AK Monthly Recap: October 2024

This was the month of my big, far-flung solo trip of 2024 — my trip to Nepal, Bhutan, and Qatar! It was an incredible trip to three new-to-me countries, and I’m excited to share it with you all.

Let’s take a look at the month!

Destinations Visited

• Prague, Tisá, Vysoká Lípa, and Mezná, Czech Republic
• Lomen, Germany
• Lonkuri Bhanjyang, Kathmandu, Rupakot, and Pokhara, Nepal
• Paro, Thimphu, Dochula, Lobesa, Punakha, and Gangtey, Bhutan
• Doha, Qatar

Highlights

A fun trip to Bohemian Switzerland and Saxon Switzerland. In my efforts to visit a new Czech destination every month of 2024, this month I finally made it to Bohemian Switzerland! I booked my trip with Northern Hikes, an excellent tour company in Prague. They offered me a comped spot in exchange for coverage.

I booked the “easy” trip to the three destinations: the ethereal, otherworldly Tisa Rocks, where The Chronicles of Narnia was filmed; the lush, greenery-filled Wild Gorge on the Kamenice River, where we took a boat ride; and the rock-carved Bastei Bridge across the border in Saxon Switzerland, Germany.

I should mention that this tour is “easy” by Czech standards, not American standards. There’s a good amount of walking, stairs-climbing, and a long uphill climb out of a gorge. Don’t let that dissuade you, though, unless you have mobility challenges!

I had such a great time on this tour, and it’s a fantastic option if you’re looking to get out into nature on a day trip from Prague. You can book it here.

The incomparable destination of Bhutan. Bhutan is one of the most unique places I’ve ever visited. Absolutely stunning, top to bottom, with an incredible focus on sustainability — both environmental and cultural. Not only is the Himalayan country naturally stunning, but I love the culture. Like the fact that so many Bhutanese people wear their traditional cultural outfits every day.

Bhutan Travel Center invited me to travel with them as their guest. They provided me with a tour, and I just paid for the SDF, the daily $100 sustainable development fee Bhutan charges travelers. I had my own guide and driver for the whole week, which is something I haven’t had since Jordan in 2011!

Over the week I visited the main towns of Paro and Thimphu, as well as the gorgeous landscape of Gangtey and the home of the most beautiful temple, Punakha.

The biggest highlight of my time in Bhutan was climbing to Tiger’s Nest Monastery. I had been anxious about this, because I have such a tough time with altitude ordinarily, but I actually did really well! It’s not a technical hike, it’s just the altitude that makes it challenging. And the view of Tiger’s Nest (and the visit to the inner temples) makes it so worth it.

I have a Bhutan post partially written and I can’t wait to publish it and share all the details with you!

Experiencing Nepal for the first time. I also visited Nepal both before and after my time in Bhutan. First, I spent two days at The Terraces Resort, high above the city of Kathmandu in the mountains (in part to help myself acclimatize to the altitude pre-Bhutan). An absolutely gorgeous hotel, and a place I greatly preferred to staying in Kathmandu proper.

After Bhutan, I headed to the city of Pokhara for a few days. Pokhara is the adventure capital of Nepal, and set on a gorgeous lake. It’s a beautiful part of the world, though I wasn’t in the mood for any adventure! I also really enjoyed spending a night at Rupakot Resort, which has a nice one-night package for travelers.

Kathmandu I did not like at all. I hated the traffic and the chaos, and the air quality was so bad, I was counting down the minutes until I left.

A fun day in Doha. I ended up spending about 36 hours in Doha, Qatar, thanks to not being able to fly straight through to Prague with my miles — just enough time to explore a country in which I ordinarily would not seek to spend time.

I ended up visiting the colorful Old Port, followed by the superb Museum of Islamic Art, which I strongly recommend if you have a layover in Qatar. The I.M. Pei-designed building is worth it on its own, let alone the incredible, diverse art!

I spent the rest of the day doing my own thing, wandering a fancy Parisian-inspired mall (Place Vendôme), and a Middle Eastern afternoon tea at Jardin at the Banyan Tree.

And lots of good times in Prague. I voted for Kamala Harris from my computer, as Massachusetts is one of the states that allows online voting for overseas residents! Charlie and I had a GREAT meal at SaSaZu, which deserves to go on my best restaurants in Prague list. And we enjoyed Americke Fest, one of the best street festivals of the year, even though it was rainy!

One final note — I know that many of you are around my age — 40 — and have grown up with me since we were in our twenties. So I want to share that I had my first mammogram this month, and it was a quick and painless procedure.

40 is typically the age that most insurance policies start covering mammograms, unless you have a family history, so if that includes you, dear readers, please get your mammograms. If I can do it with a Czech-speaking technician, you can do it with an English speaker!! Get your pap smears, too. And your colonoscopies. And your skin checks. Early detection is so important.

Challenges

Food poisoning in Bhutan. It’s happened to me a handful of times while traveling, and it reared its ugly head again here. I’m not sure what the culprit was — it might have been milk that had a filmy piece in it, or some chicken that seemed not quite right — but I woke up throwing up and unable to move.

My guide, Sonam, was wonderful about it and insisted on taking me to the hospital. I protested at first, but eventually conceded. I saw a doctor, got meds, and was feeling better by the end of the day.

Unfortunately, though, it put a damper on my trip, as I didn’t want to eat any meat or dairy. And the next day I did a homestay with a family that had a lot of cows and put milk in everything. I ate small amounts out of politeness, but MAN was that hard.

Kathmandu Airport is my new least favorite airport in the world. Congratulations, Manila, you’ve been usurped! I flew through Kathmandu six different times over the course of my trip. It is an absolute mess, so confusing, so many steps, most screens not working, and you have to walk around and double check your flight exists and is leaving.

I hate to say it, but the awful experience at the airport was a contributing factor to how I felt about Nepal overall.

Nepal and I didn’t vibe. I do notice that the next destination I visit after somewhere exceptional is inevitably going to be viewed worse by me. And after experiencing Bhutan, Nepal just didn’t do it for me.

The Nepali people I met were SO kind and welcoming, and the landscapes were beautiful, but I didn’t quite connect with Nepal as a country. It felt like something was off. I’m glad I visited, but I won’t be heartbroken if I never go back.

Quitting a tour halfway through. I signed up for the popular Spirituality Tour in Kathmandu, and found out I was the only participant — a huge pet peeve of mine, but I went along with it, as we visited Boudhanath (a nice Buddhist stupa, but nowhere as nice as anything I saw in Bhutan).

Then we got to Pashupatinath, a Hindu temple, and I was shocked that monkeys were running around all over the place in the neighborhood. I DO NOT hang out with monkeys — too many bad experiences with them on safari in Africa. And had the tour description mention that there were monkeys, I would not have gone.

At least being alone on the tour, I told the guide, “I can’t do this,” and asked him to take me back. Of course I still tipped him and the driver.

Most Popular Reel on Instagram

I didn’t do much on the trip this month, but I did one just after arriving in Nepal. The older I get, the more I appreciate giving myself a soft landing after a long flight. I used to hit the group running after arrival — but that is not something I enjoy doing anymore.

You can see the reel here, and for updates from my travels, you can follow me on Instagram at @adventurouskate.

Fashion Moment of the Month

This month I had some earrings custom-made by my jeweler — a pair of bezel-set round diamond earrings with a pear-shaped diamond ear jacket behind it. I actually based them on this pair from Idyl, only I got them for less than a quarter of the Idyl price (though I still had to save up for them).

I love these earrings — they are classic, and small, but have the perfect amount of edge to them. They’re almost like vampire teeth. And of course, I can wear the plain round earrings on their own if I like.

Some advice — if you see a piece of fine jewelry you like that is sold from one of the popular-with-influencers brands, just take a picture to a jeweler and see if they can make something similar. I guarantee it will cost you a LOT less.

What I Watched This Month

This month I watched Nobody Wants This on Netflix, seemingly along with every other elder millennial out there. And what a great idea! A rom-com TV series starring two forty-something TV stars we always love to see? SIGN ME UP.

It’s not perfect (I cringed at a lot of the women characters) — but it’s great. Honestly, I’d love if they made 10 different versions of this series, set in 10 different cities!

And from the stuff I didn’t love this month — I watched The Perfect Couple, also on Netflix. Despite the absolutely stacked cast and gorgeous setting and costumes, I found this a slog to get through (it’s trying SO HARD to be The White Lotus, but without a shred of humor).

Also, one of my biggest pet peeves on screen is bad Boston accents — and boy, is there an EXCRUCIATING Boston accent in this.

If you’re on the fence, you don’t need to watch this.

What I Read This Month

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (2024) — WOW, I was waiting for this book to come out, and did it ever deliver! This long-awaited memoir is the story of Ina Garten’s life, from her unhappy childhood to meeting the love of her life, from learning how to pilot planes (what?) to working at the White House, from buying a gourmet food shop in the Hamptons on a whim to becoming a Food Network star.

This book has quite a few nuggets of wisdom for any entrepreneur or creative. I was a bit surprised to hear that Ina has always been a leap-and-the-net-will-appear kind of businesswoman. She kind of reminds me of Richard Branson in that aspect. And she revealed a LOT. Cater a party, and get tipped in cocaine? Why not!!

And Jeffrey. So much Jeffrey. It’s a running joke for Barefoot Contessa watchers that Ina is so in love with her husband to the point of obsession. And this book gets SO MUCH OF THE WHY. Every husband should aspire to be as progressive and supportive as Jeffrey is to Ina. And every couple should work on their relationship as much as they do and did.

And another thing — Ina might famously be a rich lady who hosts dinner parties in her mansion in the Hamptons — but she and Jeffrey used to be broke broke when they were younger, and they actually traveled around Europe on $5 per day (not a typo!)! Back in the 70s if you camped, two people could travel Europe on just $5 per day! I loved this part of the book, as you might guess.

Coming Up in November 2024

This month I’m heading home to Boston to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Since Charlie and I were going to book the trip with miles, we did a little bit of miles math and figured out it wouldn’t cost much more to add in another destination.

Which brings us to — Panama! My second-to-last country to visit in Central America (or my last country if you count driving through Honduras en route from Nicaragua to El Salvador — technically, the stamp is in my passport, but I don’t count it because it was just driving!).

We will be visiting Panama for about a week, visiting the capital of Panama City and the San Blas Islands, also known as Guna Yala. These islands look like the perfect image of a deserted island in your mind, and they’re Indigenous-owned, which keeps the money in the right hands.

After that, we fly to Boston for just under a week. One thing on our schedule is eating at No. 9 Park, a beloved Boston restaurant that will be closing for good at the end of the year. Glad I could grab a reservation!

I also visited a new pair of Czech destinations for November, and you’ll hear all about them next month.

Any plans for November? Share away!