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 !

City Views

View from The Royal Singhi Hotel restaurant

The smog and the city seem to stretch forever

Temple across the street from Himalayan Java

This guy was pretty sweet. He guards an ATM. I don't know what my look was all about. I think I have this look quite frequently around Nepal

Breakfast place. It's amazing what lies off the crazy streets of Kathmandu

Look at the bamboo scaffolding

More scaffolding. Also, the net on the left, which was catching debris from the workers placing bricks, broke open soon after this picture, showering the roof of the restaurant below with mortar and brick

 

 

So, as of yet I haven't really done much teaching. I'll be going to Pokhora on the 20th to play in a Nepal Pro Tournament, after which I'll be doing clinics for a few weeks. I've shown some of the better juniors their swing on video, and have stressed the importance of hitting different types of shots. It seems as though they practice a full swing only, over and over again. After I return to KTM I'll begin doing clinics every weekend as well as going into elementary schools to see how much space and time they'd like to give us.
Nothing happens quickly here and that's actually fine with me. You have to be patient and understand that things end up working out as long as you remain calm. The people who know me well also know that patience and a sense of calm may have eluded me in the past. However, I am adaptable and you almost have no choice here. If you were to upset at every little obstacle in this city, you'd go insane or die of a heart attack within the day.
For example, it took me three trips to the bank to open up a Nepal account. An interesting side note is that you are required to put down your religion on the form. In case you ever need to open up an account, do not put down agnostic or atheist. They frown upon this and it may actually stop you from getting the account open.
Yesterday was the first day in a week that I was around westerners. I had breakfast with Surfi Ahmed, a huge guy from Bangledash who grew up in Maryland and believe it or not, he swears more than I do. I had lunch with Brian and Claudine from The Kathmanduo blog, and had dinner with Doug Johnson, who works for The World Bank in micro-finance. After that we went to a place called De La Soul and it was packed with ex-pats. After hanging out with only Nepalese for a week, I actually felt kind of out of place in that bar. It reminded me of a college bar, with extreme over indulgence. But I can understand it as KTM is such a crazy city and gets on top of you so quickly, that the need to blow off some steam is definitely prevalent by the end of the week.
Up next for Witko is a bus ride to Pokhara with 15 Nepal Golf Pros, a few weeks in a more laid back atmosphere, and hopefully a return to a better living arrangement. Stay tuned...

Whirlwind First Day in Nepal

This is how electricity works in KTM

View from my room on the first day

View from my other window

So the previous pictures were from my temporary living arrangement. Which is basically a hotel room, and just recently got hot water. It's not lavish, and things take time, but the owner is very nice and was kind enough to pick me up at the airport when I arrived at 11:30 pm.

Speaking of which, it took me almost an hour and a half of waiting in line to get my visa. At that late hour most of Kathmandu is shut down, so after getting my visa, I simply walked right through the rest of security as the X-ray machine was shut down and the guards didn't seem to want to do anything except go home. There was a man (the hotel owner) waiting with my name on a sign and he grabbed my bags and placed them into his tiny white minvan and drove me in almost complete darkness through back alleys to the hotel. This was a crazy five minutes as I had no idea where I was, nor where I was headed. Finally I was shown to my room, and had never been happier to pass out after 30 hours of traveling.

Here is my bathroom. Notice the shower, sink, and toilet all in close proximity

After a few days I got hot water!

One of the local pros picked me up in the morning and we walked to the golf course. After meeting some of the members I was told I'd be heading to the course in Gokarna. There was a tournament between some Indian and Nepali players going on as well as a huge awards banquet after, at which three scholarships were awarded to needy kids that include golf privileges and schooling for the next year. This was all so overwhelming, especially considering I slept for maybe five hours due to the time change and jet lag, which doesn't always make you tired, it just screws with your internal clock. The people I met at the tournament were some of Nepal's most prestigious. There were ex-Generals, ministers of various departments of state, and established businessmen.

First day in KTM

18th Green at Gokarna

The Nepali team won the Match play tournament on the last hole

There were probably four other tables this size with food on them, plus a pasta station, and BBQ outside. I don't know what any of this is.

Departure and China

Greetings from Nepal!
After saying goodbye to my apartment in California and enjoying some prime rib at The Warehouse Restaurant in LA, I checked in with China Southern airlines, made it through security in only a few minutes and started making phone calls to friends and family as I watched the waiting area fill up with a lot of people who were decidedly not like me.
My 15.5 hour flight to Guangzhou was marked by a monitor that didn't work in front of me, an aisle seat next to the bathroom, and a nice European photographer who was the only other person in my row. An interesting cultural difference on the plane was the blatant disregard for the directions to stay seated during certain points in the flight. It seemed as though the seat belt sign and announcements from the captain were merely suggestions. The crew, however, were mechanical in their handling of meals and beverages on board. They would appear at the same time between each row and move very quickly, asking in either Chinese or English if you would like the Chinese meal or the beef. I had the Chinese meal each time and I believe the only difference was, along with a roll and some fruit and vegetables, it came with noodles rather than rice.
During the flight I listened to music, took a sleeping pill, listened to  music, worried about things I couldn't control, wrote some letters, listened to music, and did a lot of stretching and walking around the cabin.
Upon landing, I filled out my immigration card, and studied the horizon and outline of Guangzhou while we waited to stop taxiing. My heart was pounding as I followed the rest of the passengers through a long covered catwalk to the baggage claim and customs area. I had checked my bags all the way through to Kathmandu, so the backpack I had as carry-on was the only thing I would need to bring around the city with me. I made it through customs and immigration with zero hassle and was soon amazed by the size of the airport terminal. It was extremely clean with what seemed like 4 different floors of shops, gates, restaurants, beauty salons, an apple store (where I would actually purchase a new phone charger for a ridiculous amount of yuan), and a couple of McDonalds. Sadly, this is where my first meal in China occurred. A wonderful sausage muffin with egg and some tea.

My family friend, Kiki, texted me and let me know that she was probably 3 hours away. With time to kill I walked around the outside of the airport, got lost inside the airport, and realized just how heavy my bag would become for the rest of the day.

This is me in front of some fountain that's a thousand years old. The name isn't important, only that about 30 people were watching me intently to make sure I didn't fall into it.

For those who don't know, this is a big metal flower.

Some type of desert, it was actually pretty good.

This city is absolutely packed. There was one white dude I saw all day. Me- in the mirror.

This actually down a very questionable alley.

Another back street I probably shouldn't have gone down, but really cool looking.

About HYGA

Okay, here's some more detailed information about the Himalayan Youth Golf Association. (and if ya don't know, now ya know....)
Created in 2002 by Rick Lipsey, a Sports Illustrated staff golf writer based in New York City, the home base was in Bhutan until 2010, when it was moved to Kathmandu. It's funding comes from private donors as well as Titleist, Taylormade, and the R&A. The program includes daily clinics, private lessons. tournaments, cultural field trips, and training and teaching local pros.
My job will include managing the program, expanding the program, going into elementary schools, conducting junior tournaments once a month, supervising apprentices, acting as liaison between Nepalese officials and the HYGA, as well as being an ambassador of sorts for the United States.
My exact date of departure is November 10, 2011, and my imminent return is on May 24.
As frequent readers of this blog know, I have a layover in Guangzhou, China on my way to Nepal and back. To that end I have successfully obtained a Chinese visa, good for 12 months, with multiple entries allowed, at a maximum of 60 days per entry.
My apologies for a somewhat robotic sounding entry this morning, but I am in a bit of a time crunch as I still have a number of loose ends to tie up.
*on a side note, I'm really excited to turn in my time warner garbage

My eyes burn from reading Lonely Planet posts about China, my body temp is swinging back and forth from crossing the United States a few too many times, and I haven't swung a club in at least a week. I can't wait to see what shape my golf game is in by the time I finally tee it up in KTM. If I don't top it on my first swing in Nepal, I'll consider that a success. Seeing as how this has become a sort of pre-travel diary, I'll let you all in on my next mini adventure. I'll be heading here tomorrow morning with the hopes of securing a transit visa from the Guangzhou airport. There is a family in China, who cannot even read this blog, that will be disappointed if I am forced to stay in the airport for 13 hours while I wait for my connection into Nepal. I'm pretty sure I've gone over all of this, but like I said, I'm a bit punchy right now.
Okay, last domestic flight boarding now...Later, Salt Lake. Here I come, California! Don't let me down with the Visa tomorrow. Pictures to follow...