Sending a parcel in Kathmandu.

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I popped down to the Post office today to send a parcel to New Zealand. Posting a parcel in the UK is a fairly easy affair, so I thought how hard can it be in a place like Nepal? 2 forms, and as many hours later it was sent. Lets just hope it gets to New Zealand.

The central post office in Nepal is a big sprawling compound with 4 or so buildings and with my limited Nepali it took me several attempts to find the correct building. Once inside, I was directed to fill in a form that I presume was a custom declaration. When I handed this back i was required to pay 150rs (0.90p) that went straight into his pocket, and he very kindly showed me to the next stage. Sitting around him were several people that were extremely talented with a needle and thread and were sewing a cotton cover around parcels. After my parcel was so expertly sealed by this a lady, a man came over and sealed the parcel with both a wax seal and ink seal. Then to the last counter and with a bit of haggling over the shipping price I managed to ship the parcel.

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