Kathmandu

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A 3 days strike called by the Maoist, so...no business, no traffic. Probably only the business owners were pulling a long face, everyone was happy for 3 extra days holiday,actually 4 including Saturday. But what I couldn't understand was...ok, one party called for strike, sure their supporters would joined in, but how come everyone took part? What about the party of the current government? Where was its supports? Yes...they said someone will give you trouble if you open up for business, hey...it is a democracy country if I was right, you are free I guess. If you are being threatened or harm by someone, where were the police? No wondered everyone(had to)joined in the strike, as this governing really useless, sometimes I really think the Chinese kind of communist work/run far more better, at least developing countries shouldn't try democracy system until enough percentage of educated people, otherwise they just disrespect law and rule, fairness and right. Seem like this country is fallen apart little by little if they kept on striking every week, and looked at the whole thing was like child play, those Maoist supporters marched through the street, hand with stick, for me...it just looked like hooligans. For the last 3 days, no cars on the street, but I like it that way, especially on early morning and afternoon when vendors laid out their merchandise, the market atmosphere returned and without traffic, only once in a while when the marching team of Maoist supports came pass, kind of like the vendors in Hongkong, someone shout "police" and everyone flee, of course here wasn't police, only a bunch of hooligans, when a vendor wasn't quick enough to packed his merchandise, it would be stepped and kicked out spreading on the street. I saw a tricycle had be burned because it was out to carried passenger. See...Democratic country? anyways...I think most people just enjoyed the holiday, football, cricket were being play on every corner.
went to Kirtipur as it was the closer destination to walked from katmandu, about 5km, right on the small hilltop above the Tribuvan university. From up in Kirtipur you could see the whole Kathmandu valley, no wondered The Gorkha king Prithvi Narayan attacked Kirtipur first when he began his unification of the country, as Kirtipur got an important military position. Up in the old quarter you could still see many old Nerwa building with beautiful wood craving, and outside the roof of the Bagh Bhairab temple were decorated with swords and shields from the defeated troops by the Gorkha King. Walked around the small street in Kirtipur you might imagine what the life of old Kathmandu should be like, you could see women weaving cotton cloth and wool carpet in big loom, life were quiet and pleasant here or perhaps just because of the strike. Walking down the hill in the afternoon and I was seem like being transit to another age, cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes, right...people just ignored the dead line as it was supposed to be by late afternoon, but people couldn't wait. See...I didn't think much had been accomplished by this acted, just a wasted of time and dragged the country's economic further down. But walked back through the Indra chowk area, already crowded with people and vendors, businesses as usual!!
Went to the India embassy for the visa, you needed to filled out a telex form first nowadays when apply through a 3rd country, a steep Rs300 fee, what a rip off would said, why telex in 21st century? An email could be ok wouldn't it? Beside...at the end would they really send that telex was no one could find out! Anyway...should go back again after 5 working days to see if the application approved or not, then you can filled an application form, and the visa would be granted on the same day. But...it will be x'mas holiday for the Indian (why? Ain't they Hindu?), so my returned date was assigned on the 29th. Just a few days before my Nepalese visa expired.

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