Nepal Clamps
To get to Nepal from Tibet by road it seems that you have to leave one planet and join another. Tibet as I have said before is very arid and dry. Nepal is not. In contrats Nepal is one of the lushest places on earth with a high annual rainfall and a lot of wildlife.
The road takes you down from the Tibetan/Chinese border town into Nepal proper. The border crossing itself amused me in the way it typified the attitudes of the respective governments. The Chinese side of the bridge has a naff archway, common in China, emblazoned with the Seal of the People's Republic and manned by severe looking uniformed officers. You have to fill in your SARS form, give your passport twice, and don't smile. Just across the bridge is the border of the Kingdon of Nepal. There's just a broken sign and some taxi touts. I liked it immediately.
Even this close to Tibet the air was more himud and there was a lot of vegetation. We were right by the river and stayed the night in a small hotel with comfortable beds and the sound of the river rushing through the valley. There was a hot spring not far from the hotel and we wenty there for a "shower". This was the best wash I have had in a long time. Hot water heated by something deep within the earth rushes out of constructed holes in a wall and you just stand underneath it with a bar of soap. This is all communal and I was glad to see that all the Nepali men kept the kecks on so I did not need to go in the buff. Then it rained hard and I made my way back through the cool rain. The air was mild and clean and I slept like a baby. I could certainly get used to more nights like that. It's a good job I did sleep well too as the following day we took a trip to Kathmandu by local bus; not an experience for the faint of heart.
We got the bus as it sort of juddered to a halt outside the hotel and we climbed on the roof. This is not that unsafe as you get to sit on a steel roof-rack with all the other Nepalis. I even managed to share some space with a goat. I slept most of thwe way though when I was awake I was travelling down the valley towards Kathmandu. This valley was beautiful, with forests and farms covering the steep hillsides. They were a little too steep for some and looking over the edge of the bus down to the river below we saw a couple of other busses and an old tanker who were not so careful. Not that our driver was careful. In Nepal there are no road rules, I think. A driver approaching a narrow stretch, like a bridge, simply sounds his horn. This indicates that he has right of way. the driver coming from the opposite end sounds his too and they normally rush past each other on the small bridge with a good inch to spare. The lorries here are a sight to behold too, all done up with paint and bunting. They look like Christmas trees.
We eventually arrived in Kathmandu safe and sound, though my bum hurt from sitting on a piece of steel for 6 hours on some very bumpy roads, and we got a taxi to our hotel. Our taxi driver was a friendly chap, though they all are, and he drove his little taxi like a dogem car through Kathmandu to our hotel. On the way however we came across one of the numerous organised demonstrations within the city. He slammed his last remaining brake on and cried "Much danger, much danger!" After completing his 180 we went antoher way through someone's garden, or something like that. He was wise though. Foriegners are best kept out of the demos that happen in Kathmandu as they normally turn violent and the Police don't take too much care with their aim. He kept smiling and we got to our hotel fine.
A little background: Nepal is a Kingdom that only opened up to the West in 1951. The first monarch at this time tried to modernise the Economy from a feudal system, though in between good monarchs they have had a few bad eggs. These people tried to undo the democratic reforms of their predecessors and this gave rise to the Maoist movement who want to see Nepal become a Communist state. In 2001 the whole Royal Family was murdered by one fo the heirs to the throne. Conspiracies abound though it's probably down to him just being a fruitcake and having his fiancee disinherited or something. Since then another King succeeded the throne and has regressed the country by giving the police emergency powers and dissolved parliament. That's as I understand it anyway. The demonstrations really centre on the current King and his lack of elected government and heavy-handed attitude to his subjects. He says that this is because of the current situation with the Maoists though that had been rumbling on since the mid 1990's. Oh well. Now the U.S. is supplying the Government forces with weapons while the Maoists gain support. Many of the Maoists are hill-men and are therefore as good and any Gurkha soldier when it somes to fighting. I only hope they manage to talk it over before they end up in a civil war.
Kathmandu was wonderful. There was a general strike on for 3 days while we were there which was quite good as I did not want to go anywhere and the streets were free from cars. In Kathmandu I could buy the Economist (the only British newmagazine), National Geographic, and Cadbury's chocolate. I tell you, this place is like a heaven when compared to China! I could read real news for a change.
From Kathmandu after some R+R I went to a town called Pokhara. This was even nicer. It sits just by a beatiful lake and is not a busy place. I stayed here for a few days, rented a bicycle and went around for a look. This is a lovely town with plenty to see though I'll save that for another entry.
The road takes you down from the Tibetan/Chinese border town into Nepal proper. The border crossing itself amused me in the way it typified the attitudes of the respective governments. The Chinese side of the bridge has a naff archway, common in China, emblazoned with the Seal of the People's Republic and manned by severe looking uniformed officers. You have to fill in your SARS form, give your passport twice, and don't smile. Just across the bridge is the border of the Kingdon of Nepal. There's just a broken sign and some taxi touts. I liked it immediately.
Even this close to Tibet the air was more himud and there was a lot of vegetation. We were right by the river and stayed the night in a small hotel with comfortable beds and the sound of the river rushing through the valley. There was a hot spring not far from the hotel and we wenty there for a "shower". This was the best wash I have had in a long time. Hot water heated by something deep within the earth rushes out of constructed holes in a wall and you just stand underneath it with a bar of soap. This is all communal and I was glad to see that all the Nepali men kept the kecks on so I did not need to go in the buff. Then it rained hard and I made my way back through the cool rain. The air was mild and clean and I slept like a baby. I could certainly get used to more nights like that. It's a good job I did sleep well too as the following day we took a trip to Kathmandu by local bus; not an experience for the faint of heart.
We got the bus as it sort of juddered to a halt outside the hotel and we climbed on the roof. This is not that unsafe as you get to sit on a steel roof-rack with all the other Nepalis. I even managed to share some space with a goat. I slept most of thwe way though when I was awake I was travelling down the valley towards Kathmandu. This valley was beautiful, with forests and farms covering the steep hillsides. They were a little too steep for some and looking over the edge of the bus down to the river below we saw a couple of other busses and an old tanker who were not so careful. Not that our driver was careful. In Nepal there are no road rules, I think. A driver approaching a narrow stretch, like a bridge, simply sounds his horn. This indicates that he has right of way. the driver coming from the opposite end sounds his too and they normally rush past each other on the small bridge with a good inch to spare. The lorries here are a sight to behold too, all done up with paint and bunting. They look like Christmas trees.
We eventually arrived in Kathmandu safe and sound, though my bum hurt from sitting on a piece of steel for 6 hours on some very bumpy roads, and we got a taxi to our hotel. Our taxi driver was a friendly chap, though they all are, and he drove his little taxi like a dogem car through Kathmandu to our hotel. On the way however we came across one of the numerous organised demonstrations within the city. He slammed his last remaining brake on and cried "Much danger, much danger!" After completing his 180 we went antoher way through someone's garden, or something like that. He was wise though. Foriegners are best kept out of the demos that happen in Kathmandu as they normally turn violent and the Police don't take too much care with their aim. He kept smiling and we got to our hotel fine.
A little background: Nepal is a Kingdom that only opened up to the West in 1951. The first monarch at this time tried to modernise the Economy from a feudal system, though in between good monarchs they have had a few bad eggs. These people tried to undo the democratic reforms of their predecessors and this gave rise to the Maoist movement who want to see Nepal become a Communist state. In 2001 the whole Royal Family was murdered by one fo the heirs to the throne. Conspiracies abound though it's probably down to him just being a fruitcake and having his fiancee disinherited or something. Since then another King succeeded the throne and has regressed the country by giving the police emergency powers and dissolved parliament. That's as I understand it anyway. The demonstrations really centre on the current King and his lack of elected government and heavy-handed attitude to his subjects. He says that this is because of the current situation with the Maoists though that had been rumbling on since the mid 1990's. Oh well. Now the U.S. is supplying the Government forces with weapons while the Maoists gain support. Many of the Maoists are hill-men and are therefore as good and any Gurkha soldier when it somes to fighting. I only hope they manage to talk it over before they end up in a civil war.
Kathmandu was wonderful. There was a general strike on for 3 days while we were there which was quite good as I did not want to go anywhere and the streets were free from cars. In Kathmandu I could buy the Economist (the only British newmagazine), National Geographic, and Cadbury's chocolate. I tell you, this place is like a heaven when compared to China! I could read real news for a change.
From Kathmandu after some R+R I went to a town called Pokhara. This was even nicer. It sits just by a beatiful lake and is not a busy place. I stayed here for a few days, rented a bicycle and went around for a look. This is a lovely town with plenty to see though I'll save that for another entry.