Lots of Updates & No Time to Write

Time is not a commodity I have too much to spend at the moment, as everything seems to be happening at once. Most of it has to do with starting Brian's Grill House, but there is more to it than one might think. Interwoven in the process of setting up the business is getting a visa. The paperwork required for this combined effort is mind numbing, including signatures, thumb prints, letters, statements and more passport sized photos than you can shake a stick at. Combine this with a culture where it takes several hours to do anything, and the involvement of six busy people in the restaurant itself whom I have to collect signatures, photos and various forms from and you can begin to see that this is a time consuming process.

Paperwork though is not the only thing we are trying to manage at the moment. Having found the space we will be using we had to quickly figure out the layout of the restaurant so that the head engineer of the building could remove and erect walls as required, put toilets and doors where we needed them etc. This isn't an easy task as you have to take into account how everything is going to run. What kitchen equipment will we be using? Where will staff place orders, how will they place orders, where will dishes be dropped off, how will clean glasses be delivered to the bar, will the guy working the grill want to kill the guy working the fry station if I arrange the kitchen this way? Bathrooms were incredibly tricky as there were columns in unfortunate positions, making it very difficult to split them into men's and woman's rooms. Differences in how ventilation, lighting and separation of facilities is done here made this even more of a challenge.

The Revolution Doesn't End When Figureheads Come Down

There was a good article in Republica today about some Maoist leaders catching hell from supporters who had lost family members during the struggle of the insurgency (Maoist Leaders Speechless Before Martyr's Kin). Now I'm not sympathetic to the Maoist cause, but I am sympathetic to people who fought for what they thought would be a better world and had their trust betrayed by people who used their sacrifices to attain power and then discarded them. Politics in Nepal is not a game of appeasing the electorate, as next to no tax base comes from the people, it's a game of appeasing foreign interests and aid agencies that funnel tremendous amounts of money through various state and just as often non-state but politically connected entities. The result has been that it is very lucrative to maintain the status quo, of not making any political progress and certainly no social progress, or none at a meaningful level beyond what can be advertised as feel good programs for the various concerned entities.

Cynicism aside there are many people, and to some extent even foreign governments, acting with the best of intentions here, but the consequences of their presence and the general lack of any sense of civic virtue among Nepali politicos has created the political doldrums that Nepal now finds itself in. Public apathy, a political sector where corruption is not the exception but the rule, and a government machine that is not dependent on its citizens for funding has created a Nepal very different than the ones most had envisioned when the king was ousted in the mass protests of 2006. One where the words "load shedding" are used to cover up the fact that the government has mandated blackouts for most of the day in the dry season and waking hours with power are rare. It's a Nepal where politicians who achieve high office can't list a single thing they've done for their country, only rattle off ways in which they manipulated internal power struggles to achieve their new position. The revolution, by the real people of Nepal, not just the Maoists, lost its fire after the King a figurehead of the country came down, but then it was back to the usual. It's a lesson that the revolution isn't about just removing the figurehead, you've got to clean house and adjust policy to reality.

Nepal Names a New Prime Minister

After a little more than seven months Nepal will once again have a government. With more than 17 unsuccessful attempts to elect a prime minister, yesterday CPN-UML (communist party of Nepal- United Marxist Leninist) member Jhalanath Khanal was finally elected after he gained support from the Maoists who withdrew their candidate at the last minute, in what seems to be very clearly a political move despite commentary to the contrary. The vote seems to have caught the Nepali congress party a bit by surprise, and this morning the Sushil Koirala was quoted as saying that they will not join the government in will sit in opposition.

What does all this mean for Nepal? Probably not too much. The Maoists will again be part of the government, which is some reason for concern, but as recent events have shown most people within the constituent assembly have no intention of getting anything done, and as it took over seven months just to form a government, there is little chance that there will be anything close to a constitution formed by the deadline that is coming up in May. A large part of the problem is that the people that are within the assembly have political power and aside from a decent legal salary, there is no doubt that many also get plenty of money that is siphoned in by both legal and not so legal means. When the constitution is actually formed half of the people currently in the CA would be out of a job as the normal parliament is about half the size. Not exactly a great incentive.

Mr. Khanal also doesn't appear to be someone to get too excited about. Although he was part of the pro democracy rallies in both 1990 and again in 2006, his actual accomplishments in parliament have been scarce, at least scarce enough to avoid any searches through Google, and various Nepali news sites. His demeanor in a recent interview that was posted today shows that he stands to be more of the same typical politician here. The last question being the most telling, typical denial in the face of a question and just pushing it aside instead of actually answering what seem to be concerns that are well founded by looking through past archives. His most recent claim to fame was being slapped in the face by a disillusioned constituent while giving a speech.  When asked about the incident afterwards he was quoted as saying, "Gnats and flies make no effect."

The guy that slapped him, Devi Prasad Regmi, was quoted as saying, "When I saw Khanal and other leaders, I could not help but slap him, for these are the people who are responsible for ruining the country." The sentiment is shared by many Nepali people, and one wonders how long they will put up with the status quo before there is mass public outcry. When one watches the protests going on through the Middle East and North Africa at the moment you are reminded in some ways of what happened here in 2006. There is the temptation when a tyrant steps down for the population to think that their work is done. Nepal should stand as a reminder that the public must continue to hold politicians feet to the fire or else all they worked for will be done in vain, and those who pretend to lead the country after the worst elements are purged can be just as useless or cruel. 


All this negativity aside we can hope that Nepal does begin to move forward, but my thought is that unless the people of Nepal declare that they won't accept the status quo any longer, it will continue to go on as it has.

Wanting to Write Something Positive

The more settled I get in Nepal the harder it is for me to find things to write about it, as nothing seems all that different to me. So just like back home, conversation and thought about the country turns to the events and politics that the country engages in. In this area it is quite difficult to say anything positive about Nepal, and so I have put off writing about it. For instance I really wanted to write something about Nepal Tourism Year 2011, but as I started writing about it, I found that the entire piece was cynical and disparaging. Indeed it is hard to look at what has been done for this and come up with a single good thing to say, and what makes it worse is that the general population seems to have high expectations of it.

Sure people should come to Nepal, it's a great destination, it has the best trekking on the planet, it's temples, people and culture are something that can be spellbinding, and places like Chitwan offer some of the best jungle safari's in the world. For all these reasons and more people should come to Nepal, and more tourists could certainly help the economy here, but that really isn't the issue. The issue is that Nepal declared 2011 tourism year, and then proceeded to create no new incentives to come here, did not reduce the archaic paperwork or ease the terrible visa process, they actually upped the fees for tourists at places like Bhaktapur and infrastructure throughout the country continues to get worse instead of better. There were no new trekking routes opened, no permit requirements eased on some of the more interesting trails, etc. At the airport the visa lines are still terribly long, but there is a nice shiny newly painted gate as you leave the airport that declares "Welcome to Nepal". Sigh.

A call to innovators

The following article was written by Akshay Sthapit, co-founder of Harilo.com, and was in the Kathmandu Post as a special for New Years. He makes some excellent points about not only starting up a business in Nepal but also calls out some very simple changes that Nepal could make to really invigorate new business and and investment in Nepal.


It's been an interesting journey, the last five months, which is how long it took Harilo.com to go from concept to launch to steady operation. While it's not the first company that I have started, this was my first in Nepal, and I have learnt a lot of lessons unique to Nepal. Some of the many lessons I learnt along the way might be useful for other Nepalis looking to start their own companies. It could also help convince many young and talented Nepalis who are either abroad or thinking of going abroad that opportunities do exist in Nepal—in the long run you will be better off developing a technology-based business in countries like Nepal where the cost of living to quality of life ratio is low rather than moving to a developed country and spending all your capital on rent and other living expenses. So start a company in Nepal, not just because it's your country and it's patriotic to create jobs and keep talent in the country, but because it makes business sense—there are a lot of problems in search of solutions in Nepal with potentially large payouts and it's a great place to be in startup mode to develop products for other countries as well.

The good news is that, from a purely technological perspective, it's easier than ever to create products that can scale. Advances in cloud computing mean that you can develop massive applications with nothing more than a laptop and if business picks up, you can add resources on a need-to basis. No longer do companies with deep pockets have an advantage just because they can afford more servers and bandwidth. Internet speeds in Nepal, although not nearly as fast or as reliable as I would like, are getting better and it's finally possible to hold video conferences with our warehouse in Florida and use screen sharing to collaborate remotely with partners abroad. And I am happy to see that labs and student groups in Nepal are using Harilo.com to order hard-to-find items to move their projects along so they are no longer constrained by what is available in the local market.

Has Government Failed Nepal?

It's always awkward commenting on Nepali politics because as an outsider you really aren't part of the system. So I'll buffet what I'm about to say with the disclaimer that, these are just my opinions and observations. I always stand by the idea that Nepal's politics should in fact be decided by Nepali people and not foreigners, no matter how good the intentions of the intervening nations might be. Also I am the first to admit that my country is politically a complete mess, so I am not trying to suggest that westerners have all the answers. Now with that aside, let's move on.

 Today a quote came out from Maoist chairman Dahal that the failure of the parliamentary system to elect a prime minister amounts to the failure of the parliamentary system as a whole. Now this shouldn't surprise anyone, the Maoists have been clearly working the system for a while to make it look terrible, to cause it to fail. Every time the system stalls and sputters the Maoists can point and claim that this kind of system doesn't work and they can slowly begin to peddle their real goal which is a one party system, where of course they are that party. The Maoists very clearly are still fighting the civil war, it's just changed gears, and the other political parties are too numb to realize it. Every time UML and NC plays for the short term goals of getting the PM seat or any other thing the Maoists can use to divide and make them look like opportunists, they make the system look corrupt and unworkable. In some ways the Maoists don't have to work very hard, because that is essentially the state of Nepali politics as far as I can tell.

UML and NC don't seem to realize just how high the stakes are that they are really playing for, they are always blinded it seems by the next shiny object that lies right in front of them. This is a country without a functioning government, that is in the process of writing a constitution (although that seems to be being avoided at all costs), and is in a very precarious state as the largest party in the constituent assembly were at war with the monarchy and the government of Nepal not all that long ago. The continuation of politics as normal and complete lack of leadership is uninspiring to the public at large to say the least, and dangerous to the precarious state of affairs that Nepal now finds itself in.

When I first came to Nepal, it was only a matter of months after the royal massacre in 2001. At that time it struck me that the county's people were in a terrible predicament, choosing between a corrupt establishment and a ruthless and corrupted ideology in the Maoist alternative. While there is no longer large scale violence in the countryside, the people of Nepal still seem to be faced with that same terrible choice. The constitution process, and the promise of a multi party democracy that works is a farce and just about everyone knows it. The Maoists want this system to fail, and the other parties want things to continue as they have, where government mostly exists as a means to funnel public money into certain people's coffers. So I think it is safe to ask the question whether not only has parliament failed in Nepal, but has the government failed?

At the peace rally back in May many Nepali people I talked to were just sick and tired of all of the political games that were interfering with their lives. "Look, just let us work, run our stores and live our lives." I remember one person summing up her discontent. Isn't that what everyone wants? Just to live their lives and be left alone from these people who assume the role of our "leaders"? Maybe the problem is that of all the options that the Nepali people have been given, the one where they are free of the withering hand of government has not been one of them. Maybe they don't want people trying to enforce some utopian society or maybe they want limits on government that keeps its hand out of their pockets and takes away the power to make arbitrary decisions that allow it to collect so many bribes. This seems to be what I hear from just about every Nepali person I speak with, and yet not one person in politics here seems to be willing to take that angle and lead that charge. The established parties seem to just see the state as spoils that they fight over.

When established parties have so much control over the system it is rarely good for the people of that country, or their freedom. The right to vote is only worth it if the system is able to produce choices that actually represent your beliefs and adhere to the actual rules that government is supposed to be restrained by. The choice between multiple bad answers put out by established powers is not freedom, it's just a dressed up from of tyranny. If no one gives you the choice you really want, maybe it's time to come together and tell them all to go to hell. In one sense maybe the Maoists are right, there should be a people's constitution, but not one written by them for the people, but instead one written by the people to constrain all of them.

Some Thoughts on Nepal Tourism Year 2011

So 2011 is Nepal Tourism Year, and they are aiming at getting one million tourists into the country during this year. Now I want to be the first person to say that if you even think you might be interested in visiting Nepal you should. I've visited over thirty countries, and Nepal is one that offers more than almost any other. Culture, natural beauty and a relatively low cost (once here) combine for a spectacular holiday. I have plenty of countries I still want to visit, but here i am in Nepal (for the third time) and even though I have spent a combined 10 months or so in this country there is still a lot more that is worth exploring. The little tag line that 'once is not enough' that they are using to advertise their tourism now is accurate. Nepal is a country you could come back to again and again and always find something exciting to do.

Now all of that said, from an outside standpoint this whole tourism year thing seems like it is being as well managed as most Nepali government endeavors; terribly. Now to be fair, some of the promotional pieces that they have put together aren't all that bad. I've seen some decent posters and to be honest the website that they put together looks better than what I would expect (you can see it HERE), but i am highly skeptical that these kind of promotions will bring many additional tourists. Other promotional measures taken overseas are also of dubious value.

The largest problem I currently see is that there is a huge question mark as to what is actually being offered. This uncertainty and ambiguity is really not a good thing as we start to near the time when people are planning their trips for the next year. For many people a trip to Nepal is a rather large undertaking, and it isn't uncommon to plan well in advance. As someone who has a vested interest in how visas will work next year, I don't even know exactly how that will work. I've heard rumors that the normal five month limit will be lifted, and others say no way. I've heard that the visa fee will be waived, I've heard that only a second visa fee will be waived, and I've heard that they will not waive any visa fees. There were rumors of increased flights into KTM through both Nepali airlines and other international carriers, but as someone who is researching flight costs for family and friends for early next year, I can attest that they are as high as ever right now.

On the NTB website (Site is HERE) there are some stated goals;

1- Establish Nepal as a choice of premier holiday destination with a definite brand image,
2- Improve and extend tourism related infrastructures in existing and new tourism sites,
3- Enhance the capacity of service renders,
4- Build community capacity in the new areas to cater the need of the tourists, and
5- Promote domestic tourism for sustainability of the industry.

Now they announced this project in 2008, and all five of these stated goals are not anywhere close to being realized. You could argue that they were over ambitious to start with, or that most of it was a way to funnel public funds into the hands of connected people within the government and contractors that did the promotion, and you may have a strong argument. But if certain steps had been taken, ones that were available with the funding they received they could be much closer.

Now point one the devil is in the definition, but Nepal will not be a premier holiday destination any time soon. It lacks the infrastructure, it lacks many amenities that western tourists would consider required to fit that definition, and it would need destinations that included more relaxing experiences. Nepal is an adventure tourism destination, and that is what it will remain for the foreseeable future, its appeal is only to a limited segment of those societies outside Nepal and that really should be where the focus of their marketing should stay for now.

Now number two is something that I agree is a good goal, but has it been done? Not that I can tell. In fact sites like Durbar square in Kathmandu seem less accessible now than the first time I arrived due to the increase in traffic through that part of the city. Roads to trail heads  like Dunche and Jiri are amongst some of the most frightening I have ever been on and the buses that take you to them very rarely inspire any confidence. As to new destinations, there is a lot of buzz about the Great Himalayan Trail, but I'm not aware of any tourist sites receiving any significant upgrades or  easing of infrastructure.

Number three has not been implemented to my knowledge, and I don't have a whole lot to say about it.

Number four is implying that an infrastructure would be created for tourism in these new tourism areas they are developing. Again aside from some talk of expanded infrastructure on the Great Himalayan trail I have no idea what they are even promoting that is new. I should add that I actively look for these kind of things, I love going to new and different places here, so if these places are being worked on, the promotional division is doing a terrible job of getting the word out about them.

I can't say a whole lot about number five, aside from saying that I've been more places in Nepal than many Nepali's I have talked to, but many of them don't express a whole lot of interest in going to the same kind of places that western tourists like to go. Mostly when I bump into Nepali's traveling in the same circles as myself they are going to Hindu pilgrimage sites like Mukinath or Gosainkund lakes. You see some people going to Pokhara or to Kathmandu, but not really as tourists so much. While there is a segment of Nepali society, especially in Kathmandu, that has the time and the money to travel within Nepal as domestic tourists, most seem to be lacking the desire. I could however be very wrong about this one.

Now anyone can complain or say negative things about the job someone else is doing, that's easy, the harder thing is to come up with sollutions and practicle ways of meeting at least the obtainable goals that were mapped out for this project. There are a couple of cheap inexpensive things that could have been done, and then there are other things that are not as cheap, but would have much larger payouts. So here are a few of my recommendations for things that could be done to make Nepal Tourism Year, and really tourism in general more attractive and increase the number of tourists.

1- Beautify Thamel- This is the tourist nexus of Kathmandu. Now I love Kathmandu, I chose to move here from the US, but many (meaning 90%) of tourists I talk to describe Kathmandu as something like hell. Westerners can't stand the honking (the use of horns has a cultural difference), the streets that are both for foot traffic and speeding motorcycles is unnerving to many, they hate the burning trash, and the constant harassment by kids sniffing glue, touts and tiger balm salesmen can be really tiresome. Most tourists come through this section of the city at one point in their travels, so changing this one section could change the opinion of many tourists, and more importantly change what they tell their friends back home. So what to do:

   A- Close Thamel to Vehicles- This is done in tourist districts the world over with the result of making them much more pleasant. Now there are some vested interests (most notably the two parking garages in the area) that wouldn't like this plan, but that would immediately make that section of town much more enjoyable and immediately give a more laid back atmosphere where tourists are not jumping out of the way of oncoming traffic or cursing at the honking taxi that is behind them. Bollards and police could enforce the zones easily enough it would seem.

  B- Trash Collection & Waste Baskets-  Waste baskets or rubbish bins are cheap, and with the cost of labor in Nepal the collection should be as well. Trash on the streets is an eyesore that can be easily cleaned up and managed. while city wide this would be great, if it at least worked to clean up where most tourists see it would be an improvement.

  C- Enforce a No Harassment Policy- I would confine this rule to just Thamel, make it a special zone or something, but limit the selling of goods and services to people that have shops. Get the guys selling tiger balm and those annoying instrument things as well as the trekking, rafting and other scammers off the street. If someone wants a service or a handicraft there are hundreds of stores in Thamel where you can get those things, tourists don't need to be bothered every step they take by people trying to sell them things that they don't want.

2- Diversify the Tourist Seasons- Right now most people are under the impression that Nepal is not worth visiting in the "off seasons". This is a terrible misconception that needs to be dealt with so that people will come to Nepal on a more even schedule. Trekking in some of the western parts of the country, the back side of Annapurna and even the Langtang region that I just did can be very enjoyable this time of year. For people that are traveling here for more cultural purposes it would seem that much more attractive to come during the times of year when the country isn't over run with trekkers. Also the myth of the monssons needs to be dispelled. The monsoon rains are not the endless deluge that many westerners believe them to be, in fact most days during the monsoons are no different than what many parts of western countries are like year round. The perception that Nepal can't be traveled in during this season really reduces tourism, and it doesn't have to be that way.

3- Reduce and Open Some Restricted Trekking Areas- Some of the existing restricted routes would be the easiest to open up and develop. If you really plan on doubling the number of tourists, especially in the peak seasons, then you need to give them places to go. As the new roads reduce the appeal of large sections of Annapurna, it only makes sense to open up some of those nearby areas that currently require guides and additional fees and paperwork.The areas that stand out as able to accommodate trekkers with only a minimal increase in infrastructure would be the Nar & Phu valleys, as well as Manaslu. Making Upper Mustang and Dolpo more accessible might not hurt either. By doing this you not only open these places up to more tourists dollars, give tourists more options as to where they can go, you also create an incentive for people to come back to Nepal for a new hike that they wouldn't have done before.

4- Create Financial Incentives That Are Clear- As I said at the beginning, one of the big problems with this campaign has been its ambiguity. If this years financial indicators are any forecast to the future, many western nations will be filled with economic uncertainty and reduced incomes. This makes it all the more important to promote Nepal in a way that reduces the largest costs, which is getting here, permits and visas. Reduce or negate visa fees and streamline the process, so that when tourists get off the plane there is a favorable first impression. The current first impression is one of inefficient over priced bureaucracy that one does not often encounter at "premier holiday destinations". If there is any way to reduce flight costs that would also help get people here. Currently the better deals coming from the States are somewhere near $1500 which is about as high as it has been since I've checked flights here. Any incentives that would reduce that up front financial obstacle would be a big help to getting people here.

5- Target the right Population- Look, hardly anyone in the US or Europe uses travel agents since the internet has been around, so the promotion or development of trips that are to be peddled through overseas travel agencies will not bring the numbers. Besides, package tourists generally come for shorter stays, they spend most of their money on some foreign firms and do less to benefit the larger segment pf Nepali society. Independent travelers on the other hand often stay for a month or longer, spend their money at more diverse restaurants, adventure outfits, shops and hotels and all that money goes directly to Nepali people, it isn't siphoned off by western tour operators or one large Nepali travel company. Target independent travelers, not only in their home countries but ones that may already be in places like India or south east Asia.

Well those are my thoughts. I realize it's all a pipe dream, but thought I'd put it out there. Nepal is a great destination, and it could receive far more tourists than it currently does, but my guess is that the promoters won't be able to get out of their own way.

Getting a TIMS Card as an Individual Trekker

Some time ago Nepal introduced the TIMS card under the guise of safety for trekkers. I'm dubious of safety through paperwork in countries that are efficient with their data like the US, and I'm downright cynical when it comes to its application in Nepal. Regardless, if you want to strike out on the trail you need to go and get one of these. Although they use to be free, they now cost independent trekkers $20 ($10 if you go through some tour agency). It's rather clear which lobby was pushing for this nuisance. 

Many agencies offer to get the card for you, and depending on the fee that they charge it might even be worth it. Personally whenever I need one I have just walked down to the office. The first thing to keep in mind is that Nepali government offices have abysmal hours, often opening late in the morning and then closing in the early afternoon. Staff can also be light around noon as people have lunch. Currently the TIMS desk at the Tourist Information Center is open from 9AM to 3PM. If however you need to get a permit for the Annapurna Sanctuary, that office is only open from 10AM to 2PM. One can only pray that they plan on expanding these hours and personnel for Nepal Tourism Year in 2011, but I'm not holding my breath.

Before you set out for the office be sure you have your passport, 2 passport sized photos and the equivalent of $20 in Nepali Rupees.  Even though the price is always stated in US$, they only accept Rupees, so make sure you have the correct kind of cash with you. Also on some occasions I have been asked for a copy of my passport, including the page with my Nepali Visa, and other times I have not needed it. It's not a bad idea to have a copy with you while you're trekking anyway so I'd advise to make the copies ahead of time, and if they don't need them then you have another backup. If they decide there that they do want a copy, they have a copier on site, assuming that there is power.

So where is the office?

The above image shows the central part of Kathmandu. If you are arriving in Nepal as a tourist you are most likely staying in the Thamel area near where Kathmandu Guest House and Fire and Ice are labeled. The other easily recognizable features that you can navigate by are the royal palace seen at top center of the image and Ratna Park which is the long North South running green brown space in the center south of the map. The Tourist Information Center I have marked with the blue information symbol labeled Trekking Information Center.

Here is a closer look;

The easiest landmark to keep in mind is Ratna bus park, which is just to the north of the building, this is the bus park where you can go to Jiri or Shivalaya if you are trekking in the Everest region and not flying into Lukla.

The people at the Tourist information office generally have a good grasp of English and have for the most part been much more helpful than other government offices. If you have questions, and they are not overwhelmed at the moment, they have always helped out in answering them. If there are some questions you are unsure of, like how long you will be trekking or your exact route, just answer to the best of your knowledge and give yourself more time than less. The card will be checked at various police checkpoints along the trail and entering the reserve/conservation areas. The most useful thing they do is record your information as you pass certain checkpoints, leaving a definite trail of where you have been if something were to happen to you on the trail. In the past they used your passport info.

Again remember that if you are going to Annapurna to pick up your conservation area permit at the nearby counter, it costs 2,000 NRS. You can also get your ticket for the Langtang and Everest regions, but there is no need as they are available at the entrance  to those regions for the same fee.

Prime Ministers, Toaster Ovens, and Shipping Products from the U.S.

Politics & Prime Ministers
So the Prime Minister of Nepal, Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned five weeks ago. Does Nepal have a new Prime minister yet after three different votes? Nope. Most of it seems like politics as usual in Nepal to me. There was an interesting take on it in an opinion article in Republica today. The article basically makes the case that the coalition that formed to force the Maoists out of power needs to hold or there will be a People's Republic of Nepal. The article struck me as a little alarmist, and though I certainly am not a fan of the Maoists, I don't see any of the other political parties riding to the rescue any time soon. The Maoists actually seem organised and have a plan that they are following through on, to ends that I'm sure will not be good for Nepal. The other parties, instead of offering a real alternative seem to exist mostly to legitimize the government bureaucracy that fleeces the people here of more of their money then it seems to provide in meaningful services and often stands in the way more then helps development in the country. That's my take for what it's worth. The article in Republica by Kanak Mani Dixit can be read HERE if you are interested.


Toaster Ovens
The other day I broke down and got a toaster oven, as I hadn't baked anything in about seven months. Having gone so long, I was immediately quite excited with all the opportunities that opened up. Chicken and eggplant parmigiana? Check. American Style Nachos (full chili and vegies)? Check. Bruschetta? Yes again. To those of you sitting comfortably in the first world none of this sounds like much to you I'm sure. Try going without an oven for half a year and your perspective will change, I promise.


The only problem is that due to some damage at one of the hydro power plants we are back up to eight hours of dreaded load shedding again. They seem to pick the worst times to cut the power too. Today I was about to make some lunch in my new favorite appliance and the power got cut....and didn't come back on for four hours. Sigh. When I plugged the oven into one of my outlets powered by my battery the inverter started beeping, which I took to be a bad sign and quickly unplugged it. They also seem to like to cut the power right around when I make dinner, and although I normally can find the "Power Assassination Schedule" on lline, I haven't seen the latest one, so cooking is a bit of a gamble at the moment.

The Good, The Bad, & The Absurd

The Good: Kim and I finally (after 66 days) have received our business visas. The little stamp is in our passports, and is good for six months, and in theory we have a letter from the department of industry which should get us a renewal for another six months after this one. So yay us. We can now move around the country a bit more freely as we no longer have to be in Kathmandu to intermittently sign paperwork.

The Bad: You may remember from my earlier post about hiking in Annapurna that I am supposed to be there trekking right now. Well with the visa taking all week, and the not actually getting the passports in my hand until around 3pm today it just wasn't going to happen. With all offices (for more paperwork of course) being closed on Saturday I can't get the needed permits tomorrow either. This means I have to wait until Sunday to get the needed permits. The only question now is if I go to Pokhara tomorrow so I can get the permits and start trekking the same day on Sunday, or get them in Kathmandu on Sunday and start on Monday.

The Absurd: In the West we like to pretend that our bureaucracy is somehow for our own good, that our over payed under-worked public "servants" are moving all that paperwork around for some greater good. Maybe it's to protect you, maybe its for some safety net scheme. However worthless the public "service" it at least has the mask of doing something, besides creating jobs for the paper-pushers you get to deal with. In Nepal they don't even bother with the masquerade. It is very clear that the paperwork exists for its own sake, to create jobs for the public employees and funnel cash into their hands and the hands of the state.

I arrived at the Department of Immigration and watched as my paperwork got shuffled around. There were a number of desk jockeys in the main room, we'll label them DJ1, DJ2 and DJ3. So the Nepali kid I'm with, who is our lawyer's assistant goes to DJ1 and talks to him for a bit. He informs me that one of the people we need to talk to isn't here, but he'll get it started. DJ1 looks over the paperwork for a bit and then after a moment points to DJ2. The paperwork goes to DJ2 and he moves some papers around and flips through the pages. After a few minutes of this he hands the paperwork back to the kid and he brings it back to DJ1. DJ1 now does the same thing as far as I can tell from my vintage point. Then he says something to the kid and he comes and sits next to me for a bit. After another ten minutes or so the paperwork gets briefly handed to DJ3 who tells the kid to take it to a room I will call Office 1. I never leave my chair so I'm not sure what happens in the office but after five minutes or so he comes out and then goes into Office 2. A few more minutes pass and he comes out and gives the paperwork back to DJ1. He unbinds a few documents, rearranges some things and actually writes something this time. The kid then brings it over to DJ2, but apparently he doesn't need it. It now needs to go into Office 3.

Trekking Annapurna

So I've signed all the things I need to sign for my visa, my picture has been attached to an untold number of documents, and I've had my thumb prints attached to half a dozen other documents. My passport is with the Department of Industry and/or Immigration and hopefully within the next day or two I'll have my Business Visa. This means I can finally get out of Kathmandu for an extended period.

My initial hope was to go and hike a combination of the Annapurna circuit along with the Nar and Phu valleys. Nar and Phu are in a restricted are that costs $90 for a permit, but that cost seemed well worth the sights and culture up in that region. Further investigation however revealed that the permit has to be arranged by a tour operator, you have to have a guide, and it's a minimum of two people for a group to go. No thanks. I'm an independent trekker at heart and I only use guides when I absolutely have to (Kilimanjaro is it so far) and I am even more averse to using porters....I carried my own pack up Killi (though to be fair the porters carried the food and the means to cook it, and I ate it). Point is, that was a deal breaker for me. So Nar and Phu may have to wait until a later date.

Respiratory *Cough* Problems and Other Updates

I'm not sure exactly what it is here, but I keep getting terrible sore throats along with a cough and occasionally other symptoms. Sure once in a while when adapting to a new climate you expect these things, but it seems almost once a month I get hit with this for a week or so. The last two days I've been hit with this again, although not debilitating, it certainly can be a little annoying. The upside is that it seems to be clearing up a little faster each time I get it, and it's almost gone already this time, so maybe next time it'll be just a day. Maybe it's the dryer climate, maybe the dust, possibly the pollution, allergies or a combination of some or all of the above. Who knows, but it is definitely one of the more troublesome things I've had to deal with here.

The Visa Process that never ends-
We are still waiting to get our work visa. After talking to our Lawyer it looks like we take another step Friday morning, then maybe get the visa early next week. Originally we expected this to be completed around the end of April, as we draw into the middle of May, my chances to go trekking without encountering a plethora of leaches, rain, and areas prone to avalanches due to the increased snows is dwindling. We also can't apply to the American Club until we have a non-tourist visa, and then it takes five or six weeks to process. Patience is a virtue, and it is twice as valuable in Nepal.

Learning Nepali-
So just looking at a book wasn't cutting it, and Kim, Sami and I signed up for Nepali classes together with a woman named Geeta. I enjoy her teaching style quite a bit, and I find I am picking up some very basic knowledge of the language. While purchasing vegetables tonight I actually caught a bit of the conversation that was going on around me. My understanding is still very rudimentary, but the fact that the sound of the language took some form in my brain and didn't just sound like gibberish is a very positive step forward.

Upcoming Events-
So assuming we get our visa in the near future I am planning on a three week trip in the Annapurna region. In July we are planning on taking a trip to Tibet, where we can hopefully meet up with a friend of Kim's from home who will be travelling there in the same time period. We have a custom made outdoor grill that was supposed to have been done last Sunday, but who knows when we will actually get it. All I know is that I will definitely be having a cook out when I do, and everyone is invited.

No Visa For You!

As we enter day four of the nationwide strike it is becoming increasingly evident that I will not be getting my 1 year visa this week. So with our extension up as of Thursday I had to walk on down to immigration today and get a tourist visa extension for another 15 days. With a little extra money handed over this went easy enough, but yeah, no business visa for me yet.


Essentially I have to stick around Kathmandu until I get this thing worked out, which keeps me form doing the trekking I really wanted to do here. I've been wanting to get out to the Annapurna area for a month now, and as we get closer to the monsoons, the less pleasant that trip looks. The pass I want to go over that leads from the Nar Phu valley area in the north back on to the Annapurna circuit also becomes more avalanche prone as more snows swept in from the monsoons begin to cover the adjacent slopes. Sigh. If I don't go through that pass it means not only missing the sight of some rare blue sheep, but also back tracking a couple days to get to the main circuit.


The more I deal with this whole visa process the more I wonder how needed the whole process of people checking the flow of people and where they are really is.

Dude, where's my luggage?

I have always lived by the saying that when it comes to baggage in air travel there is carry on and there is lost. When one is planning a long term trip to another country and taking most everything they own with them, carry on is not really an option, and thus most of my worldly possessions are lost.

Now when we came into Delhi yesterday it was a cluster. After some discussion we managed to get ourselves on a flight to Kathmandu, but were told our bags would arrive the next day. Faced with the possibility of spending a full day in an airport in India, this sounded like a deal worth taking. The problem of coarse is that today we spent 4 hours at the airport, checking multiple incoming flights and speaking with many people from Jet Lite, and no bags are to be found.

When you ask for assistance in things in the sub-continent there is this belief that by filing paperwork things will get done. Forms are filled signatures taken, log books are filled with numbers, but I often get the feeling that no one on the ground is actually doing a whole lot. You can fill out all the paperwork in the world, but if someone in the airport in Delhi isn't actually physically looking for the bags they simply won't be found, and it seems to get people to do that is something just short of a herculean task.

Lucky for us, Pradip graduated with and is friends with one of the woman who works at the Jet Lite office and she seems to be making an effort to figure out where the bags might be. At this point I could live with being told that the bags are going to be another 4 days before we get them, as long as someone can tell me that they are actually going to get here some day. As much as it kind of sucks losing just about everything you own, I'm glad that we can be patient and wait for it. I can't imagine if I had come all this way for just a couple of weeks and had to waste so much time chasing luggage.