Himalaya
Day 47: Lekhani
The fan club watches. There’s little more prestigious for country girls than a marriage to a Ghurkha.

'It's a big culture shock,' Adrian admits, before adding, a trifle ruefully, 'But the army's a culture shock anyway.'
The rewards are substantial. As a serving soldier, the Gurkha gets the same pay as a British soldier, around £1000 a month. By comparison, a captain in the Royal Nepal Army is paid around £100 a month. On retirement many Gurkhas come back to Nepal and make
a good living in the tourist business, buying hotels and guesthouses.
Adrian brushes off any suggestion that there might be local resentment at having these elite fighters poached by a foreign power. Adding up pensions, welfare schemes, direct expenditure, as well as the return of money earned abroad, he reckons the Gurkhas are worth £68 million a year to the Nepali economy.
Choose another day from Himalaya
PALIN'S GUIDES
- Series: Himalaya
- Chapter: Day 47: Lekhani
- Country/sea: Nepal
- Place: Lekhani
- Book page no: 107
Bookmarks will keep your place in one or more series. But you'll need to register and/or log in.