The Longest Way Home Travel Blog

The latest Kathmandu Valley Guidebook (updated February 2025) The latest edition of my Kathmandu Valley Guidebook in my Nepal guidebook collection has been published and updated in 2025.  It’s a detailed guidebook for the entire Kathmandu Valley that includes post-pandemic updates. If you are just visiting Kathmandu city then use my guidebook to Kathmandu city. Kathmandu Valley …

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The Birthplace of Buddha is in dire need of some spirituality I’ve visited Lumbini many times over the years. The first time was because it was the birthplace of Buddha. A place that could surely be matched in importance with Jerusalem or Mecca. What I found was an uninspired town, hidden monks and a less than stellar …

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Is ethical elephant tourism different in Nepal compared to Thailand? Yes, is the honest answer. But that still doesn’t make it right. Then again, without this form of elephant tourism Nepal wouldn’t have any elephants in the wild, or rhinos or tigers or possibly any forest. While Thailand is making world headlines for its long running …

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The most updated and detailed guidebook to Pokhara, anywhere! The latest of my 2025 edition guidebooks for Nepal has just been published. This edition to Pokhara marks the continued success of my guidebook collection which offer more detail, practical advice, reviews and better maps than you’ll find anywhere else. They also include post-pandemic updates. Pokhara …

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Discovering great tea was hard until I met the tea connoisseur of Kathmandu I never really understood why so many people liked tea. The whole world seemed to like it and I was always the odd the one out. To me tea always came in a little soggy bag and never quite had the punch of an …

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Did you know that there are dozens of temples in Pokhara? Very few people explore Pokhara beyond the popular Lakeside area. It’s not hard to imagine why either as very little “old” culture is ever promoted there. An unfortunate result of big resort hotels and adventure activities outshining the past. Back in the mid 17th century …

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Digital Archaeology: saving the past for the future in Nepal Digital acquisitions enable us to capture the surface of an object in 3D along with its visual properties. These digital images collectively reform temples, monuments, shrines and artifacts into three-dimensional representations of geometric data. This includes not only structural modules but also textures, tones and in some cases …

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