The first thing to know about Birganj is that it is not Kolkata. It is also not like the more modern and advanced cities of Cebu and Singapore, nor like the cosmopolitan city of San Francisco, where I lived for 25 years.
I have read a few blog posts warning of “reverse culture shock” and even written a post in response to that. I would like to think that I am very adaptable, and do not think that I would ever get culture shock, although I acknowledge that I could be wrong. (And as I had written, I did get reverse culture shock after my very first visit to Calcutta--as it was called then—when I suddenly realized that the large city of San Francisco was actually quite small.)
I still do not think that I had any form of culture shock, but there were times when I was left in a state of wonder. As in Howrah, the nights in Birganj were extremely cold, the mornings and evenings were very chilly, but the sun shone brightly and somewhat warmly in the afternoon. On the second day that I was there, I went to the other end of the Ashok Guest House where there was a roof on the second floor. (The building is such that there is also a third floor, but the length of the second floor is longer.)
Regardless, I sat on a bench and basked in the little warmth that there was. It was then that I realized that Birganj is a very quiet city. I heard birds chirping, and a few generators running and, occasionally, some car or lorry horns blowing—although nothing like it is in Kolkata. It was almost as if I had become deaf and could not hear anything.
It was also a dark city. As I wrote in my review of the Ashok Guest House, there was frequent load-shedding, especially at night (when people need power the most). There could very well have been many stars that would have been visible, were it not for the pea-soup fog.
Even more than in Kolkata, I did not see women. In Kolkata, the only times that I see women are when they are shopping and/or wearing a burqa. (That may be an exaggeration, but not by much.) In Nepal, I saw fewer women. I saw (on my previous visit) and read a few things that indicated that there are Muslims in Birganj, but I did not see any verification of that. However, I was surprised to see a female merchant, and a female chef.
I was actually sad to see the female chef. On my previous visit, I found a good restaurant, with hoe-style food, and a waiter who understood a modicum of English. This time, I am not sure if I saw that same restaurant. My conclusion was that the place was remodeled--perhaps under a different owner. Gne was the menu and the arrangement that I had come to know. It was one of the few restaurants that I saw in Birganj.
I should emphasize two things, though. The first is that I was on the Southern edge of the city, about 100 metres from the Indian Immigration office. There may have been more toward the centre of town. The second is that there are a lot of roadside food stands. I do not mind these, and I frequent them in Kolkata. There are a few "holes-in-the-walls" places--not much bigger than a walk-in closet--that I enjoy. Even in these places, though, I usually go to them only if Caroline comes with me in the beginning. Moreover, I am familiar with Kolkata. Neither of these were characteristics of the road-side stands in Birganj.
As I wrote earlier, to pass the time, I often slept. I also listened to the radio. India has not been a good place for me and technology. I had brought a laptop with me from the U.S., but lost that to the heat and humidity of India. (Although it may also have been the voltage. The electrical outlets in the U.S. provide 110 volts; those in India provide--I believe--220 volts.) I bought a replacement in India but that, too, is now inoperable. I bought a camera here, and had it repaired twice, but is not working now. I also brought a mobile that was lost to the heat ad humidity. As a replacement, I bought another Nokia. I thought that all mobiles had cameras. However, when I unpacked it, I found that it did not, but did have an FM radio.
Regardless, after listening to it in Birganj, I wondered if people still listened to the radio. There is youtube, and MP3 players now, so I wonder how popular FM radio still is. Even when I was in the United States, AM radio was declining. According to Wikipedia, there are just 5 AM radio stations in San Francisco.
I wondered about my phone. I was about 100 metres from the Nepal side of the border (or, maybe more accurately, 100 metres from the arch which I assume signifies the border) and yet I got NCell as my carrier, rather than Airtel.
Another thing that caused me to think internationally was blue nail polish. I wanted to get Caroline a gift from Nepal. I knew that she liked putting on nail polish, that she was running out of a supply, and had wished for blue nail polish. At one shop, I found that, and saw that it was made in Nepal. It was my impression that Nepal was a lot like Bhutan or North Korea. I know that almost everything that North Korea has (or, more accurately, everything that the North Korean government has--the people have nothing) is provided by China. I have also read that Bhutan is heavily dependent upon India imports, and I thought that Nepal was the same. Of course there are some things that the Nepalese can do on their own; it seems that blue nail polish is one of them.
Many other things are, though, done by Indians. I would find it difficult to believe that there would be an indigenous film industry. Moreover, there is not evidence of that, and everything to the contrary. On my previous visit, I saw a sign advertising some product endorsed by Kajol, and this time, I saw a film poster of an old film starring a young Jeetendra (who is on my Google+ profile, as a result of my wife and me meeting him at the Juhu Holiday Inn in January 2003--if I remember that date correctly). I also saw a painted sign for Rupa's Jon O-Bamaa men's briefs. I think that I had seen some similar signs in India. I did not have a camera with me, and I could not locate any images through images.google.com, but I did find this blog post at Delhi Magic. I have always wondered which came first: the Presidency of Barack Bushama, or Jon O-Bamaa briefs. I suspect the former.
Perhaps even more than in India (certainly far more than in Hyderabad, where I do not think that they exist any longer), there were STDs (Standard Trunk Dialing--or places where you can make a public phone call). However, I did not see any Internet Cafes. Again, though, there may be more of each in the central part of town.
Perhaps most internationally was the sign that I had seen on my previous visit, and which I saw again between the borders, announcing that there is a Lions Club in Birganj. The club apparently has a Facebook page, and a (defunct) blogspot blog, but no Google+ profile.
I was actually sad to see the female chef. On my previous visit, I found a good restaurant, with hoe-style food, and a waiter who understood a modicum of English. This time, I am not sure if I saw that same restaurant. My conclusion was that the place was remodeled--perhaps under a different owner. Gne was the menu and the arrangement that I had come to know. It was one of the few restaurants that I saw in Birganj.
I should emphasize two things, though. The first is that I was on the Southern edge of the city, about 100 metres from the Indian Immigration office. There may have been more toward the centre of town. The second is that there are a lot of roadside food stands. I do not mind these, and I frequent them in Kolkata. There are a few "holes-in-the-walls" places--not much bigger than a walk-in closet--that I enjoy. Even in these places, though, I usually go to them only if Caroline comes with me in the beginning. Moreover, I am familiar with Kolkata. Neither of these were characteristics of the road-side stands in Birganj.
As I wrote earlier, to pass the time, I often slept. I also listened to the radio. India has not been a good place for me and technology. I had brought a laptop with me from the U.S., but lost that to the heat and humidity of India. (Although it may also have been the voltage. The electrical outlets in the U.S. provide 110 volts; those in India provide--I believe--220 volts.) I bought a replacement in India but that, too, is now inoperable. I bought a camera here, and had it repaired twice, but is not working now. I also brought a mobile that was lost to the heat ad humidity. As a replacement, I bought another Nokia. I thought that all mobiles had cameras. However, when I unpacked it, I found that it did not, but did have an FM radio.
Regardless, after listening to it in Birganj, I wondered if people still listened to the radio. There is youtube, and MP3 players now, so I wonder how popular FM radio still is. Even when I was in the United States, AM radio was declining. According to Wikipedia, there are just 5 AM radio stations in San Francisco.
I wondered about my phone. I was about 100 metres from the Nepal side of the border (or, maybe more accurately, 100 metres from the arch which I assume signifies the border) and yet I got NCell as my carrier, rather than Airtel.
Another thing that caused me to think internationally was blue nail polish. I wanted to get Caroline a gift from Nepal. I knew that she liked putting on nail polish, that she was running out of a supply, and had wished for blue nail polish. At one shop, I found that, and saw that it was made in Nepal. It was my impression that Nepal was a lot like Bhutan or North Korea. I know that almost everything that North Korea has (or, more accurately, everything that the North Korean government has--the people have nothing) is provided by China. I have also read that Bhutan is heavily dependent upon India imports, and I thought that Nepal was the same. Of course there are some things that the Nepalese can do on their own; it seems that blue nail polish is one of them.
Many other things are, though, done by Indians. I would find it difficult to believe that there would be an indigenous film industry. Moreover, there is not evidence of that, and everything to the contrary. On my previous visit, I saw a sign advertising some product endorsed by Kajol, and this time, I saw a film poster of an old film starring a young Jeetendra (who is on my Google+ profile, as a result of my wife and me meeting him at the Juhu Holiday Inn in January 2003--if I remember that date correctly). I also saw a painted sign for Rupa's Jon O-Bamaa men's briefs. I think that I had seen some similar signs in India. I did not have a camera with me, and I could not locate any images through images.google.com, but I did find this blog post at Delhi Magic. I have always wondered which came first: the Presidency of Barack Bushama, or Jon O-Bamaa briefs. I suspect the former.
Perhaps even more than in India (certainly far more than in Hyderabad, where I do not think that they exist any longer), there were STDs (Standard Trunk Dialing--or places where you can make a public phone call). However, I did not see any Internet Cafes. Again, though, there may be more of each in the central part of town.
Perhaps most internationally was the sign that I had seen on my previous visit, and which I saw again between the borders, announcing that there is a Lions Club in Birganj. The club apparently has a Facebook page, and a (defunct) blogspot blog, but no Google+ profile.