May 2009
42 posts
“In human terms, it is better to travel than to stay at home. First of all live,...”
– Italo Calvino, Hermit in Paris
Motorcycles
In India and Nepal, very few families have a minivan, but they do have a motorcycle. The whole family, the mom and dad and two children, and sometimes grandma, cram onto the bike and speed down the crowded roads. They drive just as fast as if it was just one guy showing off. The families can usually afford one helmet, which is always on the father, who makes the money and drives the bike.
Sister's First Day in Kathmandu
My sister to serious white hippy lady: Hello!
Serious White Hippy Lady: (Forcefully) NAMASTE.
A summer jam from India.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa - Hare...
War
“Are you going to the Monkey Temple?!?”
It was asked with an odd urgency by a merchant on the road up to the temple. I said no, because I wasn’t planning on it. I’ve seen plenty of monkeys and plenty of temples already, I was just out for a walk.
“Hello. Monkey food. HELLO? MONKEY FOOD!”
“No, no thank you.”
Man, everyone is trying to sell...
Getting Around
Billions of feet, hooves, paws, and tires separate the fine, soft dust from India’s continental plate as it gets hot every spring, and India and the atmosphere lose their clear, defined borders. When you fly in India in the late spring, you first leave the solid earth to pass through the floating earth before reaching the upper atmosphere. Down below is a brown haze, which, for all I know,...
"yeeeep!" "hiYA bedi!" "tip!"
There are men here in Nepal and in Japan who wander the streets making repetitive sounds. I don’t know why they do this, perhaps it is to ward off evil spirits, or perhaps they are just lonely men announcing that they exist.
Here in Nepal they are men in rags, walking down side alleys and busy main streets loudly saying “yeeeeeeeep” in a high pitched voice or “hiYA...
More from Ryszard
I arrived in Kumasi with no particular goal. Having one is generally deemed a good thing, the benefit of something to strive toward. This can also blind you, however: you see only your goal, and nothing else, while this something else - wider, deeper - may be considerably more interesting and important.
The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski
