by Phill Michael
A Typical Fruit Vendor in Kathmandu
Episode 2 of our podcast is posted at
www.secretspot.tv ! Check it out!
In the years to come, it's going to
be funny to look back on these first few podcast episodes and chuckle at the
amateur nature of them. They will become much more polished as we get
better equipment and more manpower (especially behind the cameras).
Once again! I raise a mug of ice and Coca
Cola...a toast to the future!! =^P
Dawa and I walked over to the bus
station today to get out 'Super Express' bus tickets to Jiri.
Apparently, it's going to be a quick run. I wonder if the bus drivers in
Nepal are anything like the bus drivers of Latin America?! I hope not?!
I haven't heard any stories of buses flying off cliffs in Nepal...so we
should be all good?! Normally, I hire a Land Cruiser and driver for
rural explorations, so the bus trip will be a departure from the usual.
(Click here to see the video
"At the Bus Station")
(to be uploaded August 3rd)
The streets were packed with people,
cars and just about everything else. Vic the Brick of the 'Loose
Cannons' said that he constantly saw elephants and monkeys when he lived
in the streets of Kathmandu. That was 30 years ago. There aren't that
many elephants anymore, but there are no shortage of cheeky monkeys.
The garbage collectors have been on
strike for a few days...so there are a few (thousand) piles of garbage
at every corner. What do they say?! 'One man's garbage is another man's
treasure...'. %^>
We had an impromptu celebration (who
needs a reason to celebrate?!) at a little hole in the wall close
to the bus station. In the small tea shop/restaurant, we enjoyed rice
and goat meat with some very fresh vegetables. It was delicious.
(Click here to see the video
"Ngima Sherpa")
(to be uploaded August 3rd)
Dawa
was pleased to see I enjoyed this type of food, because that's what
we'll be eating for the next couple of weeks.
We took a different route back to the
Kathmandu Guest House from the bus station. Dawa showed me the different
districts of commerce, each with an almost indiscernible border from the
next and eventually we were back in Thamel.
(Click here to see the video
"Assan")
(to be uploaded August 3rd)
It was time to pack for the trip.
Tomorrow we will head to Jiri. I'll
be connecting to the internet exclusively by sat modem. The unit worked
well on the Everest Base Camp Trek...so I'm sure I'll be able to do
semi-regular updates and stay on top of my email. The only problem I
might have is charging the batteries of my laptop. Most of the places we
will be going on this trek are VERY remote and don't cater to the
tourist...in any fashion. Apparently, there are some primitive hydro
stations along the way, so I might be able to make something happen at
those junctures. Fortunately, I have my digital multi-meter with me...so
I can check voltages and such before potentially frying delicate
electronic gear.
I've got my laptop in a Pelican case
as the rain could be intense. We are in the monsoon season, so it could
be raining day and night...or not. We'll see.
I can't wait to get out of the big,
bad city and into some more rural settings. Hiking steep trails will
also be refreshing. I'm going to have to do even more surgery on my
belt. I've cut new notches on it already...and I will likely be cutting
some more. The excess weight tends to melt away in the heat of the
tropics. Que sera sera.
Soon it will all happen! =^)
