✈️ 25th August – Off to Nepal (But First, Bangkok)

Enough of Koh Samui. Hopped on a flight to Bangkok and from there straight to Kathmandu. Heard so often that Nepal is super chill — exactly what I needed.
But colder? That’s what I thought. Spoiler: I have never sweated so much in my life 😅
Kathmandu arrival = chaos. Power outage at the airport, plus 2 hours for visa & baggage checks. Finally got cash + SIM card, then picked up by my personal chauffeur Jean 🚗
Straight to the Monkey Temple 🐒 and first time ever eating Pani Puri (so good!).
Evening: pool with Jean and two hostel people, then early night — big plans for tomorrow.

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🛕 26th August – Stupas, Durbar square & Sketchy Traffic

Up at 7 to visit Buddha Stupa. Afternoon: trip to Nagarkot.
On the way, had a little boat ride on a lake packed with fish — for €0.70 — with an 11-year-old captain 🚤 bought a cup of fish food for about
0,05€ to feed the fish then went into the traffic in Nepal it’s like hell: 30 km takes 2–3 hours. The hotel though? Amazing. We were the only guests and could cook for ourselves in the kitchen 👨‍🍳

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🌉 27th August – Hanging Bridge & Best Tea Ever

Visited the hanging bridge in the morning, then walked to a “resort” for tea. Honestly: the best tea I’ve ever had 🍵 Plus, cooked for ourselves again. After 2 months without cooking, this felt amazing.

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🐕 28th August – Visa Run & Night Bus From Hell

Back to Kathmandu to extend my visa. Of course, went to the wrong address first 🙃 Second try worked — and saw the fattest dog in all of Nepal 🐶
Then off to Chandragiri hills. Hotel was disgusting, checked out immediately. Took the night bus to Bandipur… 100 km in 7 hours. No seatbelts, no real roads — constantly flying off the seat. Worst bus ride of my life.
At 4 am we arrived at a random locked hotel door. Knocked… and got rescued by Sashi! She said this usually only happens with locals, never with tourists. Lucky me.

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🌅 29th August – Bandipur Charm & Leopard Tales

Finally some sleep, then explored the old town. Beautiful, but insanely hot. Cooled off, then sunset at the viewpoint.
Apparently, leopards are around here 🐆 Google confirmed: a boy was killed just 2 months ago. Sashi also saw some near her hotel.
In the evening I played with her 8-year-old daughter Nora — her English is better than mine at 15 😅 We had ice cream, ball games, and joined the local Friday drumming & dancing. Magical.

In the evening something really disgusting happens, laying in the bed and as ready to sleep, felt something on my leg, try to get it off walked over my belly, told Jean to turn the lights on a fucking big Cockroach walked over my whole body. Needed to take a shower to wash the feeling of.

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🏥 30th August – Nepali Hospital Experience

Jean got sick, so first time inside a Nepali hospital. Super friendly doctors, only 660 NPR (4,02€) for the visit. The healthcare system is much more efficient than you would expect from a country like Nepal. We were welcomed at the door by a doctor, entered her office, she prescribed the required medicines, got them at the hospitals pharmacy and walked out in 20 minutes.
Later, took the cable car 🚡 — steep as hell, but we survived.

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🛌 31st August – Chill Day With Nora

Jean still not well, so we stayed another quiet day. Played endless games with Nora — hide and seek, ball, everything. Sweetest kid ever.

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🏞 1st September – Begnas Lake Disaster

Bus to Begnas Lake. The hotel? Horrible. Moldy pillow, frog in the bathroom, two geckos in the room and stained sheets 🐸 Tried to make the best of it and went swimming in the lake… but it stank.
Tried fishing from a boat, but impossible with all the nets. At least the sunset was nice… until a thunderstorm hit while we were still in the middle of the lake ⚡ Honestly thought we might not make it.

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🏔 2nd September – Himalaya Views at Last

Switched hotels (thank God). Best decision — rooftop terrace with a breathtaking Himalaya view 😍 And the food was just as amazing.

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🚌 3rd September – Hello Pokhara

Wild but short bus ride (only 1h this time). Checked into a hostel and got a free room upgrade with mountain views 🙌
Pokhara immediately felt more relaxed than Kathmandu. Walked by the lake, had a nice dinner, and even a couple of drinks 🍻 Played pool again and had a long chat with an Indian girl about life in India. Surprisingly, rents in Mumbai are more expensive than in London.

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🛍 4th September – Lakeside Vibes & Souvenirs

Did some souvenir shopping for the loved ones back home. Explored beyond Lakeside too, though it really is a beautiful part of town. Definitely more chill than Kathmandu — but also pricier.

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🛵 5th September – Cable Car Cheating & Endless Thali

Got up early and decided to hike to yet another cable car (Nepal really loves them 🎢). 30°C heat — not the best idea. After an hour of walking, we cheated a little: 1 bus stop and a quick 1-minute taxi up the hill 🙃 Arrived in Sarangkot hoping for mountain views… but of course, clouds. Explored a bit, found an outdoor gym with some local kids, then devoured a Thali. Didn’t know it’s “all you can eat” style — basically unlimited food. Heaven.

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🚌 6th September – Long Bus to Lumbini

Another endless bus ride. Nepalese roads are something else: deep potholes, crowded buses, smells, people everywhere — truly an experience. Lumbini = Buddha’s birthplace, UNESCO site. Honestly? Disappointing. Just dusty, dirty, and not much to see. The sacred spot was basically a stone where people throw coins. Expected more. The temples from different countries were okay, but I’ve seen better. Met an Italian guy who did Lumbini in a single day trip before flying home — probably the smarter choice.

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🐔 7th September – Off to Chitwan

Bought bus tickets for another early ride. Chaos as usual. Arrived at the hotel, and right away they slaughtered a chicken for Jean’s dinner. When we asked, “Did you kill the chicken?” the guy answered: “Yes, I kill dogs.” 😳 Still not sure if he was joking or not…

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🦏 8th September – Wild Rhinos!

Jeep safari in Chitwan National Park. Saw wild rhinos up close — much bigger and more majestic than I ever imagined 🦏 An incredible moment. That night, decided it was time to leave Nepal soon. Maybe Sri Lanka? Just before falling asleep, another coackroach alert but this one was on the floor and thankfully not on me. At that pace, Jean and I are slowly becoming experts at catching them.

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🚗 9th September – Private Driver to Kathmandu

Enough of buses. Splurged on a private driver — best 30€ spent. Still 6 hours for 100 km, but way more comfortable. Back in Kathmandu, met other travelers again and heard about the massive Meta ban and protests. Apparently, 19 people had already been killed because of police shooting real bullets in manifestations. We didn’t notice anything yet… Until a guy form the hostel told his story of the day, he was wrong place wrong time and got tear gas in his eyes. He said he cried for 4 hours straight. Early to bed, because flight in the morning.

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⚡️ In Nepal something big was happening at the same time: the so-called Gen Z protests. The government had banned social media, and thousands of young people took to the streets. What started as frustration over losing Facebook, Instagram and even WhatsApp quickly grew into a movement against corruption and nepotism. Protests escalated, clashes with police turned violent, and sadly, people lost their lives. Within days, the government lifted the ban — but it was clear that Nepal’s young generation had made their voice heard.

One day after leaving the Airport was closed.. Luckily we were out already.