kathmandu taxi 

Extract from "Kathmandu Taxi'  ISBN 979-8-89443-911-2  Release Date September 2024 (Fiction) But is it True?
All text and Images are copyright and the property of Don Hill. No text or images may be copied or used without the express permission of Don Hill. Copyright 2024.
Any references to people living or deceased is only coincidental.

Don Hill was interviewed about Kathmandu Taxi on the 24th of June 2024 by Noosa Radio. Interviewer Maxine Stibbe Broadcast Live Australia Wide

Yesterdays Tomorrow 

The Northern Winter had arrived and thoughts had turned 
to Yak Butter Tea and whirling snowdrifts. 

An idea had crossed Owen's mind as he was thinking of 
absolutely nothing. 
The thought of tramping through deep snow after leaving 
Jomsom and heading further North to Loh Manthang. 

At least he would have apples to nourish him on this, an 
unpredictable journey. 
He would be following the ancient traders from India 
that had plied this trail for years to reach the Silk Route 
to China. 

Although Mustang was considered to be dry region it would still 
snow and the minus temperatures could not be underestimated
in it’s deadly form although  even in blizzard conditions 
there was a Nepal Ice, Everest Lager or some Raksi at the 
end of the road which was indeed some comfort. 

Owen's friends suggested that he travel to Lukla and hike 
or take a mountain bike to base camp but he knew 
it would look very crowded as opposed to where he 
wanted to head to this time. 
It was like the Queen Street Mall on any morning except 
for the piles of rubbish that had been left behind by 
locals and visitors alike. 


Copyright Don Hill 2024





KATHMANDU TAXI INTERVIEW 2024
Interview with Bronwyn Holm about Kathmandu Taxi 2024

Tell me about Kathmandu Taxi.

Yeah sure.

I wrote the first very brief draft in 2008 after my second visit to Nepal but it obviously
needed a tidy up and a haircut.
I am happy with it now.

What is it about?

It is about adventure and encounters with other cultures with the main character
being a chap called Owen Stanley.

What is Owen like?

He has spent the last few years in the UK working at anything he can get an
income from and at long last he has enough money to go travelling further
afield.

Where does he go?

He has this dream of traveling to India to buy a Sitar, learn to play it properly
and meet his idol Ravi Shankar but he is disillusioned when he arrives as the vibe of the
Sub Continent does not suit him and Ravi is actually living in England and
California by that time and is very old.
He finally gets to Nepal but realizes that Kathmandu even though it was one of
the main Hippy trails of the early 60s and 70s has totally changed.
So what happens next in his story?
Nepal has really changed and it is not the same and welcoming as it used to be.
In fact it is highly dangerous for locals, foriegners as well as men and women
alike.
He arrives in Nepal in the middle of the Civil War with the Marxists which is a
little bit daunting but he realizes that if he does not take the risk or chance he
might as well have stayed in England out at Ascot in the safety of Tittenhurst
Park.
He prefers to meet and converse with locals instead of people from Europe and
his own country as they could influence his thought.
He couldn't be happier to get away from this crowd although he has made many
friends along the way.
The locals know how to get around and also converse and get out of most
trouble.
Especially people carrying guns.
Obviously he meets women who help him and become his guide and sometimes
he falls in love with them and even though it may seem like brief encounters he
still continues to be in contact with them even after he leaves as he does still love them.
You know money doesn't last forever.
One girl in particular has taken his fancy.
She convinces him to travel back to India and go to Darjeelling and Gangtok
which she says will adjust his negative thoughts about the sub continent. He
asks her to go with him but she refuses as she has to look after her mother's stall in Dubar
Square in Basantapur.
He travels to Darjeeling which he loves and this is the start of a new journey of
finding out about himself.
His true inner self.
There is in no need for mediation on top of a mountain or finding a Guru to help
him discover the truth.
Only him. Only Owen can do this. Although he still meets up with locals.
Finally he becomes self aware of who he really is even through the haze of alternative practices
and finds reality and not just a fake world that predominates human society and is structured by money and greed.
He realizes that humans are here for a higher cause, not just being involved in useless controlling ideology that is put upon them by those in high places.
It is still a Cast system whether it is in India or everywhere else around the world.

Yes go on.

On his journey he doesn't take any friends with him as he does not want to
influenced by anyone into their pack mentality or preconcieved ideas about different places.
He just wants to experience what it is like traveling alone in a places where he will see few Westerners.
One day he might even get married to that girl in Kathmandu but he loves his
freedom more than marriage.
The girls that he meets love him but also hate him at the same time knowing that
they could not convince him to marry them and he will depart and probably
never come back even if he says he will.
So this is his adventure during a time of Civil unrest with a lot of risk and
pressure on the local population.
It's a story about his encounters at the Roof of the World.

And how did Owen Stanley come about.

Oh that.

Yes.

He was always on a quest to find his true self even in risky situations.
There were places that he would not travel to but given that he wanted to
experience what it was like to live among locals, eat their food, feel their
emotions and live (even briefly) like they did.
His mother and father lived in New Guinea and Richard his father was a world
authority on insects especially Lepidoptera and worked for the Australian and
Papuan Governments in that capacity.
He was friends with Ray Statham up at Kuranda and that Garry guy up in the
Atherton area.
Oh ok.
Thank you Don and we all hope the book will be incredibly successful for you.
Bronwyn Holm