Kathmandu is Dead

So Long, old friend....

blogdai is hesitant to write this column. It is sad. No pictures and no funny comments this time.

Kathmandu is officially dead.

The facts:

--Traffic jams so bad it takes up to two hours to get from Lazimpat to Patan across town.

--Pollution is at its worst. Locals and tourist wear masks on the street and those not accustomed to the stench are instantly taken ill.

--Our recent revival in tourism has seen new arrivals get immediately on a plane to Pokhara in order to avoid Kathmandu.

--Dance bars and cabin clubs sprout up every day with no end in sight.

--Nigerian drug dealers patrol the streets in increasing numbers looking for business.

--Municipal police are now openly taking bribes and allowing petty street crimes.

--Up to 8 hours of electrical outages per day paralyze business and tourism.

We have no functioning central government that recognizes or even cares about the conditions in our once lovely city. Basic city functions are worthless.

Are we happy with our little cars, our greedy lifestyles and our disastrous jana andolan that gave us a worthless Maoist leadership?

Are we ever going to care enough to change?

blogdai feels that about a million of us need to die in order for Kathmandu to survive. At the current rate of events, either a major civil war or widespread disease is inevitable-----

That should do the trick.

-=blogdai