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3 Birthdays, 3 Continents – Nepal Blog

Last Updated: October 20, 2021 · Nepal

September 6, 2015

Table of Contents show
Birthday Bash: IDK About You, but I’m Feeling 22
Pre-Birthday Bash
The Real Birthday Bash
After Birthday Bash!
The Grass is Greener

Birthday Bash: IDK About You, but I’m Feeling 22

“We’re happy free confused and lonely at the same time.. It’s miserable and magical oh yeahh”

*Hits replay* Over and over again.  That was me the day before my birthday, the day of my birthday and, you guessed it, the day after.  And well, just every day. Even right now it’s on replay and I’m wondering if the guy in the room next to me thinks I have a T-Swift addiction.

Pre-Birthday Bash

So in the U.S we celebrate “pre-birthday”, (right??) Though Paul doesn’t understand this cultural aspect, he took me out for a pre-birthday dinner anyways.  We checked out Trip Advisor for a great place to eat for cheap.  Luckily we found a place not too far from where we were walking in downtown Thamel.  Across dirt roads and mud puddles we go, and several stories up in a building we found a golden gem; a beautiful restaurant filled with fancy waiters and Nepali décor that was nearly empty with the exception of that one big multicultural party.  We were guided to front row seats facing a stage; apparently we had arrived just in time for a ‘cultural program’. The menu had 2 options: a traditional Nepali set with meat or vegetarian style, and both were only $9.  We were quickly served a complimentary basket of popcorn, and a sample of traditional Nepali rice wine that was served in small, round clay bowls.

The microphone came on over the speakers, introducing the two dancers that would soon perform traditional dances from the Newari and Nepali cultures.  Several times they changed outfits, fitting each music style.  Meanwhile our food was being brought out, little dish by little dish.  A small dish of potatoes here, spinach there, then the big rice dish came out and the lentils (dhal), vegetables, curry, meat (boar), paneer, and the list goes on. Whatever you ate they came back around with to ask if you’d like 2nd or 3rd helpings.  It was such a cool dining experience!  Definitely more expensive than a regular Nepali set ($2-4), but the cultural program + whole atmosphere seemed perfect for a birthday dinner, and it was!

The Real Birthday Bash

Then the actual birthday started early.  We decided it’d be interesting to volunteer at an organic farmers market from 8am-12pm, where we helped out the guy whose farm Paul was “wwoofing” at for a couple days. We got to meet several interesting people there!

A super sweet and friendly girl named Kathryn from Singapore who is a writer, a Californian man with bright blue eyes, whom out of nowhere began speaking Mandarin Chinese with two elder Taiwanese men who were also standing at our table (one had the cutest laugh!) The bits of English the man stuttered hinted at their conversation which seemed to be the Taiwanese man telling the blue-eyed white man to open his ‘third eye’, like Buddha, and let the light in. There was also something about walking his way to heaven, and then after that came a hefty laugh, some humble thank you’s and confused laughter.   Later that day we just relaxed at the house and then everyone got ready to go out downtown to partyyyy.

To feel birthday appropriate I decided to wear the only pair of heels I brought with me.  As soon as we left, it began pouring down with rain.  Ten minutes of walking later we found a taxi but with 6 people we weren’t going to fit, so we split up into two taxis.  The problem, that we couldn’t identify until it was too late, is that all the people who knew where we were going went in one taxi and two Americans and a Frenchman were stuck in the other taxi.  “I guess we’ll see what happens”, we all said.  Fifteen minutes later we were dropped off at the beginning of downtown, not at the Mexican restaurant where we were supposed to be.  Tracy had an idea of where it could be, so we decided to make a run for it.  Don’t forget I’m still wearing heels.  We were running on the street, dodging cars, bikes and fellow pedestrians scurrying out of the rain.  We took a little break under a shelter, where I immediately took off my heels and put on some sandals (thank goodness I brought them!) We headed back out into the rain and the busy, flooded streets.  We ran back and forth past the restaurant, asked for directions, went into a pub with the same restaurant name, turned around and then finally we spotted the lit-up fiesta Mexican cuisine sign hanging over our heads. Bingo!

Now it’s time for happy hour buy one – get one free cocktails.  Serve that up with some fresh guacamole and chips and it was perfect!  After we exhausted happy-hour, we went to a place called ‘Purple Haze’, which to our surprise, was a gigantic bar/concert place.  It was packed full of screaming people singing the American songs the band was playing.  “Where did we just walk into??” I thought.  You definitely didn’t feel like you were in a bar in Asia.  We grabbed some local beers that are twice as big (600ml) than what we’re used to and headed up stairs.  Long story short, which is already quite long (sorry), we met a fellow Frenchman!  You bet Paul was glad to meet one of his ‘people’ from la France!

And that’s how we met Clement and his Nepali host, Sanjay, who we just went to Bhaktapur with for the Gaijatra festival (which you can find in the next blog post, coming soon) 🙂

After Birthday Bash!

The details of how the birthday night ended are much too tedious to tell here, so I will go on to the after birthday celebration.  No, it’s not a tradition to continue to celebrate your birthday here after it’s over. It’s just that Paul didn’t get me a present in advance so he treated me (and himself subsequently) to a massage.  This would be my first experience!  I never would’ve thought my first massage would be in Kathmandu in a dark, closed room with the sound of construction workers banging their hammers just out the window.

Haha, if I am making it sound unpleasant than let me rephrase.  It was so cool, and strange.  I didn’t even know ‘disposable underwear’ really existed, until I was told to undress and put some on. There was one light, the windows were shut, and Paul and I were just sitting there waiting for our masseuses’ to come in.

*Knock knock*

– Us: “Come in!”

– Masseuse: “Hello, please take off towel, lie down.”

– Me: “Uhhh, *awkwardly laughs* okay.”

*Silence*

***

****

*****

****

***

*Awkward giggles*

*More silence*

********************

– Me: “Paul?? Ca va? *Gasps from hitting sore muscles*

– Masseuse: “Something wrong??”

– Me: “Oh no, thik chha, it’s okay I’m just calling for… PAUL?!”

*Silence*

– Paul: “Y..yeah?”

– Me: “Hey.” *Giggles*

*Snap, crackle and pop*

*Repeats* for an hour. Birthday bash is finally complete.  Overall, a memorable 22nd birthday in Nepal. It is kind of crazy though to think that my past 3 birthdays have been on 3 separate continents.  My 20th was spent in France, my 21st was of course spent in the U.S (what better place to spend your 21st) and then now my 22nd, and most likely 23rd will be here in Nepal. ^^

Now, let me reiterate something.

“We’re happy free confused and lonely at the same time.. It’s miserable and magical oh yeahh”

And to conclude, T-Swift couldn’t be more right with these lyrics.  I’m feeling 22 and I’m happy free confused and lonely at the same time.  That’s what I’ve decided Living with Wanderlust is actually like.  It’s everything at the same time! It’s miserable, but it’s also magical! “Hmm…” OH YEAH!

You travel, you discover people, the world, yourself, others, and all of that and it IS amazing. BUT then there’s a side of traveling that people don’t talk about. You miss family, and aren’t we taught that family is everything? “Family comes first,” “There’s nothing more important than family,” the list goes on.  I mean you know it too, right?  And I don’t mean like “Awe, I miss you”, it’s like “You are literally missing from me.” I can’t hug you when it’s your birthday or at any holiday, when one of us is sad or happy, sick or healthy.  What I’m trying to say is IT’S HARD.  People often relate travel to go have fun. Okay, that’s true, but we can’t constantly have fun! Why? Well, that’s just exhausting. Living abroad is a double edged sword.  You love it, yet you look ahead to getting back with everyone safe and sound.  But that’s the thing, you will get back and then you will also think back, “Man, I wish I was still there.” Do we not do that? You feel like you’re missing out on everything, right?  But then you think about it and what if you were missing out on what you are doing right now?

The view from our rooftop 🙂 Sometimes you can see the Himalayas.

The Grass is Greener

At times, the grass really does seem greener on the other side; until you’re there and then you realize something much more important:  It’s not the grass you miss the most because the grass remained the same all along. The grass will always be there no matter which side of the fence you are on.  It’s how you perceive the grass that makes all the difference.  The grass, is it here or there? If you perceive the grass as being on the other side, then of course you will miss that grass.  But once you realize that the grass is here, there, and also with you, then you stop missing the grass for being on the other side because now you see that it is, in fact, not. 🙂

Something that my Grandpa Sneller and Deepak Chopra have in common is that they both taught me what it means to be mindful (except Grandpa you taught me first) ^^ It was something I thought I knew about but actually had no idea about.  It’s about learning to live in the present and being mindful of your relationship to the present and everything you use that’s around you.  Once you adopt this perspective, you’ll never look at rice, toothpaste, water, or even grass, the same.

By: Bri · In: Nepal · Tagged: kathmandu

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Tips from a long-time nomad ⬇️✨ 💻 WORKIN Tips from a long-time nomad ⬇️✨

💻 WORKING ONLINE
While not all nomads/remote workers have online-specific jobs, it’s the easiest way to sustain an income for full-time or long-term travel. Here are some jobs you can do as a digital nomad!

• Blogging (This is what I do full-time!)
• Content Creation / Brand Sponsorship
• Virtual Assisting
• Social Media Management
• YouTube or Podcasting
• Graphic / Web Design
• Coding / Development
• Photography / Videography
• Freelance Writing (How I started)
• Marketing / Amazon FBA / Ecommerce

📍PICKING YOUR DIGITAL NOMAD DESTINATION
There are many countries out there offering digital nomad visas, but you don’t even need one to just travel as a tourist and stay in-country for 30, 60, 90, or 180 days. Nomads go everywhere as long as there’s a Wi-Fi connection, some countries you may consider are Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Vietnam, Croatia, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Brazil, and beyond! Even lesser-known places such as Namibia are starting to offer nomad visas to entice long-term travelers to visit.

🏡 FINDING HOUSING ABROAD
Read my blog post for the full guide on this, but basically, check local Facebook groups for renting local housing for extended stays and then use Airbnbs for shorter stays or to negotiate longer contracts with the owner. There are even more “nomad rental websites” these days to make finding accommodation even easier. Don’t overlook co-living/working spaces too like Selina where the digital nomad community tends to congregate.

💛 EXPLORING LOCALLY/RESPONSIBLY
As always, be mindful and respectful when you visit these communities. Many small towns are struggling with rapid growth and overdevelopment so be mindful of your choices of where you stay, how you spend your money, and who you support.

My best advice + detailed guides are all on the blog, free for you to use! Let me know if you have any questions about digital nomad life! 

Lastly, don’t overthink it. Moving countries isn’t as intimidating as you may think! It’s become second nature for us now after several years! 🐈‍⬛💃🌎✨
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to discover t I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to discover this incredible country beyond the resorts and beaches, having lived temporarily in 5 out of the 32 Mexican states (Nayarit, Quintana Roo, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and now Baja California Sur) as a digital nomad who’s been slow traveling/living in and out of Mexico since 2018. 

There is so, so much cultural and natural beauty in Mexico — I wish more people could experience this country for themselves and not through the eyes of the media.

***Please visit Mexico as a digital nomad (or tourist in general) responsibly and mindfully. Stay local, eat local, drink local, shop local, support local. Leave No Trace and be conscious of your choices and impact!*** 

Here are the cities/towns we’ve slow traveled/lived in for extended stays.

• Oaxaca City — a colorful, historic open museum rich in indigenous culture and gastronomy 
• San Cristóbal de las Casas — an endearing pueblo mágico in the Chiapas Highlands
• La Paz — the capital city of BCS teeming with marine life, diving, fish tacos, and desert vibes
• San Pancho — an eco-conscious town in Nayarit famous for its sunsets and community
• Tulum — no introduction needed (and I wouldn’t go back here as a nomad due to overdevelopment)

Other great cities/towns/destinations for digital nomads are:

• Guadalajara (state of Jalisco)
• Santiago de Querétaro (state of Querétaro)
• San Miguel de Allende or Guanajuato City (state of Guanajuato)
• Playa del Carmen (state of Quintana Roo)
• Valladolid or Mérida (state of Yucatán)
• México City/CDMX (state of México)
• Sayulita (state of Nayarit)
• Puerto Vallarta (state of Jalisco)
• Puerto Escondido (state of Oaxaca)

I’d love to know what you think about Mexico and where you’ve been in the comments! 🇲🇽💛

And for the detailed guide of 13 places to live/visit, read my blog @bucketlistbri .com (just type in “places to live mexico” in the quick search bar if you can’t find the post under my “Mexico” category).

#mexicomagico #digitalnomad #visitmexico #livingabroad #fulltimetravel #mexicotravel #mexicodestinations #nomadadigital #nomada #mexicomaravilloso #slowtravelling #mindfultravel
PSA: Your anxiety, problems or (bad) habits will f PSA: Your anxiety, problems or (bad) habits will follow you around the world until you face them no matter how much you travel or move countries 🙃 

I know I’m not the only one that feels restless at times and idolizes moving to a new region/country/continent to shake my feelings of anxiety or self-doubt or fear! (Also, I tend to think about moving to another country even when I just moved to a new one 😅)

I know because I have lived abroad for 8+ years. I used to try to drown out my icky feelings and past traumas with lots of alcohol but now I carry them with me like I do my mismatched socks — they add to the quirkiness and remind me I don’t have to be, and am not, perfect. 

And that life is more interesting that way, anyway. 

Anddd that most importantly, whenever I get lost, I can and will be found again — I just may look and think differently after new adventures but I am still loved and never lost forever 🧦 ✨💛 

In sum, whether you travel full-time or not, take care of yourself ✨💛

#nomadness #nomadlife #lifeofadventure #livingabroad #fulltimetravel #offbeattravel #remoteworklife #homeawayfromhome #slowtravelstories #mentalhealthawarness
The 4 core ingredients to a recharged Bri: 💛 P The 4 core ingredients to a recharged Bri:

💛 Paul
😻 Yoda
🌍 Traveling & adventuring
👩🏼‍💻 Blogging & writing

Among other things like nature, photography, reading, animals, journaling, art, playing Zelda/games, dancing/music, culture/languages, enjoying rly good food and drinks! 😋 

What about you? What recharges you?? 

#rechargemysoul #blogging #adventures #writing #soulfulliving #mindfulliving #mindfultravel #nomadcouple #creativeliving
1 WEEK COSTA RICA ITINERARY👇🦋✨ 🌋 ARENA 1 WEEK COSTA RICA ITINERARY👇🦋✨

🌋 ARENAL // LA FORTUNA (2 days)
- Hike in the Arenal Volcano National Park
- Indulge in a local chocolate/coffee tour (s/o to @northfieldscafe)
- Go on a wildlife safari float (s/o to Raúl for pura vida vibes!)
- Lounge in natural hot springs (highly recommend the budget-friendly Relax Termalitas in Fortuna)
- Visit La Fortuna waterfall
- Check out the Butterfly Conservatory

🦥 QUEPOS // MANUEL ANTONIO (2-3 days)
- Take a guided or DIY tour of Manuel Antonio National Park
- Chill out on the Espadilla beach
- Explore the cute towns
- Watch for wildlife in the trees!

🌿 MONTEVERDE // SANTA ELENA (2 days)
- Visit/hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest
- Go ziplining
- Birdwatching on a canopy tour
- Monteverde coffee tour
- Do a nature night walk

My sister and I surprised our mom with this bucket list trip on her birthday, and we had a blast! 🥹

Send this itinerary to someone you know who has always wanted to go to Costa Rica 🦋💛✨🌿🦜🐒

#costarica #bucketlisttrip #puravida #costaricaitinerary #lafortuna #manuelantonio #monteverde #ecotourism
Swimming with the biggest fish in the world is a q Swimming with the biggest fish in the world is a quite a humbling experience, and one that’s been at the top of my bucket list for ages! 🥺

Right now is prime whale shark season in La Paz in Baja California Sur, Mexico, so Paul and I made sure to go before we jetted off to see family for the holidays! I’m still in awe of these gentle giants and the fact that we got to swim alongside them!

Read all about the best whale shake tours in La Paz + ethical whale shark tourism in my latest blog post! Link in bio 💛

Send this to a friend who loves whale sharks! 🐳🦈

#whalesharks #lapaz #bajacaliforniasur #ethicaltravel #responsibletravel #ecotourism #golapaz #mexicotravel #bucketlist #seaofcortez
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