Chapter 9: In which Shantzy Pants briefly enjoys some Nepali jazz before heading home early due to Maoist activities

Well, again I have used a good opening line as my title and so find it mildly awkward to begin my post. So basically yeah, that’s what happened. I'm safe and sound at Faris' house but we did have to make a quick exit from the jazz club (cool to hear Nepalis playing jazz although these particular guys weren't super heavy) when Faris and the other embassy guys got calls telling us to just go home and not risk any encounter with the rowdy Maoists. The Maoists had an ideology once but now are just thugs basically (so I'm told). It seems they are both a cause and expression of the general frustration that many Nepalis feel due to the things I mentioned in my last post.
But I've began at the end of the day. First thing I did was visit Pasupathinath which is the holiest Hindu sight in Nepal. It is a steep river valley with a large main temple and many smaller temples almost all dedicated to Shiva who is the destroyer/recreate in Hinduism. It is also where Hindus from the surrounding area bring their dead to be cremated. Hindu practice is to burn the deceased’s body within 24 hours of death. We (Sandesh and I) saw one cremation from about 30 feet away and ended up breathing in some of the smoke which I thought later was weird. But breathing strange smoke has been par for the course so far on my trip East. We then followed our tour guide (who I paid way too much at the end) clockwise throughout the part of the site where non-Hindus were allowed. I'll post some pictures once I can siphon them out of my camera.
Next stop after lunch was Patan Durbar Square where one to the past royal families lived when Kathmandu was divided into three kingdoms. From the highest part of the square you could see down its length with the Himalayas in the back ground. Fortunately it was a very clear day with a great view. Again in this square was a series of temples dedicated to various Hindu gods and one to Krishna. There are Kama Sutra depictions carved into the facades which out guide told us were intended as instructions for the very young newlyweds of that time. The scenes are really wild and carved in stone as part of a holy temple, which is a concept completely foreign to the kind of religion I'm used to. But hey, no judgments from me, we're all people trying to understand things much bigger than ourselves.
I stocked up on winter gear on the way back for my hike tomorrow. Fleece hat, gloves, shirt, long undees (with designer labels, maybe made in the same factory as the real brands) and wool socks for 18 bucks. So I'm all set. I hike up to Nagrakot, a city on a ridge with an unobstructed view of the real mountains. Then I stay overnight and head down to Bhaktapur the next day. I got a new compact flash card since my camera was running out of dubious pictures to delete.
love,
Andrew

Cahpter 8: In which Shantzy Pants goes to Nepal

Warning: Spell check is currently out of commision. The following post will assuredly contain spelling errors. This stems from a disinterest is spelling during my formative period that has crippled my subsiquent efforts in this regard. Becoming a good speller currently ranks number 724 on my list of things to do in life with little prospect of increased priority. Hence I will just take the lazy way out and apologize up front.

Hello, I am now in Nepal. Kathmandu. I'm being enthusiastically hosted by my good friend Faris who hosted our jazz group in Yemen in 2006 (on behalf of the American Embassy there). He is now stationed here and its just a 45 minute flight from Kolkata so here I am. Tomorrow Faris' driver will take me around to see the sights. Faris made a list of things to see in the morning (which he has already seen plenty of times) and then he'll join me at lunch time to visit some other spots that would be of interest to him.
My first impression of Nepal and Kathmandu is that the people are a very interesting blend of ethnicities and appearences. Many look quite Indian and many look quite North East Asian (aka "Chinese" for those less inclined to polical correction).
And everyone else is somewhere in between.
Nepali is apparently similar to Bangla although I don't speak enough Bangla to fake speaking Nepali. Hindi is also widely spoken but I don't speak enough Bangla to fake Hindi to Nepalis either. Faris' driver Sandesh is Nepali so he'll be able to help me out.
Faris is in charge of visa applications to the US so he's told me a bit about the visa scene. Its really difficult in a lot of ways since so many people want to get to the US, often despirately. There is -a lot- of tension here. Maoist rebels (rather unpopular but still able to cause trouble), not great infrastructure (frequent power cuts) its tense, but no violence in the steet (I knocked some wood just there).
In two days I'll hike of to Nagrakot and Bhaktapur. Nagrakot is up on the rim of the valley where Kathmandu sits. I'll most likely hike up there, stay over night and hike down to Bhaktapur. The next day. Faris says Bhaktapur is and old city with mountains, which sounds pretty killin to me.
I running out of camera space so I'm contemplating buying another compact flash card (for those I haven't told, which could be all of you I guess, I managed to leave my camera's usb cable in the US so I can't off load the photos until I get home). If I get completely stuck I'll just have to bite the bullet since the super small usb cable that fits this has proven impossible to find so far.
Other upcoming highlights: Tibetan New Year celebrations in the Tibetan neighborhood of Boudha.
take care y'all,
Andrew

Chapter 7: In which Shantzy Pants attends day 1 and 3 or an Indian wedding

Raphael and I went along with Guruji to the first and third day of the 5 day wedding of one of Guruma's nephews. It was held in Kalyani which is a smaller town about 2 hours north of Kolkata. Day one was quite interesting since that was when most of the ceremony took place, although we left before the main part started at 2:00am. It was very decentralized compared to an American wedding where everyone sits and watches everything. I guess since things are drawn out over almost a week then you can't expect people to sit quietly through the whole thing. We saw the preparation of the groom and then rode along behind the entourage as it arrived at the hall where the ceremony would be. As you might know or expect things were very colorful. The bride dresses primarily in red with super elaborate make up. The groom wheres really fine traditional dress. They both have large pointed and decorated hats. (I have pictures of course but they are currently trapped in my camera since I don't have the right usb cable to load them anywhere.)
Guruji had a concert on day two of the wedding so we returned for that. It was really great. I'm able to understand Hindustani music better and appreciate more about it which is a lot of fun. Like I've said its concert season and all the heavy musicians are playing very regularly here.
I'll be heading to Nepal from Feb. 5th through 10th and then most likely returning to the USA on the 14th. I'll pick up my harmonium this week. I ordered it near the time I arrived and so its ready by now.
Take care,
Shantzy Pants

Chapter 5: In which Shantzy Pants plans a trip to Nepal and decides he will shorten his India trip but isn't too sad about it as he will explain...

Well as my title says I'll be shortening my trip by about two weeks, due to under-estimating expenses but I'm only a little bummed for the following reasons:
1. India will always be here and next time I come I'll be in a better position to make the most of my trip since I will know a lot more about what to expect, etc.
2. More key is the fact that I really feel like I've already learned the most important lesson that I could have learned here which has to do with an acceptance and in fact appreciation of discomfort. I think I've had a certain belief that when I'm uncomfortable then something must be wrong. For example, if I'm short on sleep or, hungry or just not at rest then that means something is not right with my situation. However I've come to accept that life is only half-comfort able at best and that is the natural way of things, so really maybe if I am actually comfortable that might even be a problem. Anyway I feel like this has been a mental block that has kept me from being as productive as I would like since exerting ones self to be productive can be quite uncomfortable.
So I'm actually excited to come home and put this new world view into practice with my various endeavors.
I'm going to go to Nepal for a few days to visit my good friend Faris and his wife. Faris invited our jazz group to come to Yemen in 2006 where he was stationed at the American embassy. Now he is stationed at the embassy in Nepal which is a 45 minute flight thats not too expensive. I'll return to Kolkata for a few days before I leave since Guruji suggested it would be best to finish my trip with my studies instead of directly after traveling since I would retain more info.
There is a big music festival happening now called Dover Lane. Its gone all night for the last three nights and tonight is the last night. I'll be there til the end tonight at about 5:30 am. The all night concert is a fixture of concert season here. They cram a whole season's worth of shows into two months from mid Dec to mid Feb.
Wish I could write more. Looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Andrew

Chapter 4: In which Shantzy Pants is struck by the dreaded Dehli Belly

Well, the title tells most of the story of the last few days. I'm a bona fide Indian traveling now. Still recovering so this will be a short post but dew to some goading from my brother about "real bloggers" posting more often I thought I should give an update. At this point I'm considering shortening my trip a bit since if I stay the full two months I won't have money to travel. I want to make it to Khapmandu and the Darjeeling area. Some of the most valuable lessons I've learned so far aren't even about music but more attitude and how for me comfort was over-rated. I'm learning the benefits of avoiding it and how that can help one accomplish more.
Various things: The people in our neighborhood all chip in to hire a Nepali warrior guy to walk around at night with a whistle and a bamboo rod to break up stray dog fights.
Definition of tout: someone who sees you're a foreigner and tries to get some cash off of you by being of service somehow. This usually entails demanding to know what you are looking for and taking you to find it even if they have absolutely no idea what it is or where to find it. After wasting your time they get angry or frustrated when you aren't interested in giving them any money and then they tell you you are going to die soon. Synonyms for tout: pain in the neck, jerk

Well I'm afraid thats all for now. Gotta go rest up a bit.

Chapter 3: In which Shantzy Pants considers a new posting title format

Hey All,
I've continued having a great time here. Last night I had the honor of playing nagma with Guruji during a lesson with his tabla students. Nagma is the steady repeated accompaniment to tabla improv that outlines the rhythmic cycle. It was a real challenge but Guruji said I did well and that I can play nagma for him when he does concerts in the US in July, which is a huge honor, although a somewhat overwhelming prospect. Maybe I'll be comfortable then if I stary preparing now.
I thought last time that I should include some details about how things go over here to give a feel for the place. I forgot my notes so I'll include more later...
There is *a lot* of air pollution. It settles on everything and turns my snot black.
Sorry to be so graphic but its pretty rough. I keep my windows closed in my room most of the time to keep it out. The streets are a complete jungle too. I avoid crossing whenever possible. Even walking on the side is a hassle since you have to choose between the gutter on your left and bikes, rikshaws, autorikshaws, motorcycles, cars and buses on your right. Thats the worst of it along with the touts downtown. Any non-Indian stands out like a giant bird on the bus (I didn't want to say sore thumb) so there are a lot of stares. But there aren't any touts in Tollygunj since its not a tourist area. I went to my lesson yesterday which is near a famous Hindu temple so there were a lot of people calling things out to me. Go here, do I want this, etc. Its the most annoying thing here.
One of the biggest challenges for me with Indian music is sitting in half-lotus position. Its hard and it hurts and I have to sit for a half-hour at a time to practice voice then the same for harmonium. I have to unfold myself every five minutes or so to relax.
Well well, there is no obvious place to end this post since there is so much to write about. Until next time...
love,
Shantzy Pants

Chapter 2: In which Shantzy Pants finds his way to a much better living situationa and enjoys great Indian music and hospitality

Hey Friends and Fam, Lots of positive developments since I posted last. I've found my way to Tollygunj where I'm living in a flat with my friend Raphael and another cool guy named Sam, an ethnic Indian from South Africa. The flat is owned by Raphael's guru Samar Saha (Shah'-mahr Shah'-hah). Here he is with one of his other diciples named Bilal to the left. Guruji and his wife have treated me like family since I arrived in Tollygunj, which is a much more pleasant although not wealthy neighborhood in south Kolkata. Its where most of the Bengali (as far as language/ethnicity not the same as Bangladeshi) film industry is located and where almost all the major musicians in Kolkata live. The Sudder St/downtown area where I started out is super harsh by comparison as far as far as noise, traffic and tout issues are concerned. So I'm really glad to be here.
I got to actually play harmonium for the first time last night. Guruma (formal term for Guruji's wife, ji or da is added to people's names to show respect) invited/told me to try her's. She is a prominant light-classical vocalist and she said she will teach me vocal music until I start my harmonium lessons with my teacher Hironmai (Hih-rohn'-moy). I made a formal request to Guruji to connect me with a harmonium teacher and he said he would set me up with Hironmai who is the same person that Ehren had put me in touch with before I came. So I'll start tomorrow. I'm looking forward to buying or ordering a harmonium.
We've gone to concerts everyday since I got here although not today. Yesterday we saw and amaizing (sorry if thats spelled wrong. There is no auto-speller on this computer and I'm having enough trouble with the worn-out keyboard to concern myself with spell-check) tabla player named Shubankar Banerjee.

Well I lookforward to hearing from you all by email or blog comment. Take care,
Andrew

Chapter 1: In which Shantzy Pants arrives in Kolkata and eats Rajastani food

Hey, I am sitting in the I-Way internet cafe about 4 blocks from my current hotel. I've been in the downtown area of Kolkata for the last few hours. I've managed to check into my hotel, find a really killin meal of Rajastani food (more details to follow on that) and just walk around a little bit. I'm feeling quite comfortable here. Its easy to get around in english, although I look forward to getting more familiar with the social graces and customs. My hotel is what you might expect for the cheap price I paid, but I have my own bathroom and I wiped everything with some lysol just for fun.
I'm going to try to buy a set of my own sheets tonight (no offence to ye olde Hotel VIP Intercontinental but from what I've learned recently about hotels even in wealthy countries makes me want to be a little more thorough).
Lunch was at the Teej Restaurant. I had a platter of Rajastani sauces, grains and curries. They also brought me a buttermilk drink that I wish I could have had more than a tiny sip. I ate -with only my right hand of course- by tearing off a piece of flat fried bread with crushed lentils inside. The best part of it was two cooked flour dishes that I was told to mix together and then dip in dahl. A little sweet and at the same time dahlish. Mmmm...
Tonight I'm going to see a performance by Samar Saha, tabla guru to my friend Raphael who I was fortunate to get to hang out with on the way here since we had the same flight from Dubai to Kolkata.
I'm still working on arranging a harmonium teacher. More on that in future posts.
Take care y'all I hope to talk to you soon,
Andrew