An Uphill Struggle for Nepal Trekking

Article by: Piers Pickard, January 2007

'Excuse me, sir. Can you wait, please?' the man behind the desk said as I tried to walk nonchalantly past. I was trekking in the Everest region. I'd thought that with the new peace in Kathmandu, but visitor numbers still a fraction of what they used to be, now would be an ideal time to visit Everest Base Camp. But just three hours' walk from the mountain airport at Lukla was a big desk by the side of the trail. Next to it were sandbags with a soldier wearing the telltale red headband. A flag flew the hammer and sickle. Despite the peace, the Maoists were still here - and still wanting to levy a 'tax' on trekkers.

When I asked them exactly where my money was going, I got a well-rehearsed answer: 'Your money is paying for food and lodging of the People's Liberation Army, who are responsible for your security in this area until the interim government is replaced.' I paid my 100 Rs (US$1.40) for the day and got a neat receipt, printed with a picture of Comrade Prachanda, their leader, and welcoming me to Nepal.

Later, I asked the owner of the teahouse I was staying in what she thought of the Maoists. Tashi Sherpa is dependent on tourism for her livelihood and is exactly the kind of wealthy Nepali the Maoists resent, so I was surprised by the generosity of her answer. 'If I was abroad and someone told me that the Maoists were here, I'd be scared,' she told me. 'It sounds so much worse when you're out of the country. But when you actually see them, it's nothing - a couple of men at a desk. It may be bad for business, but there are a lot of poor people in Nepal.'

I paid my 100 Rs (US$1.40) for the day and got a neat receipt, printed with a picture of Comrade Prachanda, the Maoists' leader, and welcoming me to Nepal.

The trekkers I met seemed similarly relaxed. Ian Gray is a Scot who was visiting the country for the first time. 'If that's all there is to it - giving a few rupees to a guy at a desk - I'll be telling everyone to come,' he told me. 'It's not even a lot of money that they're asking for.'

But not everyone is so happy that the Maoists are continuing their 'taxes'. Karma Sherpa Lama owns Exodus Treks and Expeditions in Kathmandu. He has seen business fall by 50% since 2001 and thinks that a healthy tourist economy is a better solution to Nepal's ills than communism. 'Most Nepalis are sick of it all,' he told me. 'We want peace. We're a poor nation and we need money to keep people busy. Tourism involves all people of all classes. If we can get the tourists back, I can employ twice as many people as I do now. They'll send money back to their villages, and we'll achieve exactly what the Maoists say they want.' Karma may have a very valid point. Now there is peace, erstwhile communists may need a new way to make a buck or two out of the trekkers that are sure to return.

On my way down from Base Camp, I passed the Maoist desk again. As I walked by, they called out to me. 'Sir, if you would like to buy a PLA badge for your backpack, we hope to have these prepared soon. Look out for them in Kathmandu.'

If the peace holds - and it looks like it will - it should soon be business as usual in the world's most industrious trekking capital. In the meantime, get there before the crowds do.

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