Nepal - Day 01 - Kathmandu

 After nearly 48 hours of travel and a chaotic, midnight-ish arrival in Kathmandu, we were ready to see some sights, but first a little sleep was in order.  It’s a 12 hour and 45 minute time difference from home, and after our long travel we were tired enough to sleep until morning in Kathmandu. Getting used to the local time here and keeping active during daylight hours was part of our plan to overcome jet lag.

After breakfast and a shower at our lovely hotel, Hotel Thamel House, we walked out into the hectic streets of Thamel, the primary tourist district of Kathmandu. Our first task was to get Nepali rupees. Not all the ATMs we tried were working, but finally we had what we needed. 

We walked to Durbar Square, a UNESCO world heritage site in Kathmandu, doing our best to stay out of the way of the cars, motorcycles, and rickshaws which filled the street. Saturday was a holiday here but local people were still going to work and opening up their shops, some with goods laid out on the sidewalk. We caught glimpses of butchers with piles of raw meat, barbers trimming customers, lots of small snack and grocery stalls, restaurants, piles of flowers and fresh fruits laid out for sale, children on bikes, people walking everywhere, construction on new or remodeled buildings, and souvenir shops close to the tourist locales. There was music, car horns, shouted conversations. Every block or two we saw temples and shrines to Buddhist and Hindu deities. We caught whiffs of incense, smells of cooking, and sometime the odor of sewage wafting by.

At Durbar Square we paid our entrance fees and agreed to hire a licensed guide, Prakash, to show us the highlights, making sure to agree on a price in advance. Prakash led us around, telling us about different temples and deities. We were able to see the Kumari (living goddess) at the window of the building where she resides. The current Kumari is only 3 years old, and we were told how Kumaris are selected to be living goddesses to the Hindus although she herself is from a Buddhist family. She was dressed ornately and made up in lipstick and heavy eyeliner when she peeked out her window at us (which she does once a day), but she still looked like a curious toddler. 

As our tour continued we were soon losing track of all the gods and goddesses, their modes of transportation, and their many incarnations, but it was fascinating. The sculptures and architecture were beautiful. At the end of the tour, Prakash told us that the agreed upon price was for each of us, and we felt a little duped, but we paid and parted on good terms. 

We ended up walking all the way to the monkey temple, Suayambunath, also a UNESCO world heritage site, getting cokes along the way and crossing the river on a pedestrian bridge. The River where we crossed is dirty and low flowing and smells unpleasant, but the smell doesn’t carry far.  We had lunch in a charming little restaurant before we climbed the long staircase up the hill, past buddhas and stupas and Hindu gods, and under flapping prayer flags and tall green trees. There were monkeys everywhere, rhesus macaques, scampering around and over the temple complex. We made sure not to be holding any food. Sarah does not trust these monkeys at all. There were also a lot of dogs sleeping or meandering and barking. It seemed like a lot of families were there for the day, many in dressy clothing. Small events seemed to be taking place in a couple of locations with music playing. After walking all around the complex, we took a path back down to the busy road and caught a taxi to Thamel. We had walked around 6.5 miles not to mention all the stairs.

After relaxing a while at our hotel, we had dinner in the attached restaurant. We sampled different Newari dishes and watched a folk dance performance. Everything was lovely, but by 9pm the jet lag was catching up to us, and we turned in for the night.

Winter MTB 2025 / 2026

 Sharing some pictures and videos of mountain biking adventures this winter.  With an unusually warm winter we made multiple trips to McDowell Mountain park and Usury Mountain park both north of Phoenix as well as participated in a few bike races.  

Dawn to Dusk

Tucson 10er

24 Hours in the Old Pueblo.  

The races are endurance events spanning from 10 to 24 hours we ride as a team taking turns.  Sarah’s brother joined us for Dawn to Dusk,  Tucson 10er we did as a duo and 24 HOP included John and a couple of other friends.

Iceland Day 6

Friday, November 7, 2025

Hotel: Hotel Von, Reykjavik

We checked on the aurora every couple hours overnight. There was one glimpse thru the clouds, but otherwise the sky was too cloudy.

Having only a short drive back Reykjavik, we took it easy in the morning, starting with a late breakfast at the hotel. We stopped to see the Hveragerði geothermal park which had one small geyser. It was very cold in windy. We drove out to the Grotta lighthouse just past Reykjavik, walking out to the point past some sea birds. Then we parked in a garage near Hotel Von, had lunch, and spent some time looking in shops along Laugavegur and the rainbow street. We checked into our hotel early and spent the afternoon exploring the shops along Laugavegur and the rainbow street. 

At 9pm, we joined a small group for a northern lights watching tour. Our guide looked at the weather and cloud cover maps to figure out where we could go for a clear sky. We saw green swirls, zigzags, and patches. It was a much better approach than trying to find a clear, dark spot outside our hotels. The aurora shifted and faded in and out quickly. We returned to the hotel around 1am.

Day 7 — Postscript: We rose early to drive to the airport, return our car, and catch our flight home. There was a hitch when our 24 hour parking turned out to be closed until 7am. Our hotel clerk assured us there was time, and we had coffee and pastries while we waited. We could see some aurora on our drive to the airport when we passed thru dark areas, until dawn started brightening the sky which happens over a few hours at this time of year.

Overall we were very fortunate with the weather and were able to see the sights without any issues. Original forecasts predicted rain and below-freezing temperatures. It can be so windy that cars are blown off the road. we saw a lot of beautiful sights on the golden circle and south coast, and finally seeing a good view of the aurora was a great way to end the trip.

Iceland Day 5

Thursday, Nov 6, 2025

Hotel: Hotel Stracta, Hella

We rose later today, checking out our green-roof units after breakfast. We didn’t have much on our itinerary. We stopped to look at the moss covered lava fields, the we continued to Vik for a hot tea. Next we drove out to the Dyrholaey peninsula opposite the black sand beach that mesmerized us a few days ago. The wind was brutal. We leaned into it, trudging out to see the views with cold hands and faces. carefully taking turns opening no more than one car door at a time. We’ve been so fortunate with the weather; we would not have enjoyed a week of this.

We continued to Skogar which had far less wind. After lunch we walked to two waterfalls: the semi-hidden Kvernufoss, then the huge Skogarfoss.

Soon we were back in Hella, this time at the very large Hotel Stracta. It’s not nearly as charming as the nearby Aurora Igloos, but they were fully booked. We had a soak in the outdoor hot tubs, then relaxed before dinner. The sun came out, and some blue sky showed, so maybe we will see the aurora tonight.

Iceland Day 4

 Nov 5, 2025

Hotel: Hotel Magma, Kirkjubaejarklaustur

At midnight, Natalie went outside and saw the aurora in spite of the clouds and the bright moon. The wind had died, and it wasn’t too cold considering the hour. We joined her for a while, watching as the green streaks appeared and disappeared, changing pretty rapidly. At 6am, it was quite cold but there were some broad, pale streaks across the sky. 

At 7, we met for breakfast. The sky was still dark but without an aurora. We had breakfast at the hotel and were moving early for our drive to Jökulsárlán Lagoon where we needed to meet our glacier tour just after 9am. The nearly full moon set behind us on the drive. On arrival, the lagoon with its floating icebergs and the glacier behind it were dramatic and beautiful.

About a dozen of us hopped into the large 4wd van to drive up to the glacier, an international group from Vietnam, Italy, Greece, the USA, and our Icelandic guide. It was clear all the tours go to the same ice cave, but we didn’t crowd each other, so it worked out. We put on our crampons and helmets for the walk across the glacier as the morning sun was starting to illuminate the peaks above us. It’s the largest glacier in Europe.

The ice in the cave was beautiful and varied, very clear with pieces of rock and ash and a few bubbles trapped inside it. In places it looked very blue. We took pictures and peered into the spaces, ducking under dripping ice shelves and marveling at the unusual blobs of ice.

After our 4WD ride back to the lagoon, we had fish and chips then walked the paths along the lagoon and river, packed with icebergs of different shapes and sizes and colors ranging from a glossy clear to matte blue. Most seemed stationary, but a few were floating down the river towards the ocean. We walked down to Diamond beach which was littered with icebergs and chunks of ice. There were a lot of people, some getting splashed as the tide came in. Waves broke over some large, unmoving icebergs. Up on the beach were smaller chunks of ice, seemingly deposited by the last high tide. It was strange and beautiful.

The clouds were coming overhead and the temperature was dropping a bit as we drove back to the Magma Hotel for our second night. We made a stop for a short hike to view a tongue of the glacier across a small lake. We dined at the casual and pleasant Systrakaffi near the Magma Hotel before turning in for the night. We checked a few times for aurora activity, but there were too many clouds.

Iceland Day 3

 Nov 4, 2025

Hotel: Hotel Magma, Kirkjubaejarklaustur

Last night we had beautiful views of the sunset and the cloudy sky. We had brief peeks of the aurora just before 9pm, but the brightest streaks disappeared before we could get photos. Towards morning we saw the moon set. Sleeping in a clear igloo was great, and they were very comfortable.

We headed into Hella fairly early, stopping for coffee and pastries at the local bakery. We stopped for a chilly Caves of Hella tour, not natural caves but structures carved by people before the Vikings arrived. It was interesting, but long winded and full of conjecture that was presented as fact. Afterwards we headed towards Vik, stopping to view some magnificent waterfalls. In Vik we had lunch at a cold cafe, then went to see the basalt cliffs, black sand, and incredible pounding surf at Reynisfjara Beach, while staying out of range of dangerous “sneaker waves”. At times, it looked like water was shooting 40’ in the air from the crashing surf. On the other side of the spit were the calm waters of Dryholaos lagoon. It was mesmerizing. We drove about an hour further, leaving the rolling hills and cliffs thru what looked like flood planes of moss covered rocks. Then we reached another row of hills by our hotel.

Our hotel consists of small units with green roofs, each with a wall of windows facing a small lake. After we arrived, there were a dozen or more white swans on the lake. We are told they aren’t always there. We dined at our hotel and played a couple hands of gin rummy afterwards. It is cloudy and predictions indicate a low probability of aurora tonight.

Iceland Day 2

 Nov 3, 2025

Hotel: Aurora Igloos, Hella

Our plan was to meet for breakfast at 7:30 and then hit the road to travel the Golden Circle. Sarah woke at 5, and online it seemed like the aurora was strong, so she dressed and went down to the Sun Voyager sculpture to see if it was visible. Alas, there was too much light pollution to see the aurora, but the sculpture and harbor lights were beautiful. 

After a good breakfast at Bon in our hotel lobby, we grabbed coffees for the road and headed out of town. We made the short side trip to Pórufoss waterfall. For a while we were the only ones there. The sun hadn’t yet risen, and dawn’s colors lit the sky behind the falls, a beautiful start to the day. Our next stop was the Almannagia Gorge in Thingvellir national park, a site where North American and Eurasian tectonic plates come together, creating a split. We hiked along the rift on a sometimes slippery trail between basalt cliffs to Öxarárfoss waterfall, not terribly impressive after Pórufoss, but pretty. Our third stop was to see Geysers. The first one startled us with its eruption which goes off every 5-8 minutes. We waited to see it erupt a second time (a smaller eruption), then walked past small geysers and thermal pools to a viewpoint. It started getting windy. We went to Gullfoss and walked down to the viewpoint in strong, face-freezing winds. The volume of water was remarkable and the falls were extensive, well worth the trip. Our last natural sight for the day was Kerið Crater, a volcanic crater filled with water. Again it was very windy, but the light from the sinking sun was beautiful. We took the short trail, shielded from the wind, down to the water’s edge. It looked like there was very thin ice forming on top.

We stopped for dinner in Selfoss before heading to the Aurora Igloos in Hella for the night. We are sleeping under clear domes in plastic igloos that are charmingly laid out and furnished, including with heaters, electric lanterns, curtains for privacy, cozy beds with views of the sky. It doesn’t seem like a promising night for the aurora, but we took pictures of the night sky, fiddling with camera settings. We are prepared in case the aurora makes an appearance.