Nepal is a predominantly
rural society, and its rich
culture and ethnic diversity are
best experienced in its villages.
A growing number of programmes enable
visitors to stay overnight in private
homes in traditional villages
far from the tourist trails.
Village
stays (or village tourism,
as this relatively new activity
is called in the business) offer
a unique opportunity for comfortable
cultural immersion. The idea is
that a tour operator contracts
with a whole village to accommodate
and entertain guests; rooms in local
houses are fitted with bathrooms
and a few tourist-style comforts,
host families are trained to prepare
meals hygienically, and a guide
accompanies the guests to interpret.
Participating villages tend
to be located a couple of hours'
walk from the nearest road - close
enough to be easily accessible for
less-than-fit visitors, yet far
enough to be culturally intact and
shielded from outside influences.
(You'd never find these places on
your own.)
Village tourism
differs from trekking in a couple
of important ways. First, although
some walking is involved, and a
trekking permit may even
be 
required,
exercise is secondary to the cultural
experience: the whole point is to
stay in one village and get to know
its people, not to cover distances
between villages. Second, accommodation
is in an actual home, not a trekking
inn filled with other backpackers,
so the cross-cultural exchange is
more authentic. And while participating
villages obviously do get tourists,
they get far fewer than even the
most minor halt along a standard
teahouse trek, and are completely
uncommercialized.
Tourism and its economic
benefits are far too concentrated
in a few areas of Nepal, so village
tourism is seen as a promising
way to disperse visitors and spread
thewealth. Under the best programmes,
local people get to keep 50 percent
of the proceeds - that's big money,
given the high rates charged by
operators - and since all food and
services are locally pro
duced,
virtually all of the money stays
in the community. However, if village
tourism catches on, get-rich-quick
operators can be expected to dive
in with cut-price packages that
give locals a much smaller portion
of the cut, so if you're considering
a village stay, question
prospective operators closely about
where the money's going.
So if you're an individual
orcouple you should contact the
companies well in advance and adjust
your schedule to coordinate with
already-scheduled departures.
A few language institutes
and other recoganizations in Kathmandu
also organize informal homestays
with individual families in
and around the valley. Most of these
are intended specifically to provide
Nepali language immersion, but at
least one programme is set up for
tourists just wanting to spend a
weekend with a Nepali family.
::
Top ::
Clothing
and the body
Nepalis are innately conservative
in their attitudes to clothing.
Not a few are still shell-shocked
from the hang-loose styles of the
hippy era, and wary of all budget
travellers as a result. A woman
is expected to dress modestly, with
legs and shoulders covered, especially
in temples and monasteries:
a dress or skirt that hangs to mid-calf
level is best; trousers are acceptable,
but shorts or a short skirt are
offensive to many. A man should
always wear a shirt in public, and
long trousers if possible (men who
wear shorts are assumed to be of
a low caste). It's equally important
to look clean and well groomed -
travellers are rich, Nepalis reckon,
and ought to look the part. You
can flout these traditions, but
you'll only shut yourself off from
the happy encounters with locals
that make travelling in Nepal
so pleasant.
Nudity is a sensitive
issue. Only women with babies or
small children in tow bare their
breasts. When Nepali men bath
in public, they do it in their underwear,
and women bath fully clothed. Foreigners
are expected to do likewise. Nepal
has some idyllic hot springs, but
most are heavily used as bathing
areas; don't scare the locals off
by stripping. Paradoxically, it's
deemed okay to defecate in the open,
as in many villages there
are no covered toilets - but out
of sight of others, in the early
morning or after dark. Men may urinate
in public away from buildings -
discreetly - but women have to find
a sh
eltered
spot.
Still other conventions
pertain to the body. In Nepal, the
forehead is regarded as the most
sacred part of the body and the
feet the most unclean. It's impolite
to touch an adult Nepali's head,
and it's an insult to kick someone.
(The Nepali equivalent of tarring
and feathering is to force a person
to wear a garland of shoes.) Don't
put your feet on chairs or tables,
and when sitting, try not to point
the soles of your feet at anyone.
On a related note, it's bad manners
to step over the legs of someone
seated: in a crowded place, Nepalis
will wait for you to draw in your
feet so they can pass.
Nepali views
about displays of affection are
the opposite of what most of us
are used to. It's considered acceptable
for friends of the same sex to hold
hands or put their arms around each
other in public, but not for lovers
of the opposite sex. Couples shouldn't
cuddle or kiss in public, nor in
front of a Nepali host. Don't shake
hands with a Nepali woman,
as this form of contact is not traditional.
::
Top ::
Temples
and Homes in Nepal
Major Hindu temples or their
inner sanctums are usually off-limits
to non-believers, who are technically
outcastes. Respect this: what seems
like elitism is just Hindus' way
of keeping a part of their culture
sacred in a country where nearly
everything is open to inspection
by outsiders. In most cases, you
can see everything from outside
anyway. Where you are allowed in,
be respectful, take your shoes off
before entering, don't take photos
unless you've been given permission,
and leave a few rupees in the donation
box. Leather is usually not allowed
in temple precincts. Don't touch
offerings, nor people when they're
on their way to shrines or are in
the process of wo
rshipping.
The front of a shrine is usually
marked by a pedestal supporting
the deity's carrier, and/or a lotus-carved
stone embedded in the ground: these
define the territory of the shrine,
where it's particularly important
to be reverent.
Similar sensitivity
is due at Buddhist temples andmonasteries.
If you're granted an audience with
a lama, it's traditional to present
him with a kata (a ceremonial white
scarf, usually sold nearby). Walk
around Buddhist stupas and monuments
clockwise - that is, keep the monument
on your right.
If
invited for a meal in a private
home, bring an appopriate gift such
as fruit. Take your shoes off when
entering, or follow the example
of your host. When the food is served
you'll be expected to serve yourself
first, so you won't be able to follow
your host's lead. Don't take more
than you can eat - it is polite
to ask for seconds. The meal is
typically served at the end of a
gathering; when the eating is done,
everyone gets up and leaves.
Ecotourism
traveller's code:-
These tips come courtesy of the
Nepal Tourist Watch Centre,
an organization established to preserve
Nepal's heritage and environment
through responsible tourism.
- Travel in a spirit of humility
and with a genuine desire to meet
and talk with the local people.
- Be aware of the feelings of
other people, thus preventing
what might be seen as offensive
behaviour. Remember this especially
with photography.
- Get acquainted with local customs;
respect them; people will be happy
to help you.
- Remember that you are one of
thousands of visiting tourists.
Do not expect special privileges.
- Make no promises to local
people unless you are certain
you can fulfill them.
- Cultivate the habit of asking
questions instead of knowing all
the answers.
- If you really want a home
away from home, why travel
Privacy
Nepalis do not have the same concept
of privacy that Westerners do. Nepali
families are large and close-knit,
and houses are small. Nepalis grow
up constantly surrounded by other
people (and noise). They like to
be with other people, and they will
assume you do, too.
Moreover, as a foreigner
you will be an object of great curiosity
as soon as you step off the beaten
track. People may stare, point at
you and even talk about you (in
Nepali) among themselves. Nepalis
will constantly be befriending you,
wanting to exchange addresses and
extracting solemn promises that
you will write to them. Sometimes
they will as
k
you point-blank to help them travel
to your country, assuming you to
be wealthy enough to pay their airfare
and powerful enough to fix their
visa.
There will be days
when you feel that if you're asked
the question "What is your
country?" one more time you'll
hit someone. Give yourself time
off when you need it. But Nepalis
are the best thing about Nepal,
so don't close yourself off to meeting
them
:: Top
::
Other
things
Try to convey an accurate impression
of your home country - both its
good and bad points - and play down
materialistic standards of success.
Don't rub Nepalis' noses in technology
and fashions they can't afford.
Nepali society is rich in
the traditions of family and community
that are so often mislaid in the
West, but like traditional societies
worldwide it is under attack, and
we are only now beginning to see
that tourism is a corrupting agent.
You may be dismayed
by the amount of rubbish in the
streets. There are few rubbish bins
in Nepal (although they're starting
to appear in tourist areas), and
people throw their litter on the
ground, where it may or may not
be swept up by other people whose
job it is to do so. Where they exist,
toilets range from "Western"
(sit-down) flush jobs to two planks
projected over a stream. In lodges
- tourist ones aside - the norm
is a squat toilet, usually pretty
stinky and flyblown. When travelling
by bus, there will almost always
be a bathroom available at rest
stops, but sometimes the public
toilet will be nothing but a
designated field. When in doubt,
ask Chaarpi kahaa chha ? ("Where
is the toilet?"). Don't throw
paper down squat toilets: put it
in the basket provided. Toilet
paper is not provided in more
basic guest houses and restaurants,
so bring your own. Nepalis use a
jug of water and the left hand (try
it yourself - it's no more or less
disgusting than the toilet paper
method).
Finally, be patient.
Nepal is a developing
country and things don't always
work or start on time. It's unrealistic
to expect things to be like they
are at home, even if the menu or
brochure makes it sound as if they
will be. If a restaurant is slow
in filling your order, it may be
because they've only got one stove.
Getting angry or impatient will
only confuse Nepalis and won't resolve
the problem. The Nepali way of dealing
with setbacks isn't to complain,
or even to keep a stiff upper lip,
but to laugh. It's a delightful,
infectious response.
You can't change Nepal,
and even if you could, it is not
yours to change. Many things in
Nepal are slow, inefficient or downright
nutty, but that's just the way things
are. Taking the attitude that "somebody's
got to teach them a lesson"
or "if nobody complains it'll
never change" (real-life dialogue
overheard in Kathmandu) will only
make you and everyone around you
miserable. Go with the flow. It's
Nepal you've come to experience
- let it be Nepal.
To get by with a minimum
of disappointment, the best strategy
is to scale back your expectations,
always double- and triple-check
important arrangements, take all
assurances with a pinch of salt
(Nepalis will sometimes tell you
what they think will make you happy
rather than the truth), and find
something interesting to do while
you're waiting .
