Nepal - closed

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8656894.stm

Interesting times here in Nepal. If the Icelandic volcanic ash wasn't enough to keep you here then maybe the Maoists are. The whole country is shut down and waiting to see if the Maoists will eventually get what they want - the resignation of Mr Nepal (that is actually his name), the Prime Minister.

So nothing is open. No buses, taxis, no vehicles on the roads. Shops are shut except for two hours a day (which today I am spending in an internet cafe) and at some point, goods will start to run out as the trucks that bring supplies are not running either. I think the border is closed too. Flights are still running from what I hear, (the only mode of transport other than foot in the whole country pretty much) but I've heard stories of travellers having to walk the 6km to Trivandrum airport in Kathmandu with their rucksacks.

It must making a small contribution to the horrendous air pollution (particularly in the Kathmandu valley) to have no vehicles running in the whole country for what is now three days, but looks set to be quite a few more. It will be strange in Kathmandu to have no traffic, as that is almost one of its defining features. Here in Pokhara, it is just incredibly peaceful. Kids are out of school, so playing in the streets and swimming in the lake. No one is going to work, so people are just hanging out.



The only real sense I have had that there is a political situation was when the Maosists marched through town. The first day there was almost 50 people, waving flags and peacefully marching along, a little chanting here and there - although apparently if they find shops open then they give a warning and then are liable to come back and smash things up if it's not closed. This afternoon, it was a slightly more pathetic troupe that came through, although they were all armed with bamboo sticks. About five minutes before their arrival, someone or other is warned and there is a hurried frenzy of closing any shutters that might be ajar or gates left open.

For me, and my fellow guests at Bishnu Lodge, there isn't really a better place to be stranded. There are two very pleasant thatched huts with tables and chairs set in their lush garden. Shyam and Bishnu who run the place with their 11 year old daughter, Sabnam, are lovely and I'm fast becoming part of the family. And Shyam (pronounced Ssam) is a great chef - he worked for four years in Germany they proudly say - and so we are all getting well fed and doing a lot of relaxing. We are at the north end of the lake, away from the Thamel-esque touristy area . Looking out on to the lake, it is a five minute walk further north to the spot that is suitable for swimming, which is becoming my daily ritual. For now, I really have no complaints under the circumstances. It remains to be seen how long this will go on and I can imagine I would get restless, but when there is really nothing you can do about it, you might as well just relax...