The mountains of far west Nepal have always held a fascination for me so it was with an eager sense of anticipation that I arrived in Jumla at the end of September. I expected some 'interaction' with the Maoists but I was unprepared for the events of the following weeks. Having trekked all over Nepal I am familiar with the rhetoric and practices of the Maoists so I was surprised to be detained for two days in Sinja. However, after endless discussions our small 'donation' of Rs 500 was surprisingly refunded and we were free to go. The Maoists of Mugu were far less friendly. Teenagers pointed rifles at us as they refused to accept Prachanda or Baburam as their leaders: this was an 'autonomous region', Comrade Sagar insisted that we part with Rs 18,000 at gunpoint. In Dolpo, Comrade Sagar's authority is not accepted and we found ourselves once again having to plead our case. In Dho, the Maoists boasted of how much money they make buying and selling goods from China while they sit in the filthiest village in the region. Again, we coughed up our final reserves and parted with Rs 14,000. It is obvious that not a paisa will ever reach the local communities in these regions: profiteering, guns and ammunition are the only outlets for tourist 'donations'. Consequently, I am appalled to hear trekkers in Kathmandu comparing their souvenir 'receipts'. But I am equally upset by the extortionate trekking permit fees. Where does the $ 90 Mugu fee go? Where does the $ 700 Upper Dolpo fee get spent? Certainly not in the regions that we visited. If the government of Nepal wants to encourage tourism to remote areas of this extraordinary country then maybe it should consider how many 'sticky fingers' a trekker's pocket has to accommodate? And how about making the fees in Kathmandu transparent? This may just force the Maoists to do the same and just maybe, some money will end up where it should be going: to the villagers and VDCs. Yours, all the poorer.

Robin Boustead,
Australia