It’s my last day in Nepal, so I decided to explore a street I’ve driven down many times that has the old palace, 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 a large compound across the street is 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 a baseball field, pool, etc. I remember seeing something similar in Colombo, but I’d never heard of it 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 of 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 inside big, noisy, dirty Kathmandu.
When I left 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 arrived, and another strike the day before I left. There were police with machine guns on the street corners of Thamel, my neighbourhood, 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 found quite a few stores open where I could buy some last-minute souvenirs. Nepal has been lots of fun, but it does have a lot of problems, and I am looking forward to moving on tomorrow!
