10 Fun Facts About Nepal
#1 You can't just “go to base camp at Everest.” I wondered why we kept getting laughed at when we would ask about going to base camp...then I found out that in order to get there, you must fly to a remote village and then trek 12 days, acclimatizing yourself on the way. Did I mention all I have in the trekking gear department is a pair of worn-out tennis shoes, some short sleeve shirts, a pair of blue jeans, and a stinky Nalgene? Also, the trek comes with a hefty price tag of around $2,000! Guess we'll have to settle with “I've been close.”
2. Automobile horns are a great way to express yourself creatively. The mini-bus horns here are whole strings of notes, which when waking you up 25 times throughout the night, become a sort-of iPod to the common World Racer. I think I'll be disappointed when I get behind the wheel of my car back home and press the horn to only hear a boring monotone blaring.
3. Eyeliner is IN! It's become a cultural norm for mother's to don their babies/small children (both boys and girls) in heavy amounts of eye liner. If you've never seen a 3-month old that reminds you of the lead singer of Green Day, come to Nepal!
4. America is NOT the only place with funnel-cakes! They sell these deep fried, funnel-cake-looking scrumptious bites all over the place. They are crunchy, unlike its American cousin, soaked in sugar water to infuse the sweetness factor, and are every bit as horrible for you as the fair fare back home.
5. Electricity is on? SWEET! Nepal has developed a system called "load shedding" which, in essence, is its answer to a crappy infrastructure that has not been able to withstand the addition of millions of people using electrical devices, thus leaving the city on a scheduled electricity regimen. On an average day you get 2-3 hours in the morning, and then 5-7 hours at night. But the schedule changes daily, so you've always gotta be on your toes...or just get used to not having it.
6. The Laughing Cow really does exist in Nepal, because, like it's southern neighbors, you're more likely to find a Baskin Robbins here than a beef burger. Because of the heavy Hindu population, beef is simply avoided at all costs. Looks like we won't be getting our hands on that double cheeseburger until we venture to Eastern Europe. But for real...there's a Baskin Robbins here!
7. Weed is truly a weed. Marijuana plants grow in gardens, on the side of the road, in ditches, on mountainsides, pretty much everywhere here. On our way to a leper colony the other day we found hundreds of the plants alongside the road.
8. Wear your Saturday best. In Nepal church is on Saturday and Sunday is the day off. I actually prefer it this way...who knew?
9. Go ahead and buy that doghouse. We learned, while visiting a village this month, that tigers are common visitors at night. The previous night's victim: a dog.
10. Nepal truly is God's playground. The country is absolutely beautiful. The landscapes here are stunning and leave me simply standing in awe before my mighty maker.
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