I saw the sunrise from my Lalitpur hotel room this morning.
My shower had no hot water this morning. I was told to let it run for 5 minutes. After 30 minutes of it running, I took a cold shower. Seeing the plumbing under my sink (a flexible tube), I'm not surprised by a cold shower. Hot showers seem exceedingly rare in Nepal, and even lukewarm showers are a reason to celebrate.
I enjoyed a cup of Nescafe in my room this morning. My room has a water boiler.
The hotel's restaurant had a buffet breakfast (complimentary for me). I avoided the Nepali foods and loaded this plate. They had a warming tray of what in New Orleans would be considered beignets (sans powdered sugar). Except for bananas and oranges, this is the first (peeled or unpeeled?) fruit I have braved. They had Nescafe powder, but I couldn't find any hot water. I did find a tank of hot milk, so I had a cafe au'lait.
I took these pics while I waited outside the hotel for Dash & Nisha to pick me up. I could have walked to the convention center, but lazily waited for a ride. There was a nice mountain view in the distance and I saw this rug-seller walk by. I also saw a tourist-carrying mini-bus drive by. It had the label "TITANIC" painted on its side. I thought that was an ominous name for a vehicle.
Today was the second day of the 3-day NepDent Conference. Again the lecture hall was freezing while the exhibit halls were warm. That is one way to ensure people visit the exhibit halls!
Today I met 2 dental students from the KU Nobel dental school, which is somewhere a long way from Kathmandu and Lalitpur. They said they took an 18-hour overnight bus ride to get here for this conference. I will no longer complain about enduring lengthy airline flights! Their willingness to take such a journey demonstrates their dedication and commitment to improving their knowledge.
Dr. Kafle had a morning lecture.
I was asked (last minute) to fill in as the first afternoon moderator for 3 lectures.
"Of course," I said.
It is a respected honor to be invited to participate as the moderator. As the moderator, you sit on the stage (dais) and make some polite summation remarks at the conclusion of each lecture. This is now my 3rd meeting in the past 2 months where I have held this honorable position. I thought it was ironic that of the 3 lectures I moderated today, two lectures were about orthodontic treatments and one was about dentures! Those areas are far beyond my expertise.
This photo is in the trade show area with Anil and Nisha at an endo product booth. After less than 2 months here, it is amazing how I keep re-encountering dentists that I have met previously.
Dr. Kafle was the moderator for the final presentations today, so I caught a ride back to my hotel with Anil and Manisha. I picked up a few snacks from this shop across the street from my hotel ($1.75).
Walking through the hotel to my room, I noticed this trio doing some heavy-duty electrical work. At my room, the power was off and didn't come back for an hour. It is on now.
I am speaking at the meeting tomorrow morning...
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