Life in a Rural Village in Nepal

Arriving at the Village

It was pouring rain as I stepped off of the bus onto the muddy Prithwi highway, which snakes through the winding hills and mountains of central Nepal. I crossed the road to the base of a steep hill, where I was met by the relatives of a good friend back in Canada, whom had offered me a place to stay when they learned of my travels to the country. We hiked up a treacherous rocky path along the side of the hill, and up towards their family property. Upon arrival, I received a warm welcoming and was treated to a cup of hot, milky tea (known as 'chiya' in the Nepali language). They had a large, external family residing on the property, split between three closely situated houses, with a main-level corridor that was just overflowing with corn (some for human consumption, others destined to become animal feed).

I was quickly greeted by all of the strange yet fascinating cultural differences in even the most basic parts of daily lives. From, the way one eats, to washing clothes, everything is done differently. I will attempt to summerize.

Village Life

The village itself was quaint and rural, with buildings, schools and shops limited to the side of the highway. Most homsteads, such as the one I stayed at, had greater space between them. It was either a steep five minute walk down to the highway, or a longer motorcycle trip on incredibly rough terrain that barely passed as a road. Due to its location on the Prithwi Highway, the village was more prosperous than others in Nepal. Later on in my stay, I went with their family to go visit relatives higher up in the hills, and their village lacked most modern amenities. Unfortunately, I do not have picutres from that journey.

I communicated with the locals using Nepali, which I had been learning for the past year, with the help of my friend, whom I mentioned earlier, as well as my then-girlfriend who was also Nepalese, as well as the limited resources I found online. My Nepali was limited, however, and very few people in the village spoke English, meaning it was hard to ask questions and learn more about certain things.

The Economic Situation of Nepal, and the Morning Cuppa Tea

A highlight of my time in the village was, without a doubt, the mornings spent at the tea house down the highway. I would go with one of the borthers from the house, or sometimes his cousin, and we'd have a cup of tea on this balcony on the side of a cliff overlooking the majestic valley. While there, we met up with all sorts of people, who rode up on their motorcycles (the car is considered a luxury to the Nepalese, so bikes remain king). The tea from the shop was always superb, whether from the fresh tea leaves, or the unpasteurised milk, I do not know. However, I am sure I will not get to taste tea of that quality unless I fly back to Nepal once more.

The owners of the tea shop (chiya pasal, as it's known in Nepali), made just $100 USD per month, and they competed with several other tea shops within close proximity. Employment is a difficult issue in Nepal. Within the family I stayed with, some of the sons--who were in their 20's--had no work. The rest of the family made money through chicken farming, textiles and banking. I got the feeling that there is not a whole lot of opportunity in the village, in fact one of the older brothers had just gotten back from a year of work in Dubai (a common theme among Nepalese citizens is that many go overseas for temporary labour, I also met a girl who worked in the hospitality sector in Malta.)

The Legacy of the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake

Though it had been over four years since the devastating earthquake shook Nepal, the damage from the event was still widespread. The second floor of the main house had half fallen in, and had to be rebuilt using brick. Another secondary house had collapsed altogether and was replaced with a more modern concrete and plaster house, (this was still being built during my stay). Many houses all over Nepal were destroyed in the quake, and in their place lay half finished concrete block-houses.

Much of Nepal's infrastructure was half or totally destroyed, yet I could not tell if it was a result of the earthquake, or just the country's inability to rebuilt when things fall into disrepair. We drove through the city of Butwal on a trip through Nepal, (that journey in and of itself is a story for another day), but I remember all the streetlights on the main road were toppled over and cars had to swerve around them. It was an uncanny sight, to say the least.

There are plenty more photos from my trip, although the point of this blog entry is to describe experience rather than show off travel pictures.

Thank you for reading,

Akira (Jiaozira)