The sheer remoteness of the Himalaya’s have certainly been the focus of plenty of mythical tales such as yeti’s, snow lions, and tantric buddhist masters who have the ability to fly but one thing that surely does exist in these mountains are some of the most unique and beautiful cultures which exist on the planet. Many westerner’s fantasize about one day visiting such distant places such as Tibet, Nepal or Bhutan but with each one having its own flavour and attractions it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. I certainly struggled with this and instead visited all three.

TIBET

Ever since I watched Brad Pitt befriend the young Dalai Lama, I had long been fascinated by Tibet and it’s unique culture and have found in conversation with many westerners that a trip to Tibet ranks high on people’s bucket list. When we began seriously researching for a trip to the Himalaya’s, we began reading about Tibet but were put off by many accusations that “Tibetan culture is ruined” or that “Tibet is now just another part of China”. Luckily, we didn’t listen and last year had the opportunity to visit.

While its true, Tibet has certainly changed since the Chinese invaded, sending the Dalai Lama into exile in the 1950′s, those who believe Tibet no longer has any cultural interest clearly have not set foot in this amazing land. For those interested in the most important sites in Tibetan Buddhism a trip to Lhasa is a must. Imagine walking amongst a sea of pilgrims coming as far away as the Eastern Tibet, who circumnavigate the sacred site from sun up to sun down all the while chanting mantra’s and spinning prayer wheels. While the Han Chinese have their section of this sacred city and the Chinese military have a shockingly strong presence, the old Tibetan quarter remains a fascinating place to wander around or perhaps stop in and light some incense at one of the many monasteries.

Then there’s the landscape. Tibet sits high atop the highest plateau in the world in which locals herd their yaks across a high altitude desert surrounded by snow capped peaks. High altitude lakes shimmer bright blue in the powerful sunlight as you look around this great wilderness.

Tibet remains closed to independent travelers and the only way around this is to book a tour with a travel agency which is commonly run by a Chinese outfit and may be quite expensive. Tours can include only a single individual or as many as 4-5 persons (more is uncomfortable in a land cruiser) but includes a guide and driver. Companies such as Tibetan Connections will cater more to backpackers allowing them to choose their accommodation and food so as to cut costs and not be limited to tourist oriented services. Travel agencies can organize permits and train tickets into Tibet, but a Chinese visa will be needed to first enter the country.  Due to the strict regulations tourists outside of the major sites such as Lhasa and Yam drok lake are a rarity.

NEPAL

More of a backpacker and trekker utopia than a buddhist shangri la, Nepal offers almost an limitless opportunity to get up close and personal with the big mountains of the world while trekking day to day with pizza for dinner. In fact, while the scenery from Tibet is completely alien and moon-like, when it comes to admiring the sheer size of the majestic Himalaya, Nepal gets my vote. The reason being that while on the Nepali side you are staring up at the Tibetan Plateau rather than being already at 5000 meters plus looking straight at the great peaks.

While Nepal may be an overwhelming 85% Hindu, the areas bordering Tibet and specific areas of Kathmandu and Pokhara which harbor thousands of refugees offer glimpses into the amazing Tibetan buddhist culture described in “Lost Horizon”.

Nepal offers a kaleidoscope of activities from trekking mountain trails, Paragliding alongside the peaks, rafting down raging rivers, or chasing rhinos on the back of an elephant.  For someone looking for a lot of adventure, Nepal has it. Nepal has a massive backpacker lure and in the peak season Oct-Nov the trails can be busy and Kathmandu and Pokhara can feel a little invaded by the hordes here for months of trekking.

A big positive for Nepal is its ease of independent travel as there are virtually no restrictions on traveling independently as well as Nepal being very friendly on the wallet. A budget of 25 USD a day provide a comfortable lifestyle for most backpacker needs. Visa’s are available for most nationalities at the Kathmandu airport or border crossings.

BHUTAN

Bhutan is best described in one word…unique. Even attempting to visit such an intriguing country requires a completely different approach than any where else in the world. To even enter the country one must pay a visa fee of 200 USD per day…yes…per day.

While this is far out of the reach of anyone even considering themselves a backpacker, the 200 dollars a day fee not only buys you a visa but a driver, guide, vehicle, food, accommodation and really just about any costs you may come across on your trip. While its a shame this country can’t be explored independently, this is exactly part of the reason why Bhutan is so special – It’s almost void of tourists. Every experience is authentic and free of all those negative effects mass tourism can have on a fragile culture. I had the amazing opportunity to visit and while staying in tourist oriented accommodation and eating tourist oriented food was never my style, what I came away with from that trip was of the ultimate goal of the traveler, to experience something completely unlike anything else.

For those with even a little sense of adventure, a home stay in Bhutan can offer a glimpse into daily life and opportunity for cultural exchange. I stayed with 3 families while in Bhutan but it was the family below which was the highlight of my trip as they had only ever had a single western guest many years earlier.   As we sat around their yak dung stove drinking rice wine and talking of my life back home before they allowed me to sleep in their alter room surrounded by butter lamps with images of buddha sending me to sleep.

While the price tag keeping most tourists out, Bhutan has a list of attractions not the least of which is its intact Buddhist culture uninfluenced by a foreign government such as Tibet or parts of India. Imposing Dzongs or Fortresses are still houses of government, not a single building is built in a non traditional manner, a son entering monk hood is still a blessing to a family, and due to strict environmental policies the forests and landscape remain evermore pristine than its neighbors.

Bhutan may be labeled as “the Last Shangri-La” or “What Nepal was 30 years ago” these labels simply fall short in describing this amazing country. Bhutan has recently just become a new democracy but with its charismatic policy still in force of “Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product”, Bhutan is entering the future in its own unique way.

While not a destination for the long term traveler, for those interested in intact buddhist culture and one of the most unique countries in the world, Bhutan may just be for you.

* Not listed here are the Indian areas of Ladakh and Sikkim which are also sometimes lumped into the great Himalayan Kingdoms. We haven’t got there just yet…

The sheer amount of temples, mosques,pagoda’s and shrines throughout the continent is mind blowing but this post highlights the top 10 that we wont soon forget.

10) The Enigmatic Bayon Temple of Cambodia

9) The Rat Temple of Bikaner

8) Big Dagobas in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

7) Jokhang Temple Lhasa

6) The All Mighty Angkor

5) The Dalai Lama's Previous Residence

4) The Holiest of Holy Rivers - The Ganges

3) Qomolangma or Mother Saint to the Tibetans, Mount Everest to you and me.

2)Beautiful Shwedagon Pagoda of Myanmar

1) Sikhism's Masterpiece, The Golden Temple

I am brave enough to generalize and say the majority of Canadian tourists fall into two categories; the Western Europe traveler and the all inclusive beach destination traveler.While I may be slightly prejudiced towards the all inclusive experience I understand that it may be just what some people are looking for. On the other hand I have met many people who seem to envy the freedom an independent trip can offer and for those people I have written my recommendations based on ease of travel and the rewards which come with venturing away from the typical all inclusive resort.

3. East Coast, Australia

Difficulty – Extremely Easy

While the flight may be a deterrent for many of my country men, what awaits on the far side of the pacific is a friendly nation with some of the cleanest and pristine beaches on the planet. For those who fear living without their creature comforts of home, East Coast Australia is a great destination as everything from restaurants to hotels are exactly what one would expect in a developed nation and for those who speak fluent English communicating with locals is not an issue. Australia is surprisingly easy to travel with efficient public transport options or even better, amazing roads which make a self drive the optimal choice for beach hopping. There are next to no cultural obstacles to overcome with Aussies being extremely hospitable although for those looking for a budget trip, Australia is just about on par with Canada in terms of costs. Our recommendations include Byron Bay and Fraser Island although depending on the season can be overcrowded with Australian domestic tourists seeking a little sand and sun of their own.

2. Boracay, Philippines

Difficulty – Easy

Ever close your eyes and imagine sand so white it looks like its been bleached, surrounded by the calmest, warmest, turquoise water imaginable? If that sounds too good to be true its not. Boracay is like something out of a dream and is certainly a place both Lianna and I still continually fantasize about on a cold day. Sure its getting a little over developed but for someone used to an all inclusive resort the ridiculous selection of international food will certainly keep them in their comfort zone.

With shockingly friendly locals and a host of activities from SCUBA diving, sailing, kite surfing or just kicking back on the beach no one could ever describe the place as boring.

The beach itself is MASSIVE and accommodation choices range from top end to bungalows set back a bit from the beach for less than 15USD a night. A short flight from Manilla and a quick ferry make getting to the island not as simple as an airport pickup from an all inclusive but still very hassel free if a little time consuming.

1. Corn Islands – Nicaragua

Difficulty – Moderate ( need a little sense of adventure)

For anyone who may have wondered what the Caribean might have looked like had the massive resort companies like Sandals and Club Mead had just stayed away. Big Corn and Little Corn lie just off the coast of Nicaragua and may require just a little effort to reach but the rewards are so breath taking it may just be the most inspiring place you ever reach in your life. Big Corn has more development but still retains that laid back island vibe but the jewel is really Little Corn. A small village of tin houses is located in one corner of the island while a handful of cheap accommodation options and restaurants serving up plates of rice,beans, plantations and fresh lobster are located near the jetty.

The rest of the the island is a tangled network of foot trails leading to a few truly isolated beach side bungalows inlcuding Derek’s Place, a seriously chilled out place with family style meals and bungalows made of coconut palms. The island feels completely untouched and the days or even weeks can pass with wandering to a new beach each day or undertaking something a little more active such as inshore fishing and some really great SCUBA diving.

Of course if gorging yourself on cheap lobster, fresh fish, cheap rum or spending your days self driving from breath taking beach to breakt taking beach doesn’t sound like that something that may interest you, by all means book that resort and head off on another all inclusive holiday but for those looking for something with a little more independence, try it, I’m sure you won’t regret it.

An obvious observation is that the longer you are away, the weirder it is when you return. Coming home from a 2 week vacation on a tropical island will have you wishing you had more time to relax, but walking in your front door won’t feel much different. Coming home from a 6 month trip in a completely different culture than my own had me heading home from the airport staring in wonder at the roads I used to drive everyday, when I realized they hadn’t changed at all in my absence. The day after arriving home I went to the grocery store and found myself completely intimidated by a place I’d been countless times, not knowing which way to navigate the aisles, and finding the vast selection extremely overwhelming. I can imagine how strong that feeling might be after traveling for an even longer period. (un?)Fortunately, that feeling only lasted about one week, after which I started to feel as though I had never left. That feeling got me completely terrified. It got me thinking about the not so mild panic attack I experienced on the last leg of my journey home, sitting next to a giant Texan who wouldn’t stop babbling about his disappointment with our 6 hour delay. I sat ignoring him trying to calm my nerves. These weren’t the same nerves that had me clutching the plane’s armrests after our plane had landed in India for the first time – those were nerves of uncertainty and the unknown. These nerves were of certainty and the very well known. On my departure, a long 6 months previous, I had a small cry for the people at home I would miss, and on my arrival back home I fought another small cry for everything else abroad I would never know.

Spending countless hours in the travel section of Chapters, and picking up guidebooks along with highlighters, I grabbed a novel set in India.   After reading the first few pages I found myself yearning for ridiculous things such as the complete lack of ability to do my hair/make-up (what an invigorating feeling, simply stepping out of the shower and walking out the door), the freedom of not being able to drive yourself, or the wanted-it-at-the-time-but-don’t-now dreaded cell phone. Ya it can be convenient, but I don’t really need it. I also wonder why all our buses have the same boring paint job? Why don’t strangers smile at each other in Western society? Why are our streets almost void of people? Why do I feel a pang of irrational jealously whenever I see a plane in the sky? (which living 10 minutes from the airport, is often) I know that at times when traveling I wanted nothing more than to blend in, but really, I even miss being the centre of attention. I miss not knowing where I’m going to wake up 3 days from today. The one thing I miss most, though, is the feeling of missing home. When I was forced to be in common situations with no power, no food for extended periods besides chips and coke, no bed to sleep in and not a drop of warm water, I was so completely aware of how privileged my life is at home. I could see my life from the eyes of the less fortunate that I was often surrounded by, and when you are back home living your life, it is hard to keep that realization on the surface everyday.

In a borrowed term, I have come to realize I have ‘away-sickness.’ Away-sickness can be a dangerous thing if you have begun to settle down and have found a great job that you don’t want to leave. Thankfully, Nick and I have already purchased our tickets out for our next escape, (hint: these destinations will also satisfy our love of food!) and having thrown myself into the planning, my unbearable wanderlust is numbed with the excitement of future potential.

Being with Nick for 7 years, I am confident that I’m not terrified of commitment on a relationship level, but I can’t help but feel that in every other aspect of my life, I am unable to commit to one path, location, or lifestyle. Not knowing what will come next month is what keeps me happy everyday. Uncertainty might scare some people, but for me it represents possibility, and that’s nothing less than exciting.

To quote myself and my parting words on my last post, ‘I’ll be seeing you soon,’ our faithful blog readers, and not as a post from my comfy couch, but preferably from a terribly hard bed in a city I can’t properly pronounce. I can’t wait!

Before we could enter it was neccessary for us to purchase either a two week or 30 day visa on arrival at the chaotic immigration office. After pushing and shoving our way to the front with our forms filled out. The fees were quickly paid and our passports were moved on to another man stamping in the visas. Some more pushing and shoving ensued and I spotted our passports on another attendants desk and leaned over and grabbed ours from the pile.

Once outside I checked to make sure our visas were issued and we went on our way to find a way to Kathmandu. We eventually found a bus driver to take us to Kathmandu for a descent fare but would have to wait until 1030 and it was only 830. Close to noon the bus pulled out and we were on our 6hr journey to Kathmandu.

It wasn’t until the next day I noticed our visas were not the 30 day visas we had paid for and were only good for 15 days. We were pissed! So off to Nepali Immigration we went to try our best to resolve the issue without very high hopes.

We talked to about 4 people behind desks, being passed from one person to the next before we reached what appeared to be the head guy. He continued to tell us that it was our fault for not checking the Visas right after they were issued and asked to see our recipt of which we weren’t given.

We continued with our explanation and our friend Martin was there to back us up even though his visa was correct. Some phone calls were made and the officers mistake was finally identified but due to Nepali red tape he could not resolve the problem by simply issuing new visas and inorder to get the 30 days we would have to pay to have them extended but he would get us our money back that we had paid the day before. We were told to come back the following day to recieve our 30 dollars.

We thought long and hard about extending our visas but instead of paying more than we had anticipated (30USD) we decided to take this opportunity to sort of go with flow and reroute ourselves southward to India after our Nepal visas expire.

Due to the fact that the Indian Embassy is extremely busy in Kathmandu we enlisted the help of a local agency to aid us in obtaining our visas so this morning we showed up at opening time and passed the people waiting for hours with the help of a quick bribe and accomplished the first step to obtaining a visa. We are now free to travel about in Nepal (with a photocopied passport) to Chitwan National Park to search for rhinos and tigers while are visas are being processed and hopefully with a little bribing it will take less than a week.

When we returned to Nepali Immigration this afternoon, the man we had spoken to was busy in a meeting but we eventually found someone who recognized us from the day before. They informed us to return on Sunday at 1030pm as our money would be in no later.

Our last two days have been taking care of some housework, (ie laundry,stocking up on toiletries, laxatives for Lianna) so hopefully in the next few days we will see some of the many sights in and around Kathmandu.