Blog

It was a shock to the senses returning to Thamel, the tourist hub of Kathmandu Valley, after the serenity of the mountains. It was a familiar spot though, and we were grateful to be reunited with clean clothes, and a hotel room with a guaranteed hot shower and electricity. We had a long list of admin to work through again, with the priority being laundry, job interviews and yummy food !! While we weren’t entirely sure what we’d be doing next, we did decide that there would be

With our legs rested & recovered, we set off from Namche Bazaar in the direction of Mount Everest! While Luke was in high spirits and good health, Jelley quickly realized that she was coming down with the notorious ‘ Khumbu cough '. The condition is still a bit of a mystery, generally this ‘cough’ is caused by a combination of low humidity and temperatures in high altitudes, and it seemed like just about everyone we had spoken to in Namche had it. We were hopeful that the co

Our journey to Jiri began with a 3.45am alarm and a taxi to a bus ‘station’ on the outskirts of Kathmandu. There were three potential locations on Google Maps, and the taxi dropped us off at one with multiple buses and people milling around in the dark. After some confusion, a local man walked us 300m across the highway and down to a ticket office at what also looked to be a bus station. Tickets now in hand, we sat down and tried to order either coffee, or hot water to make a

It was a 7.5 hour bus journey to Sauraha, the town we would be based in while exploring Chitwan National Park. We were surprised at the bus stop on the other end to be greeted by Raj from ‘Rhino Land’ who was there to give us a ride to his hotel! We had resigned ourselves to a 30-minute walk (or an annoying negotiation with a tuk tuk driver), and we were grateful he was there to give us a ride in the back of his jeep. Once we arrived at Rhino Land Hotel, we met a really cool

After the challenges and excitement of the detour to Tilicho Lake, it was time to rejoin the Annapurna Circuit, with a few easier days before the ultimate challenge of crossing Thorong La Pass. If you missed it, you can catch up on part 1 here . Day 11: Shree Kharka to Yak Kharka - 10km (6.2mi) Our destination today was a settlement called Yak Kharka - with a name like this translating to ‘yak pastures’, we held high hopes of seeing some yaks! Our dream was fulfilled very qu

Hiking around the Annapurna Circuit is what is commonly known as ‘teahouse trekking’. It follows a well-established trail which passes through many small villages with teahouses (or guest houses), which are hosted by local families welcoming trekkers with meals and accommodation. Over the past 40 or so years, the Circuit has gradually become more commercial, with a road now extending as far as the town of Manang, meaning some trekkers take a jeep along the treacherous mountai

The year is 2080, and we’ve been transported into the future. Although at times it felt like we have been transported back in time. On our evening flight from Singapore in 2023 to Kathmandu in 2080, we sat next to a chatty Nepali man who was a Christian theology teacher living in San Francisco for the past 30 years. He initially fled religious persecution in Nepal, but now returns twice a year to work with orphans and contribute to his community there. It was great to get som