Tihar

Tihar is now my favourite holiday ever. It is a mix of Christmas, 4th of July, Halloween, and Easter. There are bombs/fireworks constantly going off, lights hung up everywhere (that incidentally flash to the tune of Jingle Bells), candy and sweets given, and colours, colours, colours.

Plus, did I mention the government lets us have electricity for three days as a nice Tihar gift? We went from having to go without electricity for 46 hours a week to having it 24/7. Do you realize how much laundry you can do when you don't have load share???

So much, I tell you.

Halloween Partying

Remember the grand party that I put on for 30 kids 5 years old and under???? It was more of a chaos fest with lots of sugar. I got a lot of leverage from the sugar...In fact, the only kudos I got for the entire party was the sugar.

Well, my friend, put on a Halloween party that involved some sugar AND way more fun than any child should experience. There were cookies, coffins, ghosts, spiders, severed heads, brains for touching, and the sugar was just a side note. I admit defeat. She did a WAY better job and deserves a prize for it.

Here's a synopsis...

The pumpkin

The pirate

The ghost (Which lasted a total of 3.5 minutes until she realized she couldn't run or eat. Note to Self: Mom always knows best.)

The appetizers

The creepy decor

The cookie decorating

The piñata

The look of confusion as to why you bash a piñata

The creepy graveyard

The other use for 'Bob'

The reason why my daughter hasn't slept so well since (ghost stories by Indiana Jones)

The. Funnest. Party. Ever.

Dog Puja

Yesterday was the crow puja. It means that the Nepalese people honour the crow. We threw a bunch of old cake on the top of our garage to worship the billion Nepali crows. It was pretty anticlimactic. Plus, I think they were more happy to go down the road and feast on all of the garbage.

However, today, was the dog puja. When I first heard about the dog puja I thought we might just be lucky enough to see the sacrifice of some Nepali dogs. How beneficial that would have been. But alas, instead it was simply a day to worship the dog. Lucky enough, Shylock benefited from this pre-Tihar festival day. It was probably the most appreciation he has seen since the birth of Heavah.

I really have no words...

Bringing Shylock to get Tikaed (is that word?)

Raining blessings of table scraps and butt smelling...

Shylock a little creeped out and totally rejecting the leftover chicken and dahl dinner offering...

Maybe all this recognition will make him want to stop pooping on my carpet.

One can only hope.

Delicious Apples?

                        

Before we moved from Dubai my husband insisted on buying me an Apple laptop because of all the magical things it can do.  I must admit, after the demo in the Virgin Store I was equally as excited to see how this piece of technology would change my life. 

The move happened and we settled in Kathmandu without too much bruising and I thought once I got situated with all of my stuff, I would have a go at the Apple.  Certainly it must be better than my slow moving Packard Bell, which is obviously ridden with viruses and other ailing problems I cannot understand. 

Well, I lived in Nepal for over 6 months now and there sits my Apple, unopened, unmolested, and unappreciated.  First, no one in Nepal knows how to hook up an Apple to the Internet.  Second, I haven't a clue how to compress pictures on that thing and all my downloaded pictures are way too big to publish on the Internet.  And third, I am technically retarded and so conditioned to only PCs that the simplest task on an Apple is too daunting for me--the one who only learned to type on the typewriter in college--not computers.

So, please....tell me why I should give this thing any time or love?  Are Apples really cool and I just don't know it?  Is there the magic that I once witnessed in the Virgin Store, or was I mesmerized by the flashiness the combined Jobs/Branson slick marketing?  It is a matter of investment and then the returns will be so great?  Enlighten me, I don't get it. 

As of now my pricey purchase is sad, lonely, & heavily burdened with books, papers and other crap that is equally neglected. 

Where is the love??

Thamel

Chances are if you visited Nepal, Thamel was the place you considered to be Kathmandu. It is a shame because there are so many awesome places to see outside of Thamel, but the Thamel district really pulls in the tourists.

There is a certain appeal about Thamel because it has such a unique mix of book stores, hemp clothing shops, international restaurants, mountain climbing gear (like North Face, etc.) boutiques, pirated CD and movie shops, and specialized Tibetian art and furniture. It truly is an awesome place to shop and since I don't have a real mall here, I will take what I can get.

Heavah and Xavier perusing the second-hand bookshop

I always enjoy going to Thamel as a resident of this great country cause it is so fun to see the categories of tourists that visit Nepal. It is kind of sad that the Nepalese people use the American tourists as a frame of reference cause it seems that no one 'normal' ever really comes here to visit.

Here are some examples...

(Bear with me, I took these pictures on the sly)

This dude to the left must be a climber. He has the profile: middle aged, short hair, neutral clothing, and a backpack. It costs at least 60 grand to climb Everest so guys like these have to have some cash. You never see 20 somethings looking like this here unless mommy and daddy are really generous, they just can't afford to come.

The couple to the right are definitely tourists here to find their granola roots. They are EVERYWHERE in Thamel. They come here to wear really grubby clothing, smoke some weed, and pretend to have a 'spiritual awakening'.

This guy confirms everything I mentioned before. He might be climbing with the guy in the first photo, except this guy looks like he might be fronting more cash.

The Asians also groove this place. They show up with their 'Hello Kitty' bags and fanny packs and they buy more stuff than anyone. They also get more suckered by the locals for goods.

I am not sure whether this is a man or woman, but he or she is sporting the typical Thamel look--big time. Linen or hemp clothing, Tevas, short hair do and ready to listen to Enya. She/he is a classic.

A typical spiritual healer who smokes more weed than Bob Marley did.

To the right you will see a couple that seems more normal than not. That is a dead give away that they work for a humanitarian organization here. However the chick to the right of them is definitely a deadhead follower. The hair, the Tevas and the filled hammock sack shows she is feel'n the Nepali love. Maybe the spiritual healer to the right of the picture just got to her (for a small fee, I am sure).

Finally, the Thamel hussies. They, too, are here for some spiritual guidance but they are also here to party as well. They are usually from Europe and own more tank tops than Oprah has shoes.

Unfortunately, the tourists aren't the only freak show in Thamel. You can also see plenty of kids sniffing glue right in front of you, drug dealers selling in the name of 'Tiger Balm', and real-live leapers. It breaks your heart that they are begging from unemployed American granolas cause they have 100 times the earnings these guys will ever see in their lifetime.

In the end, the shopping is the biggest draw of Thamel. Where else could you buy a Buddha head and crocs at the same place?

Only in Nepal.