Tension In Kodari

Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra continues: Tension in Kodari
Kodari Elevation: 2250 meters; 7,382 feet.

Our initial plan was to have a quick lunch in Kodari, perform exit visa procedures, and cross over the Friendship bridge into China-occupied Tibet. But instead, we found ourselves gobbling lunch to a backdrop of a frenzied stone-throwing mob and the staccato of automatic weapons. Read more details in previous post here.

As in any desi-group, we had uber-confident ‘armchair experts’ in our group, who provided continuous analyses of the situation. One opined that police would not fire on unarmed protesters and are firing in the air! Little did we know that the mob was engaging the military, not the local police. Another divined, “they are firing plastic bullets.” Yeah!

After yielding to my cousins protests, I left my camera in the rucksack, scrambled to the door and peered over shoulders of fellow yatris for a close-up of military tactics. As the military advanced, they pulled down a couple of civilians standing in a truck and kicked and beat them lifeless. The frenzied mob was still hurling rocks. A few rocks came our way and shattered the glass front, littering the restaurant floor with glass shards. We all scrambled in for safety. My bright rucksack in the front room screamed ‘american,’ and I grabbed it (and my all important camera) and dashed to the back room, where most of the others were waiting. A few more projectiles shattered whatever remained of the entire glass front.

As we had dashed in, so did our team of Sherpas. The military apparently thought that mob-members were seeking refuge in the restaurant and charged in after them. With heavy boots one kicked the swing door, breaking the last of the glass panels and thundered in. On seeing the puzzled looks of desi-tourists and quiet sherpas, he fired into the floor, looked around and stomped out!

The owner promptly shuttered the restaurant. As the military pushed the mob back past our restaurant, inside, we got a reprieve from the stones and bullets. When the shutters were rolled up a little later, we sensed an eerie peace. With AK-47 toting military controlling the streets, a forced peace had descended on the village, albeit at the point of a gun!

In the back room, everyone was singing bhajans and that took our minds off the tenuous situation outside. The back room was more of a porch overlooking the river Kosi in the canyon below. Above, the seemingly peaceful Tibetan side teased us. How we wished we had already reached the other side!

Below in the deep canyon, the river kosi rumbled and frothed over gigantic boulders.

During this entire episode, the family owning the restaurant had not panicked, but instead kept us all calm (and away from windows). Their bucolic village was torn apart by mobs and the military. Their restaurant, prolly representing their entire life-savings, was littered with shattered glass and nervously pacing tourists. Coolly, mother, father, teenage daughter and a few helpers, started to cleanup the glass and rock debris. We all laughed as the daughter showed us some of the rocks that had come through! The dry nervous laughter alluded to the fragility of our experiences.

Early in the evening, the shutters were rolled up and the village was quiet. The police had clamped a curfew outside and we spent the night here. Inside, the owners made chai and passed around biscuit packets. Our tour organizers along with local help made sleeping arrangements in the rooms above the restaurant. My cousins and I, got a small room in the adjoining place. Even stepping next door – across a threshold of a shared wall – felt dangerous. Next door too was a tiny restaurant/home/rental rooms. With nothing to do, we just sat around, chatted and caught up on life.

When travelling, I always over-pack. In my shoulder bag, I generally carry an extra set of clothes, and an extra kit with toiletries and candy bars. With our luggage trapped somewhere behind the mob-line, I was likely the only guy with a toothbrush! and a set of pajamas! After all those decades of not needing my ‘spare set,’ it took a mob action in Kodari to validate my packing habits.

Dinner was in the restaurant/family room where all the owner’s relatives gather as well. The only TV had continuous news of the standoff between the mob and the military. From the News we gathered that two agitators had died and many more injured! The situation was now apparently ‘under control.’ I just prayed it would remain calm till we cross the border!

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After a restless night, I was up at sunrise, pacing up and down the back stairs. Finally, I noticed the owner stepping out of his room, still rubbing his eyes and yawning. I asked him for some tea and he quickly got to making chiya (tea with ginger) and coffee for us all!

Out on the streets, all was quiet. Noticing that the military had withdrawn from the front, we were all encouraged. I scrambled up to the terrace to catch the sun glistening on the town. On the left are the buildings in Kodari and the immigration office is the last one. The Friendship Bridge connects to China-occupied Tibet on the right. The village on the hill in the background is the Tibetan town of Zhang-Mu. While we show our passports and go through the border here, it is at Zhang-Mu that our passports are inspected more carefully. Interestingly, China is not authorized by the UN to issue visas on our passports. Thus we apply for and receive separate ‘travel permits,’ which we surrender, and our passports don’t have any ‘evidence’ of us entering China-occupied Tibet – only of us exiting Kodari at the border!It is ironic that during our travels, it was in Kodari, part of the democratic Nepal that we had the most difficulty, while the sun shone golden on the authoritarian regime in Zhang-Mu! Whoever said life is fair!

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After a quick breakfast we heard the border was now open and we would get to leave. But soon thereafter my heart sank when we saw a few of the villagers gathering between us and the border. A tire was already burning!
But apparently, our tour organizers had already made a deal with the local mafia, as well as the local immigration and military bosses. Our passports were taken ahead to prepare for a quick exit. When all negotiations were completed, we were asked to proceed quickly.

We marched single file. First through the quickly gathering mob, which quietly gave us passage. Then past more burning tires. Then the barren area beyond which the military in riot gear held their line. As we approached, the riot team parted and we were allowed to pass through! A smile escaped my lips!

Phew, I sighed relief as we reached the bridge. After a cursory examination of our passports, the chinese authorities quickly let us through. On the Tibetan side, everyone in our group had a wide smile on their faces. We had passed the first adventure! We mounted the Toyota Landcruisers and the drivers took us up the mountains to Zhang-Mu for further passport checks and onwards to the Tibetan village of Nyalama.

Moral of the story:
During travels it is near impossible to predict what will happen. The important lesson I learnt was to remain calm, smile, and … always pack an extra toothbrush and set of pajamas in your shoulder bag!

Epilogue:
After departing Kodari, we quickly forgot about the incident – till our return journey. The locals mentioned that the rioting continued for a few days, as fifteen more bodies of locals surfaced downriver. *shudder*

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Next on Kailash Manasarovar Yatra: Respite in Nyalama
Start of Kaliash Manasarovar Yatra: Rendevous with Sagarmatha (Everest)

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