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This log runs through October 22, 2003 October 10, 2003 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
CLICK HERE to see our first photos of Nepal. Clearly, Nepal is a land of extremes. It is one of the world’s poorest countries, and yet it is rich in scenic beauty. The world’s highest mountains tower above green valleys tens of thousands of feet below. Appearing serene at first glance, it is a place of serious political conflict. We took our first stroll through the frantically busy and narrow streets of the Thamel district, and were a bit overwhelmed. It is like a movie set, dense with life, every inch of space utilized. If you stop anywhere and look carefully around, a hundred little scenes unfold. In coming days and weeks we will capture this place in words and images, for it deserves a great deal of observation and reflection. It would be a shame for anyone bent on finding the world’s most fascinating nooks and crannies not to visit Kathmandu. October 14, 2003 in Kathmandu CLICK HERE to go to our Nepal Photo Gallery 2. The weather has been perfect, we’re healthy, and all is well -- better, perhaps, than the political health of the nation. But except for a heavy police presence and the daily newspaper headlines, none of this is apparent in the city -- especially in the tourist areas, for tourist income is important to everyone. News reports of Maoist activities is keeping many tourists away -- especially Americans, who are already make up among the lowest numbers of Nepal’s visitors. In some parts of the nation guesthouses are closing, airlines are reducing schedules, and roads are difficult to travel because of Army checkpoints and Maoist destruction of bridges and roadways. This is especially tragic for people who earn their living directly or indirectly from tourist income. And nobody here thinks the conflicts within this tiny mountain Kingdom squeezed between two huge neighbors (China and India) can soon be resolved. The King is not popular, the government and economy are in significant disarray, and poverty grips daily life for many. At the same time, except for occasional thefts from rooms -- the kind of thing plaguing travelers everywhere -- in some ways it is a good time to be here. With tourist numbers down, the cost of services such as trekking guides are down and lodging and restaurant rates are competitive. We will continue exploring this fascinating city and valley -- venturing further afield as it is safe to do so. There is a uniqueness to Kathmandu, one we very much enjoy. Even the time of day here is unique, not being offset a set number of hours from standard world time. When it is 8:45 in the evening in Denver, for example, it is 7:30 the next morning here, not 7:45 -- a purposeful distinction of 15 minutes that distinguishes Nepal from India.
Photo: European tourists compare notes on a Kathmandu street. But we have learned that once in Tibet, as many as nine strangers would be crammed into a Toyota four-wheel-drive on a four day drive with a guide that has no interest in explaining what is being seen. Lodging in the most remote guesthouses is said to be so grim that one is wise to bring a sleeping bag in order to avoid touching anything. Landslides are so frequent that rate schedules include an additional fee, just for the complications of dealing with landslides. There is an alternative. For twice the money we would get a guide who actually explains things, better quality lodging and our own Land Cruiser with driver and flexible scheduling. Anything is possible with enough money -- but for Gypsies unemployed for four years, it’s a problem. Travel tip: Avoid Royal Nepal Airlines. They have only two planes that fly internationally, and the newspapers are loaded with stories of mismanagement and corruption. Even more importantly, avoid Bangladesh Airlines, unless you want to spend the night wherever the plane happens to be when the load factor drops too low -- or if you need your luggage when you do arrive. We ran into people scheduled to be here four days. they didn’t get their luggage until the third day. On the other hand, Thai Airlines is great! They replaced Becky’s lost airline ticket between Bangkok and Kathmandu. All they needed was an official lost ticket report from the Yuma, Arizona police. That’s our latest from Nepal, a country about the size and shape of Tennessee perched at 4,400 feet above sea level at the latitude of south Florida. This is being written on the balcony of our hotel (Hotel Thamel, which we highly recommend) in the fresh early morning air as ice-covered peaks appear on the distant horizon. Now to upload these updates, a task of four hours. October 16, 2003 in Kathmandu We do not intentionally dwell on the problems we encounter as we travel the world, but we don’t whitewash them. Grabbing our attention today is a newspaper report that after a government shootout at a rural school with Maoist rebels two days ago, a battle in which several students were killed, four wounded students were taken to a hospital but had not received medical care because there was nobody to pay for it. Then one of the biggest resorts in the south was attacked at dawn. All the tourists were robbed and the facility was burned to the ground. Every day the newspaper reports numerous deaths of Maoists and their victims throughout the country. Since the end of the recent national festival the situation has become markedly worse. Not only are Maoist attacks, the severe political and economic chaos and various other serious infrastructure problems making life grim for Nepalis, the whole situation is made much worse because of the reduction of tourist income. Although already seriously diminished in recent years, mostly because of the Maoist problem, the number of foreign visitors here so far this peak season is down an additional 60 percent. Airline flights are being canceled, trekking lodges are closing and hungry people are hungrier still. The poverty level -- and we mean serious, life-threatening poverty, for this is not America where there are numerous support programs for the poor -- has reached 38 percent. We just learned that a senior Army official was gunned down this morning within walking distance of our hotel, reportedly by Maoists, and more visitors have been robbed. Oddly, the these seems to be a form of honor among Rebels here: Visitors robbed at gunpoint report being given receipts. In theory, if they are robbed again they can show the receipt to prove they have already “donated.” October 18, 2003 in Kathmandu, Nepal Inflammatory Headline of the Day: A recent edition of the Kathmandu Post was reminiscent of America’s ludicrous National Inquirer (and sometimes, the New York Times). A headline screamed “Villagers Apologize for Eating Missionary.” A written account of the event quoted a participant as bragging, “We ate everything but his boots.” It was then revealed that the act of cannibalism occurred not here but on the island of Fiji -- 168 years ago! Descendants of the hungry natives were only now getting around to apologizing. Schedule change: Suggested earlier as a possibility, we have now canceled our trip to Tibet due to the very significant expense, encroaching winter weather, extremely difficult enroute conditions and other complications. We are very disappointed, but perhaps we’ll find some other way and time. October 20, 2003 at the “Monkey Temple” CLICK HERE to go to Nepal Photo Gallery One. CLICK HERE to go to Nepal Photo Gallery Two. October 21, 2003 in Kathmandu On a happier note, the weather here in Kathmandu has been terrific and we’re off today to explore more historical sites, and while we’re in that end of town stop in a medical clinic and begin Don’s series of Japanese Encephalitis shots and Becky’s booster. At a clinic in Washington, DC they would have been $160 each. Here they are $35. Photos taken today of a street protest have spilled into a new photo gallery. CLICK HERE to go to Nepal Photo Gallery Three. Temp end |
We landed in Kathmandu after a flight from Bangkok yesterday afternoon and quickly realized that even though we have already visited a combined total of 69 countries and principalities, Nepal is a very special place indeed.
While we are not at risk, Maoist terrorists have become increasingly bold in some areas. While many of them have been killed by Army troops in recent days, survivors continue to blow up bridges, attack army facilities, force young men into their service, hack their special enemies to death, rob and harass villagers (and a few trekkers) -- and yesterday they burned down two buildings only a few miles outside Kathmandu.
We may, however, have to eliminate our planned journey to Tibet, having learned that the expense and discomfort may exceed our personal limits. We are not opposed to hardship, having demonstrated that numerous times. 
Atop a high hill in western Kathmandu is the so-called Monkey Temple. It is actually a mostly Buddhist site of great beauty and interest, one populated by wild monkeys. We have added photos taken there to our first two Nepal Photo Galleries.