A nationwide strike is in effect all day today. This has forced all shops to close and most traffic to quietly disappear. People are still walking the streets, possibly with nowhere to go, and some marches with people chanting took place earlier this morning. I also heard a low-flying police/military helicopter buzz overhead around lunchtime. My hotel advised me not to leave the immediate neighbourhood, so I snuck out for lunch nearby but will likely stay indoors for the rest of the day. The strike seems to be about an upcoming June election that some people don’t think should go ahead.
So far, I’ve been eating local food, which has been great and similar to Indian or Sri Lankan food. The menu has a few other local delicacies, like momos, little dumplings, that I hope to try soon. The Nepalese people have been very friendly, with little hustling, other than a few odd drug dealers and mysterious dance-club herders on the streets, targeting the few tourists they can find this time of year.
Fortunately, I worked out a plan for my visit with my hotel. Instead of throwing all my eggs in the Everest Base Camp hike basket everyone has been prodding me to do (which would have taken all my Nepalese time, lots of money, and been extra cold and snowy to do this time of year, climbing to 5000+ meters), I’ve opted for a bit more variety.
I’ve decided to head to Chitwan National Park with another personal driver and another safari (both in a 4WD and on an elephant’s back). Afterwards, my driver will take me to the scenic city of Pokhara, by a big lake and surrounded by huge mountains. In Pokhara, I will do a nearby 5-day trek along some of the nicest sections of the famous Annapurna Circuit, which normally takes an entire month to complete. Trekking in Nepal consists of hiking from teahouse to teahouse for meals and comfortable accommodation, so minimal gear should need to be carried. I will have a personal guide for the trek, but I probably won’t need a sherpa. Afterwards, I will stay in Pokhara for several more days, hopefully getting some mountain biking in, before flying back to Kathmandu for a few days and then flying out to Korea.
By the evening, the strike appeared to have ended, and the shops began to open again. It is quite an amazing little neighbourhood here in Thamel. All the streets are like little alleyways, lined on either side with countless shops selling crafts, counterfeit outdoor gear, maps, books, and food. The lane-ways are decorated above with strings of little flags that crisscross back and forth. There are absolutely no franchise stores anywhere, except for an oddly placed Baskin Robbins stand and countless fake The North Face stores.
For dinner, I had the pleasure of eating at a little restaurant across the lane, run by a few Japanese guys training up some local Nepalese. The place was packed, and they forced me to eat at a breakfast bar in their kitchen. It was interesting to watch them cook my meal in front of me and see how frantic they were, trying to keep up with everyone else’s orders. Lots of fried garlic smoke to choke on, but lots of fun.
