An Unexpected Friend in Kathmandu, Nepal

One of our least favorite things about traveling is “touts.” These are the people that are constantly bothering you for tours, souvenirs or whatever else they think you might buy. Touts are everywhere when you travel internationally so you have to be ready for them. While we were in Kathmandu Nepal we would go down to Durbar Square daily to simply sit on the pagoda temple steps and people watch across the square (along with thousands of other people doing the same thing). Our first night doing this there was a young man (probably 18 or so) that just kept talking to us and asking questions. I honestly can’t remember if he was selling something or not but I think he was at least offering a “trekking guide” which is very popular. We did our best to ignore him but he just kept asking questions and his sweet/funny personality eventually won me and Lindsay over. He quickly realized we were not going to purchase a trek so the conversation turned friendly. We learned that he was from the countryside of Nepal and had come into the city (Kathmandu) to try and make ends meet. He was literally “living on the streets” but said most of the time friends would give him a place to stay. Although this sounds horrible he loved his life. He kept saying how kind people are and how everything always just seems to “work out.” (i.e. he ends up with a place to sleep for the night, food to eat, etc). His English was great and he said he learned it just by talking with tourists which we thought was incredible. He was also very impressed with Lindsay (of course) and kept commenting about her beautiful teeth. After a long conversation with him on the steps of a temple in Durbar Square we eventually learned that his name was “Ratch”, “Rat” or something like that. It was about dinner time so we asked him if he wanted to go for a snack and he jumped at the opportunity. He had a friend whose family owned a little restaurant near the square and we went there for french fries and Coke in a bottle. The restaurant was small, dark and damp but we were having a blast with our new friend “Ratch.” We were just eating french fries, drinking Cokes and laughing at all of the funny things Ratch was saying. His friend that worked at the restaurant was also hilarious. He said he just LOVED the movie Titanic and kept bringing this up and singing the theme song “near…far…wherever you are.” :) Eventually our evening with Ratch came to an end and we went our separate ways. During the next few days we were hoping to catch up with him again but we never did. We did run into his friend from the restaurant who gave us a big smile and “hello.” These chance encounters/friendships with locals are truly one of the things that make traveling so special. We will never forget our friend “Ratch” and the evening we spent with him in beautiful Kathmandu, Nepal.

An Evening to Remember in Moscow Russia

As I have said before, one of our favorite things to do when traveling is to simply “wander.” While visiting Moscow Russia Lindsay and I had one had one of our most memorable “wander sessions” during a beautiful summer night. We had just arrived in the magnificent city of Moscow and were anxious to explore. We took the fantastic metro train right into the heart of the city…Red Square. The sun was just starting to set as we began strolling around the old red brick walls of the Kremlin. The area is full of large trees, gardens, walking paths, etc so it was perfect for walking. Furthermore, because it was early June the flowers were exceptionally bright and everything was green as can be. The area around the Kremlin walls was peaceful and un-crowded but eventually we made our way towards GUM Department Store shopping center which was very lively. There were thousands of other locals and tourists doing exactly what we were doing…enjoying the evening and city. Near the shopping center there is an open plaza with a beautiful fountain. Lindsay and I stopped there for about an hour just taking in the scene around us. Sometimes just stopping and talking in a busy urban place like this is an incredible way to “take in the local flavor.” As the night grew on (it is hard to tell when this happens during the summer time in Russia as it does not get dark until very late) we started to head back towards the metro station but not without stopping by red square to see the incredible Saint Basil’s Cathedral all lite-up. Almost everybody in the world recognizes this colorful cathedral in Moscow but to see it at night all lite-up is truly amazing. Actually, almost all of the beautiful and historical buildings around Red Square are fully lite-up at night (some with Christmas style lights) and there are few urban places in the world that match this beauty. Once we made it to Red Square we indulged in another one of our traveling traditions….getting a Coke. We then just sat on a curb towards the end of the square and just talked, laughed and people watched. Tourists and locals alike would come by in droves to get their picture by the cathedral and it was some of the best people watching spots we have ever had! The whole experience was almost magical and I remember vividly just sitting there and thinking….”I can’t believe I am sitting in Red Square in Moscow Russia.” Eventually the night grew long and Lindsay and I had to make our way back to the hotel. But we will never forget that beautiful summer stroll through Moscow Russia.

The True “Southern Black Church” Experience – Valdese, North Carolina

While serving my mission I had the great pleasure of visiting numerous “black churches” in the south. Just the average Sunday church service is an experience in itself with the band playing, choir singing and people clapping it is almost impossible to not jump up and sing “hallelujah.” I wanted so badly to share this experience with Lindsay and was ecstatic when we found ourselves in Valedese North Carolina on a sunny Sunday afternoon in June 2007. Valdese is home to Mt Zion Baptist Church which was my favorite black church in the mission. As we walked in that Sunday morning I wish so badly that I could have taken a picture of Lindsay’s face. We were literally the only white people (maybe one other person) amongst a tight knit group of black southerners. However, as you would expect they were as accommodating as could be and every single one of them greeted us with a warm smile. They even had us stand up and introduce ourselves in front of the whole congregation. Due to some miscommunication on my part Lindsay stood up to introduce herself right as they were moving on and to this day will not let me live this down. :) The rest of the service included some fantastic songs, great preaching and even some “catching of the spirit” dancing. It really was the ultimate southern black church experience. I truly believe that until a person has experienced this they don’t know what “true worship” is. Lindsay and I will never forget the Sunday we shared with our friends at Mt Zion Baptist Church in Valdese, North Carolina.

Reclining Buddha & Getting Lost in the Markets of Bangkok, Thailand

As I have mentioned before Bangkok was our first international trip outside of Europe. Thus, it was the first time we experienced a true “market” that is so common in most of the world. We had just finished exploring the Grand Palace (I have written about previously) and were simply wandering around the busy streets of central Bangkok. We happen to stumble on the famous “Reclining Buddha” and were blown away by its size and grandeur. This famous statue is gigantic and takes up every square inch of the temple building that houses it. Most Buddha statues show him sitting but reclining Buddha’s (this is not the only one in the world) show him laying on his side. This means they are huge statues and this particular one in Bangkok is one of, if not the, biggest. It is almost impossible to explain how cool it is to walk in and see this gigantic gold platted statue laid out before you. Lindsay and I were blown away by how big just the feet of the statue were. We spent about an hour just admiring this incredible piece of art before continuing on our way. I don’t remember where we were headed but I do remember that we didn’t know how to get there. :) We basically just started wandering to see what we would find. Within only a few minutes we found ourselves walking through one of the coolest markets I have ever seen. Many of the markets in Thailand are commercialized and cater to tourists while also catering to locals. However, this market was strictly for locals and we were the only westerners in site. It was a food market so the locals and vendors were coming/going and busy with their day to day work. Lindsay and I just walked slowly with our eyes wide open trying to take it all in. Again, this was the first international market experience we had ever had and so we were both having a fantastic “travelers high”. To this day we both fondly talk about how cool of an experience it was to wander into such a cool market. We have since seen numerous markets all over the world but this small and busy local food market in Bangkok will always have a special place in our hearts.

A Lunch to Remember in Kathmandu, Nepal

If it weren’t for Lindsay I would probably only eat cheap, and boring, fast food when traveling. Experiencing the local cuisine is such an essential part of traveling but for some reason I am too busy to stop and enjoy. Thankfully Lindsay has shown me the errors of my ways and she always helps us find cheap, but good, local food. For some reason a particular lunch on a sunny summer day in Kathmandu Nepal sticks out to me. We were wondering around the Durbar Square area of the city which is a beautiful collection of temples, monuments, etc (I have written about it before). We were getting hungry and decided to hit up one of the numerous rooftop restaurants that sit on the outskirts of the square. I don’t really remember what made us pick the particular restaurant that we did but I do remember walking up numerous steps before eventually coming out onto a beautiful rooftop full of small tables, plants, etc. There was nobody else up there which usually is a bad sign but this was simply because of the time of day. The sun was shining, the sky was bright and we had a corner table with a beautiful view over Durbar Square and the surrounding hills. We ordered our meal which consisted of Rice, Curry and of course a bottle of Coca Cola. We sat there and ate and enjoyed the incredible view over Kathmandu. Sometimes when traveling it is the simple experiences like this that you remember the most. That summer afternoon meal on the rooftops of Kathmandu is something we will never forget.

Who Wants a Picture of Lindsay?....Everybody in India

While traveling in India both Lindsay and I were shocked to see how popular she was with the locals. We had experienced this a little in the Middle East but it was quite a bit more prevalent in India. To be honest…any westerner is treated like a celebrity in India but if it is a young pretty girl like Lindsay it is twice as bad. Not only did people want pictures with Lindsay but they also wanted their children to be in pictures with her. We first experienced this while sitting near the India Gate landmark in Mumbai. It was our first day and we were just sitting on a bench enjoying the evening. All of the sudden a young couple with a little girl came and just sat her right in Lindsay’s lap. You never know what is going to happen in India and for a split second we though that they may have been giving us their child! :) However, they quickly pulled out their camera and simply wanted their little girl to have a picture sitting next to a westerner. This happened a couple of different times during our trip but it was never as bad as when we were at the Taj Mahal. Lindsay and I were simply sitting on a bench when a young man came up to take a picture with her. Once the other young men in the group saw that Lindsay was okay with this they cam flooding over. At one point there was Lindsay sitting on a bench with about 6 other Indian men all with big smiles on their face. At one point one of the professional photographers that walks around the Taj Mahal (catering to tourists) came over to get some shots. Lindsay was a great sport about the whole thing and just sat there and smiled. After talking with some locals we learned that it is usually the Indian tourists from remote areas of the country that want the pictures. They come in from the countryside to the city (Mumbai, Agra, etc) and for them it is the first time they are seeing an American in person and they just can’t resist getting a picture. Nothing will make you feel more like a celebrity then being a westerner in India and always getting your picture taken...just ask Lindsay.

The “Other Sides” of Jerusalem, Israel

When you think of the ancient city of Jerusalem you probably think of the old city with its ancient landmarks, cobblestone streets and markets. However, Jerusalem is a bustling modern city with numerous districts and neighborhoods worth exploring. Lindsay and I first discovered this by accident after arriving at the busy and chaotic central bus terminal. I decided to follow my “travelers senses” and thought I could walk us from the terminal to Damascus Gate (old city) just based on my memories from studying maps of the city. We started in the direction I thought was correct and within a few minutes we quickly realized we were extremely lost. However, we had wandered into a very unique neighborhood full of orthodox Jews. Almost every person we saw had the black clothing, hat and ringlet hair that is worn by orthodox Jews. The women were also dressed in very traditional Jewish clothing. They were all running errands, picking their kids up from school and staying busy while Lindsay and I just wandered through enjoying the scene. Although we discovered it by accident it was a beautiful and unique area we will never forget. On another occasion we decided to take the short walk from the old city to Ben Yehuda Street which is an area of the city known as “New Jerusalem.” This pedestrian only promenade feels very European and was perfect for people watching and strolling. There were beautiful buildings lining the street, open cafes with people eating/drinking, street performers, etc, etc. It was a fantastic scene and Lindsay and I were simply walking slowly trying to take it all in. It happened to be dinner time and we noticed a falafel place that was very busy. We took this as a good sign and decided to indulge. To this day Lindsay swears that this was the best meal she has ever eaten. We both ended up with a soft bread tortilla type thing filled with warm falafel, lettuce, spices, etc, etc. We just sat on a bench savoring every single byte and truly felt like we were in heaven. As we continued to explore this area we ended up walking through some fascinating neighborhoods full of local street life. There were numerous markets selling fish, food, etc, etc. We wandered through these markets and also explored the fascinating neighborhoods that surrounded them. It is hard to explain what these neighborhoods looked like but it was very similar to a New York City neighborhood yet had a very Middle Eastern feel. Mixed amongst these neighborhoods were plaques that talked about some of the families that had been living in the area for centuries. The entire area had a real “off the beaten path” feel and Lindsay and I were very much enjoying it. On another day Lindsay and I decided to find Oscar Schindler’s grave and started off on our trek to explore (really only knowing the general area where it was located). This took us through some fascinating areas of the city (mostly around the “Jewish Quarter”) and we actually ended up in a very weird grassroots museum about the Holocaust. It was run by a somewhat extremist group and we were the only ones in there which was a bit awkward. The young Jewish man at the entrance was very awkward, and rough around the edges, but we couldn’t resist going in to explorer. When we left I felt extremely bad because it was a non-profit and they asked to “pay what you can” but I only had a few shekels on me. On this particular day we wandered past one of the old gates that leads into the Jewish section of the Old City. There were thousands of bullet marks in the old stone which was a remnant of the intense fighting there during the Six Day War. This was probably one of the coolest sights we saw in Jerusalem as it was so raw. It was also on this walk that we saw numerous school groups (little kids) being led along by a teacher and followed by an armed guard (with a huge gun). This was quite the sight and really gave Jerusalem a very “intense” feeling. We ended this particular wandering route by looking through a vast cemetery for the grave of Oskar Schindler (man made famous for his “list” which saved numerous Jews during the Holocaust). All we knew is that his tombstone had numerous rocks placed on top which is a sign that numerous faithful Jews have offered prayers here. We eventually found it and took a few moments to pay our own respects to this amazing man. Although the highlight of Jerusalem is the old city there are numerous other neighborhoods very worthy of exploration. It truly is a unique and beautiful city that Lindsay and I hope to return to someday.