Deep Thoughts with Stan Witko

Probably didn't need that one.

I'm slowly getting into a groove here in Pokhara, which is too bad since I'll be heading back to KTM on the 9th. I'm still debating between bus or plane. The plane costs about $80 and takes 25 minutes with views of Everest if it's clear. The bus costs about $10 and takes 6 hours with views of farmland, terrifying drops and locals being locals. Any thoughts?  Back to my semi-groove; In the morning I teach at the driving range, a three minute walk from my residence, and in the afternoon I get picked up on a motorcycle and take a 30 minute ride to the Himalayan Course, where I teach four of the best juniors the city has to offer. Then I come home and usually cab it to lakeside (npr 150 or a twenty minute walk) for dinner and a semi cold beer. After walking around for a while I head back to my room, watch some cricket, which is a poor substitute for baseball, and read some Nepali language books until I fall asleep with the lights on.
You really have to be okay with being alone culturally for this experience. In a previous post I had expressed that it may be better alone, and I still think that after it's done, that'll be the case, but I am still counting the days until Nick Becks arrives in KTM for the culture shock of his life.
Some other things I've learned include Sportscenter Asia puts me to sleep faster than its US cousin, Junior golf manuals from the PGA don't translate AT ALL in Nepal, schedules here are subject to change frequently, and after getting a bit sick from eating a "pizza" I am reminded that not everything is safe to eat. Seriously, how do I get sick from that, yet I can ingest all the dhal bat I can order and feel fine? I blame the cheese. 
I cannot believe it's December as the days are starting to go by more quickly now that my senses have started to adjust and I have an idea of what to pay attention (horns on the road and horns on cows in the road) and what to let go by without analyzing to death (cows on the side of the road, burning piles of garbage, temples surrounded by people trying to sell me fake everything).
Last night I was invited to an English-style dinner by the owner of the place I'm staying. I was very grateful to be able to sit at the table with some westerners and discuss something I have no clue about - paragliding. There was an English couple, the owner (also English), and a Polish dude who had been traveling around Asia paragliding for the last six months. I told them about the programs I was instituting, and the thoughts I had on Nepali culture. They then spoke to each other about thermals and different launching points. At that point I again missed hanging out with my Nepali friends. Speaking of which. My friends call my every night now that they're back in KTM, and ask me how I'm doing and if I'm okay and if there's anything they can do to please just call and they will help post haste. So here's a special shout out to Pashupati and Ramesh! Thank you for caring so much about a white dude from California.
 So as I sit here writing this I am wondering where in Kathmandu I'll be living, how I'll get there, and if I dare to rent a motorcycle to get around town. Then I look at the Himalayan mountains and decide that it doesn't really matter. I'll be okay however it shakes out.
The following picture is an unfortunate ending to my writing, I know.

Check out this nice bathroom. Next time you think yours is in bad shape, consider that this was at a better restaurant

Here are my five main students at the Pokhara driving range. They're all pretty new to golf, and have too much access to the internet. Therefore, I am bombarded with questions about things they see or read, and if it's correct. They love learning, though, which is better than some American kids who would rather be playing Nintendo ( I dominated at Mike Tysons Punch Out)

The art of club flipping

More club flipping. Once I showed them some tricks, learning went away.

This is one of the students I teach in the afternoon at the Himalayan course. These guys are the better, more serious players

Someones laundry next to a garden area at a restaurant. I guess you get used to it

My morning students towards the end of the session. They get together and have target practice, using new shots they've learned during the day.

Challenges in Creating Golf Programs in Nepal

Two days of teaching in a row! Man, I am worn out. No not really, in fact being in Pokhara is such a difference from KTM that each day is refreshing, rather than draining. Not that I dislike Kathmandu, but at the end of a day in the city you get to blow your nose and see black come out from the dust and pollution. I do like the crazy hustle of that city though and find myself missing it occasionally, and briefly. Also, after teaching here for a few days, I'm somewhat eager to get back and be around more than a dozen kids at a time.
Speaking of which, I brought my macbook and iPhone to the driving range this morning and was able to do personalized video lessons for each of the juniors there. They all speak some English, but after showing them their swings, it was mostly kinesthetic learning from there. I am also obliged to give lessons to some of the people who make my life easier in Pokhara, from a couple of the pros at the Himalayan Course to some business owners who have offered whatever I need for help. It is much easier to give personal lessons than to figure out how to get more kids involved, which is really what I'm here for. Now, in Pokhara it's different because I'm here for only a short amount of time so it would be absurd to think I could construct a program and have continued participation after my departure. What it has done, though is given me some insight into the challenges that may not occur in America.
For one, it is not the parents who generally want their kids to be in golf. In fact, many of the parent don't know anything about golf and see it as an unwanted expense. I guess that's half true with poorer families in the US. Another issue is time. The students get about 1.5 days off from school, and Saturday, their whole day off, is usually used for religious events. Also, the members of the courses play on saturday mornings, so now we are down to just Wednesday afternoon (maybe) and Saturday afternoons. This wouldn't be bad if the kids had transportation to and from the course, but here in Pokhara, the best option is a driving range only, so to get any actual course time would be very difficult for a majority of children.
I'm working on problem solving, thinking of ways to get them all to one spot and bus them around, but to do something like that takes weeks to put together here. I guess I wish I had more time before I leave for the city, but I'll do what I can while I'm here and hope it makes a difference.

Working on toe-up to toe-up, and then L to L. Pretty sure the guy in the front had never touched a club before

The woman on the left is always at the range and she picks the balls after each bucket, which cost people (not my students) npr 200 per bucket

The black glove on the teenager on the right is brand new. He had one lesson yesterday and came back with a new glove. It's amazing because he probably had to give up something pretty good to buy it

There's a goat in the middle of this picture that I always see on my walk to the driving range. Every time I walk by he just looks up and watches me so today I took his picture

Publish Post

Road I take back to my room. You never know what you'll see on this walk, or any other in Nepal for that matter

Golf Clothes Stink

This morning I woke up early and was excited to have a chance to actually stand in a western style shower. Well, as western as I've seen so far, as it had an actual bathtub. Okay, so there was no shower rod or even hot water, but standing underneath that moderate flow of somewhat warm water in a maroon tub was really a pleasure. After that enjoyment I was awoken by Ramesh knocking on my door. I told him I'd meet him at the bakery in a few minutes and finished drying off hurriedly before putting on khakis and a golf shirt and heading out.
I'd like to inject here my personal feelings on ridiculous proper golf attire. Give me a break. Cut it out. (you know the hand motions people) I mean, what other sport in the world requires you to dress so foolishly and uncomfortably? (cricket doesn't count) I'm a firm believer that if you look good and feel good, you will play better, across all sports. To me this doesn't involve wearing polo shirts, thick leather belts, and pants that would fit in better on the French Riviera circa 1983. (this reminds me that I have only one more year of Mariano Rivera on my fantasy baseball team- Go Nixons!) To me this would involve something along the lines of track pants and a t shirt. Oh, but these shoes are definitely to be included.
Pardon that interjection, but it needs to be preached. After meeting Ramesh at the bakery down the road we went to the driving range where I met with some officials and volunteers and was introduced (to a round of applause) to the golfers who had shown up for lessons. It takes forever to upload my videos on here so I'll reserve those for an end of the program extravaganza, but I was so happy to be able to finally teach golf. We also went about setting up a schedule for me where I will be at the driving range from 8-10 every morning and on Saturday will do an all-inclusive junior clinic. In the afternoons, we hope to be able to go into some schools and use up their gym time explaining golf and doing some demonstrations of 5 iron flop shots. (that's for you, Bossard).
I had an interesting conversation with one business owner about the difference between a kid who has a natural swing and the kid who works hard at getting better. He was adamant that the former was a better golfer and I was completely on the other side. I was explaining that in golf, as in most things, it doesn't matter if you have a great swing if you don't put in the time. Give me the kid who shows up early every day and gives a true effort. That's the lesson today, kids - My swing stinks, but guess who outworked everyone to get to this place? (Not a humblebrag, just bragging)....now some pictures for those of you who are visual learners..

First lesson of the day- Collapsing lead knee leads to swaying forward in downswing

This driving range actually goes for 26o yds if you hit to the left corner. These kids are so happy to get instruction, it's crazy. Plus if they show up late, I make them do 25 push-ups in front of everyone

View from my new transient place in Pokhara. So much calmer than KTM. This is Damside

Hotels = development, right? right? Crap.

Jungle to the left of my room.

The sky is so massive here. It's like Montana, but a lot less white folks cowboying it up.

This is what the sherpas would eat. It doesn't taste good, but it has a ton of energy in it and you eat it with your hands.

This golf course is probably the hardest course in the world. Literally. 

View from the clubhouse of The Himalayan Course

So they spelled my name wrong. People do it in America too. (Glazer!)

Thanksgiving Dinner

View through the jungle of Lake Phewa.

The other side of the lake, looking at part of Pokhara. This is where I ate some roasted peanuts and met a man bathing right below me.

My hog for a couple of days around town. It's bad ass, I know.

Begnas lake from half way up Sarangkot

Pokhara is down on the right

The valley from above. This is where the paragliders take off from

Boat ride on Lake Begnash took two hours to get from one side to the other.

So for Thanksgiving I went and got my head shaved with a really sharp razor and a very skilled barber. I then went about renting a scooter for the day. The only thing I had ever driven with two wheels previously was a bicycle. I told the guy "of course I've ridden a scooter before, now helmet, please." It took me a few minutes to get used to riding it, but it's a quick learning curve in the traffic around here. There are no real rules, except that you are supposed to drive on the left side of the road. I guess the other rule is NID, which means nose in driving. If you can push your way in front of someone, no matter how you do it, you gain the right of way. This makes driving between buses, tractors, and crazy cabs extremely dangerous.
I escaped the traffic and drove around the lake, stopping once for some peanuts and conversation with some dude washing in the lake. Slowly I made my way back into town and found a place to have an early thanksgiving dinner and beer. After that I rewarded myself with a 1 hour massage that cost about $10.
Later in the night I ran into this French guy, John, who I had run into before in KTM. We ended up being followed around by some really drunk woman from New Zealand who claimed to have lived in America for five years illegally. She got on my nerves, so I called it a night and headed back towards my room. I was met there by my friend Rabin, who was on a motorcycle and we went to the Thakali kitchen that seems to be a favorite among the other pros here. While at the kitchen I laid some more ground work for my program and recruited a pro to help me write the program with Nepali culture in mind. This is a big step since acceptance into their culture is imperative if you want to accomplish anything at all. I had some wine and toasted thanksgiving with them before officially calling it a night.

Black Friday, for me at least, included riding to Sarangkot to get some incredible views of the Annapurna range and then riding about 40 km to Lake Begnash to take a boat ride and walk through a small Nepali village. The people there have to walk three hours sometimes for drinking water and it takes the kids three hours to walk to school. Just some perspective for your daily commute. On the ride to Sarangkot I was accompanied by Rabin and Prassana as we called ourselves the Three Musketeers driving around Pokhara. The Nepali friends I've made here are incredibly nice and welcoming if you just act like a human being. I think a lot of people who are here for only a couple of weeks tend to treat this place like an amusement park and it gives tourists a bad name. You have to remember that you're in their country and try to do the best you can to adapt. You can't make this place adapt to you.
That's all for now kids. I feel my English skills deteriorating by the day, so forgive any questionable sentences I've constructed. Soon it will just be a bunch of pictures and maybe a caption.

Thanksgiving in Nepal

Thanksgiving Day = head shaved with a straight edge in a tiny barber shop, rented scooter, drove around lake fewa, ate roasted peanuts for an appetizer, drove into town, chicken fried rice and beer for dinner, 1 hour massage.

Black Friday = boat ride, hiking, incredible views of the mountains. Also, riding a scooter in traffic with no rules.

More to come, just wanted y'all to know I'm still around. When my computer is charged again I'll give a much better account including pictures and the story of the crazy New Zealander and the French guy I keep running into no matter which city I'm in.

Some thoughts without pictures. Just read, baby - it'll do your brain good

Prepare for a diary of fluid thought......

Okay,  so as I sit here tonight on the precipice of my first professional tournament I am drinking a Tuborg and listening to music next to Phewa Lake in Pokhara. I continually try to figure out if it would be better to share this with someone or if I am just so selfish that each moment seems incredible and it wouldn't be as incredible with someone here. I guess during the tough spots I would have much preferred someone to be with me, but I also wouldn't have grown as much (I know it's only been a couple weeks) if I didn't do this on my own....
So after another practice round in which I played poorly, I had the chance to do some video instruction for a couple of my pro golfer friends using my iPhone. That was rewarding, but I was also able to spend some time teaching my afformentioned caddie, Jasmine, about the golf swing. Standing in the sun, teaching her posture and L to L (golf terms for the correct arm action in the swing), and watching her absolute enjoyment in the game was the most rewarding thing I've done so far. It was a reaffirming moment, and one I won't forget. Now, keep in mind that at the Himalayan Golf Course you bring your own range balls, and have small ball boys running around picking them up as you hit them, bringing them back to you in a plastic bag, and beginning the process again. Jasmine was using one old Titleist ball and some of my clubs and chasing after the ball herself. It's absolutely heart breaking and amazing at once. As a matter of fact, before my practice round this morning she brought my bag out along with a surprise - an old Nike Ignite golf ball. She handed it to me and said "ball" and smiled. When I put it into play her smile was as big as mine. Maybe.
I began this blog entry thinking about my round tomorrow and how I could avoid playing poorly, but it's obvious that it doesn't matter how I play. I played like shit today and the lasting memories are not of the balls I hit into the river flowing from the glaciers, or the times I had to hike up and down a jungle filled canyon. The memories are more complex than that, and more fulfilling.

15,000 words

Here's Rachel. Read her blog @ This Vagabond life

Here's the view from my hotel in Pokhara around 6 am before the clouds rolled away to reveal the Himalayas

That's them, with the snow

I don't know what to say. This course is absurd. It'd probably cost like $40 to download on Tiger Woods

First hole of The Himalayan The green is on the left

This is a par 5. You have to lay up. The green is in the middle of the river and you tee off out of view on the right

First hole again. Actually for hole #10, you tee off below and its a par three, about 190 yds

Lawnmowers

Footbridge

Out of focus, but still. It's all surreal

Tee shot for the par five, you have to go to the right side of the river

Fairway. If you hit the cows, you play it as it lies

I don't know. Good luck

A thousand words

Okay so I'm having a bit of trouble uploading my pictures from the last couple of days because the internet connection is a little worse here than in Kathmandu. After foolishly staying up until about 4am yesterday, I slept, if you can call it that, for an hour before boarding a bus to Pokhara. This is definitely not recommended anywhere in the world, much less on the type of roads that you need to travel on to get to the first place you can really see the Himalayan mountains. But, I'll get to them later. First, allow me to explain why the bus ride was so interesting.
As I said, I was going on about an hour of sleep. Secondly, I didn't stay up until four am drinking vegetable smoothies and doing yoga. Now, this was a "tourist bus", and we had about fifteen golf pros with reserved seats. The seats are not made for American sized people, the shocks were probably close to non-existent, and I was slamming bottled water like it was from the fountain of youth. That said, the ride itself was incredible. Once you're outside of the city you begin climbing what amounts to a road from Ice Road Truckers. The views are steep and surreal. Looking down from my window seat I saw a cliff that dropped only a few hundred feet. There was no guard rail and the distance between the wheels and the edge was the length of a putt I would give Steve Bossard.
As you climb steeper the setting turns more into a farmland and jungle mix with a few scattered shops and restaurants. Now, the shops sell everything from soap to liquor to knives and are about ten feet by ten feet. The bus makes Two stops during the five hour trip; one for breakfast and one for Lunch. You would think it'd be better to just keep going but the stops really do energize you. I ate Dhal Bat. When you travel with Nepali dudes, you eat Nepali food.
Upon arrival in Pokhara, we unpacked our clubs and luggage from the large bus and walked them about half a mile to the hotel. I tried to eat some dinner, but was too exhausted to even eat some noodles. I did have some dried goat meat and fried mushrooms though and both were saltier than I had imagined. Finally I passed out after taking about fifteen pictures of the mountain range. What a ridiculous sight those are. I can't do this blog, the course I just finished my practice round on, or the Himalayas any justice without pictures. I'll leave you with a few thoughts. The first tee has a full view of the mountains, drops a few hundred feet into a canyon, and has a green surrounded by barbed wire fence with metal turnstiles used to gain entry. This is to keep the lawnmowers inside a specific area. The lawnmowers are goats. My caddie was a 15 year old girl named Jasmine who wore some sweet converse and a big red flower in her hair.

A typical atypical day in Kathmandu

Cannot remember if I've already posted a monkey picture. I'll try to get some closer views, but the bigger the monkey, the more aggressive they are. I have already had to fend one off with a golf club; something like "Get the **** away from me Hanuman!"

This is the back garden area at Royal Nepal Golf Course. It's where I sit having coffee each morning.

DO NOT eat the buffalo mo mo from a street vendor. It is the one and only time I've been sick so far. I didn't even eat the whole plate, and I knew I was in trouble after the first one so I took a picture to remind myself of the fun.

This is how I currently live. Some staples of my home life include a jar of peanut butter, a sleeping bag (there's no heat in these rooms), hand sanitizer (because I'm like a little kid touching everything in my way), and a flashlight that doesn't need batteries (I have already used this more frequently than I would like)

It's incredible when the fog and pollution mix in the morning. It creates a nice contrast for the buildings that are close by. What you can't see are the buildings just a couple hundred yards from my window

Finally got a checkbook. I think I'll keep it open even after I leave in case I need to launder money.

So today is my last day in KTM for a few weeks. I'm going to spend it practicing, packing, and having dinner with a friend who will be gone when I get back into the city. I'm a bit nervous about the bus ride to Pokhora, although the playing pros I'm going with assure me it's safe. I'll be staying with the Nepali during the four day tournament and in a different hotel after that. I have informed them that I'll need to hang out with some westerners, if not Americans on thanksgiving. It's interesting how holidays take on a little more meaning while you're over seas.
One good thing that came out of going into Thamel the other night was that I was able to get the number of a Nepali tutor from a German girl who spoke French. Just reading that sentence causes me to shake my head, and that's kind of what this place is like. You never know what is in store, but it's usually something that can either be disregarded entirely (sir, you want hash? you like dance bar?) or something helpful ( Oui, je connais un bon professeur. Son nom est Anita. Voici son nombre.)
When I get back to the city I'll start taking lessons twice a week at a rate of 500 npr per hour, which is approximately $6.50 an hour. I'm not sure that it will ever help me outside of Nepal, but at the very least, it'll help me argue with these taxi drivers who think I'm some 1 week trekking tourist who doesn't know what the prices should be.
Next update from Pokhora !