Driving under the influence of dangerously unfounded optimism

Chaotic driving figured prominently in our first impressions of Kathmandu; it's hard not to notice it, whether you are in a car, on foot, or, if you are brave enough, on two wheels.  Or indeed in the newspapers, where you read about the latest bus crash.  You can't even escape it in the back streets any more.  I wondered if this was a Kathmandu phenomena or a Nepalese one. Alas, our trip to Pokhara suggests that chaotic driving extends well beyond the big city limits. (Even the skies above Pokhara are busy, we looked up and saw over 20 paragliders sharing the airspace in very close proximity.)

The worse culprits are the 'micros' - minibuses of up to 18 people - that promise a faster trip between Kathmandu and Pokhara. And when you have seen a few of these overtake you on blind corners, you understand why.  Those that do get to their destination will indeed save you time...... What is interesting though is the tacit tolerance of these high risk drivers by other drivers that actually seems to encourage them to take more risks.  For example, the "mad" driver starts his overtaking manoeuvre, (nobody uses indicators, by the way) seemingly regardless of whether he can see adequate overtaking space or not.  At this point, one of the passengers on the near side leans out of his window, his arm hanging down the side, poised.  If something is suddenly coming in the other direction, he simply waves his arm assumptively as if to say to the vehicle he is passing: "We're coming past, you'll slow down and let us in, won't you" and of course, they always do.  Which is ironic, because in the city, nobody lets anybody in ever. It's as if there must be an imaginary line outside city limits where the rules change.

I read in "The Himalayan" last weekend that the police had had their first major crackdown on road offences. They handed out 3,800 tickets in one day, most of which were 1000 rupee (£8) instant fine. It's a start but it will take a while to have an impact.

Here's a brief taste of the 'Madness' on the streets of Nepal!