Crosstown Traffic

I think that one of the most shocking aspects of Nepal was the traffic. Triston picked us up at the airport when we first arrived. As soon as we left the parking lot, we were confronted with the crazy driving conditions.

There is an endless cacophony of horn-blowing. And because horns serve such a vital function, there seems to be an unwritten contest over who can procure the loudest horn. It's almost as if the buses could move some of the small cycles merely using the sound waves generated from their horns.

In addition to the noise, cars and buses constantly cross the seemingly non-existent center line. It's like a mass of drunken teenager drivers playing chicken with each other. Then there's the pedestrians. I guess there is really no safe way to get across the street through this insane traffic, so most people just stroll across at their whim without looking and without (it seems) any regard for their lives. If this wasn't enough, you have animals to deal with as well. Stray dogs often chase after you. Duck and chickens waddle through all the traffic, while cows and buffalo stand defiantly still in the middle of the road.

And when I say "road", please don't envision what you have come to consider a road in the US. Many of the roads in Nepal are not even asphalt, but merely dirt. They are full of potholes, puddles, rocks, ruts along the side and countless other obstacles. Oh yeah, traffic flow and steering wheels are on the opposite side from what an American expects. With a constant cascade of close calls, your reflexes often want to kick in and send you in the "wrong" direction. Because Kathmandu is a valley, the auto pollution is quite bad. We found ourselves nauseous from the fumes and the vigorous riding, so we ended up buying some breathing masks to help.

Put all of this together and it is an overwhelming experience to a foreign visitor. Here is a short clip that I took while riding in the car:

This clip is fairly benign for several reasons:

• it is a main, paved road,
• we were in a car (bikes are much crazier),
• traffic was light at the time I recorded it,
  
• and there were not many animals in the road.

We spent very little time in the car though. Along with the majority of Nepalis, we traveled almost exclusively on motorcycles. It is infinitely easier to navigate through all of the potholes, pedestrians, animals and other vehicles on a bike. On average, we probably drove the bikes about three hours a day.

Despite all of this, I found the driving to be quite fun. It was like an adrenaline-filled video game trying to navigate the bike through all of this. It was taxing though and we couldn't keep it up for too long. After a while, we would need to stop, catch our breathe and rest.

In many ways, I see the Nepali traffic as a metaphor of my life in the US. Having been back for little over a week, I already find myself caught up in all that my life demands. There are numerous obstacles to navigate. Despite my best efforts to traverse through the day, things often seem to fly at me from out of nowhere, requiring immediate attention. But all of this "action" also makes my life enjoyable and exciting.

Don't get me wrong, I know that I am truly blessed and wouldn't change anything about my life. I think the challenge (and the lesson I hope to learn from this analogy) is knowing when to stop and take a break. Just like the Nepali traffic, it is fun and exciting but too much can drain you. It is so easy to get so caught up in all that needs doing, that we forget to take breaks. This in turn depletes the enjoyment we get from it and makes us more susceptible to the dangers involved.

I spent one day at a hotel in Nepal, just chilling out with my sons and my friend. There was no agenda. We just hung out, played badminton and cards, gazed at the Himalayas, laughed and had a good time. Of course the surroundings helped; but this was such a special time for me. It was so peaceful to just hang out with my boys without obligations breathing down my neck. I want that more. I want to learn to take those breaks from all the hustle and bustle. It's hard to do at times but they are so beneficial.

The Longest Hour

We had a crazy exit from Thailand. We stayed at a beach resort about two hours south of the Bangkok airport. Our flight out was not until 7:30 PM, so we checked out of the resort, stored our bags and did a little more site seeing.

We went to a crocodile farm that was a lot of fun. We fed some crocs by dangling some meat on a string and a stick. It was a hoot. Their jaws would slam together with such force and make this large snapping sound. There were elephants, birds, tigers and many other animal attractions there as well. There was also a show with a guy doing all kinds of stupid stuff with the crocodiles. He was kissing them and putting his head in their mouths. Then he would tickle them with a stick and they would snap. I was wondering how often they have to replace this fella.

I had schedule a car to pick us up at the resort and take us to the airport. We got some heavy rain right before he came to get us. Since we had checked out, all of our dry clothes were packed in the luggage. On the way out of the beach town, the main road was flooded with about 16 inches of water. I thought, "Oh No, we are not going to make it to the airport." We managaed to get through it though. (I couldn't believe the cars, and even scooters, were driving through this.) Because of this, traffic was very slow and we made it to the airport just in time.

We went through all the baggage and passport checks, boarded the plane and settled in to the small plane seats with out damp clothes for the longest hour of our lives. We left Bankok at 7:45PM and arrived in Los Angelos an hour later at 8:45PM. Of course, the flight durations was actually sixteen hours long! I'm having trouble just getting my mind around the concept. The rest of my body is even further behind.

We had some issues with our international flight being rescheduled at the last minute. We tried valiantly to transfer in LA and come all the way home but couldn't make it happen. AirTran wanted over 600 dollars to get an earlier flight. So, we stuck with our original (Tuesday morning) flight, got a rental car, drove to San Diego and got a cheap hotel. Boy did that hot shower feel good after that long flight.

Today, we went down to the beaches, rented some bikes and road around. We had a good time and got to see another beautiful area of our country. But, we have been jet-lag challenged and we are all ready to get home. The boys just fell asleep and I am ready to do the same. We wake up tomorrow, drive back to LA airport and fly home. Ah, home sweet home! We have had an amazing trip but we are also very excited to get home.

I hope to blog about the trip at least once more when we get home and settle in. I am so grateful to be able to make this trip with my boys. There was a lot of bonding time with Sam and Dan and we experienced so many things. One of the main thoughts that I have taken from this is a greater appreciation for the blessings in my life. Of course, my family is at the top of that list. I can hardly wait until this time tomorrow when we are all united again. Goodnight.

More Fun Today

Well, we had another fun-filled day here in Thailand. We are certainly getting our adrenaline fix here. Today we went to the Lakeland Cable Ski Park. Have you ever heard of cable skiing? It's pretty neat. It is basically just like water skiing except, instead of being pulled by a boat, you are pulled by a cable and pulley system.

It is all done in a lake. In the center of the lake there is an oval cable circuit. It rotates around the lake at 28 mph. There is a control booth that can hook ropes to it at different intervals. You hold onto one of the ropes on a launching platform. When it engages, it yanks you off the platform and away you go around the lake.

You can use a knee-board, wake-board, saucer or skis. It was so much fun. After cable skiing for two hours, we were all pretty worn out. We got back to the hotel and Sam and I went out on the beach for a Thai massage. It felt incredible after being so sore from holding on the the cable ropes.

The price of a massage here is only 200 Baht (about 6 US Dollars) for one hour. We were on a little patio about 25 feet from the gulf. There was a nice breeze and you could hear the waves crashing. Thai massages are different. They twist and stretch your body in all kinds of ways. Despite my horrible flexibility, I found myself contorted like a pretzel quite often. I don't know how she did it. It kind of reminded me of Superman when he bends a bar of steel. Surprisingly, I felt very relaxed afterward.

We have half the day here tomorrow and then we travel back to the Bangkok airport for a 5:00 pm flight back to the US.

Too Much Fun?

We left Nepal yesterday around noon. Thank you Dyers for an amazing visit. It was so neat to spend time with you, experiencing your country and ministry.

After a short three and a half hour flight we reached Bangkok, Thailand. When I planned the trip months ago, I decided to stay in Thailand a few days. It was a free stop for the airfare and hotel accommodations are very inexpensive. So it was a chance to experience yet another part of the world for next to nothing.

I booked a beach resort about two hours south of Bangkok. We had a Mercedes SUV limo take us from the airport to the hotel. It was a plush, air-conditioned ride and we watched a movie on the trip. The resort is extremely nice as well. However, it is a "second honeymoon" kind of place -- very remote and quite. We checked in pretty late last night, but by 10AM this morning we had grown disenchanted by the serene, tranquil environment.

To help expel some of our "youthful" energy, I found a place that rented ATVs and booked us for a two-hour tour in the early afternoon. What a hoot! My western expectations were completely overturned. In America, you could expect a 30 minute safety course prior to the ride, a 20-page release form full of legalese, a governed vehicle and a closed course. Not here! After a short diversion to find a "special-for-you" helmet to fit my oversize cantaloupe, we got a quick "here's the gas, here's the brake, follow me into the Pattaya jungle hillside." and off we went. These were 250cc ATVs that were geared with a high top-end. They had to do at least 50 mph when we opened them up.

Midway through the trip, we spent some time in a quarry, with a few jumps and puddles. I was trying to match Sam's distance off of one of the jumps (probably about 15-20 feet). I almost ate the handlebars on one of the landings, which awakened me to the shocking and discomforting realization that I was no longer a teenager like Sam and Dan. I backed off a little bit after that.

On the way back, we were fish-tailing down a dirt path doing about 30 mph. The guide was always in the lead and I had taken the back so that I could keep an eye on the boys. We were all going sideways in a cloud of dirt and dust. Suddenly, I saw Sam's bike "hook-up" and nose dive into a gully along the side of the path. The ATV flipped over catapulting Sam into the brush.

Sam jumped up quickly and said that he was alright. (He just has a little scape on his arm.) We all quickly flipped the bike back over and I was expecting the worse. It wasn't too bad though. One of the front tires was blown out and part of the fairing was a little loose. We had to wait about 15 minutes for someone to bring us a replacement tire. They quickly changed it and we were off again for the remainder of our tour. They were completely understanding about the incident and even had some fresh fruit waiting for us when we got back. What a wild time!

We will be here for one more day and then we fly back to LA on Sunday. It's a strange flight, lasting about 17 hours but only moving us ahead about two and a half hours due to the time zones. (I hope my first day back to work next Wednesday doesn't feel like that. :)

A Leap to Faith

During our long ride this morning (see previous post), I had time to think about what it would be like to bungee jump off of a high bridge. I have never struggled from acrophobia (fear of heights). I have always wanted to sky dive, but I have promised my wife that I will not. If I did not have the responsibility of a family, I think I would have taken this opportunity to leap off the bridge today. (Since we did not make it to the site, it is a mute point anyway.)

At any rate, I couldn't help but relate the concept of faith to the act of bungee jumping. A person must have faith to jump off the bridge -- faith in the rope, fasteners, engineers, etc. Similarly, Christians must have faith in the person and work of Christ. Those readers who are Christian know that their eternal salvation depends on faith. Sola Fide (faith alone) is the one of the five foundational "solas" of the Protestant Reformation. For any Christian, one of the most important questions to ponder is: "What is Saving Faith?" Gordon Clark has written a book by that same title. (A preview is here.) I have read this book several times over the past few years. I would highly recommend it. You may not necessary agree with everything in it (I probably do.), but it will at least inspire you to consider one of the most important questions you could ever ask.

I do not intend to do a review of the book here. (A short review may be found here if you are interested.) For many Christians (and non-Christians as well), faith is defined as including some mystical or emotional element. When pressed to define this element, many have difficulty. It becomes even more difficult when one is pressed to defend it Biblically. With this nebulous definition of faith, some end up needing to have faith (as they define it) in their own faith -- a bizarre concept.

Most Christians would be quick to attest that they are saved by faith in Christ. However, defining what that means may prove more challenging. What is saving faith? How would you answer that question? Read this book if you would like some direction.

A Disappointing Turn Around

We had a little bit of a disappointment today. Our agenda was to drive to a bridge near the Chinese border that is used for bungee jumping. I had promised Sandy that we would by no means be jumping ourselves. However, it would be neat to watch others. Merely walking across the see-through grated bridge is an experience in itself. After that we planned to drive the short remaining distance to the border itself, just to say we had.

That was our plan anyway. However, after waking up and leaving the house at 5AM and driving for hours to within a few kilometers of our destination, we encountered a road block. No -- it was not a fallen buffalo; it wasn't even a mudslide covering the road. We were stopped by a villager of the upcoming area. He informed us that someone had been hit by a car in their village recently and they were not allowing anyone to pass. They were in effect holding the traffic hostage until the government made some type of monetary amends for this tragedy. (Side note: Don't assume the driver of the car was at fault. Pedestrians constantly walk right out into traffic here without the slightest concern for their own safety.)

I couldn't believe it. We had woken up early, driven up the mountain for hours, wasted time and fuel just to be stopped a few minutes shy of our goal. Triston just turned the car around and said that is the way things are here. It is not uncommon at all. When I inquired about the probable results if we ignored the warning, Triston informed me that we would undoubtedly have the car bombarded with rocks. We could be injured and have the car set on fire. I was glad he turned around; but I was still disapointed and frustrated.

There is a silver lining, however. We were the first car of the the morning to reach this village. (By the time we left there was a huge line of cars and buses stopped.) Had we made it through the village, we could have enjoyed our sight seeing adventure...but would not have been able to return! Since this is the only road back, this would have been a huge inconvenience. We fly out from Nepal tomorrow. There is a good chance we would not have been able to get back in time for our flight.

So, although disappointed, we were nonetheless releived to have a way back home. We stopped at another suspended bridge that we had passed earlier. Although it was not even 1/10th the size of the bungee site, we were satisfied.

On Top of the World

Last night, we all went out to dinner together. We had a nice time and the food was delicious. Sammy does very well going places. He sat in his car seat at the table and interacted with all of us. Afterward, we got to bed fairly early because we needed to leave the house early this morning for our mountain flight.


Although Nepal is a relatively small country (about the size of Arkansas), it is home to eight of the top ten highest mountains including the highest, which is Everest. My wife and I have always enjoyed reading about and viewing shows about Everest. So, since we were so close to it, I thought we should see it.


There are flights offered that fly along the range of the Himalayas and back. I booked the three of us on one that flew this morning. I felt a little bit too touristy doing it, but it was an amazing flight. After all, how many people can say they have seen the summit of Everest, even by plane. We took a lot of pictures but they are honestly not that impressive through the plane windows. It is one of those things that you just need to experience. The size and range of these mountains is majestic to view. Overall it was a great opportunity. We were also fortunate to have clear weather.

This trip has been a blast! We have gotten to do and see so many amazing things.