Namo Buddha Monastery is a Buddhist monastery located just a couple of hours from the capital city of Kathmandu. It’s a great day hike from Dhulikhel and is worth visiting if you’re interested in learning about Buddhism. You can stay at the monastery guest house and eat with the monks and attend their chanting sessions […]
Nepal’s Newari Caste: Food, Culture and Traditions
Nepal is a diverse country with around 125 different ethnic groups and 123 different languages. Before I arrived, I assumed everyone was Nepali and spoke Nepalese. While that is kind of true, there are a variety of different ethnic groups. Further, among each ethnic group there are subgroups. I’ve been lucky enough to make friends […]
The Rise of Female Trekking Guides in Nepal: Feminism in the Mountains
A friend invited me to attend a ceremony honoring three Sherpa women who had just summited Everest, and luckily, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. It was at this presentation that I sat next to Lakhphuti Sherpa. Little did I know, I was sitting next to one of the trail blazers of the female guide […]
Thangka Painting in Nepal: Significance & History
After traveling for months on end and meeting countless people, it’s rare that someone is able to surprise me. Rare, but not impossible. I met my friend Kichaa Chitrakar while trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. After knowing him for months, the topic of painting came up. “You can paint?” I asked casually. As soon […]
Seeing an Astrologer in Nepal: What it’s like
The sweet smell of rotten fruit fills the air. Probably offerings to the gods left in the Kathmandu heat for too long. A baby goat is tied up nearby, and a man wearing white linen clothing sits close while chanting. Dust churns in the air as motorbikes speed past, honking at one another to signal […]
Learning About Nepali Culture in Bardaghat Village Near Lumbini
There are places you go to see things, and there are places you go to be a part of them. For me, Bardaghat and Lumbini were the latter. I’d heard that Lumbini was a crowded town with an Indian vibe. It was described to me by people who knew my experience with India was unpleasant. […]
Book Review: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
I downloaded Siddhartha by Herman Hesse after a friend recommended it to me. To be honest, I didn’t really know what it was about and had wrongfully assumed it was the story of Buddha. My friend had described it as “simple but profound” and he was right. Siddhartha tells the story of a boy (who […]
A Glimpse into the Lives of Nepali Women
Having spent over three months in Nepal, it was kind of shocking that I really hadn’t spent any time with Nepali women. They seemed so mysterious to me. On my last trip to Nepal, I spent a month in Pokhara, and while I met lots of guys, it seemed women never went anywhere unaccompanied. Groups […]
Watching Cremations at Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal
When you ask your friends their vacation plans, you’ll rarely hear one tell you that they are spending the day watching open air cremations. In Kathmandu, Nepal cremations have become a bit of a tourist attraction, and while that may sound appalling, it’s actually extremely spiritual. Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal is a UNESCO World Heritage […]
Sherpa Culture of Nepal: Food, History, and Traditions
Nepal is a diverse country with around 125 different ethnic groups and 123 different languages. In order to show people a little bit more about all the different cultures, I’ve decided to highlight a different ethnicity each week, and this week it’s Sherpas! Hold up, isn’t a Sherpa a mountain guide? I asked myself the same […]