Mero Dhangadhi

I'm sorry. It kind of sounded like that when you said "we don't want your racist money". It's important to talk about tourist racism, and I really appreciate this blog!

No worries! Thanks for keeping me in check. Sometimes my views can be insensitive or ignorant and I do want to be called out for them so that I can learn and be a better person :)

That was just me replying to an ignorant comment from some random blog. Their comment was insensitive and I usually don’t give time to people like that but that one just got me. 😫😣

@previous anon: for an ethnic nepali it is absolutely no problem of calling yourself buddhist though your family background is more inclined towards hinduism. tbh it's just two different sides of the same coin

Yeah exactly. I wasn’t sure if they were Nepali or not. Thanks for sending this in!

You need to take a break if you actually think climbing mount everest is an act of racism. The 2014 avalanche was a terrible tragedy and had nothing to do with race. Sherpa issues should be talked about more, but lots of nepalese are dependent and actually thrive from tourism and the last thing they need is lots of diaspora telling westerners they're unwanted in Nepal. You can't expect tourists to have vast in depht information about Nepalese issues and then call them racist if they don't

Where did I ever say it was racist to climb Everest? Thanks a lot for putting words in my mouth!! Great job there buddy! Your reading comprehension must be off the charts!!

Nepal needs tourism to thrive, and all most all Nepali people (or literally everyone I know) love having foreigners visit and absolutely love to share their culture. When I meet people who’ve been to Nepal, they’re so excited at their experience and happy to meet someone from there. This is part of who we are, or at least I feel so. The issue here is focused on racist and ignorant foreigners that go to Nepal and feel entitled and sort of expect everyone to kneel down to them and serve them – which should have been clear if you actually read the article or paid attention to anything I wrote. It’s up to us to speak up for the tourism workers and the guides and porters in Nepal so that they’re being treated fairly and being compensated for the difficult work they do. Of course, as I mentioned before, this is easier said than done because Nepali government isn’t the most efficient and there are other underlying factors. People travelling to Nepal don’t need to know every single cultural fact about Nepal obviously (heck I know maybe 10%…if that), however, basic human decency and respect and not being racist or ignorant goes a long way and I feel its required. Literally NO ONE expects people to know things about Nepali culture. Part of the reason why people visit is to learn about Nepal and Nepali culture, so if you’re unsure just ask a Nepali person. We’d be more than happy to explain it to you. The main reason I even started this blog was to help people who wanted to go to Nepal and promote Nepal and explain things about Nepali culture to other people.

Hello! I was wondering if it would be culturally appropriate for an ethnic Hindu to convert/practice Buddhism?

Sure. If you feel more inclined towards Buddhism than Hinduism then I see no problem with it as long as it is what you truly want. However, there are parts of Hinduism that are a lot like Buddhist principles and Buddha got a lot of his initial teachings from the Vedas so idk might be something you want to look into. I don’t know what it takes to convert to Buddhism or exactly what part of Buddhism someone wants to convert to but sure I don’t see a problem with it because I don’t think there are restrictions to conversion in Buddhism like there is in Hinduism.

I'm not sure if you'll know the answer to this, but what's the best way to make sure sherpas are acceptably paid/to make sure money actually goes to their communities?

Best way would be to put pressure on the government to implement laws and regulations that would require a bulk of Everest money to go towards sustainable local development. And also to put pressure on the businesses that take these climbers on their expeditions and tax them to make sure a good chunk of the portion goes to the Sherpas. The climbers and the visitors themselves have a lot of power since they’re the clients and can use their position of power to influence the expedition companies. It’s easier said than done and given the political situation of Nepal and extreme poverty and disgustingly rampant corruption that’s ubiquitous…. it’s always the common people that suffer. Tourism is vital to the Khumbu region and helps a lot of people lead a decent life, but for the dangerous work that the Sherpas do, they do not get enough recognition or compensation.

Unfortunately, in a country like Nepal, international pressure often is way more effective than national pressure (or at least I feel this way…I might be completely wrong. Feel free to comment on this if I am). So, to make sure Sherpas are treated fairly, the international community and especially the international climber community must do their part and stand up and speak up with the Sherpas and with us, the people of Nepal.

And the most important thing the visitors and tourists that go to Nepal (or any other country) can do: don’t be an ignorant, racist, entitled asshole! Respect the local culture, respect the people, respect the land and their millennial long traditions. If you cannot do these things then don’t travel or if some things offend you or offend your beliefs then politely excuse yourself. Nepali people are very very understanding and respectful of tourists and visitors to Nepal and try their best to make sure your visit is wonderful and comfortable. “Atithi devo bhawa” (roughly: guests are a form of God) is an essential part of our culture. However, if the tourists are being disrespectful and insensitive then the locals do not need to be polite or attend to you. And the insane thing is often the tourism workers and guides continue to serve the clients, swallowing their discomfort without talking back.