Quote from a travel blog: “You do not just sit at the christmas dining table and tell your parents you are leaving to travel the world”, so that is exactly what we did and in no time half the world seemed to know about our plans. In the meantime, we decided to let go of extensive travel plans, no around-the-world ticket and no bookings or reservations weeks ahead. This will be one year of doing whatever we like most, so basically: 365 Saturdays!
In central and southeast Asia you will find the backpacking countries par excellence and since Nepal is high on our wish list, Kathmandu will be the first destination of our trip. The winter in Nepal ends at the beginning of February, so we can perfectly enjoy the impressive white peaks of the Himalayas. Finally, we booked our flight and on 6 February we will be flying from Amsterdam via London and New Delhi to Kathmandu.
In recent days, a long list of things that need to be taken care of developed. From visas to mosquito nets and from insurances to phone contracts, the list grows steadily and every now and then some items can be checked. Our World Travel List has been hanging in our kitchen for several months now. Nadieh has taken the opportunity to take a sabbatical and after our trip she can just start working with her old employer, Ruben has decided to quit his job. Furthermore, we are busy reading about insurances (boring) and vaccinations (confusing) and we think about our approaching departure.
We booked a hostel in Kathmandu to ease into the Nepali culture. The Sparkling Turtle is a bit outside the busy and touristy Thamel, at the foot of Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple.
Our countdown continues …
Nadieh & Ruben