Kathmandu, June 16
Door: rikdegoede
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Rick
17 Juni 2012 | Nepal, Kathmandu
The best time to write a blog entry, I find, is when you have something on your mind that occupies you. It can be something good, or something funny, or in this case something sad. Actually, it is horrifying.
First about me. I wanted to go trekking but am still in Kathmandu. I got the flue so badly that it made me stay in bed for two days. Tomorrow, I'll leave for Jiri and begin my Everest Base Camp hike. That's not what's bothering me though.
Yesterday, the body of a 23 year old Belgian girl was found in the Langtang area. She had been missing for a week and there were posters up here in Kathmandu. As far as I understand, there is reason to believe she was murdered. There have been cases of missing girls in the same area before. People are now saying that solo female trekkers should hire guides and not go alone and so on, and honestly, that type of talk, although probably very prudent, makes me feel disgusted too.
Nepal is usually a very peaceful country and trekking here is normally very easy and safe. The mountain trails are well-maintained and wide; the people are hospitable and friendly. In fact, well-trodden trails like the one in Langtang are, organisation-wise, among the easiest places to go trekking in the world. Even if you're inexperienced, there should be no reason to hire a guide in that area. The only reason to do so is to have some sort of protection.
What disgusts me most though, is that somebody must know more about what is going on. The villages in Langtang are small, closed communities where people don't talk. The Nepali police should do more to find out and start interviewing the villagers. Perhaps the only way to force them is to economically boycott Langtang. So although I think it is still safe to trek there, I'd support calls for people not to go to Langtang until something more is done to find and punish the murderer. People here have to understand that this is not the type of thing that can be swept under the rug.
First about me. I wanted to go trekking but am still in Kathmandu. I got the flue so badly that it made me stay in bed for two days. Tomorrow, I'll leave for Jiri and begin my Everest Base Camp hike. That's not what's bothering me though.
Yesterday, the body of a 23 year old Belgian girl was found in the Langtang area. She had been missing for a week and there were posters up here in Kathmandu. As far as I understand, there is reason to believe she was murdered. There have been cases of missing girls in the same area before. People are now saying that solo female trekkers should hire guides and not go alone and so on, and honestly, that type of talk, although probably very prudent, makes me feel disgusted too.
Nepal is usually a very peaceful country and trekking here is normally very easy and safe. The mountain trails are well-maintained and wide; the people are hospitable and friendly. In fact, well-trodden trails like the one in Langtang are, organisation-wise, among the easiest places to go trekking in the world. Even if you're inexperienced, there should be no reason to hire a guide in that area. The only reason to do so is to have some sort of protection.
What disgusts me most though, is that somebody must know more about what is going on. The villages in Langtang are small, closed communities where people don't talk. The Nepali police should do more to find out and start interviewing the villagers. Perhaps the only way to force them is to economically boycott Langtang. So although I think it is still safe to trek there, I'd support calls for people not to go to Langtang until something more is done to find and punish the murderer. People here have to understand that this is not the type of thing that can be swept under the rug.
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17 Juni 2012 - 09:32
Vera:
Hai rik,
Fijn dat het weer wat beter met je gaat.
Hier in Nederland ook alles goed. Het weer werkt niet super mee, maar gister fijne dag gehad met ook zon.
Helaas is het zo in de wereld dat mensen elkaar pijn doen en vermoorden.
Dat is altijd al zo geweest en er zijn altijd mensen en families die elkaar dekken door oogkleppen op te doen en hun mond dicht te houden. Dit heb ik zelf ook ervaren, mensen kunnen wicked zijn.
Net als hier in Nederland en overal zijn er altijd gekken die verkrachten en moorden en stelen.
Toch moet je zelf positief blijven en dus inderdaad goed op jezelf passen. Sterkte!
Liefs
Vera -
17 Juni 2012 - 22:15
Minny:
doe je voorzichtig, jij bent daar de gast, het kan gevaarlijk zijn om je met de lokale situatie te bemoeien! Ik maak me snel zorgen dat weetje, dus misschien overdrijf ik wel, maar toch...
verder de groeten, hanny was hier vandaag,mooie sjaal gahad en foto's en kaarten gezien. oma wel goed te spreken, laat je foto's morgen wel zien. groetjes! -
18 Juni 2012 - 19:23
Hanny:
hi Rik. Happy trekking. Ik hoop dat je weer wat beter wordt snel. Zorg maar dat je uit die luchtverontreiniging komt eerst. Zou die hele gidsen-geldklopperij erachter zitten? je zou het bijna gaan denken. Griezelig, wat hebzucht teweeg kan brengen.
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