Life in rural Nepal is hard.

Life is simple but hard in rural Nepal with just the basics of survival to be considered. Many families live in houses as below and have to preform tasks as washing in the river and feeding the animals through cutting grass. Its a male dominated society which is changing slowly and you will always find the ladies of Nepal as some of the hardest workers in the world.

The first photo is of a typical Tharu house in the southern regions of Nepal, made of everything they can find locally so its easy to repair and maintain.

The second is of two young ladies performing a typical task in rural Nepal. Every family has livestock and its usually the girls job to feed them by cutting grass and carrying it back home.

The third is related to something we all take for granted the washing machine. In rural Nepal people dont often have electricity so daily chores are done by hand. 

The beauty and vastness of the Himalayas

I have to admit when i was a child I read many stories of the Himalayas and loved the photos in the books because of the harsh beauty of the mountains. But I never really understood just how vast this range was (having walked up Snowdon in a few hours and spent many days on the Black and Malvern hills) until I went on my first trek to Mount Everest. Just walking for days along tracks that have been regularly used for generations you look out into the surrounding scenery and see a land that is hard and bleak but has an attraction for many including myself. Why i really dont know but if you go there once you will see.

The starting point of the trek in Lukla from here its walk, walk walk.

The first couple of days these Buddhist markings are all along the track, one day I would like to find out what they are for.

The Mountain people have used natural materials to try and make a life here but in certain times of the year it has to be very hard. 

The highest monastery in the World enter here and feel the peace.

Chitwan

Todays photos come from Chitwan or more importantly the animals you can see there. Because many people associate Nepal with the Himalayas they dont know that just a 100 miles to the South are sub tropical areas teeming with wildlife. After a hard trek in the Mountains its a great way to relax by spending several days in Sauraha watching the world go by.

One of my all time favourite photos, an Elephant taxi rank. They even park the same way by reversing in.

 With the importance of tourism the one horned rhino has become a symbol of Chitwan and many people come to see these amazing creatures.

 I would tell everyone to do this as spending half an hour in a dirty river with such a lovely animal was excellent.

Todays photos come from the Tharu village in the national park of Bardia which must be one of the best places to see wildlife in Nepal. The Tharu were the original settlers of the Tari belt or Southern Nepal and are considered to one of the poorer castes but i have to admit they know how to use natural materials to build their homes. 

As the photos below show.

This photo shows the inside of a bamboo and mud house and how they fashion cupboards into the walls. This to me is making the most of what you have.

Same here you can see big storage containers made from natural materials and ideal for keeping out rodents and small scavenging animals that can come in from the jungle close by.

A typical Tharu house, maybe not mossie proof but warm in the Winter and cool in the summer and if you need to repair it then bamboo and mud materials are all around.

This is one photo i like because they use the roof for growing vegetables.  

Its been a busy week as I have had to return to work after a week on the sick with a chest infection. But back to the photos. Kathmandu is a very unique diverse city where one street its ultra modern and then the next is a slum. Being the capitol city it attracts Nepali from all over the country in hope of finding a better future.

The first photo shows the sort of buildings you can see in the more affluent areas of Kathmandu.

  

But in most areas the homes are more modest with whole families surviving in just a couple of rooms. because there is no government support people do what they have to do to survive.

Other Nepali make do with what they can build. Most of these homes are seen as better alternatives to the homes they left behind in the villages.

Its a city that is worth visiting at least once in anyone's life. 

In many places across Nepal this is the standard way of carrying because of the geographical layout of the land. I have seen young girls and old ladies struggling under heavy bags of rice which would put young strong men in the Western world to shame. 

Having no access to freezers or fridges all of the food is made by hand, every day a new variety and always fresh.

One of the worse jobs in Nepal to have to do, its hard on the fingers, wrists, hands and so, so boring but its has to done.

Outside of the cities many people have to rely on the old way of getting around. Its changing slightly but still this is a common sight in many rural villages in Chitwan and across the South. Hence why the pace of life is so slow there.

Everyone has to help, the sacks on these bikes are full of feed for the buffalos, cows and goats. Just to get these you have to make a several mile round trip.

Final one for the day, a regular sight in the village in fact in 4 years of being there I only saw one tractor working. Best thing with this one is this man has a mobile phone in his pocket and at one point was steering the plough with one hand and holding the phone with the other.

For more experience of Nepal see www.ehn-nepal.org