Jan. 31 - Kathmandu, Nepal
Tuesday, January 31 :: Kathmandu, Nepal :: 0km today / 3199km total
Over breakfast this morning I read in the local newspaper that the India-Nepal border is closing from Feb. 7 - 9, during the upcoming election. THATS NOT GOOD. Its a border I need to cross. And, there's no guarantees that it won't be closed longer than the 9th (or earlier than the 7th?), the way things are here. Well. That changes things.
With even more resolve to go there I showed up at the Pakistani embassy. After the usual foolishness (I had to get a letter from the Canadian consulate saying I'm a good guy... I mean, I am, but how do they know?), I left with the promise of a visa tomorrow. Islamabad here I come! I've always loved Islamic countries and peoples, hopefully Pakistan will be more of the same (but different!). In the Canadian Consulate I was told that the Maoists are calling for all businesses in Nepal to close for a week, starting Feb 5th. GREAT. While these border/business issues are not dangerous to me, they make travel pretty difficult, even by bike. And you never know what the election fallout will be. So I will have to cut my time in Nepal short, probably via a 12-hour bus ride to the Western border from Bharatpur (which I still intend to ride back to).
Back in Thamel I booked the Everest flight for tomorrow morning, a 1.5 hour out-and-back flight out of Kathmandu to... Everest and surrounding mountains. Should be awesome. Nepal is DEFINITELY a place I want to come back to, in the future, maybe hike the Annapurna Circuit or to Everest Base Camp. Anyone?
I finished the day with some walking tours of Kathmandu's historic district, and of course plenty of food. The touts are bad here, but I have more empathy for them than anything else. Tourism in Nepal has been cut in half since 1999, because of the political problems, 9/11, etc., and the people are suffering for it. In more peaceful times, from what I've seen, it would be an incredible trekking or paddling destination.
I'm possibly leaving Kathmandu tomorrow afternoon, and the next time you hear from me I may be back in India.
Over breakfast this morning I read in the local newspaper that the India-Nepal border is closing from Feb. 7 - 9, during the upcoming election. THATS NOT GOOD. Its a border I need to cross. And, there's no guarantees that it won't be closed longer than the 9th (or earlier than the 7th?), the way things are here. Well. That changes things.
With even more resolve to go there I showed up at the Pakistani embassy. After the usual foolishness (I had to get a letter from the Canadian consulate saying I'm a good guy... I mean, I am, but how do they know?), I left with the promise of a visa tomorrow. Islamabad here I come! I've always loved Islamic countries and peoples, hopefully Pakistan will be more of the same (but different!). In the Canadian Consulate I was told that the Maoists are calling for all businesses in Nepal to close for a week, starting Feb 5th. GREAT. While these border/business issues are not dangerous to me, they make travel pretty difficult, even by bike. And you never know what the election fallout will be. So I will have to cut my time in Nepal short, probably via a 12-hour bus ride to the Western border from Bharatpur (which I still intend to ride back to).
Back in Thamel I booked the Everest flight for tomorrow morning, a 1.5 hour out-and-back flight out of Kathmandu to... Everest and surrounding mountains. Should be awesome. Nepal is DEFINITELY a place I want to come back to, in the future, maybe hike the Annapurna Circuit or to Everest Base Camp. Anyone?
I finished the day with some walking tours of Kathmandu's historic district, and of course plenty of food. The touts are bad here, but I have more empathy for them than anything else. Tourism in Nepal has been cut in half since 1999, because of the political problems, 9/11, etc., and the people are suffering for it. In more peaceful times, from what I've seen, it would be an incredible trekking or paddling destination.
I'm possibly leaving Kathmandu tomorrow afternoon, and the next time you hear from me I may be back in India.
posted by Graham Durrant at 2:44 AM
2 Comments:
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