Tibetan Camps

Near The Devi's falls but on the opposite side of the road lies the Tibetan Refugee camp. You will encounter many Tibetans (from Tibet proper) in Pokhara. While they are not that badly off, enterprising and tolerant people as they are, they are still after all these years living in (refugee) camps and not entirely accomodated into the Nepal nation. Getting citizenship is exceedingly difficult and UNHCR and other UN agencies are therefore still involved in assisting them. To see their well-run and neat (for a camp...) living areas, monasteries, stupas, schools, shops and handicraft production go an visit and buy your souvenirs and carpets etc. directly from them. It is not going to be a tour of poverty and sadness, but of nice encounters with a very proud and great people.



As we enter the area through a kuccha road, we see this beautiful Monastery, reds, yellows and the usual bright colours associated, you also see loads of young Lama students, outside the tibetan school, most of these are from the famous Mustang Region.



What is nice about these camps is that we saw them actively setting up systems to provide employment for each other. Their handicraft centers are well organised and they have a fair idea for how much they need to price their crafts. Good for them! We bought a few things from the fairtrade traders. Lots of jewellery for me with sea stones and silver and a few souvenirs.
We also went past the SOS Tibetan Children Village and wanted to find out about sponsoring a child but they were closed and the next day was a holiday for them to celebrate the Tibetan Democracy Day, so we couldn't visit them. Perhaps next time we go again, or in a different city.