Welcome to abakgarne, a series of my raw thoughts, rants, and reflection of Nepal. They are going to be deeply personal, which most might find boring and to some, mildly amusing. If you want to try this experiment, write something less boring and use the hashtag #abakgarne.
Views and opinions expressed are solely my own.
I was supposed to write this post yesterday to mark my first week in Nepal.
But the painters, who were supposed to finish refurbishing my room on Friday, ended up not coming on Saturday, didn’t complete their work on Sunday, and I’m here writing this in my living room.
Productive space:
One thing that I learned from my previous workspace is that — It Matters A Lot. A good working area will either make or break your productivity. Since I will be spending most of my time in front of computer screens, I did not want to compromise. If I wanted to make it, I had to invest in my workspace. It can be the difference between shipping an idea or slacking.
The basic setup: a large desk, two monitors, a bed, and a clock. I wanted to get them in the first week.
The secondary items that will help my productivity and the ambiance of the room are nice posters, unique but meaningful decors, and a tv. And plants too. I’ll probably get them next week.
I also like to keep sticky notes, a notebook, and few highlighters to be on my desk. These might sound like minor stuff, but they help me stay in the zone, be it when reading or writing code.
Next, I had to figure out where to buy them.
Old gods vs. the new
I have never ordered an item from an online store in Nepal. This was an opportunity to change that.
I inquired around to find the best e-commerce site that met my needs. My parents and their generation don’t shop online, so I had to ask my friends and family. I got mixed reactions from people who have ordered online in the past. Few had horror stories, where they didn’t receive their items for more than two weeks and later were asked to order the same items again. Few had positive experiences.
I was looking for a platform like Amazon or Bestbuy, which was very reliable and with a two-day delivery option. No huss fuss. Select, pay, deliver, thank you. I looked at a few sites, but none of them gave me a sense of assurance of either the products nor reliability. And some of their delivery options were weird, and I didn’t want to take that risk. I gave up.
My next stop was the old school way — Hello, retail!
After a few phone calls, it was easy to find a place to start. I was able to find a lot of options in stores, unlike the online counterpart. The best part was that the store owners were ready to order the items from elsewhere if they weren’t available in their store. Not efficient, but it got the work done.
After running around and hustling for a day, I was able to order all the items for my room. Yeah, most stores would happily delivery them to your home, free of cost, either the same day or the next.
Fat wallets:
I paid all my orders in cash because my previous debit card was not active. But most stores didn’t accept cards anyways. This has remained the same for a long time. I hardly noticed any store with a card reader, unlike the stores in California.
Things are changing though. The government is pushing for digital & cashless payment. And e-wallets are popping up everywhere. I even gave a crash course to my dad on e-wallets.
He asked the most genuine question — किन रख्ने तेस्मा पैसा? (Why should I add money to the wallet?).
To be honest, digital payment is still in its infancy in Nepal. Less than one percent of mobile users have mobile wallets, and there is so much room to grow. The core experience from the banking systems was broken. To give you an example: NIBL freezes your account if you enter your password wrong, thrice. To reset your password, you must go to their main office and pay money.
Ridiculous!
I will dedicate another post on the state of digital payments in Nepal.
Foody city
On a lighter note, I ordered food online for the first time, and the experience was wonderful.
Approval from Dad! He then ordered some bakeries too. Kudos, Foodmandu!
Same ‘ol Kathmandu + the dust
To be honest, Kathmandu hasn’t changed a lot. I see the same shops, the same restaurants, the same school buses, the same गल्लि (small roads) at the same spots where I left them five years ago. Things have remained the same for the better, or for the worse.
I was fortunate to meet a lot of people last week that I would have met in six months in California. My phone was ringing instead of buzzing, which says that people still prefer calling instead of texting in Nepal.
The sense of community, the bond of togetherness & richness of us is powerful here. You’ll find pockets of people watching projects happening in their locality. You’ll find them talking endlessly about people, politics, and the country. One person said to me that they have 45 households in their community, and everyone knows each other. I cannot say that coming from the west.
The dust and state of the roads are very disheartening. Kathmandu is considered to be one of the most polluted cities in the world. I feel very helpless in this matter, and I’m hoping that the new government takes strict action to resolve this major issue. I will write a separate post on this subject.
Agritourism + Technology
I met few fascinating people last week. One of them was Ranjit Chhetri, the founder of Fresh Farms Nepal. He returned from the US and started an organic farm with no prior agriculture knowledge. His primary source of information was Youtube. Today, he runs a successful business at the heart of Kathmandu and has a bold vision to run several Fresh Farms around Nepal. His business grows fresh organic vegetables and serves them to their guests. Pretty rad!
Imagine how efficient their process would if we can use artificial intelligence to help increase their production or scale up their business. I had a wonderful conversation with Ranjit on how technology can help gel these systems together in a coherent manner.
Energetic young city
Startup and tech space is always buzzing in Kathmandu. This time, people are hopeful though. The basic infrastructures are slowly getting better, which means that people can start operating business without worrying about the electricity, the internet, etc.
The market is fresh after the new election and after a positive FDI last year. Everyone wants to be part of the growing economy, and there is no doubt that a well-executed product can take over the market.
However, the old regulations and government’s lack of active involvement can be a hurdle. But I believe that with the right determination, they can be overcome.
Overall, the first week was happening: met a lot of people, understood new markets & brainstormed several ideas. Excited for the next!
अब के गर्ने? अर्को हप्ता भेटुम्ला। #abakgarne
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