I chose to come to Nepal because I knew very little about it and wanted to experience something different. After arriving here, I've learned that many of the things I thought about Nepal are either not true, or else I view them now very differently. As I've mentioned many times in the past, I love mountains. I came to Nepal to experience the tallest mountains in the world. When I first arrived in Kathmandu and didn't see any mountains, I was shocked. Then I learned that a long time ago, mountains were visible from Kathmandu. But the recent years of very fast growth created a lot of pollution that makes the air very dusty. So now, the mountains are no longer visible.
But the most important lesson I've learned is that Nepal is more than just mountains. Nepal has big cities like Kathmandu that are growing very fast. Much of Nepal is flat land known as terai where rice and other crops are grown. Nepal also has lush, rolling green hills where tea plants are grown and harvested.
Sherpas always used to come to mind when I thought of Nepali people. I was like most Americans in assuming that all Nepali people are Sherpas.
