Thamel: Culturally Trapped and Confused?

It’s been a little less than two weeks since I arrived in Nepal and it has so far been nothing short of an interesting ride! Surprisingly enough, I haven’t dealt with as much culture shock as one would expect. My current theory attributes this wholly to me being in Thamel.

Though we have of course ventured out of the district in our time here so far, most of our stay has definitely been spent in Thamel. The Thamel district can best be described as the primary tourist hub of Nepal. The area includes everything from hotels, to bookstores, to restaurants of every cuisine, to gift shops.

Within the two weeks, we’ve eaten at some restaurants serving local food, two Italian restaurants, a New Orleans-style restaurant, a Mexican restaurant, and several cafés. Each of the cafés, and most of the restaurants, have WiFi services readily available for their customers. Every restaurant menu is in English and in stores you can easily find brands you’re familiar with for things such as shampoo, chocolate, detergent, and so on. And let’s not forget, everyone from local shopkeepers to your waiter speaks English.

As you can tell, you can find just about anything you need and you don’t even need to search very far. Sounds like heaven right?

Nope. It’s borderline frustrating actually.

As great as the convenience can be, I don’t find it to be practical; and its therefore this same convenience that bothers me. As awful as it is to say, I’m in a developing country and somehow so far still living a similar life to one I would back home. Other than the complete lack of traffic signals, the obscene honking, and the rolling blackouts, there’s little to be culture shocked about in Thamel because there isn’t much that is actually different. The entire district is so wholly centered on foreigners and a western mindset that it leaves little space for anything sincerely Nepali.

The clothing sold in most shops are harem pants or patterned skirts that a local would NEVER wear. The shops that don’t sell clothing are selling some sort of bracelet, necklace, or souvenir only prized to someone living outside of the country. And while I’m well aware that we’re living in a technological era, I’m still apprehensive to the idea that this is a service that is equally used by locals and foreigners. Coffee shops that provide WiFi is a western concept and its availability in Thamel is based on tourism-related aims.

That doesn’t mean the Thamel district doesn’t serve its purposes – I am sure it is an important source of revenue and income in Nepal’s tourism sector. And don’t get me wrong, I've still had a great two weeks thus far; I've met great people, done some sightseeing, and also taken a jab at learning Nepali. There’s a lot to be excited about in Thamel – I’ve loved the various cuisines I’ve tried here, the numerous shops selling pashminas and beautiful skirts, the stands selling smoking Bhuddas and knives, and the iced mochas from the Himalayan Java café – but I refuse to believe it’s real Nepal. In fact, the district reminds me too much of a bubble that shields tourists from anything that may make Nepal too different… or too real.

Today I move into the CECI volunteer house in Baluwatar, a few districts away from Thamel. Though the house I’ll be living in is cozy, the surrounding area is nothing like Thamel. I expect it to be an interesting change, but not necessarily an easy one. I’m nevertheless looking forward to exploring the streets and having a more representative experience of Nepal.

All said and done, my stay in Thamel may have provided me with an ideal transition into what Nepal is really like, thereby limiting my culture shock. Who knows! I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

P.S. I'm not crazy. I don't want to drown in culture shock, or super struggle with it - I do however believe it's often a natural part of the experience, especially when traveling internationally. And it's for this reason I was surprised and chose to make note of it in a post.