Nepal truly a fascinating and unordinary Himalayan country to travel and as well for visit. The fact is that although Nepal a developing nation, but what surprises visitors to see the great richness while trekking including Everest Base Camp Trek.
Besides its glorious mountain view and visiting local hill and mountain villages is equally worth-while.
One can soak into local interesting cultures of Hindu and Buddhism religion in the harmony of friendly warm villagers that make Nepal world best and renowned adventure destinations.
There are several customs and culture that surprises western travelers and might find fascinating to observe like as follows.
01: Sharing Room and toilet and Bathroom.
Which is not a big surprise to all but some travelers might not used like sharing rooms having common toilets and bathrooms, while one can expect while on trekking, as you are traveling around the world's highest mountain range.
Where few facilities to suit your comfort and interest might lacks in some places on route of your Himalayan journeys.
02: Use of squat Toilet (no western toilet).
Not all lodges and Tea-House on route your trekking destinations have facilities of western style like sitting toilet. Most of the region around Himalaya and in villages with lodge and tea-house will have only toilet with squatting facilities.
As most of Asian countries are used to squatting either for toilet use or with farm and domestic work where local has traditionally been on practice squatting since their childhood.
For some western travelers might find strange but one has to get used to it like the old saying 'When in Rome do as the Roman'
03: Same price serves more Dhal-Bhat till to your appetite.
Interesting to know that while ordering set meal of the house / lodge and tea-house the main meal is Nepalese popular and famous Dal-Bhat (rice and lentil with veg and pickles), where one can consume more paying the price of a single meal of Dal-Bhat.
04: Wood-Fire cooked meals.
Like in olden days all over the world, where hills and mountain people still use cooking local mud stoves with wood fire, as Nepalese feel that the taste of food is much tastier than cooked by other means of fuels (kerosene-LPG or electric).
On treks we restricts the use of wood fire cooking, unless it's been cooked using old wood to burn mot new fresh fire-woods.
05: Solar and Bucket Shower.
While on trekking expect bucket shower for bathing either warm or cold, where the plumbing systems it's not always up to the standard, but do runs hot-warm shower by solar power.
Where you will be provided a bucket full for bathing in local tea-house and lodge around mountain villages.
06: Yak drops fuel for fire to warm dining hall.
Normally around higher areas of Nepal Himalaya, where use of other cattle or Yak dropping used as fuel for burning and to keep the room and dining of the lodge, tea-house warm and cozy, which are dried for use.
07: Extra cost for Wi-Fi, Hot Shower, Battery Charge.
Around any place that you stay overnight or just for a few hours in the local tea-house or lodge, where one needs to pay extra using the facilities of available Wi-Fi system includes for hot shower as well for charging the battery of any gadgets.
08: Delicious food size but less with high price.
It is common and normal around high mountainous region of Himalaya in Nepal, as you walk from low mid hills serving of meals might be less than expected and the price rates gets higher as you reach your top highest destinations.
09: Tea House / Lodge accept only cash.
Useful tips and information, where in modern days, people are used to paying on Credit Cards, but on treks around remote town-villages where one needs to pay in hot cash preferable in local currencies and right size of bills, as some lodge in higher areas or in remote villages are short of loose local money, and does not have assist to credit cards payments.
10: Most Tea-House with pictures of Dalai Lama.
Especially on treks to Everest, Manaslu, Tsum valley, Mustang, Dolpo or Upper sides of Annapurna, where most villages and lodge / Tea House has pictures of his holiness the Dalai Lama which is last 14th reincarnation of Tibetan saint and guru.
At present since late 1950's been on exile living in Dharamsala / India when Chinese invaded and occupied Tibet.
Sign of respect and worship to famous Guru Dalai-Lama at one time head of the country Tibet as well a chief of Buddhist religion.
