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Yesterday, we went out to buy some butter for baking Xmas cookies. It took us about five minutes to realize that something was not quite normal here in Kathmandu. It took us another minute to realize what it was: everything’s closed, and there are no cars or motorbikes anywhere. In short: there’s a general strike going on. For three days, everything’s shut down.
Shuttle bus
Well not exactly everything. The government has set up buses to shuttle people from the touristy Thamel district to the airport – a neat little customer service measure by the ruling 24 party coalition. Also, the little mom & pop shops that operate in the back streets seem to keep open, at least after dark. I’m guessing not even the cold-hearted Maoist protestors have it in them to keep people from buying the essentials.
Are those LEOPARD ear muffs?!
Apart from the obvious nuisances (no butter! What the heck!), Kathmandu is still Kathmandu. The absence of traffic has made walking around a lot easier, quieter and generally nicer. Kids are playing badminton on the main thoroughfare. Holy men still ply Durbar Square, looking for unsuspecting foreheads to smear with tikka powder.
Bummer about the butter though. Some Christmas cookies would have been nice.
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This entry was posted on Monday, December 21st, 2009 at 2:20 am and is filed under Nepal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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http://www.dailybeeswax.com/weekend-project-plan-christmas/ Weekend Project Plan: Christmas – Daily Beeswax
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You know the saying, “to fly by the seat of your pants?” Well, that's been our philosophy for most of our adult lives – before and after meeting, falling in love and marrying. We're now taking that idea on an extended round-the-world trip. Follow us as we share the good, the bad and the downright nasty of life on the road.
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