Homeward Bound

Well, I came in here to write some final thoughts on the eve of my return home, but can not quite remeber now because of the heavy gas fumes from the generator running in the room. I changed my flight a few days earlier in time to arrive for my good friends Vaughn and Karen's shotgun wedding on the 17th, and wish them the best on their new life that is growing day by day inside the womb. The power is off (as usual) here in Kathmandu. I will begin, but if the text goes to akjlfgfjghdfkgjdfhjkgvbfdkvjdfvbhdfjkvd, you know that I fell asleep do to carbon monoxide poisoning, and my head if stuck on the keyboard.
After spending a few days doing nothing but relaxing in Pokhara, I returned here to the big old capital. The ride should have been only 6 hours but turned out t be 12. There was some rock debris on the road, and just unusual congestion from some recent rains. But mainly it seems that Nepal has these invisible traffic jams that back things up for hours. Usually, there is an accident, or something that people slow down for to get a peek of some other human dead or in discomfort that backs the whole road up. But here, you pass this moment where there are other people in the other lane with there heads poking out of the window too, and you both look at each other as if to say "Is that all we are slowing down for...a peek at you!" as you inch by each other.
I have been wearing a bandana around my face for the past three days in Kathmandu, as it is just too much to bear without it. I picked up my first taailored suit (don't worry I am not going corporate) that I was fitted for before I left. Truth is, the taailors are excellent and the price is even better, and don't want to have to keep borrowing my brothers...now just pray that I can continue to avoid situations that require me to put on a noose...I mean tie around my neck. I went with the tailor's son, Suraj, to a screening of a documenatry about traditional Nepalese music, as he plays the sitar. Other than that Kathmandu has been pretty uneventful.
So some long thank-you's back from the beginning, in chronological order:

Swiss Robert for showing me your wonder-boat, Enes the Zimba Taxi-driver for the free rides, Robert Dauncey in Simonstown for the lift from the train station, Barbara for picking me up hitching on my very last attempt...changed the WHOLE direction, A HUGE thank you to Kent and Landy in Castle Rock....impossible to have done it without your generosity, Zimba Robert (not Mugabe) for the great walks/talks, Jaco and Peter the slick used car sales men for teaching me, Jay & Debbie & Maya, Grant for the CDS, Dave for the accent, Chris for the good cheer, Tim for proving that good philosophers still exist!, Gary Streiker, Neil the incredble mechanic, Micheal and the Malawians also great Mechanics, Patrick the gas staion manager in Fishook, the Fishook Library staff, Brahm for the Nissan Bakkie, The Nissan Bakkie for being the Nissan Bakkie, the hyperactive muslim man who sold me the canopy for the truck, the Elands in Cape National Park, the electrician who quietly made soup for everyone at the Longstreet Backpacker, Sean for picking me up hitching, his mother Maureen for the incredible lesson in selflessness, the men and women at TeddyBear care for allowing me to work with them (hope your reelin in the rand on the rockin chairs!), the little boy at the campground in Swellendam who was so excited to follow me around with eternal curiosity, Chris and Linda Bodges and the Webster, Joey, Hope, and Jeremy what a fantastic time that was, Moses the woodcarver, Angis for allowing me to build the railing at his hotel, Wendy at the Kolstead bed and breakfast, Edward in Lestotho: hope you are enjoying the bakkie!, James in Quachas Nek for his laugh, Edward's mother...ride on, the village that I stopped at and played a concert in Lesotho, Kiso in Maseru, Blessing the Zimba drummer, Rob and family at the Johanasberg airport hotel, Mr. Fantastic for the tour of Jo'Burg, The Frankfurt bankteller for your rare happiness in daily work, Marianne Romeo for being Marianne Romeo, Wonder the world's wisest security gate man, the Tashenini liquor store gang, the zebra at the hotel for letting me finally pet stripes instead of solids, the Tashenini School for my largest audience yet!, the surly Kruger National Park receptionists for teaching me patience, the giraffes, lions, and especially the warthogs, Bambu at Fatimas in Maputo: a huge help dialing in the place and for our great converstaions, Oscar: the Mozambican Buddah, Armando for forgiving me for locking the gate, the Maputo baker for hot bread, Taju and his brother Abu for such kindness, Vivo the security guard with the golden heart, Nuclio de Arte, Ana, Dino, Dan, and everyone at Justicia Ambiental, Carlos Bento, Joaquim for the teaching us Maputo, Yassim at Turkish School of Maputo for giving us an interview and offering us a job on the spot even though we came to the wrong place!, Patricino for the interview, the Qualimane airport debriefing office, Emilio for the exorbinant quote on the airplane and teaching me love for all!, Amaral the airplane mechanic and the pilot (i forgot your name) of the crop duster....true gentlemen, Jessica, William and the migrant Zimbas of Marremeu, the hotel help who washed my car, "The Proffesor" for his wonderful inquisitive nature, Morris who told Marianne about the great stop on the way to Marremeu, Jean-Marc and his wild dogs, the woman (forgot her name too) and her baby Blessed in the Mutare hotel (your baby has the right name!), the incredible security guard John at the same hotel for warming the hot water by fire for our showers, Oliver Mutukusi my hero, Sam Mutukutsi, Never Mpofo for introducing me the world's musical oyster, everybody at ZMC for the hospitality and memorable business meeting, Micheal the gatekeeper, Flora and the crew at the Baobab Guest house, Slyvano for the records-God Bless you, Emmanuel for the wisdom, the Zimababwe National Art Gallery, the police for letting me go for speeding, the immigration officer for selling us icecream, Harriet in Zambia, the Zambian basket weavers, the nice couple who let us camp in Namibia next to the river where I thought we would certainly be eaten by hippos in the night, the Botswana immigration who waved our entrance fees for a few songs, Tico and the Predator Conservation crew and tireless work, Craig in Tuli, the mechnics in Maun for a delightful day, the cop for grilling me on speeding-I honestly was only goes 75 that day, the Florida Hotel and chuby security guard, the guy who helped dry the distributor cap when we went river rafting in the truck, the South African Immigration for extending my visa, the wacky pyschodelic flamboyant hotel, the guys in the Johanasburg art shop for the fair trading, Aklilio the Adis Ababa shoeshiner/saint, Ady and Feven friends forever, Johnny the mover and shaker, Yerga for the one night out on the town, Danny for the kindness, Ben for the rich company, Geten for the tea, Eden for her genuine helpfullness, Job even though I never bought you a soda, Thomas the lost Rastafarian, the wonderful women at the Tel Aviv inn who nursed me back to health, Florian and Andrea good travel companions, all of the goats and cows for their courage, the guy on the bus who fought for me to get my money back when the bus driver tried to rip me off, Jesus, Mohamed, Buddah, Jan in the Amsterdam airport for the very accurate map to the art supply store, Jeremiah the wise waiter in the Nairobi Int. Airport lounge, The Kenyan Immigration department for listening to my music, the entire airport staff in Kenya for making me feel at home, Min Min and the Burmeese fishermen, the 8 radical Pakistani Muslims for the discourse, Gil for the surfboard in Mahambo, the entire village of Mahambo, all of the Antananrivo prostitutes for reminding us that life can be a struggle, Mami for the hotel guidence, Patrick the Belgium business man, Luke the world's greatest shuttle driver, Edmund at Zanataney and all of his many wifes and children, Alexa for the her hard work, Dade the grumpy baby, Chez Urich for the tre bien poisson, Stephane for the drunk jargon, Ben, Janic the French friendly pirate, Modest for the diligence, the internet guy in Fenorivo, Nehema and the Evangelicals for putting me up for the night and allowing Jesus to possibly save me (just kidding!), the airport cab driver-I honesty had no more money for a tip, the very friendly Russian consular in the Moscow airport, Diana for making a day stuck in an airport go by quick, Olga the Russian adventurer, the taxi driver in the Kyrgystan airport for again teaching me patience when getting ripped off, the German couple for breakfast and my last cigarette, Turksbek for the incredbible Audi-cab ride, the Asanova family for the deep well of artistic inspiration, the Russina ladies at the Hot Spring, the Kirghiz nomads, the women who knitted the wool socks, Valentino the surly Russian, the lesson in the friovilous material goods given by the Aeroflot staff in Bishkek, Tshering Chopel in the Pisang Monastery, Kalzung- I cant even imagine 9 years of solitude, all the monks of Pisang, all of the monks everywhere, the himalyas, Eti the couargeous Isreali woman, Louis the deaf adventurer, the monks at the Shechen monastery for the delicious apple juice, the Dalai Lama, Soresh the taylor, Surjev for the music, the staff at Madhabun Hotel, Marina the Brazilain teacher, Yaer the Isreali computer man, my guitar (actually my brother's), and all you good people who took the few moments out of your busy life to read this. May the world keep spinning! Till soon, jg