Suman´s Story 
cctv.com 02-17-2005 16:37
A good tour guide is able to act as a mirror, reflecting the spirit of their country. A good tour guide gives visitors a better understanding of the country鈥檚 culture, and history, and the people they are visiting. In Nepal, it鈥檚 easy to find fine English-speaking or other bilingual tour guides, but it鈥檚 difficult to find a good guide who can speak Chinese. So on this trip to Nepal, we were lucky to find a pleasant Chinese-speaker. In fact he is so bi-cultural that you could mistake Suman Shakya for a Chinese.
The bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara took us almost eight hours. And to keep boredom at bay on the rugged mountain road, Suman sang us Chinese pop songs.
Suman Shakya finished a Chinese language course in Nepal eight years ago. Though learning Chinese, and speaking Chinese is by no means an easy undertaking for the average Nepalese, Suman managed to do it. And this helps him to be a successful tour guide, the dream of many young Nepalese.
The tourist industry is a great source of income for Nepal and has been developing very fast in recent years. Growing numbers of tourists from different parts of the world are visiting Nepal. Suman started as a tour guide in 1996. And his job experience reflects the development of Nepal鈥檚 tourist industry.
As a member of the Shakya clan, he has inherited the traditional skill of silver craftsmanship. Right from when he was a child is began learning the fine art of working with silver from his parents. Now as a tour guide, Suman is a busy man. But he sometimes thinks of returning home, to help his parents making silver craft.
Suman is a devout Buddhist. But that doesn't prevent him from getting involved with everything that contemporary life has to offer. He loves karaoke, sports and travel, and has recently found the joys of exploring the Internet.
Suman likes his job very much, and takes it very seriously. He believes that he can assist tourists from all over world to better understand and appreciate Nepalese culture. And he also makes a lot of friends.
Editor:Hu Hang Source:CCTV.com
