By November 24 we had arrived in Prague, the fourth capital scheduled on this tour. After years of hearing about this city from family and friends, I was excited to spend time here myself, to see the world famous Astronomical Clock and to explore Stare Mesto, the Old Town area. Our groups walked over the 15th century Charles Bridge, looking at the grey Vltava River below, and, even though it was early morning, wended our way through blossoming crowds, full of travelers visiting in this unusually cold late autumn weather. After our orientation walk, two friends set off with me to find the Infant of Prague, a statue that for some reason I dearly wanted to see. Located in Our Lady Victorious Church, we confidently headed off in the direction our local guide had pointed, only ... read more

Saturday morning dawned rainy and chilly in Paro, Bhutan. The forecast had been for temps only in the low 40s; accompanied with rain it could be a bit uncomfortable, not to mention encountering potentially muddy and slippery trails, for our group's trek to Tiger's Nest, the cultural icon of Bhutan. It had poured last night, so the always pleasant and pleasing Bhutanese said we'd have no rain today as it had already washed itself out. I hoped the weather agreed with their optimistic outlooks, but took a rain jacket with me anyway. Waking at 5AM, dressing in layers, dry-bagging everything I wanted to carry, I went outside and found it was not too cold, but a misty rain was still falling and heavy fog covered the hillsides and mountains. Even so, we boarded the van and ... read more

We have been so busy on this trip that there's hardly any time to write. This has been our second full day in Bhutan, first exploring the delights of Thimphu, and today travelling to Bhutan's former capital of Punakha. On our first full day here, yesterday, we visited the Jungshi Handmade Paper Factory, the National Textile Museum, the Traditional Medicine (herbal) Clinic, the Arts and Crafts School, and Tashicho Dzong, an historic fortress and monastery. We also stopped at the Takin Preserve, takins being Bhutan's national animal, a heavier and more solid form of antelope. Added to all that, we had a dinner date with a Bhutanese family in their home, and were treated to a cultural performance beforehand, enjoying Bhutanese singing and dancing sitting in the cold Thimphu night air. Our days seem to be ... read more

Given our always advancing ages, I would guess many (or most) of us seniors spend time thinking of death, what it will be like, what -- if anything -- happens afterwards, and pondering how does anyone actually prepare for death? I've heard that the Dalai Lama, at age 81, wakes each morning at 4AM to meditate for hours in mental preparation for death. Here in Kathmandu, Nepal, the people also focus on handling the bodily remains; with such a large and poor population in the city, having a system in place is imperative. And so as part of our tour, our group went to see the cremation ceremonies along the banks of the river Bagmati. Running below Nepal's oldest and holiest Hindu shrine, the Pashupatinath temple, the Bagmati eventually flows into the holy Ganges, carrying along ... read more

This is our first full day in Kathmandu. For this trip I'm travelling with Odysseys Unlimited, seeing how they compare with OAT and Road Scholar. The flights here were long, very long, and while award winning Qatar Airways provides adequate food and copious wine, it still took me from Monday morning until almost 5PM on Wednesday to move from central Maine to Kathmandu's airport. Being cooped up in any plane for that long a time is never comfortable no matter how many movies one watches, nor how many glasses of wine are consumed. But then finally, yesterday, I arrived in Nepal. Kathmandu is poor, very dirty, and hugely congested. Drivers scatter anywhere they wish, causing enormous traffic jams. People scuttle in and out of traffic, compounding an already horrendous mess. Most of the streets are unpaved, ... read more