Top 10 cities I visited

As the airplane manouevered its way through the mountains to descend into Kathmandu airport, I marvelled at the snow-capped Himalayan peaks shining brightly through my window. Fighting with my brothers for the window seat had paid off big time. My dad used to say the pilots who landed on Kathmandu could land anywhere, and often it was the best training for newbies. One minute you’re heading straight towards Mt. Everest, the next you’re on the runway. No matter how many times we flew between Kathmandu and Dhaka, every take off and landing took my breath away.

My childhood years in Nepal – the earliest I can recall – were formative in many ways. I started school, new friendships, learned new languages, fell in love with music and the big screen, and discovered a world of different cultures, races and religions. Attending the American school with classmates from every part of the world, I made best friends from Germany and Japan (incidentally both boys) and worst enemies from Thailand and Austria (incidentally both girls – ouch). Coming from a Muslim family, I was exposed very early to Christmas and Easter, lived among Hindus and attended Bhuddist festivals. I began admiring the lifestyle of the monks and what they represented. But I also loved the big screen and celebrities of what would later be called Bollywood. At the time TV had not entered Nepalese homes, so my family frequented the cinema halls so often that memorizing movie dialogues and song lyrics became a cinch.

Most of all, it was the innocence and fun of childhood that ranks my memory of Nepal so high. The country is absolutely stunning, especially Pokhara where I learned to ride my first horse and paddle my first canoe. The people were very peaceful and the society was shelteredd from the violence and proverty so common in that part of the world.