The Nepalese have a custom they use when they hand you money, food, or menus. They extend the item with their right hand while showing respect with their left by touching their right elbow. 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 hear 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 looks similar to what people wear in other mountain regions northwest of Nepal.
