note, I purchased travel insurance tonight and learned that it covers flying a person to be my companion should I, gd forbid, be hospitalized (since I'm traveling alone.  If I had a companion already with me, then they would just cover them to stay).  So, who, in the hopefully unlikely case I'll need it, wants a free trip to Nepal to be my nursemaid?  I'm taking applications now :)

That's all for tonight, just getting back into the blog.
I hope you'll all join me on my adventure!
Robyn