Well, I woke up this morning to find that the curfew had been lifted. In fact the curfew was for only four hours, 23:00 - 03:00. Instead this morning there is a bandh in place. It was called by the seven party alliance.

It means that private vehicles cannot work. So there were no trucks or cars on the road. All over Kathmandu there was a strange calm on the road. People are allowed to use bikes, rickshaws and motorcycles. I was able to cycle with ease, wandering back and forth in order to avoid pot holes. It was great!

Another aspect of the bandh is that shops are not supposed to operate and most are not. Large ones like the supermarkets are definitely shut. Some of the smaller business have their shutters half way up so they can still conduct business but claim that they are closed if questioned.

It is so interesting to see Kathmandu so quiet. It has also been suggested that since there is no traffic today, it might be a good day to see some of the mountains.

Later today, I have a big donor meeting so I wore jeans in order to bike in but put a skirt and sandals in a rucksack. Once I bike to the headquarters and store my bike, I will need to rush into the ladies room and change. It is funny how you need to carry on work as normal even in unusual situations.

We have been told that there will most likely be bandhs for the next few days and there could be curfews declared. If they declare a curfew, they only need to give a few hours notice. It looks likely there will be a curfew on Saturday since there are scheduled protests.

I am starting to feel hungry for lunch. I wonder if the cafe that we usually get food in will be open today?