Two Traveling Dumplings – Two quirky adventurers hungry for a life less ordinary

June 18, 2022

Living la dolce vita in Florence.

In these trying Covid times we find ourselves in, even the thought of travel can seem like a distant dream. That being said it’s more important than ever we keep our spirits up and hold on to things we can look forward to when all this ends and with that in mind, we bring you a post on one of our most favorite cities in the world- FLORENCE!

Now I know what you’re thinking “of course Florence is going to be amazing,it’s in Tuscany” and every romantic movie about this magical city. While yes, there are countless amazing things to talk about, this city has so much to offer. Because there are so many magical things in the city to do, we’re going to focus this post on some of the lesser known wonders first and THEN get to the more traditional big draws (the Duomo, the Uffizi etc).

One plea we will make is….don’t do what so many tourists do and pack all of Florence into just 2 days. The greatest joys and magical moments we experienced there happened when we weren’t “doing anything” and just let the city surprise us. From a sunset picnic in a hillside rose garden to practicing our Italian on the steps of Santo Spirito Cathedral- Florence shines brightest when you give it room to breathe.

Food Experiences

Unsurprisingly, Italy has one of the most influential and vibrant food cultures in the world and Florence definitely shows this off in so many truly unique ways. From small hole in the wall cheese shops to gelaterias to pasta making classes- this city wakes your senses up and shakes your perceptions of what Italian can be.

Since our apartment was in the less tourist overrun Santo Spirito Neighborhood we fell in love with its quirky shopkeepers. One of our favorite characters was Marzio – the proprietor of Grocery Pirgher Marzio whose selection of cheeses, salumi and hilariously inappropriate jokes (in Italian) always made us laugh. This is THE PLACE to get a picnic lunch made to take to either the rose gardens or the boboli gardens. We highly recommend the spicy salamis and Tiffany’s favorite- their truffle cheeses!

Just a block down the street is Sbrino – gelatificio contadino-makers of the best gelato we’ve ever had. Yes, that’s a tall statement but Sbrino backs it up. The creaminess of the gelato is unreal and they change their flavors on the daily. We loved it so much we went there every single day of our month living in Florence. It’s that good. And yes, they did joke about us needing to pay them rent 😉

Another magical Italian invention that needs to make it stateside is Appertivo- essentially a happy hour with WAY better snacks. Many of the restaurants and bars offer some pretty incredible deals, especially in Santo Spirito. You typically have little foccaia’s, tasty olives, crackers, cheese and all manner of spreads. We would love to sit and watch the world go by at a table at Volume (or one of its neighbors) on Piazza Santa Spirito with an Aperol spritz or a nice glass of Chianti and take it all in. It’s truly one of life’s many pleasures.

Looking for an entire world of foods, cheeses, pastas, pastries, meats and more….all in one place? Then look no further than the Mercato Centrale Firenze. This incredible food market rivals any other we’ve seen (and we’ve seen A LOT). Upstairs you have an incredible food court packed with all sorts of unique cuisine from all over Italy and beyond. Looking for crispy Arancini? You got it. Tasty crispy pizza fresh from a wood burning oven? You got it. Sushi? Ya…if you’ve been eating too much pasta and need a break, then they got that too. When you’re done snacking, go downstairs where you can find a seemingly endless amount of vendors selling spices, cheeses, pastas, cured meats and more. Many will pack and/or ship it for you so you can bring some of those amazing memories home.

Want to slow it down a bit and just watch the world go by? One of my favoritest things to do was to buy a piping hot pizza from Gusta Pizza and then walk across to the street to the questionably named Asia Market (a glorified liquor store) that serves huge “to go” tumblers of Aperol Spritz. Then i’d just plunk down on the steps of Basilica Santo Spirito with my own personal happy meal and just watch the world go by. So many fantastic adventures started right there talking to locals and tourists alike.

Another unforgettable way to experience Florence that’s food related is to take a cooking class. One of the best in Florence is Majla Paoli’s pasta class at The Accidental Tourist. Majla is a passionate, hilarious lover of all things Tuscan and her class on pasta making will shatter any question of whether homemade pasta is better than store bought pasta. I met Majla swing dancing and when she invited me to take one of her classes, I jumped at the opportunity. The class begins by you being whisked by van to her family’s gorgeous home in the Tuscan hills just outside of Florence. There – over generous pours of wine- she breaks down how pasta is made, how to enhance its flavors and of course, how to make it yourself. Oh, did I mention there’s snacks too? Yup! After an afternoon cooking, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor and take in the gorgeous farm that surrounds you. When you get home, I assure you that every time you make pasta, you’ll remember this amazing experience.

Tired of eating and drinking those amazing Italian wines? Amazing cocktails are a bit harder to find in Florence than you would expect but worry not- there are some secret hideaways that create some truly amazing craft cocktails. Our favorite hands down was Rasputin. If you’ve been a speakeasy in SF or any big city, you know the drill. Walk down an unassuming street, open up an unmarked door and you’re whisked into a sensually lit, underground palace of fancy drinking. The cocktails were hands down the best we found in Florence and is definitely worth checking out late night. Like so many speakeasies stateside, reservations are recommended.

Expat Adventures

Florence is a city that calls artists, dreamers, writers and adventures from all over the planet, so it’s not too surprising that there are a multitude of amazing expats groups in Florence. When you travel to a foreign city, connecting with other expats might not seem the first thing you want to do, we HIGHLY recommend it in Florence because it can truly change your experience. When you connect with people who live in a city, they can share with you what makes it truly magical to them and they can show you things you’d never find otherwise. During our time in Florence, we met with several groups and can highly recommend ALL of them!

The biggest is the “Foreigners in Florence” group. They meet for a happy hour each Wednesday and its a great place to meet folks, practice your Italian and get a whole new window into this amazing city. Miriam hails from Astoria Oregon and has more than enough stories about Florence to keep you entertained forever. Also if you’re staying a while, the Foreigners in Florence FB group is an awesome place to find a place or get other city specific questions answered.

Another awesome organization is the Chatroom. Basically the way it work is several nights a week they open. Their doors and whoever comes through the door, they help create an awesome chat with. Since their location is on the main drag of Santo Spirito, there’s ALWAYS people coming in and so many fun nights of adventure started with a chat with a stranger (soon to be friend) at the chatroom.

The Big Attractions

We couldn’t have a post on Florence without mentioning some of the most famous draws to Florence- The Uffizi and the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) and the Accademia Gallery (where the statue of David is). Now the most important thing you can do to visit ANY of these famous locations is BUY YOUR TICKETS FAR IN ADVANCE. Like, weeks before you actually set foot in Florence. The lines for any of these locations for walk ups is CRAZYPANTS. Since we were in Florence for over a month, I thought we could just waltz in when things were “quiet”- well, things really never got quiet and the average line wait for walk up is 5 HOURS. Not how you want to be spending your trip so make sure to get your tickets early!

Santa Maria del Fiore

This stunning cathedral is immediately recognizable in any picture of Florence. It’s gorgeous brick dome rises like a faberge egg above the city. It’s a true marvel of engineering that has stood the test of time (construction began in 1296!) It can easily take more than a day to explore all its recesses and as such, there are whole variety of ticket options you can buy. We HIGHLY recommend you buy a ticket for Brunelleschi’s dome. It gives you an incredible view of the cathedral from high, high up (both inside the church as well as outside). When you get to the top of the dome, you’re treated to one of the best views in the city- a truly unforgettable experience. Entrance to the cathedral is free and we highly recommend checking it out. On the optional side, If you feel like you need to hike some stairs, take a trip up Giotto’s bell tower or if you’d just like to awe at some incredible doors, check out Ghiberti’s doors to the baptistery.

The Uffizi

The one place in the world where trickle down economics actually worked….or in this case, where one family bankrolled some of the most revolutionary art the world has ever seen. Fortunately for us, you can find it in one, convenient location. I mean, you get almost all the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in one place. Ok, the whole “best of” list for the Uffizi includes Raffaello, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Giotto… but I digress. No matter how you approach it, the Uffizi has an incomparable amount of Renaissance art. Depending how much you love it, plan to spend at least 3-4 hours there and of course, bring comfortable shoes (you’ll be walking/standing a lot). It’s fully worth it though to finally get to see paintings you’ve probably seen a billion times in movies- only in real life. One reminder again- lines here are INSANE- don’t think you can get here early to “beat the crowds” (I tried multiple times and it was like black friday times 10 each time). Buy your tickets early.

Off the Beaten Track Things to Do

Some of our favorite memories from Florence were just wandering around the city and looking for cute stores, live music concerts and other unexpected adventures. Life can be better unplanned and Florence certainly represents in this area. Wandering around Santo Spirito during the day is an excellent way to stumble on something interesting. Later in the evening, street bands play on Ponte Vecchio and all number of adventures spill out onto the Piazza della Rupublica. Or, just try one of our favorite travelling gambits- wander though Piazza Santo Spirito, listen for someone speaking English who seems interesting and strike up a conversation. You really can’t go wrong!

In terms of museums you might not have heard of, if you’re a fan of medieval armor (or absolutely bonkers reproductions of famous historical battles), I HIGHLY recommend the Stibbert Museum. The museum is the collection of Frederick Stibbert who took his extreme inherited wealth and collected hands down one of the most over the top collections of antique armor, weapons and costumes and put them in one place. He bought two palaces and turned them into this unique museum where fully clothed mannequins wearing ancient armor re enact famous battles. Crusaders vs. Moors? You got that. Japanese Samurai battling it out? Yup, got that too. Enough swords to put your standard RPG video game to shame? You bet. It’s a museum the likes I’ve never seen before…..but only if the above sounds awesome to you 😉

PHEW! We could probably go on about Florence for many, many more pages but let’s just say, it truly is one of the most amazing cities on the planet. If you have any other questions, please let us know, we’re happy to connect you with friends and suggestions of things to check out!

February 10, 2020February 19, 2020

Oaxaca- Moles, Mezcal and so much more!

Falling in love with mezcal is easy in Oaxaca, just ask Tiff! 😄

When the worlds “Oaxaca Mexico” are spoken, it probably evokes images of a land of rich, flavorful molés, smoky mezcals and a place where the people truly have a deep passion for their food…well if that’s what you thought, you wouldn’t be wrong! It’s these magical delights that inspired us to make the trek out to Oaxaca to experience this incredible place for ourselves.

Oaxaca is about a 45 minute flight or 6 hour drive south of Mexico City. If you do make the drive you’ll be rewarded with surreal landscapes that remind you that you’re definitely not in Kansas anymore. Alien dreamscapes of windswept hills dotted with cacti, huge canyons smashing through rocky mountainsides and roads clinging to those same canyon walls make the trip far from dull. At long last you leave the rocky desolation behind as you enter Oaxaca- green and full of the promise of adventures to come.

While still a fairly large city, Oaxaca’s streets feel smaller and more intimate than what you’ll find in big cities like Mexico City or Puebla. With every cobblestoned street, each brightly painted colonial style house and old church, you feel the history of Oaxaca practically radiating from every angle.

Oaxaca is known for its food and for good reason. Oaxacan chefs have an incredible palate of flavors, ingredients and rich culinary history from which to draw from. The markets here overflow with some of the freshest produce we’ve seen on our travels withe everything from herbs like cilantro, epazote and avocado leaves to tomatoes, tomatillos and a rainbow of chiles of every shape, size and spiciness. Fresh Oaxacan cheese is also sold and you’ll find it making a starring appearance in dishes ranging from moles to tlayudas (a toasted tortilla topped with all sorts of ingredients and oaxacan cheese- kind of like a Mexican pizza).

With so many different types of dishes, the question is where do you start?!? Well, you’re in luck because its pretty hard to find a bad meal in Oaxaca, but here our some of our favorite places. Los Danzanates is fantastic restaurant that takes a lot of local dishes and elevates them. One luscious dish is their herba santa- a large soft leaf that stuffed with Oaxacan cheese, grilled then topped with a savory tomato based sauce. Their mole’s are no joke either- they take slow cooked chicken and combine it with savory rice all rising from a pool of their famous yellow mole. The drinks here are also fantastic and if you still have room after your meal, you can go upstairs to their awesome cocktail lounge called Selva.

Another restaurant is Zandunga which specializes in cuisine from the village of Tehuantepec. Their ceviche with fruit is truly unique and its tangy kick will leave you wanting more. Bringing the Oaxacan tradition of tamales to the table, they have a full spread of savory tamales to choose from- our favorite was their eloté (corn) tamale where their slow cooked masa and corn filling creates an amazing blend of savory and sweet. Their full complement of mezcal will also help make the meal that much more memorable.

Bringing up the level again is probably our favorite restaurant- Casa Oaxaca who specializes in bringing some of the most iconic dishes from all over Oaxaca and elevating them to rival any Michelin-rated rated restaurant at home. Their seafood dishes are incredible and their guacamole with chapulinas (crickets) rivals the deliciousness of Azul Condesa’s in Mexico City. One of my favorite dishes was their rack of lamb- marinated with their own spice mix and served with a slow cooked eggplant puree- its mind blowingly tasty.

Now with all that food, its time to get some actives in to burn off all those calories. Fortunately Oaxaca has all manner of activities that you can do. One of the top things to do is see the ruins of Monte Alban- an ancient Toltec city that’s just on the outskirts of Oaxaca City. The Toltec’s took a mountain peak and literally leveled it, building a complex temple city that is really awe inspiring- definitely worth checking out. There’s a lot more to see than that. There are three other activities you can also probably do in one day’s time- El Arbol del Tule (the world’s biggest tree), Hierve el Agues (“frozen” limestone waterfalls and pools) and of course, a mezcal palenque (distillery)!

It was too big for our puny iPhone to fully capture!

The world’s largest tree ( El Arbol del Tule) is about a 25 minute drive outside of Oaxaca and it’s pretty darn impressive. Legend says the tree was planted hundreds of years ago by a famous Aztec priest and its been growing ever since. The thing is huge- not tall mind you but really, really wide. You can find the tree just a few blocks off of the main highway and the cost is like 10 pesos. After leaving the tree, we recommend heading further up the highway to a mezcal palenque. Our favorite one was Palenque Del Amor which had an awesome, detailed tour of just how the deliciousness that is mezcal is made. Did you know the heart of the maguey plant (where mezcal comes from) is sweet and similiar to sugarcane? We didn’t! Here they still follow the old traditions of pit roasting the maguey hearts then grinding them under heavy millstones pulled by horses. The resulting nectar is then fermented, distilled and aged to get all the different flavors of mezcal that they cary. Joven (the youngest mezcal) is aged just a short time in bottles where añejo mezcal is aged in whiskey barrels (here they use Jack Daniels casks). After the tour is done, they have an INCREDIBLE barbecue spread with all sorts of grilled veggies, salsas, guacamole, al pastor (marinated pork), chorizo and carne asada. It helps soak up all the mezcal you’ll be drinking.

Finally after this tasting, make your way just a bit further down the highway to Hieve el Agua. These fascinating waterfalls are high in calcium and over the millennia, its caused them to look like they’re “frozen”- kind of like stalactites in caves. There are several springs that feed these falls that bubble with carbon dioxide- you can even bathe in them and get an Instagram influencer worthy pic 🙂

Now you ask “how do you get to these places”? Well the option that has the most flexibility is renting a car which we did. There are a number of rental places in the city- just know that Mexican car rental laws are pretty strict about insurance so they may try and shake you down hard to buy their insurance. If you’re just using it for a day its not too bad but we recommend shopping around. Another option is there are countless tour agencies which will offer you package deals that range in price from 20 bucks on up. Be sure to check and see if the agency is reputable and has nice transport. Hierve el agua is about 1 1/2 hours each way from Oaxaca so plan accordingly.

Now being surrounded by all this amazing food may incite you to learn how to make some of it yourself- we certainly felt that way! We took a fantastic cooking class with La Cocina Oaxaqueña. They picked us up early in order to make it to the market (8:30 am- not exactly fun vacation time but it was wroth it). Chef Rodrigo took us to his favorite stands and showed us how to pick the right produce, herbs, masa for tortillas and meat. We then went back to his amazing cooking studio in his house and together we learned how to make amazing guacamole, sopa Azteca (kind of like a vegetable forward tortilla soup), tlayuda (mexican pizzas) and a mole. We can’t wait to make these at home!

And with all that eating, cooking and adventuring- our time in Oaxaca was full. We loved Oaxaca so much we ended up coming back a second time on our trip and it just further solidified how much we loved the place- we know you’ll feel the same.

You can find all of of our favorite places on this Google map which includes our suggestions and comments. Have any questions about Oaxaca? We’re here to help! Come with an open mind and hungry tummy- you won’t be disappointed!

December 2, 2019December 2, 2019

Mexico City- a tapestry of delights

Seeing Mexico City for the first time can be quite daunting- a metropolis that stretches as far as the eye can see. In fact, CDMX (the cool four letter acronym for Mexico City) is the largest city in the world and we can only wonder if the Aztecs who founded it would ever imagine it would become what it is today. CDMX is an incredibly vibrant cosmopolitan tapestry that weaves its rich history together with the art and energy of today’s cutting edge culture. After visiting it twice in three years, we can confidently say Mexico City is one of our favorite cities in the world and that’s why we’ll be returning there for a third time soon!

Now before we go into all the delicious things and adventures you can get into in CDMX – we want to answer the question that several folks have asked us. Is the city safe? In short- yes. As safe or safer than any typical major city we’ve been in during our travels. Of the two times we’ve visited we’ve never felt unsafe or at risk (except from some of the traffic jams which give LA a run for its money). This includes all hours of the day- walking around the cities bustling plazas and mercados during the day or going to a bar or club at night. Of course keep your head about you and use the typical set of street smarts any major city requires but the people of CDMX are wonderful, welcoming and incredibly generous. We know you’ll love them as much as we do.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can get into some of the wonders that this city offers. Let’s start with one of our favorites things- food! Now Mexican food is something near and dear to Californians like ourselves but we only get one small piece of the vibrant tapestry. There is SO MUCH MORE TO MEXICAN FOOD THAN BURRITOS (which actually are an American invention). Mexico City impressively collects some of the best foods from across Mexico in one place. You’ve got Sonoran Tacos, Oaxacan Mole’s, the seafood of Baja and the delicious slow cooked pibils of the Yucatan- all in one place. Let’s start with tacos- yes, you have TONS of options to check out but one of our favorites that we came back to again and again was Taqueria La Califa in Condesa. I know talking about your favorite taqueria is about as controversial as the most hot button of political topics but for the sake of this blog’s integrity, we have to name ours. One of the signs you’re in good taco making hands is when you walk in the door of a taqueria and an absolutely massive pastor parilla is slowly roasting the largest piece of seasoned meat you’ve ever seen. La Califa offers a dizzying array of taco options from nopales (cactus) to rib eye to “gringa” (which they basically put meat and melty cheese in a flour tortilla. One thing they had that we’ve never seen before is a “chicharon de queso” which looks a lot like an Indian dosa, but made of cheese- perfect for scooping up guacamole! Upping the ante, their salsas are amazing and THEY’RE OPEN TILL 4AM!!!

The spread at one of our favorite taquerias

Another must visit culinary experience is the La Merced Mercado. This market is dizzying large- taking up the size of most small cities and it is actually one of the largest food markets in the world. When we went to La Merced, we went with Eat Mexico Tours and we felt it was worth the cost. Generally, we’ve found most food tours around the world to be letdowns- usually they’re typically a guide taking you to a few famous or gringo targeted street food spots that you could just as easily find yourself with a quick Google search. The Eat Mexico tour was different because our tour guide spent 5 hours with us and throughout that time we got to meet and really get to know a number of the vendors in La Merced- giving the place a much greater depth to us. If a tour is not your speed, no worries! Just show up to La Merced and follow your nose. If you want to taste anything, just ask the friendly vendors! These vendors have every imaginable ingredient, spice, and protein you can imagine. Moles? They’ve got it. Fruits you’ve never seen before? They’ve got tons. And proteins- if you like insects, you’re in luck! Insects have been part of Mexican cuisine for thousands of years and they can be super tasty.

Speaking of insects, one of our favorite restaurants in CDMX is Azul Condesa and they put toasted, seasoned, chopped crickets on their guacamole and it gives it amazing umami flavor bursts. Here at the market you can try countless variations along with the ant larva that are also considered a delicacy. The sheer amount of food options can be dizzying so come hungry and be sure to ask as many questions as you have to the vendors and tour operators.

Posole Rojo and the remains of some taquitos (our hunger won out over picture taking 😛 )

Another Mexican dish we love dearly is posole- a rich stew of pork or chicken with vegetables and corn. This dish just feels like a warm, yummy blanket of comfort in a bowl which is why we keep coming back to Casa de Toño for their amazing posoles. Mexico also has a great tradition of ridiculously tasty breakfasts. For most Californians, that means chilaquiles (tortilla chips cooked in red or green sauce). It can be served many way but for the best in CDMX, we recommend braving the line at Fonda Margarita where meals are served at long family style tables. The seating arrangements can be cramped but its also guaranteed that you’ll make a few new friends from your seatmates and you’ll get to see what other dishes you can order. Beyond the chilaquiles, the refried bean omelet is a real star and unique to this fantastic restaurant.

Switching gears, there are TONS of adventurers to get in within the city. One of the things we did for date night is going to see a lucha libre match live! Lucha Libre is Mexico’s answer to the WWE and has an incredibly rich history of characters and plot lines. The wrestling does not disappoint and the whole crowd gets worked up seeing luchadores pummel each other with the refs doing little to get in the way of their over the top antics. You can also get some incredible beer cocktails ranging from a Michelada (beer+tomata juice+ lime juice+ clam juice) to a cubano….which I still don’t know what it is. Just go see it-you’ll have a blast guaranteed!

Another fascinating scene unfolds nightly at Plaza Garibaldi which the beating heart of mariachis in the city. Gangs of instrument toting mariachis roam all over the square playing requests and serenading amorous couples with their song. Its not like anything we’ve seen before and worth going to check out.

Two guys commissioned a huge mariachi band to serenade their girlfriends in an over the top way

Now CDMX also has its share of ancient history and it offers an incredible set of options to explore it in. One of the must-visit sites is the Museo Nacional de Antropología which has an incredible array of ancient Aztec and Mexican archaeology. You can easily get lost in here for half a day or more seeing all the exhibits – the Aztec Sun stone is an incredible draw.

Speaking of archaeology, another must-visit site is Teotihuacan and the pyramids of the sun and moon. These incredible edifices were the heart of not just the Aztec religion but of the Olmecs and many other civilizations before them. It takes just 45 minutes or so to get there and you can climb both pyramids and see of miles in every direction.

Tiffany helpfully pointing out the Pyramid of the Sun

Not all the museum in CDMX offer ancient antiquities- there’s also the Frida Kahlo Museum which is in the house that she and Diego River lived in. Its filled with her art and a fantastic collection of their possessions which narrate her fascinating and challenging life. Another fantastic museum (if you’re not completely museum out) is the Soumaya Museum. Here the billionaire Carlos Slim shows off his impressive collection of impressionist works, Mexican artists and of the largest collections of Degas in the world- and it’s all totally free to visit!

CDMX is made up of all sorts of dynamic neighborhoods. We found ourselves staying in Condesa with its chill, tree lined streets. Zona Rosa is the livelier hood with bars, clubs and fun stores to bring something interesting back with you with.

Phew! We could go on forever about Mexico City but we can wholeheartedly endorse its awesomeness! If you go, please have a taco and a strong margarita for us!

If you’re looking for one big map of our favorite places in CDMX (there’s a lot), you can find them here on Two Traveling Dumpling’s CDMX Google Map

October 16, 2019October 20, 2019

Vardzia, Borjomi and Ushguli

Walking the halls of Vardzia- the cave city

When we were planning our world trip one of the guides we used was a book written for couples traveling the world together. In it they have a whole section on “road trips” and Georgia featured prominently so we figured “why not check it out” since a lot of the beauty of this trip has been in the fun random things we’ve randomly stumbled on. Our road trip in Georgia was through its rugged countryside. We broke this section of our Georgian trip into two parts- one part by driving to the cave city of Vardzia and resort town of Borjomi. The second part Tim went by himself to the most remote village in Europe- the tower town of Ushguli.

When we told people in we were going to rent a car and travel around Georgia we got some extremely mixed messages with some people legitimately fearing for our lives because of reasons ranging from the roads to the Georgian drivers. As a result when we got our little underpowered rental car, I was prepared myself to do battle- “Mad Max” road warrior style. What we experienced was….mainly just the annoyances of driving in a big city with drivers wanting to get to wherever they were going as fast as they could. This really wasn’t that big a difference between driving in Tbilisi and SF (only Tblisi does have a ton more traffic circles and you do need to know what exit you’re getting off at).

Once we were outside the city, the rolling hills of southern Georgia beckoned and the driving became gorgeous. The drivers- when we ran into them- were friendly and the roads were – all in all- in good condition (which I can’t say the same for in San Francisco). The countryside was jaw droopingly gorgeous, first starting with rolling hills clad in oak trees and ancient ruins from bygone eras. We drove through tiny hamlets and navigated traffic jams of sheep, goats and cows- which i’d choose over 101 traffic any day. As we traveled further south the landscape got more mountainous and much snowier. We stopped for a break next to a frozen lake and a chapel that looked to be on the edge of the earth. It felt like we were exploring something totally foreign and totally new to us. As we traveled towards our destination- the cave city of Vardzia- the mountains grew steeper and we navigated valleys with roaring rivers cutting their way through the landscape. Taking a left a large castle keep, we found our lodge for the night and spent the night eating new types of khachapuri- cheesy bread.

We woke up the next day to find the world blanketed in dense snow which made the cave city across the valley from us look that much more magical. Vardzia was built by the ancient Georgians and was a fully functioning city that they literally chiseled into the soft rock hillsides. With store rooms, cathedrals, stables and even wineries built into the steep clif face, the residents of Vardzia aimed to avoid the marauding hoards of the Turks. Unfortunately, Vardzia did fall and was sacked by the Turks.

One of the many, many castles and keeps that dot the Georgian Countryside

Fortunately for us, there’s still a lot of stuff to see. We took a tour that had us climbing ladders, descending through caves and marveling at the complexity of what the ancient residents had created. It was surreal to be able to walk through the passageways and imagine what life would have been like there several hundred years ago. Orthodox monks have again returned to Vardzia to call it their home and ensure the old traditions continue.

Saying goodbye to Vardzia we made our way to our next stop- Borjomi. Borjomi is an old Georgian resort town nestled in gorgeous forested hills. It even includes natural hot springs and the incredible Boromi national park right next door.

The town is easily walkable and has all sorts of amazing restaurants, food stands and people. For a town as small as it is, its somewhat comical to see how big the central/amusment park is. With all sorts of a rides, a big ferris wheel and what can only be described as an “American Ninja Warrior Course”- but for kids- Borjomi has a lot of interesting things to check out.

We ended up staying in the Crowne Plaza Hotel which was pretty highly rated. Unlike many of the Crowne Plazas I’ve stayed at for work, this one was really nice with an incredibly huge underground pool, full spa and even a candlelit happy hour in their wine bar (so romantic!) Tiff definitely loved it. I loved checking out all the interesting stuff in the Borjomi area.

The Mtsvane (Green) Monastery is one of the interesting finds just up the road and was built in the 9th century. Visiting it is pretty spectacular as you drive up a winding one lane gravel road that’s covered in beautiful wildflowers. When you make it to the Monastery, the chapel is lit only by candlelight and the aura of incense is thick in the air- its quite an experience. Just up the road from that is the Borjomi National Park that has incredible trails through wooded canyons. It feels a bit like a fantasy movie because there are crumbling keeps, castles and ruins throughout the park- a testament to the history in this part of the world.

An abandoned keep in Borjomi National Park

After enjoying Borjomi we headed back again to Tblisi where Tiff decided to relax while I got ready for my next adventure- getting to the most remote village in Europe- Ushguli Georgia!

Now Ushguli isn’t called “the most remote village in Europe” for no reason. First its located high up in the mountains and has snow covering it for roughly 6 months of the year. In order to get there I took an overnight train from Tbilisi to Zugdidi, then got in a marshrutka for 8 hours of the craziest driving of my life.

Marshrutkas are these vans that drive around the countryside and pick random people up and drop them off between towns. Think of them as freelance busses but most of them look pretty worse for wear (Tiff called them human trafficking vehicles). That being said, when you’re going to places like Ushguli, there the best way to get there. Bleary eyed after a rather sleepless night on the train I found myself getting stuffed into a Marshrutkas with a Georgian grandpa and three Malaysian girls who had never seen snow before.

Just some of the moments on our way to Ushguli

Now we’ve talked about how Georgians LOVE their wine and this Georgian grandpa was no different. Even though he didn’t know a lick of English, he was able to communicate to me it was absolutely essential for a safe trip to start drinking his huge jug of wine at 7am. Far be it from me to say no and over the next few hours he got the whole van singing Georgian folks songs and drinking wine. It was an awesome moment that bridged cultures and generations (i’m sure the wine really helped with this).

The ride up from Zugdidi started innocently enough with the sun rising over the valley but quickly escalated- both in terms of road dangers and actual elevation. Our crazy 4×4/van marshrutka zipped around gravel roads that barely clung to sheer cliffside as we climbed further- going past immense forests, farms and huge dams that felt like they were something out of an action movie. As we started entering the snow line, things became more treacherous with the roads turning to muddy slush. We even had to stop and help a bunch of locals get another marshrutka out of a ditch.

When we finally made it to Ushguli 8 hours later and were met with an incredible site. The village sprawled out before us covered completely in snow. What makes Ushguli special is its towers. Each home has its own towers and they were used mostly for defensive purposes. Since Georgia sits squarely between Europe and Asia, marauders from both sides swept across these plains over the millennia. When this happened, the Svans (the people of Ushguli) would retreat into their towers where they could stay for months on end (each tower is pretty huge and has multiple store room floors). The invaders found it was far easier to just keep on moving then try to dislodge the Svans from their towery perches.

I was amazed by the serene sight of the town with all its towers jutting out of the snow- its truly one of the most memorable sites of the trip to me. After checking out the town, we went down the hill a ways to Ushguli’s slightly larger sister tower town- Mestia. I spent the night drinking wine with the local Svan’s and some expats from the US and Ireland who now call Mestia their home. It gave me all sorts of interesting perspective of life on the edge here. That and one heck of a rough morning after all the wine that we had.

After a snowy morning, I packed my things and made the long trip back to Tblisi and Tiffany. Another adventure for our adventure cookbooks was complete. Looking back now its clear that because of the people and the amazing time we had, Georgia truly is one of our favorite countries we’ve visted…and one in which we can’t wait to return to again.

September 20, 2019September 20, 2019

Kakheti and the Trinity Church

After saying goodbye to Tbilisi (for a little) we were excited to explore Georgia’s countryside and our journey brought us to Kakheti. Not a lot of people know that wine was invented in Georgia but after visiting Kakheti, there will be no doubt that Georgian’s not only love wine but also know how to make it. Make no mistake – you will drink wine in Georgia. A lot of it and the Georgians love to share their wines along with their delicious food so bring your stretchy Thanksgiving pants and make sure you have a designated driver because you’re in for a treat.

Kakheti is Georgia’s wine country and its rolling green hills reminded us a lot of Sonoma…..but way, way, waaaay less touristy. Here you can find wineries that make wine in the traditional Georgian style that have been around for 800+ years. The unique way Georgian’s make wine is by letting it ferment in subterranean clay pots instead of barrels as traditional western wine making does. This difference aside, there is an astounding array of red and white varietals to choose from- none of which I had heard of before. The whites were dry and minerally- just like we like them. The reds were full bodied and delicious without being to jammy.

Tim earning his wine by helping make it!

Just like Sonoma or Napa, Kakheti is a pretty big area and we decided to stay in a few places. Our first stop was the village of Sighnaghi. Built on a hill overlooking a vast green valley, it’s hard to not fall in love with the cobblestone streets of Sighnaghi. Sighnaghi was once a keep who’s responsibility it was to protect the surrounding countryside, now the castle walls serve to welcome you to an incredible array of delicious food and wine. We arrived in the middle of blustery snow storm which only helped stoke our appetites when we braved the weather to find something to eat.

One of the most famous restaurants in Sighnaghi is a winery/restaurant called Pheasants Tears. Everyone who had been here recommended it and unsurprisingly, Anthony Bourdain was here years ago too. Even with that we were able to walk right in and get a table. The food was incredibly delicious with juicy roast chicken, tasty bread and hearty soups- everything we needed to thaw out from the chilly outdoors.

Crispy potatoes of yum
The roasted chicken that Pheasants Tears serves is hands down one of the best we’ve ever had
Tiff: BEST CAULIFLOWER IN DA WORLD!!!!

Visiting wineries is a much different affair than in Napa- most of Kakheti’s wineries are very small and don’t have much in the way of tasting rooms- which makes them feel that much more authentic. Since we didn’t know much about Georgian wines, we got expert help and hired an awesome local wine guide name David. David picked us up at our hotel and whisked us away across bumpy country roads to taste what Kakheti had to offer.

We started in a small traditional winery that had been in operation for 800 years- surviving invasions by many foreign invaders and the tests of time. Several of the wine urns they used dated back hundreds of years too and the owners were more than happy to show us how they make wine at every step. Tiffany even got to help out with stirring the pots of red wine. The finished product was delicious. In addition to this the quirky building also had an incredible collection of old antique furniture. Most of all the thing that we would see in several places throughout Georgia is one of their traditional “wine horns”. It’s basically exactly what it sounds like- its a horn and you drink wine out of it. Because its a horn, you can’t put it down and that’s exactly the point- you have to drink all of it. Think of it like a classier version of the drinking game “Edward 40 hands” 😛

With an awesome sense of humor and a clear love of Kakheti, David’s tour continued as we visited more modern wineries (which were still small compared to some of the places you find in Napa and Sonoma). The wines they produced were incredible and you can find some links here. Complimenting the tastings we had delicious roasted pork and local cheeses- it seemed like there was no end to the amount of tastyness our friendly hosts threw our way.

Tiffany turning the wine
A wine cellar filled with subteranean clay wine urns
David showing me how to properly use a wine horn!

The final winery was none other than David’s house. Georgians are really proud of their wines and so many people have mini wineries in their homes. David was no exception and we spent the rest of the afternoon shooting the breeze on his porch drinking his delicious wines. If you’re looking for a fantastic guide, designated driver and comedian in Kakheti, look no further than David!

After spending a few nights in Sighnaghi (and after several visits to Pheasants Tears) we made our way slowly back to Tbilisi.

One of the biggest attractions in Georgia is visiting it’s Trinity Church. Its an absolutely stunning Orthodox Church built high in the mountains in Northern Georgia. Getting there can be a real challenge as the military highway that connects Tblisi with it frequently gets snowed in in the Fall to Spring months. We actually had to wait 3 weeks for it to open and once it did, we were able to get David’s help in getting there. The drive was absolutely stunning as the military road snaked through the snow decked mountains. On the way to Trinity church we stopped at several places like the . This amazingly preserved medieval castle stood at the end of a long river valley and from its high towers you could almost feel what it would have been like to live there.

Another somewhat ominous stop we made was the “Russian/Georgian shared peace monument”. This was a monument built by the Russians as a sign of “friendship” with the Georgian people which is highly ironic as technically, Georgia and Russia are still at war with a large chunk of Georgia being “disputed”. Problematic relations aside, the views from the monument were pretty astounding.

A roadside cross looking up towards the church

Finally we made it to the base of the mountain Trinity Church sits on top of. In order to get there we had to leave behind our car and commission a jeep driver to take us to the top which was no joke. The “road’ was super steep and totally snowed in for parts of it. The rocky journey was totally worth it when we got to the summit and saw the church, perched above the snow cloaked peaks and valleys below. Its astounding the monks who built this church did so- its so remote and hard to get to. Our pictures don’t do this place justice and its truly an awe-inspiring place.

After exploring the grounds, it was time to come back to Tbilisi and off to our next adventure – Southern Georgia!

A view from atop the Anunuri Castle Comple
Another view from atop the tower of Anunuri Castle
The “Russian/Georgian Friendship” monument
Trinity Church from below
Posin’
Surprise!
The panoramic view from Trinity Church

July 29, 2019July 29, 2019

Georgia (Sakartwello) on our minds….

….and Georgia has certainly been on our minds since we visited! In this post Tiffany and I share how we went from “I know nothing about this country but it sounds cool” to “we’ve totally fallen in love with the place and when can we go back”! Before we begin, let’s just clarify- this is NOT the Georgia of the south but the Georgia of Eurasia!

Georgia is a place that not many people know of, let alone have traveled to. Me and Tiff had read some great things about it and our buddy Jimmy insisted we HAD to check out his homeland. Technically Georgia is between Asia and Europe so we thought “Why not check it out?”. We went in with no expectations thinking we might be there for a week or two. Instead we fell in love with the country and left almost a month later and are here to tell you- there is a TON to love! Making it even easier to love is the fact that one of Georgia’s national sayings is “Guests are a gift from God”- and every Georgian we met from Tbilisi to the remote village of Ushguli truly embodied this saying. Georgians everywhere asked us where we were from and offered us wine, food, lodging, life advice and gifts at every turn- they’re quite possibly the most friendly people we’ve ever met. The first thing to know though is Georgians don’t call Georgia…well, Georgia, it’s called Sakartwello and they will give you a ton of extra points for using the Sakartwello name instead of Georgia. With the goal of easy understanding though for this post, we’ll use the country name “Georgia”.

Throughout our month in Georgia, Niko took us to so many places and introduced us to so many people. Here we tried our first Georgian soup dumplings- Kinkhali!

Tiffany: One of the things I enjoyed about traveling is meeting the locals and getting to know them and their culture. Georgians are the kindest, sweetest, and friendliest humans that I have ever met in my life. I really enjoyed getting to know them and loved listening to their stories about life and their deep passion and pride for their country. They inspired me by their kind hearts, open minds, and beautiful spirit. “Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have” –Rabbi Hyman Schachtel. The people of Georgia are living embodiment of this quote and overall wonderful magical humans.

Tim: They really are that nice! Even when we met people who didn’t understand English, they went above and beyond to communicate any way they could. It was really impressive!

Stirring the wine in the traditional Georgian fashion. The wine is fermented in huge ceramic vats that are buried to keep them cool.

We flew into the capital of Georgia which is called Tblisi. Like many European capitals, it has a big river (the Kura) running through it and the city is complete with castles, gorgeous hills and easily walkable streets. It seems around every corner there’s some restaurant, wine bar, art gallery or historical building. This is great because one of the greatest cultural heritages of Georgia is its wine (which was invented here) and its food. Georgian wine is made today a lot like it was thousands of years ago- in huge subterranean terracotta containers where they ferment the grapes. Its ridiculously delicious and we were blown away at the quality of the wines from their Kahketi region (more on that later).

One of the true stars of Georgia for us was the Georgian food which we had never had – or heard of- before. Since we were in Asia for several months, we REALLY were craving cheese and bread and Georgia did not disappoint in those categories! Katchapuri- Georgia’s take on pizza- has many forms all of which include soft, pillowy bread encasing delicious molten cheese, sometimes soft cooked eggs and spiced meats. Each region of Georgia has their own version of it and we loved every one of them.

Georgian Soup Dumplings
A slow cooked potted bean dish you find all over
Spicy lamb meatballs
Khachapuri stuffed with spiced meat
Lemon Chicken Soup
Tim holding up kinkhali
Chicken shkmeruli
Yet another type of katchapuri!

Kinkhali are Georgia’s version of soup dumplings. They’re about the size of your fist and filled with savory soup broth and a big meatball. There’s even a special way you’re supposed to eat them! You let them cool, you bite off a corner then suck out the soup, then eat the meat! It’s so freaking tasty I’m getting hungry just writing this. Another national treasure is their dish Chicken Shkmeruli which is a roast chicken in a savory milk sauce. Georgians also know their way around beans and they have two dishes which really stood out to us. One they slow cook beans in a clay pot which tastes a lot like a really delicious version of slow cooked pinto beans. They also have several versions of lentil soup which we loved. Pork belly which can be easy to screw up- was transformed into several amazing meals where it was typically braised in crispy, delicious fashion. Finally, we’ve never had mushrooms that were tastier than the ones they had in Georgia- and we had a lot. The mushrooms were typically slow cooked and hard a delicious meaty feel to them and when bitten, release amazing flavor explosions with each bite. We could just go on and on but in terms of food, we can easily say Georgia is one of the greatest food countries in the world. No joke!

We were so blown away by the food in Georgia that we HAD to learn how to make it. Fortunately for us, we found Culinary Studio Carmel and we got the chance to not only learn how to make some of our Georgian Favorites, but also doing it in one family’s kitchen! Asya was a super funny, ebullient guide to making Georgian food. Over the course of a few hours, we learned how to make Katchapuri (the pizza like cheese bread), Kinkhali (the soup dumplings) and chicken Shkmeruli. It was surprisingly easy to make all of these dishes and we can’t wait to get home to make them!

Tiff making kinkhali dough
Sifting the flour for Khachapuri
Making the sausage. Literally
Lots of cheese mixing had to be done
Chicken schkmereruli cooking
Tiffany showing off her home made chicken shkmeruli
Ready to eat what we cooked!
Asya and Tiffany

Tiffany: I had never had one bad dish in Georgia over the course of a month which is crazy. I’m very grateful that we took a cooking lesson from Asya in Tbilisi.She teaches home style cooking with passion and humor. I love learning about traditional Georgian dishes and the history of Georgia from her. She definitely made cooking fun and interesting. It was like cooking with a friend in her home while sharing funny stories over wine. She also made these local favorite dishes easy to make so we can definitely make it when we get home to San Francisco. I can’t wait to make these delicious tasty dishes for friends and family back home.

Looking over Tblisi at night with our friend Nikoloz and crew

Tim: But back to Tbilisi! One of the things that made it so special was our friend Jimi connected us with his buddy Nikoloz in Tbilisi. Nikoloz is a filmmaker who’s passionate about showing the world what Georgia has to offer. Over the course of our stay, Niko was our unofficial tour guide and took us all over to see some of the many sites the city has to offer. Tblisi is a city filled with tree-lined hills and winding rivers and one of the best places to see it is from the incredible view from the front steps of Narikala Fortress. Its the Tblisi version of going up to SF’s Twin Peaks to check out the view of the whole city.

Spanning the Kura River, the Bridge of Peace stands out with its modern architecture and awesome LED light show. At night, street performers take over and the bridge is filled with everything from cover bands to more traditional Georgian Polyphonic singing. Speaking (or singing) of which, Niko took us to see this fascinating traditional singing take place at Phaeton restaurant. Here, three guys all singing at different octaves and pitches create incredibly moving music using just the sound of their voices. As we traveled through Georgia, we heard this music sang in bars, restaurants and event the homes of people we visited. If you do travel to Georgia, it’s truly worth looking for.

Traditional Georgian polyphonic singing

Tbilisi is going through something of a hipster renaissance and several parts of the old town are being rebuilt with new, cool spaces being created. One such place is Fabrika which is an old communist era sewing factor that’s been transformed into a complex with a hipster bar/lounge, a ramen shop (!), stores and one of the coolest looking hostels I’ve ever seen. Fabrika’s sister location is the ROOMS hotel whose modern take on a classical library just oozes sexiness. Their breakfast buffet is hands down one of the most impressive breakfasts we’ve had. Traveling as much as we have lately, we’ve experienced a lot of “breakfast included” places and nothing strikes fear into my heart as hearing the words “breakfast buffet”. In the ROOMS hotel, they flip the script. The kitchen is in the dining room and a massive old French stove dominates the room. Chefs are at every station making every conceivable breakfast food, pastry and treat you can imagine. I wish I could bring it back to SF!

While on the topic of food, the restaurants in Tbilisi are incredible. Next door to the apartment we rented is Ezo– a restaurant built mainly in a cute courtyard that created some of our favorite Georgian dishes with a twist. Their roast chicken and katchapuri was some of the best we had during our trip and Tiff went there almost every day we were in Tbilisi. Another awesome restaurant was Zala with the most tasty mushrooms and roasted pork belly. For breakfast, we ended up going to Entree which is a French-style patisserie that has all sorts of Georgian twists on sandwiches and pastries.

Tiffany enjoying Ezo
Avocado salad at Zala
Tim’s a little TOO excited to eat here
The aforementioned amazing mushrooms at Zala
Looking fancy at ROOMS

In terms of sights, there’s definitely a few “must see” things in the city. The first is probably the “Mother of Georgia” statue that epitomizes Georgians’ stance on hospitality. She offers a chalice of wine to those who come in peace and a sword in the other hand for those who would come to do harm. It’s a pretty striking monument and it’s definitely hard to miss.

A woodland spirit you’ll find in the amusement park
The TV tower that looms over Tblisi

Another fun thing to check out In the city is taking the funicular up Mt Mtatsminda. It’s got an amazing view as you go up and on top there’s this big, very Georgian theme park. You’ve got all the usual rides plus up close views of the stark looking Tbilisi TV Broadcasting Tower which looks more out of a science fiction movie than real life. They even light it up nightclub style at night!

One other quick day trip you should definitely check out is the city of Mtskheta. Mtskheta is one of the oldest towns in Georgia and houses the incredibly beautiful Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. We’ve been to a lot of churches on this trip and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is one of the most ethereal, especially if you visit it at night when its lit only by candlelight and you can hear the monks chanting hymns. It’s a truly moving experience.

Phew! That’s a lot and we could easily write so much more. Tbilisi was a magical place that we came back to several times during our month in Georgia and we will DEFINITELY return. The people, the food and the city truly stole our hearts but the wine region of Kakheti beckoned us and off we went on our next adventure.

Some of the interesting architecture you’ll find

June 26, 2019July 8, 2019

Kickin’ it in Koh Lanta (and Krabi)

Trading the mountains of Thailand for its verdant islands, we strapped our packs on and headed out to Koh Lanta with a stop along the way in Krabi. Before coming to this decision we were faced with a choice- which Thai set of islands did we want to visit? There are two major choices- the western islands (Koh Lanta, Koh Samui) or the Eastern Islands (Koh Pagnan, Koh Tao etc). We had two weeks but after doing the math, jumping between the eastern and western islands would take way too much effort and time- so we decided on going to the western isles.

In order to get to the western islands you’ll likely need to fly into Krabi and spend at least a night there (the way the ferry transfers work you’ll miss them all unless you fly in at the crack of dawn). Krabi is a dusty coastal town that is decidedly a stopping off point. There isn’t much to see here except for one place- Railay Beach. Railay is beach protected by two large impassable ridges (you can only get there by water taxi) with a gorgeous beach that stretches between the two ridges. We decided to check it out and it was a gorgeous break from the bustle of Krabi and it did not disappoint.

The longtails you’ll ride to get around the many islands and beaches

The white sands beaches were a dream to chill on- especially with a frosty beverage from the many stands that line the beach. There’s also other activities to do here including full on rock climbing (several outfits also line the beach). After a day of chillaxin though, you’ll have seen probably all you can and its time to head back to Krabi. Again, there’s not a lot see here but we did have a nice steak and seafood meal at Divers Inn and got some drinks at one of the MANY reggae themed bars here.

In the morning we were on our way to Koh Lanta on our ferry. Now the word “ferry” probably brings to mind a big boat, maybe with cars on it…that is decidedly not the case with these islands. Ours was pretty much a big speedboat and the crew just piled every piece of luggage onto the front. For these intra-islands ferrys, we HIGHLY recommend you consolidating any roller bags down into carryon friendly sizes or better yet, backpacks/duffel bags. We watched many a tourist struggling heaving their luggage on and off the boats- it’s better to save yourself the trouble. We left our bigger bags in left luggage at our hotel and this strategy we’ve used in pretty much all of the countries we’ve visited since.

One of the stunning sunsets you’ll see on Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta is long island that is made up of resorts, hotels, hostels and little strings of restaurants and huts along the beaches serving drinks. The beautiful beaches stretch most of the length of the island and offer incredible swimming, snorkeling and sunset watching opportunities. In terms of activities, there’s not a lot to do besides chilling- which is awesome because they’ve got chilling down. Hungry? Walk up to a shack on the beach and get some awesome seafood or a spicy Thai curry. Thirsty? Go to a shack on the beach and get some tiki drink! It’s pretty straightforward. We went in late February and it was already hot so expect the days to be spent under the shade somewhere, in the ocean or in a pool somewhere.

A majestic manta gliding past us (video by my dive buddy Juliette Alemany )

Speaking of being in the ocean, the scuba diving is AMAZING in Koh Lanta. Koh Ha is a tiny island that’s a protected national park with incredible dive opportunities. Here you can find a mind-blowing array of colorful fish, corals, sea turtles and even manta rays (if you’re lucky!). I dove here twice and the variety between the days was stunning. I’ll never forget swimming through an underwater chimney surrounded by a swirling school of yellow fish. For more advanced dive, you can head to which is two volcanic towers that are covered in coral- one fire red, the other purple. Here you can find another wide variety of fish but what’s truly spectacular is you can also find manta rays. is a cleaning station for mantas and they come here every week or so from their usual depths to be cleaned by fish who…literally clean the mantas. We got stupendously lucky and halfway through my dive I found I was swimming next to a huge manta who gave me a sideways look and then glided out into the dark depths. It was absolutely stunning. You can book these dives with various operators but I dived with Anti Gravity Divers.

Some amazing pics of our dive by Juliette Alemany

Back on Koh Lanta, we ended up getting a great deal at the resort Lanta Casa Blanca and it was an incredible place. Rather new, its got a great pool and super friendly staff. If you’re looking for adults-only time, this might not be the place as there are a number of families who stay here but outside of some dubious lawn chair hogging, everyone was great. While we were staying there our friend Chris even swung by to grab happy hour drinks with us which was totally rad. Which bring us to our next point-the location of your stay on Koh Lanta is kind of important as its very long and not easy to get around from place to place without renting a scooter or being at the mercy of the dreaded “tuk tuk” mafia. If you’ve seen tuk tuks before in place like Bangkok or India…..these are NOT them. These Koh Lanta ‘tuks are hilariously improvised carriages welded to rinky dinky scooters. That in no way reduces the cost to you though as the drivers will make up whatever price they want. Bargain hard before taking one of them.

After a week, we totally fell in love with the chill vibe in Koh Lanta and ended up staying another week at which point….we had reached our maximum limit for island living. We bid adieu to our super friendly Koh Lantan hosts and headed off to our next adventure- the wild city of Bangkok!

June 9, 2019June 9, 2019

Nestling down in Chiang Mai

One of our favorite pics of this trip- pampering rescued elephants

After a few months of hectic travel through Asia, we were ready to slow down the pace of our adventures a bit and call a place “home” for a bit more than just a few nights. Enter Chiang Mai! One of the two largest cities in Thailand, Chiang Mai is situated in the North and has a very distinct vibe from Bangkok or the Thai Islands. Balancing traditional Thai culture with a modern touch- as evidenced by the many coworking spaces and startup sticker festooned laptops you see at cafes here. This mix of old and a new combined with a more laid back attitude seemed like the perfect place to put down some (temporary) roots. Sweetening the deal there seemed like limitless things to do here ranging from cooking classes to volunteering on an elephant preserve to…well…just taking it all in. Strap in because this post is longer than most BUT you’ll get some epic food stories, hear about one of the most over the top cabarets we’ve ever experienced, learn how you to can pamper adorable elephants and discuss the meaning of life with Buddhist Monks- ITS ALL HERE IN CHIANG MAI!

Let’s get to the basics first- Chiang Mai really has two main parts- the historic “Old Town” that’s bordered by stone walls and a moat, and then there’s the rest of Chiang Mai. Inside old town you’ll find many historical sights like Buddhist temples, monasteries, restaurants and street markets. It’s all very walkable but there are throngs of Tuk Tuks (little motorized scooter taxis) that are there to zip you around quickly- just make sure to bargain their prices down 😉

Being used to “Californian” Thai food we really wanted to get out there and try all the kinds of street food we’ve never tasted before- and let me tell you, there’s a TON to enjoy in Chiang Mai! Just the options of where to get your food are bewildering. For example there are a whole spectrum of night markets that offer food you can choose from ranging from the locals only one in Malin Plaza to the high end, food and booze truck night markets that cater to tourists. There’s something for every palate and the beauty is that you have so much to choose from- you can literally just graze your way through (like we did!).

One of my favorite North Thai dishes was a delicious curry noodle dish called kow soi. It had everything- a delicious curry broth, roasted chicken and perfectly cooked al dente noodles. Just make sure you don’t wear a white shirt- those curry drops get everywhere!

Another of our favorite places was right next to the Cowboy Lady and they made the best stir fry I might have ever had. Pork, veggies and XO sauce get fired up for an insane-o tasty combination. It was so good I ate two of them! Another dish you should check out is are Thai Sausages which are pork based and look just like sausages you’d get in the west- just with a distinctly spicy, Thai Kaffir Leaf taste. Also, if you like chicken wings- have we got the place for you- it puts everything else in SF to shame.

The AMAZING green curry Tiff learned to make
Bennie and some of our awesome cooking classmates
Making curry paste from scratch
Tom yum!
Always stay hydrated 😛
Benny even went the extra distance
Benny showing us how to make real Thai food!
Some of our tasty goodness that we created!

Chiang Mai is also known for its cooking classes. There’s a bewildering amount of them to choose from and it was a challenge just deciding on one. After all the research we finally went with Benny’s Cooking School. Benny picked us up along with some awesome new friends and we went to the market to shop for the ingredients we needed to cook with. Benny was a natural character and she cracked jokes throughout our sojourn through the countless food and vegetable stalls in the main market. Then it was time to cook! Benny whisked us to her home where she had an expert cooking classroom set up with everything we needed. After a few hours of straightforward, joke filled hours of cooking we got to enjoy the fruit of our labors green curry, chicken satay, kow soi and a delicious mango sticky rice for desert. Tiffany made hands down the best green curry i’ve ever had. If you swing by our place in SF, we’d be happy to make this for you too!

Seriously, we could talk about the food forever, but we’ve got to move on to…something a bit more sexy- cabaret! I want to preface this by saying that we live in San Francisco and love going out to cabarets and burlesque performances and all the other fun artsy stuff that SF offers- and we’ve seen a lot. But that didn’t prepare us for how far over the top the cabaret acts are here in Chiang Mai. Enter- 6ixcret Show. This is a “gender-illusionist” Cabaret (to steal Asia SF’s term) and the performers really go all out. Playing everything from Beyonce to Lady Gaga and of course, Cher- the dancers would choreograph an amazing routine together with incredible costumes. The singing, the perfectly choreographed dancing, lighting the stage on fire and of course, the sparkles were amazing. The entire show runs about 2 1/2 hours with no cover (just a 2 drink minimum!). We were so amazed we brought some friends back a few days later and the entire show was different- which from a choreography perspective just blows my mind. Definitely something you have to see to believe.

The sign outside the monk chat if you’re interested in giving it a go!

But Chiang Mai wasn’t all just eating and cabaret-ing. I took advantage of one its more unique experiences- having a monk chat. Monk chats are offered by several temples and monasteries around town and they offer you the ability to sit down with a monk and chat about pretty much anything. It’s a way for them to practice their English and it’s an incredible way for you and the monk to learn more about each other’s culture. I came in with a bunch of topics I was interested in covering along with some suggested by friends on Facebook and I got to sit down with a monk for about 2 hours. We covered everything from how he found his calling as a monk (most Thai boys are monks for a year or two in adolescence) to the nature of consciousness. Our conversations went back and forth and I was left with some new perspectives on life and travel- one in particular was a lesson that helped me in my adventures in Nepal. I asked the monk what Buddhism might offer someone like me who enjoys eating, dancing and a lot of the more sensual things in life. The monk paused, thought about my question for a while and shared that us Westerners often approach life with set expectations. When life falls short of those expectations, it brings disappointment and suffering. He felt Buddhism could help with this. Little did I know that several weeks later in Nepal my own expectations and the fallout from them would impact me in a huge way. See my Nepal Travelogue for more on that. In short- if you want a unique travel experience that will stick with, definitely check out the monk chats.

One must do adventure in Chiang Mai is make it to Wat Sri Suphan- an incredible temple on the mountain overlooking the city. Housing several incredible Buddhas, the complex lives up to its UNESCO World Heritage status- its main spire shining in multi-tiered levels of gold. From here you can not only appreciate the beauty of Thai Temple Architecture but you can get sweeping views of the city. Probably the easiest and cheapest ways to visit is to take one of the red pickup trucks that leave from the old town. These hilarious makeshift buses pack people in till they’re full up then zoom up the mountain- their definitely worth the price of admission.

These guys can eat!
One of our favorite pics of the trip!

Our final adventure in Chiang Mai was one of the most heartwarming of our trip. We volunteered for a day with the Elephant Nature Preserve and helped pamper several elephants rescued from forced labor. Here in Thailand, Elephants are used from everything from the lumber industry to street entertainment. In order to train them to do these tasks, humans torture in all sorts of terrible ways- evidenced by the elephants who are missing eyes, ears and carry the scars of their labor. That being said, whenever we visited elephants in zoos, it always conjured this image of massive creatures with mighty trunks who did not mess around. While this is true, throughout the day we got to see a playful and fun side of these massive creatures that I wasn’t aware of. From happily scarfing down some rice and banana snacks we made for them to galloping around like massive puppies to taking a mud bath, we were charmed by them through and through. The day went by to fast and after all the elephant pampering was done, we climbed back in our bus home and waved goodbye to our elephant friends.

These guys can eat even more than I can!

Phew! That was a long post! It just goes to show you HOW MUCH there is to do in Chiang Mai! We hope you fall in love with this city as much as we did!

Get our Google Map of our favorite places in Chiang Mai

Which you can find easily here!

May 12, 2019May 12, 2019

My time on the Annapurna Circuit

For me and many others, hiking Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit is the dream trek of a lifetime. Winding through the Himalayas and connecting several remote villages, the Annapurna Circuit has some of the most stunning mountain views imaginable. Along with that, it’s far from an easy hike. It requires planning, permits and the ability to handle some pretty high elevations – the Thurong Pass that the Annapurna circuit crosses is at 17,770 feet of elevation. Of course you need a bit more than just that as no matter how hard you plan, things can still go sideways.

While this was the trip of a lifetime for me, it definitely had challenges that were totally out of my control like my hiking boots being stolen and the weather being unseasonably crazy. While this wasn’t the “perfect” trip, I feel it was even more valuable to me personally as a learning experience. The issues and challenges made me face my tricky relationship with expectations and the limits of my ability to control outcomes. Instead of having the “perfect” trip, I was able to take with me something more valuable with me- a better ability to let go of expectations which can really hamper me from truly appreciating the moments that count.

For this section I decided to publish my daily journal from each leg of the Annapurna circuit. You’ll notice that at day 4, things take a pretty big turn – we had to abandon our Annapurna Circuit plans due to unseasonably torrential snows and landslides and instead we “remixed” our plans completely. While this was a bit of a letdown I still feel it was the trip of a lifetime and I hope my journals help show what a magical place this is. I’ll create a separate post to talk about how you prepare for a trip like this. As in my previous post, I highly recommend getting a guide like mine – Tenzi Sherpa- who was invaluable when things went sideways hard. Any way you trek the Annapurna, I can guarantee you your in for a trek of a lifetime.

Day 1 of the Annapurna Circuit- Nadi to Jagat

Starting off with an epic vista
The villages we passed clinging to the mountainside
Me and Tenzi!
Another epic bridge crossing

We started our trip in the hamlet of Nadi and wound through some amazing terrain on the way to our next stop in Jagat. It was drizzly most of the day but it didn’t detract from the some of the stunning vistas, waterfalls and frequent traffic jams of goats and donkeys clogging up the road. There’s something otherworldly about coming around a corner and seeing a massive mountain staring you in the face – only to be brought back to earth by the bleating of a herd of goats.

The food has been damn tasty- I think I can eat this dal baht every meal no problem. The challenge in front of us though is that the weather is not looking so great and the pass in front of us is closed because of snow. Apparently this is the first time that’s happened this time of year in several decades – just my luck! 🤣 but regardless if we have to flip the script and make alternate plans, it’s been a gorgeous hike so far! Send good warm thoughts our way team!

Day 2 of the Annapurna Circuit- Jagat to Dharapani.

Tenzi showing me the flora
Crossing the ridge
So many waterfalls along the way
Dharapani in sight
One of the many vistas

The day started crisp and cold and we grabbed all of our gear and strapped on our boots. We wound our way up a gorge dotted with palm trees (who would have thought they’d be all the way up here?!!) and countless waterfalls cascading down into a surging river. Tenzi has some seriously eagle eyes and was able to point out a family of monkeys hiding in the cliffs along with some ginormous bee hives. Apparently locals rappel down the cliff face at night with a torch in hand to harvest them… which if you think about it (sheer cliff face + 1000 meter drop + just a rope to hold you + a lit torch In hand + millions of stinging bees)- sounds just about the craziest thing to do for a living- but who am I to judge!

We crossed several suspension bridges and traveled through countless little hamlets with their own bleating goat herds and donkey traffic jams. We were able to just avoid a snowstorm by ducking into a teahouse for some dhal baht for lunch. The sun finally broke through and we had a glorious end to the day hiking further up the gorge. We made it safely to our Tea House and Dharapani and met up with our merry band of traveling Germans for even more dhal baht. All in all a pretty epic day of hiking!

Day 3 of the Annapurna circuit – Dharapani to Chame

On the way to Chame
Finally seeing some sun!
A room with a view 😛

The sun finally came out for an entire day which was quite an exciting change from the rain and snow. We strapped our packs on and tromped through the frozen muddy trail towards Chame. We got about 2-3 km and had to come to a pretty tough realization. We knew that it had snowed a bunch over the past two days and the Thurong Pass was likely still to be closed but after meeting some guides who came back from Chame, we knew the pass wasn’t going to open for at least two weeks. Making matters worse, the day of sun was melting the snow and landslides began happening all over the place. Tenzi said that even if we went up to Chame and came back down, the descent would be far more challenging and treacherous due to slides and the worsening of trail conditions. We would find out later that 2 of the 5 hotels that support Annapurna Base camp were destroyed the same day by rock slides.

So, we made the decision to head back down the mountain. We got lucky and were able to flag down a dump truck which was easily the rockiest (pun intended) ride I’ve ever taken. One of the guys in the dump truck had a Jeep and was willing to take us to Bessisar for a fee- we jumped on it. We picked up another couple on the way who – while taking a picture of a waterfall – almost got hit by a landslide.

The Jeep ride was hands down the craziest trip I’ve ever taken. The “road” was pretty much a mud track with huge rocks strewn around for good measure. On the way down you could see places where landslides dumped mud and rocks all over the road. To make things more fun, most of the road had a sheer wall of rock on one side and a several hundred foot drop into a surging river on the other.

Hands down the craziest ride i’ve ever taken

So there I was with Tenzi, crammed into the cab of a Jeep with 5 other people. I was riding in the middle spot in the front seat with the gearshift right between my legs and which left me trying to anticipate every shift this guy was making so he didn’t hit me in the nuts. A quarter of the way down the gearbox started making a crazy sound from the guys double clutching and you could just smell the clutch burning. So here we are, careening down a muddy road praying the driver doesn’t miss a turn or lose traction enough for us to slide off the side- all the while as the transmission is smoking. We stopped for lunch and the driver said he could fix the issue by dumping a bucket of water on what I assume the clutch?

In any case, he tapped out of driving responsibilities and the new driver was way better and cut the turns like he was playing Mario Kart for keeps. Somehow this didn’t make me feel better but at least the transmission was no longer on fire.

5 hours later we made it safe and sound to Bessisar and then got a ride to Pokhara. Quite the wild day of not trekking, but it was one hell of a memorable experience! We’re regrouping in Pokhara and will figure out how to best salvage the rest of the trek. Wish me luck!

Annapurna Remixed Trek: Day 4 Pokhara to Pothana

The verdant countryside outside of Pokhara
Getting in the swing of things
Ruling the roost
Getting sideeye from these geese
Mimoso n’ me
Mimoso is quite happy to have made it to the ridgeline
Like many houses we past, this one had corn drying from the rafters

Annapurna take 2! We started our day in drizzly Pokhara to make our way to Paurdkot by one of those hilarious local busses I mentioned earlier. Our plan is to eventually make it to Ghorepani and Poon Hill- basically hitting the last 1/3 of the Annapurna circuit (minus Annapurna base camp which is closed right now due to avalanches 😣).

After jumping out of the bus we strapped on our packs and went at it again. Since switchback technology hasn’t made it to Nepal yet, we hiked basically 3 miles of straight up staircases. We were able to catch views of Pokhara below us and also these massive Rhododendron trees in full bloom. Since I downsized my pack in Pokhara due to our change in trek, it was definitely easier to make the ascent. It also made it easier to grab Mimoso for photo opportunities. Mimoso (Spanish for cuddly) is a little hedgehog friend Tiffany bought for me so I wouldn’t feel lonely as I trekked – and it’s actually working! He’s also pretty cute too.

We made it Pothana in super good time so now I’ve got the time to catch up on the rest of my reading. Here’s hoping the weather clears up tomorrow!

Day 5 of the Remixed Annapurna Trek- Pothana to Landruk

Coming around the bed
We had a friendly pup be our trekking companion for the day
Another traffic jam…
A scene from Shivaratri
Annapurna in the background

We woke up today to see the gleaming peak of Annapurna South in the morning sunlight. This was super awesome as it’s been rainy and drizzly most mornings and the peaks have been hiding from us. We strapped on our packs and made our way to Landruk.

The way was a lot of straight up, straight down, straight up and little flat land thrown in for some diversity. The views were stunning today as we walked through countless rice terraces and navigated our way through wayward herds of goats, ox and water buffalo. The water buffalo definitely are hilarious as they make this kind of freeze pose and then stare at you which I think they feel makes them invisible. I’m not so sure about it but it’s funny to watch!

It’s an interesting experience walking through all of these villages that depend on eking out as much as they can from the soil and mountains as possible to make a living. Tenzi has been doing an awesome job introducing me to the many tribes that make up all of the villages throughout the trek. I’m definitely getting a deeper perspective of how life is here.

We made it to Landruk in good time with the sun still shining. The weather here is a bit bananas where just a few kilometers can mean the difference between warm sun and freezing snow. There seems to be an immovable wall of rain that’s just sitting outside of Landruk which is of course where we’re heading tomorrow. Please send sunny thoughts my way!

Day 6 of the Annapurna Remixed Trek- Landruk to Ghandruk

The awesome owner of our teahouse who convinced me to get into a Shivaratri dance-off
At 7 am, I feel just like this dog
Yes, this shirt is too tight but its the largest size they had in Kathmandu
The Annapurna range in the distance
We walked through gorgeous fields of rice throughout the day
Me and Tenzi at (almost) the top of the hill

I woke up to more sunshine this morning as I shook off the remnants of my Nepalese moonshine fueled Shivaratri danceathon. Our destination for today was the village of Ghandruk which we could see right across the gorge from our teahouse. Tenzi said it would take about 3-4 hours which seemed a bit much for something that looked so close. Well, I found out why shortly after I strapped on my pack and headed out of Landruk.

The Shivaratri celebratory fire in Landruk

In order to get to Ghandruk we had to to go straight down, then straight up this deep gorge. When I mean straight down, the stairs pretty much went straight down with no switchbacks! The terrain was gorgeous as we saw Peach trees and rhododendrons in full bloom along with all sorts of birds and bees (seriously! Just look at the pic below where you can see the villagers actually build bee hives into their homes!). The stairs were made out of slate and chiseled rock – all fit together like some big puzzle or quilt.

Where things got real fun was when we go to the bottom and crossed the river and started our way straight up. Straight. Up. The. Mountain. It was unlike Ive ever hiked- basically one massively long staircase straight up. Even though it’s frigid outside, I still was able to drown in sweat lugging my pack up the daunting stairs. On the positive side, I got a new nickname today – “local” because I keep pace with the sherpas – and that made me feel pretty darn good😅.

As we continued our trek upwards we weaved through countless terraces of millet fields and dodged oxen meandering about. We even crossed paths with a roving family of monkeys that were moving through the trees with all the grace of a drunk leaving a Union Street bar at 2:03am. With storm clouds forming above, we quickened our pace.

We finally made it to Ghandruk and i looked at how far we came and was blown away. It was easily one of the most physically taxing ascents I’ve done in a while – clocking in at 197 flights of stairs according to Apple Health. Ghandruk was a little bit larger of a village than Landruk and had a quaint little museum focused on rural life and a Buddhist monastery. All of Ghandruk exists clinging to the steep hillsides which makes navigating its narrow streets similar to some of the hills and alleys of North Beach or Russian Hill- only with infinitely more donkeys. And with that we checked into our Teahouse and sat down for some well deserved dhal baht. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds!

Day 7 of the Remixed Annapurna Trek- Ghandruk to Tadapani

Clear skeis today!
The donkeys here are decorated with all the finery
This is how lumber is transported from village to village – impressive on every level

Today started off far earlier than I would have liked – there was an entire class of Nepali high schoolers that started blasting Bhangra at 5am (who does that?!?!) and I almost went into full “old man Van Loan” mode and told em to git off my lawn! But it was too damn cold outside of my cozy sleeping bag to be bothered. The upside was I was wake up a little earlier and see the best views of the Annapurnas we’ve seen yet!

So we strapped on our packs and off we went! The path today was a welcome change from the straight up steps of yesterday, instead winding its way through rhododendron forests and gurgling brooks. We got to see how the Nepali’s do forestry management which was a lot more conservation focused than I was fearing. After they selectively cut a tree,they saw it into long, thick beams totally by hand. Then they get some Maniacs to balance the damn things on their heads and lug it down the mountain. It was an impressive and insane thing to watch happen.

Now that we’re climbing higher, we’re finally getting back into the snow and that foreshadows tomorrows snowy and icy trek to Ghorepani.

At our Teahouse I finally tried the Nepali tradition of eating dhal baht with your hands and it was a pretty fun if not messy thing. I felt like I was bussing around grains of rice around my plate a good amount of the time but Tenzi says I just need three more tries to master it. We also ran into an awesome group and got into a heated set of card games. These teahouses are incredible little micro communities where you can make friends easily and swap stories – all around a toasty little stove. They’re hands down one of my favorite parts of this trek.

Well, it’s time for me to leave the warm protective radius of this little stove and get ready for tomorrow’s icy trek. Please send warm thoughts my way!

Day 8 of the Remixed Annapurna trail- Tadapani to Ghorepani

Up and at em early
A village cat
We got into a fierce game of cards the night before with another trekking group
The sunrises here are unreal
No crampons needed- it was a slog up this icy hill
We did make it though!
Mimoso celebrating our making it to the ridgeline
The gate to Ghorepani- our destination for the night
A green canyon flush with snowmelt

Today was the big day. I knew it was going to be a slog but i was ready for it! I got up earlier hoping to catch the sunrise and I got rewarded by the jaw dropping spectacle of the Annapurna mountain range bathed in morning light. I ate the usual teahouse breakfast of eggs, home fries and toast (with a milk tea of course) and I was ready to roll.

Well, not quite actually. I was running low on clean clothes so I tried to take advantage of yesterdays sunny skies. On the good side, everything pretty much dried out. On the bad side? My underwear froze- like in a “U” shape as you can see in the attached pic. Unfortunately for me I was out of clean pairs so…..I got to put on frozen underwear for them first time. Let me tell you, NOTHING wakes you up faster than wearing frozen underwear, as a side effect I’m not sure I can ever have kids but I guess that’s for another post 🤣

Where the Landruk to Ghandruk trek was tough being straight down and then straight up, the trek to Ghorepani said “hold my beer” and then added iced over snow and luge like ascents and descents. To make matters more “fun”, we didn’t have crampons for our boots so today became a full body workout.

To get up the slippery ice trails we had to slam our poles into the icy ground and haul ourselves upwards and hope our boots didn’t slip. When It came to the downhill, we had to do a cross between skating down the hills and making sure we planted our feet in new snow on the edges of the trails. Most of the time it worked, sometimes ……. not so much and we would sink into waist deep snow.

It was a brutal slog but it had its moments.

The sunlight filtering through the Rhododendron forest have the woods a magical glow. All kinds of wildflowers were in bloom and we even spotted a few monkeys, content to sun themselves out on high up tree limbs. There was also a Small herd of horses we ran into mid trek.

After some amazing views, we finally wound our way down to Ghorepani and I couldn’t be happier. It was certainly the most physically taxing and technically challenging day we’ve had. Fortunately it was also the best tea house we’ve been at yet with a huge stove heater and awesome food. Along with some new friends we joined all the guides in a big dance circle before calling it a night. Tomorrow we reach Poon Hill and hopefully an amazing view!

Day 9 of the remixed Annapurna Trail- Ghorepani to Poon Hill

Trying to stay positive…at a 4am wakeup time
The sun just about to peak over the Himalays
The observation post at the top of Poon Hill
Team no-crampon celebrating at the top of Poon hill
The view was worth every step necessary to get there

Well, this was it! The goal we’d been trudging up and down endless stairs and across icy passes for. Poon Hill is a place where you can see one of the most amazing panoramas I’ve ever seen- all of the Annapurna range plus a bunch of other mountains close by in almost a 360 degree setup. It is alpine mountain porn at its finest.

In order to get the most of out of it we got up at 4:30 AM to hike to the top to see Sunrise. Using our “no-crampon” pro skills we were able to make it to the top in 36 minutes flat and were one of the first to be able to stake out our real estate for the “show”. It did not disappoint. From the first rays of light illuminating the Annapurnas to the eventual morning sunshine glinting off the snow capped peaks, it’s was a sight I’ll never forget. Where the weather had foiled our plans to trek over the Thorong Pass and visit Annapurna Basecamp, it totally cooperated this morning and gave us clear skies.

The scene at the top became a little packed as hikers from countries across the globe arrrived and everyone jostled for a view -but it all worked out. We stayed for a few hours and I took literally hundreds of pictures but in an attempt to not be totally annoying, here are a few of the best.

With Poon Hill conquered, we went back to Ghorepani which was actually pretty damn fun. The icy trail that was a bit technical to climb turned into the best sledding run on the way down when you’re wearing snow pants. After happily sledding down on our butts, it was time to collect the rest of our gear in Ghorepani and make the trek down.

Day 10 of the remixed Annapurna Trek- The Journey Home(ish)

A donkey train delivering food and gas to Ghorepani

With Poon Hill behind us, it was all downhill for us now-literally. Ghorepani is at a pretty high elevation and reachable only by trail so we had to walk all the way down through steep cliff sides, cross massive chasms and across gurgling brooks to make it to our final tea house where we would be whisked away by Jeep to Pokhara and some semblance of the modern world again.

All those steps I took to get to Ghorepani were deposits in a bank account that all seemed to get withdrawn in one day. According to my phone we hiked 11 1/2 miles and I’m guessing we descended ~4000-5000 ft with almost all of it straight down on stone stairs. Seriously, Nepal does not F around with its ups and downs and with no switchbacks it meant we were in for one hell of a leg workout. Just writing this down makes my ass just hurt 🤣

We were able to see amazing vistas throughout the day as we wound our way through forests of Rhododendron trees and terraces of rice, potatoes, millet, corn and garlic. Because of the strange weather everything was in bloom early and we were treated to plants in full bloom. Tenzi kept up his eagle eyed sightings of all sorts of things from flowers, monkeys and some massive bee hives. The bees here are HUGE! And they just hover a lot making them easy to spot but also a bit menacing considering their size and how many of their friends they have flying around 😅

We came across many donkey trains taking food and supplies to Ghorepani. Since there is no road there, everything has to be delivered by either donkey or porter. Apparently the elevation is so high in Ghorepani, the donkeys can’t stay for long. Beyond that elevation, yaks have to be used!

After many, many miles we finally made it to our Teahouse just in time. 5 minutes later the sky opened and dumped rain for hours which of course meant tons of new snow at higher elevations- we came down just in time!

Together with some of our new friends we made in Ghorepani we turned the tea houses common room into a 7 person dance club to celebrate the end of an amazing journey complete with headlamps set to blink mode for strobes and my speaker for sound. Over Nepali rum we danced, laughed and shared stories of our adventures. With all the changes and challenges, It wasn’t the trek I wanted but it definitely was the trek I needed. I’m grateful to have experienced it and hope to come back again sometime in the future.

I can say without hesitation that this was a trek of a lifetime ❤️

April 30, 2019

Trekking to Kathmandu

Boudhanath Stupa– one of the amazing temples you’ll find in Kathmandu

To the curious mind, the country of Nepal can evoke so much- Mount Everest, the snowy peaks of the Himalays, Sherpa’s guiding trekkers on the journeys and to foodies, multi-week silent meditation retreats or maybe the tasty tasty flavor explosions of deliciousness- momos. While all these ideas exist in the abstract, nothing quite prepares you for watching them come together in a place like Nepal where fantasy, adventurous stories and harsh realities together form an unforgettable place. Nepal was all of these things to me and more . Reflecting on my time there I appreciate some of the challenges I had to face almost as much as the exciting moments I celebrated when summiting peaks and exploring some of Nepal’s hidden gems. While my time in Nepal wasn’t without its issues, I feel it had a lasting impact on me that few other places have done so. See later in this post for that story because…I digress!d this is a post about Kathmandu after all!

Kathmandu is the gateway to Nepal and the most likely place you’ll first experience in Nepal. It’s a frenetic, bustling, dusty city with so much going on its hard to wrap your head around it all. Your first stop of course will be to purchase your tourist visa – or as I’m starting to refer to these mandatory expenses “enter through the gift shop” 😛 Depending on the length of time you stay you’ll pay a sliding scale for the visa. One other key travel tip to be aware of is that in Nepal, cash is KING. Very few places will take your credit card and if they do, they’ll likely charge a hefty fee. If you have big ticket expenses like paying a guide or sherpa, you’ll want to ensure you either take enough US dollars with you to pay them or you plan accordingly as most ATM’s will only let you take out 35,000 rupees a day. If you have your lodging figured out, I’d recommend working with them to get your transportation from Kathmandu airport to your lodging as there are no ridesharing services here, taxis don’t run on a meter and most drivers do not speak english. Fortunately for me my amazing guide Tenzi Sherpa was there to pick me up. As a quick aside, if you’re doing a trek and need a guide, I couldn’t recommend Tenzi more highly. He’s easily one of the friendliest, most earnest and hands down the most experienced guide I met during my 3+ weeks in Nepal.

Tenzi posing before we “summit” the monkey temple

If you came to Nepal to trek like me you’ll spend your first few days getting everything you need for the weeks ahead prepared and packed, thus you’ll call the Thamel district of Kathmandu home. Preparing of course includes not just your equipment but the permits you’ll need including your TIMS registration (I love the name 😉 ). There are TONS of trekking equipment stores throughout Thamel which sell both real and knockoff gear from brands like North Face. Seriously, I think 2/3 of the country is wearing either North Face or North Fayce (knockoff) gear at any given time. That aside, if there’s a specific brand you feel you really need, I’d bring it with you from home. I didn’t have that luxury since we’re planning on traveling a year or so and I just needed trekking gear for Nepal. All the gear I bought in the Thamel district worked great and didn’t fail me so you should be good to go.

Prayer wheels in action in Boudhanath Stupa

Kathmandu of course is far more than just trek preparation. The stunning Buddhist temples you find throughout the city are truly incredible. One of the largest is the Boudhanath Stupa. This massive domed structure festooned in prayer flags and gold is truly awe inspiring. Surrounding the dome are countless prayer wheels which people spin while walking around the stupa clockwise while reciting mantras. My guide Tenzi is also a painter who- together with his brother- is responsible for several of the mandala paintings and prayer wheels at the site and he explained in detail the meanings behind each aspect of the site.

One of the massive prayer wheels Tenzi and his brother painted

A second temple that you’ve got to check out in Kathmandu is Swayambhunath Stupa or more commonly know as the Monkey Temple. Like several of the Buddhist temples we’ve visited on our trip, its on the top of a steep hill with a ton of stairs to get up to it- the hike is worth it though as you’re rewarded with jaw dropping views of the city. Making things a bit more exciting is the entire site seems to be run by monkeys-literally! They’re everywhere- jumping, climbing, preening each other and causing mischief all over the place. The Temple itself has some incredible statues of several buddhas and the history behind it is fascinating. When looking over Kathmandu, its hard to imagine this temple standing alone before the city grew around it.

Scenes from the monkey temple

Kathmandu also has some of the best food in the country bringing countless cultures together in one place. If you’re looking for incredible local dishes like momos or dhal baht, look no further than going to Gilingche. For those who aren’t familiar with momos, they’re little dumplings filled with everything from spiced potatoes to ground buffalo to pork. All of them here are amazing. If you’re trekking, you’ll become familiar with Dhal Baht which is kinda like a Nepali combo-plate. It always has a pureed lentil soup called dhal along with rice, some form of spiced potatoes and then other assorted veggie options. This dish will single handedly power you as you trek through the Himalayas and each place has their own different take on it. If you’re hankering for a taste of home, I highly recommend the pizza at Fire and Ice or for vegetarians, try Or2k. Their falafels and hummus are to die for.

Between preparing for my Annapurna trek preparation and checking out the sites of Kathmandu, I had one of the more…..memorable experiences on the trip. My hiking boots got stolen. Two days before my multi week trek was about to begin. To say that I was unhappy is about the biggest understatement I could possibly make. I had PLANNED for this trek for months! I had prepped everything I could beforehand! And here some jerk had thrown a big wrench into my plans. Any new boots I’d buy wouldn’t be broken in and I’d certainly get blisters or worse! I might have to cut my trek short! Every possible nightmare scenario gripped my thoughts as I tried to figure out what do. My boots got stolen from a restaurant which required you to take your shoes off before sitting down (a somewhat common practice in Asia) and apparently, some Aussie backpackers stole my boots, leaving me their crappy boots. How do I know this? Well let me tell you…

Since I have travel insurance, I knew I needed to make an official police report to get compensated. This seemingly simple task kicked off a series of hilarious misadventures which I’ll never forget. Since I had finished most of my trek preparation, I had the morning to go and make my police report so I trudged on down to Kathmandu Police Headquarters to make my report. When I got there I found a bunch of officers outside the building and I asked them if I could make a report. Unfortunately, none of them knew any English so I would have been screwed except an idea came to mind. I could use google translate to help! Now if you’ve ever used google translate on your phone, you know you can type a word of English into it and translate that phrase into almost any language. You tilt your phone on its side and the translated language pops up in big letters which is probably the equivalent to talking….really….slow…to people who you think don’t understand you 😉 So I typed into google translate “I need to make a police report” and turned my phone on the side. The police people nodded and gestured to say “what kind of report do you want to make?” Into google translate I typed in “My boots were stolen” and I turned the phone on its side. As the police read the Google translated text their faces went from bored to extremely concerned. They started talking rapid fire Nepali amongst themselves and looked very worried. They ran into grab another policeman who knew English and brought him out. When they explained the situation to him he looked very concerned and gravely look at me and asked “Your father has been stolen. Who has stolen your father? Where did this happen?” It immediately dawned on me that Google translate has mistranslated the phrase “my boots were stolen” to “my father was stolen”. After 5 minutes of trying to calm the police down and reassure them that my father was not kidnapped (that I knew of at least) and I just needed a report for my stolen boots. They looked equal parts received and annoyed and directed me to the tourist police who cold help.

Me, Tenzi and the two Nepali police detectives march to crack the case of the stolen boots!

The Nepali tourist police are- as their name implies- here to help tourists with unfortunate situations like this. Having had 3 of my bikes stolen in San Francisco and the police doing little to help, I fully expected the Nepali police to look at me, say “that’s tough” and then hand me a form. That is not what happened at all. The police chief I spoke with felt it was a truly serious situation and this “was not the experience” she wanted me to have in Nepal so she assigned not one but TWO detectives to crack the case of the stolen boots! I met Tenzi up at the Thamel police station and together, me Tenzi and the two detectives went to the scene of the crime- the restaurant. As we walked there I couldn’t help but laugh as here I am getting an over the top amount of police support for something as little as stolen boots. When we got to the restaurant, the manager was hand and the detectives asked him to roll the security tape and we saw the table next to me – filled with Aussie backpackers- stole my boots. The case solved the detectives gave me an updated report and said they’d work to find those responsible and right the wrong. I thanked them and chuckled about the whole experience. What a hilarious story I wouldn’t have had if my boots weren’t stolen? This really showed me that no matter how much you prepare for an adventure like Nepal, life can ALWAYS throw a wrench into your best laid plans. Rolling with it is a skill I needed to work on and this little adventure certainly helped me along that path.

And with that, I was able to find some authentic new North Face boots and I was ready for my Annapurna Trek! For that adventure, stay tuned for my next blog post- Tim and the Annapurna Trek!

Place I loved in Kathmandu

I’ve organized some of my favorite restaurants, cafes and sights into this handy Google Maps list for you.