What is your experience with tourists and other foreigners?
I have always had good experiences with tourists, because my work is with tourists.
Maybe 1 or 2 percent of the tourists who came here talk bad about Nepal. Mostly, they have a problem with pollution or other things, but no problem with the Maoists or local people.
As a Nepalese, I want to say to the foreign community, the diplomats, as well as the tourists, that they should help Nepal in development, tourism, and many other things. There are many diplomats and NGOs working here, and there should be more coming. Overall, the international community wants Nepal to develop more and be a peaceful country. Like in Vietnam after the big conflict, the country was going down, but many NGOs worked there and a lot of the foreign community also worked together. As a result, now Vietnam is more developed than Nepal. So we are also hopeful with regard to the foreign community.
Read more of Ferdos's story in Speaking Their Peace.