Nepal is not a country in which civil litigation is a major concern. Case and point: renting a motorcycle. After clearly explaining to the shop owner that I did not know how to ride a motorcycle, writing my name and hotel on a piece of blank paper, and handing over my ATM card as collateral, I was off. Well not really 'off', first I stalled it a couple times in his driveway before lurching it suddenly onto the busy road. Possibly adding to the danger that first day was the shirt I was wearing (and not because it provided absolutely no protection in a fall). Though the shirt was purchased as a souvenir from a market in Lao, the hammer and sickle is the symbol of the Maoist movement in Nepal. While they are now a political party that just won majority in the latest election, only a couple years ago they were waging a civil war that killed over 20,000 people. Thankfully everyone seemed to either like it or at least find humour in me wearing it. I now have only one more day to survive before the motorcycle gets returned.
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