Nepal

The ex and I lived in Nepal (well, I guess I really mean we "visited" Nepal) for a few months in late 1997, early 1998. We stayed in Pullahari, which is just up in the foothills from Kathmandu, and a 40 minutes walk from Boudhanath, which has the famous stupa with the eyes. I didn't much care for Kathmandu, but Boudha and the hills were another story. Oddly, the area seemed like home to me. I always planned to go back.

Thus when the Maoists started rumbling, i reacted a bit like a typical colonial. I mean, a lot of what I liked about Nepal was the fact that for about $3 a day you really could live quite well. Plus, there was the fact that everyone seemed so un-selfconscious there. And that the night is actually dark. Of course I knew that Nepalis have one of the lowest per capita incomes of any country in the world, and their royal family is one of the 8 richest families in the world. I knew that Nepalis tend to die at 40. I saw lepers (yeah, I handed one a coin or two). But, hell. Why let any miserable reality cloud my pretty vision of sub-himalayan paradise? To be sure, I did experience some misery of my own. I mean, no central heating, very little protein to eat, and I did catch pneumonia, rather spectacularly wasting away to the point where people were waiting for me to die. But, let's face it, I chose my misery. it was romantic. it was religious. It was adventurous.

So I, of course, thought of Nepal as my private ace in the hole, my private get away, a place where I could truly experience life (whatever that ridiculous statement means). Now the Maoists have ruined all that. Sheesh. any way you slice this conflict, I lose. If the maoists actually manage to do some good for the people, then, bye-bye friendly, impoverished, unselfconscious Nepalis, hello equals. Hello adequate hospitalization and jobs. Who wants that? If the maoists turn out to be assholes, then Amurkans like me won't be welcome there anyway, and hello cashmere curtain (pun on kashmir intended. sometimes i am just so clever). If King Gyanendra wins, he's going to have to make some changes anyway, which means that Nepalis may be better off, but I have to pay more to go there. again. who wants that??

So, I guess I have to look further for some private heaven realm. Maybe somewhere in outerspace exists an unspoiled, beautiful planet with charming, happy natives whose religious beliefs lend themselves to oh so friendly exploitation by disenfranchised, heart-heavy humanity.

*disclaimer: Mostly, i'm pretty sarcastic and glib about things. However, to be serious for a second, I am not in favor of the Maoists. Their violent revolution is violence, unadorned. 13,000 people have died in this revolution. Also, calling yourself a maoist at this point in history is kinda like calling yourself a nazi. lotsa cachet there. However, I can understand how Nepalis, of all people, would be attracted to the supposed equalization of power that "maoist" communism is supposed to represent. And, there's some indication Gyanendra is not a bad guy, for an ivory tower royal. Anyway, take what I say with a grain of salt. And, read about it for real, if you're interested.