We had some time before dinner so we went to the cinema in Manang, Nepal. We had earlier spotted a couple of make shift cinemas in Manang. Most of it were airing the same shows, “Into Thin Air, Seven Years in Tibet and In the Wild”. So we chose one that was airing “Seven Year in Tibet featuring Brad Pitt”
When I entered the cinema it brought back distant memories of the past. I was staying in a kampong about 5 miles from the city. Those days in the 50’s, if you want to go to the city you just have to get on your bicycle. Public transport was intermittent. That period was pre-independence. Filem Negara then had a program of bringing film shows to kampong folks like us. A day before screening the shows in an open field, they would go around distributing fliers. On the day of screening, they would erect a huge screen in the open field. The screening starts at night fall. We would bring our stools, biscuits and drinks to the party.
This cinema offers stage seats covered in yak skins complete with fur. The projector was a led projector, projecting from a DVD player. The best thing they had was an electric heater that kept the biting cold away. For 250 rupees (about US$2.50) a pop we were served hot black tea and popcorn. What more can you ask?