One of about maybe ten thousand cups of tea I had while spending January in Nepal

Every year, I overdo it with the fun in December and as soon as it’s over, I stumble into the next 12 months exhausted, broke, fat and hungover. So this year, like the last, feeling bloated and dazed, I packed my things (at the last possible minute, of course) and took off for the other side of the world.

I spent January of 2015 in Cambodia and started 2016 off in Nepal, volunteering for two weeks in lovely, oh-so-peaceful Pokhara and then spending a week or so on my own, with visits to Kathmandu and Chitwan along the way.

To be completely honest, it wasn’t an easy trip. Little luxuries like constant electricity, hot water and daily showers weren’t a part of my every day, and working at a rural orphanage provided more than a few challenging and heartbreaking moments. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great trip though. I made friends with some really wonderful people, traveled and saw new places, did yoga and meditated, relaxed, detoxed and decluttered my head. And cause you know how I roll, I ate lots of delicious things wherever I went.

In the end, the takeaway for me was an incredible sense of gratitude for the life I have at home, the one I so often bitch and moan about. Over the next few posts, I’ll regale you with stories of things eaten and good times had on what will forever in my heart be one of my favorite trips.