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By Ed King
BBC News, Nepal |
The beauty of mountainous Nepal has long been a pull for tourists |
Visiting Nepal used to be about stunning Himalayan views and ancient Hindu temples. Now it seems it is all about getting a piece of paper.
Not any old piece of parchment at that.
We are talking about one signed by Nepal's Maoist rebels, giving trekkers the right to continue their journey - and costing anything in the region of 100 to 1,000 rupees ($1.40 to $14).
Some 11,000 people have died in their fight for a communist republic.
Meeting the Maoists is all the talk in the country's tourist hotspots, but the trouble is that they seem to be doing a good job in making foreign travellers think twice before visiting.
The pity is that there can be few more relaxing and tranquil places to visit in the world than the mountain kingdom.
Pokhara, one of the country's main tourist hubs, is devoted to the needs of weary travellers, with a range of cafes and bars spread out along the lakeside, below the gaze of the Annapurna mountain range.
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 A lot of people dislike the Maoists at the moment, they are crazy people and they are not helping our country 
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On my last visit in 1997, the town was crammed with visitors from around the globe, heading out on treks, white-water rafting expeditions or merely soaking in the atmosphere.
These days the shops and restaurants stay open more in hope than expectation, as the flow of travellers slows to a trickle.
Air of uncertainty
If King Gyanendra thought sacking the government in February and taking control of the fight against Nepal's Maoist insurgency would bring back the visitors, he was wrong.
The subsequent state of emergency, lifted last week, appears to have scared off many more potential visitors, and added to the air of uncertainty around the kingdom.
Evidence of Maoist support can be found on trekking routes |
As one of the world's poorest countries, Nepal relies heavily on the foreign currency that travellers inject into the economy every year.
But with travellers down 38% on 2004, the outlook is bleak.
Realistically, the most inconvenience your average tourist is likely to face is a delayed bus journey or having to fork out a trekking fee imposed by the Maoists.
But some have been less fortunate.
On 11 April, a taxi carrying two Russian trekkers hit a landmine in the east of the country, leaving the pair alive but seriously injured.
A pair of Canadian tourists recently reported meeting Maoists who robbed them, while two months ago a group of Israeli trekkers who refused to hand over money were beaten up.
Quiet anger
Undeterred, three of us set out on a six-day trek taking in the villages of Ghorepani, Landruk, Chhomrong and Dhampus.
Ghorepani and nearby Ghandruk are known Maoist strongholds in this region, and trekkers cannot fail to note the blue spray-painted messages that litter the route: "Long live CPN" (Communist Party Nepal).
The long-running conflict is hitting Nepal's vulnerable economy |
Whether it was increased army activity or the weather, the Maoists who usually stalk this territory appeared to have taken April off, as they had not been spotted either by our guide or the tea house owners for a number of weeks.
Most Nepalis we met understood their cause, and sympathised with the reasons behind it.
But behind the usual genial Nepalese charm, there lurks a quiet anger that their livelihoods are being threatened.
"A lot of people dislike the Maoists at the moment, they are crazy people and they are not helping our country," our guide, a native Gurung who preferred to remain anonymous, told us.
"When they started, many people agreed with them, but now all they are doing is making it worse for everyone in Nepal, and making visitors scared to come here."
But the Maoists alone were not the whole problem, as he explained.
"I was glad when the king got rid of the government as they were not doing any good - they were corrupt," he said.
"These days I can go to a government office to get my papers or a passport, and I don't have to pay a bribe now the king is in charge."
Sad irony
April and May are traditionally quieter months than earlier in the trekking season, when the air is clearer and the mountain views crisp and clear all day long.
But the tea houses we stayed in were never more than a quarter full. Often we were the only people staying, and some had simply given up the ghost and shut up shop.
The tea houses are virtually empty of tourists |
Many of the Nepalis we met thought that after 14 years of shaky democracy, the king was the only person they could trust to provide a solution - even if they were not sure what that could be.
That may be so, but it is hard to escape the fact that if there is not a massive resurgence in tourism to Nepal in the coming year, the industry there could suffer a potentially fatal blow.
And there lies the sad irony in the Maoists' struggle.
Their nine-year fight against poverty can only make their country poorer yet, and with neither side willing to compromise or in danger of defeat, harsher times lie ahead.
