When we started thinking about going to Nepal, it was all about seeing Mt. Everest, the high mountain villages, Kathmandu, all of those ancient temples, cremations alongside rivers, and of course being able to confront tigers, rhinos, and elephants in the wild. What never factored into the equation was being immersed in the Nepali culture. Like many Americans, we have been turned off for years seeing pictures of people jammed together, crowded streets teeming with humanity, trash everywhere, and those often written about “smells and noise.” Yet the draw of the mountains and historical sites kept calling us. We are world nomads, now continuously on the road for over two years. We left the United States following our retirement and are pursuing a lifelong dream of “really seeing the world. So far 36 countries. When Nepal came upon our horizon, we said, “sure, why not…it’s time.” We planned a one month stay in Kathmandu, rented an apartment in the cit
