April 2018 - Where Next, Baby?

April 30, 2018September 26, 2019

Visiting Nepal: Washing the Dead in Kathmandu

The dead bodies were lined up along the Bagmati River. They were placed with care in the ancient and sacred Pashupatinath Hindu temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating to 400 BC. Nepal is more than 80 percent Hindu. The dead were on bamboo stretchers, wrapped in sheets and covered in marigold-colored cloths. One …

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April 29, 2018January 17, 2020

Nepal Travel: navigating the hairpin-turn cliffs to Kathmandu

Three years after the April 2015 earthquake disaster, Nepal looks like a mountainous, tropical version of London after The Blitz. Nepal travel offers a stark reminder of how long the recovery from such a disaster can last ... long after the news of the disaster has fallen out of the international headlines. The main road …

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April 27, 2018January 19, 2020

Glimpses of Nepal

Travel to Nepal is eye-opening in many ways. Nepal is poor. People earn around $200 to $300 a month in professional jobs. So about 5 million men have gone to other countries to try to earn more money. They’re primarily in Dubai, Japan and Korea. They Skype and FaceTime with their families in Nepal. Some …

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April 25, 2018February 15, 2020

Travel to Tibet: Warm welcome to the top of the world

Tibet will swell your heart to bursting, then smash it in pieces. It’s Shangri-La, Shambala, Shang Bala, the mythical mountain paradise. It’s absolutely stunning landscape. It’s Buddhism, the spiritual home of the Dalai Lama. Tibetans greet us at the airport with long, white silk scarves they tie around our necks. These khatas symbolize purity and …

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April 24, 2018March 5, 2020

Tibet travel tidbits

Some more tidbits from our travel to Tibet: When a Tibetan dies, he is laid out in his home for three days. Then the undertaker comes. There are five kinds of burials here: Tomb burials for the reincarnation lama/monk like the Dalai Lama Fire burials for monks and other religious leaders Earth burials for people …

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April 23, 2018January 19, 2020

Tibet: Mount Everest photobombed my selfie and ruined my vacation

So there I was, minding my own business, trying to take a selfie because that’s what all the cool kids are doing. And this mountain just comes up out of nowhere and photobombs my shot. My vacation was literally ruined. Yeah, yeah, someone said Mount Everest is a big deal and I should be honored …

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April 19, 2018January 24, 2020

What’s cuter than a baby goat? Two baby goats

April 18, 2018January 19, 2020

Visiting Nepal: a delightful food find in a downpour on the streets of Kathmandu

Delicious food at Frens in Kathmandu, Nepal

The rain fell in soaking sheets as we tried to find our way through the mucky streets of back-alley Thamel, the bustling, buzzing tourist area of Kathmandu. We were disagreeing on whether we were lost (She: "Without a doubt." He: "I know exactly where we are.") Delicious food at Frens Kitchen in Kathmandu, Nepal It …

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April 17, 2018February 15, 2020

What do they call Chinese food in China? ‘Food’ … and some other tidbits

Some tidbits as we travel China: Children are taught English starting at age 5 now. Adorable tiny children walk by, smiling at me and shyly say “hello,” and are delighted when I answer. But most adults can’t speak it, and communication is often difficult. We use a translation app when we can. And at one …

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April 16, 2018January 19, 2020

China Travel: Observations from booming China

China Is Booming. At least that's how it looks as we wind around the outskirts of Xi'an. Endless miles of new 35-story apartment buildings look like a giant boy bought out the giant Jenga factory and is placing the pieces on their ends toward infinity. He’s filling gaps literally on a daily basis. The Chinese …

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Month: April 2018