| Tuesday 10 February 2004 Nepal continues to surprise me at every new turn. The country is in the grip of a well reported Maoist Insurgency and, although much of the effect has been felt in the countryside, Pokhara is obviously feeling some fall out from events elsewhere.  | I also found myself asking how a beautiful country like Nepal could allow itself to reach such a dangerous political crossroads |  |
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Yesterday evening I was invited to have supper at a local house. Someone told me that the evenings spent chatting to local Nepalis, outside next to an open fire, are the most treasured a visitor will have in Nepal. Well, tonight I had my first experience of this. I was in the company of some retired ex-Servicemen, some still working for the MOD and others reintegrated into the local society. Standing together outside the house, at one stage in the evening I caught myself staring into the open fire, with my face warmed by the flames and the crackling wood punctuating the peaceful night, my mind drifted to my family back home in England. But I also found myself asking how a beautiful country like Nepal could allow itself to reach such a dangerous political crossroads. Well the answer is simple, in exactly the same way that many other countries around the world have squandered their 'crown jewels'.  | | Holy Cow! Being a Hindu country, cows have right of passage. This is the main tourist street in Pokhara. |
Although the country is not in any sense on the verge of collapse, the tourist numbers are down and life is changing for the average Nepali citizen, whether in the hills or in the towns. The evening was soon over and I was driven home through the city. What is most striking about the current situation is the obvious fear felt by the local population. From the time that we left the house, the only other road users I saw were cows wandering with impunity on the streets, and members of the Royal Nepalese Army casually manning checkpoints at strategic points in the town. We were waved past each makeshift set of barriers, but the complete absence of people and movement, at only 10.30pm, was quite startling. It was as if Pokhara was under a voluntary curfew. Whether this was because the locals feared the Army or the Maoists I do not know. Someone said to me recently that it is impossible to take a bad photograph in Nepal. Well, it is also impossible to see an ordinary sight. The greatest challenge is not to take it for granted. Previous entry | Next entry | 
