Namaste :)

I’m pretty sure I am meant to be in Nepal right now bcuz my whole travel day to get to this place was AMAZING.  I met my new friend Don on the plane from Paris to Istanbul, and he invited me to be his guest in the Turkish Airlines lounge while we waited for our connecting flights.  My flight actually got delayed 4.5 hours, which was amazing, bcuz I spent 6.5 hours in Istanbul in an amazing lounge with free wine, beer, Turkish food, olive platters, and there were even people walking around with cheese carts.  I would have to say this was definitely the best delayed flight of my life….I was even hoping to be delayed longer, BUT….no such luck. :)

Don and I in livin it up in the Turkish lounge

Sooooo, the electricity here in Nepal is pretty scarce.  It's not unusual to be eating in a restaurant and all of a sudden the lights go out and ur eating in the dark.  And no, it's not easy.  But weird enough, it's actually normal.  Walking into a coffee shop, asking for a cappuccino, and being told to come back in an hour when they have electricity and their machine is working....is also "normal."   :)  And when you see washing machines going, tv's working, vacuums running, you know the electricity has finally come on for a few hours.  :)

When I was in Kathmandu I met a guy who writes the travel guides for Nepal…so I was lucky enough to walk around w/an expert on Nepal for a few hours and he showed me all the little secrets of the city.  But there aren’t really many road signs in Kathmandu, so in order to find your way around, well, u just gotta keep walking until you see something that looks familiar and then go from there.  Everyday I eventually just stumbled back into my guesthouse pretty much by accident. :)

Streets of Thamel

 

Mules taking the "secret" passage through r guesthouse :)

I ended up doing a trek in the Annapurna region of the Himilayas and was lucky enough to catch some pretty amazing views.  As well as a ton of stairs.  And by a ton, I literally mean thousands of stairs. So, yes that wuz a great workout to say the least.  I also accidentally saw a few chickens getting killed....and then saw that the specials on the board for dinner that night were all something with chicken. Not surprised.  :) To say that the food is "fresh" here is definitely an understatement.

Sunrise on Poon Hill

View from our room in Ulleri

The stairs we faced allllll day long.  And the woman who carried way more than we did.

The kayaking, meditation, sunrises, and sunsets here are also so far pretty stellar.  :)

Kayaking on Phewa Tal

Sunrise on Sarangkot

Bonjour from Paris!

Contrary to all popular belief, the French have been MORE than welcoming, kind, and helpful to me during my stay in Paris.  I'm not sure if it's because I always looked like I needed help, always looked lost, or maybe they just felt bad for me, but the French were actually OFFERING their help to me.  Or maybe everyone just liked my French accent or something.  :)
Apparently it's unheard of for some of the Parisians to help out travellers, but from what I've experienced they were extremely welcoming.

Eiffel Tower jump for my bday :)

Montemartre art district

 I was lucky enough to spend my bday in Paris and not gonna lie, it was a pretty stellar day.  Another traveller I met from Indonesia that day gave me a bookmark to remember her by and for my bday...or maybe she was just hinting that I should be doing some more reading...I'm not quite sure.  But either way, it made my day. :)
The best part of the day though, without a doubt, was celebrating with Audrey's family.  They totally surprised me with pizza, cake, champagne and even sang happy birthday.  EVEN in English.  :)  I can't even begin to say how amazing the French hospitality is.  But maybe they are just trying to bulk me up before Nepal. :)

Celebrating my bday with some Frenchies :)

My roommate for the week could not have been more welcoming and lovely.  Mrs. Fluteaux didn't speak English and I didn't speak French, but we spent our nights chatting on Google translator, using a dictionary, drinking wine, and burning incense.  It made for some pretty great nights.  :)

My roomie and I a little frustrated with the google translator :)

Moulin Rouge!

I know I've already said this before, but the French cuisine is STILL amazing.  Even for bbqs, there was still cheese, baguettes and wine.  Always.  It would really suck to be French and lactose intolerant.  If that was the case, I think that person would starve.  I am OBSESSED with the cheese here.

Sunday French bbq with the fam :)

Bff from Paris :)

 After a week in Paris, having the best weather ever, free public transport bcuz of a pollution problem, awesome friends and nights out, and an AMAZING French family, time to head back to Asia and eat some more rice.  :)  Au revoir!

Enjoying a little streetside drink w/Benji :)

Night out in Paris!

Switzerland baby!

I'm not even quite sure where to begin with Switzerland....except that it is BEYOND beautiful with all of the lakes, OF COURSE the Swiss Alps, and not to mention my awesome friends here.  The first day here, my lovely lil French friends and I went cross country skiing...and considering I had never even set foot on a pair of skis before, yes, all the little 4 year olds were definitely passing me.  Along with the elderly.  But we all survived our day on the tracks, had the best weather EVER, and of course my friends packed a ginormous picnic lunch...which wuz definitely the greatest French inspired lunch I've ever seen.  Although I'm not sure it compares with the hot dogs out of the can?

Lunch Break w/of course beer and wine

Professional skiers

AFter spending a few weeks being roommates with Audrey and David, I have come to learn that they really take pride in their cooking and it is UNBELIEVABLY good.  Thanks to our private Chef David, I now believe it's normal to eat dinner after 9:30pm, have cheese for every meal, and follow dinner with a shot of jagermeister to help "digest" the food.  Although I actually think it works. :)

Our Private Chef David :)

Switzerland is of course famous for the Alps.... BUT, more importantly,the author of the TV show "Friends" was inspired by a cafe here.  He loved the atmosphere and hence, "Central Perk" was born.  Needless to say, I definitely LOVED hanging out here.  They even played episodes of Friends on TV....although it was in French and I didn't understand a word...but still.  Audrey and I definitely made sure we enjoyed a night in the cafe...and yes they serve beer.  :)

Pretty sure we took over these couches for about 2 hours

Still LOVING this cafe

We took a weekend trip to Zermatt to see Mt. Matterhorn, and I can't even describe how absolutely Reeeediculous this place is!  Being above the Swiss Alps, taking Europe's highest altitude cable car, having tea with a stranger in front of the Matterhorn, tobogganing down the slopes with a new friend, and meeting Audrey and David for a drink made for a pretty sweet day.  The views all day were absolutely stunning.

Sledding down with a new friend :)

Us and our new friend enjoying an amazing beer :)

View from the Gornegrat

After a few weeks of having the most amazing dinners cooked by David,  doing enough drinking to probably last me the rest of the year, staring at scenery, having the greatest friends EVER to show me around their country, and of course becoming fluent in french (my Bonjour is totally perfected) it's now time to check out another French speaking country....Chao!