Journey to the Center of the World
"MIRACLE": "JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE WORLD" CHINA - TIBET - NEPAL - INDIA" 30.4 - 17.5. 2015.
Because the press frightened everyone with an earthquake in Nepal, the group almost broke up: two out of seven flatly refused to fly, sacrificing considerable financial losses. Your humble servant was in China, so he joined the brave four already in Lhasa. And I'd rather not join. The symbol of the country is the handsome yaks, almost on every corner there are their monuments. And we never saw a single live yak. We climbed the "Roof of the World" - Tibet. And the “roof” itself was also not seen. Not because they didn't want to. Didn't show. Either out of laziness, or out of stupidity, but rather out of irresponsibility. We were driven into some kind of pit, almost devoid of vegetation. And in three whole days they drove to three (or four? ) monasteries! Yes, last year in China we clicked six of these monasteries a day, we were eaten into the liver. For a mere mortal, they all look the same as twin brothers.
For two days we were in a shootout, what's the point in such a trifle, we waited for the third day. That is Kathmandu. In connection with the earthquake, maybe they won't let them in yet? However, the landing was announced, which means we are flying. On the approach, he did not take his eyes off the porthole, afraid to see the city in ruins. But what is it? As far as the eye could see, absolutely all the houses, both large and small, were intact as if nothing had happened. Maybe, contrary to the song from above, not everything is visible? No, it took five hours to get to the Chitwan National Park, two of them directly in Kathmandu. And for all the time I saw only two small ruins, which, even "before", most likely, were in disrepair - blow and crumble. (In Russia, dozens of such fall every year without any shaking).
An even greater shock awaited me at the hotel. Only five out of 70 places were taken by us. The rest are empty, even a rolling ball. I ask the guides and the owner of the hotel how they came to such a life.
- You are right, - the interlocutors answer. - Up to 90 percent of refusals even from those who paid for the tours. We are on the verge of ruin. But this is not our fault. Well, it shook a little. However, you can see for yourself how we stood, and we stand practically unchanged.
- Then where and what kind of geographical news is this, - as Mayakovsky asked?
- There is only one explanation: the intrigues of our neighbors, Indian competitors in the tourist business. At the first push, taking advantage of the occasion, they sent their journalists to us and they inflated the whole wide world out of molehills.
- However, where did your government look, are they enemies of their tourism industry, which brings the lion's share of income to the country's budget?
- They have no time to engage in tourism, and indeed everything else, because they change almost twice a year. That is why they are “friends” first of all to those many tens of billions of dollars and the armada of transport Boeings of material assistance flowing to Nepal from all over the world.
- So, maybe, at the expense of these funds, all your losses in the tourism and hotel industry will be more than covered?
In response, almost Homeric laughter: "Not even a penny was promised to anyone. " And obviously it is. I saw with my own eyes that American soldiers with armed guards (I wonder from whom? ) unloaded a huge American truck with humanitarian aid into the belly of a beautiful restaurant, in which neither inside nor outside it was possible to find not only cracks, but even scratches - the consequences of an earthquake. Who owns this restaurant, presumably some minister or his closest relative?
Listened - listened to these moans "about" the driver of our minibus, Sumanhardus Bashigla, having improved the moment, approached and, although in a broken, but quite understandable way, explained. Like, never mind. We really won't get anything from all the humanitarian aid and billions of dollars. But rest assured, we will survive. During the Yeltsin era, you had such concussions that all of Russia crumbled to dust. However, you have risen and become a great power again. A good example for us.
Handsome guy, very young. However, as a driver already a virtuoso. Education is felt, and follows politics. It is believed that this one will not only survive, but will also help his native country get rid of numerous corrupt officials. That's probably how it should be. After all, the future belongs to the young.
And finally, India. Here, in my opinion, there are two main attractions. First, of course, the Taj Mahal. But you won't guess the second one. This phenomenon, which no one in the group has ever encountered in all the years of wandering, was invented by the Delhi tourist host company Orange (India) Ltd. Namely: she sent us to dinner at a restaurant 25 kilometers from the hotel where we stayed. The main feature was that these 25 round trips and 25 round trips had to twitch through such horrendous traffic jams that none of us had ever seen even in Moscow, choking on cars. As a result, we returned “home” only at midnight (what time the guide and driver got home, God only knows). Why did this happen, because "that" notorious restaurant belongs to the owner of "Orange"?
By the way, is it not for the same reason that along the entire route we were herded into the most expensive hotels, in which kings, prime ministers and other great servants of the people stay when they visit these parts? Photos of their meetings "at the scene of the crime", that is, in the hotel, hang in the most visible place, justifying an additional sharp jump in prices for accommodation. But a Russian tourist traveling in a group is much less rich compared to a Western European one. The rich prefer private tours. Here they even need royal beds to raise their prestige. And why should we, mere mortals, scatter blood? Maybe with this money it is better to go on another tourist tour once again? Alas! As the saying goes, God proposes and tourist bosses dispose. How do they make money. But we must not forget that "His Majesty" the tourist himself can also do something. For example, voting with your feet is not in favor of unscrupulous tourist "Ltd".
But, of course, the main alpha and omega of the entire route was and remains the earthquake. By the way, before leaving Kathmandu, we also swayed by 7.4 points (the maximum three weeks before that was 7.9). And I didn't understand anything. As he sat on a step (by the way, the most dangerous place - under an overhanging cornice), leaning his back against a store advertisement on the wall, he remained sitting. I thought someone was trying to politely push me away from advertising. And I decided to myself: I won’t leave for anything, I didn’t even turn around.
Agree, we, Russians who do not refuse the trip, even if everyone shouts “Fire! ”, It is quite possible to pat ourselves on the head. Oh, these are us, "jackets" (from a joke). We do not trust either officials or the press. Despite any propaganda tricks, everyone strives to try on their own tooth. And - about a miracle! – in most cases we are right.
Everything? Are the adventures over? This is what we thought. However, the Domodedovo airport prepared for us another "wonder of the world" for a snack. The conveyor belt with things was silent for more than an hour. Finally, she twitched, crawled a few meters, giving out part of the luggage - and died. After about fifteen or twenty minutes, she twitched again, giving out another portion of suitcases, and again froze. So for another hour and a half. Apparently, the port workers thought that our things were too dirty and in batches, they cleaned them one by one. What can you do, our service is no better than Asian. After all, it seems that Blok issued the famous phrase, which has become catchy: “We are Asians! ”
Vladimir Antonov