Made it through day three of the trek, which consisted of more up and down from Jagat to Dharapani. It was only about six hours of hiking, but our total time was eight and a half hours, due to lunch and Maoists. Some Maoists had set up a camp blocking the trail and were demanding 30 USD per person. They just said they were making a collection, but gave no other explanation. We weren’t going to pay. Besides the fact that paying them may leave us without enough money to finish the trek, they were asking for a ludacris amount. Joylani didn’t want to support a organization that had killed thousands in the past ten-year “People’s War.” Knowing Maoism inside and out (after his uncle tried to recruit him), Binod questioned and argued with them. One of the guys took him aside and said to wait until all the other people had passed and then maybe they’d let us pass. So we waited around for an hour, while we watched the bloody Maoists collect over 1000 USD! A German guy tried to argue politics with them and pointed out that the Maoists had withdrawn from the government voluntarily. He said he was from Germany and understood Communism and that it was a bankrupt system. He asked why he had to pay them, since the permit fee all trekkers pay to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project goes towards improving the region. They told him “you don’t understand our problems and we’re collections donations to support ‘the fight for peace.’” He paid.

(Polish guy.)

A Polish group came and one guy replied to them, “We’re from Poland. We’re Communists too. Do we get a discount?” Apparently not, as they forked over 400 USD. The frustrating thing was that no logic or reason would work with these guys. They were just collecting money for themselves, under the Maoist banner. They weren’t educated about their party or otherwise and just wanted money. They were mostly just 20-somethings, trying to act tough behind their sunglasses. They blocked the trail and acted tough, but their nervous joking and laugher with each other while everyone glared at them was revealing. Once the rest of the stubborn non-payers had paid and the camp was empty, they told us we could pass but wouldn’t give us a receipt and would be charged double at the next Maoist checkpost, near Manang. It was so infuriating dealing with these bandits- collecting money just because they could due to fear. It was robbery really. Anyways, we passed and crested the ridge on our way to lunch in Tal.

On the way to Tal, we passed a police team going the opposite direction towards the checkpoint. Later at lunch, we saw them on their way back. Apparently they gave the Maoists a talk and told them they didn’t want to give them citations, but would if they didn’t stop. What is this, the UN? More likely, they got paid off by the Maoists (we met some people one day behind us who ran into the same checkpoint). So much money was being collected, that the police would have had to do something or take a cut (I mentioned we saw about $1000 collected during the hour we waited; the average Nepali makes $210 per month). Our guides said the police were often in cahoots with the Maoists, to make money. At lunch we met a big tough looking Russian guy and asked if he’d paid. His response: “Hell no. I was born in the USSR.” We also met a French guy who was exclaiming that the Maoists were “real bast-odds.” Other than that, I heard Joylani call them a lot different names and Binod said if getting a gun was easier in Nepal, he’d shoot them all (I should mention he’s had Maoists hold guns to his head before, when he or his clients mouthed off before).

The rest of the day was much like yesterday: a lot of ups and downs. I still cannot figure out why the path was built in a seemingly senseless series of ups and downs. Nepali flat.