Lumea lui Răzvan

Happy New Year of the Dragon! Some decorations and lights from Singapore as the festivities for the Chinese New Year are in full swing! Thank you Mr Victor Seow for all the photos!

 

Happy Lunar New Year!

Elephant safari in Chitwan is invariably a morning affair. Or at least it is for me as both times I was engaged in such an activity I had to wake up around 6 am. There are safaris like this in the afternoon as well but I never seem to work with the right travel agency. Just a warning for the late sleepers.

Otherwise the ride in itself is quite entertaining. Five adults atop a pachyderm (four tourists and the mahout) taking a leisurely stroll in the jungle hoping to see all kinds of animals. If you are lucky, (I was the first time), you might see rhinoceros, deers, peacocks, wild pigs, crocodiles and all kinds of colorful birds. If you are not lucky as I (and 27 others from our group) was the other day you have to make do with deers, peacocks, crocs and the all kinds of colorful birds. You will never see a tiger. Though they say there are at least 250 left in Chitwan. Too lazy to show their faces for some tourists armed only with cameras. Really, now, do not hope for a tiger.

Oh, but the thrill of riding an elephant is an experience in itself: usually it lasts one hour and a half but the mahout is cheating as he knows that after 45 minutes the tourists can hardly feel their butts so he finishes the ride early. Nepali jungle is ugly. It resembles in fact any forest on the outskirts of a big city (say Bucharest?) but here the wilderness is genuine. And it wasn’t only my opinion. It’s not that green, not that dense, not that dark and not that wild anyway. But it’s a great attraction and distraction for the tourists in Nepal, sick and tired (or maybe just tired) of trekking and shivering with cold in the mountain villages.

There’s a certain fare of activities in Nepal and like it or not, most of them are included in your package (together with all the meals you take at the hotel you’re staying). Apart from the above safari, there’s jeep safari, a ride with the canoe on the river – 100% chance to see Gangetic crocs, jungle walking, a visit to the elephant breeding centre, a visit to the village and a dance and music evening with entertainment provided by local artists. Make the most of it and enjoy yourself. I did. Not sure if I’d do it all again for the third time but the experience is entertaining nevertheless.

As the elephants looked bored munching on something, the mahouts were busy loading them with tourists in the haze of the early morning. Four to one elephant, each taking a corner of the improvised device attached to the upper back of the pachyderms. And in mahouts’ own words: “One leg from here, one leg from here”.

 

Time to move to another land that I haven’t seen before. Time for some guaranteed thrills. Will be there for eight days before returning to Kathmandu for a few days of relax and the flight home. Coming soon right here.

When in Nepal jump at the chance to spend a night in Nagarkot. If only for the glorious sunrise over the Himalayas. Wake up at 5.30 am and wait for it. It’s spectacular. Other than that Nagarkot is a good place to spend a few days hiking and enjoying nature close to the capital city. Facilities are good and the food palatable.

PS They say that just before sunrise the sky turns a shade of pink. Didn’t see it but then again, I wasn’t fully awake.

As today was a full day of sightseeing and I was in awe most of the time, no small talk just photos. As they say: a picture tells a thousand words! Word!

Tomorrow – Chitwan: jungle, elephants and the elusive tiger. And to all a good night!

 

Somehow with a six month delay, Jennifer Lopez’s “On the Floor” seems to be the power play this side of Himalaya. Good. Second day in Nepal went smooth. Extended visit to Durbar square – Kumari didn’t show her face at the window as it was a holiday during which she’s suppose to stay hidden – and lots of photo opps. Saddhus (of course I paid them), beggars, temples, colors, pidgins, meat and vegetables for sale, mandalas, ladies neatly dressed in safaris and ricksha drivers, all popped up in front of my camera lenses.

Had lunch at a Thai restaurant (tasty phad thai) and went back to the hotel. Done my jeans as I chickened out at the last minute about the monkeys at the temple and made my way, by bus, to Swayambunath together with the rest of the group.

At 3 in the afternoon when we got there the monkeys were surprisingly sedated. Probably taking their afternoon nap. The monastery itself never ceases to amaze anyone. It’s a puzzle of big and small stupas with a nice assortment of museums, altars and cafes. And restaurants with great rooftop views. A quaint mix of holiness and commercialism. Damn you, capitalism. A girl in our group developed a passion for dogs and monks. Buddhist monks. So she only photographed the two. I suggested she named the Facebook album when she would eventually upload the photos – “Of monks and dogs” . She said she would do so.

Had a ginger tea on a rooftop at the monasteries and started our way down to Thamel on foot. Traffic in Katmandu manic as usual. In the middle of all the chaos some kids were swaying on a swing hang on a huge tree hunched over the street. Got photos to prove it.

Dinner was a simple affair of huge portions of Tibetan food at a restaurant called Nepali Kitchen. And a San Miguel beer.

What I learned from today’s experience? That people love Kathmandu even if it’s dirty, polluted and it stinks. Because it’s colorful, lively and has a certain vibe.

While I write this post JLo played ten songs ago. Five songs ago again and now it’s four songs up and after another one “On the Floor” will hit me again. I hope that wasn’t too confusing. Fact is there’s a club just downstairs from my hotel window where the party goes on well into the night.

And about the title of this entry: nothing special. I saw it on a poster advertising a jazz festival in the capital and I thought it sounded cool.

I would rename Doha International Airport – Doha Central Bus Station. Because they shuttle you between planes and terminals in tons of buses on seemingly never-ending distances. Not fun… only if you thrive on the thrill of always being on the verge of missing your connection. Otherwise, getting from Bucharest to Kathmandu seems such a breeze now that Qatar Airways connects the two cities in less than 10 hours with a stop over in the above mentioned bus station.

I found Kathmandu different. Less of that happy hippy glare to it as years go by. Unchanged was the slowness of the passport control/visa on arrival people who never stop to amaze me (and thick rows of other tourists) with their inadequacy for the job. Certainly the airport has been modernized since my last visit three years ago. But the touts outside were few and traffic on the way to Thamel really tamed. The fact that it was a Saturday morning maybe helped. Still it was the beginning of the high season and I counted no less than four just arrived planes at Tribhuvan.

And to fast forward it a bit: left the luggage at the hotel, went out for daal bhat and a white coffee, back at the hotel, shower and some two hours of rest. I’m back in Kathmandu expecting nothing. That’s just a strategy of mine thinking that when you don’t expect anything, surprising things happen. Namaste!

 

Later the same day

Slept the whole afternoon only to be brutally woken up by the guy from the agency who called my room to remind me of the official Nepali Traditional Dinner. Food was diversified, bad and little spiced but went perfectly with the lack of enthusiasm the dancers and singers in charge with entertainment displayed. Everest beer though was exactly how I remembered it. The first taste always makes me think that this beer is made with sour water.

On my way to the hotel I looked for some photocopied editions of Lonely Planet guide books. No luck – they say they don’t sell photo copies in Nepal. Anymore, I think. In Cambodia and Vietnam they are a big business, here you can find only original copies at original high prices.

In Thamel the bars were all there, The Bamboo, Tom and Jerry, Le Bistro, Sam’s Pub, Irish Pub. Tourists were few and by 9 o’clock shops were closing. Tour of the city tomorrow and my biggest dilemma tonight is should I or shouldn’t I wear shorts tomorrow in case we visit Swayambounath and the monkeys are in a playful mood.

Some guys from the group had their luggage lost by the airline. Still no sign of them but here’s hoping for tomorrow. I’ve been in that situation many times and not always I got it back. Damn you, Alitalia.

Always a pleasure watching Asian channels in my hotel room before the internal clock tells me it’s time to sleep in my country.

Morning update

Great breakfast at hotel Vaishali. Glorious sunny day. Re-reading the above… I must have been in a pretty bad mood yesterday after the sleepless night on the plane. Wearing shorts for the temple, folks. More photos when the internet connection allows it.

Imi plac povestile care incep cu “In vremea aceea”. Expresia am auzit-o la biserica atunci cand preotul citeste din Sfanta Evanghelie in joia mare si la prohod in vinerea mare. Iar cartierul crestin din Ierusalim este pentru mine locul in care toate povestile incep cu “In vremea aceea”. Nu am stat niciodata sa le caut, le-am stiut instinctiv, asa cum instinctiv le stim cu totii odata ajunsi la fata locului. Inima cartierului este Biserica Sfantului Mormant. Initial, asa cum am facut si in celelalte postari, n-am vrut sa scriu despre religie. Vroiam sa scriu despre cum se caftesc calugarii diverselor culte crestine ce-si au impartita aceasta biserica, insa nu ma lasa sufletul pentru ca stiu ca in aceasta noapte, asa cum se intampla de mii de ani, o minune se va produce din nou in Sfantul Mormant: lumina va pogori din ceruri. Nu am nevoie sa dau indicii despre cum se ajunge la biserica si la ce sa luati aminte la stanga si la dreapta. Biserica este Muntele Golgota, destinatia finala, noul inceput. Cand ajungeti, intrati, plimbati-va mana pe piatra pe care Iisus a fost miruit, dupa care mergeti si stati la coada sa intrati in Sfantul Mormant. Inauntru veti incepe sa simtiti cu sufletul.

La noapte pogoara lumina care vine cu siguranta din “vremea aceea”. Asta chiar daca domnii calugari ce-si fac veacul pe langa si prin biserica Sfantului Mormant se mai caftesc din cand in cand.

Daca intri in orasul vechi pe poarta dinspre Muntele Maslinilor pasesti direct pe Via Dolorosa si direct in cartierul arabesc. Te insotesc chioscuri cu cola, tigari si detergenti, temnita unde a fost inchis Iisus impreuna cu talharii – pe partea dreapta si undeva pe stanga intrarea pazita spre moscheea Al Aqsa. Ajungi la un moment dat intr-o piata inconjurata de restaurante unde se vinde cel mai bun humus (dar si falafel crocant) si unde vezi in coltul din partea stanga oprirea a v-a de pe Drumul Crucii marcata prin urma manii lui Iisus ramasa in piatra si un nesfarsit sir de turisti ce-si fac poze cu mana lor in mana Domnului. Bun.
Cautati cel mai mare magazin de suveniruri din piata aceasta. Veti gasi aici cele mai cool tricouri din Ierusalim. Cu de toate scrise pe ele: de la replici din filme celebre, la coca-cola scris in araba sau ebraica, de la Israeli Army pana la Shit Happens. Toate se fac pe loc, prin presare si vin in toate culorile, marimile si modelele. Mai sunt si alte asemenea “ateliere” in orasul vechi insa acesta este, dupa parearea mea, cel mai rapid. Cu suvenirurile deja cumparate, drumul o ia in sus, pe langa oprirea a v-a spre ceea ce conteaza cu adevarat (pentru crestini) in orasul vechi.

Asadar, cum stai cu fata inspre Zidul Plangerii, o iei la dreapta (bine, presupunand ca ai pus deja biletelul intr-o crapatura a zidului si te-ai minunat la stancile care stau nemiscate de vreo 2000 de ani)… si pe urma urci scarile, vei da usor de ele, sunt convins, pana ajungi intr-un fel de piata ce are in stanga un mare magazin all Jewish si in dreapta cateva chioscuri si terase. Vei recunoaste piateta pentru ca se continua intr-un fel de tunel… Bun. Doua motive sa-ti tragi sufletul aici: (more…)

In orasul vechi intru prin poarta Jaffa. De fiecare data. Mai putin atunci cand am stat in Bethlehem si intram prin poarta Damascului pentru ca langa ea ma lasa autobuzul. Sunt opt porti de intrare in orasul vechi si la Jaffa ajung mai mereu dupa ce pierd vremea in Mamilla – un fel de mall unde conteaza cafenelele si terasele.

Cum intri pe poarta Jaffa, lasi in stanga centrul de informatii turistice si hotelul Imperial si o iei la dreapta… perpendicular cu hotelul si paralel cu turnul lui David… ok, cam de pe aici incepe cartierul armenesc: frumos, cu manastiri, biserici, magazine de suveniruri si restaurante cu specific. Pe straduta aceasta, ingusta si cu tunele se afla, pe stanga cum mergi de la hotel Imperial, un restaurant “pricopsit” cum ar zice cineva. Am trecut de mult ori pe langa el si m-am tot minunat de ce zaream pe geam pana intr-o seara cand nu mai puteam si am dat buzna sa ma duc la toaleta. (more…)