WWOOFing Nepal

Hi guys

My gf and I are doing a rtw trip visiting Italy, greece, egypt, india nepal and south east asia.

We've got 1 month+ in nepal and would really like to do some eco tourism to give something back for the great experiences we are going to receive from these wonderful places and people. I was thinking that Nepal is probably the poorest and most remote country we're going to see and how it would be great to stay with a family on their farm, work with them, teach maybe and get to know and love the country from my sojourn there.

We will be in Nepal in December 2012, i know its going to be cold but would this limit the opportunity to WWOOF?
Do we get accomodation and food in exchange for work? If so that would mean we could stay in the country for longer on our budget (without sounding callous or cheap, its just money is an issue for us, postgraduates with crap jobs that offer very little money for the relatively backbreaking chores they demand- not that im complaining here, especially not compared to some of the people we're likely to meet on our trip!).

How long do you reckon we should realistically aim to WWOOF for? And does anyone have any personal experiences of WWOOFing, Nepal or otherwise??

Also are there any other eco tourism opportunities anyone could suggest for India/SEA?

Thanks guys

Lew and Kat

hi, not wanting to sound negative, buuut, as you say, nepal is a very, very poor country, and i think you may struggle finding families willing to accommodate and feed you both in return for work, unless you are able to keep pace with them, and that is a cracking pace. when i was there a few years ago there were people literally breaking big rocks into little rocks, then into pebbles, for making and repairing roads, or for building. this was done using mallets and hammers, not machinery. and guys carrying massive beams of wood into the mountains on their heads/backs, for a few dollars a day so tourists like me could have places to stay. it's a cheap country to visit, so without breaking your backs, you could still have an awesome time there for little money, especially as it will be winter.

Thanks for the heads up.

Don't really mind what were doing really, the main concern for my gf at the moment is "will i have to crap in a hole in the ground" im trying to alleviate her worries slightly but told her that its probably likely?

Also looking into helpexchange as well as WWOOFing and it looks a really good idea, there is an exchange for food and accomodation as well!

Thanks again for your help

And the toilet thing, anyone?

Thanks

Lew

yeah the whole toilet thing takes a bit of getting used to, that's for sure! Tell her its "all part of the experience"... but if you get to the mountains, the views from that hole in the ground are worth a million dollars. Good luck, you will have a great time.

the hole in the ground thing will not end up being a biggie - truly

And you know what? There are lots of squat toilets in France and Italy too! (Something I didn't know, but as we had spent months in SE Asia where they were the norm, it didn't phase us!

Toilet? What toilet? In Nepal the bus just pulls on the side of the road and you get to go with all the traffic going by.

I honestly don't think this is the best idea I've heard especially considering the WWOOFing opportunities in some of the other countries you've listed. I mean Nepal is dirt cheap- you and your girlfriend probably won't be saving more than US$20 combined per day, and if that really concerns you as far as money goes just spend ~10 days less in Europe (or spend that time WWOOFing there!). Frankly in Nepal you're unlikely to find work like you've said because as an earlier poster said the physical labor jobs are nothing like what you're likely thinking, and they're not going to give it to a tourist who just wants to be in town for a few weeks when there are several locals desperate for a job to feed their family.

Mind I did meet a fair share of NGO workers, volunteers etc while I was in Nepal, but as a rule they're there for months and months. I'm sure the "pay to volunteer" stuff also exists on the few weeks time-frame, but doesn't sound like that's what you're interested in.

We're not just looking for a cheap time, i really want to give something back and help out.

Why do i see some places on helpexchange that suggest we get accomodation and food then? Do they not offer those opportunities to tourists?


So squat toilets are the norm then? Even in guesthouses? SEA, Nepal and India?

Thanks guys

lew

Andromeda wrote:Toilet? What toilet? In Nepal the bus just pulls on the side of the road and you get to go with all the traffic going by.

Or in Laos the bus pulls over and all the MEN get off while the women wait on the bus. Then the bus goes again. In eleven hours we stopped for one twenty-second men's pee stop and one twenty minute stop (where there were toilets - or holes, rather) for lunch. At about the 10 hour mark when we did not know the end was in sight, hubby handed me a bottle of water and said, "Can you drink it; you've got the best bladder" and then unnamed son proceeded to fill it from the comfort of his seat!)

On our 38 hr bus trip from Delhi to Kathmandu the night time roadside pee stops were men to the right, women to the left.

Ah, such lovely memories.

It's funny how modesty is so strange in large parts of the world btw. Whenever I went to found a shrub at least one lady gave me a look of "well aren't you a princess!" more than once in places like Laos and Nepal, but no local woman would dream of wearing a bathing suit when going swimming.

Toilets: yes, squatties are the norm in this part of the world. some guesthouses might have western-style toilets, but they will often not have seats, and they'll be DIRTY. you will soon see why squatties are preferred, and you'll get used to them, particularly if there comes a time when you've really got to go and that's your only option. If your gf is nervous, you could take a camping trip before to practice the body position. Really, it's not at all a big deal. Do bring your own TP if you're averse to using water. It'll be ok, I promise.

Regarding WWOOFing... I recognize and commend your desire to help out while you're visiting the country. My partner and I were in Nepal for 2.5 months last year. We had a difficult time finding an appropriate, non-exploitative way to "help out." We ended up trekking and holding impromptu English language jam sessions with porters.

Other posters are correct: Nepal is desperately poor, and by doing WWOOFing style work, you are taking jobs away from Nepali people. Better to consider volunteering your time to tutor English or provide some loving attention to street kids, anything that can't or isn't being done by local Nepali people. Expect to pay for volunteer opportunities--this is how organizations stay afloat--or you can just spend time with people you meet and find ways to help directly.

Hope that helps!