B is for Boomerang
Just when it seemed that I might have settled back into my NorCal groove, I am about to pick up and head back to Bhutan. My flight leaves at midnight tonight. Because overcrowding on Druk Air, I'll have two days in Bangkok enroute. It was already tough to get a seat on Druk Air, the only airline in and out of Bhutan, during tourist season (Sept. - Nov.), but now with spiraling gas prices, the airline has dropped some of its flights, and the remaining ones are even more crowded. To get into Bhutan on Aug. 4, I'll have to fly business class (drat! But on Druk Air, the difference between business class and coach is not all that apparent).
Having had some time to reflect on my six months there, I have a bunch of additional questions for policymakers and government officials in Thimphu. In particular, I'm trying to get a bead on why large-scale capital intensive project for managing waste - such as a new landfill and a municipal composting plant - have been favored over smaller, localized waste reduction, reuse and composting projects, especially when such practices would harmonize well with existing cultural practices. But we always want newer, bigger, better toys, and perhaps Bhutan is no exception.
I'll also attend the first ever national waste management meeting in Thimphu, where district officers and engineers from around the country will meet to analyze and discuss waste management systems. I'll present some of the findings from my six months of fieldwork. Like many academics, I'll be writing the paper and presentation for this meeting on the plane and in my hotel room...
This trip to Bhutan is relatively short - only a month. With discrete research questions to address, it feels much more manageable than the previous trip. I return to the US on Aug. 26, the day before classes start on campus.
Today's pre-trip to do list is typically lengthy:
-- laundry
-- pay rent
-- meet with the friend who will stay in my room for two weeks while I'm away
-- buy gifts (the Bhutanese are huge gift givers, and to show up empty handed is very bad manners. The preferred gift for men is knee high dress socks, especially Gold Toe brand, which they wear with their ghos... so I'm off to Macy's. I've also got candy, cologne, and scented candles.)
-- get travelers checks (There are no international ATMs in Bhutan, and credit cards are rarely accepted. It's so weird to carry a cash-like substance.)
-- buy hiking shoes (I left my previous - nearly destroyed - pair in Bhutan for an old lady who didn't have any shoes.)
-- back up files to portable harddrive (still waiting, still waiting, hence time for blogging).
After 11 hours to Tokyo, a change of planes, and another 8 or so hours to Bangkok, I'll be relaxing in the Regency Park Hotel by the night of Aug. 1.
Having had some time to reflect on my six months there, I have a bunch of additional questions for policymakers and government officials in Thimphu. In particular, I'm trying to get a bead on why large-scale capital intensive project for managing waste - such as a new landfill and a municipal composting plant - have been favored over smaller, localized waste reduction, reuse and composting projects, especially when such practices would harmonize well with existing cultural practices. But we always want newer, bigger, better toys, and perhaps Bhutan is no exception.
I'll also attend the first ever national waste management meeting in Thimphu, where district officers and engineers from around the country will meet to analyze and discuss waste management systems. I'll present some of the findings from my six months of fieldwork. Like many academics, I'll be writing the paper and presentation for this meeting on the plane and in my hotel room...
This trip to Bhutan is relatively short - only a month. With discrete research questions to address, it feels much more manageable than the previous trip. I return to the US on Aug. 26, the day before classes start on campus.
Today's pre-trip to do list is typically lengthy:
-- laundry
-- pay rent
-- meet with the friend who will stay in my room for two weeks while I'm away
-- buy gifts (the Bhutanese are huge gift givers, and to show up empty handed is very bad manners. The preferred gift for men is knee high dress socks, especially Gold Toe brand, which they wear with their ghos... so I'm off to Macy's. I've also got candy, cologne, and scented candles.)
-- get travelers checks (There are no international ATMs in Bhutan, and credit cards are rarely accepted. It's so weird to carry a cash-like substance.)
-- buy hiking shoes (I left my previous - nearly destroyed - pair in Bhutan for an old lady who didn't have any shoes.)
-- back up files to portable harddrive (still waiting, still waiting, hence time for blogging).
After 11 hours to Tokyo, a change of planes, and another 8 or so hours to Bangkok, I'll be relaxing in the Regency Park Hotel by the night of Aug. 1.
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