Caste

One cannot live in Nepal without being conscience of caste. It manifests itself in so many ways, ways that we as outsiders can't always detect. For example, I assume that people of various occupations are of roughly equivalent stations in life. But in fact, those who carry out manual labor--and especially labor involving physical contact with humans and animals--are of the lowest castes.

Today we joined the American Club (known locally as Phora). It's situated on a large compound in downtown Kathmandu and includes squash and tennis courts, a pool, a bar, restaurant and beauty salon. We especially enjoyed the commissary which is a grocery store of sorts with food exclusively from the US, Europe and Australia. Prices are high ($5.45 for a bag of Sun Chips) but it's worth it. Or is it? Outside the American Club, Nepali children beg for a few coins. Neither they nor any of their compatriots are allowed into the compound. I guess we're not so far from practicing a caste system ourselves.