Dear friends,
I know some of you have heard this before, but it bears repeating at this time.
It has come to my attention that quite a few of you, since seeing Howard Wallaces "A Virtual Tour of H.I. in Nepal" video, Have expressed an interest in visiting the shop in nepal for a tour yourselves. Some have even emailed Auntie Yangdu to try to set up such a visit. Please do not ask this of her. She feels guilty for not being able to grant your request and answering these emails takes time away from being able to answer orders, fill them and the pack and ship them. You may be surprised that Auntie does all this by herself most days with little to no help.
As much as Auntie and Pala would like to have you as their guest, Sadly, The request has, and has to, be denied.
The reasoning behind this decision is quite simple.
Nepal is a land of extremes. In everything.
It is for your safety and the safety of the employees of H.I., that visits are not allowed. The political climate in Nepal being such as it is, it can be a dangerous place to visit, especially for westerners. It has happened in the past that even native people have been badly beaten and robbed by maoist gangs that roam the area and target the seemingly well off or people whom they deem as overtly capitalist. In some cases people have even been killed. The gangs are always watching and waiting. We do not wish to advertise our business to them and vistors would bring on unwanted and unneeded attention. It would be like hanging a "free lunch" sign outside the door to a diner. Everyone would need to be paid off to avoid harm to our employees and business in general and could possibly cause enough strain to force Auntie to close the doors.
I would like you to understand why Howard Wallace was granted this wish, while we must deny this request to others. He is a special case. He has been personal friends With Pala, Uncle and Auntie for many years. His Visit was actually to stop by to see Pala at his home while in nepal on his way back from visiting his Wifes family. Only by chance was he granted the opportunity.
In addition, as howard stated in his thread, The shops are not set up to entertain visitors. They are fully working shops with the customary amenities of that part of the world, meaning rudimentary. Those of you who've visited that part of the world will understand. Every minute spent visiting will unfortunately take away what little precious time there is for making our favorite pointy objects. And that in turn could hurt the business. This last year with the kami situation and other problems arising, such as the rise in coal prices, the cost of shipping from nepal rising and other factors, have necessitated that Auntie operate on a shoestring budget. We may feel we have it hard here in the states, i can guarantee you it has been much more so in nepal with things as they are. With the U.N. pulling out of nepal and the maoist majority, things are most likely to get worse before they get better, at least for the forseeable future.
Thru patience, perseverance and possibly a little cunning, with the help of you loyal customers we can keep the doors open and walk the Dharma path together as we have these many years, and in doing so keep Uncle Bills dream alive.
Regarding visiting the stateside part of H.I.?
I would like you to understand that Auntie operates this from her home.
There is no warehouse or shop here, but her living quarters and a place for some inventory. If you request a visit with her, she must be comfortable recieveing you as a guest in her home and have the time in her busy schedule to permit it. As always, it would be at her discretion.
I and Auntie hope this explains the whys and wherefores of these matters and i hope you all understand.
As customers you are greatly valued.... But your friendship is more valuable than gold.
I know some of you have heard this before, but it bears repeating at this time.
It has come to my attention that quite a few of you, since seeing Howard Wallaces "A Virtual Tour of H.I. in Nepal" video, Have expressed an interest in visiting the shop in nepal for a tour yourselves. Some have even emailed Auntie Yangdu to try to set up such a visit. Please do not ask this of her. She feels guilty for not being able to grant your request and answering these emails takes time away from being able to answer orders, fill them and the pack and ship them. You may be surprised that Auntie does all this by herself most days with little to no help.
As much as Auntie and Pala would like to have you as their guest, Sadly, The request has, and has to, be denied.
The reasoning behind this decision is quite simple.
Nepal is a land of extremes. In everything.
It is for your safety and the safety of the employees of H.I., that visits are not allowed. The political climate in Nepal being such as it is, it can be a dangerous place to visit, especially for westerners. It has happened in the past that even native people have been badly beaten and robbed by maoist gangs that roam the area and target the seemingly well off or people whom they deem as overtly capitalist. In some cases people have even been killed. The gangs are always watching and waiting. We do not wish to advertise our business to them and vistors would bring on unwanted and unneeded attention. It would be like hanging a "free lunch" sign outside the door to a diner. Everyone would need to be paid off to avoid harm to our employees and business in general and could possibly cause enough strain to force Auntie to close the doors.
I would like you to understand why Howard Wallace was granted this wish, while we must deny this request to others. He is a special case. He has been personal friends With Pala, Uncle and Auntie for many years. His Visit was actually to stop by to see Pala at his home while in nepal on his way back from visiting his Wifes family. Only by chance was he granted the opportunity.
In addition, as howard stated in his thread, The shops are not set up to entertain visitors. They are fully working shops with the customary amenities of that part of the world, meaning rudimentary. Those of you who've visited that part of the world will understand. Every minute spent visiting will unfortunately take away what little precious time there is for making our favorite pointy objects. And that in turn could hurt the business. This last year with the kami situation and other problems arising, such as the rise in coal prices, the cost of shipping from nepal rising and other factors, have necessitated that Auntie operate on a shoestring budget. We may feel we have it hard here in the states, i can guarantee you it has been much more so in nepal with things as they are. With the U.N. pulling out of nepal and the maoist majority, things are most likely to get worse before they get better, at least for the forseeable future.
Thru patience, perseverance and possibly a little cunning, with the help of you loyal customers we can keep the doors open and walk the Dharma path together as we have these many years, and in doing so keep Uncle Bills dream alive.
Regarding visiting the stateside part of H.I.?
I would like you to understand that Auntie operates this from her home.
There is no warehouse or shop here, but her living quarters and a place for some inventory. If you request a visit with her, she must be comfortable recieveing you as a guest in her home and have the time in her busy schedule to permit it. As always, it would be at her discretion.
I and Auntie hope this explains the whys and wherefores of these matters and i hope you all understand.
As customers you are greatly valued.... But your friendship is more valuable than gold.
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