Nepal is an absolute gem for those seeking a blend of natural beauty, cultural richness, and adrenaline-inducing adventure. This mystical land boasts a history as intriguing as its landscape and culture, which are steeped in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other ancient traditions. As a spiritual and cultural hub of Southeast Asia, Nepal plays host to some …
The first strings of a melody slid into the corners of the room as the musician strummed her guitar. The nearby interpretive dancer stood frozen in place, eyes cast upward as she waited for her cue. The tiny grandma behind me bobbed from side-to-side over my shoulder, attempting to see past my tall frame. I slouched deeper into my …
Moments and anecdotes from my travels flutter into my memory as I go about my day-to-day life. I’ve talked about this feeling in the past on A Little Adrift. In my post on “How Four Years Traveling the World Changed Me,” the most seemingly odd smell or sound triggers the memory of a conversation had …
Legs crossed and boiling hot chai in hand, I sat on the floor in the back of Sunil’s shop swapping stories and chatter. Sunil’s shop was popular, and not just with the backpacker crowd haunting the cramped streets of Thamel, Kathmandu, his friends regularly popped into the shop. And as is the case with any …
Two weeks ago, I was playing around on Facebook as a way to procrastinate the real work I should have been doing when a chat window popped up—from a sweet young woman I met at the orphanage in Cambodia where I volunteered more than a year and a half ago. Then, a decade later, it …
Nepal is sometimes overlooked by travelers because they figure it’s an extension of India; it’s not. Nepal has a beautiful, fascinating, unique history. The Nepali are incredibly friendly and fun—learn a bit of Nepali and they will love you for it. Nepal is a mecca for outdoorsy type travelers because of the Himalayan mountains that offer …
When you travel the world, you discover all kinds of new things: new dishes, new festivals, new cultures, new friends. The list is endless—it’s a parade of new things. Include sweet treats! Sure, over the years I’ve found my favorite signature dishes that I will forever love thanks to sampling them in a new country—some …
In the months and years since I took a ten-day Vipassana Meditation course in Nepal, friends and readers have asked me to share my thoughts, now that I have distance from the experience. I jotted a few sparse notes during the course, and journaled on Day Eleven to chronicle my ten-days in a Vipassana course. Those entries …