Ghorepani-Chuile: The Day of Up and Down

Today is day three of five on our Annapurna Area trek. We hiked from Ghorepani (which means ‘Horsewater’ in Nepalese) to Chuile. This morning, Mom and Dad woke up so early to hike about 45 minutesLæs mere
We missed the sunrise and the crowds...

Early this morning, Lara and I left our cozy teahouse with Madan, our Nepali guide, for a steep uphill jaunt to Poon Hill. It is a daily ritual for some 300 trekking tourists to catch the sunrise onLæs mere
Up (almost) 2 km in 2 days

We started our trek in Nayapul at 1000m elevation. After the first 5 hours, we reached Ulleri at 1900m, where we spent the night - as soon as we got into the tea house, sweaty and tired, the skiesLæs mere
Up Up Up to Chisopani

Yesterday, Dad and I hiked from Sunderijal all the way to Chisopani, about a 15k hike. It doesn’t sound like too much, but about 3/4 of the hike was completely uphill, and so steep! We hiked aboutLæs mere
Friendship Homestay

We had a great stay with Nima and Sharada and their 6 month old son Urgain. Also living with us were grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, the odd trekking guide here and there, and from timeLæs mere
Night of the Momo...

Our last night at the Friendship Homestay we had a momo party! Momos are a type of steamed dumpling (with meat, cheese or veggie filling) that are popular through South Asia. We have been eating themLæs mere
Kopan Monastery

Kopan Monastery was a short 20minute walk up the hill from our homestay. Many children are sent here from remote rural villages as early as the of 6 or 7 to get a good education. We enjoyed visitingLæs mere
Daddy Daughters Day Out

Yesterday morning, we were supposed to all have a day out in the town. Then, Malcolm got grumpy, which mixed us all up. After a while, Dad, Dale and I were on our way to Ratna Park, and Lara andLæs mere
Exploring Shivapuri national park

In some ways, Shivapuri national park could almost be Gatineau park, just with higher hills, more cows, goats, and garbage... oh yes, and more prayer flags. It is really beautiful, even with overcastLæs mere
Hanging out in Kathmandu

We are enjoying our not-so-busy time in Kathmandu - especially our neighbourhood, which is a stomach-churning 40 minute drive from the main tourist area, but is easy walking distance to several funLæs mere
Celebrity surprise!

An Australian guest, Brigitte, was at dinner tonight. We learned that she is a frequent visitor to Nepal - this time, here to lead a women’s group on a mountain trek. Curious, Geoff asked where sheLæs mere
EXTENDING THE TRIP!!!!

DALE BOUGHT A LOTTERY TICKET AND WE WON ALMOST 2.5MILLION USD!!!
We decided to extend the trip for another half a year, and we will be flying first class FOR ALL OUR NEXT FLIGHTS PLUS 5 STARLæs mere
The Himalayas Are Hiding...

We joined two Americans (Danielle and Christian) and another Canadian (Shanice) on this day trip to Nagarkot, outside of Kathmandu. We climbed to an elevation of about 2000m and trekked along a ridgeLæs mere
I love a good wander...

Malcolm and I found ourselves up high on a hill overlooking Kathmandu and, rather than retrace our steps down a long and dusty road, we followed a random gully just to see what we could see. On theLæs mere
We're in Nepal!

Joy! Our living temperature went from 35° (India) to 16° (Nepal)!! We arrived safely in Kathmandu yesterday after an unusually bumpy flight from Delhi.
We will be in Nepal for five weeks, out of theLæs mere
O Canada!

Our visit to Delhi turned into a lovely break from travelling. We stayed in “mini-Canada”, thanks to our friends Staci and Dan at the Canadian High Commission. We left India behind for a couple ofLæs mere
Happy Holi!

Today was a colourful day. Today was the Indian festival Holi also known as the colour festival and sometimes the water festival. The festival celebrates the return of Spring. It’s a day when peopleLæs mere
What a Wonder of the World

Today we visited an amazing building with extremely intricate architecture but also a very important piece of history. We woke at 5:15 in the morning so we wouldn’t miss the sunrise on the whiteLæs mere
Volunteering at Taabar School

We spent three days volunteering at a school near the Jaipur railway station, with boys from ages 7-17, who have been rescued from working at factories. The school is also a shelter, where these kidsLæs mere
Jaipur

Lara managed to find a decent cup of coffee at the Indian Coffee House. This is a worker-owned cooperative that emerged in the 1940s and now has over 400 shops across India. Malcolm and Lara are stillLæs mere
Udaipur, Rajasthan

Unfortunately, Udaipur won’t likely rest in our memories for its ornate palaces, scenic lake vistas or even as the shooting location for 007’s Octopussy....India finally caught up with us andLæs mere
Lots to see and do...

Time to leave Ahmedabad, just when all of us are getting comfortable. It took us a long while to figure out ATMs, getting around, grocery shopping. Lara was able to reconnect with friends ChristinaLæs mere
Week one in Ahmedabad

We are in Ahmedabad right now and I still don’t know if I like it here or not. It the farthest from Ottawa I’ve ever seen, culture-wise, living/city-wise, and distance-wise. There aren’t manyLæs mere
Yoga in Ahmedabad, Gujarat

We tried a kids class today at a yoga studio in our neighbourhood. They had some fun and interesting swings for the kids to practice their poses with. The teachers and the other students were lovelyLæs mere
The Vickram Sarabhai Space Exhibition

Today me my mom and my brother went to a space center. Once we got there and went inside there was this boy about 8 years old who came up and asked us if we wanted him to explain the parts of a rocketLæs mere