“But why are you going back to Nepal? Weren’t you just there?” It was perhaps the most common question that I was asked when I told people that I was returning to Nepal, just 18 months after I had visited. The reason for returning was simple, but it seemed hard to understand. “I loved it … Continue reading
Back at Mum’s Garden in Pokhara, I’m ridiculously pleased to see the backpack that I’d left behind. The clothes that I’d packed almost two weeks before look fresh and new–and clean. For all of my melancholy over leaving the trail, it takes no time to remove my hiking boots and push them in a corner, … Continue reading
After a soak in the hot tub, an enjoyable evening of Nepali language lessons and another really good night’s sleep, I wake up jazzed and ready to go with images of me skipping blithely along the trail with mountain creatures peeking out to say hello. As with most delirious musings, it doesn’t exactly happen that … Continue reading
After a brief stop at MBC to gather our gear, we start retracing our steps down the trail. It’s amazing–and a bit depressing–to realize that after it took us five days to achieve our main destination, it would take less than three to reach Phedi, where we would leave the trail and return to Pokhara. … Continue reading
Nepal has a way of breaking me down, body and mind, but not spirit. On day four, I have done more than I thought I could, but I realize what is yet to come. I felt amazing hiking into Dobhan, but the trek up to Himalaya for a mid-morning tea break has me silent, clutching … Continue reading
While Kathmandu is a sensory overload, the trek up to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) couldn’t be more different. The first step, though, is to get out of Kathmandu. It’s easily done by one of the local airlines (Yeti, Buddha, etc) that take the 25 minute flight daily. We flew Yeti and, even with a slight … Continue reading
