“Home is the here and now.”

For some travelers the holiday season is tough, it is hard to see your whole family together while you are halfway across the world unable to partake in the card games or eat excessive amounts of sweets made by your gramma. Others enjoy spending Christmas in exotic locations, for instance, on the beach hanging out in the waves instead of in the snow, and don’t seem to mind being away from home too much. Though I would have loved to fly back to Canada just for the week, at least I got to Skype with my grandparents and cousins which definitely helps to bridge the gap that distance brings.

I was lucky enough to have a lovely group of friends, mostly cyclists, with whom I was able to spend the holidays. As Swiss relatives of my cyclist friends were visiting, we got to enjoy real cheese and chocolate as a special Christmas treat. Then for New Years I went out with a variety of friends to a few different cafes, and spend a fun night just hanging out waiting for the New Year to officially begin. Though sometimes it is a bit lonely not having anyone to spend these special days with, it is just one of the compromises you end up making when you live in the road.

There was a huge street festival during the last few days of 2013 leading up to the new year. The main road was closed for kilometers and restaurants put their tables out on the street. There was music and dancing, and Nepalis came from all over to enjoy the festival. Though it definitely didn’t feel like Christmas as there were prayer flags instead of ornaments decorating the city (plus, Christmas is not celebrated in Nepal), the city definitely had a holiday spirit.