Sunday 20 November 2011

Oh God, I Forgot About The Ants


Ok, as I sit in the sun in my garden (a warm winter is quite the novelty), I figure I will use my lazy Sunday somewhat productively and write a blog post.  However, taking a slight change from the norm, I will type everything backwards.  Gniddik m’I ,yrrow t’noD. Though, in all seriousness, I will go from my usual mode of trying to talk about one thing in an overly long post, to talking about many things in an overly long post.  Much like the driving here, there is no particular structure or order.

Driving – See what I did?  Yes, the driving in Nepal.  Never has the phrase ‘order in chaos’ been more applicable.  Watching the traffic go by and also taking numerous taxis everywhere, you would be correct in assuming that there are no rules.  Both cars and motorbikes do what they like, with motorbikes quite often driving the wrong side of the road.  Try driving like that in the UK, you would cause a massive pile up just by leaving your house.  However (and I realise there are high number of crashes throughout the country), it does generally seem to work here.  In my fairly short time here, I have been terrified to start with but slowly I have realised that the drivers here have always lived here and are used to it.  Due to this, I seem to have worked out a slight rule.  All the drivers seem to worry about is what is in front of them, and it is up to the person behind them to worry about their driving… it does help that it is usually too jammed to pick up any speed as well.  Also, I went on my first motorbike as my friend offered to drive me to dinner.  Talk about trial by fire but I’m ok with it now.  Sort of…

Buffalo – Is plentiful and delicious.  Next!

Pad Thai – Please see entry for Buffalo. 

Insects – I have never been the biggest fan of insects (or arachnids), I will be the first to admit.  I find them fascinating but not really in person.  And you know what?  I’m ok with it!  We had a fairly peaceful pact.  They generally left me alone and I didn’t seek them out.  Those who did cross my path, I would usually set them free, as a gesture of good faith.  However, due to the increased volume of them here, particularly within my kitchen, I view this as an act of war.  As such, peace is no longer an option.  Any insects/arachnids that are particularly tech savvy and subscribe to my blog please consider this a warning and inform your kin.  War is upon you!  That being said, I have seen what cockroaches can survive.  They are resilient to the point where I almost decided to forget about my ‘guerrilla’ war against them and worship them as the future leaders of this world, which I have little doubt they will become.  However, I shall fight on and let is said, that I went down fighting!

Street dogs – Are slowly sapping at my resolve… a puppy may be imminent.  This, however, is not a particularly good idea, so I must resist!  Plan to help out at an animal charity, this may strengthen me.  If you want to help me resist, please send £1 to  Puppy dude at Bijuli Bazaar.  *Update* Landlady says I would be allowed a puppy…mother of god, resist.

Farmers Market – Was informed of this my boss so decided to check it out.  Epic does not begin to describe it, especially as it was quite small but that isn’t the point.  Set in a beautiful garden of the 1905 restaurant, both Nepalese and ex-pats converge on the market on Saturday mornings.  Who can blame them?  On that particular morning, I came across Yaks cheese; handmade cloth bags made from old clothes; a salsa stall; jams of every type; artwork; and goat sausages.  You don’t get more multi-cultural without heading to UN headquarters, and who wants to go there?  Do they have goat sausages?  No, so fuck them.

That is all I can think of this morning, so I will return again to the norm and add my various links to the page.  I have been sadly neglectful of this recently but oh well.   

Bag Bringer Generation  - A group of volunteers that turn rags into bags, to help reduce levels of plastic.  A great initiative and they called me cool.  The charmers.

Music video of the day!  A foray into rap this evening.  Method Man and Busta Rhymes.  Stuck in my head it is!



On one final note, I started off in the garden, but finished off sitting on the roof terrace, having some Nepalese dish for lunch, with everyone in the building.  Micro migration!

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