Category Pages For: LIVING Ideas

Special events and fun things to do

Patan - Town - 15 - Durbar Square
NOVEMBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 3 nights in Sauraha (Chitwan National Park). We now head back to the Old Town of Patan near Kathmandu … ABOUT: Patan is the historical name for Lalitpur. It is the third largest city in Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara and it is located in the south-central part of Kathmandu Valley. The city received extensive damage in the 2015 earthquake. As of the 2011 census, it had a population of 226,728. The city has an area of about 15 square kilometres. It is believed that Patan was founded in the third century BC. Several historical records (including many other legends) […]

Patan – Nepal – Living Ideas

Sauraha - Safari - 23
NOVEMBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 3 nights in Lumbini (Buddha’s birth place). We now head to Sauraha for a Safari in Chitwan National Park … ABOUT: Chitwan National Park was established in 1973 and granted the status of a World Heritage Site in 1984. It covers an area of 953 km2 (368 sq mi) and is located in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal. In altitude it ranges from about 100 m (330 ft) in the river valleys to 815 m (2,674 ft) in the Churia Hills. Chitwan National Park is one of Nepal’s most popular tourist destinations. There are two main entrances: Sauraha in the east […]

Sauraha – Nepal – Living Ideas

Lumbini - Temples - 24
OCTOBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 5 nights in Pokhara. We now head for Lumbini … ABOUT: Lumbinī is locate 260 kms west of Kathmandu and 165 kms southwest of Pokhara. It is a Buddhist pilgrimage site. It is the place where Buddha was born. Lumbini was made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997. Lumbini is 4.8 km (3 mi) in length and 1.6 km (1.0 mi) in width. The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone in which only monasteries can be built, no shops, no hotels, no restaurants. It is separated […]

Lumbini – Nepal – Living Ideas

Pokhara - Lake - 4
OCTOBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 7 nights in Kathmandu. We now head for Pokhara … ABOUT: Pokhara is located 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of Kathmandu. It is Nepal’s second largest city in terms of population and the largest in terms of area. It spans 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from north to south and 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from east to west but, unlike the capital Kathmandu, it still has much green space. The Annapurna Range (with three out of the ten highest mountains in the world: Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, and Manaslu) is within 24–56 kms. Pokhara is […]

Pokhara – Nepal – Living Ideas

SEPTEMBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 3 nights in Kutaisi, Georgia. KUTAISA (QUICK NOTES): I won’t provide a full write-up of Kutaisi because, to be brutally honest, I didn’t do much. That said, Kutaisi offers many good day trip options: Gelati Monastery, Prometheus Cave, Okatse Canyon, Martvili Canyon, and Imereti to name a few. You can also take multi-day tours from Kutaisi north into Svaneti National Park. GETTING THERE: I started in Akhaltsikhe. I walked to the Central Bus Station and caught the 10:30am bus to Kutaisi. My suitcase went under the back seat. I was not charged extra […]

Mtskheta – Georgia – Living Ideas

Vardzia - 25
SEPTEMBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 3 nights in Gyumri, Armenia.  We now go to our first stop in Georgia: Akhaltsikhe. PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Georgia is the Lari (or the ‘GEL’). I will refer to them as G$s. At the time of writing: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 G$2.96 G$3.28 G$3.69 Over time, these exchange rates will change. Please check the current rates. GETTING THERE: Minibuses are the most common form of transport in this part of the World. The problem with these minibuses is that most don’t have any luggage space. If you have a big backpack or […]

Akhaltsikhe – Georgia – Living Ideas