I walked past the old stone steps and suddenly stopped. Nothing stopped me physically, but I was stopped mentally. I turned and looked at the steps and the big building they were attached to and wondered, “Is this it?” How could this be it? It was so quiet, unassuming, and humble. There was no sign, [...]

October is the busy season for trekking in Nepal.  The weather is perfect, the locals are out harvesting, and there are no monsoon rains!  One year ago I was hiking the Annapurna Circuit with my father; having one of my most memorable travel experiences.  We met a myriad of local children and adults along the [...]

Last week I wrote about how brave kids can be when it comes to travel; somehow when we grow up we grow scared.  This got me thinking about some of my travels and the kids I meet along my journeys.  My recent hiking trip to Nepal came to mind.  As my father and I hiked [...]

Father’s Day was last Sunday; what better time to reflect upon my recent travels with my father. Last October I traveled to Nepal to hike the Annapurna Circuit with my 73 year old father.  We hiked for 21 days with many ups and downs…quite literally.  I blogged about each step of that journey here on [...]

Who’s Back There? – Barbot, Nepal Going to villages that are off the tourist trail in Nepal are the most rewarding to me.  So when the principle of the school I was volunteer teaching at invited me on a 4 hour hike (actually it took 7 hrs) to his village of Barbot for the weekend [...]

Tiger Balm Tales Vol. 22 Best and the Worst of the Annapurna Circuit Near the end of hiking the circuit, my father and I reminisced on some of our best and worst experiences over the past 21 days. We compiled a list of the best / worst of our Annapurna Circuit experience. Remember…this is only [...]

Piggy Back – Lamjung District Nepal I spent a few weeks volunteering in the remote mountain village of Puma in 2008; an experience that was truly eye opening.    While teaching English in the small village of 40 homes I came to know many of the kids well.  This boy wasn’t old enough for school [...]

Tiger Balm Tales Vol. 20 Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round The clutch and part of the transmission area lying on the ground next to the bus. I hear the sounds of a wrench taking more of the vital organs of the bus apart. This is going to be a long trip back [...]