Nepal

How many people speak English: 46%

What it's like as an English speaker: You'd be surprised how easily English allows you to navigate a country as delightfully batshit as Nepal. Everything about the place feels like the end of the Earth, an otherworldly, largely hermetic kingdom as far removed from America as one could imagine. Yet a casual stroll down the street punctuates this hazy dreamscape with the realization that while you recognize almost nothing from home, pretty much everyone around you is speaking English. They're asking you for pens, demanding to know what's up with the presidential election (as if we have a clue), proudly showing you around their remote cliffside dwellings (where they politely force you to drink yak butter tea), and just generally wanting to hang out.

What Nepal has to offer: We ended up going to Nepal on a whim (after we missed our flight to India), and it was the best decision we ever made. With towering mountains (including Mount Everest -- maybe you've heard of it?), amazingly well-preserved ancient towns like Bhaktapur, and intricate Buddhist pilgrimage sites (even though the country is predominantly Hindu), Nepal offers the adventurous traveler an eye-opening, mind-expanding experience. I was also pleasantly surprised how friendly most attitudes are towards Americans (at least when we were there), as one night our pale gringo looks were all we needed to instantly ingratiate ourselves with beaming Kathmandu locals and earn a round of free drinks in the process. We felt like kings looking out at an entire bar smiling at us, and pretty much all they wanted to do was talk to us and find out more about America (and yes, what Tom Cruise is like). But scratch beneath the surface and you'll find friendly, curious people who just want to know a little more about you. And, especially when it's all being done in English, what more can a traveler ask for?

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