Our first trip in 2018 was a biggie; we reached 100 countries visited! We chose Bhutan as our destination for that milestone since it’s the only country in the world that measures Gross National Happiness. But we stopped in mid-Indian Ocean in the Maldives, and in Sri Lanka, before reaching the Himalayas. We also returned to Nepal (after more than 30 years), and revisited China (with a layover in Hong Kong).
No trip gallery, slideshow, nor videos available yet, but all of the posts below have day by day images.
Speed boat Male to Maafushi
Thursday, March 8, 2018 Getting out to our island from the capital city of the Maldives, Male ...
Scenes from Maafushi in The Maldives
Friday, March 9, 2019 Beautiful beaches and incredibly friendly people ...
Lots of fun in the hot, hot sun
Saturday, March 10, 2018 A half day of snorkeling. Took a speedboat out of Maafushi to visit 3 reefs. Plenty ...
A quick stop in Male
Sunday, March 11, 2018 Had a half day to walk around Male before heading to the airport for our mid-afternoon ...
Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka
Monday, March 12, 2018 Spent the day exploring Colombo. Lovely hotel in the old Fort area walking distance to many ...
Anuradhapura
Wednesday, March 14, 2018Hot and humid day visiting the various temple sites around Anuradhapura. Humongous stupas, vast monestary complexes and ...
A really big tree
Thursday, March 15, 2018 A quick stop at an enormous tree outside of Anuradhapura . Creepy guardian! ...
Our Elephant Watch Hut
Thursday, March 15, 2018 Slept in a treehouse just outside Habanara and waited for elephants to come visit. No such ...
Elephant Safari
Friday, March 16, 2018 Very enjoyable elephant safari in Kaudulla National Park northeast of Habanara. Saw hundreds of elephants and ...
Mutu Village
Friday, March 16, 2018 Fabulous place to stay in Habanara. Great food, awesome decor, friendly helpful owners and a marvelous ...
Train to Anuradhapura
Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Tasty breakfast, a rainy walk thru crazy traffic and sidewalks, a closed museum necessitating a long ...
Polonnaruwa
Saturday, March 17, 2018 Daytrip to Polonnaruwa to visit the ancient capital (11th to 13th century ). Famous for its ...
Drive to Kandy
Monday, March 19, 2018 Early morning start on our drive on the A9 to Kandy. First stop south of Dambulla ...
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Monday, March 19, 2018 In the evening, checked out Kandy Lake then visted Kandy's most famous and revered site. The ...
Kandy to Ella
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 Fate conspired against us. We were trying to take the train all the way from Kandy ...
Ella to Unawatuna
Friday, March 23, 2018 A long day's drive from Ella to Unawatuna on the southwest coast. After a very tasty ...
A day in Galle
Saturday, March 24, 2018 Took a tuk tuk to visit the colonial city of Galle about 6 km north of ...
Wijaya Beach
Sunday, March 25, 2018 Lazy day on the beach swimming, reading and watching the turtles. In to Unawatuna for a ...
Kathmandu at last
Tuesday, March 27, 2018 Flew to Delhi on Monday afternoon no problem but when we arrived at the transit desk, ...
Walking tour of Kathmandu
Wednesday, March 28, 2018 Great free walking tour of Kathmandu with Shiva from Himkala Adventure. Started at the Garden of ...
Our 100th Country!
Thursday, March 29, 2018 Early morning flight to Bhutan, the "Happiest Place on Earth ". Awesome view of the Himalayas ...
Paro Tshechu
Thursday, March 29, 2018 Skipped lunch to go straight to the Paro Tshechu (a Buddist religious festival) as it was ...
Tiger’s Nest
Friday, March 30, 2018 Early morning start on our hike up to Taktsang Monastery aka Tiger's Nest. High altitude made ...
Paro Tshechu to Punaka
Saturday, March 31, 2018 The most important day of the Paro Tshechu is the big reveal of the largest silk ...
Punaka to Thimphu
Sunday, April 1, 2018 Took a pass on a long, hot hike to Khansum Yuelle Namgyel Chorten. Instead visited a ...
Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan
Monday, April 2, 2018 Spent the day taking in the sights of Thimphu. First stop was the Memorial Chorten (stupa) ...
Back to Nepal
Tuesday, April 3, 2018 Very early morning drive back to Paro to catch our flight back to Kathmandu. Gorgeous views ...
Nagarkot to Bhaktapur
Wednesday, April 4, 2018 Up early to try to catch one of those famous 'sunrise over the Himalayas' shots. Got ...
Bhaktapur, Nepal
Thursday, April 5, 2018 Another amazing Durbar Square, plazas and areas opposite the old royal palaces, and our hotel was ...
Our last day in Nepal
Friday, April 6, 2018 Spent the morning visiting the suburb city of Thimi, about 3 km from Bhaktapur. Tried to ...