For six days this month, a rebel blockade of major highways paralyzed life across Nepal: Food prices spiraled, fuel ran short and simply getting by became an enormous struggle.
As the country braces for still more confrontations -- with political parties and communist rebels gearing up for more general strikes and protest rallies in nex month -- the patience of people appears to be wearing thin in a struggle many worry is getting them nowhere.
"People are tired of strikes and disruptions. There is a sense of fatigue," said Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of the Nepalese political weekly Samay.
The political parties have called for a complete shutdown of the country early next month -- with the support, for the first time, of the country's Maoist rebels.
Together, they say they want to bring back democracy by sparking a popular uprising against King Gyanendra, who dismissed the democratic government and seized absolute power a year ago.
But many people seem increasingly weary of protests, and more cynical about the conflict's three main players: the king, the political parties and the Maoist rebels.
At Durbar Square, where ancient Hindu temples adjoin Buddhist shrines in the heart of Kathmandu, bored shop owners watch cricket matches on TV or read newspapers. Their main customers, the Western tourists who once thronged this mountainous wonderland, aren't coming anymore.
"Our business suffers each time there is a strike. Tourists are staying away from Nepal," said Govardhan Pokhrel, dusting carved wooden souvenirs in his shop. "And yet, we don't seem to be getting anywhere with all these strikes."
Most protests called by opposition parties only attract a few hundred people -- and are often ignored by the vast majority of Nepalis, who have shown little interest in taking part in an uprising to topple the king.
The Maoists, on the other hand, can often count on the obedience of many of Nepal's 27 million people, most of whom fear for their safety if they cross the rebels.
A few weeks ago, the Maoists agreed to support the April 6 to April 9 general strike call by the political parties. At the same time, however, they have also stepped up attacks on government targets.
"It is [the king's] refusal to hold talks that has forced the political parties into the arms of the Maoists," said Ram Sharan Mahat, a senior leader the Nepali Congress.
The seven main political parties and the rebels last week reaffirmed an earlier agreement to replace royal rule with multiparty democracy.
But the parties are still uncomfortable with the rebels' violence.
"People are still suspicious, they don't entirely trust the Maoists," Mahat said.
But, he said, the three-month ceasefire the insurgents called late last year and their alliance with the parties gives the Maoists a "certain legitimacy."
For ordinary people in Nepal, where drinking water shortages and long hours of power outages are grim realities, the protests have created little but uncertainty.
"We keep protesting and protesting, but there is no result, no end in sight," said Suman Chettri, a young office worker. "The king has failed us. The parties have failed us."
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