Nepal

I'm hoping to get to Nepal in the not too distant future, and am
wandering about the current security conditions re; Maoists and bombs
etc. Plus I hear there are quite frequent robberies on the tourist
trails? Who has been recently and who can offer me some advice? Kind
regards.

How is the situation of Nepal?
I just get this from my friend overthe
THE SITUATION OF NEPAL IS NOT GOOD ,MAOISTS THEY ARE ATTACKING WITH ADVANCE
WEAPONS TO THE ARMY ,GOD KNOWS WHAT HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.
I think in KTM it is good, but to travel around can give problems. If this
is the first time, I would say don't go. (my opinion)
A lot of people say, o nothing wrong, it are not the tourist. But you can be
on the wrong place on the wrong time.
Nepal is a beautiful country. The people are nice.
Look on the site of Nepal. This is nepal.pagina.nl
en ga dan naar prikbord.
Good luck
Antri

"barrington" schreef in bericht
om...
I'm hoping to get to Nepal in the not too distant future, and am
wandering about the current security conditions re; Maoists and bombs
etc. Plus I hear there are quite frequent robberies on the tourist
trails? Who has been recently and who can offer me some advice? Kind
regards.

two good sources with reports from travellers"

www.yetizone.com
www.trekinfo.com

On 31 Mar 2004 01:02:18 -0800, (barrington)
wrote:

I'm hoping to get to Nepal in the not too distant future, and am
wandering about the current security conditions re; Maoists and bombs
etc. Plus I hear there are quite frequent robberies on the tourist
trails? Who has been recently and who can offer me some advice? Kind
regards.

There's been quite a bit of discussion on this topic in the Thorntree
bulletin board recently with widely differing opinions? Go to
thorntree.lonelyplanet.com to see the discussion. I emailed someone who was
just about to go to Nepal to send me his impressions when he got there. This
is what he sent me last weekend form Kathmandu. I'm off there next Monday.

Best Wishes

Nigel

Hi,

I'm writing this from an internet cafe in Thamel, Kathmandu, I arrived
on Thursday.

Kathmandu is relatively normal, people are going about their everyday
activities, shops are open, buses running, etc. It's a very cool place,
by far my favourite asian capital so far. There are plenty of Western
Tourists. I personally feel safe and have not witnessed any violence or
even seen any Maoists.

There is a very strong military presence in the city, like nothing I've
seen before. On the drive from the airport, you go past a military
bunker with submachine guns and sandbags everywhere, and really young
looking soldiers. It all seems pretty relaxed however. It's the same at
major government offices and some street corners, and the US embassy
looks like a fortress!

The only major problem we have had so far is very bad 'flu, I would
advise getting an influenza vaccine if possible. The military certainly
doesn't harrass you. There is no indication that there are maoists
here, although I gues there are.

We have arranged a trek through "Snow Leopard Travel" to the Everest
Base Camp. They have been excellent, and we certainly feel better
informed trekking with them. They currently will run treks anywhere,
but advise that it is only safe in Everest Base Camp, Langtang and
Mustang. They were unkeen on our idea to trek from Jiri to Namche
Bazaar due to Maoist problems.

As to the fight in Beni last week, a death toll of about 130 seems
likely and there are certainly some horrific photos in the Nepali
press. Significantly, no tourists and no villagers were reported
harmed, even though the whole town was overrun.

As for the ultimate question, 'should I come or not?' - I have to give
a slightly ****weak answer. I certainly feel safe in Kathmandu, and
feel reassured that at least the Everest Base Camp area is safe. I feel
personally that there is a small risk of being caught up at the wrong
time in the wrong place, but that risk is acceptable and that I am not
being targetted specifically. Provided I get over my flu, I'm flying
there on Monday and not "getting the hell out of Kathmandu" like one
thorntree correspondent advised.

Balanced against this, the Australian Embassy has revised its travel
advisory to "defer all non-essential travel to Nepal." There no doubt
will be better times to visit Nepal, not only due to the uprising, but
also due to the dust in the air obscuring the view of the mountains
currently. I definitely would not feel safe anywhere in the West of
Nepal, but I'm not there.

You have to make your own risk assessment. The risk is small, still
much lower than a motor vehicle accident, but is there. To me, missing
out on these beautiful, kind people and their incredible country would
be a misfortune also.

A final point, I think US citizens may have a much higher risk as the
newspapers are full of stories about American soldiers training the
Nepali army and providing technical support with helicopters (which
were instrumental in the eventual Nepalese army victory in Beni).


--- Nigel Bruce wrote: Krispin

I saw your post on the Thorntree bulletin board. I'm due to fly out
ot kathmandu on April 5th and was wondering what your impression was
of the place - safety wise. I've read that there is to be a
nationwide general strike from the 6th-8th April - just as I arrive.
Is the situation tense? Do you feel threatened or in danger?

thanks for your help

Nigel


"barrington" wrote in message
om...
I'm hoping to get to Nepal in the not too distant future, and am
wandering about the current security conditions re; Maoists and bombs
etc. Plus I hear there are quite frequent robberies on the tourist
trails? Who has been recently and who can offer me some advice? Kind
regards.

"Nigel Bruce NTL" wrote in message news:kMGac.1565$4N3.604@newsfe1-win...
A final point, I think US citizens may have a much higher risk as the
newspapers are full of stories about American soldiers training the
Nepali army and providing technical support with helicopters (which
were instrumental in the eventual Nepalese army victory in Beni).




Why not go to northern India instead? They have plenty of mountains
there. I was in Nepal in November and would not recommend it. It is
hard to have a good time in a country that is in such poor shape
politically. I wish them well for the future.