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BEGGARS AND TOUTS |
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Dealing with beggars is part of travelling in Nepal, as in most
developing countries. The pathos might initially get to you, as well it
should, but you will probably adjust to it fairly quickly. A thornier
dilemma, which will plague you as long as you're in Nepal, is how to
cope with panhandling kids and pushy touts.
A small number of bona fide beggars make an honest living from bakshish
(alms). Hindus and Buddhists alike have a long and honourable tradition
of giving to lepers and the disabled, as well as sadhus and monks.
Destitute women make up another large contingent of the begging
population: it's terrifyingly easy for a Nepali woman to find herself
alone in the world, either widowed or divorced - perhaps for failing to
bear a son or because of a dowry dispute. There are no unemployment
benefits in Nepal, and the state pension for senior citizens is just
Rs100 a year; anyone who can't work and has no family for support
generally turns to begging. Few would choose to do so if they had an
alternative.
Giving is, of course, a personal decision. You might resolve only to
give to the most needy-looking, or the most persistent, or the most
dignified. You might conclude that almsgiving only treats the symptoms
of poverty, and decide to support a charity trying to address the causes
instead. On the other hand, you could argue that direct giving gets 100
percent of the money to the target, with no administration, red tape or
corruption. At any rate, it's important to give the matter some thought.
In the hills, ailing locals will occasionally approach foreigners for
medicine , knowing that they usually carry first-aid kits. It's probably
best not to make any prescriptions unless you're qualified to diagnose
the illness. However, before leaving the country you can donate unused
medicines to the dispensary at Kathmandu's Bir Hospital, which
distributes them to the destitute, or to the Himalayan Buddhist
Meditation Centre in Kathmandu, which gives them to monks.
Children
Throughout Nepal - but principally along the tourist trails - children
will hound you for money, sweets and pens. Sometimes they're cute,
usually they're a pain. They're not orphans or beggars, they're just
ordinary Nepali schoolkids having a go. Unless they're collecting money
for a festival - which is a legitimate tradition - don't give them
anything .
Giving to children only encourages obnoxious behaviour, takes away their
dignity and starts them on a life of toadying to tourists. Worse, it
turns them into breadwinners before their time, which makes them more
valuable to their family on the street than in school, thus perpetuating
a cycle of lack of education, lack of opportunity and poverty. Don't
even try to rationalize it by thinking you'll give only to well-behaved
kids: that's how monsters are created. It's natural and noble to want to
share your wealth with less well-off people, but dispensing rupees and
pens only leads Nepalis to expect something for nothing and saps the
country's traditional self-reliance. Instead, consider sponsoring a
child through an international charity.
Saying no isn't easy. Kids will sometimes tag along for hours, giving
you the Chinese water-torture treatment. In groups, after school, they
can be unbearable. Remember that for them it's a game - they're just out
for entertainment. The best defence is a sense of humour. If you can
speak a little Nepali, try teasing them back. They're either going to
laugh at you or with you, and you might as well make it the latter.
Kathmandu's street children are another matter. They're begging for
real, but you should still think twice before giving to them.
Touts and other middlemen
Indian-style hustle is on the rise in Nepal. You'll get a major dose of
it at the airport or any major bus station, where packs of touts lie in
wait to accost arriving tourists with guest-house cards. They also
cruise the tourist strips of Kathmandu, offering drugs. However, Nepali
touts for the most part aren't as parasitic as their Indian brethren,
and if you're entering Nepal from north India, where aggressive touts
have to be dealt with firmly, adjust your attitude: they'll usually
leave you alone if asked nicely, whereas they'll take a rude brush-off
personally. That said, many touts in Nepal these days are in fact
Indian, and may require more drastic measures.
Kathmandu and Pokhara are full of other lone entrepreneurs and middlemen
- touts by any other name. Ticket agents, riksha wallahs, innkeepers and
guides are ever anxious to broker services and information. Naturally
they take a cut, but as with touts, they usually get their commission
from the seller; your price is bumped up correspondingly. Is it a
ripoff? Rip-off is a relative term. If you don't know where to spend the
night or change money, a tout's services are certainly worth a few
rupees. In general, though, cutting out the middleman gives you more
control over the transaction. You should find, without being too
mercenary about it, that a few rupees (and smiles) given to people whose
services you may require again will grease the wheels and make your stay
much more pleasant.
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