It’s my last day in Nepal so I decided to explore a street I’ve been driven down numerous times that contains the old palace, which is now a museum. Unfortunately, the museum is closed, so I pony up my two bits to see the famous “Garden of Dreams” next door instead. It’s an odd intersection because there is a large compound across the street being protected by U.S. military officers, but it isn’t the embassy. Instead, I discover later, it’s an “American club” for diplomatic staff and expats – no tourists allowed. Sort of a country club with baseball field, pool, etc. I remember seeing something similar in Colombo, but I never heard of such a thing in Australia.
Anyway, the Garden of Dreams was quite nice. It is an old garden that had fallen into disrepair prior to 2006 when it was fixed up and restored to its original splendour. It is located behind a big wall, protected from the noisy, dirty, busy street that runs between the old palace and the American club. There were a number or restaurants and cafes inside, so I decided to kick back with a cup of coffee to enjoy the surroundings a little longer. A little bit of paradise insider big noisy dirty Kathmandu.
Upon leaving the gardens it suddenly struck me that there were no cars around and all the stores were still closed. Another strike? You bet! Another strike to bookend my Nepalese experience. One strike the day after I first arrive, and another strike the day before I leave. There were police with machine guns on the street corners of Thamel, my neighborhood, so I thought it best to retreat to my hotel room since everything was closed and the streets were looking a bit edgy.
Fortunately, by evening, I was able to find quite a few stored open to buy some last minute souvenirs of the place. Nepal has been lots of fun, but it does have a lot of problems and I am looking forward to moving on tomorrow!
