the people

Just a word about impression of the people so far. The guide books talk about the friendliness of the Nepali people, and it seems true. For example, after I was in the hectic market yesterday, I was trying to get back to the hotel quickly for the meeting, probably flustered, with a hurried look, stumbling on the rough sidewalk. A passing stranger simply paused and said 'namaste' with the slight bow of the head and hands, and it brought me right back on track. Around the same time, while I was stopped, looking at the map, a fellow stopped and seemed to want nothing but to converse for a while, talk about Nepal, maybe practice his English.

Even in the chaotic traffic with the honking and passing, you have to realize that it's not aggressive. My experience in Hanoi a few years ago helps to understand this. The honking is just to let you know they're there, and if you get in the way they just go around.

Politics never seems far from people's minds. The monarchy was overthrown a few years ago. The guide on the sight-seeing tour said that most people actually didn't want an overthrow of the monarchy, but rather a slow change to a constitutional one. However the king was too stubborn to allow any change at all. Since then, governments have changed a lot and people are frustrated with the lack of stability.

On another note, among the tourists in the backpacker area, I hear quite a bit of Mandarin spoken. It seems the young people from China are travelling.