The South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation Conference still had many parts of Kathmandu on a near lockdown yesterday. Heads of State for India, The Maldives, Bhutan, Pakistan and several other countries along with hundreds of staff (all rich, graft corrupted political tourists - just like a US congressional delegation boondoogle trip) had taken control of Kathmandu.
There were frequent military helocopters overhead, frequently seen soldiers dressed in fatigues strolling about lugging AK-47's, checkpoints, detours, delays and traffic rerouted or prohibited on roads between the embassies, Bhaktapour and the KTM airport. There were even blockades in the ancient capital and cultural showpiece of Nepal - also a World Heritage Site - in Durbar Square, in the center of Bhaktapour - just 50 feet from my hotel room.
We got about halfway from Bhaktapour to Thamel in routine fashion......normally a conjested, traffic crazed, 45 minute drive through Kathmandu with motorcycles constantly honking and whizzing within inches - of the front, rear, left and right side of the car - and every bus, car and truck inching forward or to the left or right into any available space...as if it would help get to their destination before everyone else on the road. Amazingly, there is no road rage. It is how traffic moves in Nepal. If anyone in most US cities tried just 1/10 of what happens routinely, minute by minute on Nepali roads, they would get "FU, Asshole" screamed at them, or the finger, or get shot by an angered gun toter. In Nepal, no one seems upset, though.
There was a military roadblock before we reached the airport. It was probably a delegation going to the airport from the conference. The taxi made a U turn in bumper to bumper traffic and cut to the north around the airport and through metropolitan Kathmandu about three miles.....KTM is a city of about 4 million with mostly unpaved roads.
We went over dirt and rock roads that in the US no one in their right mind would attempt in anything other than a 4WD truck. At least the road was level and it is not moonsoon season. Our taxi was a nice, new car - a Honda that only had about 5K kilometers on the odometer, unlike many of the Nepali taxis. Most could be considered rollling death traps - imagine being crammed into the backseat of a 15 year old Ford Fiesta, with 13 inch wheels, manual transmission, dents, dings, and torn upholstery, no seat belts and unturned drake drums. I was in one beater taxi that was running on 3 cylinders, could barely go 40 MPH and constantly popped out of gear.
Somehow......in all the chaos, Nepali cultural norms become comfortable, normal and even enjoyable after a while...........
But our taxi was a new vehicle and we bounced and crawled along on roads barely navigable - stabilizing ourselves with one hand on the front seat and the other hand on the handle above the door. There was a continous stream of diverted traffic on a road meant for motorcycles. There were clouds of dust.
The Safety Consultant's advice? "Never, ever, in either a bus or a car in KTM, should you put your arm out of the window when in a car or bus is in motion, no matter how warm it is......or you will risk amputation from an unexpected vehicle passing within inches of your arm".
We went around the KTM airport on some of the roughest roads I have experienced during my 6 weeks in Nepal. Bouncing, jostling, stopping, avoiding ditches, potholes, etc. until we finally reached a paved road and detoured our way into Thamel.
We stayed in comped rooms that Shree reserved for us at the Kathmandu Guest House, an icon In KTM.
The room had a bathtub!!!!! And best of all, a heater, which I cranked up. My room was 2 floors above the hotel wing where the Beatles stayed in the early 60's. It was the first time in my 6 weeks of travel in Nepal that I have had room heat - but then I have been staying in budget hotel rooms for $7.00 to $10.00 a night since my arrival.
I,walked across the street to the Northfield Restaurant to listen to traditional Nepali music. I was entering the Northfield for the fifth or sixth time, as my normal Thamel hotel, the Nana, is just across the street. The band members acknowledged me. They all smiled, nodded their heads, gave Namaste and welcomed me as they played, like I was a groupie. They invited us to sit at the table reserved for them next to the stage since the place was crowded.
The Northfield was packed for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, steamed vegies, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, pumpkin pie and even cranberry sauce.
I retired early after an enjoyable meal and tended to my lingering food posioning malady.
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