But since the earthquake in April, the number of foreign visitors arriving in Nepal has gone down, hurting his sales. Sahi, 39, said that he had never experienced such a crisis in the curio business, the only source of income with which he has been supporting his family for the last 15 years.
"It was good until the devastating earthquake," said Sahi, adding that the devastating earthquake not only destroyed the heritage sites but also his business. 'Most of the time, I return home without making a single penny,' Sahi, a father of two, complained.
According to Sahi, he has been going through a tough time because he is struggling to clear school fees of his two children, meet daily expenses and pay the rent.
Kabita Maharjan, another curio vendor, also described how difficult things have become following the disastrous quake. 'Now the Durbar Square has very few things that can lure tourists on whom our business depend,' said Maharjan, adding that even if some tourists come to visit the place, they hardly stay for a few minutes.
'We don"t have other income source. The drop in the business has made it difficult for us to even pay our home rent,' complained she.
When tourists drop by at Basantapur Durbar Square, all curio vendors get delighted. 'We feel lucky if we managed sell two to three items in a day,' said Maharjan, adding that most of the time curio vendors have to return home without a making single penny. She bitterly complained authorities indifference toward the restoration of the damaged heritage sites.
Sundar Prajapati, who is in charge of the Hanuman Dhoka Durabar Square Conservation Program, informed that less than 200 tourists visit the place these days. He said that prior to magnitude 7.8 earthquake, over 500 foreigners visited the heritage site every day.
'Tourist will return once the destroyed structures are restored,' said Prajapati.
Related story
Nostalgia: Curio shops of Basantapur
