Nepal: where dogs roam and goats walk on leashes

Nepal generally, and Kathmandu in particular, is sometimes a mind-bender for Westerners. Seeming contradictions confuse us, and logic seems to have been discarded. Here are some of my preliminary observations about culture after my first week.

• People don't cover or refrigerate food, leaving it open to bugs, but you can't touch your mouth to shared food or drink. It seems to make no sense. You can't drink from the polluted tap, meat is covered in vermin, people dig around for leftovers in the trash, food is not kept fresh by any means, AND YET, it is extremely rude and unclean to put your hands or mouth on shared food or drink. When a bottle or cup is passed around, a Nepali will hold it above their mouth and pour water into it without touching. Putting your hands on someone else's food is extremely rude.

• Men and women interact rarely in public, but men will hold hands with and embrace other men in public. The culture keeps men and women at arm's length from each other until they are married. However, it is perfectly acceptable for men to express physical affection to each other: holding hands, linking arms, putting arms around each other is very common. Women are less demonstrative but also occasionally link arms. It makes you realize that in our western culture we have limited the way we can show friendship and affection for someone of our own gender. It is stigmatized, rather than accepted. Why do Americans object to physical contact between friends?

• Most cosmetics contain "whiteners." Despite their extraordinary natural beauty, Nepali women want to be as fair as possible. They will literally bleach their skin. It's hard to find facial products that don't say "whitening." Americans go to tanning beds, Nepalis bleach their skin. Go figure.

• Shoes off! Like many other Asian countries, Nepal homes and businesses are shoe-free. When you see the state of the roads you have to walk through, it makes sense. Nobody wants you tracking that nastiness inside!

• Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne are considered the height of sophisticated entertainment. I have no comment on this.

• Pizza Hut is a gourmet restaurant. In the mood for something familiar, Hayley Poy, Laurel Whitis and I checked out the nearby Pizza Hut. A hostess took our name in the pristine, shining silver entryway. We were escorted to our seats, handed menus, offered wine, and treated like princesses. Who knew?

• Don't expect toilet paper, consistent power, or can openers, but the buses are awesome! Nepal is, in many ways, a minimalist society. Why do you need toilet paper? There's a spigot and a bucket. Soap? Are you doing laundry? Of course we have can openers. Here's a knife and a rock and you look strong. With the monsoons come more rain, therefore more power, but since the water heater is solar power, don't expect a hot shower if there's little sunlight. The buses however, are more efficient than most US city buses. You walk out to a main road, and a boy is hanging out the window of a van shouting what direction they are going, and to which neighborhoods. Flag him down, hop on. When you're ready to get off, pay the fare, and point to where you want to be. They'll pull the bus over. It costs the equivalent of about 20 cents each way for me to get to work.