Yesterday we got on a tourist bus to go to pokhara with our guide for the trek. We spent 6 hours tearing along the countryside, getting dangerously close to the ledge and other cars, all while being tossed around in the bus like rag dolls because of the extremely rough uneven roads. Like I said before, the roads in Nepal are petrifying and the drivers are worse. I can't even count the amount of times I had to close my eyes and brace myself because I was sure we would have a head on collision or go tumbling down the cliffs.
As jarring as the bus ride was, I really enjoyed it. The country is beautiful. So is Pokhara, well parts anyway. The amount of people living in what I consider poverty, although they probably gave a different opinion, is heartbreaking. But surprisingly there are few beggars. I've only seen one beggar and she was an old woman, I've seen no children begging. There is the "slums" of course, but down by the lake this city is stunning. It's much much calmer than Kathmandu which is more my style. They say on clear days you can see the Himalayas from the town - but we haven't had a day without haze yet. We spent the afternoon wandering the city, doing some serious damage to our wallets, then we ate down by the lake. The calm before the storm I guess.
Today we start our trek on the Annapurna circuit. I'm going to guess there's no internet at the tea houses where we will stay - so don't panic if you don't hear from me for the next 6 days. I will take many photos to share later.
Wish me luck!!
Also in honor of apple cup, GO COUGS!!!!!!!!! I have a flag with me that will be waving proud in honor of coug nation. once a coug, always a coug!!
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Day 1: the city of Kathmandu
Day 1 complete, well sort of.
So after we went through customs and got our visas, we left the airport and prayed that someone would be there waiting for us - thankfully there was. There was also a pile of people trying to take our bags and help us to the car in order to get tips. It was a little overwhelming. I realized just how different this trip would be from oki since I was no longer a contractor for the military. I dont have American contacts here, and I am not staying safely on a base. I am at the mercy of the locals.
Kathmandu is one of the most chaotic places I've been. It's sensory overload. The smell of incense, curry, marigolds, trash, and unwashed bodies all mixed, the noises of the people and animals and cars making themselves known to the world, the narrow and towering streets where every item can be found, it's all magnified. At first there seemed to be no rhythm to the madness. There are obscene amounts if people in the streets while cars, motorcycles and bikes lay on horns and weave in and out. I'm not kidding when I say that cars will tear by a foot next to you, you'll be walking, hear a honk, turn around, and have to leap out of the way of a moped. The more time I was on the streets today the better I was able see the rhythm. The natural order of things. I've only been here a day so I'm not in sync yet but I'm trying. If I survive the streets of Kathmandu it will be a miracle.
We had breakfast in the hotel. Joy had only bread (surprise) but I had some curried veggie stuff and more bread. I guess it's the traditional breakfast? It was good! Then we went to our yoga class. I was really looking forward to this, thinking it was a Nepalese yoga class. It wasn't. It was all Caucasian people and the class was mostly just stretching. My arms are still sore from downward dog (what's new) so it was still beneficial.
Next we had a tour of the city. The travel agency we went through has been stellar so far. The same driver that picked us up from the airport came again with a new guide. He took us to the monkey temple which has temples for both Buddhism and Hinduism. Our guide was amazing. He knew everything about every place. We then went to the temple like place Kathmandu was named after, to the "hippie square", the palace, and to freak street. It was absolutely information overload. With the mix of Buddhism, Hinduism, the dynasty that only ended in 2001, the rituals are elaborate and the history rich. It was hard to follow but snaking to learn so much. After that he walked us back to our hotel. It's amazing he knew where to go. All the streets are the same chaos, there are no street signs, I was amazed he kept his sense of direction. If you ever visit Kathmandu, get a guide to show you the city. You see and learn so much more.
The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. We got an early dinner and then went back to the hotel as the jet lag was rearing its ugly head. Our hotel is small but clean. We have running hot water which is amazing. The walls are thin, just now I can hear a woman retching, the hotel employees chatting, the madness that is still taking place outside, and the forever honking of horns. They might as well all be in our room. But honestly? I like the sounds of the city. It's a vital characteristic of this place, and it's growing on me.
So after we went through customs and got our visas, we left the airport and prayed that someone would be there waiting for us - thankfully there was. There was also a pile of people trying to take our bags and help us to the car in order to get tips. It was a little overwhelming. I realized just how different this trip would be from oki since I was no longer a contractor for the military. I dont have American contacts here, and I am not staying safely on a base. I am at the mercy of the locals.
Kathmandu is one of the most chaotic places I've been. It's sensory overload. The smell of incense, curry, marigolds, trash, and unwashed bodies all mixed, the noises of the people and animals and cars making themselves known to the world, the narrow and towering streets where every item can be found, it's all magnified. At first there seemed to be no rhythm to the madness. There are obscene amounts if people in the streets while cars, motorcycles and bikes lay on horns and weave in and out. I'm not kidding when I say that cars will tear by a foot next to you, you'll be walking, hear a honk, turn around, and have to leap out of the way of a moped. The more time I was on the streets today the better I was able see the rhythm. The natural order of things. I've only been here a day so I'm not in sync yet but I'm trying. If I survive the streets of Kathmandu it will be a miracle.
We had breakfast in the hotel. Joy had only bread (surprise) but I had some curried veggie stuff and more bread. I guess it's the traditional breakfast? It was good! Then we went to our yoga class. I was really looking forward to this, thinking it was a Nepalese yoga class. It wasn't. It was all Caucasian people and the class was mostly just stretching. My arms are still sore from downward dog (what's new) so it was still beneficial.
Next we had a tour of the city. The travel agency we went through has been stellar so far. The same driver that picked us up from the airport came again with a new guide. He took us to the monkey temple which has temples for both Buddhism and Hinduism. Our guide was amazing. He knew everything about every place. We then went to the temple like place Kathmandu was named after, to the "hippie square", the palace, and to freak street. It was absolutely information overload. With the mix of Buddhism, Hinduism, the dynasty that only ended in 2001, the rituals are elaborate and the history rich. It was hard to follow but snaking to learn so much. After that he walked us back to our hotel. It's amazing he knew where to go. All the streets are the same chaos, there are no street signs, I was amazed he kept his sense of direction. If you ever visit Kathmandu, get a guide to show you the city. You see and learn so much more.
The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. We got an early dinner and then went back to the hotel as the jet lag was rearing its ugly head. Our hotel is small but clean. We have running hot water which is amazing. The walls are thin, just now I can hear a woman retching, the hotel employees chatting, the madness that is still taking place outside, and the forever honking of horns. They might as well all be in our room. But honestly? I like the sounds of the city. It's a vital characteristic of this place, and it's growing on me.
The travel experience
LA to HONG KONG
So I'm sitting on the plane to Hong Kong and the excitement is building slowly but surely. You'd think I'd have gotten excited before this but for some reason it just didn't really feel real. Sitting on the runway, having the airplane doors close, this now feels real.
I can't help but draw comparisons between the last time I sat on a plane to travel halfway around the world. I remember sitting there with waves of emotion coursing through me. Three months is a long time, japan is far away, and I'd never traveled internationally by myself. Truth be told, I was petrified. The emotional turmoil of that trip will probably be etched on my soul forever. This pales by comparison. I spilled coffee on myself and lost my boarding pass all before 8am, but there was still minimal stress. It was no big deal. Maybe it's because this isn't my first time traveling abroad, maybe because it's less time away, or maybe because I'm not traveling alone, regardless this is a much less emotional travel experience.
One thing that hasn't changed, and I hope never will, is this mounting excitement as the plane takes off. The endless stream of thoughts of all the possibilities, the practically physical need for adventure. How often in life are you truly excited? Like heart beating out if your chest, sweaty palms, jitters, no possibility of sleep kind of excited. How many times do you dive into the unknown? I'm starting to realize this my favorite place to live in, at the edge of the cliff rocking back on your heels about to jump. There's that moment where you're committed, there's no turning back, yet you still haven't seen over the edge of the cliff. You have no idea what's waiting for you. There's endless possibly in that moment.
I believe I'm addicted. Not to alcohol or drugs or tanning or Netflix (okay maybe Netflix), but to this excitement of the unknown. This expectation of what's to come. It has to be the best natural high there is.
Plus our flight is empty so I have the WHOLE ROW to myself. It's all about the little things.
HONG KONG TO DHAKA INDIA
If I'm calculating correctly, we are on hour 25 of travel? But I'm not 100%. We are currently in India - surprise!! Just at the the airport though, apparently we had a layover in Dhaka that we weren't aware of...so the airport count is up to six I think? This layover is such a tease because a) I thought we were arriving in Nepal like three hours early which would have been stellar and b) the place I want to explore most in the world is India. We didn't even fly in during daylight so I couldn't see anything!! That's just cruel. I'll just have to come back.... Also, this is the LOUDEST flight I've ever been on. Everyone seems to be yelling. Or I'm going stir crazy. Which is a very real possibility.
The man sitting next to me was coming home to India from LA to visit his mom he hasn't seen in years and we started chatting. He told me the story of how he met his wife - which is one of those stories in movies or books that I refuse to admit I've seen or read. They are both from India but different cities. They went to the same masters program in the states (somewhere on the east coast for therapy programs-she's a speech therapist), but he was a few years ahead of her so they never met. They both ended up moving to LA and a few years later and met as he picked up one of his friends from a conference. Somehow they led parallel lives, as if fate was determined they meet. He shared some gum (that was probably for his benefit as well as mine), made bad jokes about the food and wished me well on my trip. He seemed to be very kind. I love meeting kind people.
Side note: airplane food is Joy's worst nightmare. They served curry..... I thought she might actually parachute out of the plane for a moment.
So I'm sitting on the plane to Hong Kong and the excitement is building slowly but surely. You'd think I'd have gotten excited before this but for some reason it just didn't really feel real. Sitting on the runway, having the airplane doors close, this now feels real.
I can't help but draw comparisons between the last time I sat on a plane to travel halfway around the world. I remember sitting there with waves of emotion coursing through me. Three months is a long time, japan is far away, and I'd never traveled internationally by myself. Truth be told, I was petrified. The emotional turmoil of that trip will probably be etched on my soul forever. This pales by comparison. I spilled coffee on myself and lost my boarding pass all before 8am, but there was still minimal stress. It was no big deal. Maybe it's because this isn't my first time traveling abroad, maybe because it's less time away, or maybe because I'm not traveling alone, regardless this is a much less emotional travel experience.
One thing that hasn't changed, and I hope never will, is this mounting excitement as the plane takes off. The endless stream of thoughts of all the possibilities, the practically physical need for adventure. How often in life are you truly excited? Like heart beating out if your chest, sweaty palms, jitters, no possibility of sleep kind of excited. How many times do you dive into the unknown? I'm starting to realize this my favorite place to live in, at the edge of the cliff rocking back on your heels about to jump. There's that moment where you're committed, there's no turning back, yet you still haven't seen over the edge of the cliff. You have no idea what's waiting for you. There's endless possibly in that moment.
I believe I'm addicted. Not to alcohol or drugs or tanning or Netflix (okay maybe Netflix), but to this excitement of the unknown. This expectation of what's to come. It has to be the best natural high there is.
Plus our flight is empty so I have the WHOLE ROW to myself. It's all about the little things.
HONG KONG TO DHAKA INDIA
If I'm calculating correctly, we are on hour 25 of travel? But I'm not 100%. We are currently in India - surprise!! Just at the the airport though, apparently we had a layover in Dhaka that we weren't aware of...so the airport count is up to six I think? This layover is such a tease because a) I thought we were arriving in Nepal like three hours early which would have been stellar and b) the place I want to explore most in the world is India. We didn't even fly in during daylight so I couldn't see anything!! That's just cruel. I'll just have to come back.... Also, this is the LOUDEST flight I've ever been on. Everyone seems to be yelling. Or I'm going stir crazy. Which is a very real possibility.
The man sitting next to me was coming home to India from LA to visit his mom he hasn't seen in years and we started chatting. He told me the story of how he met his wife - which is one of those stories in movies or books that I refuse to admit I've seen or read. They are both from India but different cities. They went to the same masters program in the states (somewhere on the east coast for therapy programs-she's a speech therapist), but he was a few years ahead of her so they never met. They both ended up moving to LA and a few years later and met as he picked up one of his friends from a conference. Somehow they led parallel lives, as if fate was determined they meet. He shared some gum (that was probably for his benefit as well as mine), made bad jokes about the food and wished me well on my trip. He seemed to be very kind. I love meeting kind people.
Side note: airplane food is Joy's worst nightmare. They served curry..... I thought she might actually parachute out of the plane for a moment.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
A nomad I will remain for life, in love with distant and uncharted places
But the logical way to prepare for DPT school is by taking a casual trek through Nepal....right??
It seems to be a common theme of my life to hop on planes with absolutely no idea what I'm getting myself into, and I sincerely hope this life trend continues.
When I was buying my hiking boots the man helping me asked about my trekking experience. I informed him this was my maiden voyage. He seemed shocked and a little scornful when he replied "why are you going to Nepal then?" Clearly he's never met me. Why am I going to Nepal? Because I want to. Because I want to push my boundaries. Because I've been back in the states for three months and I've become entirely too comfortable. Time to shake things up again.
There was no way I could turn this trip down.
As it was on my last trip, I'll try to update this blog with adventure details but I have no idea what the internet situation is like. My goal is to have no time to blog anyway, I'll be in Nepal man!!
Much love!
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