April
20 2006
Updated July 2006
Trekking
to Sarangkot
in Pokhara Nepal
(Observations
on Goats, Democracy and Swedes)
Travel
in the War Zone
It
was a toss up whether I was even going to Nepal. I
had planned the trip and bought the ticket before
the current wave of strikes, protests and government
crackdowns. Currently five protestors were being reported
killed by government soldiers and there were travel
advisories issuing strong warnings not to visit Nepal
because of the potential danger.
The
4-day weekend of Songkran, Thailand New Year, was
approaching and if I didn't use the tickets I would
be stuck, either bored in Bangkok with nowhere to
go, or rushing to some unplanned destination in Thailand
with no reservations, braving the mass exodus of Bangkok
people fleeing to the countryside to squeeze in a
few days of rest and sanity in the countryside or
resort areas. Like bees whose hive has been set on
fire.
The
flight to Katmandu was only 3 hours, but tack on another
few hours to get from Katmandu to Pokhara, the lakeside
city that is famous for being a base for starting,
and recovering from, treks to the Himalayas. At the
current time, during April, Nepal was having its own
New Year, since both Nepal and Thailand follow the
lunar Buddhist calendar.
I
had visited Nepal, but only the capital city Katmandu
once before, many years ago, shortly after I first
relocated to Bangkok. One of my clearer memories was
the butcher shops; they were holes in the wall with
no refrigeration. Bloody carcasses hanging from oversized
metal hooks like a medieval torture chamber. The roads
were dirty and dusty and people seemed poor and grasping.
Water buffalos roamed the streets and garish-looking
Hindu temples added to the other-worldly effect. I
felt dizzy from culture shock and I was not enjoying
it.
I
spoke to a friend who had a little more travel experience
and he advised that next time, go straight to Pokhara
and avoid Katmandu altogether. He was right.
Arriving
in Pokhara
I took a small propeller plane to Pokhara and the
ticket was 76 USD. I tried to walk out of the airport
terminal by myself, but I was stopped by soldiers.
There was a camouflaged gun turret at the entrance
of the airport and several menacing-looking soldiers.
The streets were deserted because of the government-imposed
curfew.
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