Ke Garne! (What to do)

Heather Farish

Nepal

Visited Nepal: June 11, 2015

– June 16, 2015

In both Tatopani and Marpha, it seemed I was the only tourist in town. Seeing these towns and their guesthouses so empty made me feel sad. No damage to buildings or infrastructure was visible in these or any of the places I visited.

Between Jomsom and Kagbeni, I saw five other trekkers all heading the opposite direction and a few other tourists travelling by jeep as multiple Jomsom flights landed that day after 2 days of no flights. On my final 15 kilometres or 5 hours of trekking from Muktinath to Jomsom with much of it along roads, I saw one bus, one jeep, two motorbikes and one trekker going in the opposite direction. So quiet.

Again I was the only guest at the Red House Lodge in Kagbeni, which has its own small, private monastery. Some tour groups are heading to Upper Mustang after the cancellation of their Tibet tours, according to Mingmar, my guide. I ran into one of these groups while in Kagbeni. In Marpha, Kagbeni, Jomsom and Muktinath, empty guesthouses, empty restaurants. It is so sad to see.

My reasoning for travelling was not just to explore the area but also to see the situation first hand while also providing some support for the local economy, which depends so heavily on tourism. Hiring a guide, eating at restaurants and staying in guesthouses not only provides employment and income directly but these people usually support an extended family.

Ke garne! (What to do!)