If you are going to a country with unique dynamics like Nepal, you must have a lot of information about daily life here.
Otherwise, what you imagine and see may not overlap at some point. After all, we are talking about an Asian country that is poor and has recently experienced serious earthquakes.
Daily Life in Nepal
If you think you will experience a very luxurious and comfortable trip here, I’m warning you in advance, Streets in Nepal can be extremely tough for you.
So, what exactly is everyday life in Nepal like? What do you know about this country before your trip to Nepal? Let’s try to give concrete answers to all these questions.
General Information about Nepal
Nepal, which has recently welcomed a lot of tourists from many countries around the world is of great destinations with its temples, wild nature, original architecture, food and drinks culture and religious rituals. The fact that the Himalayas and Everest are located within the borders of the region increases the attraction of this place even more. Kathmandu, the capital and also considered the country’s tourist destination, is protected by UNESCO.
Located precisely in South Asia, the country is extremely close to China and India. It is also possible to catch traces of these countries in the food and drink culture where street flavors are predominant. Although the weather starts to get colder as you go to the heights, there is an ideal temperature in spring and summer in general. Approximately 30 million people live in this interesting country, officially known as the “Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal”. After this basic information about Nepal, we can now move on to the information about everyday life in Nepal.
How is Life in Nepal?
If you are going to Nepal in an extremely romantic manner, you will be in for a huge disappointment. Because as soon as you set foot in this country, which is quite harsh in terms of living conditions, you will experience that you have to keep your eyes peeled at any moment. No matter where you are in Nepal, you can get across an interesting view at any moment. So you can probably spend your first day looking around with your mouth open.
It is possible to feel the same feeling in countries such as Bangladesh or India. There’s no way you can’t feel the street and life while you’re here. People are already dominating the streets at any moment with their never-ending noise. It’s impossible not to see them, not to hear them. If you’re obsessed with hygiene, Nepal may not be the right choice for you. Because you can see that the streets in Nepal generally have an atmosphere that does not overlap with the concept of cleanliness. The most important option for eating is street food.
Meat sold on the quite narrow streets, female sellers sitting on the floor of the markets, look quite interesting. Spices are used a lot in dishes and you can’t be indifferent to some smells while walking around the streets. However, as I said, the fact that the stalls in the street are not in a good condition causes hesitance. You can come across interesting vendor figures on the streets and markets of Nepal at any time. Different Nepalese teas, for example, are spread throughout the city.
On the other hand, you can see calatheas that tourists are interested in many streets in the same way. You feel the poverty as you walk around the market. But this poverty seems to have hit women the most. You could see women who sell Nepalese tea, incense and calatheas while breastfeeding their children.
When you take a stroll through the streets of Nepal, you feel like you are in another century. It’s like this place is still a few centuries behind. You can figure out this especially in the old grocery stores of the city. The products sold, the tools used, as if they never, ever belonged to today. The electricity poles which look weird with their messy images in Nepal where poverty privileges instead of technology, intensify this feeling. The fact that the country’s already bad economic situation hit the bottom with many natural disasters is definitely effective in this situation. It was not easy for Nepal to recover, especially after the major earthquakes it experienced.
Nepal: Unending Chaos and Turmoil
Nepal is not a place for those who want to rest their soul and live a calm, peaceful life. This chaos and noisy action are the kind that will easily age a stranger, so to speak. If you have a true Northern European spirit, it won’t be easy for you to get used to the noise here. Horns and dirty streets may make you want to come back. But if you are someone who likes the never-ending atmosphere of chaos, the mobility and the interesting surprises created by the city, you are extremely likely to enjoy this crowd.
Of course, this noise we are talking about is especially true for areas where urbanization is intense. Places like Mandala Street, which is closed to vehicle traffic, for example, are likely to be significantly away from the city’s turmoil. Here you can calmly eat and drink, shop and find places that are relatively cleaner. But after a while, this calmness may begin to bore you. Because as time goes on, you may feel that pulls you towards those noisy streets that shock you at first. After all, what defines Nepal and what makes it special is the unforeseeable chaos and noise.
Daily living costs in Nepal are relatively affordable. Aside from the taxi drivers who take commissions for hotels, the shops are not at all making a special effort to rip tourists off. The shops actually are in a race for cheapness with each other. You can buy many things at an affordable price, from oil essences to incense, teas to interesting spices.
On the other hand, you may find yourself in an action movie on the streets of Nepal. The pleasure of this feeling will not leave you so easily as time goes on. Homeless people sleeping in a corner, people vomiting on the streets, the garbage that hasn’t been taken for days, animal excrement on the floor, which you carefully walk to avoid stepping on it, and a cloud of endless dust are like a summary of Nepal’s chaotic streets.
Despite everything, I say it is worth remembering the streets of Nepal in order to collect memories that you will remember with a smile and an experience that you will not forget for a lifetime!
