Katmandu
We traveled from Dharamsala, India to Kathmandu, Nepal by land, taking a day bus to Delhi , a night train eastbound, a day bus to the border, a rickshaw across the border, and finally a bus into Kathmandu just after midnight the second day.
As we rolled through Nepal toward Kathmandu , there were numerous police check posts. A day earlier, the Maoist rebels had detonated a bomb in the capital city of Kathmandu itself . Much of the countryside is in the control of the rebels, but generally Kathmandu was still safe. The city was locked down tightly, with no Guest Houses open. We finally found one that was open (the owner was waiting for his daughter to arrive from the airport) and we took a room without worrying about the price.
A bit of recent history: after much civil protest, the Nepali monarchy instituted a democratically elected Parliament about a decade ago. The monarch retains control over security, but the Parliament runs the country. The new Parliamentary government has been totally corrupt, siphoning off much of the $300 million in annual foreign aid. The economy of Nepal has gone from bad to worse. Also, the World Bank convinced Nepal to liberalize trading laws, with disastrous affects. Nepal is a tiny, powerless country sandwiched between India and China (a third of all humanity), and the liberalized trade laws further weakened its position.
With this disastrous situation, Maoist rebels opposed to both the monarch and the Parliament retain control in the countryside. They initially had some popular support, but lost it by bombing schools and kidnapping children to force into their army. Meanwhile the entire Royal family was assassinated a year ago, with no one believing the official story that the killings were by a crazed son who then committed suicide. The King's brother took over, and declaring that the parliament was corrupt (true) he abolished it and took back all power unconstitutionally. The stalemate currently exists where the parliamentarians are demanding restoration, the Maoists control the countryside, and the King rules the country from behind the palace gates through the security forces.
The economy of Nepal is a total mess. There are 2,000 Americans in Nepal , including both merchants who export goods (providing critical foreign exchange) and the huge USAid contingent. Americans make up a sizable portion of the foreign tourists (second only to Indians). The American presence here is very beneficial. Regardless, it cannot make up for the absence of a functioning government.
The reality is that there simply is no economy. 30% of the economy was foreign aid. But now that rebels are bombing aid projects (roads, power stations, schools, and hospitals) much foreign aid is grinding to a halt. The 25% that came from tourism is down to a mere trickle given the current instability. There is very little core economy and very little hope for the average people.
Anyway, the Kathmandu valley has generally been pretty safe, and none of the groups attack tourists since that is so critical economically. We talked with tourists who bicycled through the remote countryside with no concern. We're not that brazen, and stuck to the safe places. Another group we talked to were robbed at gunpoint by the rebels, but the rebels were quite polite and even gave a receipt to use to file an insurance claim!
The real Kathmandu is just a dozen blocks south. The ancient city has numerous temples squished between markets, houses and buildings. The old and the new are equally dilapidated. The streets, partially paved with large stones and partially dirt, are littered with trash, vegetable matter from the markets and restaurants, and poop from the cows and dogs in the street. Nearly all of the buildings are made of stone or brick. Some of the bricks were fine quality; others have crumbled leaving gaping holes. The windows are often just wood trim with no glass. In this cold climate, few people close up the doors or windows. Barefoot, people endure the cold and huddle close by a fire.
People live in tiny stone rooms, and sell their wares or ply their trade on the streets, which are often just six to eight feet wide, teaming with life. There is scarcely a green plant or tree to be seen. Everything generates noise, and smells. It is easy to push through the crowds and not see anything and much harder to stop and notice all of the details. The wood windows are sometimes intricately carved. The fruit in the stall is meticulously stacked high. The boys are playing an engaging game with just a stick and a stone. An old Shiva carving forms one wall for the newspaper stand. A smiling old man gazes out through ancient eyes. A curious youngster begs for money. A cow chews through the rubble and muck to find some food. A man scares off a dog with a rock. A small doorway leads into a hidden courtyard of an old monastery. This is all within a distance of ten feet. With all of the chaos it is easy to miss, but then you miss the actual experience of Kathmandu . It is only by stopping, peeking, and poking into the alleys that you see the charm.
We are in Kathmandu during the Tihar, Nepali New Year celebration. The streets are swept and decorated, the lights are up, and the mood is high. To direct the positive Spirits to the houses, candle offerings lead from the street to the doorways, and the walkways are painted with spirals and lines. It is auspicious to be generous on this day, so we are offered tea and biscuits by local merchants. This assures them a prosperous new year. We meet a great guy this way, Prakash, the general manager of Highland Tours and Travel of Kathmandu (his website is on our links page).
In Nepal , each little fiefdom used to have its own local King. They constructed palaces, and the area in front of the palace was referred to as Durbar Square . Each city has a Durbar Square where complaints were heard and public affairs conducted, and several around Kathmandu are quite impressive. In Patan, the square is remarkably well preserved, and there is a museum housed in a portion of the old palace. It is an excellent museum of Hindu
Unfortunately few museums in the developing world are of this quality. In some cases the important works have all been stolen (oops, I mean preserved) by the British and sit in London . Regardless, whatever is retained locally is usually poorly stored in boxes and crates, not protected from further deterioration, and certainly not displayed for the public to view. This museum in Patan is quite a treat.
Just north of Patan, we visited the Pashupatinath Ghats along the river. This is a holy site where Hindus are cremated. We watched as the bodies were first dipped in the river and then burned on large open piles of firewood. It was solemn but also ordinary. Death is simply part of life and is not considered such a tragedy as it is in the west. Hindus and Buddhists both have a much healthier attitude toward death, considering it to be a stage to the next step rather than a defeat of the current life. Death is an accepted fact of life, and people prepare for it rather than fear it. While Ghats for the common people are separate from the Ghats for the Royals and rich, the reality is that they are both just stone platforms next to the river, and there is no noticeable difference (except that there were people sifting through the sediment in the river near the rich people's Ghats, looking for jewelry!). It really teaches you that you die alone, and cannot take friends or possessions with you. That is neither good nor bad; it is just the way it is.
