Snake dance 2 March 2011

Just to show you how slow life is here, Gopal and I were looking (out our bathroom window) at one of the street dogs taking a nap in a pool of sunlight on the lawn of our neighbor's empty house.  In the background was movement.  It took a minute to realize that it was two snakes in a mating? dance.




They were so preoccupied with this process that they fell down an embankment into the road.  We went to see what happened and saw that one was about six feet long and the smaller about five feet.  Our approach encouraged them to climb back up onto the lawn where they resumed the dance.  Isn't it amazing?!

NDTV in India interviews Julian Assange

The interview by NDTV was very good.  I wasn't sure if this kind of coverage was available in the U.S.


http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/cash-for-votes-cables-are-authentic-as
sange-to-ndtv/194291

12 November 2010, Palpa (Tansen), Nepal

After months of traveling and then cataract surgery, the thread of this blog got lost.  Sorry for the very long void.  I left off after our second day in Nepal ....

We drove from Lumbini to Palpa in the dark through areas that had suffered landslides, etc.  It was a terrible ride.  The roads were a mess.  When we got to Palpa we couldn't see anything and checked into rooms with no water.  But, in the morning, this is the view from the patio where we ate breakfast.  

This is what is referred to as the White Lake, a layer of mist and clouds that settles over the valley and burns off later.

A little cafe where we had a nice breakfast of chana and tea.

It came with a resident baby.

Local temple

The Tansen Durbar, a palace that was destroyed by the Maoists and is now being restored.

This sign refers to "Magrant Autonomous Republic" which I looked up and  wonder if this wasn't part of the fairly recent Maoist insurgency.  The Magrant refers to the Magar population, descended from people who had come to Nepal through Tibet before Buddhism (7th century) and are one of the many ethnic groups in Nepal.

Nearby viewpoint

There are some very old alleys and buildings here.  I really liked it.

We found this wonderful courtyard restaurant on the tiny square.

Then on to Pokhara.....