Nepali Transport

Nepal is definitely a third world country. It has one International airport. The restrooms are messy. But, it is small with only 5 gates. So, it is easy to get around and the people are very nice. However, anyone that helps you expects a tip. The one runway is closed a couple of times a year due to lack of maintenance.

Nepal has no railroads. It is landlocked and at the mercy of India. So, Nepalis not only have to pay for graft of Nepali officials, but also Indian officials that can close the border due to "shortages" in India.

Intercity is by plane or bus. Nepal has 2 of the 10 most dangerous airports in the world. Bus travel is semi-reliable.

Intracity, there is both public and private transport.

Public transport starts with buses:

They are old and contribute to lots of smog. To get from the bus stop to your neighborhood, you ride a tempo.

These have a bench on each side. This one is so crowded that someone has to stand on the back step in order to ride. More than half of the tempos are like this. Buses and tempos don't have a schedule. They wait at the end of the route until they are (over)full. For the small Nepali middle class and westerners, there are taxis.

They don't use the meter. Nepalis pay 100 - 200 rupees ($1.00 - $2.00). Westerners always are charged $5.00, no matter where we want to go. So, I very seldom go anywhere.

Personal transportation starts with cars.

This is a big car by Nepali standards. It probably cost about $40,000 after the 300% tax they have on cars and motorcycles. You can get a nice tiny car for $33,000. So, average Nepalis save up for a motorcycle.

Besides walking, of course, they ride bikes, 4 wheel:

3 wheel:

And, 2 wheel:

Business take into account small streets and large taxes by having tiny vans and trucks:

People still manage to get around. Here is a family of 4 on their way somewhere. The little girl is sitting in front of dad and another child is between dad and mom.

It looks like they are dressed uo to go somewhere nice. Note that the motorcycle in front of them also has a family of 4 as both motorcycles weave in and out of traffic. Any space is fair game - in between lanes, in between cars.

Namaste from The Land Of Smiles