It's a land that we Westerners tend to romanticize as mythical and dreamy high in the Himalayans.

But Nepal has undergone profound changes in the last decade as it establishes a fledgling democracy after tragically losing its royal family.

Hi, I'm Rick Steeves.

Today on Travel with Rick Steeves,

we get a perspective on Nepal from an American with a keen grasp on the character of that fascinating land.

He tells us how magical moments

are still an everyday occurrence in Nepal. There's these islands of magic, these

refuges, these oasis of spiritual splendor That puts you somewhere completely different in another

spiritual realm.

Travel writer Jeff Greenwald clues us in on the political and cultural pressures facing

the Paul today and the personal connections that keep him coming back year after year.

I'd never get tired of it and I'm never bored by it and always surprises me.

We'll also check in with our listeners.

Tell us where you're going to make your spirit sore.

It's all in the hour ahead on Travel with Rick Steves.

A lot has changed in Nepal since the hippie trail days and magic bus rides to Catman dew back when I was a student

backpacker, and while it's no longer a kingdom, there's still plenty of enchantment.

Travel writer Jeff Greenwald's published a thought-provoking memoir about the changing scene

in Nepal.

He'll join us in a moment to update us on life in the Himalayas, what he learned during a particularly

poignant stretch of the 1990s, and the rewards Nepal still offers the

inquisitive traveler.

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