Day 1: Kathmandu to Pokhara

5 am: Wake up (jet lag!) Actually, this is just when I finally GET up.

6-7:30 am: Explore twisting, narrow streets of the Thamel neighborhood around our hotel: which before the streets are crowded with motor bikes feels like we’ve been transported back to the 18^th century. This is what I wanted China to look like, but mostly didn’t, thanks to the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s that destroyed most of the weathered, beautifully carved wooden buildings.

We stumble upon hidden courtyards dominated by towering white Buddhist stupas surrounded by colorful prayer flags, and Hindu temples, filled with burning incense, chains of marigolds, red kumkuma powder, made from turmeric and lime, marking holy icons and foreheads. Richly carved doorways and windows, steaming hot, fresh, yellow goat lungs, a wandering cow, bright yellow garlands. There’s a lot to take in, and it’s intoxicating for me, bringing back formative memories of living & traveling across Asia in my 20s.

8 am Return to the hotel to meet up with our friends for a complementary breakfast of fresh watermelon juice, yogurt, chana masala, chapati, eggrolls, cereal, toast, eggs – we eat well in Nepal.

9-11 am Back to the streets, this time heading as a group to the Garden of Dreams, a small oasis in the now chaotic, loud, and motor-exhaust-filled streets. Over to the stunning, richly carved dark wooden temples and palaces of Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, built in the 1500s, a UNESCO World Heritage site. I am surprised/not surprised to restorations have recently been paid by China Aid. Meanwhile, an article in the Kathmandu paper reports how millions of dollars in US aid has been revoked by Elon Musk.

UNESCO World Heritage site, Durbar Square, Kathmandu

12 pm – It’s only been a few hours, but we are all ready to leave for Pokhara, the jumping off point for our Annapurna trek. And then the Big Rain comes. Apparently, monsoon season has begun a little earlier than we expected – and this is the first of what becomes a daily afternoon deluge – sometimes with hail and flash floods! Our cab is delayed, but it turns out the domestic airport in Kathmandu doesn’t take long to get through. Oh, and that Buddha Air is always delayed – our 1:50 pm, 20-minute flight lands at 4pm, but we are promptly picked up at the airport by our lovely Nepalese guide, dressed elegantly in flowing white pants and top, Shrija. Tomorrow she’ll be in trekking gear, but now she looks like the yoga teacher she is when she’s not leading Himalayan treks.

5 pm Sipping fresh, deep red, sour-sweet rhododendron juice at our splurge 4-star hotel ($95/night for double rooms), we decide to head to an early dinner. “Lunch” (i.e. snacks) at the airport was the only disappointing meal we had the entire 2 weeks.

We take a leisurely 20-minute lakeside stroll along the pedestrian stone path to the Juicery Café, an airy, plant-filled café with wide, open windows overlooking the lake, grape vines dripping from the ceiling, live music filling the air. Dinner: fresh tropical fruit shakes + Himalayan red rice bowls (marinated tofu or chicken, cauliflower, shitakes, green beans, spinach).

On the way home I see my dog’s doppelgänger and scratch him behind his ears, forgetting I’m not supposed to pet stray dogs (or are they owned? Hard to say). I send a photo to my kids and my son asks how Oscar got to Nepal. 😊 There’s a blue steel Ferris wheel going 45 miles an hour in a circle – so fast people are shrieking like it’s a roller coaster – Shrija says that’s a normal speed –couples have an excuse to hold on to each other she says. We dare each other to go on, but no one wants to lose their dinner, and we laugh about it the rest of the trip.

Pokhara, Nepal - jumping off point for Annapurna treks

7 pm “cultural show”: traditional Nepalese music and dancing enjoyed with Nepalese craft beer, poolside at our hotel.

9 pm: Hot, heavy rain shower (I have an eco-friendly low-pressure showerhead at home so this feels like a real treat) + yummy shortbread cookies (gotta love nice hotels), then glorious bed.

Tomorrow: finally, after 3 days of traveling, we head into the mountains!

two things to try

Two things I like to do when I travel:

🗺️1. Leave your phone on airplane mode, and only connect to Wi-Fi if you really need to. It doesn't have to be an international trip. It feels like eons ago that I had to travel with maps IRL, and this is an easy way to recreate some of the serendipity of old-school traveling.

Tip: If you have a terrible sense of direction, either get a little compass (your phone has one that'll work without wi-fi), or download a map on your phone that you can still use it even without wi-fi. It's not totally the same, but it will open up your senses in a refreshing way.

A very well-traveled friend recommended the app Maps.me, especially if you're going somewhere rural. Google maps can work in more urban spots.

😯2. Look up. Seriously - if you're in a big city, especially. I learned this when I studied abroad in Prague, a city with astoundingly beautiful architecture, but it applies everywhere. You'll be surprised at what unexpected, funny, and beautiful things you notice.