While the rest of the region looks back on 2005 as a year of natural disasters, Nepal's disasters were entirely manmade. The Indian Ocean tsunami and the Kashmir earthquake devastated Asia but Nepal was thrown into turmoil within a month of the last new year with the royal takeover on 1 February. The rest of 2005 was a political see saw as the political parties protested on the streets, the media struggled against efforts to control it, the Maoists launched their bloodiest attacks ever and then announced a truce for Dasain that has lasted till this week. Front pages of the Nepali Times in the past year summarise the tumultuous year.
Our new year resolution: to live in less interesting times.