Hippies Met in Nepal and the US

Although there were a lot of Hippies when I was a student growing up in Nepal, I never knew any of them personally. Although intrigued with these foreigners who had come to Nepal with the barest of worldly possessions, we never befriended anyone thinking of the phenomenon as a fad that would soon disappear. So, when I came to the United States, every American who told me that he/she had been to Nepal got the third degree from me. I wanted to know under what circumstances they had been there. I usually got three types of answers but never the one I wanted.

The most common answer was that the person had visited Nepal as a tourist. This was the most prevalent response. The second type of respondent said he had been there as a Peace Corps volunteer. I had met many of the volunteers and had known a few. We had a Biology teacher at my school who was a Peace Corps volunteer from Cleveland. The last type of reply was from diplomats and kin of diplomats. Though I "searched" far and wide, these three types were typical of people I met.

The tourists raved about Nepal's beauty and relatively inexpensive lodgings, cuisine, and gifts they had bought. They all had got their money's worth and were quite content. The diplomats just thought of Nepal as another stopover in their career though most did appreciate the peace and bucolic nature of the country. The Peace Corps volunteers were most vocal in their praise of my country. They regaled me with all sorts of stories and outlined many adventures that befell them in their two-year stay. They were so thrilled to have been there and enjoyed themselves immensely especially since their stay was paid for. But I still had to find one Hippie who had been there. Now where does one look for a Hippie in New York?

It was almost 25 years later while working in Brooklyn that I met a co-worker who had been all over the world in his Hippie phase and had spent two whole years in Nepal. He described the nation as the most beautiful and tranquil place on earth and would not have left if not for family matters. He mentioned shopping in Asan, picnicking in Godavari and living in the shadows of Swayambhunath. He talked about walking all over Kathmandu because of limited funds and the unreliability of the Sajha buses that only went to certain places. He said his greatest fear was the mangy curs that roamed the streets of Kathmandu and barked fiercely at him and his companions when they came back from their late night forays. Although he lived in a Buddhist monastery, he had converted to Hinduism in his travels through India and was a devout believer.

Amazing, isn't it? When I was assiduously looking for Hippies who had been to Nepal, I did not find one. Twenty-five years later, when I had forgotten about my quest, I met a bona fide person who had traveled all over the world with prolonged stays in Nepal and India. He also mentioned having spent two days in the gutters of Karachi sick from malaria. Now he was living in New York as a sedate husband and father. Was this a change for the better? I guess even world-roaming Hippies have to grow up.

The Hippies and eBay

In the late 1960's and early 1970's, Kathmandu, Nepal was known as the Hippie capital of the world. There seemed to be more of these flower children than natives. Their presence was tolerated because they were basically innocuous and they brought tourist revenues. It was only when the Hippies started misbehaving by camping out everywhere, walking around nude, and getting high on marijuana did the government of Nepal take a stricter attitude towards them. My father was one of the government officials whose job it became to reduce the Hippie population soon. They were then carted off by the truckful to the Indian border and dumped in Raxaul. My Dad was not very happy at this since he genuinely liked the Hippies and their peaceful way of life.

Marijuana grew freely all over Nepal (and still does) but was not known to most Nepali as a plant that got you "high." The Hippies taught us that. So it was then that most teenagers and young professionals learned about the wonder of this plant. Marijuana was harvested widely and was smoked at all young peoples' gathering. It was a craze that lasted for a few years. When the Hippies left, the use of marijuana also also miraculously declined. Many still smoked it but its popularity had reached its zenith around 1972. Why am I now discussing marijuana and the Hippies? An what is their relation to eBay?

When I went back home about four years ago, I noticed some familiar-looking plants growing aplenty all around. At my brother's place, they were about ten feet tall and flourished all over the yard. When I visited my in-laws, the same phenomenon was re-visited. This same scenario occurred everywhere I went whether it was to a friend's house or to my relatives' place. Cannabis sativa was prevalent all over and grew in batches as far as the eye could see. It was then that I had a wild and crazy thought which was nipped in the bud by friends and family. The idea was fun while it lasted but reality then sank in.

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What was my crazy idea? I had been a member of eBay since 2001 and had sold lots of Nepali goods such as antiques, thankas and Nepali paper paintings. Why not then sell a map to the many marijuana locations all over Kathmandu? Would eBay shoot down this idea? Would the DEA object and consider me a threat? How could they? After all, I was sending all the smokers away from the US to Nepal. I could put up maps of various sites in different listings on eBay and reap the benefits (no pun intended!). But, alas, I am not a good businessman and will never be one. The only idea I had for "harvesting" money was pooh-poohed as a stupid, illegal scheme that could get me jailed. Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men....