Background: In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. A Maoist insurgency, launched in 1996, has gained traction and is threatening to bring down the regime, especially after a negotiated cease-fire between the Maoists and government forces broke down in August 2003. In 2001, the crown prince massacred ten members of the royal family, including the king and queen, and then took his own life. In October 2002, the new king dismissed the prime minister and his cabinet for "incompetence" after they dissolved the parliament and were subsequently unable to hold elections because of the ongoing insurgency. While stopping short of reestablishing parliament, the king in June 2004 reinstated the most recently elected prime minister who formed a four-party coalition government, which the king subsequently tasked with paving the way for elections to be held in spring of 2005. Citing dissatisfaction with the government's lack of progress in addressing the Maoist insurgency, the king in February 2005 dissolved the government and assumed power.
May 9th 2008Asia » Nepal » Pokhara Davs i stuen!
Kathmandu var en glimrende by, men nepaleserne maa nu godt lige laere at rydde op efter sig selv. Der ligger rimeligt meget affald og der er ingen skraldespande. Til gengaeld er her v ... [full story]
May 2nd 2008Asia » Nepal » Pokhara At least, this is my sincere hope as tomorrow morning I leave for a 12 day trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary (also known as the Annapurna Base Camp trek). I've hired a female guide cum porter which mean ... [full story]
March 25th 2008Asia » Nepal » Pokhara The owner of the hotel in Pokhara woke us at 6am in order to get us downstairs in time for a swift coffee before heading off to the bus station. It isn't far, maybe a fifteen minute walk, but the owne ... [full story]
April 1st 2008Asia » Nepal » Pokhara Hi All. Stiff, stinky and elated, we arrived in Birethanti last night, the riverside village that marks the end of the Annapurna Circuit. The last of the rupees we had with us paid for a taxi from t ... [full story]
March 21st 2008Asia » Nepal » Pokhara We wake early and are greeted with the kind of view people write poetry about... from the back window of our room the town stretches out and gently upwards, the houses mostly traditional brightly-pain ... [full story]
March 31st 2008Asia » Nepal » Pokhara With 2 full free days in Pokhara we set off early to peruse the shops, buy presents, postcards, posters etc. Then me and Linda went down to the lake and hired a wooden rowing boat and man to paddle u ... [full story]
March 31st 2008Asia » Nepal » Pokhara
There's not much to say about this day's trek except it was VERY long and was taking us away from our beloved mountains. The day was extremely hot and the steps down were relentless. Luckily I'v ... [full story]
March 28th 2008Asia » Nepal » Pokhara Oh dear god what am I doing!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just spent a terrifying last hour searching around on this blog site reading other peoples experiences of getting to base camp, now i'm petrified. Not only ... [full story]
March 26th 2008Asia » Nepal » Pokhara for those who were concerned about me reaching basecamp because of the chinese/tibet situation - i spoke to my guide today and he said that it is fine and we will definitely get to base camp (i wanted ... [full story]
Map of Nepal
Nepal's Flag
