WanderlustandWhimSea

Nepal seemed so calm and serene after India. Kathmandu is a large city but notably missing was the honking, crazy traffic and the TRASH. There were thousands of motorcycles but no Tuk-Tuks and a basic regard for the rules of the road. The current mayor of Kathmandu is quite progressive and has spent the past 5 years getting the trash under control in the city. This effort was much appreciated as a tourist! Nepal experienced a devastating earthquake in 2015. The historic districts were left in rubble and piles of dust. Everything had to be rebuilt from the ground up. It’s taken 10 years, but the detail and care rebuilding the thousands year old temples is astonishing. The guide mentioned in some ways it was a good thing to rebuild, as it kept the artisans and craftsman employed, and allowed them to share their skills with a new generation. To the untrained eye you would never know it was rebuilt.

The people of Nepal were colorful and kind. My favorite was this chunky monkey 6 month old who was celebrating getting his first solid food. He seemed to be getting along just fine without it

This 12 year old girl is a living goddess and believed to be divine. Although considered an honor to the Nepali, it seems a bit harsh for western sensibilities. A young virgin is chosen to be the living goddess as early as 4 years old and taken to live in a small house within a temple complex. While serving in this position, she isn’t allowed to leave the house except when carried by chariot to a festival. If I was a deity, I might expect a grand residence, it wasn’t, and she seemed a bit bored with the whole blessing of the tourists thing but what the heck, I got blessed by this child because what could it hurt and maybe even might help.

You may be wondering why just one photo of the magnificent Everest? Well after nearly a month in India my luck ran out, and rather than looking at the majestic Himalaya’s during my 50 minute scenic flight, I spent the time praying I wouldn’t have a bathroom emergency as Travelers Diarrhea had hit. What’s worse than one flight with this problem, well of course a second in country flight just an hour later! Then 5 more flights till I arrived back in Florida. Imodium and Pepto had minor affect. I survived, but took myself to Mayo Clinic and the conclusion is I have 4 of the possible 6 types of E-coli. Thank God for antibiotics! And this is despite a diligence in what I ate, the water I drank, the hand sanitizing and washing. I can honestly say I couldn’t have been more careful, but shit happens, quite literally.

This was my first trip with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) and I was pleased with what they offered. I’ll probably do another trip with them, but I already have my bookings in place for the balance of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. You see I enjoy the planning of travel, almost as much as the experience of traveling. So glad I finally got to experience India and Nepal as that’s countries 108 and 109 in my new quest with no established goal. This site will go dark until Sept when I’m off on my next adventure of a river cruise on the Rhein and Danube. Cheers – have a great spring and summer.