It’s hard to believe we’ve spent the entire year of 2019 on the road. But we did, and to reflect a bit we’ve compiled a few statistics to nerd out on... 20 countries, 3 continents, 17 capitals, 14 languages, 30 UNESCO sites, and 11 land borders (crossed by bus, rail or on foot) We’ve stayed in 42 AirBnbs, 51 guesthouses…
At some point in our travels through India we happened upon a quote that read, “Don’t make plans for India, India makes them for you...” This couldn’t have been more accurate in our case. We began our adventure along India’s Golden Triangle route. This well-trodden tourist trail of Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur is where most first time travelers who come…
Well, we had arrived to the land of extremes. A country proclaimed by many to be an “assault on all your senses...” the “love it or hate it“ destination. Oh India... you are indeed one-of-a-kind and without equal. Our first stop in India was one that does not attract a lot of foreign tourists, but since we scored a cheap…
Two hours by local bus ($.50/ticket) east from Kathmandu brought us to the small village of Dhulikel. We sought two things here...fresher air, and views of the eastern Himalayas. Both, it turned out were only marginally attainable at our new address. The locals here (and guidebooks) claim that on clear days you can see the entire Himalayan range, including almighty…
There are so many things about North Lakeside in Pokhara (Poke-ah-ra, not Poke-ahr-a) that just make you want to drop your trekking poles, and hang out for awhile. We’re not usually into touristy places, but the clean air, abundant ethnic and vegetarian food options, juice bars, yoga classes, lakeside strolls, movie garden, Thai massages and the rock-bottom prices on everything…
Mandy remembers spinning her new globe at age seven and being awed by all the “bumpy” bits on the round sphere indicating mountains. Among those bumps was one country that fascinated her more than any other...little Nepal because it was seemingly ALL bumps. At that age, she vowed to go...to Nepal...on the basis that it was cool and bumpy. Regardless,…
Journeying overland from Lucknow in India to Nepal took some initiative and significantly more determination than we’d expected, made all the more difficult because of the week long Diwali festival celebrations, which we had unfortunately mistimed to coincide with our travel days. The magic transit formula for success ended up being one Uber, one Indian train, two(!) sardine-tinned shared “taxis”,…
Trekking, as many may know, is one of our most-loved forms of travel and exploration. Trekking with meaning adds a whole new level. Back in 1996, a wonderfully innovative community oriented initiative called TESFA, meaning “hope”, was started in the Northern Ethiopian highlands. Nowadays, Tesfa Tours, runs multiple community trekking options using the TESFA program of community lodges, and we…
