Touch and go in Nepal

What had started as a touch-and-go to recruit some new team members for our hotel turned into a short but intense journey of discovery in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Along with me on this adventure was my "recruitment agent", Shrawan.

My main objective was to visit the country as I interact with Nepalis on a daily basis and I did for the past 13 years, so time to actually see where they come from, and why they are so keen to move abroad for any position (or almost) you might offer them.

I didn't have many expectations, knowing hundreds of Nepalis who had worked with me for many years; I considered it a certain poor country with little allure. With the first day off from work commitments, I immediately set out to visit as many temples as possible in the city. A true jungle of cars, scooters, bicycles. No traffic lights or lanes, in short, one must only be fearless on the streets of Kathmandu - some fearless and some terrified, aka me. Temples, monkeys, incense, and prayers, and many tourists who, before heading to the Himalayan mountains, take a stroll through the city.

During the limited time I had available, I explored the Boudhanath Stupa, Swayambhunath Temple, and Pashupatinath Temple. I indulged in a delightful lunch and drink at the exquisite Dwarika Hotel, a high end hotel where I would definitely stay next time in Kathmandu. My hotel choice was more dictated by location and convenience, so I ultimately opted to stay at the Hyatt Place, the best choice in my opinion if you want international standard and some basic technology such as WIFI. To my surprise, the icing on the cake was unexpectedly finding an old colleague working in the Human Resources department at the hotel. We shared meals and had some nostalgic conversations, making my stay even more memorable.

After a second day of interviews, we took off for Pokhara on a small plane that I hadn't planned on boarding. Well, my agent thought it wise to add Pokhara to my itinerary, given the promising hospitality schools there. Pokhara is immersed in nature, a world apart from Kathmandu, which can almost be described as a metropolis in comparison.

Before embarking on the school visits and interviews, we also took a boat ride where I had the pleasure of having a lady at the helm, aged 70 or around that.

After concluding the day of interviews and after visiting a hospitality school that impressed me, we returned to the base, and I spent the remaining time cataloging resumes and preparing notes to send to our managers.

I will return to Nepal, but next time, like everyone else, to climb the peaks of the Himalayas.