Bill Sharing
When entering Nepal, she exchanged 2,000 RMB into 28,500 Nepalese rupees at an exchange rate of 14.25. After deducting the over 5,000 Nepalese rupees she still had upon departure and the 4,300 Nepalese rupees spent on an Indian visa, she only spent a total of 1,300 RMB in Nepal — which even included one luxurious experience: paragliding in Pokhara for 350 RMB (5,000 Nepalese rupees).
1,300 RMB to spend 15 days in Nepal, yet she still doesn’t consider herself a model of budget travel. This is the journey of Qin Xia’an, a post-90s girl who traveled on a budget but insisted on “not torturing herself or being extravagant” — eating, drinking, playing, and enjoying life just as much as anyone else.
Travel always begins with imagination: the sky is blue, beautiful girls in vibrant clothes walk barefoot along the road, what a captivating foreign charm. But the reality upon arriving in Kathmandu is that cows and sheep roam freely on the streets, traffic is chaotic, vendors shout, and the noise is almost suffocating. Yet all of this, after just one day, begins to feel incredibly human, incredibly down-to-earth. Even during the several hours of power outages in the evening, the city’s hustle and bustle becomes a unique kind of charm.
In Qin Xia’an’s eyes, mornings in Kathmandu are also wonderful. Following Nepalese children to and from school is a great travel route — they shyly and cleverly glance at you from time to time. The bolder ones will come up and chat with you, gradually steering the conversation toward candy. The cutest part? When they see mangoes, they’ll tell you it’s a mango, and it tastes amazing; when they see a shop, they’ll tell you they sell chocolate there.
Life in Pokhara for seven days was simple but incredibly fun. This post-90s girl stayed in a Western hippie neighborhood in the northern part of Phewa Lake, far from the commercial district. For just 10 RMB a night, she had an unbeatable lake view. On clear days, she could even see the snow-capped mountains. In the morning, she’d walk down the hill, greet familiar-looking hippies from who-knows-where with a smile, then order a 5 RMB breakfast at a restaurant, followed by a 1.5 RMB cup of black tea at a coffee shop. The incredibly good value of Nepal fills you with happiness at every moment.
Memories of Pokhara also include the lovely locals. When Qin Xia’an was seeing off a friend at a bar, it happened to be the bar owner’s birthday. He gave cake to every table, and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” together. As they left, people wished him a happy birthday in their own languages. Another example is Boks, a Nepalese young man she met on the street, who invited everyone to his home. It was a room of about ten square meters — serving as kitchen, study, and bedroom all in one — where his brother served the guests a cup of black tea. They invited Boks to have dinner with them, and like most boys his age, he loved french fries and cola the most. The local young men took them to where their band usually practiced, giving them a direct sense that poverty and backwardness don’t mean unhappiness. During her budget travels, she met all kinds of people worth reminiscing about — like the family running a fixed-point canteen, who were extremely kind and friendly, including the grandfatherly chef with a warm gaze, and his granddaughter Libya, whose brush-like eyelashes fluttered beautifully.
Traveler Tips
● She didn’t try drinking tap water directly in Nepal, instead buying bottled drinking water. A large 2L bottle costs about 1 RMB. Nepalese drinks like Coca-Cola are slightly more expensive than in China. When there wasn’t time to buy fruit but she still needed vitamins, fresh fruit juices — available everywhere in Nepal — became the go-to choice for lazy travelers, with flavors like pomegranate, pineapple, mango, and lemon, all for around 3 to 4 RMB.
● Accommodation is very cheap. Even rooms with good conditions comparable to domestic star-rated hotels can be booked for the price of a standard business hotel room in China. Of course, since she traveled on a budget, her single room in Kathmandu cost only 13 RMB, and shared accommodation in Pokhara was just 10 RMB per day. Most places had hot water and WiFi.
● Travel between cities mainly involves local buses and tourist buses. Taking a tourist bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara costs about 28 RMB, with a ride of about 7 hours; taking a local bus from Kathmandu to Lumbini costs about 35 RMB.