The Nepalese have a custom they use when handing you money, food, or menus. They extend the item with their right hands while channelling respect with their left hands by touching their right elbows. It’s actually quite classy, I think.
Otherwise, I always find it interesting when political borders don’t really match the cultural borders in most countries. There always seem to be transitions taking place from region to region. Nepal is predominantly Hindu, but the majority of people living in the mountains are Buddhist – which is closest to Tibet/China. Some of the traditional Nepalese music you here sounds either very Chinese or very Indian to me. Many of the TV shows you see look like Indian shows. Every time I attributed a cultural element I encountered to another country, my trekking guide quickly corrected me and said it was Nepalese. The traditional dress worn by both women and men here also look similar to dress worn in other mountain regions to the northwest of Nepal.
