Arrival - Day one

For most of us Nepal is visa on demand. An Afghan friend had to get it in advance while a Pakistani friend on the same trip didn't need any visa. It's $25 for a 15 day visa. Because the government needs hard currency you'll need to pay in dollars/euros. 

Before leaving the airport you'll see a booth where you can prepay $7-8 for a taxi. Take it. You do not want your first experience bargaining for a taxi to save a dollar or two. Also, just before exiting there are two shops selling SIM cards. Although wifi is everywhere, I definitely recommend spending the $25 for a visit SIM. Data speeds/connection can vary depending on location in the mountainous country but it's usually quite good.

Where to stay?

Thamel is the touristy area and it is the right place to stay. Nicer hotels are located outside of Thamel but if you stay at one of those you will be taking a taxi or walking to Thamel so it just makes more sense to book in Thamel. They've made the heart of Thamel car-free so the taxi will drop you off and you'll have to take your bags the 3-4 blocks to whatever hotel you book.

Thamel is very walkable, even better without cars. Catering to tourists the "popular" restaurants serve Italian, Chinese, etc. I recommend a place that serves the staple food of Nepal: Dal bhat (curry with rice). 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293890-d13078170-Reviews-Thakali_Bhanchha_Ghar-Kathmandu_Kathmandu_Valley_Bagmati_Zone_Central_Region.html

Whatever hotel you book will likely offer breakfast. Skip that and go to Northfield cafe. Their Nepali omelet is amazing. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293890-d1156591-Reviews-Northfield_Cafe-Kathmandu_Kathmandu_Valley_Bagmati_Zone_Central_Region.html

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Taxis are all negotiated price. Anywhere you are going within the city is $4 - $8. I don't think I've ever paid more than $8 and that was for going to Patan (neighboring city). 

Since I know you have the Lonely Planet I won't bore you with details of the temples; you can read it all from the guide. Here are a few tips:

Visit Pashupatinath (the Hindu temple) in the morning. Why? You can witness the funeral pyres. Family members ceremonially wash the body before cremating on the bank of the river. It is possible to watch this from a respectable distance on the other side of the river bank. On every trip I want punch tourists who have their cameras out taking pictures of the grieving families right next to them.

Both Buddhist temples mentioned in the guide are worth the visit. 

Boudhanath is close to Pashupatinath and logical to visit next. 

My favorite is Swayambunath. The taxi will try to drop you off at the base of the temple. Be sure to direct him to take you around to the top. It's more fun to walk down. This temple is loaded with monkeys. This is why I recommended bringing bags of peanuts. You will be very popular!

Cap off the day visiting the bar at the top of the World Trade Center. It has a nice view where you can enjoy some momos and beer. 

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The Durbar Square is the other major landmark recommended in the guide. Sadly much of this nearly thousand year old structure was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. It's still worth a visit if you have time but not essential.

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The three major temples is very doable in the first full day in Kathmandu. That means the next day is going wherever you want to go next. 

For me the decision is between safari - washing/riding elephants in Chitwan - or Pohara where you can hike, paraglide, zip line and wake up to the most amazing view of the Himalayas. Since I've spoken with you I know you are considering Lukla. 

Lee is more adventurous than me; Lukla makes every list of Top 10 most dangerous airports. Although it's not my cup of tea I look forward to seeing his pics if he does. 

Nepal - Before you go

 My friends Lee & Abby are headed to Nepal next week and he asked for tips. Here are some thoughts in planning:

• Take US dollars. There are money exchange places all over the tourist areas. When you arrive exchange $50-100 at the airport. It's the only airport in the world where the rate at the airport is fair. (There are better rates available outside of the airport so don't exchange more.) Other currencies like the euro give 2-3% less on the exchange rate.
• Pack/wear hiking type clothes and shoes. Do not concern yourself with formal dress wear. 
• Bring big bags of peanuts in the shell. Feeding wild monkeys is a lot of fun!
• Be sure to pack bug spray, sun screen and toiletries you prefer. All are available in Nepal but not likely you'll get the brands you are used to using.
• Nepal uses the European 2-prong electrical plug.
• Load shedding (hours during the day where the electricity is offline) used to be a major issue. That's mostly been resolved but it is still wise to bring an external battery to charge your phone in a pinch.

Conventions *sometimes* matter

In the summer of 1992 Bill Clinton was running in 3rd place behind Ross Perot and George H. W. Bush.

Bill charmed the crowd and the theme of "Don't Stop Thinking about Tomorrow" catapulted the ticket from last to first. Perot flaked out/dropped out and Clinton held onto the lead to win comfortably in November.

90 years...

 Mom was born on August 11, 1934. As I said in her eulogy below, she grew up in an abusive house with alcoholic parents. Dad literally rescued her. 

The only way to understand this post is to first watch the eulogy.

https://youtu.be/uEgwhwGnPZ4?si=Vz0BW-2wfSYrejUr

Dad's death rocked my siblings whereas I was pretty much at peace with it within 24 hours of his death. For Dad I received the news at 7 PM UAE time. I was fortunately with my friends (we had come to call each other the "Al Ain Support Group") and they took care of me, helped me pack and by midnight I was in the Abu Dhabi airport ready to fly to America. Because I couldn't book all the way to Iowa my incredible friend Tony dropped everything to drive 5 hours to pick me up. By the time I landed in Chicago I was OK with Dad's death. Dad had always said there were things worse than death. As Dad was declining very quickly with Alzheimer's I was at peace that he died before he lost everything that was his mind.

Mom's death, however, was way more complicated for me. Mom was very smart and had an unusually sharp cutting humor. I definitely inherited that from her and undoubtedly lost friends because of it.

She also suffered with mental illness. In 2000 she was diagnosed as "Paranoid Schizophrenic." (Apparently they've dropped the term paranoid in recent years.) Something I couldn't put in the eulogy is describing what it was like to be in a hospital ready to sign papers with Dad to have her involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward. At the last minute Mom chose to admit herself because they explained to her that if she goes in voluntarily she can leave at any time. 

Mom went in and put on a show. One of the nurses joked it was Oscar-worthy. After 4 days/nights in the facility she asked to leave and as she entered voluntarily they couldn't stop her and Mom was released. Less than 24 hours later Mom reverted to... it's hard to describe what she was like. Dad teared up and went silent. I went off on her. "You do not want to get better. You prefer to believe the world is against you. You believe the voices in your head over the people who love you most. I can't take this anymore..." (I could have written this in all caps with exclamation points.)

Mom agreed to go on to a drug called Resperidone and worked pretty well. Mom was a good patient in that she religiously took her meds but this was the one med that she would occasionally try to go awhile taking a half dose. Over the next decade I could see it and I'd say, "Mom, go back to the full dose."

I think all children (or GenX kids at least) have a complicated relationship with their parents. All I can say is that I thought doing a eulogy for Mom would be easy. It wasn't. 

Why Trump questions Kamala Harris' being Black

It's 2008. Obama shocked the political world by crushing Hillary Clinton and John Edwards in the Iowa Caucus. Hillary rebounded with a moment where she proved she was human and scored a stunning comeback to win New Hampshire.

Now all eyes are on South Carolina. It's the first state in the process that with a significant Black population - a key constituent of the Democratic Party. The Clintons have traditionally fared very well in the community. 

In the run-up to the primary some groups started rumors against Obama that he's not really Black. Unlike most African-Americans he did not descend from slaves. He went to Harvard. He may claim he's Black but he's not really Black.

The Black community didn't see it that way. They basically saw a brother able to win over lily-white Iowa and they realized just maybe America was ready for a Black man to be President. Obama won South Carolina by almost 30 points.

After he became the nominee the same shadowy forces started that talk again in the general election. McCain didn't need to win the Black vote. He simply needed to suppress the Black vote - have enough of them discouraged to not show up.

I must restate: The people doing this were not affiliated with Clinton nor McCain. 

At some point Obama felt the need to respond, which I unfortunately can't find on Youtube. In essence he said:

"When I hail a cab the driver doesn't say, "Oh, he doesn't have slaves in his ancestry so I will pick him up. He sees a Black man."

And with that the foolishness ended.

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Fast forward to Trump claiming he is not sure Kamala Harris is Black. Again, he's not trying to win over Black voters. He is following the pattern of what was attempted against Obama. Make Kamala the "other". He knows a record African American turnout puts Georgia and North Carolina into play. (The Trump campaign started playing ads in North Carolina this week.)

The ploy didn't work in 2008 and it won't work in 2024. This was a stunning sign of weakness of weakness on behalf of Donald Trump.