Nepal Travel Blog

My first visit to the Himalayas.

This adventure doesn’t begin in 2023… It begins 31 years ago. If you’ll indulge my sentimental memory… I thank you.

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It’s 1992. Cynthia and I are on our Honeymoon. We have just arrived in London.

Cynthia has packed 4 huge suit cases!! Oh my.

I am navigating the Heathrow airport with my beautiful young bride, down a short staircase… When I lose control of our luggage.. It tumbles down into a giant mess!!

People step around us, bumbling American tourists!!

… My Himalayan adventure begins.

Out of the crowd steps a woman. In exotic colorful clothes. She helps us collect our luggage, laughing with us. She is just returning from Nepal – her second home. We’re in awe. Nepal!!! Who goes to Nepal!!!

We part with the woman, saying Thank you; but I’m left with a dream. A memory that will never fade. I remember vibrant Cynthia in that moment, I remember the young girl from Nepal, I remember what would be.

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Katmandu is my introduction to legendary Nepal. I’ve imagined the vibe, the high mountains, the spiritual culture … I’ve read of it, seen it on TV. Now I am privileged to touch it. I’m fascinated by this country’s history and reputation…. I’m on sacred ground.

I have 17 days to explore Nepal. And keeping to my preferred travel strategy…. Another solo unscripted adventure…. I have a first hotel booked and nothing else… time to find a trek and safari and transportation plan!! Get to work Bruce!!

I’ve looked ahead on Nepal’s immigration requirement.. An online visa app..and then pay $50US on arrival. Easy. Done. Arrival in Katmandu is a simple, stress-free event. Immigration, Baggage, a Pre-pay Taxi (900r) and I’m at my hotel.

Choosing central Katmandu, the Thamel district… I have booked Dali-La Boutique Hotel. Fantastic choice. Room/food/location. Couldn’t be better. Thamel is a hectic little place..narrow one-lane streets, packed with shops and restaurants…and 1-2 hotels like mine. It’s an exotic cross of Hoi Ann Vietnam and Bangkok back streets. A show, with hawkers and exotic foods.

In addition to the Rickshaw Tuk-Tuks on bikes, motorbikes, taxi’s, store owners,,,you will be offered marijuana and hashish every time you walk outside the hotel.. its chaos,,but more serine, calm, respectful chaos than what I just experianced in India.

Yes,,it is a little seedy. But ohh, it’s real!!! It’s alive, and I love every second.

I’ve figured out a plan,,,sort of. Booking flights to two other Nepal cities; Pokhara and Chitwan.. with hotels there. And best of all, Trekking in the Annapurna Mountain Range. I’m not heading to Everest..and not chasing a Base Camp. Maybe one-day Nepal will pull me back and Everest will call. But for now, my adventure is more tame… still, it’s a big jump off the Grid!!!

Before Trekking - I explore some of the biggest and best destinations in Katmandu. Soak in the culture!

Boudhanath Stupa – huge with a calm clock-wise walk, a fantastic expresso café, a giant prayer wheel…and always, the wonderful pray flags – I love those!!

Swayambhunath Temple – aka Monkey Temple. A series of Stupas, views of Kathmandu in smog/pollution blown in from China, beautiful, fun to visit

Pashupatinath Temple and the Crematoria – I’m only permitted outside this Hindu temple..still, its beautiful… but along the river just near-by, funeral Pires burn; the dead are washed and cremated, Nepal families gather. It’s a life-time experience --- I’ll never forget. The Mughagni Hindi cremation ritual. Powerful, Reality. It can scare you or ground you or entrance you. In its own way, it changed me… It will change anyone that witness’s this ritual.…reminding me of my loses…reminding of how short life is, reminding me of Cynthia…. never waste a second!!

I find success everywhere in Nepal with the food. Eating the Nepal Thali Set many times .. always delicious. Or the Momo dumplings.

Next up in Nepal: Flying to Pokhara for trekking. just 30 minute flight.. but ahhh, I experience a 5 hour airport delay.. Surviving chaos of the domestic terminal, no info…just delays.. Driving is worse,,,, 7-8 hours of horrible roads. Travel can be intense!!

But eventually my flight departs.. I’m deep in the Himalayas, at Pokhara. A few days here to look around.. prep my gear and I’m off on a Trek.

Pokhara is calm…I take a breath after hectic, but amazing Katmandu. I enjoy beautiful Phewa Lake, relax with expresso at the café’s and eat local Nepali Thali Sets.. chat with a Hare Krishna – after all, I’m in Nepal!!

Finally, I trek. Annapurna Gurung Trail. 6 days, 5 mountain lodges. One Sherpa, one Guide – just for me. Steep climbs, Glacial caped mountains above… I could blog about this trek for a book!! It was majestic, like meditation. Cleans your mine. I’m off the grid for 6 days. Real people. Real smiles. No Politics and opinions. It’s time to patch-up my soul!!! This is the place for that!!

I don’t get to the Annapurna Base-camp.. Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world. The 8000m club. It is a very dangerous summit..with an amazing 20% rate of deaths on Summit attempts… Who takes that risk??? Amazing.

6 days were enough for my body!!! Maybe next time the Base Camp!! 😊

But even the 6 days was a challenge. My trail was only at 2000m, but with constant up or down hiking …. 5-6 hours/day… it’s a Stair-stepping boot-camp. This trail, thru the Gurung farming homelands offers tons of rough slate-rock stairs to climb. So, that does help!! But it’s steep!!

Annapurna South, Fishtail Mountain, Annapurna 1 .. and 4-5 other peaks surround me. 8000m - Glaciers, snow capped, I can’t take my eyes off them. But my trekking trail is much-lower.. It’s green, with trees and flowers and terraced farmland.

I trek thru mountain villages. Birethanti, Ghandruk, Landruk, Tomijong, Dhampus … each with an authentic Nepal vibe. This is NOT the city… This is Real Nepal. The polite acceptance is amazing. Namaste is everywhere!!! I hear it a 100x.

It’s cold at night, no heater in the lodges.. but on the trek..in the day… its plenty warm.. The weather holds.. rain on the first day of trekking.. and in the evenings.

Actually,, everyone prays for the rain.. to clear the smokey haze that obscures the mountain views.. The rain clears the smoke away… without it… it’s just a smoke/fog… For my visit.. just enough rain cleared the sky’s for spectacular views.

Thru-out Nepal, there is smokey/flog .. you might call it pollution – it lingers in the sky. India and China and Nepal… ALL use extensive burning of fields for agricultural purposes.. part of their cycle to fertilizer and refreshing the soil… bad-part is the sky’s are full of smoke.. (aka CO2… way-way more ‘pollution’ than 100 cities in the US or Europe).

Electricity and fertilizers are a premium in 3ed-world countries.. so very very few on the planet seem to understand this basic scale of relevance… ahh, what can you do? I’m told that Bruce’s driving a car in Orlando is the problem!! Stop that Bruce!! Nepal skies will appreciate it ☹ NOT!!

Finishing up my Annapurna trek, it’s another stop in Pokhara.. then time to fly to Chitwan. Another tiny domestic airport experience.. back to Kat,, then another flight finally to Chitwan. The Chitwan National Park are the low-lands of Nepal.. A jungle forest that borders India.

I’m on another Safari. 3 days. Jeep rides, canoe rides and a bush walk,,,At Kasara Lodge. A very comfortable Safari experience. But,,,not as productive as an African Safari. The one-horned Asian Rhino is the highlight… They claim to have Tigers,,and some Elephants in these Jungles…. But, there are so few of those animals – there is virtually Zero chance of seeing one… it’s a tourist come-on..

Still, the Rhinos are cool. There are a few other Safari animals to track down too.... Some interesting Crocodiles on the river (and in a Breeding center), a few monkeys, boar, deer and an Asian Bisson… but not much else.

And always keeping an eye out for Birds. My iPhone camera can’t succeed with birds.. I never get close. So a quick look thru my Binoculars must suffice. It’s cool to add a Safari experience to my Nepal visit.. and a look at another small Nepal town here…very different than the Himalayas mountains. More influenced by India and cross-border immigration. I think of my time in Chitwan as just a bonus… The real Nepal is in the mountains!!

Back to the airport.. back to Katmandu.. Rest up, time for more onward travel arrangements.. I return to Dali-La hotel in Thamel, a great hotel – the old town area of Katmandu is alive!! .. Time to re-adjust to Internet/News/chaos.. Write my Blog, Post photos of my trekking … back to The real world.

Maybe more importantly; For me: It’s Time to get back to the oceans.. I’ve been away too long.

Nepal is absolutely a worthy destination. I should have visited long ago.. and would love to return one day.. It’s magic here.

Cynthia would have cried with tears of joy at the dream come true.