I wanted to check in and let you all know how the trip is going. In short, it's been absolutely amazing.
My plans to keep a photo blog updated regularly have failed miserably. Unfortunately, at 20 - 60 rupees ($0.33 - $1) per hour for internet in Nepal, you get what you pay for. Uploading pictures is prohibitively slow, so I'll give you a brief text rundown of what's been up.
Jessica and I started out in Thailand. There are actually a few pictures on the blog from this trip, but only from the first few days. First we stopped in to see one of my best friends, Aaron, who's been living in Bangkok for a few years now. He put us up at his place and showed us around town (a town of 12 million people, by the way). The three of us headed north to Chiang Mai (northern Thailand's largest city) and Doi Suthep (a beautiful Buddhist Temple) nearby. After Aaron headed back to Bangkok, Jessica and I took a local bus a few hours away to Pai (a very relaxed town) seemingly in the middle of jungle covered hills/nowhere. Very, very cool there.
After that, it was south to the beaches for which Thailand is famous. We checked in at Railay on the west coast and spent several days relaxing on the island of Koh Tao off the east coast.
The two and a half weeks in Thailand went by entirely too quickly, but we were excited to head to Nepal. Jessica and I were to spend a week around the Kathmandu Valley, and she was to head home after that. We did just that, seeing some amazing Newari architecture in the Durbar Squares of the cities and some incredible temples (Sawayambunath and Bodnath, to name a few). After having such a great time, Jessica decided to extend her trip and join me on the Annapurna Circuit Trek. Also, last minute, my dad booked a flight to join as well. Needless to say, I was excited to have the company.
The three of us started the trek on the same day as my birthday (March 29th, to all you that forgot ;-)) and what a nice birthday present it ended up being. Everyday, we saw things that words can't describe and that pictures do injustice to.
Generally speaking, each day consisted of waking up around 6:00 am, knocking back some oat porridge at a teahouse, and hiking for 4-5 hours. In the mornings, the weather was spectacular; however, we made a point to finish up before the afternoon thundershower began (50% of the time). Fortunately, these only lasted a few hours and during, we spent our time consuming large quantities of food anyway. Highlights were Dal Bhat (traditional all-you-can-eat Nepalese dish consisting of rice, lentil soup, vegetable curry, and pickled veggies and usually eaten bare handed...by the locals), vegetable momos (Indian potstickers/goyoza), the occasional curd/lassi shake, and the infamous bureto (a distant cousin of the burrito).
The hiking was spectacular, and most of the time, I looked more forward to starting the day than finishing it. From humid tropical jungles, to arid deserts, to knee deep snow, the scenery was incredibly diverse. An added bonus was that the lodges along the way were unexpectedly nice (and inexpensive), all with mattresses (however thin), showers (however cold) and some with attached holes in the ground (aka toilets).
We reached a max elevation of 5416 meters (about 18,000 feet) while crossing the Throng La. On the way up, we established the death-o-meter (1 = alive, 10 = dead) and fortunately none of us made it beyond 3. Actually, the pace was perfect and allowed for adequate acclimatization for the higher altitude. Village highlights for me along the way were Manang (old trading town) and Muktinath (one of the holiest cities in Nepal). You can google them if you're interested or wait for pictures later.
We all made it safely back today. I am happy (as always), clean (a new development) and excited for the next adventure. Jessica and my dad are headed back to the states in a few days and I'm off on a hike to Everest Base Camp a few days after that. I was planning on making my way down to SE Asia and to Indonesia, but I'm thinking more and more of heading to India for a few weeks before the monsoon hits. I'll keep you all updated. Please, keep me updated with what's going on stateside, too. I love hearing from you!
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