Quiet Day in Kathmandu

Today and tomorrow, all Nepal is closed down. All
businesses are
shut up tight, and in the valley, there is no
transportation moving.
The shut-down was ordered by the Maoist rebels. The
government
declared a state of emergency in the country yesterday
as a result of
an attack by Maoists on a remote police post this
week, where 153
police and army soldiers were killed. So it is a
quiet, peaceful day
in Kathmandu, and i sat in the hot sun on the upstairs
terrace,
playing cards with the hotel staff.

I have talked to many people about the situation, and
they all seem
to feel that the situation is beyond their control;
they shrug their
shoulders, and say, "as long as i can do my business,
it's OK". But
they are unhappy with the situation because there are
less tourists,
where most of their business comes from.

Everybody i talk to says there is no danger for me.
Maoists target
strictly government targets, they never attack
tourists. This way,
they avoid drawing international attention. Kamal
says that i have
nothing to be concerned about, and i trust his word.
In fact, in the
villages, he has many maoist friends, and he stops and
talks to them:
They say "Hello Kamal! How is trekking?" he says
"Good! How is
your fight?"

So things are OK with me, nothing to worry about. And
the government
situation here, who knows? Time will tell, and i will
keep you
posted.

Love, mark