So I have previously, months ago, been invited to a wedding here in Kathmandu. The sister of the groom is a former student of mine from 2007 at Tansen Nursing School; her family won the Diversity Visa (“DV”) lottery in 2009 and she is now an American citizen. She is married, has her MS in nursing, and lives in Dallas. I went out to dinner with her in NYC while on my book tour in 2010.
I am not going to attend.
She is from Butwal Nepal, a city in Western Terai, the hot part of Nepal. Manisha was lobbying hard for me to teach there again so she could work with me. I can only come here in summertime while on summer break from my “real job” and so I have a policy these days of not trying to teach an all-day course unless there is aircon. No deal, the only halls available were in hotels that would charge more than the airfare it cost to get here. In the time I have been teaching I have indeed slogged through sometimes with temps of 104 degrees; but I am not so tough anymore in my old age. I was in Terai for five weeks but now am back in Kathmandu, where it has been balmy in the 80s!
Hindu Weddings are lots of fun, I have been to a number of them. I should do a diary just on those alone.
But
Event: Nationwide political protests are planned from Tuesday, June 25, 2019. This could result in possible disturbances, demonstrations, and actions that result in violence or other disruptions across Nepal. On May 26, 2019, a Biplav initiated bandh resulted in numerous incidents of arson and explosions, some of which detonated in Kathmandu resulting in fatalities. The number of events was an increase over previous Biplav bandhs, and it is possible that explosives could be used to support the bandh on June 25 and potentially target Government of Nepal buildings. It is unknown at this time how effective the bandh will be in Kathmandu. Even if the bandh is not effective within the Kathmandu Valley, it could still be enforced outside of the Valley. The Embassy encourages American citizens to avoid areas of demonstrations, avoid unnecessary visits to government buildings, and exercise caution in the vicinity of any large gatherings or protests. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and quickly escalate into violence. ( From: np.usembassy.gov/...)
For those unfamiliar with Nepali geography, Kailali is not far from Nepalgunj, where I will teach for a week or so in July. (The location is very hot but my hosts have promised me aircon).
Back to the Wedding
These always start with
a wedding parade led by a brass band. It starts at a hotel in Naxal around 9 a.m. I could get there early and beat the bandh; since the procession would be on foot nobody would stop it; but at the end I would be four miles from home with no transport back by the time all was said and done. I just don't want the hassle. In my time here I have been through a number of these protests. I am smart enough to stay away and stay home. I do have schoolwork to do to prepare for fall semester in USA.
Tigers in the Jungle
I told Julie she does not need to outrun any tiger. She only needs to outrun — me.
Tigers in Kathmandu
I have some gullible friends who were shocked when I told them that tigers have been spotted in Kathmandu less than a mile from my residence. The punch line? I live near the zoo. It wasn’t till I did more research on the tiger issue that I learned that they don’t kill the man-eating tigers in Chitwan. Instead, they bring them to the zoo, where the tigers get life in prison. Each one presently there is said to have eaten at least three people before being captured. At the time of the 2015 earthquake a rumor swept through the city saying that the tigers escaped. (it was untrue).
We do have leopards now and again; and of course, urban troupes of monkeys. Never make contact with a wild monkey.