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Kathmandu Wednesday March 07, 2001 Falgun 24, 2057.
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Domestic tourists treated
badly
We really do not have to travel all the way
to Doti to experience discrimination. It happens right here in Kathmandu and, that too,
mostly in the tourism sector. Nepal is supposedly famous for its warm hospitality, polite
and friendly people. Well, does this hold true for foreigners only?
Once we (Nepalis) went to Jomsom for
trekking, and every time we wanted to check in a good hotel, they always said there were
no rooms. However, we befriended a Nepali tourist guide who helped us. Since he brought
guests to those hotels, his wishes were always attended to and immediately the rooms were
made available.
Even in a five-star hotel, waiters treat
Nepali guests very rudely. Once I went to a restaurant at Thamel where my friends were
dining. The shutter was pulled down but a small gate was open. The guard saluted a
foreigner entering the restaurant and ushered him in with a wide smile and a 90-degree
bow.
When I wanted to enter, he stopped me and
asked me questions such as why I was there, who was inside and what I wanted. If a
foreigner could enter without being asked, why couldn’t I? Reluctantly, he allowed me
to enter the restaurant. Perhaps, he allowed me, simply because I spoke in English!
Similarly, last Friday, we were inside a pub
at Thamel. Surprisingly, we had to pay an entry fee while foreigners could enter FREE!
What a partiality! We ended up paying several bucks. Why? After all, we were contributing
something to our economy!
Pravesh Gurung
Bagdol, Lalitpur |
