Good Saturday, March 2008 Kathmandu.

So, yesterday was like the longest day. All day wondering and waiting to see what the tube has to say about the situation in Tibet. One just knows that the "human rights" is going to be absymal based on the past actions of the PLA of China. I'm sure every nun condemned to Lhasa and other parts of Tibet is just thrilled to be living in such an environment. For me, I first was introduced to the issue of political/religious rights in Cambodia, of all places. Cambodia is the the country where the Khymer Rouge actually wanted to "exterminate" the middle classes and those Cambodians who had had contact with a Westerner who could read. Before the world stepped in to stop the insanity, 3 million Cambodians had been "exterminated" and thrown into the pits outside of Phnom Penh now called the Killing Fields. So many were thrown into these pits, one has to wonder what might have happened to the earth during the decay. There were no standards.

What are the Chinese going to do to the Tibetans, the monks and nuns especially because they follow the religious life and the Chinese are avowedly against anything religious? Most activities are banned and anybody caught meditating on a Tibetan Tankha is thrown in jail and tortured. So what is going to happen now? Will the oversears start being like the Khymer Rouge were in S-21 and lie to the world about it for as long as it will hold out? Why are all outside, independant voices of verification continue to be banned and the only version is the "Chinese version"?

I know some people feel that the world is better prepared to deal with these genocides but I am not so convinced because we have failed to stop anything from going forward. Right now there is Darfur and Tibet. Two very different cultures in very different parts of the world. but both the victim of the same backer.

I remember saying at Simon's on Boengkok Lane that it was quite a trick to pull off 2 genocides; 1 in Cambodia and 1 in Tibet without ever having to admit anything. This is what is going on today; China seems engaged in a policy of altering the perceptions of the viewer in order to persuade one to believe their version of the story. Why can't all sides be equally informed? Why only bias?

These are my thoughts for today.

Kathmandu: Thursday, March 13, 2008

The day I arrived back from SE Asia was quite a surprise. I left Bangkok, the warm, sunny organized Bangkok to Kathmandu and in the cold rain, dark and no electricity. Most of us international travelers had to be processed in the dark. It was the fastest I have ever gotten through Customs. I asked for a 60 Day T Visa and got it in about 15 minutes; everybody knew what they wanted and got through pretty quickly. Then one of the representatives from the Hotel Blue Horizon helped me get a taxi and, boy, was I glad because they were asking too much in the rain. Then I got back to my flat in the dark so I went to the Blue Horizon. Binod was still there and I was glad to see him. We talked a bit about such big changes in Nepal from December to now and then I had some dinner and went home in the dark and cold. It is a good thing too because my flat had a nice layer of sooty dirt after being vacant for the 3 months that I could not see. It was pretty cold too; or, at least, for me.

Coming in from being away for the 3 months really gave me an insight into how difficult things are now in Nepal. Is this a pre-phase of somekind? I have had lots of good discussions with friends about this. The "loadshedding" with the utility is really a killer for business; nobody wants to spend a lot of money here in Thamel any more because the lights are turned off 48 hours in a 6 day span and you get the feeling that the Tourism is on the brink. The bulk of the loadshedding hours are during the work day. Something has really knocked the Nepalese off Center big time.

I have read back through the Thailand/Cambodian thoughts and am quite pleased with what I said.

I also stick with Hillary for President. The campaign is getting pretty acrimonious and I like the way Hillary tries to manouever herself through the political minefields. Chop chop here; chop chop there; chop chop everywhere.

These are my thoughts for today.

Sunday, March 2, 2008: Bangkok, Thailand

Tomorrow, I am going back to Kathmandu for 5 months. Or, at least, that is the plan for the moment. I need to find a place to store the things from my flat. I have decided that I want to go back to Cambodia to volunteer in Children's Services and spend some time at the beach. I might do a little traveling around SE Asia, but I cannot say for certain.

Impressions of the trip are still pretty strong and, compared to all of the time spent in India, this trip went really well. I especially like Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville; but I had a pretty interesting stay on Koh Mak and Trat too. Koh Mak is very close to the Cambodian border and was affected by the recent history in Cambodia. Trat is a traditional Thai town that is pretty laid back and peaceful. I stayed at Pop Guest House, a nice friendly place. Trat is starting to attract people who want a little more of a spiritual experience when they come to Thailand than the beaches. I also met some people who stay there for long periods of time and like it a lot.

As for spiritual experiences - this trip, the whole thing, has been really good and I am convinced that I need to become a Buddhist learner. I suffered such a set-back in India with the 70's Bangalore scene, but that is all in the past; it does not seem to have done any damage to my spiritual self, so I won't worry about that. In this sense, all the work with the monks is really a good thing for them and me, I know this is not a good attitude to have but what to do.

About the election in America, I am still praying for Hillary to win because, to me, both Obama and McCain are not really good choices. They may seem very politically savvy, but not necessarily politically correct. It does not matter whether something is politically correct or not, but I thought I would mention it just the same. In addition, it seems to me that Obama is a little bit like the Pied Piper who led the masses over the cliff. He seems to think he has some kind of messianic message for his followers and they sure are getting out to vote for him. Boy, what kind of an America will that make.

So, these are my brief thoughts for today.