Kathmandu: January 26-30, 2006 Buddha Air Descends Into KathmanduWe wrapped up our journey in Kathmandu. The itinerary called for us to spend five days here. I wasn’t too happy about this. Since we were on a Buddhist pilgrimage, I expected that we would spend the bulk of our time in the most significant places of the Buddha’s life. For the most part, we did just that. But we stayed only one day in Lumbini, and I felt there was a lot we didn’t see. Lumbini is a very beautiful, peaceful place, and the Japanese hotel where we put up was fantastic. We were all pretty sick and tired by this point, and it would have been nice to rest up there for another day, and cut the Kathmandu portion to make up for it. I also wasn’t looking forward to the top-heavy emphasis on Tibetan Buddhism the pilgrimage would take once in Kathmandu. It’s true that most American Buddhists are enamored with Tibetan practice, but it seemed somewhat off-topic, and to be honest, Tibetan Buddhism doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest. For these reasons, I considered the pilgrimage to have officially ended once we were wheels-up from Lumbini, and so ceased making entries in my journal. I still plan to create a webpage dedicated to the genuine pilgrimage portion of this trip, but it looks like that won’t happen until after I get to Taiwan later this summer. But with more dispassionate reflection afforded through the distance brought by the passage of time, I’ve come to appreciate Kathmandu on its own merits, and it now occupies a fond place in my memories of this trip; though I still think we spent one day too many there. Nepal is a striking country, and its people have the handsomest blend of Indian and East Asian features. They are very warm and friendly. The political situation going on there reminds me a lot of Sri Lanka: both are stunning countries, with fascinating cultures and traditions. They have so much going for them, which makes the reality all the more tragic, stupid, and wasteful. We stayed at Hotel Vajra, on the outskirts of the city center, and a 20-minute walk to the Swayambu Stupa. The stupa lies atop a hill offering breathtaking views of Kathmandu and the valley. There are steps all the way up, and it is said if you can make it up all at once, without stopping, you will break the cycle of rebirth. If that’s true, you won’t be seeing PR in this world after this life! The stupa and temple complex on the top is fantastic, and there are also many shops selling Nepali and Tibetan crafts. Did I mention the monkeys? Hundreds of them… Mission Accomplished: At the Crest of Swayambu Stupa Tibetan Sutra and Recitation Implements, Tibetan Temple at Boudha, Kathmandu After Varanasi, one of the guys in our group developed a fascination with burning ghats, and wanted to visit one in Kathmandu. We found out there was one by the Bishnumati River near our hotel. It was nowhere as busy as the Varanasi burning ghats, and we arrived at the end of the day’s final cremation. This temple also serves as a community center, where everyone hangs out, especially the children. I spotted this one beautiful, angelic Nepali girl playing with her little sister and baby sibling. She was shy, and so ran away when I tried to get close to take a formal portrait, but she definitely knew I was on to her, so she started hamming it up in an adorably cute and flirtatious manner. I got this shot of her using zoom: This same temple had a bizarre sacred tree growing on the grounds, which they’ve made into a shrine. One of the coolest sacred trees I’ve seen: One fun sideline of the Kathmandu visit was the opportunity to meet up with my A-100 classmates serving at our Nepal Embassy. They took me out for dinner, and it was great to catch up with them: it had been over two years since we had last seen each other. A-100 classmates buy a poor pilgrim a meal: Café Mitra is not to be missed Here are some other assorted Kathmandu highlights: Our pilgrim group’s candle offering at a temple near Durbar Square Beautiful relief in the courtyard of the Hotel Vajra Statue at a traditional Newari temple dating from the 17th Century Water pumps at Durbar Square, in use for 100s of years In addition to walking up the Swayumba Stupa hill, it is also possible to circumambulate its base. This takes about an hour, but it is a wonderful walk, and allows for an intimate, off-the-beaten-path glimpse into a less traveled part of Kathmandu. Very few tourists do it. I especially recommend sunrise. The path is tricky at first, because it actually dips down into a nearby alley for a quick detour, otherwise the trail heads up the hill to a Tibetan monastery. Just keep following the prayer wheels, and you’ll be o.k. Remember to start in a clockwise direction. I saw the fellow below use nothing but a grimy worn rag to clean up the filth left behind by years and years of pilgrims turning those prayer wheels, and had a brainstorm for a Billy Mays infomercial. If his line of cleaning products could make short work of this nasty muck, I don’t think there would be a skeptic left. And the exotic location would be an added bonus. Billy Mays, this man could use some Orange Clean After my circumambulation, it was back to the top, where I stumbled upon a shoot for a Nepali music video featuring this lovely backup dancer: Kathmandu, just like India, has a huge problem with street dogs. Somehow, this pack made it all the way up to the top, so maybe their next existence will be a more fortunate one: Lads of Tonsure: Roger, PR and Greg The Last Supper: Nepali Hotpot. Absolutely Delish! Our pilgrim group on the morning of goodbye I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to make this pilgrimage; it was without a doubt the most meaningful, significant moment of my two years in India. I'll go into all of that with the eventual creation of my pilgrim page, and I'll let everyone know when I get it up and running. Our group became quite close over those three weeks, and I couldn't have shared the experience with a better bunch of folks. I strongly encourage others to take this trip, and hope you find it equally transforming. I can't recommend Robert Pryor, our group leader and founder of Insight Travel, highly enough. He's the guy with the beard in the wine-colored jacket. They do a number of different journeys, so be sure to take a look.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/26/2006 07:20:00 PM| |

 
Challenges and frustrations are an inherent part of the expat experience in India. I've tried not to let these get to me too much, because after all, at the end of the day I am a guest here. One day I will return home. In the meantime, there's no denying that my own status here is privileged, and I recognize that. Indians face the same hassles, and many others I'm not even aware of, but to an infinitely larger degree, so this has helped me put things in a bit more perspective. Other expat blogs have dealt with the trials of life here, as did I on occasion in previous posts, outlining for instance, my constant battles with Tata Indicom Broadband, and my cable provider. But one thing I think we don't do enough is acknowledge when things go right. Even if they seem in the minority, I think it is important to point them out. Take HDC Power Systems Pvt Ltd for example [tel:2372-8981; #13A, Vasudevapuram Street, West Mambalam, Chennai]. Soon after we arrived, Spicygirl purchased a UPS unit from them, a necessity here for those with high-end electronics, due to the constant power outages in Chennai. This company has been nothing short of outstanding. On the few occasions we had a problem with the unit, they came to our house without delay, and took care of it free of charge. I can’t recommend them highly enough. Some things are worth waiting for. We ordered a custom chair from Shakti Ganapati back in June/July 2005. It arrived today only. Normally their delivery time takes far less, but they explained the circumstances to us, which I considered reasonable. I was unsatisfied with much of the other furniture I found here; the styling was either too ‘busy’ and ornate, or the wood quality was poor. I’ve heard many horror stories of people spending a lot of money on furniture here, only to have the wood crack and split when they went to a colder climate. Shakti Ganapati gets most of its business through word-of-mouth, and when we visited, I was immediately struck by the interesting Japanese-Indian hybrid aesthetic of the design. There are a couple of other pieces I’d really like to order from them, but that will have to come later. Shakti Ganapati’s furniture is rather expensive, but I don’t mind paying more for quality, and their dedication to their craft speaks for itself. Here it is:
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/25/2006 04:30:00 PM| |

 
Karnataka Safari Adventure Our group of 13 fearless explorers left Chennai last Friday night on the Chennai-Mysore overnight train. As this was an official Knights and Dames Lungi event, appropriate attire was mandatory on the first leg; for males this meant lungis, while the dames donned salwars. Our destination: Kabini River Lodge, which is about a 1.5 hour drive southwest of Mysore. This is one of the most renowned wildlife destinations in India, and it lived up to all the hype. It’s a great value, especially if you have an India resident card and can pay Indian price. It was my first visit to southern Karnataka, and I was surprised at how quickly the weather and topography changes there. In the span of just 11 minutes we went from this: to this: And we hadn’t even reached Mysore! Our first stop in Mysore was to get breakfast at one of the fancy hotels there. Nothing special, seeing how I don’t remember the name of the place. After breakfast, we went to see the most famous sight in town, the Mysore Palace. It is spectacular, but their absurd camera policy dampened my enthusiasm. They don’t permit any photography inside the palace structure. Not only that, visitors have to check their cameras at the entrance, quite a distance from the palace. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. But the Knights Lungi have never been ones to let unreasonable rules get in the way of righteous adventure: The Most Exalted and Ancient Troupe of Knights Lungi (Madras Lodge) Everyone who goes to Kabini has one goal in mind: to see a tiger in the wild. Kabini lies adjacent to the Nagarahole National Park, where some 60-70 tigers roam free. It also contains a sizable population of leopards. We went on our first safari late in the afternoon of the day we arrived, and came within just two minutes of spotting a tiger cross the road into this jungle: Tiger CountryAbout the only chance to see a tiger is if it comes out into a clearing. Its natural camouflage has so brilliantly evolved that it is practically impossible to spot one once it is in the forest, especially while in a moving vehicle. On our last morning safari in Kabini, however, not long before our departure, we did run across this: Tiger trackOur guide estimated this track was not more than a couple of hours old. To be honest, this was almost as exciting as seeing the animal itself. Sure I would have loved to have seen a tiger, but just knowing they are still out there is good enough for me. I think it will become more and more difficult to spot tigers at Kabini. There are just too many tourists now. We would constantly encounter other safari vehicles in the Park, either from Kabini River Lodge, or one of its competitors. It was a tremendous honor to meet the living legend of Kabini, the man who started it all, John Wakefield. Col. John Wakefield and PRThis amazing man turns 90 years of age next month. He is an Englishman born and raised in India; in Gaya, Bihar of all places. Actually, it doesn’t do him justice to call him English. He is an Indian citizen with an Indian passport. He went to England for his schooling from age 10-16 and once back in India, never left. He still takes an active role in the Lodge, and likes to pore over the guest list to call one or two into his quarters for an evening chat over a whiskey. I am incredibly flattered that he asked to see me and my consulate colleagues. Just listening to his fascinating (and hilarious) stories of 1940s wartime India alone made the weekend for me. He has a sharp memory and an exceptional sense of history. He loves to talk about famous people who have visited his lodge, especially Goldie Hawn. He saw his first tiger at the age of two, shot his first at the age of nine, and the last in 1972. Afterwards, he became an ardent conservationist, and since that time has worked harder than practically anyone in India to ensure their survival in the wild. If you can’t tell, I’m in awe of the man. When I was researching Kabini on the website, I thought to myself how cool it would be to meet the guy, but I figured he had retired and moved on by now. The fact that he is still there, and personally invited me to visit with him…! Tigers or no, there is plenty of other spectacular wildlife in Kabini, particularly elephants: I had actually expected to see a good deal more, but the best time to view herds is at the tail end of the dry season from May-June. Still, we saw a fair number. In addition, we saw monkeys, wild boar, crocodiles, barking deer, sambar, wild peacocks and game hens. There are also many gaur, which is an enormous strange, shy kind of wild cow: Something else I found very interesting were all the huge termite mounds: Kabini River Lodge rests on the banks of the river. I found it somewhat disappointing in that it is so heavily dammed; still, it is quite photogenic. Here’s a view of the river from a treehouse viewing stand: The perfect place for a sunrise meditationUnfortunately, our schedule was so full I did not get to do it. Final analysis: I highly recommend a weekend here. It is a truly relaxing place: the air is wonderfully pure, lodgings are very comfortable, food is quite good and the activities are, for the most part, well-managed, though I would pass on the coracle boat and elephant rides. It is the perfect family destination, and you might want to check into the other lodges as well. How does it compare with Mudumalai? Well, I do think Mudumalai is more beautiful in terms of scenery. The climate is better as well, because of its higher altitude. But Kabini wins out due to the excellence of its facilities, the variety of wildlife, and the knowledge and experience of its naturalists and guides. I was impressed that the Kabini guides genuinely respect and revere the animals in the Park. They go out of their way not to antagonize them or create unnecessary stress. This is so different than that joker you can read about in my Mudumalai post. If you have the time of course, both places rate a visit, but if you can only do one, my vote goes to Kabini. I just hope you have better luck with the train ride home. Ours broke down not too far out of Mysore, but luckily fellow Knights Lungi Daniel and Some Guy From Tulsa™ took matters into their own hands:
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/24/2006 12:50:00 AM| |

 
I'm back from Kabini River Lodge. It was a great weekend, and I'll be writing more about it in a few days. Unfortunately, I caught a fairly severe headcold on our final morning there. I had been out all day on safari the day before, and got a bit too exposed to the sun. That night, I fell asleep with the ceiling fan turned on. This makes three consecutive months in which I've caught cold. I'm really hating life at the moment---it's been a rough winter. Are there any armchair physicians out there [real ones even better], who can give me a clue as to why I'm having such rotten luck? Before my December illness, I hadn't had a cold/flu since summer 2004. Anyway, on our way back to Chennai yesterday, our train broke down about two hours out of Bangalore. We went outside to stretch our legs, and I ran across this character by the immobile locomotive: The KingOf course, we all immediately started calling him the Indian Elvis. One guy said something I found quite profound, that you will find an Elvis in any country in the world. I'd never noticed it before, but I think he's right. I remember seeing several in China and Taiwan. Too bad I didn't take their pictures. To rectify that, I've created a new Flickr group dedicated to these folks: Elvises of the World. It would be fascinating to see how many manifestations of Elvis there are scattered across the globe.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/21/2006 08:00:00 PM| |

 
Rumble in the Jungle As my tour in India draws to a close, I've been trying to visit as many places here as possible. Many people probably have the impression that all diplomats do is travel. It's true we normally change countries every three years or so, but once in-country, how much you get around depends on which job you have. The public diplomacy guys, the econ guys, the pol guys, they go all over the place. As far as official travel goes, a visa monkey like me can only anticipate once-in-a-blue moon crumbs from their tables. All we really have on our side is annual leave, official holidays, and weekends. They can't take those away from us. (Usually). So this coming Monday is a US holiday: President's Day. I enjoyed my last visit to a wildlife refuge so much, I've decided to do it again. I'd love to write more, but I've got to get to the train station pronto, and I haven't even packed. But don't worry, a travel account and plenty of photos are on the way sometime next week!
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/17/2006 08:25:00 PM| |

 
Varanasi Part 2 22 January 2006: Today is a rest day. Greg is still very ill [cold, fever plus digestive problems]. I’m pretty much on the road to recovery it seems. May walk along the ghats, depending on how much I can take of the interminable touts and beggars… pilgrim group lunching at a ghat[later]…Took the walk. Either it was their day off or the touts and beggars sense something unsympathetic in me because they left me alone by and large. I think if most visitors here would simply ignore them they would have a much better time. For some reason Westerners, particularly Americans, seem compelled to return a greeting or answer a question, which is how these touts operate. Once you do that, these guys have an in; they’ve struck a bond and created a relationship, no matter how adversarial, even if you just keep saying: “No!” It’s been very interesting to see how my group has reacted to this phenomenon. Elderly matron awaiting cremation (see red circle)Watched several cremations today in their entirety. Overheard one of the ‘guide’ touts who ensnared some Japanese guys: the main burning ghat (next to Scindia Ghat) will do 150-200 cremations PER DAY. The lower the caste, the closer to the river the cremation takes place. White shrouded corpses are male and colored are female. Gold shrouds are old men and orange are old women. Wood can cost 150 rupees per kilo. It takes about 200 kilos of wood to properly cremate a body, so it is very expensive. On walk back to hotel encountered an eccentric painter from London. He saw me take his picture, and looked a bit put out. Here is our entire conversation verbatim: Him: Were you in the military? Me: Yes. Him: I thought I recognized you from somewhere. [I’d never met this man before in my life] Him: Where do you live? Me: I live in India, in Madras. Him: Well now we call it Chennai. Postscript: Varanasi gets bad reviews from many travelers. The touts, beggars and scam artists are a big reason. They can be unrelenting. This is a big problem in Bodhgaya as well. This was probably the single most difficult aspect for my traveling companions in their adjustments to India. They had come straight from the US and Canada, and even though I consider them well-traveled, they had not been to a place like India, where the poverty is so extreme, and inescapably in your face. Their emotions ran the range from guilt, helplessness, aversion, and even anger at the never-ending crush, or the fact that every time an Indian was nice to them or wanted to strike up a relationship, s/he would invariably ask for money or try to sell them something. It was different for me. I liked Varanasi very much and found it to be a profoundly spiritual place. The beggars etc didn’t bother me in the slightest. Of course, I’ve lived in India almost two years now, but that’s not the entire explanation. My job has something to do with it as well. I interview hundreds of people every week that want to visit the United States, and each day I have to give bad news to scores of people. For many of them, it is a difficult outcome to accept; they have a lot riding on it, and continue to plead their case after I’ve made my decision. I have no choice but to tune them out and move on. It’s a defense mechanism as much as anything: if I continued to dwell on the fact that I must disappoint so many, I would not be able to function for long. This has its good and bad. It makes it easier for me when I go to places like Bihar and Varanasi, but at the same time, have I lost my compassion for those more unfortunate than me? Am I losing some of my own humanity? I struggled to answer this question during the pilgrimage, and still wrestle with it now. More on cremations: in few places is death so public as in Varanasi. It is the goal of every Hindu to die there, because they believe that doing so will release them from the cycle of birth and death. There is one main burning ghat that I saw, and another smaller one. Near these ghats are hospices where terminally ill people from all over India spend their last days. The burning ghats are open to all, and tourists get right up next to the funeral pyres. ‘Guides’ will accost tourists at the ghats, offering to explain what is going on. Many claim to be hospice staff, and will ask for ‘donations’. Do not give these individuals money. They can be very persistent and will lay on the guilt. Don’t fall for it: these people are frauds. If you want to donate, do so directly at the hospice or charity. Better yet, do some research before you get there to find out where the legitimate charities are. While it is ok to observe the cremations, out of respect for grieving families, PLEASE don’t take photos. Put yourself in their shoes. What many people do is take some unobtrusive pictures while on a boat cruise down the Ganges, using a telephoto/zoom lens. Just be discreet. As I wrote above, cremations are very expensive. The poorest people simply dispose of the bodies directly into the river, which is why it is not uncommon to spy the odd corpse floating by. We saw none on our boat ride. I thought it would be meaningful to engage in mindful contemplation of what goes on here, so I decided to follow a cremation from beginning to end. Buddha instructed his disciples to meditate in graveyards or in the presence of decomposing corpses to drive home the truth of impermanence. In order that we might free ourselves of clinging to the illusion of ‘self’, he taught that while in meditation, one should focus on the body’s many impurities: bile, gasses, phlegm, pus, fat, grease, etc. The point is not to create obsessive self-loathing or disgust, but to train us to see reality as it is. Buddhist monastics also use this technique to rid their minds of lust. It is the male family members who carry out the cremation. Women usually do not attend, because it is believed their open grief and shedding of tears will compel the soul of the departed to remain behind; although I did encounter one, crouching and silently weeping behind me as she watched her menfolk perform the ritual. It was very heart-rending to hear her. After untouchables handle the body and prepare it for cremation by wrapping it in a shroud of cloth (the poor use plastic sheeting), the male relatives run through the narrow streets above the ghat holding the body aloft on a stretcher, while shouting religious phrases. They carefully wind down the steep steps of the ghat to the banks of the Ganges, where they will enter the river and submerge the body completely. They then bring it out and lay it on the banks to dry, and light several coils of incense. By this time they have purchased the wood and cremation spot. They begin to stack the foundation wood and rest the body on top. Afterwards, they lay kindling and other logs on top of the body. The eldest son, if any, then starts the fire at the base using straw or a kind of grass. He will act as the primary attendant for the entire procedure, stoking the fire and adding more wood as necessary. Bodies take around 3 hours to burn completely. The way they place the body on the pyre results in the lower legs eventually burning off at the knees and the arms from the shoulders or elbows. The funeral shroud has long since burned away by now, so you actually see a recognizable naked arm or leg dangling there, literally hanging on by a thread of tendon or piece of gristle. The attendant uses a stick or pole to place these parts back into the fire. I observed one cremation at the smaller burning ghat, in which the attending relative could not get the arm to go into the fire; it was as if the arm was futilely, absurdly clinging to the stick in a desperate bid to hang on to this world as long as possible. It was an extraordinary, revelatory moment for me about how strong and powerful is attachment. Later that afternoon we went on a sunset cruise on the Ganges. We sat on the top of a houseboat and enjoyed a performance of classical Indian music by two renowned musicians of Varanasi, sitar virtuoso Rabindra Goswami and tabla master Ramchandra Pandit. A true highlight of the trip: Robert, Barbara and Kerry listen in rapt attention Rabindra Goswami Ramchandra Pandit Dueling tabla and sitar
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/12/2006 10:30:00 PM| |

 
They cut off my cable at midnight so it's now official: I'm a deadbeat. It wasn't always this way, and I still like to think of myself as someone who pays his bills. I'm blaming Chennai. Y'see, the cable TV situation here is so bizarre. It's a legalized racket. I think this is the only place in all of India where we have to buy one of those cable boxes that you put on top of the TV. And they charge an extortionate amount for it. (I don't know how much we paid, Spicygirl took care of these things, but she did say it was alot). I'm unclear as to how this situation came about, maybe one of my Chennai readers can explain, but apparently this one dude owns the satellite feed service which he then licenses to a number of mom and pop cable providers that have carved up the city into territories. There is no competition: if you live in a provider's territory you have to subscribe to their service. Mine, appropriately enough, is Prince Cable, though you'd think they'd throw a fellow prince a bone. Anyways, this being Chennai, they don't send you a bill by mail, like everywhere else I've lived. You either have to go pay in person, or they'll send a guy around to collect. In our case, we always paid the cable guy when he came to our house. Problem is, the guy may come around, or he may not. There's been times when he's missed 2, 3 months. The last time he showed up here was December 11, 2005. I think that's another part of the racket: if they cut you off, you have to pay a 'reconnection fee'. I'm too short at this point to put up with that, so I'll just watch the free channels. It's surprising what they provide for free, for instance I still get almost all the international channels, including NKH, Arirang, Channel News Asia from Singapore, CCTV9, and the Hong Kong channel. Those are the ones I watch the most anyway. Those and the religious channels. I get like five of those, mostly evangelical Christian. The big one here is God TV, from the UK. It's interesting to compare televangelists from different countries. It's become kind of a hobby of mine. Personally, I think the preachers on God TV are boring, at least the non-American ones. That's an area where we still reign supreme. We may not have the best engineers, scientists, mathematicians, whatever, but no nation can hold a candle to America when it comes to TV preachers. Maybe that's where our future lies. The US outsources so many of its IT jobs abroad now; maybe the rest of the world could outsource The Rapture to us.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/11/2006 12:30:00 PM| |

 
< in-house shop talk >Clouted TMTWO cable and travel orders in one's in-box means...bliss and goodwill towards all!< /in-house shop talk >
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/10/2006 01:30:00 AM| |

 
Occupational Hazard For Americans living overseas, just like Americans back home (if not more so), the Super Bowl is the most important event of of the year. More than Christmas, more than the 4th of July, more than anything. Even people who hate football, who wouldn't watch a game if their lives depended on it, will dutifuly assemble for that one four-five hour period every year on Super Bowl Sunday at the nearest viewing party. More than any other time it's when we put aside all our partisan differences and come together as Americans. Since the Super Bowl began 40 years ago, perhaps more than anything else, it's come to define us as a people, at least culturally. It's a big deal. I provide you with the foregoing so that those of you who are not Americans might understand the gravity of the wrong done unto me today, by a fellow American no less. Since the big game occurs on Sunday evening in the US, we are unable to watch it here in India, where it is Monday morning and we are at work. Never fear: our consulate made plans to host a Super Bowl Party tonight so we could watch a taped replay. The entire consulate maintained strict media blackout and radio silence all day. I did not access the Internet once today, even email, because I did not want to accidentally discover the outcome. I am our post's primary backup American Citizen Services officer, meaning that if the Chief is not present, I take over the section. That's what happened today. Our most common activity is renewing passports for US citizens. In Chennai, this means H1B babies. I figured surely I was safe: Indian IT workers and their spouses don't know anything about football, and their kids are usually toddlers barely out of diapers, so they wouldn't be talking. But as luck would have it, an American fellow came in today. This is rare, but it does happen. And the very first thing this guy says when he comes to the window is: "So, Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl!" I frantically tried to shush him, but to no avail. With an anguished wail, I hung my head on the counter. Many seconds passed before I could look up. It took all the professional fortitude I had to maintain my composure. Asking him to take a seat, I promptly began researching every regulation in every manual I could get my hands on. I even called the Ops Center back in Washington, but unfortunately I was unable to revoke this person's citizenship. Lacking one other witness, as required by Article Three, Section One of the US Constitution, I am also unable to bring charges of treason against this individual. Hey, I told you: the Super Bowl is a Big Deal.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/07/2006 12:15:00 AM| |

 

I'm really happy about my upcoming assignment to Taiwan, because I've just about given up on Chinese food in Chennai. Today I went to the Chinese restaurant at the Chola Sheraton: Shanghai Club. It's the only place in town that I know of which has an authentic Chinese chef. Spicygirl and I used to go there last year when Chef Yang was there. He's from Beijing, and while we didn't particularly care for most of his dishes (too 'Tamilized'), we would occasionally treat ourselves to Chinese dumplings, or jiaozi 饺子. Say what you will about northern Chinese cuisine, they do make the best dumplings. Chef Yang has since moved to the Sheraton in Bangalore, and I had heard from a few people that Shanghai Club brought in a replacement. I met him today: Chef Wang, also from Beijing. He's been here now four months, and says he expects to stay at least two years. He tells me he is actually enjoying India for the most part. He even hopes to purchase an oceanside villa here in the future. He's married, but his wife is still back in Beijing, because she has a good job there. Like Chef Yang before him, he maintains it is difficult to prepare really authentic Chinese food here on a large scale because it is hard to get the necessary ingredients. He has to make most of his own condiments and ship the rest from China. Also, the seafood market in Chennai isn't all that developed, so most of it is frozen. Well, experience has taught me not to expect too much from Chennai's Chinese restaurants, but I'll definitely be giving him a call soon for a jiaozi feast. It's best to let him know a few days in advance because he makes everything from scratch. I think it's the one Chinese restaurant food I've had in India that actually tasted the way it is supposed to. Of course, when Spicygirl was here, every meal was a succulent delight! Chef Wang seems like a very nice guy, and it was great to meet him. We spoke in Mandarin, but he does speak some English. In fact, he's hopeful he can find someone to help him improve his English, so if you live in Chennai and are interested, look him up at the restaurant or contact me... See that fellow next to me? Does he look familiar? Why yes, it's Yardboy!!! He's doing great, even if his blog isn't. I hadn't seen him in almost a year, when he went back to the US. He's here in town since mid January and is leaving Tuesday. As I was gone most of January, this was our only mutual free day, so we met for lunch. Tarun (far right) also wandered by and joined us for a bit. 糟糕了! 今天认识了王师傅真高兴. 从我老婆离开印度起,说汉语的机会基本上消失了...我怎么退步到这样的鬼程度? 以前,碰到任何中国人,不管是亲近的朋友也好,街上的陌生人也好,只要是中国人,我就很胆量地跟他们讲话. 现在一开口就吞吞吐吐说不出话来...要是第一次认识人,像今天认识王师傅一样,更不用说了. 问题是我已经有12年多没有住过大陆或台湾. 原来我很希望到了台湾之前,我能上几个月的"突击"中文课程. 但, 他们说我的汉语水平已够高,所以不肯花这批钱. 不知道大家有没有意见?
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/06/2006 12:25:00 AM| |

 
Varanasi Part I 20 Jan 2006: Got to Varanasi last night. We are staying in the Palace on Ganges, next to the Assi Ghat. Brand new hotel; each room is named after a state or region in India and designed in that motif. Guess what my room is: Tamil Nadu! Robert and Kerry [our group leaders] swear the reception assigned us rooms randomly, but I don’t know if I’m buying it. Unbelievable! Home Sweet Home This hotel is by far the best yet. Very tastefully appointed rooms and furniture. Really needed it. My room is quiet (for India, for this trip) and I actually slept through the night without fighting dogs or people waking me up numerous times. It still has some kinks to work out: no towel rack and no bottle opener for the mini bar. Power outages here too, but they have a generator, just can’t run AC. Ceiling fan good enough. This morning at 0700 did a boat trip on the Ganges. Another highlight. Light quality of the early morning was spectacular. Wonderful views of ghats and worshippers/bathers along the river. Breakfast at Bread for Life. Good comfort food, but avoid the hash browns. More about the hotel: don’t get the massages (if you are male). Prices start at 500 Rps (way overpriced) and not relaxing at all. The guy had calloused hands. I want the guy who builds my house to have calloused hands, not my masseuse. Also, the restaurant needs major work. Food is ok, but service poor. For some reason, they are unable to find soda water anywhere in Varanasi (kept telling me that none was to be found), even though I had two lime sodas during breakfast at Bread for Life. Also the flies. They really need to do something about this. A hotel of this quality should not have scores of flies buzzing on the food. I expect that from a street vendor, not an upmarket hotel. They do have good musicians though, that play traditional Indian music during dinner. Bottom line: stay here, but don’t eat here. Postscript: That was the 9th day of the pilgrimage. We had spent the previous five days in Bodhgaya, during which time a cold bug made its way through the group. I got it on our last day in Bodhgaya. Not too bad, in that I didn’t miss any activities or sights, but it just lingers and lingers. I’m only almost over it now. I think what kept it in my system is the high level of pollution, both in Varanasi, and later on in Kathmandu. It wasn’t until we arrived in Varanasi that I got a decent night’s sleep. Lodgings up to this point were ok, but construction standards in Bihar are very poor and there is no insulation or proper seals on the windows, so every bit of outside noise filters through. The effects of all that definitely show in the journal entry, as it focuses on the pros/cons of the hotel. After the boat trip, we did a walking tour through the back alleys of Varanasi, and another bicycle rickshaw ride through the old city. Of course, we also stopped by the burning ghats, of which I’ll have more to say in the next installment. Varanasi is a budget traveler’s haven, as there are scores, if not hundreds of inexpensive lodging near the ghats along the river. It’s definitely a backpacker destination, and it was interesting to experience that again, as for whatever reasons South India just doesn’t attract much of an expat tourist crowd. Lots of Asians, especially Japanese and Korean and even the occasional Chinese. Here are more Varanasi photos: Varanasi's Main Burning Ghat Cremation firewoood for sale Great Kali Image In the Old City Dal is....dal
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/05/2006 02:35:00 AM| |