Well it's been a kick

It's been a wild trip these last days, aside from the whole Himalayan adventure, we've been living the BBC website for the last few days. The upheaval and social unrest in Nepal meant I got stuck in the mountains before getting a seat on a plane to Kathmandu. Arriving in Kathmandu Friday the tension in the air was electric, we had a tourist pass to travel and were one of the only vehicles on the road. We drove down deserted streets with people lining the rooftops, just waiting silently. The ocasional fire in the street and a checkpoint interrupted our journey.

At the hotel we were subject to curfew - so I went out. I was pleased to find that the troops largely ignored me, as long as I was polite and asked permission to cross the checkpoints I've been able to move around mostly unhindered. It's really freaky to go for a walk then see the same streets on the BBC World news. Saturday a curfew was brought in suddenly forcing me to go hide in an internet cafe for a while, then I heard the marchers outside and went to look, tens of thousands of people marched past me demanding democracy, I was watching history being made and it made me well up and I wished them luck. I paralleled them up a side street as they headed for the Royal palace then peeled off before they got there, I wish I had stayed with them. Later I went back to the streets they had marched through, discarded shoes bear witness to a rout as the protesters took flight in the face of the troops nightsticks.

Sunday the curfew was in place from early morning, I went for a short walk and was gratified to see the streets busier and busier in spite of the curfew, there is a sense of excitement there, UN trucks pass by, press photographers in hi-vis jackets on motorbikes pass through the main streets controlled by the troops, in the smaller residential streets the people are gathering to watch and talk, children play cricket as the curfew is in force. I so wanted to stay around and see this first hand but my ticket was for Sunday and I got a seat on a tourist bus to the airport and we again travel streets cleared by the military. Good luck Nepal, I hope no more die.