Arts and Entertainment

There are few places where I go out of my way to revisit. Hocking Hills in the southeast part of Ohio near Logan is one of those places. About 10 years ago, John and I stayed at The Inn at Cedar Falls in the Hocking Hills area. We stayed in Dogwood Cabin nestled in the woods with two balconies that overlooked the forest. In the morning I wandered out to the top balcony with my coffee to see a deer watching me.

Remember the days of the Longaberger home parties? I do; however, I never bought one. Ten years ago when John and I were in Ohio, we stopped in Newark to see the World’s Largest Basket. It was actually the corporate headquarters for the Longaberger Company. The building is still there but sadly it is unoccupied and will be auctioned off with the starting bid – if you are interested – equal to the $700,000 tax debt. The building cost $32 million to build in 1997.

There are actually three Durbar Squares in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The most famous is Basantapur Durbar Square which is considered the traditional heart of the old town and is famed for its traditional architecture. The Basantapur Durbar Square was in front of Nepal’s 19th century royal residence. It was hard hit in the 2015 earthquake when more than half of the temples were destroyed. Some buildings were badly damaged but are still standing and in the process of being repaired.

The names of some destinations have a magical draw for me, such as Katmandu and Timbuktu. I will probably never get to Timbuktu but I decided if I was ever going to Kathmandu I better go while I still can. When John and I arrived at Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport it was very busy with several planes arriving about the same time. We decided to get a visa on arrival, but so did most of the other passengers. So it was very hectic.