City Gal On The Go
I first visited Nepal in 2016 and returned in 2018 to finish the trek to Everest Base Camp. I spent about two weeks in the Himalayas, in altitude, trekking through Sherpa villages. I was due to reach Base Camp (5,380 meters / 17,600 feet) on Day 8, but got altitude sickness at Thukla (4,650 meters
Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is the capital of south Vietnam and played a prominent role in the Vietnam War. I was there for a research trip and spent most of my time in the suburban districts of Nha Be and Hoc Mon.
The Mekong Delta is a maze of waterways outside Saigon in southwestern Vietnam. I highly recommend Mango Cruises.
Antigua is a Spanish colonial city, similar to other colonial cities in Central America. Colorful buildings line the streets. I’d recommend staying at Hotel Meson de Maria. There’s a cool expat bar called Cafe No Se, which sells their own brand of Illegal Mezcal.
Lake Atitlan is sits in a volcanic crater in southwestern Guatemala. Several interesting towns surround the lake and are easily accessible by water taxi. We stayed in Panajachel, one of the larger towns, at the Casa Colonial Hotel. I recommend visiting Santa Cruz la Laguna, one of the smaller towns — take a tuk tuk
Tiger’s Nest, a Buddhist monastery built into the side of a mountain in the Himalayas, was a bucket list experience for me. I remember seeing a photo of it when I was younger and imagining how lucky I would be if I ever got to see it. I’d developed a horrible respiratory infection in India,
Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas. It’s also home to Tiger’s Nest, an important Buddhist monastery built into the side of a mountain. The Bhutanese believe in ‘high value, low impact’ tourism, meaning they allow a limited number of visitors, and charge a tourist tariff of around $250 USD per day. Historically, Bhutan
A trip to India wouldn’t be complete without visiting Agra, home to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, the most iconic buildings in India.
I absolutely loved Varanasi — it’s such a unique and spiritual place — one of the most holy places for Hindus in India, who come to bathe in the Ganges River. I also loved that I could walk along the ghats by myself during the day and at night without getting lost. I recommend staying