We had a chance to speak with His Excellency Peter Budd, Australian Ambassador to Nepal. Mr. Budd has been here in the country for over a year now and during this time he has worked with the government and various organizations in the country and abroad to help build and develop various parts of the country and maintain a strong relationship between Nepal and Australia. We discussed his various interests including his love of photographing wildlife, his advice to the Nepali students trying to further their studies in Australia and his affection to the Nepali people. Read that and more in the transcript below.
His Excellency, since you have been in the country for over a year now, what has your experience been like so far?
It has been overwhelmingly positive experience for me. I think there is a lot of affinity between Australians and Nepalis in terms of love for the outdoors, their love of music and good food which is borne out through our strong people-to-people links. We�ve got around a hundred thousand Nepalis living in Australia and about thirty thousand Nepalis studying in Australia so we have that strong linkage; and when Australians visit Nepal we tend to come back. Around thirty thousand Aussies visit Nepal every year, many heading to experience Nepal�s mountainous beauty and to do the Annapurna trail. Australia also has a long-standing development program. Australia will never be Nepal�s largest donor, so we want to make our investment count. Education is a key focus, through our Australia Awards scholarship program which offers Nepalis the opportunity to pursue Masters Studies in Nepal. Supporting Livelihoods development is another. We have just completed a successful, 15-year collaboration with UNDP and the Ministry of Industry to support micro enterprise development. We are also working to support Nepal�s transition to a federal system. We have a strong Australian NGO cooperation program across a whole range of sectors. We are also doing some good work through our regional Sustainable Development Investment Program (SDIP) that focuses on the important nexus between water, energy and agriculture. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Australian Centre for International Agricultural research (ACIAR) and Australia�s International Centre for water Resource Management (ICEWaRM) are key SDIP partners. Building on our strong traditions of support for community forestry, ACIAR is working to support sustainable use of Nepal�s forests, ICEWaRM has worked with Nepal�s Water and Energy Commission Secretariat to develop Nepal�s national water policies and ICIMOD has a vital role in developing science-based policies to support integrated development for peoples of the Hindu Kush Himalaya. So a lot of very positive work going on.
I am sure that as a part of your ambassadorial duties, you have had the pleasure of visiting certain parts of the country. Any in particular that you enjoyed and where do you wish to visit?
Absolutely, I have been to quite a few places here. Mustang is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever visited. The sky caves, the old temples and that background panoramic view of the mountains. At times I had to put the camera down and soak it all in because I couldn�t do it justice. I love tiger-spotting as well so I have visited Bardiya and Chitwan as well. So far, I have only seen the back-end of the tigers, so that is still a work in progress! I developed my love of photographing wildlife when I was posted to South Africa; except Nepal�s wildlife is much harder to spot. I have been to Gorkha as well. I want to go to Gokyo and do some of the Annapurna circuit as well. I would love to experience some more of Western Nepal and also some of the tea growing regions of Nepal to the east.
Would you describe yourself as someone who loves food? Have you had the pleasure of experiencing Nepali cuisine? If yes, was it to your liking?
Obviously we�ve got the momos, dal bhaat. My son particularly loves dal bhaat since they keep filing his plate with food � and important consideration for a 17-year-old. I have tried Nepali sweets, but Nepalis obviously have a much stronger constitution for sweet things than me. I also can�t compete with Nepali�s love of rice. But I do love all of the other Nepali food, all the curries and spices. I think Nepal could do more with its traditional grains like the buck wheat and millet. There is a lot of tendency to eat rice here but may not be very healthy in the long term. It�s funny because in the hills people think it is what you feed the animals with while in the West these foods are quite expensive. In the West we call them super foods. I think traditional grains represent a real opportunity for Nepal going forward.
Nepal also offers a lot of options in terms of International cuisine, have you had a chance to try a few of them? How was the experience?
I�ve had Japanese here, Vietnamese, Thai and Italian food as well. So a lot of international choice here. I am certainly not going to lose weight in this country.
Would you say that you are one of those people that like to dine out often? If so, where do you like spending time outside the office?
As an ambassador you get invited to a lot of receptions so there isn�t much time to go out privately. But, any time that I can, I do go out and I have eaten in a range of restaurants here. Besides that, I like to go and hike around. The whole family has mountain bikes. My wife is much better than me. The first time I went single track riding, I fell off and landed on my head. Which was lucky as I could have hurt myself. Instead I just had a three-day concussion.
What do you look for besides the food when you are dining outside?
Generally it�s the setting. Le Sherpa is great for breakfast. A lot of hustle and bustle there so a good place to shop as well. Aspect is a key part. I try to avoid Kathmandu traffic, so I prefer to go to nearby restaurants here on the North side. There�s such a great selection.
Since you are a long way from home I am sure you miss the food back there. Give insight on food habit in Australia.
We are a country of migrants. There are influences from all cultures and we have fused a lot of dishes and we have developed a really good cuisine. Australians have embraced our cosmopolitan food, the quality of our chefs and the diversity of our restaurants. One of our most popular shows is Masterchef Australia, which again highlights the cultural influences in Australian cuisine.
The world is full of strange food, have you had a chance to try any of these �strange� foods?
In Japan, I ate grasshoppers, in Myanmar they were serving bugs. They say that insects are the next sustainable food source but, strangely, they haven�t gained that much popularity. I have had my fair share of insects (which is to say not that many). They don�t taste too bad, it�s just the insect crunchiness that takes some getting used to.
If you had a free pass to go and dine-in anywhere in the world, where would it be?
It would probably be Australia just because it is like eating abroad at home. We have the variety, access to quality produce combined with international influences. It is a bit expensive eating in Australia though.
Let�s talk about Australian wines. They are quite popular in the International market. Aren�t they? Your favorite varietal of Australian wines? Do you find your favorite wine here in Nepali Market?
There are a lot of wine producing regions in Australia. We have the Hunter Valley (NSW), the Mornington Peninsula (Victoria), Barossa Valley (SA) and Margaret River (WA) so you could say that we are quite spoilt for choices. I grew up in the Milawa wine region of Victoria. In Nepal, you can find some good wines too. Years back, Australians liked the sweeter wines but now, as our palettes have grown more sophisticated, we tend to prefer the dry kind of wines and I think that is where Nepal will probably end up in the future.
How do you see Nepal Australia relationship in terms of bilateral business and cooperation?
Like I said, there is real opportunity to build trade and investment. The USD 52 million Tiger Palace Resort in Bhairawa is owned by an Australian group. There is a growing interest to invest in the tourism and the agriculture industry as well. With political stability and investment-enabling policies, I hope there will be more opportunities for Australians to invest here.
The Government has announced Visit Nepal 2020. The number of Australians visiting Nepal can be increased if the Australians Cities are connected to Nepal with direct flights. Do you see any possibilities of direct flights in near future?
The tourism took a massive hit due to the earthquake but now the tourism numbers have picked up again. We have a draft proposal with the Nepal government for a framework that could enable direct flights to Australia. Ultimately, however, that will be a commercial decision for airlines. But it is something that we are working with the government on.
Australia has been welcoming Nepali students for a long time now. But, a lot students who reached there state that they have quite a tough life there. Do you think student life is tough in Australia? What would you advise to students thinking of going to Australia for studies?
We are very appreciative of the investment the Nepali people place in Australia�s quality education system. The numbers of Nepalis studying in Australia has increased significantly. We are conscious that we want Nepali students to enjoy a quality study experience and we want to protect Australia�s reputation as a quality education provider. Fundamental to this is Nepalis receiving the right information. We just launched some information on the Australian Embassy Nepal Facebook page to highlight where prospective Nepali students can go to get information on study options and what to expect once there (www.studyinAustralia.gov.au). Australia is a high cost destination and although there are opportunities under our visa regime for twenty hours of work a week, this will not be enough to sustain you so it is important to have that financial backing. You can�t work and study at the same time, it is very hard. But there is the option to those who study in universities to work for two years upon completion of their studies. This offers the opportunity for returning Nepalis to apply both work experience and their qualification to their career in Nepal.
Australia has been offering internship visas. Do you think Nepali Hospitality undergraduate & Graduate Students would be granted intern visa upon meeting their requirement? Do you think this would help to develop the hospitality industry in Nepal?
Some Nepali institutions are offering Australian accredited courses here in Nepal particularly in the vocational courses. So, there is potential for Nepalis to secure Australian recognized and internationally transferable vocational qualifications without having to travel to Australia. This is certainly benefiting the hospitality sector. Institutions like GATE have those industrial linkages. If you choose the right institutions, you could find yourself work-ready right here in Nepal or somewhere else.
Would you like to mention anything else?
Just the people really. Nepalis are wonderful people. My wife is here, my son is studying here. We have all been made to feel very welcome here and right at home. So I just want to express my thanks to the people of Nepal.
Nepal also offers a lot of options in terms of International cuisine, have you had a chance to try a few of them? How was the experience?
I�ve had Japanese here, Vietnamese, Thai and Italian food as well. So a lot of international choice here. I am certainly not going to lose weight in this country.
Would you say that you are one of those people that like to dine out often? If so, where do you like spending time outside the office?
As an ambassador you get invited to a lot of receptions so there isn�t much time to go out privately. But, any time that I can, I do go out and I have eaten in a range of restaurants here. Besides that, I like to go and hike around. The whole family has mountain bikes. My wife is much better than me. The first time I went single track riding, I fell off and landed on my head. Which was lucky as I could have hurt myself. Instead I just had a three-day concussion.
What do you look for besides the food when you are dining outside?
Generally it�s the setting. Le Sherpa is great for breakfast. A lot of hustle and bustle there so a good place to shop as well. Aspect is a key part. I try to avoid Kathmandu traffic, so I prefer to go to nearby restaurants here on the North side. There�s such a great selection.
Since you are a long way from home I am sure you miss the food back there. Give insight on food habit in Australia.
We are a country of migrants. There are influences from all cultures and we have fused a lot of dishes and we have developed a really good cuisine. Australians have embraced our cosmopolitan food, the quality of our chefs and the diversity of our restaurants. One of our most popular shows is Masterchef Australia, which again highlights the cultural influences in Australian cuisine.
The world is full of strange food, have you had a chance to try any of these �strange� foods?
In Japan, I ate grasshoppers, in Myanmar they were serving bugs. They say that insects are the next sustainable food source but, strangely, they haven�t gained that much popularity. I have had my fair share of insects (which is to say not that many). They don�t taste too bad, it�s just the insect crunchiness that takes some getting used to.
If you had a free pass to go and dine-in anywhere in the world, where would it be?
It would probably be Australia just because it is like eating abroad at home. We have the variety, access to quality produce combined with international influences. It is a bit expensive eating in Australia though.
Let�s talk about Australian wines. They are quite popular in the International market. Aren�t they? Your favorite varietal of Australian wines? Do you find your favorite wine here in Nepali Market?
There are a lot of wine producing regions in Australia. We have the Hunter Valley (NSW), the Mornington Peninsula (Victoria), Barossa Valley (SA) and Margaret River (WA) so you could say that we are quite spoilt for choices. I grew up in the Milawa wine region of Victoria. In Nepal, you can find some good wines too. Years back, Australians liked the sweeter wines but now, as our palettes have grown more sophisticated, we tend to prefer the dry kind of wines and I think that is where Nepal will probably end up in the future.
How do you see Nepal Australia relationship in terms of bilateral business and cooperation?
Like I said, there is real opportunity to build trade and investment. The USD 52 million Tiger Palace Resort in Bhairawa is owned by an Australian group. There is a growing interest to invest in the tourism and the agriculture industry as well. With political stability and investment-enabling policies, I hope there will be more opportunities for Australians to invest here.
The Government has announced Visit Nepal 2020. The number of Australians visiting Nepal can be increased if the Australians Cities are connected to Nepal with direct flights. Do you see any possibilities of direct flights in near future?
The tourism took a massive hit due to the earthquake but now the tourism numbers have picked up again. We have a draft proposal with the Nepal government for a framework that could enable direct flights to Australia. Ultimately, however, that will be a commercial decision for airlines. But it is something that we are working with the government on.
Australia has been welcoming Nepali students for a long time now. But, a lot students who reached there state that they have quite a tough life there. Do you think student life is tough in Australia? What would you advise to students thinking of going to Australia for studies?
We are very appreciative of the investment the Nepali people place in Australia�s quality education system. The numbers of Nepalis studying in Australia has increased significantly. We are conscious that we want Nepali students to enjoy a quality study experience and we want to protect Australia�s reputation as a quality education provider. Fundamental to this is Nepalis receiving the right information. We just launched some information on the Australian Embassy Nepal Facebook page to highlight where prospective Nepali students can go to get information on study options and what to expect once there (www.studyinAustralia.gov.au). Australia is a high cost destination and although there are opportunities under our visa regime for twenty hours of work a week, this will not be enough to sustain you so it is important to have that financial backing. You can�t work and study at the same time, it is very hard. But there is the option to those who study in universities to work for two years upon completion of their studies. This offers the opportunity for returning Nepalis to apply both work experience and their qualification to their career in Nepal.
Australia has been offering internship visas. Do you think Nepali Hospitality undergraduate & Graduate Students would be granted intern visa upon meeting their requirement? Do you think this would help to develop the hospitality industry in Nepal?
Some Nepali institutions are offering Australian accredited courses here in Nepal particularly in the vocational courses. So, there is potential for Nepalis to secure Australian recognized and internationally transferable vocational qualifications without having to travel to Australia. This is certainly benefiting the hospitality sector. Institutions like GATE have those industrial linkages. If you choose the right institutions, you could find yourself work-ready right here in Nepal or somewhere else.
Would you like to mention anything else?
Just the people really. Nepalis are wonderful people. My wife is here, my son is studying here. We have all been made to feel very welcome here and right at home. So I just want to express my thanks to the people of Nepal.
