Posted by Per on April 15, 2001 at 16:51:33:
In Reply to: Re: www.peakware.com -for Per posted by Ryan Rathakrishnan on April 14, 2001 at 08:25:11:
Thanks Ryan
: know about several incidents and some trekkers who reportedly had been robbed by people (pretending, probably!) being Maoists. (e.g. also in Rolwaling)
Yes: there has been robberies. Those I heard of have been of really stupid trekkers who got themselves a porter who disappeared with passport and money. In the eighties some night buses were robbed. There has also been a spate of robberies around Ghorepani. These were serious incidents. A couple of tourists got killed. If I am correctly informed the perpetrators were Poon Magars at least in some incidents. Then, there was a while when a few got robbed on the path between Gandrung and Ghorepani or in the area. I think the locals stopped that. There was also an incident near Besi Sahar. Some tourists disappeared. It was investigated and the perpetrators were found because they had taken to use the gear. None of these posed as politically motivated, but this was before maoists were a factor. It can of course be used to obtain some legitimacy for robbery, etc. Being a revolutionary is lot more glamorous than a common thief.
Personally, I was almost robbed in Kathmandu once by two Khambas. Late evening. They pretended to be police who were going to check my passport when I was walking home. Fortunately they were so drunk that I managed to run away. In Rolwaling I lost a very expensive knife for a couple of hours. I was staying in a family for a couple of days, fantastic people they let me live with them, and one day my knife was gone. I made a fuss. Then there was big argument, lots of harsh words in the family. Suddenly my knife appeared as out of nowhere. Then, the head of the household, an old man, donned a triangular hat, and dusted out the whole place with some kind of broom that looked like a duster, feathers and things, chanting something in Tibetan. Afterwards everyone was friends again and I stayed on have a really good time with my Sherpa hosts.
Incidentally, in Khumbu they say that the people of Rolwaling are descendants of people who were banished from Khumbu.
Generally, I think Nepal (as well as India) is quite safe. To kill is regarded as a sin, and most theft is done by stealth. There are of course areas infested with dacoits, etc., and there are an awful lot of con-men or commission seekers in a few places, but once you learned to have nothing to do with these most people have a certain moral.
Happy Eastern