January 2nd
Kathmandu
First
thing this morning, we leave on our third and final elephant safari. We start with a short ride to the
tented camp, another part of Tiger Tops.
We were initially supposed to stay here the night before, but they lost
their water supply and as a result let us stay in the lodge. The tented camp is really very nice,
set on a hill. Apparently they
move the camp location every few months to prevent too much disturbance to the
surrounding area. Paths created by
humans and elephants have a chance to grow over, and the inevitable debris of
even a small campsite can be cleaned.
After breakfast we continue on, a gentle ride through the cool
morning. Having discovered a few
extremely large bruises and several sore muscles, mounting an elephant takes
some determination.
We
wave farewell to the lovely elephants and the beautiful lodge, then make our
way to the airstrip. The tents and
other comforts of yesterday’s games are gone, and we are left with a small
concrete building and a grassy clearing.
After a cursory security inspection, we board yet another of the
seemingly identical tiny planes to head back to Kathmandu. Finally we fly Yeti air, a goal for
days. As we approach for landing,
we notice that the constant haze of grey-brown over the valley seems lighter
than in previous landings. When we
gain the terminal, we learn why – there has been a 5-day bandh (strike). Since we left, there has been no
traffic as all vehicles are banned from the roads. Even tourist vehicles are only allowed to take necessary
trips (to and from the airport, for example). The local newspapers are filled with irate letters from
tourists whose one-week trips have been ruined by the riots and their
aftermath. The rest of the
populace seems happy to take a bit of a break after the trauma of last week,
particularly since it is a holiday season.
We
are able to take a van to the hotel, but once there we learn that any further
travel will have to be non-motorized.
By way of a combination of walking and rickshaws, we spend a few hours
exploring Kathmandu proper. One of
the stops is a woodworking studio owned by our guide, which features the work
of a guild of woodworkers dedicated to preserving the marvelous Newar
artform. The result is a mix of
modern styles and reproductions of old pieces, including some lovely
reproductions of the windows we have been admiring. We visit the main shopping street, deserted in this time of
unrest, and the central square.
There is little more that we can reach without a car of some kind, so we
spend the late afternoon in well-earned rest and packing.