Nepal's Got it All!

Prayer flags at a Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu

As you can see from my other posts and pictures, Nepal is a beautiful country that had so much to offer travellers. The people are very friendly, polite, and humble. Even in the busy shopping district where our hotel was, the shopkeepers would call out hello as we passed, but weren't pushy about us buying things. On our trek, the Nepali people went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. We felt very welcome and safe.

A Hindu temple built in 1690. 

In terms of things to do, Nepal is teeming full of variety. You can trek in the mountains, visit sacred lakes, explore the jungle, and see historical sites in the cities. After spending many days in Kathmandu, I finally got around to see the famous Hindu and Buddhist temples.

With so many positives, it's hard to see a country that's suffering from so much poverty. I saw many homeless people living in the streets, and children out begging instead of being in school. We had to be careful about where we ate because sanitation is a huge concern in Nepal and we didn't want to get sick from someone touching our food who hadn't washed their hands with soap, or our food being contaminated by unclean water.

The Buddhist temple, Swayambhunath,
also named "Monkey Temple" because many
monkeys live there and are considered holy.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency, Nepal ranks 177 out of 195 countries in the world for average income, making it the second poorest country in Asia (behind Afghanistan). An approximate 7 million Nepalis lack adequate food, basic health care, and education. Mr Elder and I have been looking into charities that support building schools in Nepal and supporting people in earning their own income to improve their quality of life.

We once again found ourselves in a country undergoing a huge moment in their history. The second democratic election Nepal has ever had took place near the end of our trip here. We hope that the results will help put the country on the right path to building a positive future for its people.