Well, it's time to write about Nepal..
I'm not sure if it was a sign, a warning that this trip to Nepal was not going to be smooth sailing, but before I even left the airport I rat scurried by me as I was leaving the bathroom. I don't do well with rats. One of the only benefits of having bad eyesight is that I have probably not seen many that have crossed my path during my travels over the years. But this one I saw and I froze as it ran off. A Nepali sitting in the area said "it's ok it's ok, it's gone now," I am sure inwardly chuckling at my fear. I kept walking with goosebumps intact.
Thankfully my hotel turned out to be pretty good. It took months of research to pick as there are a plethora of options and the prices fluctuate. Nothing luxurious, but $17 US/night can get you a nice enough place, with hot water (essential in Kathmandu), Wifi and a free breakfast to boot. As a girl who can't survive without hot water, especially in a land like this where mornings and evenings are cool and there is no heat inside, having hot water was my biggest worry, and this hotel has thankfully not failed me. So I have stayed, and am now paying even less, $15 US a night. Can't beat that eh! :)
I don't think anybody would describe Kathmandu as a pretty city. It is a big, busy, noisy, dusty place used as a base for people here to trek and tour other areas of Nepal. But Kathmandu was to be my base while here, because it is here where the people I care about are, and the reason I came.
Because of how dusty and exhaust ridden it can be, one of the first things I had to do was get a face mask. I was already sick so I knew I would never recover without it. And no worries, I'm not the only yahoo here wearing one. They are pretty common even with the locals.
Thamel, the main tourist area in Kathmandu, hasn't changed since I was here. Shop after shop after shop of pashminas, blankets, handicrafts, trekking gear...I have no idea how the good majority even make a living. Like many other tourist places you get barraged by salespeople as you walk around here, as well by bicycle rickshaw drivers, people selling homemade instruments, tiger balm for aches and pains, and the drug dealers who whisper beside you "smoke?" The other day a young guy ran up to me gleefully announcing that he had hash. I graciously declined but he remained optimistic replying "sometime!" As I walked away I gave him a "you never know" in a singsong voice just to keep his hope alive.
I expected to see a lot more damage from the earthquake in Kathmandu than there is. My friend tells me that a lot of the debris has already been cleared away, but compared to the rural areas Kathmandu was very much spared. Sadly some of their main holy sites, also tourist attractions, have the most obvious damage, some of which is already being repaired, and some not. A friend of mine who is a business owner here, tells me that 4 billion dollars in aid has come into the country, yet very little has been done. The road from China to Nepal which brought 120,000 Chinese tourists to Nepal last year remains blocked with debris and in turn means 120,000 people worth of lost income for Nepali people. There is a sense of hopelessness here that their leadership aren't doing what is necessary to get this country back on track.
Impacting the country even more than the earthquake relief right now though is a fuel crisis. I'm not sure if the world even knows what's going on here but I sure hope so, as it is impacting the country even more than the earthquake did if you can believe that.
What happened is that in late October, India, Nepal's only fuel source, stopped sending fuel to Nepal. India says that it is due to security issues related to ethnic minority protests that are going on near several India-Nepal borders. The Nepali position is that this is a political move by India's leadership as they do not support Nepal's new leader or their new Constitution. Whatever the reason, and from all that I have heard, it does appear that this a strategic move on India's part, Nepal has been crippled by the lack of fuel across the country.
Individuals no longer have a means of transportation; thousands of motorcycles sit idle. Earthquake relief efforts have been quashed as trucks sit with no fuel to function. Local buses are jammed packed with people now needing to use public transport. Many bus routes are not running at all. Some international flight carriers have stopped flights to Kathmandu as they can't refuel here. Taxi prices have probably more than quadrupled. Medications and supplies are not being delivered to remote areas. And this at a time when winter is coming and with a good majority of rural people living in temporary shelters due to their homes being destroyed.
Apart from a lack of fuel for transport, cooking gas (which everyone relies on versus electricity), is also scarce. People are using firewood to cook or going without their usual fare. Prices for food has risen. Some restaurants have closed, and almost all now have limited menus to conserve gas. I couldn't help but laugh today when I looked at a restaurant menu created since the fuel crisis titled "India Blockade Menu." There is no question who Nepali people blame for their situation :)
Nepal has just brokered a deal to receive some gas from China but it will take time to get here and be distributed. It is also only 30 percent of what Nepal typically gets from India. The government has established systems in order to distribute the limited gas, but given the demand this translates to queing in the street for days. I have seen line ups of hundreds and hundreds of motorcycles waiting for fuel, and as well line ups of people with their empty gas canisters, some with blankets prepared to sleep in the street in order to be able to eat.
The black market for fuel is thriving, with a litre of fuel now costing 500 rupees ($6) versus normal 100 rupees ($1.50). Most Nepalese people can't afford gas this expensive so they are going without.
A Canadian girl from Montreal staying in my hotel had her bag ripped off her the other day by a man on a motorcycle. She lost her passport, credit cards, money, everything, and it has ruined her trip. She tells me that she has heard of several other incidents of tourists being robbed in the last week. I have been to Nepal three times, and for a total of probably 5 months and I can tell you that this kind of thing is so so rare here. This is not who Nepali people are and speaks to the desperation here. Tourism is at 30 percent of what it usually is, and it's peak season. Now with this fuel crisis the situation is so much worse for people.
So when I get frustrated by the noise, the pollution, the constant attempts to sell, I have to remember that I have it so good compared to the Nepali people. That said, should you be cursing me for being away right now, please take some comfort in knowing that I am in no paradise! :)
With that, it's time to put on my face mask and get out there!
I'm not sure if it was a sign, a warning that this trip to Nepal was not going to be smooth sailing, but before I even left the airport I rat scurried by me as I was leaving the bathroom. I don't do well with rats. One of the only benefits of having bad eyesight is that I have probably not seen many that have crossed my path during my travels over the years. But this one I saw and I froze as it ran off. A Nepali sitting in the area said "it's ok it's ok, it's gone now," I am sure inwardly chuckling at my fear. I kept walking with goosebumps intact.
Thankfully my hotel turned out to be pretty good. It took months of research to pick as there are a plethora of options and the prices fluctuate. Nothing luxurious, but $17 US/night can get you a nice enough place, with hot water (essential in Kathmandu), Wifi and a free breakfast to boot. As a girl who can't survive without hot water, especially in a land like this where mornings and evenings are cool and there is no heat inside, having hot water was my biggest worry, and this hotel has thankfully not failed me. So I have stayed, and am now paying even less, $15 US a night. Can't beat that eh! :)
I don't think anybody would describe Kathmandu as a pretty city. It is a big, busy, noisy, dusty place used as a base for people here to trek and tour other areas of Nepal. But Kathmandu was to be my base while here, because it is here where the people I care about are, and the reason I came.
Because of how dusty and exhaust ridden it can be, one of the first things I had to do was get a face mask. I was already sick so I knew I would never recover without it. And no worries, I'm not the only yahoo here wearing one. They are pretty common even with the locals.
Thamel, the main tourist area in Kathmandu, hasn't changed since I was here. Shop after shop after shop of pashminas, blankets, handicrafts, trekking gear...I have no idea how the good majority even make a living. Like many other tourist places you get barraged by salespeople as you walk around here, as well by bicycle rickshaw drivers, people selling homemade instruments, tiger balm for aches and pains, and the drug dealers who whisper beside you "smoke?" The other day a young guy ran up to me gleefully announcing that he had hash. I graciously declined but he remained optimistic replying "sometime!" As I walked away I gave him a "you never know" in a singsong voice just to keep his hope alive.
I expected to see a lot more damage from the earthquake in Kathmandu than there is. My friend tells me that a lot of the debris has already been cleared away, but compared to the rural areas Kathmandu was very much spared. Sadly some of their main holy sites, also tourist attractions, have the most obvious damage, some of which is already being repaired, and some not. A friend of mine who is a business owner here, tells me that 4 billion dollars in aid has come into the country, yet very little has been done. The road from China to Nepal which brought 120,000 Chinese tourists to Nepal last year remains blocked with debris and in turn means 120,000 people worth of lost income for Nepali people. There is a sense of hopelessness here that their leadership aren't doing what is necessary to get this country back on track.
Impacting the country even more than the earthquake relief right now though is a fuel crisis. I'm not sure if the world even knows what's going on here but I sure hope so, as it is impacting the country even more than the earthquake did if you can believe that.
What happened is that in late October, India, Nepal's only fuel source, stopped sending fuel to Nepal. India says that it is due to security issues related to ethnic minority protests that are going on near several India-Nepal borders. The Nepali position is that this is a political move by India's leadership as they do not support Nepal's new leader or their new Constitution. Whatever the reason, and from all that I have heard, it does appear that this a strategic move on India's part, Nepal has been crippled by the lack of fuel across the country.
Individuals no longer have a means of transportation; thousands of motorcycles sit idle. Earthquake relief efforts have been quashed as trucks sit with no fuel to function. Local buses are jammed packed with people now needing to use public transport. Many bus routes are not running at all. Some international flight carriers have stopped flights to Kathmandu as they can't refuel here. Taxi prices have probably more than quadrupled. Medications and supplies are not being delivered to remote areas. And this at a time when winter is coming and with a good majority of rural people living in temporary shelters due to their homes being destroyed.
Apart from a lack of fuel for transport, cooking gas (which everyone relies on versus electricity), is also scarce. People are using firewood to cook or going without their usual fare. Prices for food has risen. Some restaurants have closed, and almost all now have limited menus to conserve gas. I couldn't help but laugh today when I looked at a restaurant menu created since the fuel crisis titled "India Blockade Menu." There is no question who Nepali people blame for their situation :)
Nepal has just brokered a deal to receive some gas from China but it will take time to get here and be distributed. It is also only 30 percent of what Nepal typically gets from India. The government has established systems in order to distribute the limited gas, but given the demand this translates to queing in the street for days. I have seen line ups of hundreds and hundreds of motorcycles waiting for fuel, and as well line ups of people with their empty gas canisters, some with blankets prepared to sleep in the street in order to be able to eat.
The black market for fuel is thriving, with a litre of fuel now costing 500 rupees ($6) versus normal 100 rupees ($1.50). Most Nepalese people can't afford gas this expensive so they are going without.
A Canadian girl from Montreal staying in my hotel had her bag ripped off her the other day by a man on a motorcycle. She lost her passport, credit cards, money, everything, and it has ruined her trip. She tells me that she has heard of several other incidents of tourists being robbed in the last week. I have been to Nepal three times, and for a total of probably 5 months and I can tell you that this kind of thing is so so rare here. This is not who Nepali people are and speaks to the desperation here. Tourism is at 30 percent of what it usually is, and it's peak season. Now with this fuel crisis the situation is so much worse for people.
So when I get frustrated by the noise, the pollution, the constant attempts to sell, I have to remember that I have it so good compared to the Nepali people. That said, should you be cursing me for being away right now, please take some comfort in knowing that I am in no paradise! :)
With that, it's time to put on my face mask and get out there!
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