Nepal is a most incredible and wonderful nation. In 2013, according to the United Nations, it was the nineteenth poorest country in the world, just behind Haiti; yet visiting this country would never give you this impression. The people are happy and live comfortably in clean environments.

The country is spectacularly beautiful with its terraced farms and snow capped mountains. It is safe and non-intimidating. Yes, things are definitely not up to first world standards but that is OK. Everything miraculously seems to work. In Kathmandu projects are started and many remain in limbo because of lack of funding.

The people are beautiful both inside and out. They are a spectrum of many races originating from India, Tibet, East Asia and other nearby areas who are friendly, respectful, warm and caring. It is country where both Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims live in harmony with each other.

There were times when I actually wanted to go over and hug the people that I was involved with. and I did! People walk in the streets holding hands, and that includes men holding hands with each other as well.

Nepal is a bargain hunter's paradise. Things can be bought for a fraction of the price one would pay in the U.S. or Europe. When I showed my guide, Prem, the jeans I brought for the trek he suggested that I buy trekking pants and use them instead. I also realized that the backpack that I brought was too small for my needs. Prem took us to his friend's store and I purchased two pair of fantastic North Face trekking pants with many pockets and legs that zip off to create shorts. I paid $6 apiece for them. When I checked online I saw that Amazon sold them for $75. The same was the case for the backpack. I bought a new backpack for $23 and saw it online for $275!

This is a country that I fell in love with and definitely hope to visit again.

My trip to Nepal was a life changing experience and my trek to Annapurna Base camp (ABC) was the hardest and one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It was a crowning achievement in my life.

Our plans were all laid out.  We were to spend three days in Kathmandu and then spend the next thirteen days on a trek up to Base Camp on Mt. Everest (EBC).  In order to start our trek to EBC we needed to fly from Kathmandu to Lukla, a small town about 85 miles from Kathmandu where the trek up to EBC begins.  In 2010 the History Channel named the Lukla airport the most dangerous airport in the world!  High winds, cloud cover, and changing visibility often mean flights can be delayed or cancelled and the airport is frequently closed.

On Sunday morning, June 8, 2014 we woke up at 4:30 A.M. in order to catch our 6:15 A.M. flight to Lukla.  We checked the departure board and the flight showed “ON TIME.”  As the time approached 6:15 A.M. the board changed to “DELAYED.”  The flight would now leave at 7:30 A.M.  We patiently waited until 7:30 A.M. and once again the flight was delayed.  This went on until 2:30 P.M. when we were told the flight was cancelled and we would have to come back the next day.  By this time we made friends with many others who were not only waiting for hours for their flights to Lukla but for DAYS!!!  The Lukla airport was fogged in and the weather conditions made it unsafe for us to go there.  We proceeded to the ticket counter to pick up all our gear and went back to our hotel.

Once again on Monday morning, June 9th we woke up at 4:30 A.M. in order to catch our rebooked 6:15 A.M flight.  When we got to the airport the board showed “ON TIME.”  There was a ray of hope.  Of course, this ray of hope gradually dwindled as the board kept on delaying our flight first to 7:30 A.M., then to 8:30 A.M. and then to 9:30 A.M.  At this point our amazing guide Prem made a proposal.  He told us that he believed the chances of our getting out were very low and even if we did get out we would be arriving in Lukla too late in the day to begin the trek, which would further delay us another day.  In addition, if we start our trek three days late our built in buffer to get back to Kathmandu in time to meet our international flights after the trek would be gone.  He proposed that we go to Annapurna Base Camp instead.  We waited until 11:00 A.M., our flight was cancelled and we rebooked to Pokhara, Nepal’s second largest city, where we began our trek.

What a great decision this was!

At 26,545 feet Annapurna I is the 10th highest peak in the world (Everest is 29,029 feet).  But the Annapurna region has even more to offer than just going to Mt. Everest.  Besides the sweeping views of lush terraced farms on the lower levels it is also the home of many of the highest mountains in the world with 13 peaks over 22,970 feet and 16 peaks over 19,690 feet.  We were so fortunate to get to see so many of them from vantage points that are not accessible in any other way than by foot.  I am so very thankful that I was able to go on this trek.  I feel that all the past forty plus years of jogging, swimming, biking, working out, Yoga and six weeks of “extra” training has all lead up to me accomplishing this major achievement in my life.

We were away for 30 days.  We started our visit to Nepal in Kathmandu, spending three days sightseeing in this remarkable city.  We then went on for our trek and then visited Pokhara for three days.

In vast contrast, on Wednesday, June 25th we left Nepal continuing our trip to two of the richest places in the world: Doha, Qatar and Dubai, U.A.E.

I will let you know when I have completed the sites on Doha and Dubai. I have a lot of things to say about both places, both good and bad. In the meantime here is a statement about each:

- Doha, Qatar: Extremely modern clean and efficient but that's the good I can say about it. I got very bad vibes when I was there.

- Dubai, U.A.E:  OVER THE TOP!!!  I LOVED it.  A MUST to go back to.

Click on the “NEXT” button below to follow our Nepal trip.  It gives me much pleasure to share this with you.

Howie