The Nepal Primer

 The Nepal Primer 

(because, well, once a teacher, always a teacher LOL).

T minus 1 day and counting ... I am pooped but all to good cause.

Mani - ✅

Pedi ✅

Packed, and repacked, and repacked again 🤣 ✅

While I am not completely ready to go, I need to wind down,  and this is what winding down looks like tonight - relaxing on the lanai with Gene and writing this post.

So where in the world is Nepal and what is it like???

We are all familiar with Nepal as home to Mt Everest - the world's highest mountain (above sea level) but did you know that Nepal is also home to 8 of the world's 10 highest peaks?

Not only that, but the geography of Nepal is far more than just the mountainous Himalayas.  1/3 of the country is low lying and subtropical.  You read that right - subtropical.  

The dramatic elevation changes across a small area means Nepal has an extraordinary amount of biodiversity for its size.  

Bengal Tigers ... Rhinos ... Yaks ... Snow Leopard ... And of course, cows because cows are the National Animal of Nepal and more importantly, they are considered sacred.

I can't wait to go to Chitwan National Park - the first National Park of Nepal AND a UNESCO World Heritage Site- where it seems I will have a good chance of spotting some of them.  

Rhinos and Tigers and Yaks, oh my 

(I couldn't help myself 🤣 please forgive)

So who are the Nepali (NOT Nepalese) ?  

When we aren't familiar with a country and its people, it's easy to think they are all alike.  To be sure that is not the case in Nepal.  

Yes, a large percentage are Hindu, 80%; with Buddhists representing 10% and then others ... 

As for languages ... Nepali is the "official working language at the federal level" but there are also over 100 major languages recognized.  Holy cow! (Yes, that was my natural response, but also kind of "cute," as Gene would say, given that cows are holy there.  Although for the record, whenever Gene thinks something is "cute" it is not and it is usually entirely inappropriate LOL. )

English is spoken by many, especially in Kathmandu. It is also widely spoken in university, though it is not an "official" language.

And you know how most people think of Sherpas when they think of Nepal? And when we think of Sherpas we think of the men who help climbers ascend Mt Everest???

(And quite honestly my initial interest in Nepal began over 3 decades ago when I first learned about Tenzing Norgay AKA Sherpa Tenzing and how he was one of the first 2 men who made it to the top of Mt Everest. 

(And another "quite honestly" is that I was surprised to learn most Nepalis are Hindu because my introduction to Nepal was through sherpas and they are primarily Buddhist, therefore I had originally thought most Nepali were Buddhist.)

Well, I just learned that Sherpa are actually one of the Tibetan ethinic groups native to the mountainous regions of Nepal.  I had always thought "Sherpa" specifically referred to the people who worked super duper strenuous jobs helping climbers summit peaks. Almost as if sherpa was a job title, not an ethnic group.

(By the way, if you want to learn more about Sherpas who do assist climbers, watch Sherpa on Netflix. But beware, you will never look at people who get to the top of Everest (not the Sherpa) the same.  The movie is very eye-opening and sobering.  

As much as I want to go on and on ... I now have to actually go to bed.

Come back tomorrow for more, My Nepal.

Good night!

Kristina AKA Sissy #2 (thanks for the reminder my sweet niece, Elspeth) 🤣💕

PS Too tired to proofread ... I hope it makes sense.