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Kathmandu is a pearl nestled in the green valleys of Nepal.

Its power of attraction to foreign visitors has always been huge, be it for the cultural aspect of its art and culture, the easy going fashion of the locals, the stunning views and outdoor expeditionary potential or even just for the hippie in search of a cool place, yeah man.

Bollywood in Kathmandu

Degrubenc
2006-08-12 15:11:34

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of affair, it is surprising to see the number of policemen on the streets. Every street corner is littered with them. During normal times, they hide in their pillboxes, decorated with heavy duty barbed wire and antique rifles pointing out. Every so often, there is a flurry of activity as they set up roadblocks left, right
Ice creams in a nice setting Full Image
and centre, shut down streets and search everyone in it.

The army is also very present. They proudly defend all public buildings and drive around town in big convoys, with their General Purpose Machine Guns pointing at the crowds. The army is a source of dissapointement to me: I was expecting proud, strong and fierce soliders, such as the Gurkhas I had met in the UK, soldiers with impeccable discipline and who strike fear in the heart of anyone. The present Nepali army seems to be little more than a school outing. They resemble a bunch of delinquant juveniles freshly let out of their rehab centres. It seems that no two soldiers have the same uniform or weaponry, the regional commanders are the masters and each has his private army. There is little cohesion. I suspect that the Maoists must have an easy time of it, or are the elites of this army on the front?

The army and police are omnipresent, there is tension in the air, the suburbs of the city are filled with protests, manifestations and conflicts. The newspapers are filled with stories of buses set on fire by the Maoists, of police posts coming under attack. I do not yet feel as if I was in a country suffering from a civil war but I feel rather that one may erupt at any mention of one.

I ate in small stalls around Durbar Square, the food is fairly typical of Indian cuisine, rice, daal and some sort of curry with curd. Rather good, really.

In the evening, as I returned to my hotel, I spotted a huge crowd on Durbar Square.

Curious as a cat, I made my way to the front. To my greatest delight, they were shooting an Indian Bollywood film and were doing a dance sequence. I grabbed some food and sat down on the steps.
It was magnificent: about 30 pretty girls dancing along in saris with fake smiles and cheesy music, they even had plastic rose petals falling from the skies. The crowds were pleased and cheering and so was I.

Before going to bed, I enjoyed a Martini vodka with two olives on the roof of my terrace, watching the night life erupting around me.