Traveling in the the third world bears little resemblance to travel in developed western countries. The difference can be shocking for people new to the experience. The reason is because, when we grow up in a developed-world safety bubble, we make basic assumptions about how things in the world are, and most of those assumptions turn out to be completely wrong in the context of developing countries.

Kathmandu in Nepal is an example of a place that highlights the point. Here’s a city with nearly 2 million people, yet the city doesn’t even have a single traffic light, at least none that we’ve seen. There are no road signs, no speed limits, no turning lanes, and almost no lines on the road. There are also no road rules, other than to “drive on the left” so chaos prevails everywhere, particularly at intersections, with honking and barging being the most useful driving skills. Walking the streets is also a challenge for people used to sidewalks, because of course there aren’t any here. The smog is so thick, because of car pollution and open wood fires used for cooking and heating in most homes, that you feel a permanent burning in the lungs and a constant urge to cough. Ripoff scams are everywhere, with no meters in the cabs, unregulated currency exchange, and stores selling knockoff brand name products freely without any concern for the “law”… the idea of buying a “Canon” camera or a “North Face” jacket here is almost a joke. Police corruption is a problem, although we haven’t encountered it ourselves, with cops meddling as they seek backhanders. Airports are often closed even in what seems like the lightest fog (perhaps more smog than fog). And once you get out of the city center, other weird issues unheard of in first world cities pop up, mainly relating to the dogs, cows, and goats, and also to the dirt, piles of garbage, open fires, and roadside truck repairs (sometimes major ones, like replacing an axle or engine).

The good thing about developing world chaos is that most people get accustomed to it after time. Because so many of the world’s most interesting things to see and do are in developing countries, you have to get accustomed to it, otherwise the world becomes a much smaller and more boring place.

So we’re now sitting in the airport waiting for “fog” (again looks more like smog to us) to clear with all flights now grounded. We’ve spent the past week visiting charities, mostly in the rural mountain villages where clean water, toilets, and basic health services (particularly mental health) are still being introduced for the first time in many places. In Nepal, with a history of insurgency fighting and political conflict, the government is often a bigger part of he problem than the solution, which is why NGOs serve such an important role here (government stability being another first world luxury we take for granted). Our destination now is Goa, India, and we have a few days to relax while offices are closed through the New Year. Goa has a reputation for being one of the best places to celebrate New Years in all of Asia, and that’s a very lucky coincidence for us. Yeah, we’re sticking with the coincidence story.

Exactly one year ago we were moored up in British Harbour in Antigua awkwardly rubbing bumpers with the megayacht Icon and preparing for a Caribbean Christmas. A week later we were anchored in St. Barts amidst a full armada of megayachts watching the world’s rich and famous enjoy perhaps the most expensive New Years party in human history (Roman Abramovich spends $5 million on the annual event). We expect the exact same spectacle is now repeating there at the Gustavia Marina as we type this…. the decks are bleached, the helicopters serviced, the champagne lockers full, and the fireworks staged.

The situation in Nepal is shockingly different and difficult to reconcile with what’s now happening in the Caribbean. Here, in a place where basic human needs like shelter, food, and health services are often lacking, it’s the absurd poverty that boggles the mind. To put the situation into perspective, the GDP of Nepal ($19b), a country of 27 million people, is just twice that of Roman Abramovich’s own personal $10 billion net worth. Perhaps even more surprisingly, his $10 billion fortune still isn’t enough to earn him a spot on the Forbes 100 list of richest billionaires. And although mostly everyone agrees the world’s growing wealth polarity is one of the most serious problems of modern times, major debate remains on the critical questions surrounding it. Why the world turned out this way, who’s to blame (if anyone), and what to do about it are some of the questions that have no clear answers, and that’s what makes the situation so difficult to deal with.

But asking “what to do about it” might be a more productive question than the others, which most often lead to divisiveness, political argument, and no meaningful action. That’s the non-political view, anyway, of some people trying to address these poverty related problems, and it’s the view we subscribe to. This is what brings us to Nepal, where Focusing Philanthropy, a Los Angeles based non-profit, is trying to answer this critical question of “what to do”. Specifically, they’re trying to find charities around the world that can use new donations to achieve the greatest possible social impact, and they make big investments in research and due diligence as they search for answers. The founding family supports the charities with the greatest impact and Focusing Philanthropy then publishes its findings so other philanthropically minded donors can add their support. It’s a program we’re proud to be involved with and will continue to support on our voyage and beyond.

So that’s what brought Larry and Elliott (from FP’s founding family) to Nepal a couple of weeks ago and it’s mostly what will keep Elliott and I busy in this part of the world for the next few weeks. But for the past few days we’ve successfully kept ourselves distracted from the world’s problems by Nepal’s most famous feature, the Himalayan mountain range. We’ve been hiking through the Annapurna region along the Mardi Himal Trail, and even though the three of us are fairly experienced trekkers, we’ve been in stupefied awe each step of the way. It’s partially because of the scenery, partially because of the people we found along the trail, and partially just knowing we’re in the shadow of the world’s tallest alpine peaks. Whatever the reason, we’re still speechless about the experience and will need to let the photos do the talking until we can catch our breath.

Today we recoup, catch up with emails, and clean ourselves up after six days without a shower or internet connection (poor us). Tomorrow we begin a week’s worth of site visits here in Nepal before heading to India just a short hop away. But for now…. sleeping time zzzzz.