Kathmandu, Nepal

I think it is human nature to find familiarity in things that are otherwise foreign.  There are so many times I have traveled and thought to myself: “Oh, this place reminds me of _____ (fill in the blank).”  Even the travel guides encourage comparisons with lines like: “Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America” or “Macau is the Las Vegas of the East.” 

While discovering Kathmandu, I could not compare the overall experience to anywhere I had visited in my life.  Some elements of local culture reminded me of India, while other elements were much more Asian.  In my opinion, the fusion of the two regions was what made Nepal such an interesting place to visit.  Here are some of the unique things I experienced during my two weeks there:

1) Language

I noticed that the Nepali language uses the same script as Hindu although hearing people speak sounds quite different.  Everyone seems to understand English well (probably thanks to the booming tourism industry), and most things are also written in English (which made my work life a lot easier). 

I was told that there are also over 100 local languages spoken across the country, but they are starting to die out as young people communicate primarily in Nepali and English.  I keep thinking about how much fun it would be to speak a language that is only understood by such a select number of people worldwide.  I could travel with my friends and talk about people without them understanding a word of our conversation.

2) Dates

I opened the newspaper one morning and saw an advertisement for an event in the year 2070...  

Time to get out your 2070 planner!

I’m sure people do not plan their social lives 55 years in advance, so I asked about it and learned that Nepal follows a lunar calendar.  Fortunately for me, there is a website that will convert dates from Nepali to the Gregorian calendar.  I’m thinking I should embrace the culture and start celebrating my Nepali birthday in addition to my Gregorian birthday. 

3) People

Unlike neighboring India, the locals do not have a consistent “look”.  Some people have more Asian characteristics while others look more Indian, which makes it somewhat difficult to look at someone and say that they look distinctively "Nepali".  

From a personality perspective, most people seemed to be very serious at work, and they don’t joke around with each other like Americans and Europeans do with their colleagues.  Despite the serious approach to working, everyone I met was graciously hospitable and eager to assist whenever they were called upon.

A shopkeeper quietly awaits his next sale

Most women wear western-style clothing and men wore a lot of athletic attire.  North Face seems to be the brand of choice, but don’t get confused about authenticity - there are many “label shops” that can brand generic clothing to whatever people request. 

4) Air Pollution

Air pollution in Kathmandu is among the worst I have ever experienced, which is ironic for country known for its outdoor activities.  The majority of people justifiably wear facemasks as they walk or drive through the city.  I honestly could not even roll down the car window without feeling like I would be sick from the fumes. 

5) Tourism

The area of Thamel is home to most tourists who are stopping in Kathmandu.  It is lined with shops, which mostly sell various souvenirs and sporting gear.  The one thing I will remember most about Thamel is the overwhelming number of signs lining the roads.  This reminded me of a less cosmopolitan version of Japan – especially since commercial space extended to the upper-floors of each building. 

Signs everywhere in Thamel

We went to Thamel one evening for window-shopping, but I had no desire to stay long because the roads are narrow (with no sidewalks) and pedestrians have to constantly be aware of rogue motorbikes speeding past them.  Unlike some parts of Asia, there are a lot of foreign tourists around, so I did not look or feel so out of place.   

6) Hotel

I was thrilled to see that the mayhem of the city streets does not extend beyond the gates of my hotel.  Once you enter the resort grounds, it feels like a Nepalese palace.  The hotel has a 1,600-meter running trail through the gardens, outdoor terraces for dining, tennis courts, and beautiful pools.  It almost feels too extravagant for the hotel to have so much land while local people live in such cramped quarters. 

Here's the view from my room

Hard to believe this hotel is near the center of a city

Great place to enjoy al-fresco dining in mid-March

7) Food

Sorry to say but Nepali food is terrible and I have no desire to revisit any of the culinary “delights” I was served over the past two weeks (except maybe yak cheese).  The most common local dish is a runny lentil “soup”, which is poured over rice.  There also seemed to be a lot of curry-spiced potato (which I refused to try) and mystery meat that is literally impossible to chew.

The most famous Nepali food is called “momo”, which is basically a loosely filled dumpling, served with a tomato and garlic sauce and eaten with a fork (no chopsticks).  Aside from the scary food that made me sick in the mountains, momos were the only thing I was willing to try whenever I ate with people outside the hotel.  Next time I go to Nepal, I will most definitely be bringing energy bars with me!

8) Religion

I was surprised to hear that the majority of the population of Nepal is Hindu, considering that Buddhist prayer flags and temples (“stupa”) are so prominent in the city.  I even saw a lot of Buddhist monks walking around with their easily distinguishable robes.  I learned that temples in Nepal are often shared by both religions, which explains why the Muslim population is not so evident to tourists like me. 

Prayer flags proudly displayed around Kathmandu

Just a short walk from my hotel was a large stupa that was constantly filled with people.  They walk around the base of the temple in a clockwise direction, spinning the wheels and burning incense.  Some enter the temple to pray but the majority just continue walking around in circles.  

People fill the squares with religious ceremonies

This stupa is just one of many things that make Nepal unique

During one of my visits to the stupa, I climbed up on the second level and saw a much more spiritual dimension than what exists in the surrounding square.  The religious environment in the plaza around the temples reminded me a lot of Mount Wutai in China. 

Religious ceremony at the stupa

9) Airport

I don’t have much to say about the airport except that it is completely chaotic.  Make sure to leave plenty of time because you need to queue before even entering the building (all luggage goes through a preliminary scan).  Then, queue again for the airline check-in (no self check-in here!).  The third queue is for passport control and then the fourth is for the personal / carry-on scanning.  Once you finally get through all the lines, you can join the masses at the gates.  It is a fond farewell, indeed.  

Here's the scene at the Kathmandu boarding gates

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With so much to do in the mountains outside Kathmandu, it would be easy for tourists to skip the city altogether.  I wouldn’t blame anyone for this decision, although I do think Kathmandu offers a fun city life.  In a world full of comparisons, it was nice to visit a country that maintains its uniqueness.  Nepal truly allows tourists to reach outside their comfort zone and experience something that is completely different.  

Filipino food

Whenever people I know return from a trip, one of the first things they always talk about is the food.  Famous restaurants, quality of the hotel breakfast, unique street vendors, and local specialties all contribute to the memories of time spent in a new place.  

People around the world also get excited about sharing their regional specialties when they have guests visiting from out of town.  As a globe trotter who always interacts with locals, I have had countless experiences where I have been forced to try new foods.  

This can be awkward in some places since I am such a picky eater and I hate to offend anyone.  In the Philippines, however, it is an amazing adventure. 

The team really tested my comfort zone from the beginning, when they introduced me to balut.  This local delicacy is so (in)famous that even CNN did an article about it.  Balut is a fertilized duck egg that is hard-boiled and served in the evening.  I was told that it is also an aphrodisiac, although that fact does nothing to help me since I am always alone at night!

I requested that someone else join me in this culinary pursuit and I ended up with a small audience to enjoy my reaction!  Here's what happened...

Step #1: Crack the shell and suck out some of the embryonic fluid. (I'm already regretting this).  

Step #2: Remove more of the shell and add some salt.  

Afraid of what is under this shell!

Step #3: Close your eyes and take a bite. Wait, close my eyes?  I couldn't help but dissect the egg. Big mistake! 

This is frightening! 

The Director of Finance saw the fear on my face, so she said: "Just close your eyes and don't think about it."  ...and that's exactly what I did.  What did it taste like?  Hard boiled egg yolk.  

The next day at lunch, the waiter suggested I try "halo-halo" as a local dessert.  I thought to myself: "Hey, it's dessert...how bad can it be?"  Two minutes later, he arrived with the most colorful cup of stuff I have ever seen.  I didn't take a picture, but I found one on the Internet:

The rainbow of all desserts is right here in the Philippines...

The best way to eat this hodge-podge of a dessert is to stir everything together.  What's in it?  Crushed ice, different colored jellies, evaporated milk, purple Ube (yam flavored) ice-cream, dried fruits, a variety of beans, and other things I couldn't even recognize.  The occasional bite of chickpea was a bit strange but the overall mix of flavors and textures was really enjoyable. 

That night, I went to dinner at a restaurant called Mesa in the Makati area of the city.  Mesa serves lots of local fare, so I left the decisions up to the locals (they even ordered in tagalog so I had no clue what was about to come out).  Before I knew it, the table was filled with enough food to feed a family of six.  

The fusion of foods was quite impressive.  Glutinous rice with coconut milk wrapped in a banana leaf, giant squid stuffed with beef and deep-fried, tofu topped with century egg and baby prawns, and chicken adobo were just some of the items on the table.  My personal favorite, however, was called "pritchon".  It is a roasted pig that is sliced table-side and wrapped in crepes.  It reminded me very much of peking duck but with pork instead.  Of course I had to be a tourist and take a picture of the pre-sliced pig.

Here's a picture of the poor little piggy. 

Here's what the table looked like (the pritchon was in the center)

The final local dish that's worthy of mentioning in this blog post is a breakfast item called "taho", which my office-mate shared with me one morning.  As per usual, the initial sight was a little off-putting because it is basically just a cup of dark brown liquid with floating tapioca balls and another unidentified white substance. 

here's what taho looks like

She described it as a "soy-based drink", which made me expect something really salty (thinking the dark liquid was soy sauce).  Instead, it's actually quite sweet because the liquid is a brown sugar syrup and the white stuff is actually the soy she mentioned (silken tofu).  I'm sure there are lots of calories hidden in this mysterious drink but I bet it is also a really good source of protein to start the day.  

Overall, I think the food here is really exciting and it reflects the dynamic history of the country.  Throughout my stay, I have experienced a nice fusion of food, from Chinese to Spanish.  I may not always be the most eager person to try unusual foods when I travel but I am glad that I stretched outside my comfort zone and experienced so many interesting things.  Now, just like so many of my "foodie" friends, I will always associate my trip to Manila with amazing culinary delights. 

Weekend with the locals in Hyderabad

On Friday afternoon, the local director in Hyderabad asked: "So, do you have any plans for the weekend?"

I truthfully admitted that we do not. 

His response: "Good, because we have plans for you" (big smile)

Me: "Oh that sounds great" (nervous half-smile)

At the end of the workday (which happened to be around 7:30 pm), a couple guys on the team asked me and my trainee to change so we could all go out for the evening.  A few minutes later, we were in the back of a hotel car and en route to a nearby temple. 

I thought back to the many Friday nights in Chicago that I spent with my colleagues after work.  Not once did these evenings begin with a trip to the temple.  

We removed our shoes at the front gate and walked through the stone enclosure.  As expected, every wall was elaborately decorated with scenes involving the many gods.  I tried asking questions to learn more about the scenes but the responses were not too detailed (beyond what I could see from looking at the images myself).  It made me wonder if most people even know much about the details of their religion or if they simply visit the temples out of routine and obligation.  Either way, it was an interesting experience and I enjoyed integrating myself into local culture (even though I probably looked completely out of place). 

One of the many scenes depicted on the walls

Central structure within the temple walls

From there, we drove through the city and stopped at a few sites that I remembered from past trips to Hyderabad.  At one point, we hit bad traffic and I noticed a broken down bus up ahead.  Then, suddenly, a bunch of passengers exited the rear door and started pushing the bus.  I literally couldn't contain my laughter, as I thought about that scenario in Chicago.  The passengers would NEVER even consider such assistance.  It's a different world out here. 

For dinner, we stopped at a well-known local chain called Paradise for some biryani.  Biryani is actually one of the few Indian foods that I enjoy because it is a simple rice dish with vegetables (or meat) and spices.  No mystery sauces that disguise the true ingredients, no yogurt, and no mustard.  The restaurant was described to me as "Mc Donald's" for biryani, which was frightening.  Fortunately, the fast-food concept was only for the street level, but there is a premium full-service restaurant on the second floor.  I think I was the only white person in the entire restaurant, but the service in India is so gracious that I didn't feel uncomfortable.  In fact, the people go out of their way to make you feel special.  (Part of me wishes they could just treat me like a regular customer because I don't like being the center of attention).

On the way out, the local guys insisted that we try paan, which is a traditional food that involves all sorts of "stuff", wrapped into a leaf.  As soon as I bit into it, my mouth was immediately filled with flavors of dish detergent and grass.  My first instinct was to immediately spit it out into my hand, but I didn't want to be rude so I tried to force some of it down my throat.  Bad idea.  I stored the rest of it on the side of my mouth until we reached the car and I had the chance to inconspicuously spit out the rest onto the sidewalk. Tip of the night: don't EVER eat paan.  

paan on the inside

I spent the next morning in a much more comfortable environment: the spa.  I didn't eat much throughout the day because I was still full from all the food that was forced onto my plate from the night before.  I have decided that being a "guest" for meals is stressful (even if they're not home cooked) because people are so eager to make you enjoy the local specialties.  It's so nice but it's also a lot of pressure in a region where food is very difficult for my palette.  

Saturday evening, we went out again - this time to the mall.  Yup, the mall.  Apparently, this is the hot spot in Hyderabad because it was filled with people.  The experience started on the awkward side because I really have no desire to shop while other people are watching me.  Maybe I've been alone for too long, but I just don't understand the appeal of shopping with other people.  Much like running, everyone has his own pace and I'd rather save the conversations for another time.  

Fortunately, the shopping part of the night was short-lived, as we stopped at an outdoor bar and shared a giant pitcher of beer.  (This bar was next to Chili's, which made me feel right at home).  If there weren't so many Indian people around, I would swear I was at a suburban mall in the United States.  

I really appreciated the time that the local team spent to entertain us during the weekend - especially considering that they work 6 day weeks and spend long hours commuting to the office each day. They managed to get me out of the hotel twice (which is a feat in itself while traveling in India).  I have a long way to go before feeling like a local, but this was a step in the right direction.  

Cafés of Paris

Returning to Paris after vacation felt a little like coming back home.  

...to a home that I don't like so much.

Part of the problem is the food.  It's not that the hotel restaurant is bad, but no one wants to eat every meal from a single menu for six weeks.  I don't usually care much about food, but French cuisine is particularly unappealing to me.  Breads are boring, sauces are too rich, and proteins involve parts of the animal that I would never consider eating.

My mindset about being back in Paris changed a little when I was working in a meeting room earlier this week, with a great view of Le Palais Royal.  I stopped to look outside the window and ended up spending about five minutes just watching the activity at a nearby café.  It was fun to watch people enjoying the nice weather, while they sipped coffee and watched the activity around them.  The waiters were clad in black vests and bow ties, which added to the Parisian feel.    

Hard to concentrate on work with this view 

People enjoying a beautiful day at the café

When I looked back at my computer, I realized that I had been focusing too much on work and failing to appreciate the my prime location within one of the finest cities in the world. I may not love the food in Paris, but I do love looking at all the cafés and markets that line the streets.  On Saturday morning, I meandered through the streets and took pictures of anything that attracted my attention. 

Produce market

The Dog That Smokes (who comes up with these names?)

I'll just grab a rotisserie chicken from the sidewalk!

Each chair is lined up perfectly

This place was decorated for the holidays

Each café I saw was unique, yet similar.  They all try to maximize sidewalk space with little round tables crammed together.  Heat lamps were blazing, while a few brave souls continued to eat outside.  Weekly specials are almost always written on the chalkboard by the entrance so passerby's can contemplate the menu.  Onion soup, steak with frites, and chocolate mousse are commonplace in Paris.  The city is so steeped with history and culinary traditions are an important part of that.  

Walking back to my hotel, I thought about restaurants in the United States.  Even the smaller towns have a greater variety of food options than what is offered in Paris.  This is probably a reflection of the diverse American population.     

I often look at Europe with admiration, but I need to give credit to the United States when it is deserved.  Food choice is definitely one of those areas.  I never really think about food at home because I can buy almost anything I need, whenever I am in the mood for it: sushi, pizza, mexican, thai, italian...you name it.  

The cafés and markets in Paris are definitely picturesque and meandering down every street is like walking through a postcard.  However, I don't want to eat a postcard and I also don't want to eat what most of these cafés are serving.  Maybe I should open a Mexican restaurant in Paris - just to see what would happen!