Dune bashing, a camel ride and Kathmandu

It's been over a week since I have sat down to update my adventures. It is not because I have nothing to say. As J. would be thinking ---- Barbara, when do you have nothing to say? OK. It's rare. So, here goes. Last week was a week of visitors. Catching up on news from J's family was wonderful as we met with Martha and Frank and their 3 boys for the afternoon on their way to France from Saudi Arabia. My sister Beth and cousin Carole arrived for a week's visit and I tried to give them a variety of things to experience here in the desert. Tasting various local foods -- which seemed to include a lot of Lebanese food (my personal favorite!) and Turkish food -- was interspersed with trips to the Souq Waqif, Katara, Corniche, classes at Qatar University--- and some drives to nearby colorful attractions. We were able to watch a camel race, which was pure luck since the races are over for the season in early April. Got some great pictures and considered buying a camel blanket as a souvenir. I know. What do you do with a camel's blanket??? Well, I imagined I was a college student and needed something colorful to hang on my wall. But, then I remembered I am in my 60's and don't need a camel's blanket. So, I resisted. Just barely. My younger sister is much more practical than I am and asked me the right questions as I comtemplated buying the blanket. I think J. was glad my sister was with me. He usually humors me and we end up with "stuff" we don't need or use. We ate fish at a local fishing town that we selected, had cleaned and took accross the road for grilling. We visited a unique private art collection of Sheik Faisel. We topped off the week with a day trip to the sand dunes in southern Qatar and went "dune-bashing" and rode a camel! The fact that Beth actually agreed to go is another story. Beth gets car sick just riding in a normal car. I guess it was the idea of riding in a 4 wheel drive vehicle (with plenty of air let out of the tires) in the desert sand dunes in the Middle East which was intrigueing enough that Beth put her fears aside. And also the fact that J., Carole, Mary Pat, and I agreed to take turns riding in the back and "way back" that helped. The sand dunes in southern Qatar are amazing! Aside from Nambia in Africa, these are the only desert dunes next to the sea in the world. I think the driver sensed that Beth was really nervous (of course, the rest of us were a bit nervous too!) so he kept the roller coaster driving to a minimum and the gorgeous views to a premium. Actually, a group of previous tourists (Indian and Chinese, I think) got sick in his car from dune bashing and I don't think he wanted a repeat performance. We stopped for a brief rest at the Saudi border and looked across at the patrolled border. It all ended with a barbecue on the beach and we each took a camel ride for a short trip along the Arabian Gulf --- wow! . J. was the photographer! Yes, it's true. We really did ride camels along the Gulf! Thursday (April 5) J. and I took off for Kathmandu for 5 days. We arrived home early this AM. Tomorrow I leave for the States for 2 weeks and 2 family weddings. Kathmandu? If you have heard stories about Kathmandu, they are all true. And I mean it! Oh, my! Our first thought was ---- this is not Doha! I simply called it "third world". J. said that was a term from the "sixties" and not appropriate. By the time we left, J. said on our way to the airport, "Wow, I guess if I had to describe Kathmandu, I would have to say it is third world". So, I am vindicated! There is no order to things including the airport, traffic, shopping, street life. Now, that is not fair. It all works. Just not the way we are used to things working. We were body searched at least 3 times at the airport. That was just to depart the airport! Each time we stood in lines that got us that much closer to our destination, but not quite there yet. Our baggage was checked 3 times and our passports were checked twice. We stood in lines for "foreigners" where only one guard was available to check the people standing in line and literally hundreds of us waiting to be checked! There is a phone number posted on the wall in the airport if you have complaints about the process. I was tempted to write it down and articulate my complaints and suggestions, but after 5 days in Kathmandu I realized that was nonsense! So, after the airport --- what next? Well, we arrived at night - around 10PM so we got a taxi to the Shanker Hotel, my Expedia suggested hotel destination for our 5 day stay. Four stars. After 5 days, we agreed the location was excellent --- within walking distance of so many places. The staff door guards and driveway guards saluted the guests and the staff was wonderful. The front garden was lovely, like no where else in the city actually. We had coffee and snacks in the garden several times --- but the actual hotel was not what is usual for 4 star. Let's just say that by the end of our stay, we rated it a 5 star, but our initial thought was it ranked a 2! Our taxi ride to the hotel was "scary". I am not sure how else to describe it. Actually, a "guide" hopped on the taxi with us from the airport to the hotel (I think he was hoping we would hire him for a later tour of the city!) and told us that the roads were so bad and the streets so narrow so that diplomats would feel sorry for Nepal and give them some aid! We chuckled at that---- just enough to cover the fear that invaded our thoughts. What did we get ourselves into??? The Nepalese must like to conserve electricity. The streets are not lit at night and the shops are dimly lit. It is amazing how dark the city can be when there are no street lights. The roads are so bumpy and rocky that you do not even wonder why there are rarely any newer model cars on the streets. In Nepal cars drive on the "wrong" side of the road. Well, that is an understatement. I am not sure any more what is the correct side. It may just be whatever side you are on. Horns beep all the time. We watched in sheer terror as we rode through the streets, certain that death was near. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. Motorcycles rule the road. Well, not quite, but they outnumber cars, busses and 3 wheel vehicles. They do not outnumber pedestrians, but it's close. Motorcycle drivers must have to wear helmets, but passengers do not. And sometimes entire families ride together on the motorcycles. They weave in and out of traffic. Sometimes I would just close my eyes. Somehow, we never hit anyone or killed anyone. At least, not that I know of. There are no signal lights in Kathmandu. We were told that signal lights would be ignored anyway. Police on the corner are more effective. They signal traffic and pedestrians just run (or jump) out of the way! Street vendors are everywhere. They set up shop on the sidewalk, in small enclosures, along the street, in every available spot one can find! I've never seen such "free enterprise". They sell vegetables, clothes, water, junk, anything! The water is "lethal" to the "uninitiated" (non-Nepalese) so we bought lots of water! The food is wonderful and spicy. Our favorite was "moo" - a type of Chinese dumpling - a steamed dough filled with vegetables or meat. We had moo on a daily basis and already miss it!!! Cheap and delicious! The air is very polluted. Some people wore face masks. Other just cough. We were fine for the short haul. A pulmonologist would have steady business in Kathmandu! We did not see more than a couple medical clinics or doctors offices. Maybe that's because everyone is healthy---- or, medical care is just not readily available. I suspect the latter is true. But, that is just my educated guess. There are over a million residents in Kathmandu and unemployment is believed to be at least 30%. Individuals are taxed at 1% of their income. I question how anyone keeps track of income! Bargaining is the way of life. I never saw fixed prices on anything except in a few actual stores and those were not the normal stores. There is no such thing as a receipt. You just buy things. No wonder the government doesn't have any money! The people are very religious. There are shrines everywhere. I think there is a shrine at least on every block. The main religion is Hindu, but there are lots of Buddhists. The people leave offerings at the shrines like rice, flowers and water. They also put yellow and red markings on the shrines to signify their devotion to the gods. We visited the 3 main palace squares and the main shrines in Kathmandu. Much was apparently destroyed in an earthquake in the 1930' and is still being rebuilt. People just hang around these areas. Not much different than the rest of the city! Foreigners have to pay to get into some of the shrines and palace squares. it was worth the entrance fee! We took lots of pictures. In fact, my camera battery wore out and I charged it just before we traveled to Kathmandu. J. let me use his camera, which he usually reserves for artistic photography! I assure you, my photography is not very artistic! I just snapped away in this delightful country. Our guide told us about the brain drain here. Basically, the Nepalese that have a chance to study abroad or to take jobs elsewhere, do that and never return. That is hard on a country like Nepal. Because Qatar is so close, the Nepalese often go to Qatar. Our guide said that coffins with Nepalese that die in Qatar arrive at the airport with frequency. Brokers take a fee to assist Napelese leave the country. Our guide said he saved $6000 that he paid a broker and she disappeared with the money. When he reported this to the police, he received no help. This sort of thing happens all the time. We walked the streets, the cremation and burial areas, the shrines and palaces, the shopping areas, and even the "jungles" around Kathmandu. We walked thru a forest to a nunnery high in foothills outside Kathmandu to a Buddhist nunnery. The nuns run a school in the hills where poor families send their girls to be raised by the nuns. It's a lovely and peaceful and very simple place on the side of the hill overlooking the Kathmandu valley. The nuns tend a large garden and have cows. They loudly chant mantras in the temple and seem very happy. They even run a "free clinic" on the mountain side and a small shop where visitors can buy things like potato chips! Our guide told us about the polical situation in Nepal. While we were there, the Maoists called a strike. We saw several very noisy political rallies. We kept our distance. Our guide said the Maoists make lots of promises, but most people know that's all they are...... just promises to get you to support them. We enjoyed this guides company the entire day! I have his name and contact information in case you have the chance to go to Kathmandu! (Don't everyone contact me at the same time!) We hired a guide one day that was the most amazing day of our 5 day visit. He took us to the sacred river that runs thru Kathmandu. Lots happens along this river. Slums are located there. Sacred cows drink the water. Children look for jewels in the river. Families wash the feet of the dead in the river. Cremations take place next to the river and the ashes are washed into the river. There is a hospice located right along the river and beside the cremation pyres. Simply amazing. We saw all this happening right before our eyes! Monkeys also roam around, with goats, chickens, and abandoned cattle ------- and lots of dogs! I am not sure how to describe what we saw, but I have never seen anything like it. Trust me. Our last day in Kathmandu we decided to take a plane ride in the Himilayas. We were ready by 5:30AM and took a taxi to the airport. The airline that specializes in this is "Air Buddha". We arrived at the airport and with many other tourists were transported to small planes run by Air Buddha for a 45 minute ride. Unfortunately (or, perhaps fortunately considering the plane!), the flight was cancelled because of bad weather. We were disappointed, but we took advantage of the remainder of the day just walking around and taking in the sights. And, then we had to brave the ride to the airport again at rush hour and the long and grueling check in process. When we arrived in Doha at 1AM this morning we felt we were home! Isn't it funny how quickly a place in the Middle East becomes "home".