For
the last 6 years, communist Maoists have been fighting in Nepal
to overthrow the constitutional monarchy. Last June, several members
of the royal family, as well as the King, were killed. More than
3,000 people have died in skirmishes so far, but tourists
have been safe -- until this week. Three teams of mountaineers
were robbed by Maoist rebel guerillas, who demanded their cash
and equipment. However, the climbers negotiated to keep their
gear and give $128 per person, and surprisingly, the rebels agreed --
and even wrote receipts for the cash. Quite civil of them. Tourists
are crucial to the economy of Nepal, and there have been efforts
on both sides to leave them out of it.
This
week, the State Department updated the travel advisory to Nepal,
due to increased violence when the rebels shut down Kathmandu,
leaving tourists stuck with most shops closing, and transportation
becoming difficult.
Liz
Ohlee lives in Newfoundland, Canada, but she's been on a trekking
vacation in the Himalayas for a few months. We got her on a telephone
line from her Nepal hotel to give us an update on the safety situation
for tourists over there.
