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  • Sellers Round-the-World Trip
    11
    Day 98

    Capetown - Family and Penguins!

    April 6, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    I woke up this morning and experienced something that is occurring more frequently - I truly couldn’t remember where I was! I thought “definitely not Nepal - where am I?” Finally realized as I looked around and saw I’m in a huge beautiful tent that I’m in South Africa - in Kruger National Park. (I’m a bit behind in writing)

    There are such stark differences between Nepal and South Africa- both so beautiful in their own way. Both with such unique histories, landscapes, cultures and religions. Different food. We’ve quickly become accustomed to Load shedding (daily scheduled power outages) here. And while Nepal is home to one of my favorite sites (Bouddhanath) in the world, South Africa tugs at my heart in particular as it’s where my father was born…and where my Aunt Amanda lives that I only got to know recently. A large part of my family’s history is here…and It has been remarkable. ❤️

    Capetown is at the south-western most tip of Africa. It is surrounded by uniquely lined and stacked mountains on multiple sides, including Table mountain, which we visited via a large, high tech revolving cable car. We stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast a block from my aunt so we could have some good family time. We went Aunt Amanda and Aunt Penny’s house with their lovely cats. We had a beautiful family picnic at the local botanical gardens. We had a braai (traditional South Africa grill/BBQ) with distant cousins which was also so special. We also drove along beach towns on the coast, made friends with a local kite surfing family, and Maddie became close friends with the daughter and had her first sleepover since being on this trip. She even got to try kite surfing.

    We also got to go to Boulders Beach and were surprised to see hundreds of penguins nesting. We even got to go in the water near them - freezing water - so only Brian went swimming! Shocker 😂. We also got see an animal we had never heard of called a Dassie. Super cute combo looks like a mini bear and Guinea pig that hang out in and on the bushes near the Cape.

    I have travelled quite extensively in the past but still get caught off guard by how many things (places, ideas, and animals) I didnt know existed. For some reason I love learning about how much I don’t know. I love that reality check in life - there is so much out there. There is always something new. There is always something to be explored. So much beauty in that. I feel that constantly here. It’s beautiful.

    And more than anything I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know my Aunt - we are so blessed to have such a beautiful human being as part of our family. Beyond grateful…❤️

    Anyhow long post - hope you’re all well! I’ll write soon about Kruger National Park then we’ll be off to Egypt and Morocco!

    —————————————————-

    “Life is a daring adventure towards an unknown future. Its beauty depends on how much you enjoy the journey.”

    Debasish Mridha    Read more

  • Sellers Round-the-World Trip
    1
    Day 90

    Nepal Trekking Awesomeness!

    March 29, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 37 °F

    When I read about this trek before we left on the trip, articles considered this one of the “easiest” treks in Nepal that a 6 year old could do. Well - that 6 year old better be in some crazy good shape because we just spent 4 nights and 5 days getting crushed (in a good way though) by the Himalayas!

    The Ghorepani-Poon Hill trek was an amazing and truly remarkable experience that I will forever cherish. We had a guide, Santosh, and two porters (each one carried a backpack - one with clothes and supplies and the other camera gear!). These 3 men made the trip for us - helped us every literal step of the way, helped us with finding delicious and authentic food, lodging, and were crazy patient with us as we walked usuallly up hill around 5-6 miles per day. We spent so much time together: ate together and laughed together - and they watched some of cry together.

    This “tour” is not a luxury tour by western standards - we trekked during the day, stopped at open air guest/tea houses that served lunch, usually filtered our own water using our grayl water bottle, then trekked a couple more hours before we spent the night in a tea house which is a combined hostal/restaurant (all menus the same at each tea house in the region)- that have no heat other than furnace on the main level that everyone sits around getting warmed up by the heat and warm masala or lemon ginger honey tea. It was rough, cold and challenging — but that is part of what makes this so amazing and so worth it.

    The food was amazing (lots of Dal bhat and veggie curry with rice and chapatis and Tibetan bread). The tea was divine. The duvets were super warm as long as an extremity didn’t poke out by accident in the middle of the night- even having my jacket covered shoulder exposed sent shivers through my whole body. Showers only happened once in 4 nights…

    But we did it!

    On day 3- we woke up at 430 am to hike in the dark to the summit of Poon Hill - if you can imagine walking up stairs non stop for an hour up the side of a large mountain in the dark- that’s what we did. The views were stunning the whole way up as the rising sun decided to slowly display ever changing colors across the sky. Brian and Maddie went up first and katie and I a bit slower - the views were stunning and we did it!!

    We had our share of experiences with critters- between dogs and cats that jumped into the girls laps to their delight to Maddie and I separately finding ENORMOuS spiders (no joke - 5-6 inches across) in our bathrooms within 20 minutes apart at night, resulting in multiple frantic yelling out to our guide and having him laugh after lifting up and proudly showing us the very large dead bodies of the gargantuan spiders that are apparently common in this part of the country. We did not sleep well that night!

    Anyhow were back in Pokhara now, got a deliciously warm shower, are back to school work, and will head back to Kathmandu tomorrow - overland rather than fly -because after our last flight we learned that the same airline (Yeti) AND route we flew on last week crashed 2 months prior to our trip. We hadn’t known that when we booked it, so decided to be on the safer side! So tomorrow we’ll drive between 6-8 hours to get back to Kathmandu.

    We hope you are all doing well and hopefully enjoying the beginning or end of spring break back home!!

    Next Stop: Cape Town, South Africa!! We leave on Monday.

    Below is the overview of our trek- feel free to read or not but I wanted to remember some of the details for myself and the book I’m going to create from FindPenguins…

    ————————-
    overview of our trip:

    Day 1: we drove an hour and a half from Pokhara to our trekking starting point (funny we thought those views were amazing at the beginning - little did we know!). Santosh had us drive a bit further up the trail than they would normally for adults since we had kids. It was appreciated!! We still walked uphill several hours. We stayed in Ulleri at night at a simple tea house with delicious food and masala tea. We taught Santosh Uno and had a woman from Spain join us - we got to practice our Spanish! We had our own bathroom in our room. It was cold! First time girls spent the night in a separate room from us.

    Day 2: all day trek from Ulleri to Ghorepani and stayed at another tea house with stunning views of multiple snow capped enormous mountains. Basic room was freezing at night but very warm duvets!! Girls had to change clothes under the covers! 🤪 it worked well. We got to meet some fluffy sweet dogs and a very cute kitten that jumped on both girls laps - made their day. We also met some really nice people from Ireland that night who were super sweet in listening to a lot of kid dog and gerbil stories about back home! Kids had pizza - B and I ate some veggie thali- so so good!

    Day 3: ugh - woke up at 430 am - could see our breath in the room. We got our head lamps out and began the early 5 am trek to Poon Hill. - an hour or so trek up - hard but amazing! Santosh got us some warm tea at the top and had helped encourage Katie the whole way up! Then we came back to the tea house for breakfast (delicious), warmed up near their large furnace and trekked the rest of the day (5-6 hours) to Tadapani. Santosh recommended a pony for the first hour of significant up hill trekking for Katie toward Tadapani - which ended up being a great idea because she was so exhausted and loved being on the horse! Tadapani ended up being awesome because even though we ended up at a tea house with a shared toilet for 20ish people, we met two French families living in Dubai - there were lots of kids and they got to play!!

    Day 4: tadapani to Gandruk - girls said goodbye to their friends and we finally got some downhill but then realized our muscles got more sore from downhill than uphill! 3 hour trek to Gangdruk.

    That night in Gandruk - my least favorite - I saw the biggest spider of life. So did Maddie - not cool but at least they weren’t poisonous!

    Day 5: Gandruk to Pokhara - we trekked downhill only for over an hour and then car brought us back to our hotel (2 more hours). Long warm showers followed just about the second we walked back in here and we haven’t left the room since other than to get food downstairs !

    It’s been an adventure!!    Read more

  • Sellers Round-the-World Trip
    4
    Day 83

    Returning to Kathmandu

    March 22, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    In 2000, I spent several months backpacking through Southeast Asia, including about 3 weeks in Nepal and Tibet. I had gotten a respiratory infection while in Nepal, so couldn’t go trekking like I had hoped to. Somehow I ended up spending most of my time near a place previously unknown to me - Bouddhanath Stupa, the largest Buddhist prayer Kora in all of Nepal. It became precious to me - I spent hours there, watching the Tibetan Buddhists pray and walk clockwise around the prayer circuit, spinning prayer wheels clockwise, quietly saying mantras, with colorful prayer flags flapping gently in the wind overhead with the smell of incense in the air. It became my happy place and since that time, I’ve always considered it my favorite place on the other side of the world. ❤️

    More than 20 year later I have finally returned with Brian and the kiddos - and the second I saw it again, my breath stopped. It is magnificent. No amount of pictures or video can do it justice. As a proud hospice nurse who believes deeply in the work I do, I don’t always understand what makes me tick but I do know it’s based on a spiritual connection to my work. That said, I feel as strongly and spiritually connected to Bouddhanath even 20 years later as I do in being a hospice nurse. So glad to be back…

    For us as a family, this has been yet another eye opening part of this adventure: seeing the “monkey temple,” homeless dogs, Hindu cremations on an outdoor funeral pyre (yes we saw this), learning about the Sherpa, meeting monks, lots of cars and chaotic traffic, a crazy ride in a Rickshaw, and having the most wonderful guide that we ended up having dinner with the following night along with her family. We have been blessed with this.

    Tomorrow we head to Pokhara and then trekking…

    You’ll probably hear from us after the trek is done / not sure about wifi up in the Himalayas as it’s already terrible in Kathmandu!

    Love and light!    Read more

  • Sellers Round-the-World Trip
    Day 80

    Everybody was Muay Thai Fighting…

    March 19, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Every morning around 6 am I have been waking up to the sound of yelling over at the Muay Thai studio down the road from us. What better way to spend our time …or have the girls spend their time than learning some Muay Thai while we’re here in Thailand!

    I grew up doing judo so while it’s always been really important to me to have that sense of self / with knowing how to protect myself…and I’ve always wanted to have the girls learn to defend themselves as well. However we just haven’t really made that happen yet. So why not start in Thailand.

    One hour of training - it was hot! The coach did not go easy on either of them and they rocked it - again! The cool thing about it was how happy everyone was - it was serious but happy at the same time.

    We head out tomorrow and they’re going to practice for another hour with the same coach before we check out in the AM.

    Otherwise we’ve had fun seeing a different part of Thailand. Girls have continued to do homeschool.We’ve had some crazy cheap massages. And we’ve had some AMAZING Thai food!

    Tomorrow we’re off to Bangkok for the night and then Nepal. We’ll be in Kathmandu for several days, Pokhara for 4-5 days and then a 5 day trek into the Himalayas! Can’t wait!

    See you in the next country!!    Read more

  • Sellers Round-the-World Trip
    111
    Day 73

    Elephant Hills - Surat Thani, Thailand

    March 12, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F

    I’m literally staring at the screen not sure what to write - another moment of awe as I reflect on yet another amazing part of this trip.

    We spent 4 nights at Elephant Hills Elephant Sanctuary in Surat Thani, Thailand. This was a decadent treat - beautiful landscapes, interacting with and feeding beautiful Asian Elephants, amazing Thai food (getting our spice on), luxury tent, jumping off a huge traditional Burmese junk boat into salty Indian ocean water, and connecting with a phenomenal group of different people from all over the world.

    I didn’t realize how elephants were used for labor here - including transportation of large trees that have been knocked down, tourism - elephant rides, circus style shows, etc. Elephant Hills rescues these work elephants and gives them a wonderful life in the countryside of Surat Thani. Some things we did:

    Day 1- canoeing and learning about and feeding the elephants.

    Day 2- kayaking in the mangroves and jumping from the second level of a large boat into a very salty river that connects to the Indian Ocean.

    Day 3 - rode a long tail boat out to a floating camp where we spent the day swimming in and relaxing along a 100 meter deep lake surrounded by high gumdrop shaped mountains that reminded me of Guilin, China. Stunning - oh and then there were the huge fish we swam with 🐟 🙃

    Day 4 - school work, packing, a ginormous spider (huntsman spider right outside our tent) and a day traveling to Koh Samui - girls are going to try Muay Thai fighting today!!

    Hope you are all well! Be safe.

    Next stop: we’ll be in Koh Samui until Monday - one night back in Bangkok - and then Kathmandu Nepal!!    Read more

  • Sellers Round-the-World Trip
    Day 69

    Bangkok - Fun, Friends, and Sweat!

    March 8, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 95 °F

    Brian and I had both been to Bangkok before so we were curious about how this leg of our journey would be for the 4 of us. We once again took a red eye flight from Australia coupled with layover for 4 hours in the middle of the night in Singapore making us all extremely tired and grouchy. Most exciting way to start a new and more challenging section of this journey when everyone is homesick already I personally think. 🙂

    Bangkok is hot - not an “oh I could use a bit of air conditioner hot” - it’s a “sweat running down your back till your pant legs are wet because we have to wear appropriate attire to the Grand Palace and temples” type of hot. Fortunately Bangkok also included friend time - new and old.

    We happened to be in town at the same time as friends we haven’t seen since before the kids were born, the Mladinichs. They were visiting some of their buddies in Thailand - so we made some new friends as well, experienced amazing Thai hospitality - all sweating it out together! Adults got to hang out at night eating the most amazing Thai food while the kids played in an amazing pool in their neighborhood. Connection is so important - and it nourished all of us - body and soul.

    The Grand Palace and temples were amazing though. The enormous Reclining Buddha always makes me shake my head in awe; the vibrant colors and ornate design of the temples leave me speechless - while sweating a lot. We were happy to see the kids experiencing all of it!

    Just for reference - in Bangkok we stayed at a hostel in the city that cost about 25 US dollars per night. Our bathroom was a small combo of shower and toilet where you had to close the lid of the toilet while you showered to keep the seat dry so you can later pee without slipping right off. School work and tutoring was done on the bed - we all adjust as we go!

    And once again with my wonderful planning, we are taking a 7 am flight to Surat Thani to go to an elephant sanctuary - which means we had to get up 345 am to catch a taxi to the airport. At some point I’ll learn!

    Next up: elephant hills sanctuary. (Shh - we’re here right now - I’m behind on posting. Yesterday we spent time and fed elephants and it was AMAZING!!!) - will do that post soon.

    ❤️

    Sent from my iPhone    Read more

  • Sellers Round-the-World Trip
    Day 69

    Goodbye Australia!

    March 8, 2023 in Australia

    We are currently in Brisbane, Australia getting prepared to hop on yet another red eye to Bangkok via Singapore.

    Our last few days have been travel and adventure filled - we took an overnight train (25 hour) with sleeper seats (hallelujah because I cannot sleep on planes, cars, or in any mode of transportation requiring sitting mostly upright) from Queensland to Brisbane! This train was a highlight for me for two reasons: 1) it was Katie’s 11th birthday! 🥳 and 2) I got 25 hours of mommy alone time - in my own little cubicle style area! I slept well and It was heavenly!

    Brisbane has been lovely - all along the river that runs through town (aptly named Brisbane River) are public lagoon style pools, shops, and mostly lush green space and gardens. We’ve enjoyed it.

    Our last stop today before our red eye to Thailand was at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Maddie is doing a research project on koalas right now so this was a perfect last stop. The koalas were adorable; they love eucalyptus (live in the trees and eat the leaves); and cool factoid: if you ever get a koala stuck in your pool (!), you should throw a large rope in to help them climb out! This is definitely not something you hear in the US! We also got to feed lots of kangaroos!

    Thank you Australia for your hospitality, beauty, and awesome accents.

    We’re excited to be on our way to Thailand where just by chance, some of our friends, the Mladinichs, will be in Bangkok at exactly the same time as us! So we’re going to hang out with some friends!! Yay!

    Next 2 weeks: Thailand. Bangkok, Surat Thani, and Koh Samui.

    Then Nepal!

    May you all be happy, healthy and safe! ❤️ from our family to yours!
    ——————

    “Happiness is not something readymade; it comes from your own actions.” - Dalai Lama    Read more

  • Sellers Round-the-World Trip
    Day 65

    Great Barrier Reef - Good Grief!

    March 4, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    We have spent almost a week up here in Cairns, near the Great Barrier Reef in north eastern Australia in Queensland. We intentionally spent a week in one hotel to try to provide stability for the kids. What we adults have now fully learned is that the solution (like there is just one!) is not just about staying in one place - it’s about connection. The girls miss home. They miss friends. They miss our pets. They miss their grandmas that aren’t with us anymore. We are still all grieving- but that is part of this journey for us. So it’s probably been the toughest week emotionally for everyone.

    That said, The great barrier reef was amazing - I can’t even begin to compare it to the Galapagos. It’s like night and day. Going underwater in crystal clear water, swimming amongst the myriad of vibrant fish of varying shapes and sizes; The live flowing coral and enormous clams - that breathe and flow with the current. It’s like a dream. Watching Maddie dive down deep and turn around and wave at us; watching Katie overcome her fears asking to dive down as well and then saying how fun it was when she breeches the surface. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.

    I don’t even think the kids recognize how much they have grown in the last two months. I think there is healing there too, very slowly, for all of us. But we miss our moms so much.

    Some of our highlights this past week:
    - Fitzroy island: snorkeling straight off the beach and being absolutely blown away and stunned with having our first unexpected exposure to the amazing underwater world of the Great Barrier reef.

    - Manu the cockatoo: apparently a very notoriously dumb male cockatoo had a crush on me. He liked all of us girls but then took a particular liking to me and sought me out while at a wildlife center. Not sure if this is a high point or something to be proud of but it was hilarious. (Check out long but ultimately silly video)

    - Moore Reef: learning to wear a stinger suit and snorkel in a stunning setting - amazing

    -mentioning to an Aussie about the heavy rains they have here (torrential is the first word that comes to mind) and having him say “If the rain doesn’t bounce 3 feet off the ground, then it’s not REALLY rain. Welcome to the tropics!” 🙃

    -seeing the girls giggling and playing together even after the many epic arguments this week.

    Some low points:

    -katie has learned that she is very allergic to something INSIDE (most likely molds) just about everywhere in Cairns, finally prompting an urgent care visit yesterday with her and another “Welcome to the tropics!” Comment from the very nice doctor. 🤣

    -homesickness-it is the real deal this week. Girls are feeling it full force this week. We have to learn to navigate this and I’m glad we are together and talking about it.

    ————————

    Katie’s 11th birthday is this Monday! On her bday, we’ll be hopping on a 24 hour train down to Brisbane and then will prepare to leave for Thailand! We’ve been watching some YouTube videos on how to say hi and thank you in Thai - getting ready!

    Love to you all!

    Next stop: Brisbane, Australia by train and then Bangkok, Thailand!    Read more

  • Sellers Round-the-World Trip
    1213
    Day 56

    Sydney in 36 hours

    February 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Planning a 6 month round-the-world trip actually requires a lot of …well…planning. Something I’m not generally great at doing and have been waiting for the day when I realize - oops I booked the wrong flight; oops I forgot to have gotten a hostel/hotel for the right day so we’re shelterless, etc. but thankfully - I’m not quite there yet!

    That said, scheduling only 36 hours in a large city like Sydney after traveling for 20+ hours with huge time zone change/ jet lag (16 hours ahead of EST) and then hopping on a plane that requires us getting up at 430 am - not the best move. That said, we did it! Maddie and Katie rocked it! I, on the other hand, well you can see the picture Brian took of me in our hotel. 🤣

    After 36 hours, we are back at Sydney airport and are on our way to Cairns, Australia, the jumping off point to the Great Barrier reef.

    A couple of key points here:
    1) When I originally planned this trip, the Galapagos and Ecuador were NOT part of the plan. We never planned to go to the Galapagos AND the Great Barrier Reef. We were supposed to be spending 3 weeks in the mountains of Peru but the impeachment of Peru’s president and subsequent violent protests changed our itinerary and here we are…

    2) Originally I thought we could drive up or take a bus to Cairns from Sydney - only to quickly realize Australia is about the size of the US and that Cairns is 1500 miles away. Moving around daily or every few days is exhausting and thus, I made the decision to fly. We have to be in a stable place to do home/world school every day - which other than getting from place to place and immersing ourselves in the cultures, is our main priority. We’ll be up in Cairns for a week and a half our so - Finally staying put for a bit (relaxed sigh).

    Sydney was quick but wonderful for all of us. I don’t know how to describe our experience - we all felt the city was like a more relaxed version of New York. Tall buildings but not so tall. Lots of people but not so many people. People seemed calm, happy even though it’s bustling. Amazing food with tucked away chic food courts tucked between or along the bottom level of buildings. Amazing gardens (royal botanic and Chinese Friendship Gardens high on my “adore and want to sit here all day and revel in its splendor” list) and parks. Sydney Opera House - stunning! So all in all - it’s been great for us while being completely exhausted.

    We’re almost a third of the way through this trip - how is that possible? I’m so grateful for every experience and watching all of this through the eyes of Maddie and Katie is just the best. There is awe, apprehension, appreciation, wonder…and also an attempt to try Vegemite about 10 minutes ago. I don’t think this family will ever be spreading that on our toast in the morning. 🥴

    Looking forward to the next part of this trip - and what adventures await. I’m pretty sure at some point you’ll see a post starting with “OOPS - I forgot to…(fill in the blank)” but we’re not there yet thankfully!

    Our best wishes and love headed to all of you and your families!! ❤️❤️

    The Sellers Fam
    Next stop: Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef!    Read more

  • Sellers Round-the-World Trip
    Day 51

    Goin’ Back to Cali

    February 18, 2023 in the United States

    Did you know that it’s about $1,000 cheaper (per ticket!) to fly from Ecuador to Australia if you go 3,000 miles out of the way and go through Los Angeles? 🤷🏻‍♂️

    We didn’t either, but we do now! (The catch is that it takes you 4 flights and 30 HOURS to travel that 3,000 miles, but… $4,000 is $4,000.)

    I (Brian) was a little worried that coming BACK to the USA for 11 days in the middle of an around-the-world adventure might “take us out” of our travel frame of mind, but Heather assured me that it’d be a good thing to do.

    As usual, she was right, and it’s been such a GREAT 11 days here with friends and family.

    We spent five days in Hermosa Beach with close friends Weddle, Lisa, and baby Everleigh, and it was so good to get to meet little Everleigh and really catch up for the first time since before COVID.

    Being in LA also let us see some of Heather’s best friends, Nat and Dani, and spend some good time with them and their families in Irvine and Agoura Hills.

    Then it was on to Heather’s dad’s new house in Santa Ynez, up in the hills about 30 minutes from Santa Barbara. Seeing them and spending time with most of Heather’s side of the family, including the girls’ uncles, aunt, and cousins… and two more kids 2 years old and younger… was so good for all of us.

    I also got to see my great McGuire Programme friends in Santa Barbara, Dave and Maria, and it was really good to talk about all things overcoming-stuttering and reset some goals for myself there.

    So now… we’re standing in line to board the plane to go to Sydney, Australia, via Auckland, NZ. 20 more hours of total travel and the biggest time shift any of us have ever experienced await!

    Two weeks in Australia, including Sydney, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, and then a couple days in Brisbane before heading BACK to the Northern Hemisphere and visiting Thailand.

    Catch you Down Under! 🤙🏻    Read more

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