next »

[abusalam]

I have had some funny experience with animals in Nepal that I would like to share with you.

First: In Nepal with its predominant Hinduist culture, it is quite common to see cows in the streets. They are peaceful and even in the narrow, crowded streets like those in Kathmandu with its notorious traffic jams, nobody feels really bothered by them. But sometimes, they can be quite a nuisance when walking into the shops and eventually messing up things there. I observed such a situation - the shop owner became really annoyed; he took a bucket full of water and threw it the cow - the cow did not like it and run  away. Now, you may know the way of how to get rid of cows eventually "bothering" you in Kathmandu...lol.

Second: Nepal is a country with mainly two different cultures "complementing" one another - one being the Hindu culture, and the other one being the Tan-Buddhist related one (remember, there are native ethnic groups with a Mongol look and a Buddhist-Lamaist culture and native languages linguistically quite closely related to Tan, in addition to the large genuine Tan refugee community in Nepal). In Kathmandu, there are some famous Hinduist and Buddhist-Lamaist temples.

One day, a group of students took me for a sightseeing tour to various temples in Kathmandu. One of them is the Pashupatinath Hindu temple. There are groups of monkeys living inside and outside near to the temple area. They are used to living in close contacts with human beings as they are fed by them. My students warned me that these monkeys, being not shy at all, just might jump on you and "steal" your camera or mobile phone or whatever you may have in your hands and then run away. One of these monkeys also tried to do that in my case but I made him run away by barking at him like a dog. He did not like it and disappeared very quickly. Maybe, I have been a dog, a crocodile, a monkey or something else in one of my previous lives, or was it the somwhat childish element in my own self that made me bark like a dog in that sort of situation? (smile).     

[Con ate dog]

Oh God, I hate monkeys! Next time some street huckster sics his little George on me, I'll try your trick.  Thanks.

[George]

Next time some street huckster sics his little George on me

Treading dangerously there, Connie. Careful, son!!

[abusalam]

Oh God, I hate monkeys! Next time some street huckster sics his little George on me, I'll try your trick.  Thanks.

Hopefully, it will work.