One of the elements of Kathmandu scenery that has infused my life, to the point of feeling normal, is the military and police presence in the city.  There are a number of different police forces present but the most common is the  Nepal Police Force dressed in blue camoflauge fatigues.

They are everywhere – in front of very embassy; surrounding every possible bank, foreign agency, or large gathering area; on street corners; standing at above ground look-out points; and peering over and through the many walls that enclose much of the city.  Sometimes they can be seen riding on horseback in large rows or once I even saw them in a horse-drawn carriage.  The really unnerving part is that most of them are equipped with very large rifles, machine guns, and other artillery.  They guard every inch of protectable space in the city with serious weapons.

I walked past one such command post outside of the Police Hedquaters the other day and with the narrow space left on the sidewalk (much of it being consumed by the small square command box the officers were using as their post) I literally brushed my shoulder on the muzzle of the rifle…a little too close for my comfort.

Additionally, there are tourist police walking the busy Thamel area to ensure that tourist are not being hassled.  They wear navy blue uniforms with smart little burgundy berets and are overzealous in their efforts to keep tourists from being bothered.  A mother and her 3 children were asking for money outside of the bank machine (good choice of location I think!) and I was happily to making small conversation with the children in Nepali.  But as soon as the little girl saw the tourist police approaching she quickly withdrew to the arms of her mother who whispered for them all to quickly come back…it was clear that they had already learned, by the ages of 2, 3 or 4, that the navy blue suite meant business.

Finally, my morning commute would not be complete without the active and rigorous exercise routines of the Nepali military.  They run through the city in the very early morning in packs of about 50-60, their army uniforms and and stiff black boots moving in unison.  I see about 20 such groups in the short 40 minute bus ride to work…meaning I must see at least 1000 of the dedicated men (and very very seldomly women) out for a run on Kathmandu’s busy streets.

So, there is a lot of protection here in Kathmandu and yet it still makes me a wee bit nervous to have a city full of rifle bearing police around every corner…somehow the potential for an accident just seems too possible.