Life in Kathmandu After Nepal's Two-day War

My multi-talented #podcast colleague, #Claudia #Koestler, is fearless. Thinking she would have an intriguing and relaxing holiday in #Nepal (and other #South Asian countries), upheaval and unrest followed her arrival in that mystical country. Instead of barricading herself in her hotel room, she headed into #Kathmandu's streets in true consummate journalistic fashion to witness the widespread protests, the collapse of the government, and the ensuing #military takeover, which has now restored some semblance of order. As Claudia reports, after 25 deaths from live ammunition (the most in Nepal's history) and the burning down of government buildings and the old regime's residences, #Nepal’s former Chief Justice #Sushila #Karki, a reformer and bulwark against corruption, has now been sworn in as the interim President. Catch Claudia's fascinating update in this latest 'Over Here, Over There' episode, and her insight as to why revolution in this #Himalayan country concerns us all. Please don't forget to like, subscribe, and share it. Thank you!

Transcript

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Claudia Koestler(00:03.246)

Hello and welcome back. I'm Claudia from Over Here Over There, your podcast Across Borders. And today I'm going to give you an update on the situation here in Nepal.

Claudia Koestler (00:26.37)

What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday Kathmandu felt tense, almost frozen. The streets were absolutely quiet, and the air quite heavy. You could still feel the echo of those gunshots and chants, and occasionally you got a whiff of this burnt rubber, and you saw burnt cars in the streets. But today it is absolutely different. Some shops have opened again, which makes it easier for us foreigners to get supplies, and people have come back outside. I see tourists wander around and yeah even the hustlers are back calling out trying to sell you something or pulling you into their shops and rickshaws and who can blame them because they had four days of no income so they really have to get ahead so instead of bullets you hear traffic horns motorbikes the steady banging of workmen on construction sites and the occasional namaste and yet I wouldn't go as far as calling it normality far from it soldiers are still everywhere standing guard on corners, at checkpoints, on rooftops and they are in charge here now because there is no government. And actually, I have relocated to Tamil, which is a more touristy area here in Kathmandu, because I feel a bit safer here. And you can tell that this is a secure bubble in a way because you don't see much of the military right in those streets of Tamil. But when you go along those streets

You know exactly where the tourist area ends because there are the military, and they guard every street and are intimidating. They don't want you to cross that border, and when you speak to locals, they react in very different ways. Most of them smile and they assure us foreigners. Don't worry. You're safe here. Nepali won't harm you. You are important to us and our economy, but there are also some other voices, and Claudia Koestler (02:28.378) who really state that this is a very, very bad situation. Not because they oppose the protesters and what they fought for, but because they worry about what's next. For example, the hotel I used to stay at was run by two middle-aged men. Every single booking was cancelled. And this was supposed to be the start of the tourist season. So, to them, it was absolutely horrific. And they claimed that it will take years for them to bounce back. But behind all that, there is also fear nobody talks too loudly about. They whisper, they smile, and then they hush over it again. And that is that China might use this power vacuum to pull Nepal closer. There are already quite close ties between those two nations, and you can actually see it because some of those historic buildings that were devastated in the 2015 earthquake were restored by Chinese workmen and Chinese money. So, they have signs of China's aid on them. The museum at Durbar Square actually has an entire wing dedicated to the friendship between those two nations and how China supports Nepal. So, you might wonder what's coming next. And you know, there is no such thing as a free meal.

For me personally, it leaves me in a kind of limbo. I plan to go hiking in the Himalaya. I think I told you already. That's something I've dreamt about for years, and that's not going to happen. So instead, all I can do is wait for my flight out to Thailand, into Laos. And in the meantime, I watch the strange, uneasy calm settle over Kathmandu. And yeah, I feel a little bit trapped and caught between chaos and quiet. Thank you very much for listening.

Please support this podcast by commenting, subscribing, and telling everyone about it. We really want to grow this community, and we can't do it without you. Thank you very much, and hear you on the next one. Cheers, bye.