Læs min ven Utpal’s atrikel on-line her.
Og hvis du vil vide mere om homoseksuelles situation i Nepal så er der et udemærket interview med Subash Pokharel (Nepal’s første homoseksuelle MP’er) her.
Tings Tea Lounge & Lounge Hotel bakker naturligvis op om projekter – og hjælper med det vi nu kan hvis vi bliver kontaktet. Homoseksuelle har det svært i denne del af verden.
Det hele kammede over da vi brugte en lille uges tid på at få internettet tilbage efter det kæmpe tordenvejr der ramte os for nogle dage tidligere. Her blev vi sendt fra Herodes til Pilatus fordi Subisu ikke anede en skid om noget som helst. Eller i virkeligheden ikke gad løse vores problem. Og det var dråben der fik bægeret til at flyde over – det var efterhånden blevet godt fyldt af de kampe vi konstant skal igennem 24-7.
Jeg blev så fucked up i mit hoved at jeg besluttede mig for at tage væk. Helt konkret at tage på et ti dages Vipassana retreat på Dharmashringa Center i Boudanilkanta en halv times kørsel fra Tings – helt præcist ved indgangen til Shivspuri. Et af de mest populære centre i Nepal. Jeg havde brug for fordybelse og brug for ro omkring mig. Så et silence meditation retreat var det rigtige. Det syntes Annette også 
Jeg dur ikke til Vipassana – hvilket jeg vel allerede vidste ved indtjekningen i torsdags, men som jeg ikke reagerede på da forinden jeg havde besluttet mig for at være åben og modtagelig.
I virkeligheden narrede jeg mig selv. Og dette bedrag stod på indtil i går (lørdag) kl. 6:50 pm præcis.
Efter 2 døgn og 22 timers meditation finder jeg (eller erkender) det bedrag jeg var en del af. Under afslutningen på dagens sidste meditation kigger jeg mig omkring i Dharma Hall’en og ser 200 mediterende artsfæller. Men jeg føler overhovedet ikke den power der normalt kommer fra så mange mediterende. Og salen bærer overhovede intet præg af tidligere mestres mediteren.
Jeg rejste mig derfor resolut og gik op og tømte min celle og gik direkte til gaten.
I’m leaving… Please open!
Vagten så helt skræmt ud da han så mig vifte med en 1.000 Nrp seddel – jeg ville naturligvis betale for de to dage jeg havde brugt på stedet.
Sorry Sir. Please wait 5 minutes… nærmest stammede han og greb ud efter en telefon.
Klokken var på det tidspunkt 5 min i 7 pm. Så alle dem der normalt befandt sig ved gaten var enten til meditation eller i deres celle – der er med garanti ingen der reger med at folk forsøger at forlade stedet på dette ukristelige tidspunk. For udlændinge (dvs folk der ikke bor i Nepal) må stedets beliggehed virke skræmmende øde – det ligger nærmest inde i Shiwapuri – Nepals største naturreservat eller jungle.
Jeg gloede først på vagten og herefter på gaten, der var låst med to kæmpe hængelåse men af uvisse årsager uden det beskyttende metal rækværk alle nepalesiske huse beskytter sig bag. Dem med de sylespidse spyd der gør det umuligt at forcere.
Dernæst kastede jeg result min taske over gaten, satte foden på låsen og hoppe adræt over på den anden side mens jeg priste mig lykkelig over at jeg havde nægtete at deponere mit pas ved indtjekningen.
Da jeg stod i mørket på den anden side og følte regnen sile over mig blev jeg grebet af en frihedsfornemmelse jeg aldrig har forestillet mig. En lykkefølelse der steg i takt med Bodhanilkanta nærmede sig to km eller 30 minutters gang længere nede af bjerget.
I gør Jer ingen forstilling om alle de tanker der fes genem mit hoved på min vej ned af bjerget.
Hvorfor Helvede tog det mig to dage at tage denne beslutning?
Eller endnu mere underligt.
Hvorfor Helvede er jeg den eneste der reagerer på den måde – vi sad 200 i salen da jeg skred… TOHUNDREDE!
Her er det lige på sin plads at forklare hvad et Vipassana Meditation Retreat går ud på.
Vipassana er en meditationsteknik der fokusere på ens vejrtrækning – populært sagt sidder man og glor på spidsen af sin næse udefra, indefra, fra siden, fra oven og hvilke vinkler man ellers kan komme på. Alt sammen med lukkede øjne. Dette raffineres på forskelligvis – man kan eksempelvis finde sit touch point med sin vejrtrækning, man kan variere sine vejrtrækninger, følge energierne mm. Altsamme teknikker der giver ‘adgang’ til ens sind.
På et retreat dyrker man disse teknikker.
Det foregår under meget enkle og beskedne forhold, der nærmest kan sammenlignes med gammeldags fængsler. Maden er neutral og simpel. Man bor i dorms eller parvis i celler (betonrum med betonbrikse uden farver på væggene). Og der er absolut ingen tidsfrdrivende faciliteter.
Og vigtigst af alt.
Det hele skal foregå in Nobel Silence. Du skal ikke alene hold kæft – din krop og dit sind skal også være tavst. Et begreb Buddha anvendte for ikke at skulle svare på inapropriate questions.
For ‘normalt’ fungerende individer lyder dette ekstremt. Især når et retreat strækker sig over 10-12 dage.
Men i virkeligheden er der en meget logisk forklaring. Hele meditationen går ud på at finde ind til sit sind. Forestil dig at dit sind er et kæmpe hvidt lærrede. Kig så lige ind til det.
Det kan du sikkert ikke.
Det er fordi ‘lærredet’ er dækket (eller ‘forurenet’) af aftryk fra alle de impulser, indtryk og stimulanser du er blevet påvirket af gennem en menneskealder. Det er disse ‘aftryk’ man skal grave sig gennem vha meditationen. Og mens man er i den proces er der da ingen grund til at overdynge ‘lærredet’ med ekstra arbejde.
Derfor ingen stimulerende omgivelser… konkret betyder det at alle afleverer mobilen, Tab’en, PC’en, bøger, skriveredskaber, papir der ikke skal bruges til at tørre sig i røven, magasiner osv.
Det sidste vigtige punkt er at acceptere fem lægmands løfter:
Der er intet skræmmende i noget af ovennævnte. Overhovedet intet.
Det er stort set identisk med de forhold vi var underlagt da vi for år tilbage var på et lignende meditations retreat på Tushita i Dharamsala. Derfor ved jeg hvad jeg gik ind til – faktisk synes jeg alle begrænsningerne er tiltrækkende. De tvinger en til at meditere… man har ingen undskyldninger for ikke at gå i gang.
Og så er bonussen: Man SKAL ikke tale med andre.
I vores liv hvor vi bor på vores hotel hvor gæsterne strømmer ind og ud dagligt, går der ikke 10 min uden at man skal hilse på en-eller-anden og være høflig og imødekommende. Jeg elsker det – men derfor har jeg alligevel brug for en gang i mellem IKKE at skulle forholde mig til noget – eller at skulle forholde mig til INTET.
Derfor glædede jeg mig til at leve i ti dage i Nobel Silence.
Men alt gik galt.
Allerede den første dag brød jeg et af løfterne. Jeg stjal en lille pen. Jeg var så frustreret over alt omkring mig, at mit sind roterede som en vanvittig grill kylling over alle de frustrationer stedet påførte mig. Så den eneste måde jeg kunne få dem ud af tankerne på var at skrive dem ned. Så det brugte jeg ti minutter på hver dag. Da jeg ikke havde noget papir brugte jeg bagsiden af mine visitkort:-)
Dette virkede – så på to døgen mediterede jeg i 22 timer – og det var ganske enkelt forrygende.
Allerede på anden dagen fik jeg sporadiske ‘huller’ igennem, som slog gnister. Og motivation såvel som udbytte er her stadigvæk. Og mine to morgen meditationer siden min flugt har været forrygende.
Hele stemningen på stedet er fyldt med mistro.
Det er som om alle ansatte/frivillige har glemt at folk er her af egen fri vilje – og at os ‘elever’ faktisk ved hvad vi går ind til. Alligevel bliver man låst inde (fysisk), så man ikke kan forlade stedet som man vil. Alle The Dharma Volunteers svarer nærmest til Stasi’er der konstant er efter en. Naturligvis for sikre at alt foregår i silence hvilket – det har de fleste svært ved. Især på de første dage.
Men hvorfor Helvede skal de plage folk med underlige regler som ikke fremgår nogen steder og som strider mod al logik og sund fornuft:
Med andre ord: Alle stedets anssatte, frivillige og andre involverede gjorde alt for at skabe en fængselslignende stemning – et middelalder fængsel vel at mærke. Hvorfor er mig helt ubegribeligt – alle er her som nævnt af egen fri vilje og alle ved hvad de går ind til. Så at bryde reglerene ved at lave ting der forstyrrer meditationen er jo nærmest som at snyde i kabale:-)
Jeg ved godt det er fyldt med negative energier at være mistroisk. Og jeg har gjort alt for at få at gå ind i projektet med ophøjet ro og åbent sind.
Alligevel havde jeg konstant fornemmelsen af at være med i Kejserens Nye Klæ‘r.
Jeg ved godt at alt foregår som beskrevet på centrets hjemmeside.
Belæringerne – eller instruktionerne – sker gennem recordings of S. N. Goenka in English and Hindi. Og dette skal tages helt bogstaveligt. Dagens program starter 4:30 am med Goenka’s stemme der højtideligt siver ud i Dharma Hallen initieret af en af de tilstedeværende levende læreres tryk på PLAY. De første 10 minutter er talen på Hindi – herefter går Goenka over til engelsk. Desværre er hans engelske så indisk-korrekt at det næsten ikke er til at forstå. Så for mit vedkommende startede meditationen hver morgen i tåger… og jeg HADER at sidde og meditere på noget jeg ikke aner hvad er.
Eftermiddagens/aftenens Discourse er også 100 % som foreskrevet: A videotaped lecture by Teacher S. N. Goenka.
Jeg ved ikke hvorfor – men jeg kom til at tænke på Big Brother i 1984 og Dr. Strangelove. Optagelserne er uden nogen som helst form for humor og empati. Personerne (d.v.s. Hr & Fru Goenka) på skærmen virkede som om de var på drugs.
Men det værste var at der ikke eksisterer nogen form for diskussion. Da videoen sluttede var eftermiddagens discourse session forbi. Spørgsmål kunne man herefter rette til den mummificerede lærer der sad ved siden af skærmen. Dem oplevede jeg kun kommunikere til salen gennem de udenlandske frivillige.
Jeg sad hele tiden med en fornemmelse af at være fanget i en fantastisk pengemaskine. Et kæmpemæssigt scam.
Opholdet er i princippet gratis. Man donerer et beløb efter evne og det udbytte man har haft af kurset.
Et genialt koncept.
Hvor mange personer, der frivilligt har været gennem 10 dage i Helvede, vil indrømme over for sig selv (og andre for den sags skyld) at udbyttet har været ringe. Ingen – eller meget få. De vil alle med garanti betale – og betale godt.
Udlændingene der rejser hertil for kurset alene kommer fra økonomier hvor 1.000 Nrp nærmest svarer til ingenting for en dags ophold med alt betalt. Så de betaler sikkert rigtig godt. Nepalserne virker som om de modtager den evige sandhed fra den hellige gral – og det ved man godt hvad koster! Så de betaler sikkert også en del – dog mindre end dharma turisterne…
Så hvis folk i gennemsnit slipper 500 NRP pr dag i ‘donation’ er jeg nok ikke helt galt på den.
Vores hold var på 200 personer hvilket svarer til svarer til 100.000 NRP pr dag. Centret er fyldt 20 dage om måneden hvilket svarer til 2.000.000 NRP eller ca 150.000 kroner.
Dette er mange penge.
Det interessante er at hele konceptet elliminerer de fleste af de arbejdsopgaver der belaster normale hotellers økonomi:
Så all in all. Omkostningerne pr elev er begrænsede. Jeg har svært ved at forestille mig at de overstiger 200 NRP pr dag.
Og så er der ingen problemer med naboerne – alt foregår jo i stilhed!
Som sagt, så ved jeg godt min mistro er skadelig. Men jeg kan åbenbart ikke gøre noget ved den…
Så da alt dette (og en masse andet) væltede gennem mit hoved i aftes, mens folk omkring mig sad og pruttede, bøvsede og højlydt gabte fik jeg second thoughts.
Og dem der kender mig ved at jeg ikke har langt fra tanke til handling…
Jeg er overbevist om at Vipassana teknikken er god. Jeg er også overbevist om at der er masser af Goenka’s flere end 100 centre rundt om i verden gør et godt stykke arbejde. Og jeg ved at der er en masse mennesker der har haft kanon udbytte af deres ophold.
Jeg håber derfor at min oplevelse er en enkeltstående svale…
Men Kathmandu Vipassana Center er efter min bedste overbevisning en fis i en hornlygte. De to dage jeg var på stedet så jeg mindst fire kejsere. Og de havde intet tøj på kun pyjamas.
Og så får Goenka lige et sidste ord (alle hans belæringer ligger på nettet).
Actually, the ten-day course is the minimum; it provides an essential introduction and foundation to the technique. To develop in the practice is a lifetime job. Experience over generations has shown that if Vipassana is taught in periods of less than ten days, the student does not get a sufficient experiential grasp of the technique. Traditionally, Vipassana was taught in retreats lasting seven weeks. With the dawning of the 20th century, the teachers of this tradition began to experiment with shorter times to suit the quickening pace of life. They tried thirty days, two weeks, ten days, down to seven days–and they found that less than ten days is not enough time for the mind to settle down and work deeply with the mind-body phenomenon.
The day begins at 4:00 a.m. with a wakeup bell and continues until 9:00 p.m. There are about ten hours of meditation throughout the day, interspersed with regular breaks and rest periods. Every evening at 7:00 p.m. there is a videotaped lecture by the Teacher, S.N. Goenka, which provides a context for meditators to understand their experience of the day. This schedule has proved workable and beneficial for hundreds of thousands of people for decades.
The teaching is given through recordings of S.N. Goenka, speaking in English or Hindi, together with a translation into a local language. Tape translations exist in most of the major languages of the world, including English.
If the teachers conducting a course do not speak the local language fluently, interpreters will be there to help.
Language is usually no barrier for someone who wants to join a course.
Each student who attends a Vipassana course is given this gift by a previous student. There is no charge for either the teaching, or for room and board. All Vipassana courses worldwide are run on a strictly voluntary donation basis. At the end of your course, if you have benefited from the experience, you are welcome to donate for the coming course, according to your volition and your means.
Teachers receive no payment, donations or other material benefit. They are required to have their own private means of support. This rule means that some of them may have less time for teaching, but it protects students from exploitation and it guards against commercialism. In this tradition, teachers give Vipassana purely as a service to others. All they get is the satisfaction of seeing people’s happiness at the end of ten days.
Certainly. Chairs are provided for those unable to sit comfortably on the floor because of age or a physical problem.
If your doctor has prescribed a special diet, let us know and we will see whether we can provide what you need. If the diet is too specialized or would interfere with meditation, we might have to ask you to wait until you can be more flexible. We’re sorry but students are required to choose from the food provided to them, rather than bring food for themselves. Most people find the choice is ample and they enjoy the simple vegetarian diet.
Pregnant women may certainly attend, and many women come specifically during pregnancy to take advantage of the opportunity to work deeply and in silence during this special time. We ask pregnant women to ensure they are confident that their pregnancy is stable before applying. We provide the extra food they need and ask them to work in a relaxed way.
All students attending the course observe “noble silence” — that is, silence of body, speech and mind. They agree to refrain from communicating with their co-meditators. However, students are free to contact the management about their material needs, and to speak with the instructor. Silence is observed for the first nine full days. On the tenth day, speech is resumed as a way of re-establishing the normal pattern of daily life. Continuity of practice is the secret of success in this course; silence is an essential component in maintaining this continuity.
For a person in reasonable physical and mental health who is genuinely interested and willing to make a sincere effort, meditation (including “noble silence”) is not difficult. If you are able to follow the instructions patiently and diligently, you can be sure of tangible results. Though it may appear daunting, the day’s schedule is neither too severe nor too relaxed. Moreover, the presence of other students practicing conscientiously in a peaceful and conducive atmosphere lends tremendous support to one’s efforts.
Obviously someone who is physically too weak to follow the schedule will not be able to benefit from a course. The same is true of someone suffering from psychiatric problems, or someone undergoing emotional upheaval. Through a process of questions and answers, we will be able to help you decide clearly beforehand whether you are in a position to benefit fully from a course. In some cases applicants are asked to get approval from their doctor before they can be accepted.
Many diseases are caused by our inner agitation. If the agitation is removed, the disease may be alleviated or disappear. But learning Vipassana with the aim of curing a disease is a mistake that never works. People who try to do this waste their time because they are focusing on the wrong goal. They may even harm themselves. They will neither understand the meditation properly nor succeed in getting rid of the disease.
Again, the purpose of Vipassana is not to cure diseases. Someone who really practices Vipassana learns to be happy and balanced in all circumstances. But a person with a history of severe depression may not be able to apply the technique properly and may not get the desired results. The best thing for such a person is to work with a health professional. Vipassana teachers are meditation experts, not psychotherapists.
No. Vipassana teaches you to be aware and equanimous, that is, balanced, despite all the ups and downs of life. But if someone comes to a course concealing serious emotional problems, that person may be unable to understand the technique or to apply it properly to achieve the desired results. This is why it is important to let us know your past history so that we can judge whether you will benefit from a course.
People from many religions and no religion have found the meditation course helpful and beneficial. Vipassana is an art of living, a way of life. While it is the essence of what the Buddha taught, it is not a religion; rather, it is the cultivation of human values leading to a life which is good for oneself and good for others.
Vipassana is taught step by step, with a new step added each day to the end of the course. If you leave early, you do not learn the full teaching and do not give the technique a chance to work for you. Also, by meditating intensively, a course participant initiates a process that reaches fulfillment with the completion of the course. Interrupting the process before completion is not advisable.
The point is that leaving early is shortchanging yourself. You don’t give yourself a chance to learn the full technique and so you won’t be able to apply it successfully in daily life. You also interrupt the process in the middle rather than letting it come to the proper conclusion. To get home a day or two early, you waste all the time you have invested.
The tenth day is a very important transition back to ordinary life. No one is permitted to leave on that day.
Tingene går sgu stærkt – har forsømt bloggen men ikke skriveriet. Tingsblog, dagbogen og kommentarer her, der og allevegne har åbenbart fået højere prioritet.
Men har lige et spørgsmål jeg lige skal skyde af…
Hvad gør man når man befinder sig præcis i den drøm man ar besluttet sig for at realisere…
Her til morgen overhører jeg Muskhan tage ordre på morgenmad.
Da Muskhan kom hertil (Tings) for 4 måneder siden lignede hun mest af alt en hund der havde fået tæv. Hun kunne ikke sige et eneste ord engelsk eller Gø for den sags skyld.
Nu jokede hun og fik vores gæster til at skrald grine (han er fra Holland og hun er fra Mexico)… efter bare tre måneders engelsk kursus taler hun engelsk og gør som bare fanden hun er skrubsindsyg). Alt sammen finansieret af de penger der kommer ind hos Tings (og en del af vores egne LOL).
I går sad Rune paa terrassen og færdiggjorde sin lille dokumentar om sit fantastiske world music project: Globale Kompositioner der bringer ham til 7 lande for at optage lyde og/eller musik som han derefter skal komponere/samle til et værk. I Loungen under ham sad Sascha og færdiggjorde den lille promo video han har lavet for Heartbeat – min gode ven Juju’s fede project… og om en uger tager han og fruen til Hongkong hvor han crasher hos Salvatore som han mødte i Tings køkken for en uge siden…
Folk mødes og SKABER og knytter kontakter i de rammer vi har skabt!
Og i går solgte jeg en historie til byens førende design/art/fashion magazine. En historie om vores ideer bag det hele og især Annettes design projekter som tager mere og mere form…
Og de fem eksemplarer af Kongstads Københavner jeg har fået Annette til at bringe til Kathmandu er nu udsolgt…
Altsammen ting der repræsenterer min drøm om at skabe et uhøjtideligt internationalt mødested hvor omdrejningspunktet er tolerence, kultur, omsorg og som økonomisk hviler i sig selv. Sidsnævnte er bestemt ikke tilfældet endu – men det går den rigtige vej – og det går hurtigt. Og det har været et helvede at føre ud i livet… og er stadigvæk er et helvede… men her er momenter af uendelig skønhed som min gode ven Troels ville sige.
Problemet er: Hvis man allerede befinder sig midt i det man har drømt om – hvad skal man så drømme om. Jeg er ikke engang 50
Hmm – måske et styrtbad i Tuborg på Upstairs i aften (hvor Rune måske sidder ind) kan give klarhed.
Da ”Mobil`en” mistede sin uskyld
Nepal er en af den nyeste lande på mobiltelefon-landkortet og står overfor den ganske særlige udfordring at halvdelen af landets beboere er analfabeter.
Torben Brandt undersøger hvordan nepaleserne klarer den udfordring, samtidigt med at han reflekterer over hvordan nye opfindelser ofte viser sig at gribe ind i vores liv på en helt anden måde end vi havde forestillet os det.
Og den sidste dag han er i Kathmandu sker der noget oppe på Mount Everest – som Torben Brandt tolker som dagen hvor mobiltelefonen mistede sin uskyld.
Torben Brandt boede naturligvis hos Tings – efter en enkelt fejltagelse paa et af Kathmandus foerende og klassiske hoteller i Thamel. Vi hjalp ham naturligvis saa godt vi kunne med kontakter og lokal viden…
Hoer foerste afsnit og foelg hele serien her.
Salsa mojitos etc...
Just closed the annual Katjazz festival… (which we totally missed due to extreme stress because of Tings).
And now a brand new initiativ from the people behind the Salsa clases at Bathbatheni: Nepal’s First International Salsa Festival.
We will NOT miss this one… this is a unique occasion to pack up the steps we learned from our private salsa teachers in Ecuador and Peru ten years ago…
Vi skal bare have fundet en god vinkel… har I ikke et bud?
Hvad svarer man lige til det spørgsmål fra en venligsindet journalist, der gerne vil skrive om os og vores projekt.
Det er jo fantastiske menneskerhistorier – I har jo en sag, mission og noget på hjertet…
…fortsatte spørgsmålet opmundrende.
Hun kunne med garanti fornemme på os at vores liv faktisk ikke er specielt oplevelsrigt og spændende set inderfra for tiden. Faktisk har vores seneste uger været et regulært helvede – og udsigten til de næste 3-4 uger er faktisk meget sorte. Vi skal åbenbart presses endnu mere i takt med at vi nærmer os færdiggørelsen af Tings Tea Lounge & Tings Lounge Hotel.
Lad os lige tænke og evt. Maile frem og tilbage inden jeg forlader Nepal på fredag – måske kigger jeg lige forbi inden…
Fedt – at hun kigger forbi!
Alle de besøg vi får er nemlig nogle af de højdepunkter, vi virkeligt sætter pris på. Dels fordi vi bevæger os meget lidt væk fra byggehelvedet og derfor er afhængige af at folk kommer til os. Men også fordi det er fedt at se og fornemme folks reaktion på vores projekt.
Som jeg sagde til Annette forleden:
Jeg er 100 % sikker på at vi har et hit – jeg kan se det i folks øjne – min mave fornemmelse er fuldstændigt den samme som Troels og jeg i sin tid lancerede Danskernes egen Historie…
Sammenligningen med sidstnævnte skyldes ene og alene at de sidste uger op til realiseringen af historieprojektet var været var mit livs værste mareridt og kun muligt at gennemføre fordi folk blev mere og mere begejstrede i takt med færdiggørelsen. Historie mareridtet overgås af det helvede vi befinder os i NU (ufatteligt at man ikke bliver klogere). Men det gør de positive kommentarer altså også!
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Det er ikke den første journalist, der har kontaktet os.
Vi har løbende fået henvendelser siden vi ankom. Vi har bare aldrig følt, at der var noget at tale om – det er som om at vores ideer og planer skal være manifesteret i noget konkret – FYSISK. Frygten for at komme til at lyde som de skøre og skæve eksistenser vi er stødt på gennem tiden – eksistenser med store planer og luftkasteller bygget op af varm luft – det frygt sidder dybt i mig. Sådan vil jeg for alt i verden ikke have at folk betragter mig.
Men nu er situationen en anden – vores varmtlufts-power point-balloner ser ud til at blive svævende. I hvert tilfælde er der snart et hotel og en tea lounge, man kan forholde sig til.
Og om lidt er hjemmesiden oppe at køre.
Og om lidt mere lidt sidder vi med de første gæster.
Og guderne skal vide at det er en præstation.
Og faktisk er det anden gang inden for en uge at vi har fået stillet spørgsmålet.
Og sjovt nok er det ikke mere end et par dage siden, jeg tænker over spørgsmålet. Annette mindede mig om at vi jo snart har et foredrag for Pia og Lakhas gruppe. Og her skal vi jo rette vores præsentation til med alt det der er sket, siden det foredrag vi hold for deres første gruppe…
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Jeg har altså brugt det meste af min nat på at spekulere over den eftertragtede og efterspurgte ’vinkel’.
Et eller andet sted inderst inde, ved vi godt at det er interessant, det vi har gang i. Det får vi jo at vide utallige gange fra venner og bekendte. Og fra de fremmede, der forvilder sig ind på denne blog og uopfordret kommenterer…
Sagen er jo at vi ikke alene lever vores egen drøm ud.
Vi lever også en masse andre menneskers drømme ud – dem der ikke har nosser nok til at tage deres liv i egen hånd og gøre noget ved det – hvis der vel at mærke er noget galt med det liv, de lever.
Heldigvis er de fleste af vores venner og bekendte ret tilfredse. Men derfor kan de natuligvis godt drømme.
– og er det ikke som om at drømmene bliver mere virkelige hvis de gennemleves af nogle man kender?
For ikke så længe siden havde jeg en del at gøre med min bardoms eventyrer #1 Jens Bjerre. Vi ville købe rettighederne til hans eventyrlige film. Det blev aldrig til noget men efter bekendtskabet var det som om at alle Jens’ rejser blev en naturlig forlængelse af mine egne.
Sådan tror jeg mange har det……
Ups – her er der måske kimen til en vinkel?
Vi adskiller os nemlig markant fra alle dem vi kender på een front.
Vi gør!
Og jeg har også en klar fornemmelse af hvorfor vi gør! Vi er nemlig skide rastløse.
En anden årsag er, at vi begge faktisk føler at vi rent karrieremæssigt har opnået toppen af vores respektive lister over ’ønskejobs’ – eller snarere ’ønske-projekter’. Vi føler begge at vi har arbejdet med de sjoveste opgaver, i de sjoveste virksomheder og med de mest spændende mennesker man kan forestille sig.
Og har man det, når man kun er midt i fyrrene, er det altså svært at få gang i energien. Udsigten til at de ting, man skal beskæftige sig med resten af ens liv altid vil stå i skyggen, af det man har foretaget sig er altså ikke specielt motiverende.
Hvad helvede skal man så gøre?
De fleste jeg kender fortsætter som hidtil – nu og da i en ny virksomhed (typisk mindre prestigefyldt). Andre bliver overhalet indenom af de yngre kolleger og ender med at sidde i samme job, i samme virksomhed uden samme jobindhold. Og så er den allestedsværende finanskrise skyld i at rigtigt mange i vores branche ikke har en skid at lave – eller har etableret sig som konsulent unden at have en skid at lave.
Det kunne vi naturligvis også gøre.
Vi kunne også videreuddanne os – jeg har jo en drøm om at vide mere om film, antropologi eller noget helt femte? Men på den anden side – mange af de emner læser jeg jo om alligevel (og med lidt god vilje kan man vel godt sige at jeg pt er i praktik som antropolog?).
Så mere uddannelse gider vi altså bare ikke.
Vores karriere move er at lave nogle livsprojekter, som giver en ny dimension til ens hverdag og en ny dimension til ens CV (for dem der går op i det). Og et af vores livsprojekter er altså det, vi er igang med at realisere nu – finansieret af den opsparing der under almindelige omstændigheder er reserveret til ens pension samt en lind strøm af småpenge der er begyndt at sive ind fra forskellige udenoms-projekter.
Målet er naturligvis at komme ud af det igangværende helvede og få overskud til at gøre en forskel for en masse dejlige unger, hjælpe nogle andre med lidt uddannelse og i det hele taget bidrage med det vi kan…
Så alternativ karrierreplanlægning for midtvejsmennesker kunne være en interessant vinkel – godt krydret med konkrete små DIY hverdags råd til en krydret hverdag – man behøver ikke at være så radikal i sin adfærd som os.
En anden vinkel som Annette fostrede i går er naturligvis rejsevinklen. Måske historien om evighedsrejsende – dem er der jo en del af. Her vil det naturligvis være relevant at tage afsæt i Nepal – eller helt specifikt Kathmandu Dalen. Den kender de færreste. Og dalen er jo næsten indbegrebet af Nepal.
Vi interesserer os nemlig ikke en skid for Peaks og Pujaer men for People, Places & Products.
Som jeg ynder at sige til folk:
Hvis Himalaya lå i Afrika ville alle turisterne tage der til.
Og Hinduerne og Budhisterne skider også på Nepal, når de valgfarter til hhv Pashupati og Lumbini –rejsemål der dikteret af deres religion.
Så en vinkel for voksne langtidsrejsende uden returbillet med afsæt i Kathnmandu kunne måske også være relevant.
Og så er der jo kærlighedsvinklen. For uden den, er det vi har gang i totalt umuligt at gennemføre. Her er kærligheden mellem Annette og mig selv natuligvis helt central. Men kærlighed i overført betydning er også nødvendig. Her tænker jeg på alle de venner vi har over alt på kloden efterhånden. Uden deres kommentarer, mails, sms, telefon opkald og nu snart besøg ville vores liv være endnu mere umuligt end det er i dag. Og jeg tænker også på den uforbeholdne kærlighed vi møder her i landet. Fra Kikis unger, fra Dawa og Sis, og fra alle vores lokale venner. Den skal man være åben for – kærlighed kan jo svær at modtage.
Man kan naturligvis også betragte vores liv fra en sprituel vinkel – vores søgende efter et-eller-andet. Men den vinkel bliver hurtig for hippiagtig. Og i virkeligheden findes det man søger efter oftest inde i en selv.
Her på falderebet er der jo også kultur-sammenstøds-vinklen. En vinkel der måske kan blive interessant, hvis man kan undgå at gøre den Hvid-Mand-Ser-Ned-På-Mørk-Mand agtig. Sammenstødbegrebet kan måske udvides til også at omhandle sammenstødet mellem ’folk med fødderne solidt plantet i den virkelige verden’ (os) og hele diplomati-charity verden uden gule netto poser befolket af pseudo idealister med ufatteligt høje tanker om sig selv og ditto lave om os andre med en kommerciel baggrund (der er undtagelser!!!). Sidstnævnte jeg naturligvis ikke har noget imod, såfremt pågældende har noget at have tankerne i.
Den vinkel kan man måske vende på hovedet. Efter at have været her i landet i 1½ år er det lige før at Danmark og danskerne på mange områder er mere umulige, besværlige og primitive end her.
Vi har eksemplevis oplevet internationale Nepalesiske virksomheder der arbejder langt mere professionelt end Europæiske, danskerne når ikke nepaleserne til sokkeholderne hvad tolerence angår – og det er lige før kampen med de danske myndigheder er mere besværlig end kampen med de nepaesiske.
Men den vinkel gider jeg altså ikke komme ind på – så kommer jeg nemlig hurtigt til at lyde som en sur gamnmel mand.
OG DET ER JEG IKKE.
JEG GLÆDER MIG BARE TIL AT ÅBNE TINGS TEA LOUNGE & TINGS LOUNGE HOTEL
… og nu er det slut med pilleriet i den selvfede navle.
Found fantastic story about Boris: ОДЕССИТ ИЗ КАТМАНДУ
Since I don’t understand Russian I took the liberty and translatede everything (thanx to Google) in to English so all you Boris fans out there have a chance to get a little insight in this caracter’s life…
In case you have forgotten – I posted this story about Boris 1½ ago where I link to the unique footage From Saturday Night Live 1977 and the radio interview from 1961. These two pieces are fantastic.
— o O o —
ODESSA FROM KATHMANDU (TRANSLATION BY GOOGLE – I’LL WORK ON IMPROVING IT – SO HAVE PATIENCE)
Have these people Is it not true, mankind well?
Shakespeare Nepal?
It is somewhere in Africa?
—
From the conversation in the plane Delhi-Kiev
Only a few decades ago, when only a few could get lost in the mysterious kingdom in the mountains, Himalayas closed for the foreigners were so far that result and contemplative, that seemed a paradise.
Roerich and V. Sidorov, Shambhala and Everest, birthplace of Buddha, Gorkha and khukri, Sherpas, yaks and yetis … Who does not know these clichés?
Far from being a forbidden country, most recently, in the 60 years, Nepal has become the last haven for the last romantics. In addition to the hippies, who found in Nepal, the Shangri-La, Kathmandu could meet Mother of the World, at least two of Joan d’Ark, and even a few Napoleons one … Lenin, who submitted: I – Lenin Nepal. And my uncle – Stalin.
Esoteric Society scores were arriving in Kathmandu for the study of sexual habits (behavior) of monkeys on the sacred hill of Swayambhunath, the scientists write volumes about the dietary habits of yeti.
But it was later.
And the beginning was the Name. And the name was – Boris. With the accent on first syllable.
It was known and called him to the Emerald Valley. Without a large exaggeration to say that this name is open to foreign tourists for centuries closed Nepal. For many years it has been repeated thousands of travelers and movie stars, princes and rock climbers, but it also has the subtitle of the book Tiger for breakfast (Tiger for Breakfast, 1966), the famous French explorer Michel Pesselya who studied Bhutan, Sikkim and Tibet. Her hero was not a king, no prince or the Dalai Lama, and the owner of Royal Hotel in Kathmandu Odessa-born Boris Lisanevich.
After completion of the Odessa climbing expedition to Dhaulagiri (8167 m), organized from Odessa-climber and President of Bank Porto-Franco “Miroslav Torosyan, I am one of its members, wandered through Tamela, tourist” ghetto “in Kathmandu. ”Hello, Rushen – appealed to me the seller in the bookstore. – This is a book about Boris from Russia.”
And there happened a miracle discovery. In addition to the books by Michel Pesselya seller showed me “The mountains is young” (“The mountains are still young”), Chinese writer Han Syuin and “My kind of Kathmandu” (“My Kathmandu), British artist Desmond Doig. So for me an unusual life story unfolded odessite Boris Lisanevicha. But do not exaggerate if the authors? I went on the trail of Boris. Two weeks searches in Kathmandu, I reviewed the photos from his archive, talked with many people who knew him personally. These were his wife, Inger, and his son Alexander, keeping photoarchive father, his closest friends. His name occurs in the books of famous climbers and travelers, all guidebooks on Nepal. I am very sorry that I was not able to meet with Boris Lisanevichem during his lifetime, but this meeting – let them in absentia – was to take place. For those who wander through the world, inevitably doomed sooner or later meet, if not to him personally, with many of his friends, who bear the imprint of an amazing personality of Boris. He was one of the few people who fully possessed the greatest gift – the art of living. And the whole history odessite Boris Lisanevicha – is an adventure both in time and in space. According to Boris Nikolayevich Lisanevichu: “Our family lived in Odessa. I had three brothers, I was the youngest. Our house was in Odessa on the outskirts of the city, between the racecourse and the Cadet School. Those two places have played a more important role in my life in Odessa . My great-grandfather, Lieutenant-General Grigory Lisanevich, distinguished himself at Borodino, his portrait was in the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace. Father Boris, Nikolai, was known in Russia konezavodchikom and athlete. And, while Boris has never liked to parade the titles of his family (unlike so many of our fellow citizens, inventing a spreading family tree), family coat of arms and dozens of photos saved his mother, Maria Alexandrovna, showed fairly prosperous family life Lisanevichey in Odessa before the Revolution. Paradoxically, but sincere, and not without humor, was the answer to the question of Boris about this way: “I owe everything to the Russian Revolution. If not for her – I would have repeated the path of his brothers: he served in the Imperial navy, and then bred to race horses in our family estate Lisanevichevka on the farm near Odessa. Boris was born on October 4, 1905, at 9 years was determined in Odessa Cadet College, with its rigid discipline. Three years later, the revolution and civil war, with its almost phantasmagoric power change in Odessa – red, white allies, Denikin’s forces, Makhno … “barricades littered the town, on each were waving colorful flags. They were shooting from all sides. In one of these indiscriminate shootings, I was wounded, “- remember Boris. My childhood was symptomatic of his later life. Lisanevichey family had to endure the hardships of that time – hunger, disease, loss of eldest sons. Their distant relatives, Madame Gamsakhurdia (who knows, not a relative if she the next president of Georgia and not lies not here, another intriguing story?), Head of the ballet school and company of the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater to save the boy, Boris takes the ballet school. Slender , a strong and musically gifted Boris a year of study has become ballet dancers. ”The most amazing thing – he remembered – that no revolution or civil war is not cooled thrust from Odessa to the opera and ballet. Lisanevich participated in many performances with the troupe to escape from hunger, went in boxcars on a tour across Ukraine. “Famine, typhus and the revolution sooner made me understand the relativity of all values … when the gold service could only get a loaf of bread” – remember Boris. and indifference to money left to him for life. He could in one night lost all his savings thanks to its legendary generosity or risk player. Came in 1924. During the presentation of the opera “The Prophet” Meyrbeera director pyrotechnic effects surpassed himself: in the final act of the opera burned not only the scenery of the castle, but the entire theater. Due to this fire, Boris can not under the plausible pretext to go to France, where he was waiting for a contract with the theater, “Alhambra” and where he obtained a passport refugee, known as the Nansen passport. ”This fact in the end proved to be the cause of my stay in Asia, but when I barely managed to escape from Russia, I could not imagine where this flight will take me.” But “really raised the sail … Paris, Charleston and short skirts, Montparnasse, surrealism and cubism … And the Ballet Russe Diaghilev, whose genius lifted the art of dance reached. Grigoryev and Balanchine invited Boris to show at the Theatre Sarah Bernhardt. ”The view was very Diaghilev. Never before have I played a double pirouette, but before I took off Diaghilev. And was accepted. Thus began a new life. The whole world was before him. London, Paris, Rome, Monte Carlo, America … Boris dancing in the ballet “Prince Igor,” “Petrouchka,” “Parade”, “Carnival”, “Firebird”, “Tricorne” …His friends are Cacto, Derain, Matisse, Stravinsky, Serge Lifar. Five unforgettable years … August 19, 1929, Monte Carlo. ”It ended the era – died Diaghilev. I’m being asked to report this sad news of Anna Pavlova. She fainted in my arms.” Together with Vera Nemchinov Boris on tour in South America, concludes a two-year contract in Buenos Aires. With Argentine visa and ticket for the steamer Boris goes to a restaurant in Monte Carlo to say goodbye to old friends of the troupe Chaliapin, where he meets Keira Sherbachev, soloist. Love at first sight, the contract is sent, and again, this time with his wife – brilliant tours in Italy, London, Paris … 1933. Boris accepts an invitation to tour in Southeast Asia – India, China, Burma, Java, Ceylon, Shanghai, Bombay … And the island of Bali. ”I could not believe that a sense of harmony and beauty that I felt only on the stage, could exist in the real world. I was fascinated by the Orient.” Thanks to the invitation of his friends, he becomes a supporter of the royal hunting tigers, leopards and rhinos. In the jungles of Indochina, Boris holds three unforgettable months. He has eight leopards, tigers, 6 and 40 buffalo. ”I hunted in the wild tribe of mine, famous for its brass guns with poisoned arrows. My squire was a sinister-looking inmate convicted of killing his wife and Tiffany’s. I smoked opium – a gift from the King of Cambodia.” Visit Angkor shocked Boris: “His charm is beyond description.” It was time to return to Europe. But where? After all, he – a man without citizenship and passports, wandering again. And in India it can get a British passport. And Boris is in Calcutta. Here, with the help of his influential friends, he founded the famous “Club 300″. The club opened in 1936 in a luxurious palace, once built a rich Armenian Philip for his bride, who had run away with a simple soldier the day before the wedding. The first band consisted of two pianists and one … drummer. From Nice arrived famous chef Vladimir Khaletskaya, a former Russian officer, a famed restaurant dishes Boris – soup, pate of grouse, beef stroganoff and Bombe a la Boris. This was the first Anglo-Indian club and the first in which women were allowed. Maharaji princes and diplomats, British officers and members of royal families, the pilots and the famous explorers, industrialists and businessmen – all of these people know Boris as a hospitable host of the aristocratic club of Calcutta, where East and West meet. Sense of humor did not leave the owner of the club ever. In 1947, Boris organized the first scientific expedition to study the stars (in Hollywood), calculated at 3 months.In addition to his participation in the expedition three fabulously rich and beautiful Maharaja. Her fund amounted to 70 thousand dollars. Major expenditures were incurred in the article “Bouquets” and after 2 months the expedition was forced to shut down its “job”.
Here begins his longstanding friendship with a fearless pilot Prince Emmanuel Golitsyn, with the Maharaja Kuch Bihar, with the Nepalese General Mahabir. In this club emigrant Boris first met disempowered Rana Nepalese King Tribhuvanom. He arranges secret meetings with the King, Nehru and takes an active part in the return of King Tribhuvan to the throne. (With a force of its charm a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, and possessing vast information on the situation in Asia, Boris Lisanevich could not call to his attention a number of secret service. It is known that for a long time the Indians regarded him as a British agent, the Americans – a Russian, Russian – American. Was it the Asian Kim Philby or Lawrence of Arabia? Boris himself only smiled at these questions: “I rather like the Marco Polo.” – VK)
After the war, Boris and Kira visited New York. Cyrus is in America, opened a ballet school. In 1949, the wife of Boris is a young beauty-Dane Inger Pfeifer. In 1953, together with his wife and sons, Misha and Alexander at the personal invitation of King Boris arrives in Nepal, a country where women are adorned with flowers lingas (phalluses), and the erotic carvings on the temple serves as their protection from lightning, a country of snow peaks and pagodas tigers and roses, palaces and the gods … Here, all the gods – people and animals, rocks and trees. Where even a “Namaste” – Nepali greeting, roughly means: “I welcome the god in your face.” ”Only a cliche to describe the Kathmandu city, which had more temples and shrines than houses and more gods than people. City where nevarskie girl betrothed to a tree Bel, and therefore will never be widows for marriage with a man – a second-hand marriage, as this and the only man – only a tree. The first night I met a leopard on the streets in Kathmandu. (Only 3 years ago, the son of Boris Lisanevicha Alexander shot the leopard near his mother’s house, which is located on the outskirts of Kathmandu. – In . K) for the Kathmandu Valley, I opened the Asia Kipling, a mixture of China and India, sent into the landscape, to which pales Switzerland – Boris remembered. – Exotic and beauty of this country forever won my heart. “ Fascinated by the beauty of the Emerald Valley, Boris was quick to appreciate the enormous possibilities of tourism in Nepal. The first climbing expeditions have attracted world attention to the snow-ice massifs of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Everest. But in 1954, to get to Nepal was as difficult as to penetrate into Tibet – prevented a long and complicated formalities, lack of roads, restrictions on issuing visas. In talks with his Nepalese friends, among whom was the Prime Minister, Boris tries to get them interested in the prospects of tourism Nepale.V response, they just smiled: “Why do foreign tourists to Nepal?” What will they do in a medieval country, where there are no phones, skyscrapers and Museums? “. Then Boris came upon the idea of opening a hotel that would attract future tourists. But in the valley was no kerosene, gas, electricity. Curfew in force – a legacy of Rana regime. Almost all products have been imported from abroad. This forced Boris to grow vegetables and fruits, known in Nepal – carrots, spinach, strawberries – on site, open a bakery with a Russian stove. It was necessary to train personnel to wear shoes, wash your hands and do not give customers the water from the “little white sources” as they called restrooms. In August 1954 Royal Hotel – the only kind in a radius of 450 miles from Kathmandu – was opened. His guest was struck not only the building, near the entrance to which they “welcomed” the stuffed tigers and a crocodile with open jaws, but also the owner. “deep voice with an obvious Russian accent. Huge hands. Dazzling open smile. Eyebrows Mephistopheles” – because it describes Michelle Pessel. Finally, through persuasion and the use of its extensive ties Boris is not only made the King of visas for the first tourists, but also persuaded him to take them himself. And in March 1955 the magazine “Life” the first dedicated 4-page spread to Nepal. “The first group of Western tourists visiting the mysterious and distant Nepal. Located in the heart of the Himalayas, in the last 200 years, Nepal was virtually closed to all foreigners. But recently, Boris Lisanevich, a British citizen of Russian descent, was able to rent a palace in Kathmandu and convert it to the Royal Hotel. All the equipment – from pots to flush toilets – was delivered by air. Then, thanks to the efforts Lisanevicha was received royal permission to visit Nepal for several groups of agents Thomas Cook. Agency experts believe that the country’s huge tourism future. “For those few brief lines were many. What price Boris breach the centuries-long policy of isolation, to persuade the warring ministries, to persuade the King Mahendra to allow the entry of the first tourists who bring in equipment for the hotel – on the This can only guess. Inger recalled that he had not time to despair, and only his ability since childhood to make the improbable and overcome any difficulty supporting him. King Mahendra, stunned tourists looked first for his country and the enthusiasm with which they bought souvenirs and works of art directly on the veranda Royal Hotel ordered to issue visas to all interested – and now tourists can obtain visas at the airport Tribhuvan. Royal Hotel, thanks to the efforts and the superhuman power of Boris, is the center of social life and tourism in Nepal. Almost every day B. Lisanevicha was filled with meetings and events: Kliment Voroshilov and Chou En-Lai, Prince Akihito and J. Nehru, Soviet cosmonauts … Yes, the Soviet Embassy in Nepal, paying tribute to the culinary art and the popularity of Boris (and despite his past) asked him to arrange a reception for Tereshkova and Nikolayev. And Boris has surpassed himself, taking his countrymen. The famous welcome Queen Elizabeth II, on which the Queen named him “my best Russian-British subject, too, lay down on his shoulders. ”You hope to talk with him alone? – Inger marveled at that time. – Over the past 15 years I spent with him only 2 pm.’
In 50-60 Kathmandu is the capital of the world climbing, mountaineering and the inner sanctuary in Nepal – bar Yak and Yeti in the Royal Hotel, where the start and end all alpine expedition. At the hotel verandas weathered and strong people talking about snow ridges and glaciers, on the routes and avalanches. They Boris younger soul. Himself an athlete and scholar, he completely gave himself at the disposal of the leaders of the expeditions, sharing his knowledge and customs of the country, helping to get permission to climb, as the translator of French and Swiss expedition, “forgetting” some of their unpaid accounts .. . ”I have always lost money on cruises, – said Boris – the climbers returned from the mountains exhausted, but after a week in the Royal Hotel I return them to normal shape.” - But, Boris, so we’ll never get rich – chided him as a wife. - Do not worry, dear, for all this we will be rewarded in Paradise Valley. Living in Kathmandu, he was close to all the tragedies and successes of many expeditions. His hospitality and generosity have earned legendary thanks to many famous climbers and travelers, all became his friends. This is indicated by the photos that next to him – E. Hillary and Tenzing N., R. Lambert, and N. Direnfurt, M. Herzog and J. Franco, D. Roberts and K. Bonington. In his casket kept the stones from almost all peaks of Nepal. ”This, from Dhaulagiri, brought my old friend Direnfurt, this, with Everest – Bishop, with Makalu – Franco, with Jeanne – Terran …” - Boris showed his treasures. ”They are more dear to me than the skins of tigers and leopards.” In his apartment, which was on the roof of the hotel, a golden Buddha from Tibet was on the piano alongside photographs of Queen Elizabeth II and King Mahendra, with their autograph, but also kept a huge collection of LPs – from Stravinsky’s music to folk dances of his homeland of Ukraine. ”When I climbed the narrow spiral staircase to Boris, I never knew whom I encounter in the living room – it could be Agatha Christie or Francoise Sagan, Prince Carlos, or Hillary” – recalled his close friend, the painter Desmond Doig. In his collection was stored unusual rifle “Alka Seltzer”, firing bullets with sleeping pills and intended for hunting yeti, Bigfoot (the law of Nepal prohibits his murder). We have very few people remember that in the 50 years the whole world worried about a mystery of beings. His fame is not fading. Jean-Paul Belmondo, charmed Kathmandu and Boris, removes the film about him. (A friend of Boris and Jean-Paul French Bernadette Vasso, with whom I met, joined me on the phone with Paris and I heard from Belmondo: “Finally, someone interested in Boris and my film about him. I really want to see Odessans him at the first opportunity pass to Odessa. “- VK), Ingrid Bergman gives him equipment for the farm, Robert McNamara, World Bank president, struck by the personality of Boris, gives him credit for the construction of five-star Yak and Yeti. This hotel opened in 1977, but as a result of intrigues partner Boris angrily refuses to participate in the management of the hotel. In 1978 he opened a restaurant “Boris” on the street with a poetic name “32 butterfly, in 1982 – the restaurant” Boris “at Durbar Marg, which is frequently visited by the King of Nepal. Another restaurant “Boris” opening his sons Michael and Alexander. In 1985, Boris was gone. He died a man, surrounded by the same legends as Mount Everest, the man who has lived 10 lives instead of one. Carefree and at the same time passionate and daring. Playboy and an artist and collector. The narrator and administrator. He did not yield analysis, and this undoubtedly was the cause of his legendarity. At the cemetery the British embassy in Kathmandu, where the rest Boris, I took a picture of a modest tombstone, which bears the coat of arms and the inscription “Boris Nikolayevich Lisanevich. He was born in Odessa on Oct. 4. He died in 1905 in Kathmandu on Oct. 20. 1985″ The greatest monument to Boris Lisanevichu, native of Odessa who became a part of Nepaliany is foreign tourism in Nepal, whose father he is. “What in your life you especially like and appreciate?” What leads you? “ - Asked him once. Boris, pointing to the distant mountains, jungles and temples of Kathmandu, said: “All this – the game. Only one thing can cost something in this life – how many people you make happy.” Victor MAPLE
This is the first impression tourists get when they arrive @ the airport in Kathmandu. Wonder who get’s the money?
daylight robbery - approved by the Nepalese Government
I always get so embarrassed when I see the official government approved rates for pre-payed taxis from Tribhuvan International Airport.
That happened again when I picked up Annette last Saturday.
Like so many times before I took a taxi from Lazimpat Road. 165 NRP showed the meter when I arrived @ the airport.
On our way back to Lazimpat the traffic was a little heavier. 185 NRP showed the meter.
I know it was a Saturday and the only weekend in Nepal and the day where the traffic is easiest. But even on a week day we never pay more than 250 NRP from Lazimpat.
If your eyes allow you to see the text on the photo above – have a close look.
If not try enlarging the photo or just believe me if I tell you that the official rate from the airport ton Shangri-La is 500 NRP. Or 2 – 3 times as expensive as the prize you pay if you pick up one of the taxi’s on the other side of the parking area.
Can someone out there tell me reason behind these crazy prices?
And is this really the way to welcome tourists and people who wants to either do business in Nepal OR working to improve the living conditions for the Nepalese people?
Embarrassing!
BONUS INFO:
The funny thing is that during the bandhs the official Govenrment buses take you downtown for 100 NRP – the just don’t tell people that arrives… they are forced to pay up to 2.00o NRP for a rick shaw to Thamel.
Related posts (sorry its in Danish): Jeg kårer herved Tribhuvan International Airport til Verdens Værste Lufthavn
Endeligt et indlæg med vitaminer!
Republica’s KIRAN CHAPAGAIN nåede lige at fange Pinden inden afgange til Bangladesh,
Det kom der et godt interview ud af – et af dem der er andet end copy/paste fra de officielle pressemeddelelser. Og et af dem der konkretiserer de officielle danske ambitioner. Positive!!!
Myrepublica.com:
Your visit to Nepal marks your first trip to any Asian country since you assumed the portfolio of Danish Minister for Cooperation and Aid. Does it mean that Nepal is in the top of the priority list of the Danish government?
Hvortil Pinden med sædvanlig skarphed svarer:Nepal is very much in our priority. I can even say that we can consider engaging even more….
Nepal, som han siger, er et af de få lande som Pinden og den danske regering vil fokusere og koncentrere indsatsen mod.
På privatsektor fronten tegner det åbenbart også lyst:
Then we have a private sector approach, which might be relevant here… lyder det optimistisk fra Pinden efter hans besøg på Betterfelt & Gamcha.
I think the question of energy area combined with the question of private sector growth could be an interesting thing to look at….We will continue and probably strengthen our efforts here.
Det synes jeg er glædeligt – især hvis det munder ud i konkrete tiltag. Ikke for mig selv og vores egne projekter – vi klarer os uden. Men for alle de fede unge kids, der er ladet med energi, gå-på-mod og ikke mindst manglende interesse for det rod de ældre generationer har efterladt landet i. Maoisterne, strejkerne, load shedding, arrangederede ægteskaber, korruption, regeringskonflikter mm er irriterende forstyrrelser på deres vej mod nye tider…
Med lidt god vilje markerer Pindens besøg nye fremtidsrettede vinde. Og tegner der sig ikke et billede af UNGDOMMELIGHED: Ny ung minister, en ny ung ambassadør og flere nye unge på andre poster… det tegner godt.
Det er sgu rart at få en god historie fra et lokalt medie (tak Rasmus, jeg var lige ved at overse den) som du kan læse resten af her:
Hvis det dog bare gav genlyd hos bare en enkelt lille-bitte-avis i Danmark, så virksomhederne derhjemme også får indsigt i de nye vinde… og at Pinden åbenbart har brug for ideer til at åbne pungen helt…
Jeg slutter hermed min lille overvågning af den nepalesiske presses dækning af ministerbesøget, og forbereder mig på årets helt store begivenhed. Margrethes 70 års fødselsdag på ambassaden. Monarki er jo i høj kurs på disse kanter
Gik du glip af de tidligere poster om ministerbesøget kan du læse de relativt sparsomme historier nedenfor:
Kender du Hornsherred
