The Blog Hits Nepal: How to Become an International Celebrity

Back to Pokhara! Pokhara is a popular destination for trekkers because it's near the foothills of the Himalayas. Therefore, we decided to get up early to watch the sun rise, hopefully with a view of the mountains.

Well... we got the beautiful sunrise! The mountains, not so much-- they didn't come out until later. In the meantime, I did some early morning stretching:

The sun was amazing that morning. A bright pink/ red, over the blue mountains and green trees. It's hard to capture the full experience, but here is a small taste:

Later that day, we went to the International Mountaineering Museum, dedicated to the story of the Himalayas and the people who have climbed them. The museum was really interesting, reflecting on the tribes of Nepal, the geology that led to the formation of the mountains, the role of climate change, and the history of the great mountaineers. And then, while we were waiting to leave, all of the sudden...

Everyone wanted to take a picture with us! It was weird. (This happened many other places also.) Apparently in Nepal, pasty skin and curly hair is exotic. All I had to do was go across the world! It only seemed fair that I should be a tourist attraction, seeing as I was a major tourist for two full weeks. But the whole picture taking thing never stopped being hilarious.

And just to reassure you, we did see the Himalayas later that day. And yes, they were even more spectacular than promised.

What I'm wearing: Boden hoodie (out of stock), Look Human t-shirt, Madewell jeans (out of stock, similar here), Nike sneakers via DSW, Goody headwrap (similar here)

What to Wear to Ride an Elephant

Dear readers, I have returned! I know you all missed me terribly, so let's get to it.

As you know, I just spent a little less than two weeks in Nepal. It was an incredible trip-- fun, thought provoking, educational, beautiful, and challenging (in a good way.) I still have things to post from before I went, but I'm going to hold off for now and instead dedicate my next few posts to the trip, while the memories are still fresh in my mind. As I go, I'll also offer some tips for thinking about modesty while traveling, on a few different levels.

Off we go!

One of the things I was most looking forward to on this trip was the wildlife, and especially the elephants. This is partly because I grew up seeing a picture of my grandparents riding an elephant when they went to Nepal, and it looked so fun. So when my uncle first sent the itinerary and there was an elephant ride on it, I was VERY excited.

A few things to know about elephants. There used to be many different species, but unfortunately, now most of them are extinct. The two main remaining categories are African elephants and Asian elephants. The Asian ones are smaller and more easily trained. All are in danger of extinction and are difficult to breed in captivity. The breeding center we visited, in Chitwan (in the south of Nepal, where the land is flatter and the weather is warmer), was the second of its kind, and has had a pretty high success rate.

Look at the baby! Is that not the cutest thing ever???

The goal is to raise and train the elephants humanely, without using chains whenever possible. Obviously, there are some complicated ethical questions about people using elephants for their own need, but it's one of those conservation issues, where domesticating a small part of the population tends to lead to fewer threats for the ones in the wild. At the breeding center we visited, the domesticated females were bred with the wild males. The babies are trained from when they are about three years old, and each elephant has three trainers dedicated to him or her.

The full look, plus a younger sister as an extra accessory.

After we visited the breeding center, we went on an elephant safari of sorts. Again, complicated ethically, but also just so cool. And, as it turns out, really bumpy and super uncomfortable. But also totally worth it.

As you can sort of see in the above picture, you ride with your legs around a pole so as not to slide off. Therefore, this is not an activity to be done in a skirt. Also, because we were riding through the jungle, full coverage was a must. (Believe it or not, I had to pull a leach off that day. I know, gross.) I found the yoga pants (not too tight) were best for this activity, as they are very stretchy and also flexible, which meant I didn't have to think about adjusting them at all. Sneakers were a must. My hair did not much care for Nepal (it is a country of straight haired people) so I mostly covered it up, and I added my RBG t-shirt because RBG rules everywhere. Even in Nepal, on an elephant.

And we all made it off in one piece. Thanks elephant! We will love you forever.

A Day in the Garden

So I was going to write a post about transitioning summer pieces for fall today... But then I woke up and checked the weather, and the current temperature was 37. Which I think we can all agree is really unacceptable for October 18. Thus, instead, I will hearken back to a happier time, when it was still warm out, and Shaina and I went to spend a lovely morning in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

[On one hand, these pictures were taken long enough ago that Shaina was still pregnant, and as of today, Baby Pickle is a month old. On the other hand, in my defense, he did arrive earlier than planned.]

The garden was really beautiful. It was full of late summer flowers, and the weather was absolutely perfect. For a garden outing,  I chose my chambray skirt with flowered embroidery around the bottom. Looking at the pictures, I might go with a colored shirt next time. You know, when it's warm again.

One of the coolest things in the garden was a smelling garden, where there were all sorts of flowers and herbs with strong smells. It was designed especially for the blind, under the assumption that, just because they can't see, it doesn't mean that they can't enjoy the gardens. Plus, there was a flower that smelled just like chocolate, which was pretty amazing.

Smell the flowers!

 I am always a sucker for a Japanese Garden. There's something about the greenery, water and wood that is especially evocative to me. The water was really green, which was pretty gross, but hey, you can't have everything, right?

Me, Shaina and Pickle, when he was still inside.

With my IDNYC, I joined the garden for free. (If you're a New York City resident and don't have one, I highly recommend it. It takes 10 minutes and you can join all sorts of amazing cultural institutions for free for a year, as long as you do it by 12/31/15.) I am hoping to go back some time this fall to see the leaves changing, and definitely in the winter, when I bet snow makes it even prettier.

And then, because we were in Brooklyn, we went to a kosher bakery to get some of my favorite kiddush cookies, which most people think are gross, but I love. Yum!
A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I'm on Instagram now. I'm not totally sure how I'm going to use it yet, but feel free to follow me @curlyhairglasses!

What I'm wearing: super old Boden skirt (vaguely similar here), Kosher Casual shirt, b.o.c. sandals

Gonna Make Me Sweat

Hello from the library! The blog catch-up continues.

People like to say that women don't sweat, they glow. Well, people, that is dumb. I sweat. Sometimes gross amounts, or at least certainly more than I care to acknowledge sometimes. But you know what? It's part of being a human. And it means my body is working and doing cool things. So there.

These pictures were taken at Nyack Beach State Park, where I did my bucket list hiking with my friend Hannah. It was SUPER humid that day. We were both sweating before we even started up the mountain. Where we proceeded to lose the trail and get lost. Oops. Don't worry, everyone made it home safely!

See, we made it back to the bottom.

As a modest dresser, exercise clothes actually provide a significant challenge for me. I care not at all about what I look like if I'm, say, out running-- it will all be disgusting and sweaty in a few minutes anyway-- but I still want to maintain my modesty standards as much as possible. However, it seems that someone decided that everyone in the world only wants to work out in leggings. I do not wear leggings. But sweatpants don't work because they fall down, and I think we can all agree that mooning people certainly isn't modest.

The view from the top!

So I did a long and intensive search and finally found some workout pants at Marshalls that didn't fall down and weren't leggings. But now that I see these pictures... they look like leggings. Sigh. I promise they aren't, but there was only so much time and effort I could devote to this shopping project. But if you have any suggestions (that aren't insanely expensive), please let me know in the comments!

And now, some pictures of nature:

What I'm wearing: Look Human t-shirt, Danskin capris via Marshalls, '47 Yankees hat (similar here), Adidas sneakers via DSW

Summer Bucket List: Governors Island

Dear friends, I have so much to tell you about! I just went through my pictures and realized I am two weeks behind. Yikes! I shall try to catch up in the next week or so.

As you know if you have been reading for a while, I am in the midst of studying for the last of my comprehensive exams for my doctorate. The phrase "so close and yet so far" has never felt quite so applicable to my life. Since I have to spend so much of my time reading, I have been trying to do it in beautiful places.

One of those beautiful places was Governors Island. Governors Island is just south of Manhattan, which means it only takes $2 and a 5 minute ferry ride to get there. It is only open from late spring through early fall, but it is one of my favorite spots. It's super quiet, right on the water, has lots to do, and there are no cars. There are art shows, playgrounds and minigolf for kids, and a giant tree house. Also, there are hammocks. I love me some hammocks.

The plan had been to lie in said hammock and read, but it was a little too hot and the hammocks are all in the sun, so I had to relocate to a lawn chair under a tree. I know, life is hard. It was a beautiful day and I actually read two whole books, so a productive one too. There's something to be said for getting away from your computer when you actually want to get work done.

And, of course, I had to explore a little bit, and take some pictures.

Not a bad view for reading, right?

After looking at these pictures, I think I'm done with this skirt. It sits lower now than it used to, and I am not convinced it is super flattering. Or at least, there are certainly better options in my closet. So good bye, random British skirt. You served me well for the last five years.

What I'm wearing: Jones New York shirt via TJ Maxx (similar here), random super old British skirt, Franco Sarto sandals via DSW (similar here)