Team Strelzow - Himalayan Challenge

Tires what tires and how much

Tony coughed most of the night but I think more than half the group is coughing now. My cough has just started. I hope it will not develop

Up for a lovely breakfast and to front desk. I started calling DHL at 7:00am.  They had no record of our Waybill number, interesting. Finally at 10:15 I get a response.

DHL says The hotel has the paperwork and I must go to customs to clear the tires.   Interesting.

So off to front desk, they can’t find paperwork. I have the name of the person who signed for the documents but he is nowhere to be found.  Another 30 minutes they find him.

Now, to get a taxi and go to the airport. My last conversation with the DHL agent is I might have to pay duty. So on route I call DHL to verify. I speak to a manager and he says as you are in transit and have a ‘Carnet du Passage’. I should be fine.

Tony and I speed off to customs where the SHENANIGANS begin.

At the entry gate. The official says taxi driver can’t come in.   Then they change their minds. Then a woman walks beside the car and our taxi driver says -  she says she will help you.

She walks us through a massive big building all open and filled with people and products. We are directed into a tiny one fluorescent light bulb office where the agent looks at the paperwork and  writes his name on it and sends us to another small narrow room.  A group of men haphazardly sitting or standing behind computer terminals.  The guy speaks some English but seems confused as to what to do.  He says, you must go back to first guy Customs Agent, I think you must pay duty 

So off we trundle back to the agent in the first office and he reports. The duty will be £1000 .    Or just over 100000  Nepal  rupees.

I said what, I explain our predicament, tires aren’t staying we have Carnet etc.  He is finally convinced and is about to issue paper work and his stamp when in walks this very short guy and looks at me and says no you pay. The £1000.    He is sizing us up. 

I said you don’t pay duty on shipping. He says yes I must pay him cash.   I said NO CASH. Credit card. He smiles in that sickly fashion where you know he sees. Fair haired foreigner has lots of money and is in a hurry.

He says no.   I am angry but try to keep my cool.  I said then keep my tires.  He seems perplexed.  I turn walk out.  The girl follows me.  She thinks I have agreed to his terms as she hadn’t been permitted in to room and she has no English so I walk down the corridor following her back to the other room.  We fill in most of the paperwork and the agent at the desk says ok we will release tires but you can go back to pay. Maybe later.

Hum I am beginning to get suspicious. A fellow standing beside us leads us out into the hall and says. I CAN DO THIS FOR 40000 rupees.   He makes a mistake he looks at paper which says Britain all over it,  and says what currency. I pipe up. It’s euros -  he agrees.    One small victory. Tony says sure to his offer for 40,000 rupees.   I was not so sure. As Tony had agreed I didn’t respond.   The guy Turns and says well no it will cost you 50,000 RUPEES.   There is an  extra fee.  Tony agrees again, says not a penny more  He sees us as marks and then says. Well it will be   60,000 RUPEES.  By now I am furious. It will be tomorrow for the delivery  as he must deal with another Govt agent to clear tires.

I spoke up and said NO right now. I want tires right now.

After some glaring and back and forth he agrees I must come with cash and he will have them in 1 hour.

So off we go to bank to try to get money out.   

We decide that Tony should go back to the car to do work and I will return with the money and get tires with our taxi driver who by this time is helping us out and wants me to report the corruption. He is clearly unhappy by how we are being treated.  I want the tires and will happily report  it afterwards.  For all the good it will do. So we pick up some car parts and some shorts so Tony can work on car, and drive through the crazy town of Kathmandu.  Should have taken 15 minutes but traffic is horrendous.   We got cash too.  Chasing down more than one ATM so few really work

By 1:00pm I am back at the Customs office.   Thinking through this more clearly I decide I am going to offer him less.  I figure I have him over a barrel. As soon as I have my tires he is at my mercy.  So I go back and sit.  I carefully separate the money into small piles. Hiding it.

The Customs official had  decided he was going  to lunch so we must wait another 1 hr.

I sit with about 20 men the only woman and thankfully my friend now, my taxi driver. We decide to go and have lunch. My treat. He has translated a lot of what he heard so I get a little better  lay of the land.

When we return he goes in to depot. I am too conspicuous and he sees our tires but only two.  He says I should follow him in. I do, yes there, are two packages, thankfully the tires are small so there are two packages with two tires each.

Another 45 minutes and the girl comes out, points to a place where I can see tires outside.

We go there. I suggest to the taxi driver he get his car over to tires . He does. She leaves. We quickly load tires into car. I realize there is a gate in area and we must clear so we need paperwork to leave.  I wondered if we could make a run for it.  The girl returns . A guy in a Indigo suit very shiny, out of a movie I’m thinking  follows her out.  It was almost comical. Keeps his back to me. Walks behind some trucks . Does some transaction with the guy Tony and I  had spoken with earlier and made the deal. Signs his name on the paperwork and briskly walks back into the office.   HMMMM!  A little Graft here 

The guy walks over to me.  He says give me the money. I hand him 40000 Nepal rupees.  He says that not enough. So I said that’s more than you deserve. You first said 40000 which I would never agree too. I have the tires in my car are you going to give me paperwork or what.

He is angry but says he will walk us to gate.  I said ok. He gives paperwork and parking attendant runs over wants his piece and I pay him.   Must say my heart was beating a bit fast.

I kept thinking open those gates. Let us out. Money guy comes out. Hands the paperwork to gate security. I try to get the paperwork but the agent is too fast -says no paperwork. I said can I have original bill. He says ‘NOPE’.  GIVE ME MORE MONEY.

The gate opens I look at Taxi driver and he knows, he puts it in first gear and drives as quickly as he can outside of gate.   We both sigh with relief.

We have the tires. I am out about $330 US dollars. Not £1000

So figure it’s OK.    The taxi driver tells me he writes articles in his spare time and would like to tell the story. He can’t believe it. He knew there was corruption but he said how horrible for a tourist and visitor to his country and city.. I agreed but said I don’t think Nepal is alone in this kind of corruption.  He was very angry.  We chatted on our long route back . His daughters are learning English and he is always looking for good books. I told him to get Animal Farm by George Orwell for them to read.  He agreed.

When I got back to the hotel it was close to 5:00pm. Tony was worried sick and had just gotten in touch with the organizers to start a search for me.  The relief on his face was evident.   

I never thought of my safety. I find the Nepalese much more open to women. There was the woman who worked the floor of the customs building and I notice very few woman  dressed in traditional garb.  Many drive motorcycles and walk the streets dressed in Western jeans etc 

It is a much more open society. I learned a lot. India has hurt Nepal according to my driver. Very badly when they had that horrible Earthquake. India charged them double for all goods. They couldn’t get petrol or food staples across the border. India closed its borders to them and still has not aided them. India is very unhappy with the new constitution that Nepal has recently adopted.

They are dealing with a refugee crisis from Bhutan. Many people arriving everyday. We don’t hear their story in our news.  The price I paid was well worth the lesson I got from life here. Seeing the hardship and realizing what a great world we live in. We need to protect but understand the plight of others. ‘

I thought of George Orwell

All animals are equal but some are more equal than others’

So true in this world we live

My taxi driver loves his country but sees it for what it is. I admire him. I wish his daughters and family well. I hope his children can help this country.

It is where it must start.

Lee Ann