From March to April 2024, I stayed in Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal, for about a month. My travel style prioritizes interaction and connection with local people. I try to stay within a narrow area for a week or two, smile as much as possible, and initiate greetings, always using the local language.
People I Met in Kathmandu
This time, I stayed in Thamel, Kathmandu, an area popular with foreign travelers. Souvenir shops, restaurants, and cafes targeting foreign visitors are packed tightly together, making it difficult to find shops catering to local Nepalis.
However, if you venture into the back alleys or slightly away from the center, you can still find local establishments. If such places meet my approval, I make an effort to visit them frequently. Family-run, stall-like shops are ideal. I prefer places that aren’t too busy, where I can relax and play with the owners’ children. The photo shows the family of a Nepali restaurant in Thamel.
I stumbled upon a school just outside the Thamel area and decided to take a peek. I heard music while walking down the street, so I followed it and found people gathered in the schoolyard. Wondering what was happening, I peered through the gate, and a teacher-like person gestured for me to come in, so I stepped into the crowd.
It seemed they were holding a dance audition. Students were dancing one by one and being judged. They noticed a foreigner (me) and looked my way, but when they realized I was Japanese, they were delighted. They were a lively group of students.
I visited Durbar Square in central Kathmandu almost every day. It’s always bustling with tourists from Nepal and abroad. Around it, there are souvenir shops and eateries catering to these visitors. Additionally, children were selling things like water and bird feed for pigeons. I don’t buy things I don’t want, but this time I bought some pigeon feed for about 50 yen.
These child vendors usually work in groups, and when they made sales, they would hand over the money to an adult (their parent?) who seemed to be their boss. I wonder how much money the children themselves actually got. If I had known, I could have secretly given them some small change.
People I Met in Pokhara
I stayed in Pokhara for ten days. Pokhara is Nepal’s second-largest city, but it’s a small town spread around a lake. It serves as a base for Himalayan climbing and trekking, attracting many Western tourists. The area around the lake was lined with hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops catering to tourists.
While Kathmandu had local eateries in its back alleys, Pokhara’s town layout was smaller, with no such alleys. However, locals gathered and spent time in a park-like grassy area next to the lake. From noon until evening, stalls selling snacks, roasted bananas, and roasted corn appeared daily. These shops weren’t frequented by foreigners and served as a relaxing spot for local citizens.
In the plaza, Nepali children were playing football and volleyball. Among them were the children of the stall owners. While waiting for my food order at a stall, I picked up and played with a child, and they enjoyed it so much that every day after that, they would run up to me and ask to be held whenever they saw me.
Lately, it’s rare to see children playing on the streets, even in developing countries. In Pokhara, I was able to enjoy such precious moments after a long time.
My journey continues with the conviction that if I’m going to visit a foreign country and stay in an unfamiliar city, I must experience the daily lives of the local residents to truly say I’ve been to that country.
