​After Bhutan, we stopped for a few days in Bangkok to regroup. It was our second trip to Bangkok, it being a major hub to many southeast Asian countries, and we were struck by how comforting it was to be back. After nearly six weeks of traveling to places that were both very foreign to our family and still relatively primitive in many ways, Bangkok offered the needed respite and recharge. 

Before we left on our trip, we vowed to avoid American chains abroad, for our goal was to immerse whenever possible into the local culture, including the lodging (and that we did in Bhutan - be sure to ask Glenn about our Homestay and the Hot Stone Bath where we almost boiled him). I had been forewarned by a friend living in Hong Kong that traveling through Asia is exhausting and that we had a very ambitious agenda. She, of course, was right, so when it came to being in Bangkok, we were looking forward to easy and familiar.

After a brief stop in Bangkok to refresh, reconnect with wifi and get our laundry done, we were off on the second leg of our SE Asian adventure: a trek in Nepal. We were excited for the adventure but wholly unprepared for what was to come. That said, I loved how game everyone was, and we dove in headfirst. 

After a warm welcome at the airport by our guides Jaget and Chandra, they told us that cooler than expected weather conditions meant we would need a few additional items: hiking boots, crampons, -20 degree sleeping bags, insulated hiking pants. Yikes - thank goodness I hadn’t yet seen the movie Everest. The gear list required us to brave the streets of Kathmandu for our purchases...