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Our first hour on American soil, and this is what Scott orders for breakfast.

Kathmandu on strike

Up early this morning to return to particularly stinky Kathmandu - and lucky for us, they're having a taxi strike. Which I think started out as a labor-oriented concept, but ended up just turning into an excuse for a bunch of lazy guys to stand around in the street burning tires. Wish we were back in Pokhara. Heavy sigh.

Ghandruk

Krishna and Dipendra decided to take us for a walk. "A walk," they said. "Only four hours." What they didn't mention was that it wasn't so much a walk as a climb. Up several million stairs. For four hours.

On the way, Dipendra decided to treat us to dinner. Yes, there were many many jokes. We won't mention it again.

And it was delicious.

And all the stairs were totally worth it because we got to wake up in the morning to this. Which is called Fishtail by us worthless Americans who can't pronounce Machhapuchhre.

Food

We have eaten some things here that I never really thought I would put in my mouth. And really enjoyed most of it. Be warned, those of you who are considering a trip to Nepal: food here will still have its head attached, bones in it, sometimes feathers, and you will be expected to eat dried chicken gizzards, goat hearts, and pig livers and clean your plate.

Kukura go vale, xosi go masu. Mmmm.

Oh yeah, and you will also be expected to eat with your fingers. We're getting better at it.

Welcome to Kathmandu

Here we are at the Namaste Thakali restaurant in Kathmandu, which we pretty much took over for three days. Wonderful food, wonderful company (those boys on the right are, from the left: Dipendra, who owns the Pokhara Rodhi Club; Krishna; and Rudra, who has a pharmacy in Krishna's hometown. Conversation is interesting, since we speak approximately ten words of Nepali, Krishna's English isn't perfect, Dipendra speaks Nepali and Japanese, and Rudra only Nepali. But we make do, and good time is had by all. And the beer, of course, is Carlsberg.

New Developments

... Scott will be remaining in Thailand for $6/hr foot massages. These lovely ladies are very very strong, and don't just give you a foot rub. They climb up into the chair with you and bend you in all sorts of new ways and it's very wonderful. And super cheap. It's too bad that Scott won't be coming home, but at least we know he'll be happy and limber in Thailand.

There's a naked monk somewhere!

Monks have needs, too.

This is my favorite picture. Ever.

#6: You can buy anything at a Thai market. Anything.

T-shirts, handbags, underwear, toys, sunglasses, watches, Buddhist talismans, very large photographs of the king's late sister, beautiful girls (boys?), fabrics, postcards, knives, meat-on-a-stick, fruit, Fanta, fans, live eels, diamonds, parasols, and ... teeth.

Dinner for seven

Scott had half a cow for dinner last night. We thought it was a little strange when the waiter just took Scott's order and wandered off: then he showed up fifteen minutes later with more food than most people probably eat in a week. Learned our lesson there, I guess. He cooked it at the table in front of us (they have a propane fueled charcoal grill right in the middle of the table - which is very hot on a very hot day), and it was delicious. We also had some other mystery foods that sorta looked like shrimp and sorta looked like eggs, and might have been seaweed.

The Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures of the Emerald Buddha. Rest assured, he is very ... green. And his temple is very ... gold. But he is very fashionable in his rainy season (?) attire, augmented by his winter attire. His hot season attire is on display at the Grand Palace. I want to know who gets to pick his outfits.

Lots and lots of statuary here.

Like these guys, who are very large. And colorful.

Mahatma Ronald

Ten important things to know about Bangkok (revised):

1. It is very very hot here.

2. You must wear long pants at the Grand Palace.

3. Do not be squeamish about other people's food, fingers, deformities, dogs, urine, gastrointestinal phenomena, etc. You're going to touch it, hear it, see it, smell it, and possibly taste it no matter what. Get over it.

4. You can fit at least five people on a scooter. Five. On a scooter.

5. Thai food is amazing, but if anything looks like a carrot, it's probably not. It's probably some nuclear chili pepper that will cause your head to explode.

6. You can buy anything at a Thai market. Anything.

7. Juice in a bag is all right. When you have lunch, you get meat-on-a-stick, fruit-in-a-bag, and juice-in-a-bag. All good things.

8. Tuk-tuk drivers will try to sell you anything for 10 baht. Cheap-cheap. Naked lady picture? 10 Baht. Two hour tour? 10 Baht. Meat-on-a-stick? 10 Baht.

9. Your taxi driver only makes $30 a day. He likes tips and will take you anywhere if you give him a few more Baht.

10. It's very difficult to find a t-shirt in size XXL. For you, only 200 Baht. Hah.

Vegetables, maybe

In just one day we've come across quite a few new foodstuffs: some vegetable called "we-catch-a-ball" - or something very similar - and this thing (which, according to the ladies who were buying it and the man who was selling it is called "I don't know" or possibly "shampoo").

True

This one's for Carole

Streetside tailors everywhere: and look what they're working with!

Petchburi

It's so freaking hot here.

Foreign political sentiment: cheap-cheap, only 10 baht!

These little guys are all over Bangkok. I think they're awfully funny, in a confusing out-of-context sort of way.

The Best Bangkok House

We finally found a place to stay in Bangkok: luggage free, which is no surprise, since the boys are travelling with me and I am nothing if not a luggage losing disaster magnet. But Krishna made friends with the pretty girls at the Thai Airways baggage services office, so we should see them by tonight.

Sunrise in Hong Kong

We were in Hong Kong long enough this morning to catch the sunrise from the airport, which was exactly as you would expect sunrise in Hong Kong to be: fog clinging to the rounded hilltops with an occasional mysterious something reflecting the sunlight blindingly. But we were really too tired to notice. Seventeen hours on a single cramped smelly plane is too many.

Nepalis galore

We've met more people from Nepal in the last few weeks than we will while we're in Nepal, I think. We promised to make some nice pictures available to their families abroad, so here they are. This is Scott and our new friend Mukesh (who is going to school in Louisianna, of all places) pretending that they've known each other for more than five minutes. And doing a good job of it, I might add.

And our other friend Hari. We said, hey Hari, we can show your family nice pictures of all the messy Americans you hang out with. And here we are.

Domo arigato, Mr O-Scott-o

Scott took us out for sushi on New Year's Eve. We then promptly went home and to bed before ten. A festive time, to be sure.

Ah, cousins

Erin is a hit with the littlest cousins. Simma will pretty much forsake everybody for a good cuddle with Erin, and maybe a woodworking magazine or three.

Schuss You!

First day on the hill. Great success. There was soooooo much new snow last week, and even though it got pretty well skied off by the horrendous crowds, it was a great day on the hill. Erin starts lessons tomorrow, but she's quite the little downhiller already. It'll be fun in a few years (months?) to get her onto the more challenging terrain and see if I can still keep up with her.

... and now for some Fine Arts!

We spent an evening before Christmas being creative. It was messy, as usual, but much fun.

And see? Erin and I painted two very nice Santas and Scott painted a lovely homeless color-blind coal-miner. Right in the Christmas spirit.

Ode to Joy

Erin's Christmas concert was ages ago, and it was a terrific success.

The kids did a great job; Miss Solberg wrote some very fun songs (and there were a lot of bald heads in the crowd). The new Auditorium is quite the place.

Aww, cute kid. (And no, I can't get the picture to go the right way. My computer is still in moving limbo...I miss my Mac.)

Though not actually related to any of my family, Erin seems to be acquiring some of their less desirable traits. Here we see the Tongue Concentration Method at its finest.