It's so trippy to travel back in time. To go from bangkok to LA in about 3 hrs. Which really means fly to osaka for 5 hrs, sit for 45 min, fly for another 9 1/2 through night with a full moon. For the record those movies that show the outside of planes flying at night that look fake, you know where you can see everything in full pale moonlight relief, that's exactly what it looked like. I watched Elf, sent e-mail from Osaka with the free wireless, watched all maksim's dvd, listened to a ton of music, read all my newsweeks, the LA times, ate about 2 1/2 meals worth and still had more time than I knew what to do with. Then we landed, nerve racking 1/2 hr where I got my bag I knew was on the plane and went through customs with all my declared stuff, praying they didn't find the tea. They didn't even look at any of my stuff - they just basically waived me right through and the same for my passport - I had to ask them to stamp it. Amazing the preference given to US citizens. Then dealing with the Thai people getting my extra bag, which by a miracle, and Thai's wonderfulness, they had and found fairly easily. Then the harrowing re-entry into Americana going to the Delta counter and encountering the snarl that had been covered in the news the past two days. It's funny how american everyone here is. Everyone practically shouts american. RIght now I'm sitting in a quiet corner of the waiting area cowering from being overwhelmed. It's not that everyone looks the same, quite the contrary. I think it's mostly the behavior, and maybe the dress and attitude. So cavalier, so ready to assume they own the place, so caught up in their own lives. It's hard not to laugh just having the small perspective I've gotten. Another major encounter - everytime I go to a counter to do things, I'm still in the mode of explaining even my complex situation in simple english - example -
I have a problem, my luggage, it was lost...
yeah? what flight no.?
*shocked at the fact that they speak fluent english*

The kids especially are so different from kids everywhere else I've been. so spoiled - well that's true of everyone, so rich. But the children are much more the center of attention and like to flaunt it, other kids are much quieter in action and dress and behavior.

This day has been such a groundhog day moment for me. The movie with Bill Murray that is. I woke up in Bangkok this morning at the Asia Airport Hotel, went to the airport and got on my flight just barely in time at 7:40, laid over in Osaka at 3pm, got into LA at 10am... what? it's like deja vu all over again. laid over til 3:30 and now on the flight to CVG. Mom is coming to pick me up, which will be weird, not to mention I don't really feel like talking about everything. I'm so jet-lagged and exhausted, coming down with a nasty runny nose and it's going to be bloody cold when I get in and I'm wearing sandals. chuh. I hope all the fam is there though, and they drove my car. I forgot to ask they do that.

Delta is shit compared to almost every international airline. Even in Nepal where corruption seems to be the business model the airlines aren't this bad. The only other place that has delays and problems as much as the US is Air China, though they're worse, being a monopoly and state owned. but still pretty bad. It's funny that this plane is supposedly a 757 and it feels tiny. I guess I'm just used to 777s and 747s at this point. Anything smaller seems tiny. And I brought a purple thai pillow with me on this flight, a bit of thai hospitality reaching all the way to KY. The south could learn a thing or two about them, esp. delta.

I think I'm flipping out about being in the US, or maybe it's just a combination of the overdose of sudafed and exhaustion.

So saturday was christmas day. It didn't really feel like christmas, it was so weird. Tom's family and I all went out for dim sum lunch one last time and then to a chinese buddhist nunnery, which was cool. From there back on Cathay pacific to Bangkok, with a special christmas dinner with haagen-dazs and good food from some well known restaurant in HK.

Friday night, on christmas eve, apparently the big thing in Hong Kong is to go to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) and watch the fireworks and see the lights and make random hook-ups if you're a teenager. That night we spent the night at a very local, and very excellent seafood, where the market is right outside - you pick the poor guys and they cook them for you, HK$50 a plate + the cost of the seafood. It was really good. That day was spent watching Kung Fu Hustle, directed by Stephen Chow, a very campy hong kong movie that apparently referenced a great many chinese movies according to Tom. His brother, Luke, came with us, and he seemed to enjoy the movie a lot, as did Tom. afterwards we all went to the arcade and played games, which was fun. That was pretty much all of Friday.

Thursday was my chill day as Tom went to socialize with friends. I went to Shatin for lunch at Oliver's and some more starbucks coffee, unsuccessfully looked for an adapter for my headphones, and navigated back to the flat. That night we met up at the HMV and from there we went to the peak for dinner and I took shots of the view from the top of the mountain onto downtown and the harbor. Afterwards I had my fortune told by a palm and face reader, who told me I would be rich, which is good because he charged me HK$200 for the reading.

Tom was entertained by the smashable penis that we found, a lewd version of the egg and tomato that he bought the other night at the open market near Tsam Shai Po. Along that same vein were scandalous undergarments of varying themes and shapes, a full range of vibrators and a plethora of saunas and clubs, displaying the female talent on their bulletin board out front.

Tuesday Tom and I went on a tour that he and his mom booked at Shatin. Unfortunately the guide spoke only cantonese and mandarin - guess I should have studied more. So Tom translated the essentials, which equals anything that interested him and that he was up for translating. I didn't push him though cuz I know how annoying that can get. We went to the buddha statue, the biggest in all of asia - though just recently constructed, so I'm not sure how much credence it has. There's a museum built into it, for instance. The monastery across the way was interesting, though a bit touristy for mine and Tom's taste. Before we briefly visited what remained of one of the small villages that used to make up Hong Kong. The walls were still there, as were the chinese cannons, put there to ward off south china sea pirates and the portugese no doubt during the tang(?) dynasty. The British turned it into a police station and a school is the only building that remains inside the walls. The cannons are now pointed at the high rise public housing, in apparent defense of what is left of a pre-industrial hong kong. After the buddha we went to the "venice of hong kong" aka small chinese fishing village. Tom and I liked it the best because it was the least touristy and most ethnically authentic part of hong kong we saw. We took a quick boat trip out to the harbor and saw the airport, and went through the main canal of the city. Then it was on to the suspension bridge that connects the airport to kowloon - probably the second biggest landmark in hong kong after the harbor. At that point we had spent most of the day on the tour. We waited around TST though for night when I could take night shots of the harbor. It was hazy so not ideal but I got some excellent shots later.

Monday was my introductory day to Hong Kong. Tom and I went to the nearest shopping center and ate breakfast at Starbucks, my first in over 3 months. I was so happy that I took a picture of it. We then caught the KCR rail downtown and switched to MTR. We were going to meet Lisa B. and Maya, her latest assistant to have lunch and look at her work. Little did I know we were actually going downtown to the skyline area. We were in it so much that I couldn't tell. The hustle and bustle was almost overwhelming though, and the quality and variety of stuff for sale and how much people already had. Everyone so extremely well dressed with cell phones and briefcases or backpacks full of more stuff. And everything so clean. No trash anywhere, in fact, I'm sure the subway we rode was cleaner than some of the rooms I paid for in India. We ate dim sum for lunch at a famous local place with Maya from Australia, who somehow had not had dim sum here yet despite living in Hong Kong since June. Afterwards we went to the computer area and on a caprice bought a new 160gb hard drive and firewire case for US$100. Which is a really good deal, but still expensive.

Today has been totally insane. Ian and I woke up at 4:30 and went to the lobby and grabbed some bfast. We all left for the airport at 5:30 and Cathay Pacific was in Terminal 2 so by the time I got everything figured out half the group had already gone through passport control. So I said goodbye to half the group including Ian and made my way down to the totally american feeling terminal 2 as opposed to the totally asian feeling terminal 1. Checked in and emigrated no prob. The flight was wonderful, on a 777-300 with in seat flat screens, breakfast and a window seat. can there be anything better. It lasted about 2 hrs before we landed in HKG. The whole place was so american feeling. It was clean and efficient and people respect your space - amazing. It's really the cliche word of the day. Everything here is amazing.

Made it out to the terminal where I panicked for a moment, worrying that I wouldn't remember what Tom looked like amid the sea of hong kong faces. It shocked me how wonderfully everyone speaks english. Even the asian people that I totally expect to only speak chinese. wonderful. So we got into his Dad's lexus and drove on the freeway to the city. His home is a flat on the 21st floor overlooking a gorgeous canal that sweeps out to the harbor, with a race track directly across the canal amid the rest of the metropolis. Such an incredible view, and so many high rises! With 7 million people and only a few islands I suppose that's how everyone has to live. It's still incredible compared to Nepal or even Bangkok.

We've done so much today I feel like I've already been here like a week. The pace of life, quality of life and lifestyle are all faster better and richer than anywhere else I've been. It seems everyone has a mercedes, bmw or lexus, all new. All these high rises clump together around these malls that are constantly packed with people, especially now, shopping for christmas. It's so wonderful being in a place that celebrates christmas. All the lights tonight were really pretty. Everything is so clean, and new and beautiful. and superfluous. There is every western store here there is in chicago or new york. And the exchange rate proves it - only about 8 to the dollar. that means 400 is 50 bucks. so a 500 bill is worth a heck of a lot, and I want to collect 2. Tonight we went to Amaroni's, an incredible italian restaurant, well at least incredible after months of being in India and Nepal. There was an ice skating rink in the mall where a performance of peter pan was taking place. gigantic christmas trees with a bear in a miner's cart coasting down the track wrapped like tinsel on the tree. A car framed by a giant plastic bow hovering over it. Buses with flat screens. Things in chinese and english.

Hong Kong is actually a string of islands, all of them connected with suspension and cable stay bridges in a big network with high rises everywhere. The islands are also very hilly. I have a whole list now of stuff I want to do and eat and see. It's going to be an insane 5 days. I can't explain how wonderful it is to have someone who knows exactly where to take me what what to do, what restaurants are good, can speak every language here so our meaning is absolutely never lost, and is just a cool person in general. And that wonderfulness is Tom Lee. It's like being home even though the place is totally foreign, if only because people understand.

This evening we all went to our farewell dinner (which was just kind of awkward (esp. with pema tashi there)) Anyway another awkward goodbye with Pam and Manu at the airport. The 777 we flew to Bangkok was amazing and we all made it to the Asia airport hotel. So then to go to Trader Vic’s.

Ian agreed to go a long time ago and Breanna and Kirstina came along too. Of course no one had any idea where or what it was so I looked it up online and found it was at the Marriott. I should have had them write it in Thai because the taxi we rode in the guy was slow as hell, and had no idea where he was going - he had to ask like 50 times at gas stations. Ian’s running commentary was hilarious as always because the guy kept trying to talk to us in Thai and Ian responded in English in no doubt a total non-sequitar. We were so close to bailing when just then it appeared across the bridge. We/I was overjoyed. The Marriott is a resort as well so in order to get to the Trader Vic’s you go through the expansive tropical lobby out to the tropical gardens, which are beautiful - better than Delhi - and around until you see the big tiki mask outside a glass entrance. The restaurant was beautiful, just like a polynesian island, opening onto the river. The food was also way better than Chicago and everybody loved it and are now hooked. It was a highlight of my trip and I thank God we got there. I really want to go to all the other ones now. Guess i'll just have to travel a lot more - oh darn. This morning we got up at 5 to get to the airport - amid all the confusion I only said goodbye to like half the people.

There is no such thing as sweet and sour chicken. Everywhere I’ve had it, it’s more a reflection of the local cuisine to the point of beyond recognition.

Saturday and Sunday we gave our presentations at this disney world-esque resort - really it was just cheesy in a bady, creepy way. The presentations were all good but at the end it was exhausting sitting through so many. Now the past few days we’ve been writing up our papers, which I’m basically done with. I just need to finalize it with editing. I took the last shower I think I’m going to have yesterday before Bangkok. And I’m super excited about going to Trader Vic’s there. Having my computer has made it super easy to write my paper and nice because I can write it anywhere.

Everyone has gotten sick in the past couple days with some kind of stomach virus - it’s ridiculous. Thankfully, knock on wood, I’ve survived so far.

So we’re really close now, it’s amazing and trepidating to think we’re going back. Hong Kong is going to be fun and I’m going to take lots of awesome shots. I especially want one of the night skyline to put as my desktop like they used in some of Apple’s ads - only it’ll be mine. I’m also psyched because I have everything planned out for when I get home. Seeing Zach and Morrish and Uncle Dave, eating Jalapeños, Bella Notte, panda garden and atlanta bread co. getting a haircut and highlights, going up to chicago and staying at the palmer house, eating at Trader Vic’s. 2 different Trader Vic’s in as many weeks - amazing.

I wonder what Tom’s family will be like. Gosh I just realized how different it’s going to be there from Nepal and India. It’ll be clean and modern like Lhasa only a million times bigger.

Apparently Pema Tashi’s in town and will be at our farewell dinner, so much for a pleasant time. I mean It’s not ruined but I’m not looking forward to it. I think I’ll dress up though, wear the one thing I have yet to wear - my long sleeve button down shirt and tie. I have to figure out how to pack all my stuff.

Having people start to come back gives me the feeling almost of it being Christmas - it’s so amazing to see all these people I got to know really well, who I traveled with for so long, again after a whole month with tons of fresh new stories to tell.

We all went out for pizza last night despite my severely strapped budget but Ian paid for me. We came home and listened to x-mas music and watched cold mountain til we passed out. This morning I broke my annoying habit of waking at 8 or 8:30. Kelly is downstairs making breakfast, which is awesome - it smells incredible, furthering my fantasy of it being x-mas.

I just wanted to add as a throw back to my train experience (this came up in conversation last night) how a lot of people have this aire of superiority, not just a myth, of the west being more “civilized” as opposed to...uncivilized? Like the Brits I was sitting across from, saying Hong Kong “would be a bit more civilized.” I’m so exited that everyone is back.

So yesterday I thought I could walk to Boudha in time to take pictures of the sunset. Let me tell you how much of a mistake that was. I consequently never want to leave Dawa’s until we leave Nepal. So I walked for a good hour and a half, got to ring road on the NE side of Kathmandu, realized it was too far to walk so the only nice Nepali told me to get on the boudha bus - so I got on teh bus that I swear the guy said jioepwujieoapfjdsa;fdsafdsa....boudha. so I asked him, is this the bus to boudha? and was like yeah. So I rode it past the airport mistakenly putting faith in that guy. We ended up in patan, so I was like fine, fuck it, I’ll just go home so I rode it back to approximately where I got on - the guy tried to charge me 30 rs - apparently I looked like a gullible white person. So I gave him 6 and got a taxi that tried to charge 400 rs from closer than the airport to kimdol. I gave him 200 and refused to go any higher. Fuckers all of them.

I can’t even imagine being back in LAX or in Lexington with no one staring at me like a celebrity, everyone understanding exactly what I say.

Today I waited for sofia near the temple where we agreed to meet but she didn’t show. I waited for an hour before I went to get lunch by myself. that sucks. I even cleaned my room for her. So writing this ISP is pretty daunting. It’s funny how I’m kind of working on it in fits and starts - whatever strikes my fancy at the time, bibliography, aknowledgements etc. I need to put good chunks into it staring tomorrow so it comes out coherent - I think I have some good stuff, I just need to present it well - speaking of presenting, I’m mortified of this stupid oral presentation. I’ve spoken to more people and for longer than this, it’s just I don’t know very well what to say, like what general stuff to go over, maybe because I haven’t put everything together yet.

Let me go backwards. Today was great - sitting in my room at Dawa’s, I completely archived all my old e-mail that was saved in plain text files. They’re now beautifully archived and indexed in Mail, next to all my other e-mail for easy searching. I was a bit hungry, having skipped lunch but I’m trying to save money. The way I calculate it I have about 80 rupees left for each meal not including if I need laundry done or want to get any other presents. I e-mailed Abigail to get some seeds from the Bodhi tree if possible to give to Mrs. Morrish. I want to give her something she couldn’t get anywhere but here. If not, maybe my prayer beads. And of course a kata.

So last week I was visiting the Bon monastery here in Kathmandu, Tritsen Norbutse; hanging out and taking notes, trying to schedule interviews. The head teacher fortuitously returned from Canada just as I arrived (sunday) and was here for 5 days last week before leaving for Thailand to give a series of lectures - most of these are an effort to raise funds for the monastery. I got an audience with him, but he referred me to the Abbott, who travels as his assistant to talk to. SO that was a bummer that I didn’t get to interview him, since he probably is THE Bon lama. I talked to the Abbott which was good - probably the best interview I’ve had, just because he understood my english so well and could adeptly answer the questions. I had another interview several days later with the help of a translator - but the monk had only been in the West, not taught there. Nevertheless, those 3 are the only ones there that have been in the west at this monastery. A bunch of enlightened potatoes. I say again.

So Sunday, during Lopon Tenzin Namdak’s return party, amid much fanfare, two girls came to watch who were out on a walk. They followed him (and me) up to the temple. Afterwards I went up and talked to them, as they seemed to be painfully awkward in their surrounding. Sofia, from Portugal, and the other from Holland (I feel bad but forgot her name) They are both here volunteering at an orphanage near the monastery. So my segue/pick up line was that I had a lot of pencils that I needed to get rid of and did any of the children need any? Well of course they did, so they invited to meet me again at the monastery 2 days later. So I met them and we had a slow walk back to the orphanage. All the kids were really fun to be around. They all called me “Peter, sir” and gave me a Nepali name - Krishna- which I wasn’t really attracted to since it’s a hindu god (though apparently he was an incarnation of Shakyamuni Buddha according to some) Anyway afterwards, Sofia walked me out and invited me out to dinner in another couple days with her and some friends. I accepted and 2 days later met her at her hotel in Thamel. We walked over to the pumpernickel to kill some time before dinner. As we sat over our milk tea, I learned that her dad was Spanish, hence she knows spanish and many other languages, including nepali. She’s 23 but already graduated from law school in Portugal in Int’l law, tried cases and done her doctorate work on afghani women refugees in the Netherlands. She’s mediterranean-looking, with beautiful tan skin, long tightly curled black hair, deep eyes and a really sexy accent. She loves to travel anywhere that interests her, like Hungary, where she stayed for 3 months on a whim and all over Europe, Pakistan (!) India, Nepal, Australia I think, and others. She’s so practical, like me, and was complaining that her past boyfriend (who I saw at the orphanage) acted more like the girl in the relationship than she did, always begging for attention - jealous both of the orphans and me, just visiting - on the one hand, she’s amazing to me, on the other, completely undateable. She’s so energetic I’m not sure it could work, and it seems much better just to be her good long-distance friend, maybe potential contact to stay with if ever I’m in the neighborhood. So we agreed to meet again this wednesday for lunch and to show her around Kimdol and Dawa’s.

I'm so happy being in Nepal, even if I don't do my ISP at all, or it flops, or whatever, I'm happy simply existing like a character from the unbearable lightness of being or the stranger. There's a certain intoxicating and disgusting beauty in just existing.

I have also decided Thailand is the source of all that is holy and good here (well at least from America). I only increasingly find that I am fascinated by Thailand and identify with its form of Buddhism.

I'm amazed Nepali children survive the first few years of their life, between abusing animals, all the dangerous traffic and the shards of glass and pollution I saw one playing with today.

I'd also like to say I HATE anthropology - I'm not an anthropologist nor did I claim to be or express the desire - I knew from that first class with crackpot prof. bledsoe. Speaking of her, thinking of her rec I realize/continue to worry that I have no prof that I know even remotely well enough to get a rec from - I blame it on NU being so big and impersonal. Anyway getting back to the point, why the fuck am I doing a month-long research project. The monks here are horribly inhospitable compared to Dolanji.

On a better note my laptop is working again after I was stupid enough to try to boot into OS 9. The stupid thing wouldn't start but all I had to do was insert the OS X install cd, reselect my OS X to get it working. go figure. The mac is whack, but what can you expect after being abused in the mail for several weeks. It's actually bent in half, a bit just as Graham warned it could. Don't worry I'll be all over Apple as soon as I get back, along with my ipod.

I think it's time for a translator on this bad boy, I'm getting nowhere fast with Tenzin Namdak only here for four more days. I can't believe nobody speaks English here when so many did in Dolanji. I'm almost done, I can't believe it. It's scarey and sad and amazing and wonderful - too many emotions all at once.

I think these monks are a bunch of enlightened potatoes, to use one of prof. caudron's phrases - out of touch and unable to communicate with young people and westerners that are interested in the religion - which could have a stake in teh future of their tradition. Interestingly, the more remote Bon monastery was much more with it in terms of accomodations, ability to communicate, willingness to share their religion with others. Perhaps I could do a cross comparison between the two for part of my write up.

Another interesting note: the main temple hall is the epicenter of both Bon monasteries and serves as a place that lay practitioners can go to and circumambulate or prostrate or whatever. Is it the same in the West? are the Bon 'centers' as much a focal point? I guess it depends on the level of devotion.