A talented man uses all limbs to string necklaces
Though it may surprise you, I’m shy when meeting new people. If someone introduces me to a new person, I am usually just fine and can jump into conversation. Friends of friends are easily embraced. It is not the same, however, when it’s just me and person x and there is no particular reason to have a conversation.
I am happy to say that traveling, especially on this particular journey, has begun to break me of this habit. I noticed it recently when Patty and I were set to rendezvous with out tour group at a specific place in Kathmandu called “The Lotus Gallery.” Owned by a dear friend of the Unatti Foundation’s director, she assured us that Santosh would always take care of us if we stopped into his gallery. He’d offer us tea, a place to sit, and a place to wait.
Patty and I were feeling quite proud of ourselves when we found Lotus Gallery on our own. However, when we walked in and Santosh greeted us, I suddenly felt very nervous. What was I to say to this man? How well does he speak English? Why would he even want us in his space? To top it off, there was another unidentified man already hanging out there. I made awkward conversation as I pretended to be very interested in the art on his walls.
Then everything changed. One of our fellow travelers, Clinton Bopp, showed up at the Gallery as well. A younger guy from New Zealand, he’s got a personality and warmth that immediately makes anyone feel at ease. He also spent some time living as a homeless artist in Los Angeles, so he’s had his fair share of striking up conversations with people he doesn’t know. When he got to the gallery, he jumped right into conversation with both men.
As it turns out, the guest was an artist from Tibet with an incredible life story. Santosh was extremely interested in the film that we are creating. We learned a bunch about Clinton that we didn’t previously. More of our traveling party showed up and then left again, and suddenly I saw the vision of what Lotus Gallery was to become for us. We kicked off our shoes and simply talked. A man from New Zealand, an Indian-born Nepali, an artist from Tibet, and two American girls sipped tea and just talked.
I am struck by how obvious it seems that we are surrounded by so many similar opportunities everywhere we go. We hear German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and other languages surrounding us as we walk every day. We are all out of our element and I believe, all crave deeper human interaction. Passing by strangers gets old, making new friends never does.
As soon as we embraced this philosophy, we met Kaushl Patel. His name is pronounced like Kosher with an “l” at the end. We met him in the most random of ways. Patty and I were in a bead shop commissioning some trinkets for our parents. We literally got to pick the colors and shapes off the walls and watched a man make brilliance before our very eyes.
The small bead shop (literally 10 ft. by 6 ft.) was simultaneously filled by a large Indian family, Patty and I, Kaushl, and the bead man. All eyes seemed to turn to us. He asked where we were from, we told him California. “Cal-ee-four-nee-yah!” He responded with enthusiasm.
The next question (which is standard practice here) is “How long are you going to stay in Nepal?” One month. “And then you are going home to Cal-ee-four-nee-yah?” he asked. “No,” I said, “Next we go to India.” You can imagine how a room full of Indian women and Indian-born Nepalis would react to such news.
“INDIA! You are going to India! Where in India?” We are going to Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. “Jaipur?? That is where my brother lives! You are family! You stay with my brother!” Patty and I laughed at the attention and then continued to chat with Kaushl long after our commissioned pieces were finished.
Aquamarine gems glimmer on the display table
Kaushl owns a jewelry shop in Lazimpak- a few kilometers away. He gave us his cell phone number and said “You are here in Kathmandu for a few more days. You come visit me and see my store in Lazimpak.” And I don’t know what possessed us to- but we did.
Yesterday we took a taxi to his store in Lazimpak. Somehow we found it, right there was “Swan Gems and Jewelry.” We got to the door and it was locked. Of course. Silly us, we’d traveled all the way here and he wasn’t even at his shop. Then in the distance we hear a voice… “Friends! Friends!! You are here!!!” And there he was. Kaushl was running down the street to greet us.
We sat with Kaushl for four hours. He bought us the best momos we’ve had the entire trip, provided us juice boxes and beer, gave us a private tour of all his jewelry and gems, and was officially our friend. He even got us a private taxi to get us all the way back to our hotel and paid for it himself, instructing us to call when we arrived safely- just like a parent.
Kaushl Patel in his Swan Gem store in Lazimpat
On Monday we go back to Lazimpat to pick up the Jewelry we bought from Kaushl. We spent very little at his store, but gained so much. His charm and sense of family and pride is perhaps one of the best gifts we’ve received while on these travels. I think we will stay with his brother when we get to Jaipur. And I think we will have some more momos with him before we leave Nepal.
And none of this would have happened had we not been brave enough to simply have a conversation with someone we didn’t know.
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Janelle K. Eagle is infamous for always having her hands tied up in multiple projects simultaneously. She's directed a lot of theater, worked on some films, and raised lots of money for non-profits. She travels all the time and loves to share her videos, photography and writing via this blog. 
