Third Person (Sauraha, Chitwan National Park, Nepal)

Feb 27^th, 2010 - Rich arose at 5:45, gathered his belongings, and headed off to the bus depot near Thamel in Kathmandu. Destination: Sauraha, on the outskirts of Chitwan National Park. His expectations for this trip were not particular high as his impression of the area was that of a touristy zoo-like wonderland. However, tigers (the viewing of which has recently taken on the form of an obsession for our protagonist) can be found within its boundaries so he thought he would give it a shot. Rhinos also abound and since he'd never seen one in the flesh he found the possibility of making one's acquaintance intriguing.

The bus journey was a less than auspicious beginning as the traffic was jammed due in no small part to the narrow mountain roads and the presence of more than one overturned vehicle. Vehicles were at a standstill at many points along the way. He knew this to be part and parcel of travel in this country but it was still a bit trying as a six hour journey turned into eight. He sometimes finds internal screaming cathartic. This time was no exception.

When he arrived he was greeted by a friend of a friend he'd befriended in Kathmandu. The man's name was Raju and came highly recommended by Rich's contact in Kat. He was assured that Raju was a decent bloke and was not looking to cash in on tourist dollars, only to meet and befriend new and interesting people. 

Zionist Plots, Saddam Hussein, & Ashraf (Tunis, Tunisia)

[Author's Note: I arrived in Tunis on September 10^th, 2010 and left two months later. The Arab Spring began in Tunisia on December 18^th, 2010. I missed the festivities by about a month or so. Some would say I dodged a bullet but I cannot help feeling like I missed the boat. How often do you have the chance to watch history unfold from the front row? It is interesting for me to go back and read about my experiences at the time. Yes, I could almost taste repression in the air but if you told me the powder keg was about to ignite I would have been incredulous in the extreme. Yet, there it was boiling just beneath the surface. Keep this in mind when reading my Tunisia posts. It makes for a fascinating subtext.]

Sept 22^nd, 2010 - I decided to mix it up. Why confine myself to meeting strangers on the street when I have the internet at my disposal. Enter Ashraf. Ashraf contacted me via Couchsurfing to say hello. Seeing as I am always interested in gaining local perspective I suggested we meet up. As I waited in front of the theater on Habib Bourgiba Street I had two more random encounters. While I was enjoying some of the Tunis' youth engaging in a break dancing sideshow a young gentleman approached and inquired as to whether or not I was awaiting a performance at the theater. I answered in the negative and told him I was waiting for a friend. He seemed to want to know exactly when my friend would be arriving. I said he was on his way. A strange conversation about Facebook ensued whereby my new friend wanted to know if in my 'Profile' section I indicate that I am interested in meeting men, women, or both. Riiiight. I am not really sure if this was a covert way of asking me what team(s) I play for or what the hell was going on. Could the area in front of the theater be a sub rosa cruising range? Dunno. When I replied that my profile indicates 'women' he seemed to be a bit disappointed and departed.

The gentleman standing to my left then asked me if I liked watching the break dancing, to which I responded in the affirmative. He mentioned something about having a marketing job and then submitted his resume for approval….to me. Wasn't really sure what to do with that. Luckily, Ashraf showed up just in time to save me from having to give some sort of critique or interview. Obviously, unemployment is a big problem in Tunisia.