Back to Programming As Usual

Now that travel photos have been shared, I can return to posting about the mundane, and occasionally wonderful, details of daily life. As winter has deepened, as the snow has fallen, the icicles have lengthened and the days have gotten ever shorter, here's what's been going on:

Plenty of cappuccino drinking. Can't do winter without it.


Most definitely some baking.Wintertime just cries out for warm pies, crumbles, and New York Times chocolate chip cookies.


Intense board gaming. Specifically Settlers of Catan. Who wants to go out when you can build an empire while sitting at your dining room table?


Holiday-light appreciating. They are almost enough to make one forget how chilly and dreary the weather is.


Guest blogging. I have been taking photos every morning and evening this week to contribute to Amy's photo blog, Every Morn and Eve. (Needless to say, I am in talented company, so the pressure is on!)

And finally, that coziest of winter activities, knitting. Latest off the needles is this cowl, knitted with some soft and fuzzy Malabrigo chunky yarn in the appropriately-titled color of Polar Morn. (A big thank you to Parikha at sixoneseven for the pattern!) This cozy wonder is already warming the neck of a good friend, and there is a second cowl now in the works. (A bit of cowl obsession has developed over here at Under Consideration this season, so you will surely see more of them in the coming months.)

What wintery activities have you been up to? How do you pass the time when it's cold outside?

The Heart and Soul

Wildlife adventures and beautiful scenery are all well and good, but people give a place its heart and soul. It is the photographs of the men, women, and especially children I interacted with that are the best reflection of the warmth and friendliness I love most about Nepal.

What a country of beautiful faces.

A country of diversity.

Of shy smiles.

And irresistible cheeks.

And little boys wanting to play with the big kids. (Photo courtesy of Ash)

A country of curiosity.

And warm welcomes.


And just a little bit of camera-shyness.


It is a country filled with playfulness.

And amateur photographers. (Video also courtesy of Ash. Thanks Ash!)

And distinguished gentlemen.

Nepal is a country of eager models.

A place where everyone wants to join the fun.

A place where everyone is welcome.

On Safari

Only about 100 miles south of the Himalayas, a completely different world exists. A world of flatlands, lush jungles, palm trees, broad meandering rivers, and rice paddies stretching into the distance.

The south of Nepal is also home to all manner of wildlife, like this Asian rhinocerous that stood silently contemplating our jeep for a moment before crashing off into the brush.

Royal bengal tigers are also native to the region, though due to their nocturnal nature (and decades of determined poaching) they are rarely seen. The tiger below (eyeing me hungrily through the rather flimsy wooden bars of his enclosure) was captured by the Wildlife Service after he and his mother terrorized some local villages.

There is no better way to see the jungle that from the back of an elephant.

The elephants were very friendly with us. They didn't bat an eye when we ungracefully scrambled up their trunks to ride on their backs, even giving us a helpful lift. I found them remarkably beautiful, with deep, wise eyes framed by incredibly long lashes.

This little baby elephant was particularly feisty and eager to play. It's all fun and games until a 400-pound 8-month-old mistakenly steps on one's foot. Ouch!

Coming up: the last post of my Nepal series.

The Himalayas

There was something surreal, almost magical, about trekking in the Himalayas. Our journey began with many hours of intensive four-wheel-driving on winding roads through rolling foothills, past villages, across crumbling pathways washed out by monsoon avalanches, and occasionally stopping for a herd of goats or stubborn water buffalo sunning himself in the middle of the road.

We began the first day of our trek in the fertile high hills with the warm midday sun warming our shoulders and the delicate beauty of Langtang peak shimmering in the distance.

As the hours and days went by we gained altitude, passing through temperate bamboo forests and into wooded alpine slopes, thick with old growth trees and hanging moss. As we climbed, lost in our own meditations, we couldn't help but marvel at the ethereal beauty of the scenery.

Eventually we left the forests behind, pushing beyond the tree line to the high plateaus, beckoned by the mountains.

It was a magical landscape, rocky and cold, where the air began to feel thinner and the fog would roll in at a moment's notice eclipsing our path, where an occasional yak would appear suddenly out of the mist to watch us go by.


As we climbed to the highest point on our trek, gasping for breath in that rarefied air, the whole world was spread out beneath us. The forbidding magnificence of the mountains, those sheer faces of ice and rock, was everywhere we turned.

Prayer flags wave in the high winds at the top of many of Nepal's hills and mountains. It is said the prayers written on them are carried away by the wind to spread peace and compassion throughout the world. I think a few of those peaceful and compassionate prayers may have caught hold of me on their way, setting my mind at rest and refreshing me in heart and spirit as I took in the all the beauty of the Himalayas.

(This photo above was taken by my very talented brother, Grady.)

Next post: On Safari

Where I've Been

As you may have noticed, I've been on vacation from blogging for the last two months. Many thanks for your sweet comments checking in on me and for optimistically keeping me in your RSS feed!

I have been intending to post for a couple of weeks now, but there is just so much to catch up on I hardly know where to begin. The last two months have been a whirlwind of planning for travel, actually traveling, and post-travel withdrawal. The travel in question? A trip to Nepal. Or as I like to call it "the homeland." I grew up there and though I've lived in many places since, it firmly occupies the "home" spot in my heart. Even after two weeks back in New York City, I'm not sure I have the words to describe what a joy it was to be there again after many years away. So I'll let photos do the talking, starting with a few of the capital: Kathmandu.

The eyes of Buddha, Swayambunath Stupa.


Prayer flags blowing in the breeze, Thamel.

Candles lit in celebration of a holy day.

The Old City, Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Beans and lentils for sale in the market.

Two friends keep a shopkeeper company in the bead market.

A mother and son sell colored powder for the Tihar festival.

Father and son, selling flower garlands.

Looking out over the river with Pashupati Temple in the background.

A happy-looking cow kneels in a temple doorway.

Snacks for sale on the temple steps.

A sculpted lion sticks a tongue out at passersby, Swayambunath.

A woman carries a basket of greens on her back.

Goodbye, Kathmandu.
Next post: pictures from the Himalayas.