Still lazy...

Nowadays i have tons of excuse for not blogging frequently, and i'm too lazy to write them out (for now!). Its crazy studying in the States as i am beginning to find out. It's a mix of confusion, excitement and way too much assignments.

Getting to the point, as Prajwal bro was kind enough to mention it, here are some few pictures taken by my friend Amid about a week prior to Halloween. ( मेरो त क्यामेरा नई छैन :(

As one of my friend said," People in New Orleans will be ready to party celebrating just about anything.", Halloween was A LOT more people (freaky people) then you see in the photos......but, Halloween was a completely different story which hopefully i will write very soon. Here are some Bourbon shots till then...

Happy Vijaya Dashami !! :)

Saints...Dolphins...Superdome

I love going to concerts with its loudness and its exhilarating environment, but i wasn't keen on seeing sports live. For me the comfort of my own room was the best view ever. But finally, my view has started to skew a bit. My first experience in a massive stadium that too a game i had no clue about couldnt have been much better.
The Superdome in New Orleans is much bigger than it appears to be. A refuge during the Katrina hurricane, this massive thing is sure enough to please any football (american football) fanatic or just about anyone else. The lighting, environment, sounds and even the game was totally awesome. I would have so got everything for my money if i had paid for the tickets (Thanks Ritesh bro). The game was kinda slow and it was pre-season but still i had loads of fun. The saints did win 7 to nothing and the whole show was worthwile.......Hope they have a better run next week in Indianapolis .
Everyone was wearing the Saints shirts that had "Bush" written in back, i though all the people loved dear Ol Bush or hated his guts. But it turned out there was this guy called Reggie Bush who was supposed to be this big hotshot, did not get to see him play though (pre-season).......

Student Woes

A Nepali student was killed in a shootout recently, http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/aug/aug28/news08.php.
Have heard about students getting shot at or getting in a serious car accident couple of times.

La Nouvelle-Orléans

Its been sometime since i've written anything and it seems it will be sometime that i start to be regular. Its just that adjusting to a new environment can take some time. Especially when you are in a city like New Orleans. So just started college, and i think i'm going to love every part of it. Will update on all the college stuffs (i know everyone's going to like that) later on , but first have to acclimatize it seems. Will be back soon though...more updates on Bourbon Street , hehe,....

Nepathya : HungerFree Concert

Nepathya normally doesnt cut out on the list of artists id love to see on stage, but i was wrong to think of such thoughts. Also, it was a first time for me almost sitting throughout the whole of the gig and that too almost in the end of the hall.

The main cause today was an initiation by Youth Action Nepal, Action Aid, Nepa-laya, and Child Development Youth Network in raising awareness about the problems of Hunger. It was entitled as a Hunger Free concert and event. A rally was started from Peace Mandala to BICC where all the participants got drenched completely, a sign of good starting but still a drag. Anyways, after reaching there , some photo session, chanting, interview and stuff and then started the main highlight.

Having heard Nepathya on some prior albums, i generally do like their music. A blend of folk, blues, rock and some other pot pourri comes out as a truly appreciable music. But its a much better treat seeing them live. Their rendition of old Nepathya songs and some classic nepali (patriotic) songs in a type of pink floydesque nature was truly awesome. The crowd pumped up the guys on stage and in turn they played their hearts out and just set the stage on fire. I particularly liked the duet between the Madal and the drums which it seems nowadays has been a Nepathya regular in concerts.

Summarizing it all, it was truly a wonderful musical and visual delight. Their performance shows the nepali artist have the same flair as international artists, at least some do. \m/

I'm back and so is Hostel

This time around there's nothing much to write about the trip to Dhangadi, family visits and stuff nothing interesting or anything just very Hot!!! As usual Dhangadi was really scorching , thank god there were some showers that tried to dampen the day but that didnt help much either.Ah ! Kathmandu just feels so much cooler, just 34 degrees or so....thats nice. So everythings almost where i had left it , yesterday there was this earthquake scare started of by some future predicting baba, says a major earthquake's gonna strike somewhere between now and july 10, its foreseen by the baba that pakistan will sink, pokhara will disappear and 300 thousand people will die in kathmandu alone. That rumor did get inside the head of lots of kathamnduites , and yesterday there was tense panic in the air, lets see what happens.

In a more gory and bloody part saw last years sequel to Hostel, Hostel:2 today and boy was that some movie. Eli Roth it seems is trying to step up his game with every flick he makes. Comparing with Hostel 2, Cabin Fever(the first of his film) looks like a teen drama. Seriously, part 2 has everything a slasher movie freak requires and so much more. I would love to say what happens and who dies in what horrid manner but that would spoil all the fun . There are some scenes that remind me of Elizabeth Bathory, there is cannibalism, the usual decapitations and slashings and some of the worst torture imaginable that could be inflicted to a man. All in all this movie definitely is more gruesome then the first and oh yes, its storyline is somewhat broadened and kind of begging for a third installment. 4 out of 5.

On a leave

Off to Dhangadhi ( a days journey by bus, far west corner of Nepal) for some time, and because of other reasons seems will not be able to post much. :(

Trip to Gosainkunda

Gosainkunda for me was more of an adventure than a pilgrimage. And, it turned out to be really worthwhile. I met some people who have been there more than 10 times for religious reasons (I honestly and amazingly respect that feat) but for me it was exploring your own country and just enjoying the nature that I remember the most. Talking about how I reached there.

After staying in Dhunche for two days, we set off on Tuesday morning at exactly 6 in the morning. With a short descent to Ghattekulathan, it was seriously uphill all along the way with never ending hills that kept on showing up with every turn and ascent The trail was simply magnificent with its panoramic view and jaw dropping scenery and that sometimes helped to keep the mind off of the gradual pain creeping up the leg with every step. Gosainkunda is more than 2000 meters higher than Dhunche and the walking distance is much more than that. Slowly, we made our way past the various so called villages, Deuarali (2625M), Dhimsa (3007M), Chandanbari (3512M) and Laurivinayak (3900M) before finally reaching Gosainkunda (4300M). After climbing, limping, struggling and nearly to the point of crawling for 12 hours Gosainkunda stood in front of us. Luckily, I didn’t get altitude sickness but can’t say that for everyone who was there. After staying a night there we headed back to Dhunche the next morning, after admiring the scenic beauty, bathing and feeling VERY VERY cold. On my way down met up with a very interesting Frenchman Baptiste (pronounced Ba-Tist) who among other things helped me play a Gambian instrument called the Mugambo. And with him and another Nepali guy, Sambala, reached Dhunche in just 6 hours and didn’t (couldn’t) leave the bed the whole day.

It’s hard putting down in words about the trip. What I could write is about how I ended up crushing my knee with the speedy descent or how I nearly fell off of a cliff and that sort of things. Im just not coming to terms with what to write, there are so many things and im just that much lazy. So instead, enjoy some of the pictures that might put some things in perspective.

What you knew or don’t know about Gosainkunda:

• There are two other lakes on the way to Gosainkunda, one is just adjacent to Gosainkunda. (I forgot their names)
• Gosainkunda is religiously important to both Hindus and Buddhists.
• Gosainkunda can also be considered as the source of the river Trishuli.
• For many Hindus, a place just above the lake called the Trisulthan is more religiously important than the lake itself, as that place is supposed to have been the place where lord Shiva jammed his Trishul in ancient time.
• No one has died of falling while going to Gosainkunda but deaths occur mostly due to altitude sickness.
• The water of Gosainkunda is very very cold, almost all the time.
• If you’re planning on going, go during Baisakh month, the Laliguras (Rhododendrons) bloom all over the hills (there are 12 different colored/species found) and the climate is also very suitable.
• While ascending, go slow, you don’t want to get altitude sickness and while descending also go slow you don’t want to crush your knee bones or fall off of a hill either.

Today Rasuwa, Tomorrow Gosainkunda !

Ok, it took just 20 minutes for me to openthis page to post something. The thing is i arrived at Dhunche (Rasuwa) today. A small place 120 km away from Kathmandu near the Chinese border. Although the destination isin't here, actually hope to go to Gosainkunda from here. It will be the highest that ive travelled so far, a sweet 4500 meter above sea level. Will update on that after i reach Kathmandu most probably next week. See you Soon.

On the road to Dhunche