Soles of a Nomad

Kathmandu isn’t just a basecamp for Himalayan dreams. It’s a city of spirit, scars, and stories. I visited twice—once as a backpacker in 1999, once with my family after the devastating 2015 earthquake. What I found each time changed me.

Kochi challenged our lungs and won our hearts. In a city where the streets are cleaner than most of India but the air turns to ash by dawn, we found humor, irony, and unexpected beauty.

I sat cross-legged on a porch in northern Thailand, listening to four hours of a meeting I couldn’t understand. But what I saw—local people solving local problems—was unforgettable.