When Nepal's Chhetri sisters started their all-female trekking agency in the mid-1990s, the idea was so alien to local people that many thought it must be a cover story for a brothel. For Nepalese women to set up in business was unusual enough. For them to venture out onto remote Himalayan trails, often for weeks at a time and in the company of strangers, was completely unheard of.
當尼泊爾沙提三姊妹於1990年代中期開辦純女性登山健行社時，這個想法對當地人是如此陌生，以致很多人認定它背起裡一定是家妓院。畢竟，對尼泊爾婦女，光是自行創業已經夠不尋常了，還要她們冒險攀登偏遠的喜馬拉雅山徑，來回一趟往往要好幾星期，還要和陌生人同行，根本是天方夜譚。
But if their compatriots in this conservative, majority-Hindu nation were initially shocked by the three women's venture, the rest of the world's reaction to their 3 Sisters trekking agency has been overwhelmingly positive. Lucky, Dicky and Nicky have won international awards for sustainable tourism from the likes of National Geographic, and rave reviews on travellers' websites such as TripAdvisor. “We never expected 3 Sisters to be such a success,” Lucky Chhetri, 46, told AFP at the offices of the agency in the western resort town of Pokhara. “None of us had any idea how to set up a business and society was very closed to the idea. We were educated women, we were supposed to be teachers or nurses — safe jobs, nothing too adventurous, and certainly nothing that involved sleeping away from home.”
但如果她們在這個多數是印度教徒的保守國家的同胞，一開始對這3個女人的創業感到震驚，世界其他地方對這3姊妹登山社的反應倒很正面。樂琪、狄琪和妮琪曾獲「國家地理」等機構頒發國際永續發展旅遊業大獎，及TripAdvisor等旅遊網站好評。「我們從沒想過三姊妹登山社會這麼成功。」46歲的樂琪．沙提在該社位於西部度假勝地波卡拉的辦公室告訴法新社：「我們三人對創業都毫無概念，社會上對這構思又很封閉。我們是受過教育的女性，本應安分當老師或護士，不要冒無謂的風險，而且絕對不能離家外宿。」
The three sisters, who are originally from eastern Nepal but grew up in India, started out with a guesthouse in Pokhara, a picturesque lakeside resort with stunning views of the Annapurna mountain range. They saw an opportunity for a sideline when female guests began telling them how being harassed by often drunk male trekking guides had ruined their holiday.
這3姊妹原本來自尼泊爾東部，但在印度成長，一開始先在波卡拉開一家民宿，是一家風景如畫的湖畔度假旅館，可以欣賞安娜普納山脈驚心動魄的美景。但當一些女山客開始向她們抱怨，常被喝醉酒的男登山嚮導騷擾，而毀掉她們的遊興時，她們看到了一線商機。
Initially the women thought they would serve as companions, smoothing the linguistic and cultural differences between tourists and their male guides. But it soon became clear that clients wanted them to do the guiding as well — a job they now admit they were entirely unprepared for. As the most outgoing of the sisters, Dicky, 44, was tasked with doing most of the treks in the early days. She enrolled on a course held regularly by the government to train mountain guides, becoming the first woman ever to attend.
一開始，她們只想當遊伴，以化解遊客和男嚮導之間語言和文化的差異。但她們很快發現，客人希望她們也能當嚮導，但對於這種工作，她們當時得承認，她們完全沒做好準備。三姊妹中最外向的狄琪，44歲，早期負責大半登山健行工作。她選修一門政府定期舉辦培訓高山嚮導的課程，成為史上第一位去上課的女性。
Word of the agency spread among travelers, and soon the sisters had far more business. They began hiring local women to help, devising their own training course that included basic English and safety advice on walking at high altitudes, as well as lessons on local flora and fauna. The mountain women were used to walking — the only way to get around in much of rural Nepal — but social prejudices initially made it difficult to hire, with many women's families resistant to them joining the company. Now, the Chhetris say parents actively encourage their daughters to sign up for guide training, recognizing it as a reliable source of income, and they count college graduates among the more than 100 guides and porters they employ.
這家登山社的口碑開始在山客間傳開，很快的，三姊妹業務太多，她們開始雇用當地婦女幫忙，制定自己的培訓課程，包括基礎英語和走在高海拔地區的安全諮詢，及認識在地動植物的課程。山區婦女早已習慣長途跋涉，這也是尼泊爾鄉下地方唯一的交通方式，但剛開始時，因社會偏見使她們請不到人，很多婦女的家人反對她們加入登山社。但今天，沙提三姊妹說，父母積極鼓勵女兒報名參加嚮導培訓課程，因為他們認清這是可靠的收入來源，她們所請的上百名嚮導和挑夫還包括大學畢業生。
“Lots of the men in my family work as guides or porters, but I am the first woman,” 3 Sisters guide Nirma Rai said proudly. “I've been working for them since 2002 and it’s great. My family supports me, but sometimes I think the men are jealous of how much I am earning. They say, ‘you are so small, how can you possibly do that kind of work?’” She hopes one day to work with major expeditions, which can be far more lucrative than guiding trekkers.
在三姊妹登山社當嚮導的諾瑪．萊伊驕傲地說：「我們家很多男人當嚮導或挑夫，我可是第一個女的。我2002年開始為她們工作，感覺很棒。家人也很支持我，但有時我覺得男人對我賺這麼多錢很眼紅。他們說：『你個子這麼小，怎麼可能做那種工作？』」她希望有朝一日能參加重大的探險活動，因為那賺的錢比當登山嚮導多得多。
The Chhetri sisters say that helping women from poor backgrounds forge successful careers in tourism has been one of the most satisfying aspects of their business. Although attitudes in more developed areas such as Pokhara are changing, women in Nepal still face huge challenges. Just one in four Nepalese women can read and write, compared to 62 percent of men, and high rates of maternal mortality mean life expectancy is also lower than for men.
沙提姊妹說，幫助家境貧寒的婦女在旅遊業成功創業，是她們事業中最令人滿意的一環。雖然在像波卡拉這種比較發達的地區態度正在改變，但尼泊爾婦女仍面臨艱鉅的挑戰。尼泊爾婦女只有1/4能讀會寫，相較之下，男人有62%；加上產婦死亡率高，使女人平均壽命低於男人。
For British sisters Jenny Murphy and Judy Mallam, who are about to start their third trek with 3 Sisters, the opportunity to help women in a developing country was one of the selling points. “Their guides are incredibly well-trained, and it's not just a business, they have a real mission to help local people,” maths teacher Mallam said. “They are really empowering these women and it's great to see.”
英國姊妹珍妮．墨菲和茱迪．瑪蘭即將跟三姊妹登山社展開第3次登山健行，能有機會幫助開發中國家婦女是其中一個賣點。數學老師瑪蘭說：「這些嚮導訓練有素，令人難以置信，這不僅僅是個企業，她們肩負真正的使命要幫助在地人，她們真的賦予這些婦女力量，我們樂見其成。」
Photo 1 shows several women taking rock climbing class. Photo 2 shows Nepalese sisters (L to R) Lucky, Dicky and Nicky Chhetri posing for a picture in front their guesthouse in Pokhara.
圖1為當地幾名婦女正在接受登山攀岩訓練。圖2左起為尼泊爾沙提三姊妹樂琪、狄琪和妮琪在波卡拉民宿前合影。（法新社）