Shangri-La has become synomous with any earthly paradise but particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia-- a permanently happy land, islolated from the outside world. Bhutan seems to fit this definition. Happiness is the Kingdom of Bhutan Bhutan has a philosophy they call Gross National Happiness. They define this by creating a world of well-being and happiness. This means they live life in balance. Sort of dividing things up evenly…..work, sleep and play…..the modern world could learn a few things from Bhutan. Now, we’re not trying to espouse some Buddhist-induced state of “total enlightenment,” but the Bhutanese are seriously interested in the psychological health of its citizens. Not a bad philosophy to latch onto all things considered. Research has shown that increasing levels of income correlate to increasing levels of happiness only ... read more

It doesn’t always turn out the way you plan it. Sometimes you learn to just roll with it despite the obstacles you face. Our time in Pokhara turned out to be a bit different than expected. Okay, maybe more so. We left the mountains of Tanzen and headed towards the more mountainous enclave of Pokhara. At this point, it would be great to regale you with some fabulous tale, but the short of it is that about an hour short of our destination, we stopped for a biologic break. The facilities were located several steps down, and Dave slipped on some water and his feet flew out from under him. He slammed his left shoulder into a cement wall, which resulted in a nasty abrasion and his full weight came slamming down on a cement step ... read more

Anytime you find yourself in Lumbini, Nepal, there is really only one remotely plausible explanation for your arrival; you have come to the visit the monasteries and temples that are located at the birthplace of Buddha. Lumbini is a rather non-descript town located less than ten kilometers from the Indian border and unless you knew that it was a special sanctum for Buddhists, you would most certainly keep traveling as there is really no such thing as advertising for this sort of thing. And so, a day after leaving the hot and sweltering environs of Chitwan National Park, (sorry we keep on harping about the heat, but damn it man, it’s seriously warm here!) we spent the day tromping around Lumbini in temperatures of 40C (104 F). And don’t forget to factor in the humidity and ... read more

For those of you who find beer to be their primary choice of adult beverage, this blog’s for you. This entry is not for the person who “occasionally” has a cold beer on a hot summer afternoon, and certainly not for those who indulge in low calorie beers. You may simply move on friend, for this is a blog that centers on the gathering of thousands of Germans and others making the pilgrimage to the center of the beer universe…..Oktoberfest!! A time each fall when men slap on their best lederhosen, don a hat that sometimes resembles the one that Marvin the Martian wears on those Warner Bros. cartoons, and women wear dresses that accentuate a certain part of their anatomy. And then the drinking begins…. Attended by well over 6 million festival goers each year, ... read more

As children growing up in the mid-western part of the U.S. in the 1960s, we heard of the Cold War and the Iron Curtain. There were fallout shelters and we practiced drills at school in case of a nuclear attack. We grew up with spy stories, neighbors and parents considering building shelters, and of course the evil empire of the U.S.S.R. and its puppet states. Fast forward to 2012 and there we were, right in the middle of a now free Berlin, once the home of the Third Reich, the DDR and of course, the infamous Wall. Berlin is now a vibrant, free-spirited city that is quickly establishing its new identity in today’s world. Both of us admit that we never imagined ourselves in Berlin anytime soon as it wasn’t on the travel radar. Not that ... read more