In Lubhu, a town to the south of Kathmandu, there are two main industries: weaving and making yeast cakes for chang. Chang is a local rice beer that you can make at home from little starter pellets. You can also distill it into "Rakshi." The pellets are made from cooked rice paste and a wld yeast that grows on a particular mountain grass. To make chang, you buy the pellets, mix it with your own rice and water, and let it sit in a cool place for a few weeks.
As the pellets dry, they grow a black layer of mold, which has to be scrubbed off before they can be used. This is a process done by hand in Lubhu, with women scrubbing each pellet individually until they are completely white again. The women dress in bright colors, wearing the fabrics that their neighbhors make. It was said that most of the Chang in the Kathmandu valley originates here in Lubhu.