So far everything has been amazing. I really like it here.. the city is very unique and the smells remind me of the buddhist temples. I’ve spent the last day or so visiting Stupas and talking with locals and monks.
I also saw Mt.Everest from the plane .. it was far off but unmistakable. A black/dark blue diamond in the sky with white ice crystals blowing off the peak.
The weird thing about this place is the random army people (police) with guns that range from M16’s and shotguns , to rifles that predate WWII … its a bit of a hodge podge of a police force. The country is incredibly poor and tourists are probably at an all time low. There is no power for most of the day and only a few hours at night, everything else (ala this computer) runs on generators. At about 830 everything shuts down and closes with the exception of a few restaurants and bars.
Not to worry anyone, and all decisions i make from here on are of my own informed volition.
I was talking with a freelance photo journalist here (we were the only two in the bar) and he was telling me the state of Nepal as of the hour. It seems that revolution here is a few weeks away, and that the Maoists are preparing to take power… aka. Nepal is the next communist state. Weather this is likely to happen while im here or not is immposible to tell, but information doesnt look as bad as he said it was, but people are dieng…..but who knows.
I arrived after this blockade was lifted
To add to the complications Nepal is in a draught and there is no water available. Not to say i have no water, just that there is conservation.. that would also explain the dry air and the sea of brown i flew over on the way here.
SO… i will move around the country for the next week or two and then go to India. I have no return flight from here i came one way. Tommorow I will take the bus to Pokhara to the east , second largest city, and then trek into the mountians.. so no more interneting.. until April 3rd/4th.
