I arrived in Nepal with a broken heart and left with it completely full of love.
Not for a man, but for an entire country.

From the very first moment, Nepal embraces you. With a smile that stays with you forever. With the soft and constant namasté that sounds like music and makes you feel deeply blessed. It is almost impossible not to feel welcomed, safe, and at peace here.

My journey began in Kathmandu, a city that is both chaotic and magical. A place filled with Buddhist and Hindu temples, stupas, dogs, motorbikes, momos, and monkeys. Kathmandu has an atmosphere that lingers in your heart long after you leave. Here, Hinduism and Buddhism coexist naturally and harmoniously, and that was precisely what drew me there.

I traveled to Nepal with a clear intention: to experience a spiritual retreat with Buddhist monks at Kopan Monastery, located on a hill overlooking the Kathmandu Valley, with the Himalayas in the background.

At Kopan, life slows down. You hear birds singing and deep Buddhist mantras during the pujas. The silence becomes a teacher. Monks share meditation teachings with people from all over the world, and time seems to dissolve. You simply learn how to be. I spent ten days there, attending my first Buddhist retreat, and it deeply transformed me.

But Nepal had much more in store for me beyond the retreat.

I also volunteered with local communities, including an experience in Mount Mahabharat, where I lived on the top of a Himalayan mountain with a Nepalese family. A loving couple, their two children, and their grandmother welcomed me into their home. Together we harvested mushrooms and vegetables, fed their cow, walked through the mountains, shared ceremonies, conversations, and long silences.

Their kitchens, built underground, fascinated me. I observed how they cooked, preserved food, and lived in deep harmony with the land. It was a humbling experience that reshaped the way I see life. Waking up every morning to endless mountain views filled my soul. I have always loved mountains. They make me feel at home, and in Nepal, surrounded by them, everything felt magical.

From there, I continued to Pokhara, a peaceful city surrounded by lakes and mountains, known for yoga retreats and its proximity to the Annapurna region. In Pokhara, I gifted myself a yoga retreat, a more physical and embodied pause before diving into another volunteer experience.

That second volunteer project was at an orphanage, where I lived with thirteen children and the beautiful souls who run the project. Without a doubt, it was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. The children, with their pure and honest energy, healed me. They loved me unconditionally, nourished me emotionally, and left a mark that will stay with me forever. I cannot wait to return.

After that, it was time to fully immerse myself in the mountains.

I headed to Langtang National Park, where I lived one of the most intense physical and mental experiences of my life. The Langtang trek is often described as “beginner-friendly”. Fifteen days crossing the Himalayas, walking around twelve hours a day, covering fifteen to twenty kilometers daily, says otherwise.

But every step was worth it. Along the trail, I encountered endless landscapes, wild nature, goats, monkeys, and other animals that reminded me I was walking through their territory.

The highest point of the trek was Tserko Ri, at approximately 4,984 meters above sea level. The final day was the hardest. We started before sunrise to reach the summit before the clouds rolled in. As we climbed, we watched the clouds advance, racing them step by step. I had never pushed my body so far before. Five minutes after reaching the top, the view disappeared completely. Every effort was absolutely worth it.

Nepal is considered a magical and sacred place, not in a romanticized sense, but through lived experience. It is a country where you can deepen your meditation practice, explore Buddhist philosophy, yoga, conscious breathing, and sound healing. It is a place that gently teaches you how to inhabit silence.

Nepal does not offer quick answers. Instead, it offers space, mountains, and time. And sometimes, that is exactly what we need to find our own answers.

I planned to stay in Nepal for one month.
I ended up staying for four.