Ailsa who blogs at Where’s My Backpack? selected a theme this week that immediately brought to mind some of the daily routines we saw in Nepal: Travel theme: Clean. As we observed various methods people used to keep clean, we reflected on our own culture and lifestyle.
The Habitat for Humanity house we worked on was situated on a steep mountainside on plot of land belonging to one family; therefore, several houses stood alongside each other on a ridge. At the base of the mountain was a stream where family members gathered to do laundry and fill jugs with water.
This photo shows the grandmother doing her laundry after she had bathed and re-wrapped her garments around herself.
Woman in Nepal filling jug with water from stream at base of mountain
Then she slowly, painstakingly, climbed back up the mountain with laundry in tow and a jug of heavy water on her hip.
Woman carrying laundry and jug of water
We watched briefly as another family did their laundry in a small body of water and then afterwards spread their clean clothes out to dry.
Family doing laundry in Nepal
On a hike we took to a monastery one day, we saw this woman bathing at the public bath. We couldn’t help but wonder how cold that water must be, yet so necessary to keeping clean.
Woman in Nepal bathing in public bath area
As we hiked further, we saw another woman finishing her bath alongside the trail. She seemed quite skilled at bathing and cleaning herself without ever revealing much of her body. A series of wrappings and re-wrappings helped her preserve her dignity and privacy.
Woman in Nepal bathing alongside hiking trail
For more examples of Travel theme: Clean, click here.
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Supriya
All valid comments. There are a lot of things that folks in the developed nations take for granted – like clean water & good education. I know this first hand, coz I have lived in both places. Thanks for sharing the photos!
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for commenting on this blog post. I am just now seeing your reply for some reason. It was eye-opening for us to see how much cleanliness means to people all over the world, but they don’t always have the means to bathe the way we do. I’m more appreciative of what I have, for sure.
Bronwyn Joy @ Journeys Of The Fabulist
That really gives you a reality check, doesn’t it? I complain if my washing machine doesn’t come with an automatic timer.
Rusha Sams
So true.. It made me rethink what i have. Thanks for reading and reminding me that we all need reality checks from time to time!
LuAnn
Having clean water that comes out of a faucet seems like such a luxury after reading your post, and most certainly is when compared to so many other places in the world.
Rusha Sams
You are so right. I was amazed at what the women did to stay clean, and now that I’ve lived my life in America, I’m not sure I would adapt to their lifestyle very well. Thanks for reading!
Linda Arthur Tejera
Oh, my, how I take so much for granted…
Rusha Sams
I do, too! The photos say it all, though. We need to be grateful for hot showers and washing machines/dryers! Thanks for reading!
Amy
They work so hard to keep clean… Wonderful take on. Thank you for sharing, Rusha!
Rusha Sams
You’re right about the work. And it’s for everything they do. It’s an impressive country with hard-working people. Thanks for reading!