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VILLAGE TOURISM |
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Nepal is a predominantly rural society, and its rich culture and
ethnic diversity are best experienced in its villages. A growing number
of programmes enable visitors to stay overnight in private homes in
traditional villages far from the tourist trails.
Village stays (or village tourism , as this relatively new activity is
called in the business) offer a unique opportunity for comfortable
cultural immersion. The idea is that a tour operator contracts with a
whole village to accommodate and entertain guests; rooms in local houses
are fitted with bathrooms and a few tourist-style comforts, host
families are trained to prepare meals hygienically, and a guide
accompanies the guests to interpret. Participating villages tend to be
located a couple of hours' walk from the nearest road - close enough to
be easily accessible for less-than-fit visitors, yet far enough to be
culturally intact and shielded from outside influences. (You'd never
find these places on your own.)
Village tourism differs from trekking in a couple of important ways.
First, although some walking is involved, and a trekking permit may even
be required, exercise is secondary to the cultural experience: the whole
point is to stay in one village and get to know its people, not to cover
distances between villages. Second, accommodation is in an actual home,
not a trekking inn filled with other backpackers, so the cross-cultural
exchange is more authentic. And while participating villages obviously
do get tourists, they get far fewer than even the most minor halt along
a standard teahouse trek, and are completely uncommercialized.
Tourism and its economic benefits are far too concentrated in a few
areas of Nepal, so village tourism is seen as a promising way to
disperse visitors and spread the wealth. Under the best programmes,
local people get to keep 50 percent of the proceeds - that's big money,
given the high rates charged by operators - and since all food and
services are locally produced, virtually all of the money stays in the
community. However, if village tourism catches on, get-rich-quick
operators can be expected to dive in with cut-price packages that give
locals a much smaller portion of the cut, so if you're considering a
village stay, question prospective operators closely about where the
money's going.
Village tourism was pioneered in Sirubari , a Gurung settlement
southwest of Pokhara. Nepal Village Resorts, Sirubari's operator, is in
the process of developing several other villages northeast of Pokhara
and in the Everest region. Another operator, Lama Adventure Treks and
Expeditions, has created a similar programme in the Tamang village of
Thulo Purselgaun , southeast of Kathmandu. Both these operators are
based in Kathmandu. Note that they prefer groups of at least three or
four people, so if you're an individual or couple you should contact the
companies well in advance and adjust your schedule to coordinate with
already-scheduled departures.
A few language institutes and other organizations in Kathmandu also
organize informal homestays with individual families in and around the
valley. Most of these are intended specifically to provide Nepali
language immersion, but at least one programme is set up for tourists
just wanting to spend a weekend with a Nepali family.
Clothing and the body
Nepalis are innately conservative in their attitudes to clothing . Not a
few are still shell-shocked from the hang-loose styles of the hippy era,
and wary of all budget travellers as a result. A woman is expected to
dress modestly, with legs and shoulders covered, especially in temples
and monasteries: a dress or skirt that hangs to mid-calf level is best;
trousers are acceptable, but shorts or a short skirt are offensive to
many. A man should always wear a shirt in public, and long trousers if
possible (men who wear shorts are assumed to be of a low caste). It's
equally important to look clean and well groomed - travellers are rich,
Nepalis reckon, and ought to look the part. You can flout these
traditions, but you'll only shut yourself off from the happy encounters
with locals that make travelling in Nepal so pleasant.
Nudity is a sensitive issue. Only women with babies or small children in
tow bare their breasts. When Nepali men bathe in public, they do it in
their underwear, and women bathe fully clothed. Foreigners are expected
to do likewise. Nepal has some idyllic hot springs, but most are heavily
used as bathing areas; don't scare the locals off by stripping.
Paradoxically, it's deemed okay to defecate in the open, as in many
villages there are no covered toilets - but out of sight of others, in
the early morning or after dark. Men may urinate in public away from
buildings - discreetly - but women have to find a sheltered spot.
Still other conventions pertain to the body . In Nepal, the forehead is
regarded as the most sacred part of the body and the feet the most
unclean. It's impolite to touch an adult Nepali's head, and it's an
insult to kick someone. (The Nepali equivalent of tarring and feathering
is to force a person to wear a garland of shoes.) Don't put your feet on
chairs or tables, and when sitting, try not to point the soles of your
feet at anyone. On a related note, it's bad manners to step over the
legs of someone seated: in a crowded place, Nepalis will wait for you to
draw in your feet so they can pass.
Nepali views about displays of affection are the opposite of what most
of us are used to. It's considered acceptable for friends of the same
sex to hold hands or put their arms around each other in public, but not
for lovers of the opposite sex. Couples shouldn't cuddle or kiss in
public, nor in front of a Nepali host. Don't shake hands with a Nepali
woman, as this form of contact is not traditional.
Temples and homes
Major Hindu temples or their inner sanctums are usually off-limits to
non-believers, who are technically outcastes. Respect this: what seems
like elitism is just Hindus' way of keeping a part of their culture
sacred in a country where nearly everything is open to inspection by
outsiders. In most cases, you can see everything from outside anyway.
Where you are allowed in, be respectful, take your shoes off before
entering, don't take photos unless you've been given permission, and
leave a few rupees in the donation box. Leather is usually not allowed
in temple precincts. Don't touch offerings, nor people when they're on
their way to shrines or are in the process of worshipping. The front of
a shrine is usually marked by a pedestal supporting the deity's carrier,
and/or a lotus-carved stone embedded in the ground: these define the
territory of the shrine, where it's particularly important to be
reverent.
Similar sensitivity is due at Buddhist temples and monasteries. If
you're granted an audience with a lama, it's traditional to present him
with a kata (a ceremonial white scarf, usually sold nearby). Walk around
Buddhist stupas and monuments clockwise - that is, keep the monument on
your right.
If invited for a meal in a private home , bring an appopriate gift such
as fruit. Take your shoes off when entering, or follow the example of
your host. When the food is served you'll be expected to serve yourself
first, so you won't be able to follow your host's lead. Don't take more
than you can eat - it is polite to ask for seconds. The meal is
typically served at the end of a gathering; when the eating is done,
everyone gets up and leaves.
Ecotourism traveller's code
These tips come courtesy of the Nepal Tourist Watch Centre, an
organization established to preserve Nepal's heritage and environment
through responsible tourism.
1. Travel in a spirit of humility and with a genuine desire to meet and
talk with the local people.
2. Be aware of the feelings of other people, thus preventing what might
be seen as offensive behaviour. Remember this especially with
photography.
3. Get acquainted with local customs; respect them; people will be happy
to help you.
4. Remember that you are one of thousands of visiting tourists. Do not
expect special privileges.
5. Make no promises to local people unless you are certain you can
fulfill them.
6. Cultivate the habit of asking questions instead of knowing all the
answers.
7. If you really want a home away from home, why travel
Privacy
Nepalis do not have the same concept of privacy that Westerners do.
Nepali families are large and close-knit, and houses are small. Nepalis
grow up constantly surrounded by other people (and noise). They like to
be with other people, and they will assume you do, too.
Moreover, as a foreigner you will be an object of great curiosity as
soon as you step off the beaten track. People may stare, point at you
and even talk about you (in Nepali) among themselves. Nepalis will
constantly be befriending you, wanting to exchange addresses and
extracting solemn promises that you will write to them. Sometimes they
will ask you point-blank to help them travel to your country, assuming
you to be wealthy enough to pay their airfare and powerful enough to fix
their visa.
There will be days when you feel that if you're asked the question "What
is your country?" one more time you'll hit someone. Give yourself time
off when you need it. But Nepalis are the best thing about Nepal, so
don't close yourself off to meeting them
Other things
Try to convey an accurate impression of your home country - both its
good and bad points - and play down materialistic standards of success.
Don't rub Nepalis' noses in technology and fashions they can't afford.
Nepali society is rich in the traditions of family and community that
are so often mislaid in the West, but like traditional societies
worldwide it is under attack, and we are only now beginning to see that
tourism is a corrupting agent.
You may be dismayed by the amount of rubbish in the streets. There are
few rubbish bins in Nepal (although they're starting to appear in
tourist areas), and people throw their litter on the ground, where it
may or may not be swept up by other people whose job it is to do so. If
you're uncomfortable throwing your litter on the street, follow the
Alice's Restaurant technique - find a big pile that's already there and
add your handful to it.
Where they exist, toilets range from "Western" (sit-down) flush jobs to
two planks projected over a stream. In lodges - tourist ones aside - the
norm is a squat toilet, usually pretty stinky and flyblown. When
travelling by bus, there will almost always be a bathroom available at
rest stops, but sometimes the public toilet will be nothing but a
designated field. When in doubt, ask Chaarpi kahaa chha ? ("Where is the
toilet?"). Don't throw paper down squat toilets: put it in the basket
provided. Toilet paper is not provided in more basic guest houses and
restaurants, so bring your own. Nepalis use a jug of water and the left
hand (try it yourself - it's no more or less disgusting than the toilet
paper method).
Finally, be patient . Nepal is a developing country and things don't
always work or start on time. It's unrealistic to expect things to be
like they are at home, even if the menu or brochure makes it sound as if
they will be. If a restaurant is slow in filling your order, it may be
because they've only got one stove. Getting angry or impatient will only
confuse Nepalis and won't resolve the problem. The Nepali way of dealing
with setbacks isn't to complain, or even to keep a stiff upper lip, but
to laugh. It's a delightful, infectious response.
You can't change Nepal, and even if you could, it is not yours to
change. Many things in Nepal are slow, inefficient or downright nutty,
but that's just the way things are. Taking the attitude that "somebody's
got to teach them a lesson" or "if nobody complains it'll never change"
(real-life dialogue overheard in Kathmandu) will only make you and
everyone around you miserable. Go with the flow. It's Nepal you've come
to experience - let it be Nepal.
To get by with a minimum of disappointment, the best strategy is to
scale back your expectations, always double- and triple-check important
arrangements, take all assurances with a pinch of salt (Nepalis will
sometimes tell you what they think will make you happy rather than the
truth), and find something interesting to do while you're waiting
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