As of late many of my social media posts have been highlighting a lot of negative shit going on in our society, from obvious scenarios such as Eric Garner’s tragic death to more “undercover” topics like pharmaceutical companies and how they have duped us for the majority of our lives.
HOWEVER, as many of you know, I was blessed with a chance to go to Nepal for 2 weeks at the end of November! It was an amazing, educational trip and I have so much positivity to share with you guys. So, for the next few minutes, forget about all the bad shit surrounding us and allow me to take you on a journey to the stunning country of Nepal with my words and GIFs :). I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
BIT OF NEPAL BACKGROUND INFO:
Nepal is situated in South Asia between China and, my motherland, India. Back in June 2001 there was a Nepalese royal massacre where the heir to the throne shot and killed his father (the King) and his mother. He then shot himself, went into a coma and died himself. Since then, a president has been appointed. However his title is mostly ceremonial because the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the parliament, controls all the government functionality.
PEOPLE:
So the government structure is nothing out of the ordinary at first glance. But there is one thing that makes this government one of the best I have ever witnessed: they are built on strong, personal, Buddhist beliefs (DISCLAIMER: no I’m not saying the only way to be a good person is to be Buddhist, BUT Buddhist ideals are very peaceful, transparent and positive). This means:
- Equality – between people of different races, genders and between humans and animals. Every living being lives together in harmony: cows, chickens, goats, dogs, people etc. It was also also great to see women playing an integral part in society i.e. there are rarely any dedicated housewives. Both males and females go to work and graft for their family. Its pretty much a 50/50 divide: women are tailors, builders, captains of ships, mountain porters … literally everything. Its almost hard to believe that this country is right next to India (a country I believe to be oppressive for females, but that’s another story for another day)
- Diversity – there is such a diverse range of beliefs in Nepal. Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus, Sadhus etc. Everyone mixes and, often, pray/meditate together. Doesn’t matter what you believe. Doesn’t matter about your journey. Our destination is all the same and that’s the most important bit.
- Less greed – Everyone is too chilled out to worry about money. With the exception of maybe 2/3 tourist shops, every single storeowner was polite and not forceful to sell his or her things. In fact most people in the shops were more excited to share a story or drop some knowledge about what we were purchasing e.g. how was it made? Where was it made? Why was it made? It was beautiful to experience that.
Another significant attribute I noticed with the Nepalese is that their faith is never blind faith. Whatever they believe in has meaning to them: it radiates from the INSIDE. Their aura just instantly screams “light”. You can tell by the way they carry themselves and how they treat others that no one believes in a superior being. Instead it seems that everyone accepts a positive vibration from within and lets it out at every given chance. It sounds really “hippie” and maybe it doesn’t make sense but it is a difficult thing to describe and understand.
FOOD:
We mostly ate at little restaurants, home kitchens and small mountain-lodges so all of the food was literally picked in front of us and cooked before our eyes. Rice, onions, spinach, potatoes, tomatoes etc. … it was all picked within a 50-metre radius of wherever we ate. It was crazy! And there was such a MASSIVE difference in taste. Everything was so pure. No GMOs. No fake shit. Just good old rice, lentils, vegetables and roti’s in the natural, untouched state they should be in.
ENVIRONMENT:
Nepal’s tourism is beginning to be a thriving industry and whilst there are huge plans to invest in the near future, it hasn’t begun yet so we were fortunate enough to see her in a very unaltered state e.g. no high rise buildings, no huge hotels, no extravagant shopping centres and so on. The most ‘touristy’ place we went to was probably up in the Himalayan foothills. There’s tourists walking up and down them things everyday but it is SO DAMN CLEAN! Locals even post up hand written English signs (like the one below) often requesting those passing through the villages to take care of their rubbish and stuff. People out there have an innate love for Mother Nature (as we all should) so the place is a spotless, natural, raw, organic beauty.
Being up in the mountains, where all that could be seen is jungle and clouds, made me realise how damaging it is to be surrounded by concrete, glass and this other fake shit we have in the west. Getting off the plane and adjusting back to everyday life here in London still feels so “fake”. Again, I don’t blame you if you don’t understand that because it is so hard to explain. You will probably only understand it once you personally experience it.
I truly feel we are made to live how they do. Looking out for one another. Self-sustainable. Living off raw, natural, nutritious food! Think about it. It makes so much sense.
EDUCATION:
Above everything else, education is definitely so highly invested in. When walking through the villages you immediately notice the houses are very small, simple and basic: nothing extravagant. But then you see the schools. Omg the schools are the biggest buildings in each village and the grounds are amazing: so much green space for the kids to run around in safely. Even in the mountains (where money is slightly more scarce than the rest of Nepal) at 9am all you see are kids running over rocks and through rivers to get to school. It was probably one of the best things we got to witness!
All in all each of us are super thankful we got to visit this beautiful place with each other. I’m definitely grateful that we all stayed in good health and in high spirits throughout the duration of the trip (even when walking up a mountain for 6 hours). Some people don’t get a chance to see this side of the world. So fortunate.
Hope you enjoyed my little insight to Nepal! I honestly could have carried on writing for days: there are so many good things to say about that place. Have any of you lot ever been to Nepal/want to go to Nepal? Let me know :). Have an amazing week!
Below are some more GIFs and pictures from our stunning trip!
xxx
CHEMICAL FREE FOOD & LIFE STYLE 