Nepal is similar to India in many ways… but poorer, with fewer natural resources and a more fragmented government. That doesn’t bode well for toilets. However, as your dedicated reporter on the bathroom beat, I fearlessly peered behind closed doors.

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/gAZkEcOECGE”]

Our crusade against plastic water bottles continued in Nepal, with considerable success. Plenty of trekkers in the Himalaya and Annapurna ranges treat river water with iodine to make it safe for drinking. That emboldened us to treat the tap water in most of our hotels and guesthouses, with no ill effects.

Two drops of iodine per bottle

Our two favorite abodes supplied purified water for us: at Villa Papillon, Bishnu had water jugs delivered.

And in The Bubble, they have a distiller.

As a result, we purchased far fewer plastic water bottles. Good thing, because after a few gulps, those bottles (and plenty of other stuff) wind up discarded on the edge of town.