Top Nepal hotels
Festivals Kathmandu
8 Reviews What a great time I had in Kathmandu with the Holi Festival. It is a public holiday and people are just enjoying themselves with water and coloured powders! You will be a mess if you join them on the...
See All 38 Local Customs in Kathmandu
Sponsored Links
all over nepal, especially up on higher grounds, we saw tree after tree of the rhododendron, the lovely red flower.. the national flower of nepal.. local kids will climb up the trees to pluck the flowers to sell to tourist passing by..
The Nepalese people have a head shake that is somewhat between a yes and no nod. It can be very confusing at first what it means. But, by the end of the trip, I am convinced this head bob seems to mean "it's okay" or more of yes. The head bob is one of my favorite Nepalese traits. If you go there, you will see what I mean.
We were staying in a popular Tibetan guest house at Kagbeni (a village in between Jomsom and Muktinath). I was told by my guide that the practicing of polygamy is very common among Tibetan. To secure a land and avoid from spriting land into many pieces for many sons, they always have few brothers share a wife in a family. I was shocked knowing that. Numerous questions thrown to my guide and at last I can understand why the tibetan doing this. It's a way of forming unity in a family. Mountain life is difficult and man's strengh is so important that people need more than one man in one farm. And they need to travel far for trading and so other men need to stay at home with wife and kids.It's such a culture shock for me. I'm so glad that I had a good guide who able to explain all these to me!
In Nepal there are certain signs that physically separate men (no, not what you are thinking, hehe). This was always referred to as the Didi-Bahini Dai-Bhai difference. The nepali international sign for a woman is a nose ring and for men a mustache. Now, how may this affect travelers in Nepal, you may ask? Well, it is very difficult for a woman to grow a mustache; however, men with nose rings have been rising in popularity in the "west". A caution to men with nose rings, the Nepalese will think you are an ugly woman and will be very confused. So… if you are a guy with a nose ring recently back from Nepal and you’re wondering why people were giggling at you and giving you confused looks, that’s probably why.
Although Nepal has a constitutional monarchy, the king and the king's government do still retain a lot of importance within the government itself. The current king is King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shaha Dev (yeah, its a mouth full). Although not as admired as his predecessor King Birendra Bir Bikram Shaha Dev, he is still respected throughout the country. His portrait (as well as the portrait of the late King Birendra) is all over the place and it is not rare to see a tika placed on the poster of the king. He is also featured on the Nepali Rupee (money). However, from my meetings with the Maoists in rural Nepal, they don?t seem to like him at all.
Throughout Nepal there is a strong Tibetan influence, as there are many Buddhist Nepalese and a large population of Tibetan refugees. Therefore, there are various important and local stupas and monasteries. Unlike their Hindu counterparts, everyone is allowed to enter Buddhist stupas (temples) and monasteries (only monks in the monk quarters). There are just a bunch of culture notes to keep in mind when visiting Buddhist temples. 1: Always remove your shoes2: Remember to be quiet throughout monasteries, as monks may be chanting or meditating. 3: Be covered up, i.e. show as little skin as possible. 4: Don not point your feet at anybody or at a Buddha image, holy relic, of a photo of the Dalai Lama. 5:No video cameras allowed. 6: Ask before you take a photo.
A tika is a red, yellow, gray, or white clump or dot than many Hindus place on their foreheads. Now a days many Nepalese and Indian women can buy fancy tika stickers, but the traditional way of making a tika remains the most popular. Tika is made from mashing up a certain flower and placing it on one's forehead in a clump. In some cases it is seen that the bigger the tika, the more holy somebody feels that day; but this is not always the case. Actually the tika itself has, of course, religious significance for Hindus. Basically it represents a sense of the divine in every day life for many Hindus. Hindus and non-Hindus alike may get tika, and it is a tradition available to all, receiving a tike from somebody is like receiving their blessing. For the most part, when somebody gives you a tike they are being sincere and would never want anything in return (unless you take their photo)....
Anybody may enter the grounds of a Hindu temple, but going inside the actual temple buildings themselves is reserved for Hindus only (with a few acceptations - I can only think of two times in which I was allowed to enter really inside of a Hindu temple, both in Dhulikhel). Although for the most part you won't be able to enter a Hindu temple unless you are Hindu, just going to the parts of one where you can roam around freely is awesome. The most famous Hindu Temple in Nepal would have to be Pashupatinath, in Kathmandu. Pashupatinath is a huge Shiva Temple (Shiva Mandir), with many sadhus and devotees, and although non-Hindus cant get inside of the temple's indoor buildings, one can spend literally hours exploring the surrounding areas. Note that Hindu temples are always associated with a certain god or topic and that Hindu temples are called "mandir" as opposed to Tibetan Buddhist...
It is important while in Nepal to be very discrete with money and personal possessions. It is a common belief amongst the Nepalese that all tourists have money coming out of their ears. Remember to always be discrete and do not act showy. Not only is acting showy just arrogant, but it is quite offensive to your hosts.
Many Indians have moved into Kathmandu over the years and this has lead to a bit of hard feelings between the Nuwars and the Indian immigrants. The reason being is that the Indians moving in fall into two categories: entrepreneurs and beggars. The entrepreneurs are mostly Indian Muslims from Kashmir and they own many of the shops in the city, especially around Thamel. Indian beggars can be seen all over the city; for the most part they enter through the southern Indian border and just don't leave. They are what one Nuwari put it "begging competition". Many of them are very cruel beggars also, especially the women whom walk around with babies begging with bowls. Indians, for the most part, are naturally darker than the Nepalese, and I have seen many Nepali beggars point out that fact (darker skin in general represents a lower caste in Hindu theology). Due to all the competition that the...
Dwarika's Hotel Kathmandu Kathmandu
5 Reviews and 230 Opinions Dwarika's is close to the airport, safe and very good, gives excellent service, has good food and a...
See all 109 Hotels in Kathmandu
Fishtail Lodge Pokhara
7 Reviews and 111 Opinions Fishtail Lodge is the most beautiful hotel we ever stayed. Even though it is small in size but its...
Club Himalaya Hotel Bhaktapur
1 Opinions
Reviews and photos of Nepal attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Nepal sightseeing.
More Cities in Nepal
Q: I am planning trekking in Nepal during October/November 2012 (first trip to Nepal). My time is flexible - about 20 - 30 days. I am...
A: People like you *DO* inspire us! Imagine 68 years old, done Mount Blanc and now enroute Everest. All the best to u and may God give you many more years!
Read 2 Replies
Sponsored Links
