JuJu Dau and NorthFace

Our time in Bhaktapur was great - the medieval architecture and beautiful handicrafts there are truly unique. We caught our ride to Kathmandu airport and waited there for our next flight to Pokhara. The Kathmandu airport is one of the smallest I've been in, especially for a capital city. Oddly enough, it has the fastest wifi we've come across, so we were able to get some things done while there instead of just sitting and finishing a movie. Our flight was 30 minutes, so we just had time to get up in the air before beginning our descent again, hah. Also: one of the scarier descents/landings I've experienced. And that's from someone who's travelled a fair amount into random places. Pokhara is located just 30 miles from 3 of the highest peaks in the world, so you can imagine that it's a bit hard to get into, since it's surrounded by mountains. It also borders a big lake, so there's that too. You descend in jerks, and then bank steeply to the right as you're about to land - scary. 

Once we got settled into our hotel, we walked down to the lake and rented a canoe for few hours to watch the sunset from the water. Out on the water was so peaceful - you can see the World Peace Pagoda on top of the hill, and watch locals canoeing across the lake to their homes. There are definitely more tourists in Pokhara than Nagarkot or Bhaktapur, so we saw those too. After the boat, we walked to a little Indian and Nepali restaurant we found, since I have been loving Nepali food and Nolan's been missing Indian food. Compromise at its finest! Food was delicious, as usual. 

A typical Nepali set is called Dal Bhat, and means "soup and rice". You get some Dal, which is lentil soup, and then you get a plate that has a little bit of rice on it, some kind of a curried vegetable, other vegetables, pickled sauce, and then a tiny bowl of curd, to help with digestion afterwards. The curd usually tastes like plain yogurt, except in Bhaktapur, where they make a special type of curd called King Curd or "JuJu Dau". It's a bit more solid and sweet, and actually really delicious. In the Newari areas of the country (one of the ethnic groups here), you can also get a Newari set, which is similar to the Dal Bhat, but has fried vegetables (and really interesting kinds I've never seen, too!), curried something or other, pickled sauce, and then the rice is a dry, pounded thin rice (looks like dry oats) sprinkled on the middle of the plate with dry beans and lentils in it. I think it's actually super delicious. 

Anyway, after dinner we walked around Pokhara some more, and bought a fair amount of NorthFace goodies - they sell them very cheap since many are manufactured in the area. We tried a local version of a "cheesecake" on our walk back….not great.

Next morning we woke up before dawn to drive up to Sarangkot to see the sunrise. It was crowded and a long drive, but absolutely worth it. The top of that hill affords not only a view of the Pokhara valley and lakes, but more importantly: a front-row seat to the Himalayas and some of the highest, deadliest, and most majestic mountains in the world. The Annapurna range was within what felt like throwing distance, and ABSOLUTELY breathtaking. It's one thing to see pictures of mountains like that, but it is simply incomparable in reality. We stayed up there for awhile, taking pictures and videos, sipping hot masala tea, and just admiring the incredible creation.

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to eat a quick breakfast, and then put on our backpacks and headed up to the mountains for a day of trekking! We just did a 6-hour trek up to Australian camp, but it was challenging enough that we were exhausted afterwards. It was gorgeous up in those mountains, with an even closer view of the "scary mountains", as I call them. Air was fresh, we got to wander through isolated villages, and truly admire the beauty of the countryside. Since we were so tired, we walked back to the same spot for dinner as before, Nolan got a haircut (his first non-Anneliese haircut in many years1), and we walked the streets for awhile. It was nice to have a relaxing night, as I was recovering from 2 days of a really sore throat and congestion. I call this my Paris disease, as I get this same sickness every time I go to Paris or any other place where the pollution and air quality is bad enough to make me sick.

Next morning, we ate a light breakfast and hopped on a bus to Chitwan. Nice bus - for here, downright luxurious. It had wifi, air conditioning, power outlets, and they even handed out free water bottles. We spent 3-4 hours winding along roads to a lunch spot, then hopped back on for another 2 hours until arriving at Chitwan, where we made our way to our hotel. We took a walking tour through the local village, got to visit the elephant stables, then walked through the jungle for an hour or so to get back to our hotel for dinner and then a cultural dance show - not a typical thing we would do, but part of our hotel's offerings, so we thought we might as well take advantage of it. Afterwards we sat down for some hot chocolate pudding on the patio, and then headed off to bed.

The next morning we got up for breakfast, then walked down to the river for a canoe ride. We spent about an hour or more in that dumb boat - it would have been so peaceful except for the Chinese tourists in the boat next to ours, and sitting behind me. Seriously. The group was so loud and obnoxious even our guides were telling them to knock it off. Normally, flipping over in a canoe isn't too bad - especially in such a lovely river…but since this river has a remarkably high population of a "very aggressive" crocodile species in it…probably best to stay in the boat. Apparently 6-7 people are eaten by these crocs each year. 

Fortunately, we got to head off on our own after the canoe landed, and we spent almost 2 hours trekking through the jungles. It's amazing that our guide knew where he was, as we weren't on trails most of the time, and were just looking for animals and crunching through the underbrush. We saw a rhino from a distance, and several crocodiles…but nothing spectacular. Finally we got back to the jeeps and made it back to our hotel for lunch. By this time, Nolan's got some kind of sickness lingering - a fever and muscle aches with heavy cold symptoms. He keeps saying he has Dengue fever but who knows. He's been going back and forth between really cold and really hot, and we're hoping he's on the mend now after the Tylenol helped his fever break a little.

Anyway, after lunch we had about 2 hours to rest, which was great for Nolan to sleep and try to get better a bit. I was busy booking another hotel and checking email and such, and then decided to take myself out on a walk to battle some restlessness. I picked up some more waters, printed out our train tickets for India, and then got a couple little ice creams to perk us up before our Elephant Safari.

The Elephant Safari was fantastic. We rode on a sweet little elephant who carried us through the jungle for two hours. Since the animals can't tell the humans are on the elephants, they don't run off the same way they do when it's just people walking around. So we saw several rhinos, VERY close (10 meters or less!), lots of spotted deer, and of course loads of monkeys. At the end, we bought a bunch of bananas and gave them to our little elephant friend as a tip :) We headed back to our hotel, sat down for a nice relaxing dinner by the river, and spent our last evening in Chitwan peacing out before the next few days of travel.

MoMo Time: First days in Nepal

First off: internet here in Nepal so far has been spotty at best...so these posts may be few and far between. Travelling to get here was actually smooth and relaxing...until I was about to board my plane for Delhi in Munich. Until then, I had a great send-off to my trip by finishing EVERY SINGLE THING I wanted to on my work "to do" list, then had a wonderful dinner with my dad at this super cute Italian place in Burlingame before he took me to the airport. On the plane I napped, sipped coffee and delicious German food (love Lufthansa!), watched all the new Oscar winners since they had a fabulous selection, and just relaxed in my seat. So there I am, groggy in the Munich airport, wandering around deciding if I want to buy anything while there, and I get a text from Indigo airlines saying "hello, your flight today to Kathmandu has been cancelled. Sorry for the trouble!". Whaaaaat. So I'm frantically calling (note to parents: you may see a long-distance charge on the phone bill :( ) the airline, who basically tell me they'd be happy to put me on the flight two days later if I want! Hmm.

So since my flight was about to leave (I was literally the last person on the plane) I had to just get on the plane to Delhi, and hope I could wrangle a last-minute flight to Nepal from there. Whew. I landed in Delhi, and after much back and forth was able to find someone to get me on a flight (for more than twice the price of the original) to Kathmandu. It was one of the last tickets, and arrived in Nepal at the same time as Nolan...which was convenient. So I sucked it up and paid, got through security and went to wait at my gate for like...5 hours.

While sitting there, totally bored because wifi wasn't working and I didn't feel like reading, I get a text from Nolan. Seriously. He was asking where I was because he was looking for me in Delhi. Lol. To make a long story short, he had a 5 hour layover there also, which I hadn't realized, AND was on the SAME FLIGHT as the one I had just booked, which I also didn't realize! To make things more amazing, the ticket I booked was in the super roomy exit aisle and someone switched seats so we got to sit together! So we were reunited randomly in the Delhi airport, and spent our 4 hours until our flight eating a slow breakfast together and catching up. BEST SURPRISE EVER.

I wouldn't know how to top that, but it just got even better.

We arrived in Nepal, got our Visas, and hopped in the car to our lodging way up in the mountains, in Nagarkot. As it turns out, Nagarkot is AMAZING. You can see Everest and many of the highest peaks of the Himalayas from there at sunset and at sunrise. So we settled in as literally the only people staying in this beautiful lodge at the top of a mountain, sat by the fire in the common room, and sipped hot masala chai while having a private date together :) They cooked us a delicious Nepali dinner from scratch, and we had one of the most romantic and relaxing evenings we can remember in many years. It's so quiet and peaceful up in those mountains, and the air is so fresh and cold, that you can't help but feel removed and totally at peace. Before bed, we got extra blankets and two rubber water bottles to stick in our bed at our feet. Those babies stayed hot ALL NIGHT and made the room super warm. We still can't figure out how they stayed hot so long.

When we woke up for sunrise, the whole mountain was completely fogged in, so no sunrise mountain viewing :( But it was still beautiful, so we walked around outside for a bit before a lovely breakfast and more masala tea (I'm going to overdose here, I know it). Nolan surprised me again with a (very early - you know us!) birthday present he had gotten me in Hyderabad. Something I had wanted for a long time: really, really nice pearls, which apparently are a specialty in Hyderabad. He spoils me, truly. So now I'm feeling all fancy...and pretty nervous that someone's going to steal my luggage and my pearls before we leave.

We left Nagarkot mid-morning to stop at the view tower, which was still foggy, and then continue on our way to Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley. It was foggy and also SUPER smogged in because of the Kathmandu factories. Sad. We arrived in Bhaktapur around lunchtime, and checked into our hotel and grabbed lunch after wandering around for awhile. This place is incredibly well-preserved and beautiful. It's a medieval Nepali town that's been preserved by fees you pay for entrance into the old part. The whole town is old pink brick, delicate and amazingly intricate wood scrollwork, and bronze statues. I'd post pictures of the place, but the internet is terrible. Food here is just okay. I really like the unique vegetables and the smashed dry rice and ALL the masala tea, but Nolan's kind of gunning for more Indian curry. We did get to try MoMos (Nepali spicy dumplings) and JuJu Dau (King Curd - like a sweet cream curd that's only really made here in Bhaktapur), and they were delicious!

Today we're exploring a little more, then heading to Pokhara and the lake there for a few days of mountain viewing, boating, biking, and getting to know more Nepal! The people here are lovely and kind, and as they like to say: always smiling. I've heard more people walking around singing here than anywhere else - it's a beautiful thing.

Hopefully will update again sometime soon.

Thankful Thursday

Let's start this post with some happiness, and end on a note of thankfulness, shall we? When it feels like there is just too much going on around me, it always helps to focus on the beautiful things. Like this Indian wedding that Nolan got to be at - he was invited in after hearing it from his hotel, and was made to feel like an honoured guest. How cool!

 This week at work my boss and I celebrated our 5-year anniversaries at McKesson (since they're pretty close together) by going out for a super nice lunch and spending non-office time together. She even arranged a sweet surprise after the meal with a "Happy Anniversary" chocolate message on it. She's the best. Here we are, about to enjoy our little treat!

I also got to leaf through my booklet of gifts - you get to pick one when you "turn 5" at McKesson. 

 And now I have a shiny new trophy for my desk :)

It's hard to believe it's been a little over 5 years since I joined McKesson. Only God knew that this would be just the right place for me. It's pretty mind-boggling when I reflect back on it all. Every day I'm SO thankful to be where I am, for my colleagues, and my career...and the fact that I love going to work each day!

There's a sushi place walking distance from our house, and despite the fact that we love sushi, we've never been. Because it's not a buffet, and therefore not good "value" for Nolan. So Julie and I waited until we had a night where just the two of us would go out without our husbands, and we indulged in what turned out to be actually really tasty and unique sushi! We also ordered a lot of it. Oops. 

So onto the thankfulness now, I think.

1. I'm SO SO SO thankful that I get to join Nolan in a couple days! My plane leaves in less than a day now (woo!) and after a very long flight, we'll be reunited once again. Preferably with a hot bowl of delicious curry nearby. Seriously though - SO.EXCITED. cannot.even.tell.you.

2. I'm thankful for a little vacation. I've been keeping myself so busy with work and personal responsibilities, that I haven't made time to stop and smell the roses. Which is probably why I've been bad at blogging. So vacation will be nice - much needed away time.

3. I'm thankful for our friends who take care of our pets. Without them, our adventuring just wouldn't be possible.

4. I'm thankful for (again) my job and my boss and my work that I get to return to in a couple weeks. I won't overdo it with words but simply put, I genuinely love where I'm at.

5. I'm thankful for a new outlook and renewed energy - I finished a series of books recently that really reinvigorated my relationship with God, and although I have a long way to go, I'm so grateful to finally feel that I'm climbing out of the desert I've been in, and getting to know myself a little more in the process.

What are you thankful for?

Minty Fresh

Last night I decided that I was going to just work my tail off, so that I could truly have a day of relaxation today. That means working as late as needed to get stuff off my plate, cleaning the house until bedtime, and checking off a lot of little "to-dos" like making dessert for girls night ahead of time. Okay fine, I also wanted a piece (mint nanaimo bars!) for myself last night.

Anyway. So although I had a ridiculously restless night of sleep, just knowing that today is a rest and relaxation day (and my day off from CrossFit), makes everything seem a little slower and sweeter. I got up, had my fave protein waffles (you can't have a Saturday without waffles!), listened to worship music, and slowly got dressed before heading out for a nice long walk. This afternoon, my plan is to get in a nice slow yoga session, read some more of my "Flawless Consulting" book (it's a homework assignment of sorts), do some shopping, and maybe even nap (oh the luxury!). Oh and attempt to dye my clothes that were ruined last week in the wash. We'll see how that goes.

While I was waiting for Nolan to call this morning, I got a text, which I was surprised to find was not from him, but from one of the trainers I work with sometimes. I had been working out with he and another trainer yesterday, informally. Apparently while he was recording the other guy's form, he also got a little bit of mine. Score! One of the most helpful things is being able to see yourself so you know what you need to fix:

Needless to say, I need to work on my thrusters :( But at least now I can see where the issues are!

Now if I can only get through the day without scarfing the whole pan of mint nanaimos before the girls come over tonight. 

Thankful Thursday

I really did mean to blog more recently. Especially with the holiday weekend and all that time on a plane last week...and it just didn't happen. It's that time of year at the office, where everything kind of hits the windshield at once, and I'm just trying to get my wipers to work. So here are a few old-ish pictures, and a few new-ish ones. This one is from the conference in DC I was at last week. Nothing better than a big room chock full of data nerds!

 ...and this is my plane window as we were about to take off. They de-iced the wings, and said they'd "try to get off the ground" as I'm looking at the snowflakes. Really instilled confidence in me, that did. Fortunately, we made it off the ground about 30 minutes before the storm really hit. Good thing, because I was running out of clothes :(

 At our conference in Vegas, there was a talk on executive presence. So naturally, I immediately went out and bought some new blazers when I had a spare hour before dinner in DC. Always a good reminder to clean myself up:

Sadly, because I got home so late from the East Coast, I was too tired to think logically and threw all my stuff in the washer, and forgot to sort it out.  So my red coat (yes Pop, the one I nabbed from a children's coat drive) dyed my favourite blazer and a few other key items a nice blotchy pink. Sad! Fortunately, the base colour was a light gray for a couple items, so I think I'm going to use this as an opportunity to try dying clothing!

It's been so busy with travel and visiting family and work that I've not had a lot of time to sit around at home and mope about Nolan being gone. As time goes by, it gets more lonely here...but that means I'm a little closer to joining him for vacation together! Apparently he's having a hoot of a time, trying new foods, meeting fun people and enjoying the amazing culture, and even going to Indian rock concerts:

Last weekend I was up at my parents' ranch to visit and just have quality time relaxing with those I care about the most. I got to hit the gym with my (not so) little brother and visit him at his new job:

 "Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get started for you?"

And then on Saturday, we went into town to check on a new addition to the family. While we were filling out the forms, we got to ogle the precious baby piglets (EEEEEE!!!!!) in the next spot.

 Nate even bonded with one. Sort of (note the screaming mouth). I think this picture is hilarious.

 Before long, we were on our way home, with my parents' newest child:

His name is Captain, and he's a ball of energy and sweetness. I even made him run 6 laps around the vineyard with me before I found out he's supposed to be taking it easy while he recovers from an illness. Oops. Next time. 

All in all, it's been a pretty good week...besides the missing Nolan fiercely bit. 

You may see a trend in my thankful items this week, but I'm okay with that.

1. I'm thankful that time is passing quickly before I get to be reunited with my love!

2. I'm thankful for a family that I'm lucky enough to also call friends, and for the support, challenge, and love they never fail to amaze me with.

3. I'm thankful for my meals this week. I got to either eat nice lunches with colleagues or dinners with friends, and I'm grateful for not having to eat alone (it amplifies any lonely feelings, you know!).

4. I'm thankful for Milo, who keeps me company (even though he tries to get me to play at 4am)!

5. I'm thankful for my job and workplace, and that I truly enjoy both. Not many people are that fortunate.

What are you thankful for?

Walking Distance Only

I like travel. I like exploring new places, trying new foods, sleeping in hotels with tightly tucked sheets...I even like flying and being in airports. But I can't imagine travelling all the time for work. A few times is fun and always interesting, but even one trip makes me kind of tired. So now that I'm on trip 2 in a short period of time, and with my trip to India and Nepal rapidly approaching, I'm looking forward to some good time at home in the next week or so.

Flying Virgin always makes me happy (who couldn't love an airline that uses a safety video like this?!). But flying Virgin AND having a practically empty plane? Double score. I love this view next to me, particularly for a cross-country flight:

So when I landed in DC, it was snowing. Just lightly, barely...but just enough. So instead of finding a cool spot for dinner, I stayed in the building and ate at the restaurant on site. Brr. The next morning, I ventured out for breakfast, since I was up early enough to explore a little. I even took myself on a little walking tour before starting work - there was a magazine in my hotel room all about exploring Alexandria, Virginia, so I ripped out the walking tour guide and set off. If I'm honest, I almost went straight back to my warm hotel room after grabbing breakfast, but I knew I'd regret not seeing a place while there. So I trudged on, and made it all the way! Here's a pic at the waterfront with the dirty Potomac behind me:

And Carlyle house. I can't even remember why this was a historic monument.

A little about Alexandria:

And an old brick ice well (ignore the huge reflection of me...oops):

The sign on George Washington's townhouse replica:

And the house itself. Not what I expected! Yes, that is an Olympic flag in the window too. Cheesy.

 And a sign by a tavern. Haha, I kind of like these kinds of places. It reminds me of the historical spots in the UK!

Part of the churchyard at Christchurch.

 

Christchurch.

After I got back, I headed to the kickoff of my conference. First session was awesome! All about scenario planning, which is something I need to work on. Second session: eh. It was interesting, but not really applicable, as it seemed to be less of a discussion on "strategic" workforce planning as it promised, and more of a lecture on the soft-skills and norms of today's workforce. 

After the sessions ended for the day, I walked over to King Street, hopped on the metro and met up with Sarah and Nico (and their adorable son) for dinner! It's so refreshing to spend an evening with great friends shooting the breeze after sitting in a stale chair for hours on end. Thanks, guys!

Thankful Thursday...and a lot of pictures of stuff.

Our friends recently went to Costa Rica, and brought us back some Lizano sauce as a special treat. We went there on our honeymoon many moons ago (hah!), and fell in love with the casados and tasty brown Lizano sauce. So in honour of good memories, we scrambled up some casados for lunch (the type of meal), and lived it up like we were in Costa Rica. 

Last Friday, we came into the city to submit and wait for Nolan's Indian Visa. I submitted mine too, but at a different place since mine didn't need to be rushed. We dropped it off in the morning, then I worked while he waited. Then we drove downtown for a quick meeting with boss, who joined us for lunch at my favourite spot, then I worked the rest of the day while Nolan waited...until 5:55pm (they close at 6), when they FINALLY got his Visa into his hands. I would explain the whole chaotic and ridiculous process of actually making that happen, but it makes me tired thinking about it. This is his face upon actually getting the Visa:

Although he said this is a more accurate depiction of how he felt inside after the whole stupid process:

If you've ever stayed with us and wonder why we put Milo's bed on the bathroom counter at night, this is why:

Because he ends up there either way. He discovered (and I did too, via my chapstick melting in the top drawer) that the heating system in the bathroom redirects the hot air past and through the drawers, until it hits the underside of the counter, which ends up being super warm. This is his version of butt warmers in a car, and he likes it.

Then I flew to Vegas for work...and discovered that the reputation of the Cosmopolitan hotel as a sexy hotel, though super nice, is intact. In fact, there was sex advertised everywhere in my room, oh-so-subtly. See what I mean below.

Open shower next to the bed: 

The bathroom wallpaper is women's figures (look closely):

Stocking art:

It's hard to tell, but there were mirrors everywhere! 

I don't even know what to say about this one, but...binoculars:

A "get lucky" kit, with everything you need:

And I had a picture of the magazines they left on my workdesk, but it disappeared somewhere. Anyway: one had a risque picture of Britney on it (though, what pictures of Brit-Brit aren't risque these days?), and the other one had a big bold article advertised called "Sex on a Plane". Sweet. All this would be funny and cute if I was here for fun with my significant other...not here alone on business. 

Aside from my hotel,Vegas is pretty much the same as it always is: flashing lights and smoke and noises.

 My crappy attempt at a selfie.

 I DID have to take a picture of the Chandelier bar. This doesn't do it justice, but it's beautiful! Everything is inside this huge, glittering chandelier.

 And the view from my room. Boring. But at least it's better than last time I was here, when I had a sweeping view of the wall of a maintenance building. 

Vegas is always a fun place to visit, but after about 24 hours...eh. It'll be good to be home tomorrow night...for about 24 hours before I leave for Virginia. Anyway:

1. I'm thankful that I get to go home tomorrow, albeit just for a day. I have laundry to do, my own bed to sleep in, and my cat to play with. Oh and a fun girls night out on Saturday before I leave again.

2. I'm thankful for a good meeting with colleagues. It's always so nice to catch up with good folks you haven't seen in awhile, and hear fresh takes on things you've been working on in your own little space.

3. I'm thankful for the hotel itself in Vegas. That sounds weird, but...after many trips, there are some real crap ones out there. This one has a full-blown, fully-equipped gym (hallelujah!), wifi in every part of the building (you'd think that was a given, but no), and actually pretty nice amenities and services. The restaurants in this one aren't bad, either. Did I mention they have a pillow-butler? You know, just in case I don't like my kind of pillow and want to try another one of the 8 varieties they offer.

4. I'm thankful for pilfered water bottles. Because no matter how nice the hotel, it's hard to come across water in the middle of the night when you can't just walk yourself down to the fitness center's water fountain for a refill. So I take them from the meeting rooms and stash 'em. Plus, I forgot how DRY it is here. I'm constantly thirsty and it's nice to have a supply.

5. I'm thankful for a night off tomorrow. I don't know how many hours I've logged these past couple of weeks, but the thought of having a night with my work laptop shut off and just, like...watching a movie or SOMETHING lazy and indulgent like that...sounds amazing.

What are you thankful for?