Nepalganj Things to Do

If leaving Nepal, you head south on the Surkhet road toward the border post. Withoiut much luggage it's an easy rickshaw ride away. With luggage, try to get a vehicle with lockable doors and an engine. It is a very confused border with lots and lots of people and scams. But if you catch on to a local rikshaw driver you should be fine. He will take you through to the various relevant checks; immigration, customs etc. and onto the Indian side where the process is repeated. There is a one-km no-mans-land which is anachronistically filled with people doing alls sorts of deals.

Grasscutters' Lane in the old section of Nepalgunj is a very special place; this is the location of a caste called "grasscutters".Their main job is to cut grass on private lawns, public parks, roadsides etc, chop it up at a platform made for this work, and then sold in bags as horse fodder to the tonga drivers. It's a heart-rending scene, but one with long traditions and a very visible presence. The deprivation is not uniform; there are some of the grasscutters who have been doing sufficiently well to set themselves up in nearby houses. The grass cutting platform can be visited, and thay are ok about talking about their work. Ask before taking photos.

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