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Himalaya
Day 44: Kathmandu
Pratima Pande introduces me to King Gyanendra.
'It could be the highlight of his afternoon,' says a Brit, working in the country. 'He needs all the friends he can get.'Whatever his personal popularity, the institution of monarchy seems strong enough to attract a queue of people that extends all the way back to the heavy iron gates and for a few hundred yards out along the road, and those at the end of the line must be among the poorest in the kingdom.
No sooner are we back in the Yak and Yeti looking at laundry lists for the first time in a week than word comes through that a special ceremony, happening only once every 12 years, will be taking place in the heart of the old city later tonight. It's being kept very secret because it involves the King, who, because of the fear of attacks from the Maoist guerillas, rarely goes out in public within the city.
Choose another day from Himalaya
PALIN'S GUIDES
- Series: Himalaya
- Chapter: Day 44: Kathmandu
- Country/sea: Nepal
- Place: Kathmandu
- Book page no: 101
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