Lisa & Pol travel the world

Xi’an — China’s ancient capital and gateway to the Silk Road — was our first stop on a 6-week adventure across the country. We arrived after an overnight flight, exhausted but ready to dive into 3 unforgettable days of history, culture, and food.

In this travel vlog, join us as we:
🗿 Stand face-to-face with the legendary Terracotta Army
🚴‍♂️ Cycle atop the Ancient City Wall
🍜 Feast through the Muslim Quarter’s street food stalls
🕊 Explore the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
⛰ Conquer Mount Huashan, one of China’s most breathtaking hikes

From dynasties and warriors to noodles and mountaintop views, Xi’an set the tone for an unforgettable journey across China.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:23 Arriving in Xi’an
1:51 Terracotta Army
4:42 Muslim Quarter
6:54 Biking the City Wall
8:21 Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
10:46 Mount Huashan

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🔑 Keywords :
travel vlog, budget travel, first impressions, old capital of china

3 Days in Xi’an 🇨🇳 Terracotta Army, Ancient Walls & Huashan Adventure

Nepal quickly became one of our favourite countries in Asia. From exploring Kathmandu and Bhaktapur to trekking the Langtang Valley without a guide and living with young monks at Namo Buddha monastery, this trip blew us away.

In this video, we share our last 15-day adventure in Nepal: real moments, raw trekking struggles, the stunning summit of Tserko Ri, and heartwarming interactions with the young Buddhist monks.

📍 Chapters:
00:00 Intro: Nepal Stole Our Hearts
00:53 First Impressions of Kathmandu
02:49 Kumari, the living Godess
04:20 Starting the Langtang Valley Trek
08:14 The Brutal Climb to Tserko Ri (5000m)
13:28 Back in Civilization: Bhaktapur’s Ancient Streets
16:30 Living with Young Monks at Namo Buddha
19:36 Playing UNO & Real Moments at the Monastery

Nepal: Our Favourite Country in Asia ... Here’s Why

This was our first time in Nepal, and we decided to dive right in with a 5-day trek in the Himalayas… with no guide.
We chose the Mardi Himal Trek, one of the most scenic and less crowded routes near Pokhara. We added two extra days to explore hidden hot springs and recover.

Tired, emotional, overwhelmed, this trek pushed us to our limits and brought out some of the most real moments we’ve shared on camera. After the mountains, we returned to Pokhara just in time to celebrate Holi Festival: colors, music, people… unforgettable!

Whether you’re planning to trek in Nepal, considering Mardi Himal, or just want to know what it really feels like to travel this region as a couple — this video is for you.

📍 Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to Nepal
00:40 Getting the Trekking Permit
01:59 Starting the Mardi Himal Trek
02:58 Crossing the checkpoint without a guide
06:26 Day 2 - Forest Camp to High Camp
09:58 Day 3 - Summit
13:26 Day 4 - Landruk
16:50 Jhinu Danda hot springs
17:25 Day 5 - Ghandruk
18:14 Celebrating Holi

We wrote a supporting blogpost with much more info here: https://lisaandpol.com/posts/5-day-mardi-himal-trek-jhinu-hot-springs-pokhara-nepal-2025

We Tried Trekking in Nepal Without a Guide

We spent 10 days traveling across India’s Golden Triangle — Jaipur, Agra, Delhi — and ended in Varanasi. We couchsurfed, got typhoid, saw a body in the Ganges, and lived the chaos of India on a backpacker budget…

00:00 Intro
00:12 Jaipur
07:30 Agra
10:04 New Delhi
20:52 Varanasi
26:13 Debrief

By the way, we did land a collab with our travel insurance. If you're based in Europe and looking for an affordable and super responsive insurance, we recommend Chapka. We used them in Africa last year and again now in Asia because we were so happy with their service. Here's our affiliated link: https://www.chapkadirect.com/index.php?action=produit&id=795&app=lisaandpol

🗺️ Our social media : 
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lisaandpol/
Blog : https://lisaandpol.com/

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Mutrah Corniche at sunset

Our car overheating in the omani mountains

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Mutrah Souq at night is still buzzling

The abandoned village of Al-Hasha

Family picture, our first night wild camping in Oman

Little Snake Canyon

The views on the Hajar mountains

Demonstration of bread making at Bait Al Safah

Traditional house at Bait Al Safah

The recently restorated Bahla Fort

The imposing walls of Bahla Fort

The Nizwa Souq is very organized, crafts here, fruits there, spices further...

Nizwa is beautifully illuminated at night

Birkat al Mawz, another opportunity to explore the irrigation system

Al-Sugra village: remote and unique

Lisa's parents from the top of Jabal Al Akhdar

Terraces of Saiq, opportunity for a walk along the irrigation canals

Architectural gem and great museum, don't miss out!

Ultra modern structure visible from the highway, Oman Across Ages museum

Sunset over the Sugar Dunes

A camel in the desert, on our way to the Sugar Dunes

Wadi Mibam: swimming in the oasis

The boat to get to Wadi Ashab

Wadi Ashab early in the morning, alone

Camping on a hill overlooking the bay

All dressed up like traditional omanis

Sunset view with hot tea in Saiq

Goats are more frequent than cars in the Omani Hajar mountains

The living museum of Bait Al Safah in Al Hamra

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Nepal

How-to

There are hundreds of trekking shop in Pokhara: negotiate, negotiate, negotiate!

The Annapurna Conservation Area and its entry points

5-day Mardi Himal trek + Jhinu hot springs

The start of the hike in Kande

Entering the Annapurna Conservation Area in Pothana

The first part is an endless walk in the mystical forest

Lisa ringing the bells of a foggy temple midway

Forest Camp, our first night on the trek

Every day, we found a dog that walked with us to the next camp!

The discovery of this trek? Lemon tea!

The High Camp coming from the viewpoint, on our long way down

Slowly the clouds disappear and we get our first glimpse at the mountains

Probably one of the highest tea shops in the world

There is a tea seller at the 4200m viewpoint at 6am!

Our happy photo together at the Mardi Himal viewpoint

Within 30 minutes, more and more peaks appear

As we prepare to leave the viewpoint, a flock of geese majestically flies over us

You'll meet many porters carrying huge loads

The Annapurna South finally showing up

The only (tiny) prayer wheel we encountered in these 5 days

We loved this day, following the river upstream, completely alone

Many suspension bridges crossing the Modi river

Buffalos blocking the way on the Landruk to Jhinu Danda wild stretch

The Jhinu Danda suspension bridge, apparently the second longest!

Would you cross this 287m long bridge?

Bathing in the Jhinu hot springs after trekking is one of our highlights!

Just before boarding the bus back to Pokhara, we met this friendly horse

There were some tears involved upon reaching the top and seeing the view

Lisa at the 4200m Mardi Himal viewpoint for sunrise

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3 Days in Xi’an 🇨🇳 Terracotta Army, Ancient Walls & Huashan Adventure

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From the blog

Xi'an: Our First Days in China's Ancient Capital

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5-day Mardi Himal Trek + Jhinu hot springs [2025]

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