Travelin' Buds, Part II

For 107 days, from July through October, Dave and I were never more than 10 meters apart.* In October, our traveling band grew, first including Jay, and later Charlie, Mike, and Chris. Another 33 days of sharing everything--from a room to details on bowel movements to decisions on where to go and what to eat.

That's a lot of together time, especially if you're an introvert.

Surprisingly, constant companionship hasn't driven me insane, nor has it ended my relationship with Dave. Travel has brought us closer; we know each other at a deeper level, and we're better buddies because of it.

Traveling with Jay was easy. A group of three is a manageable size, and Jay handled his first experience traveling in the developing world freakishly well, like he has been living in India for a decade.

Traveling with Charlie, Mike, and Chris was different. Five borders on a big group: to keep together in a crowd, to get a meal in a restaurant in under two hours, to make decisions. Mike and Chris often were unwell, too, so they weren't having a very good time. :-( As their “hosts,” Dave and I felt responsible, though there's not much we can do about a country's pollution, cultural differences, or diseases.  In the end, though, I had a good time with them, and I hope they can look back on their trip with amusing, maybe even fond, memories.

So what have we been doing for the past few weeks?

• Hanging out in Kathmandu, visited Patan and its Durbar Square
• Walked a few days of the Helambu trek to the north of Kathmandu (pictures here)
• Did a half-day jeep safari in Chitwan National Park, searching for rhinos and tigers and sloth bears, oh my! (pictures here)
• Chilled out in Pokhara and celebrated Mikey's birthday

sunrise in chitwan national park...  ooooo, jungle!

Davo and I are still in Pokhara; we'll be here about a week total until our flight from Kathmandu to Istanbul on 12/6.  We're using this time to learn about both Turkey and Israel and to put some thought into how we want to end this trip.  After 33 days of sharing his attention, it's so nice to have Dave to myself.  Other than relaxation, we have absolutely nothing planned for this week.  It's GREAT!

*Ok, that's an exaggeration, we were apart for 24 hours when he climbed Gunung Agung on Bali and I stayed in Ubud...

A Pilgrim on Thanksgiving

The historical Buddha was a man. Not a god or a demi-god, not created from the Holy Spirit—he was simply a human. On Thanksgiving Day, I became a pilgrim myself and visited Lumbini, the place of the Buddha's normal, messy, human birth.

hi, buddha

Lumbini isn't exactly Nepal's prime tourist attraction. Inside the Sacred Garden, the Maya Devi temple (named for Buddha's mother) encloses a stone, put into place a few millenia ago, which marks the spot where the Buddha was born. Just outside the temple, there is a sandstone pillar erected by the Emperor Akosha around 250 B.C. The brick-lined pond where Maya bathed before the birth is just around the corner. The Maya Devi temple is surrounded by sal trees covered in prayer flags on a grassy lawn.

maya devi temple, the pool, and akosha's pillar on the left

North of the Sacred Garden are monasteries and temples from every Buddhist country and several that are not (France, Germany). I stayed overnight in the Korean Monastery, which provides room and board for pilgrims and travelers for a nominal donation. The Korean Temple itself and the evening service held there were beautiful.

inside of the korean temple...  very beautiful

And that's about it. There's not much to see. Lumbini Bazar, the tiny village outside the park, has one street. Many of the temples and monasteries within the park are still under construction. If you're not Buddhist, there's not much of a reason to come here.

The local bus from Lumbini to Pokhara, where I met up with the guys, took 11 hours to cover 180 km, as it stopped every few hundred meters to pick up or drop off someone. Unfortunately, it didn't stop for bathroom or food breaks. The two women in the seats in front of me alternated vomiting out the window, so I sat on the roof of the bus for a while. When I went back inside the bus, a chicken shat on my foot. I'm not complaining, though—this was not the worst Nepali bus ride I've endured.

the bus from hell.  i recommend the roof rack seats.

The bus ride gave me plenty of time to think about pilgrims and pilgrimage. The obvious connection was between Pilgrim/ Thanksgiving and pilgrim/ Lumbini. But the first definition given by Merriam-Webster online is actually “one who journeys in foreign lands: wayfarer.” Under the usual religious devotee definition, the online Free Dictionary's defines pilgrim as “one who embarks on a quest for something conceived of as sacred.” By these definitions, I've been a pilgrim since February.

wayfarer

The end of the journey—the end of the quest, if you will—is nearly here. Lately, I've been reflecting on this trip, whether I've found something sacred, whether I've found anything at all, what happens once I reach the destination. I've determined...

I don't know!  I don't know what I'm doing in 2011.  I have no job, no home, nearly no possessions, not many ambitions.  I'm feeling, though, that the pilgrimage won't be complete when I land in New York City around the New Year.  Maybe, if I'm lucky, the pilgrimage will never be complete.

And that might be my deep thought of the week.

P.S.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Travelin' Buds, and a Third Trek

The last week has been all about friendship.

I met Nirit, an Israeli my age, while waiting for the flight out of the mountains.  Like me, she was also waiting for the flight; like Dave, her boyfriend was completing the trek.  We ended up sharing a room in Pokhara for a week while we waited for our sweeties to return from their trekking adventures.  I really enjoyed her companionship and her perspective.  Nirit is the first random stranger I've met on this adventure who I would visit in her home country.

Two days ago, we said goodbye to Jay, Dave's university friend who joined us for the Annapurna Circuit.  I hadn't met him until he showed up in Kathmandu, but I'd heard a lot about him from Dave and suspected we'd get along well.  Turns out, introduction from a mutual friend is a great way to meet new friends!  Jay has a snarky, witty sense of humor that kept me amused, even when I was sick.  He's super strong, a little crazy (perfect match for Davo), and an all-around decent guy.

The day Jay left Kathmandu, other friends arrived.  I heard the voice of my old roommate, Mikey, in the hallway.  I ran outside to give him a hug and found Chris, my other old roommate, coming up the stairs right next to him!  Those clowns had neglected to tell me that Chris was also coming along...  a total surprise.  Charlie, another acquaintance from Ithaca who is currently living in India, also joined us.

After Dave as my primary companion for the past 9 months--and only companion for the past 4--it's both exciting and strange to share experiences with others again!

Ok, so what else is new...  I spent a week in Pokhara, waiting for Dave and Jay to finish the trek.  Pokhara itself isn't that interesting.  Before and/or after their trek--because that's why people go to Pokhara--most tourists end up in Lakeside neighborhood, where there is plentiful accommodation, restaurants with menus in English, and souvenir shopping.  Other than eating, sleeping, and gift shopping...  uh...  there's a nice lake and a waterfall...  nothing new if you've lived in Ithaca for a decade.

Here are some photos from Pokhara:

And here are some photos from the three times I've passed through Kathmandu:

Aaand finally...  here are the pictures you really want to see:  the Annapurna Circuit.

Ok, upcoming plans:  we're leaving for our third (AND FINAL!) trek in the Helambu Valley tomorrow morning, 11/19.  We'll be back between 11/24 and 11/26.  No internet until then.  Onwards and upwards!


P.S.  I updated the "Greatest Hits" photo album...  check it out here!

Annapurna Circuit: Learning When It's Time To Quit

Here's the summary of my attempt at the Annapurna Circuit:

Bad news...  another hellish bus ride...  Dave got sick...  I got even sicker...  we waited a day...  we walked a day...  Jay got sick...  we did a bunch of (frustrating) half days...  I was tired...  I was more tired...  I was really tired...  I got cranky (bless both J & D, those guys are so wonderful)...  I decided to stop walking.

What else?  No one in Nepal answers the damn telephone...  Davo walked six hours to help me get a plane flight out of the Circuit...  there were no seats available...  a non-English speaking man indicated that supposedly there's a flight in three days...  D continued hiking with J...  I hung out in a flea-sized village and did nothing...  I flew back to Pokhara.

Not exactly the epic, spectacular, ultimately successful Everest trek experience.  But with a few days rest in Pokhara, I see that it has been successful--just not in the way I hoped originally.

I am tough on myself.  Like, waaaay tough on myself.  And I'm really stubborn.  I hate quitting...  anything.  As a result, I've stuck with things (studies, relationships, hobbies, points-of-view, hiking boots, leftover pizza) way past their expiration date.  And when they finally do expire, I take it personally.

In the past few years, I've become more gentle with myself (see: Pema Chodron).  I've begun to see, intuitively, that all things do expire.  It's just the nature of things.  Rather than focus on the end, the destination--better to focus on the process, the journey.  Rather than create a world in my mind of unrealistic expectations and irrational attachments, to believe the stories that exist only in my head--better to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

In this spirit, I will announce proudly:  this trek may be the first thing I've ever quit in my life.  And, amazingly, I'm ok with that.

annapurna sunset

Maybe travel does help one to grow up.  But...  still, I'm not giving up my beloved hiking boots.  :-P

the carnage...  my poor babies!

A few other photos:

the scenery went from this...

...to this!

having jay with us was one of the highlights of the trek (and i'm not just saying that 'cause he might read this)

we demonstrate being sick, which we all were

happy halloween!

where is the factory that pumps out these adorable children?!

i better not catch baby fever...  lord knows i've been sick enough in this country

the hungde airport departure lounge...  not exactly jfk international

the flight path is between the mountains...  not over.

uh...  that's crazy.

One More Time!

Laundry is washed,

gear is sorted,

medicines are purchased,

bus tickets are arranged,

bodies are rested,

camera batters are recharged,
bank accounts are depleted,

boots are re-glued,

families and friends are contacted,

Jay has joined us, and

I'm ready to do it all again!

This time, we're headed to the famous Annapurna Circuit in central-western Nepal.  We are leaving tomorrow morning (10/28) and expect to be back in Kathmandu by mid-November (11/15).

This little Google Map shows our approximate route on the last trek from Jiri to Everest Base Camp/ Kala Patthar back to Lukla.  Not the most accurate, but I think it will give my Mummers a general idea of where I went.  :-)

Until November...  signing off!

View Everest Base Camp Trek in a larger map

Independent Trekker's Gear List

I carried my own bag for the entire Everest Base Camp trek--from Jiri to Gorak Shep, back down to Lukla.  I was pretty ruthless in cutting out any nonessential weight, and I'm pretty pleased with my gear list.  I used everything, and other than extra antibiotics, I wasn't missing anything essential.  In the hope that this information might be useful for other independent trekkers coming to Nepal, here is my gear list for a 25-day trek.

Notes:  I am female, age 28, medium build, not freakishly strong but certainly accustomed to carrying a backpack.  I was trekking in October, so the weather wasn't too wet or too cold.  I was not climbing or mountaineering.  I estimate that my pack weighed about 7 kilos total.  The stuff that was totally necessary is shown in bold.

Clothing:

--2 tee shirts (one merino for hiking, which I wore constantly; one spare poly-blend for camp)
--2 long-sleeved shirts (one merino for hiking, which I wore constantly; one spare poly-blend for camp, which I probably didn't need)
--2 fleeces (one lightweight, one heavyweight)
--1 down jacket (necessary even in October at high altitudes)
--1 rain shell (necessary even in October for rain and snow protection)

--1 long skirt (so comfortable, great temperature control, love hiking in it!)
--1 pair nylon hiking pants (probably could have replaced with wind/ rain pants)
--1 pair fleece pants (for sleeping and warmth in teahouses)
--1 pair long johns (for warmth while hiking, especially under the skirt)

--5 pairs underwear (take up little room, nice way to feel cleaner even when you're not)
--1 sports bra, 1 comfy bra (probably could have left behind the latter)
--2 pairs hiking socks, 1 pair liner socks, 1 pair heavy socks for evenings
--1 pair hiking boots, 1 pair fake "crocs"
--1 wide-brimmed sun hat, 1 fleece-lined wool hat
--1 pair fleece-lined wool mittens
--1 handkerchief, 1 bandana, 1 buff, 1 fleece neck gaiter (new, hopefully it will help the cough!)

Toiletries:

--toothbrush, floss
--soap
--2 hair elastics
--1 complete med kit, with enough antibiotics to supply a small hospital, also diamox
--1 travel towel
--"climb on" skincare bar, chapstick
--earplugs
--glasses (worn all the time)

--deodorant (will probably leave behind on the next trek--merino doesn't stink, I do!)

--hairbrush (ditto above)

--cotton buds (ditto above)

Gear:

--headlamp and spare batteries
--2 hiking poles
--1 water bottle
--0 degree C sleeping bag
--internal frame pack (nothin' special) with rain cover
--boot wax and boot glue (lame attempt to keep my boots together, I'm giving up and going with holes on the next trek)
--2 plastic bags (one for my vomit, one for Dave's)
--trekking permits and tickets
--safety pins

Personal Items:

--journal and pen
--wallet, credit card, and tons of rupees
--camera, spare batteries, spare memory cards
--passport and copy of passport
--insurance information and emergency numbers
--my good luck charm

Davo Carries Group Gear:

--steripen and batteries
--battery charger
--hand sanitizer
--toothpaste
--combo lock (no need to carry a key to our room!)
--sunscreen
--small amount of laundry soap (to keep our hiking socks from hiking away from us)
--knife
--compass
--map

Trip Report: Everest Base Camp Trek, Part I

The trip report summary: bus ride from hell; steaming bag of stomach contents #1; a kind sherpa couple; a leech where no leech should ever be; daily mountain passes; trail friends; adorable nepali children; clouds, clouds, rain, fog, clouds; the shock of mass tourism; yak convoys; my boots busting; acclimatizing; learning...  to read and write nepali; more acclimatizing; clouds, clouds, snow, fog, clouds; adorable sherpa children; steaming bag of stomach contents #2 + blood; emergency donkey ride (="ambulance"); a turn in the weather; more mountain passes; the goddamn khumbu cough; no, i won't sleep in a tent, it's -10C; topless everest base camp (+ whiskey, rum, vodka, cigars, and cigarettes); glaciers and cairns and mountains oh my!; breathe breathe breathe COUGH; climbing higher to 5,600 m/ 18,500 ft; and finally, "the big one." Nearly four weeks, around 110 miles, about 9,000 meters of ascent, 14 mountain passes, and a lot of plates of dal bhat... I can safely say this qualifies as EPIC.

It's been a while since I posted...  well, I'm still alive, I've just been hiking.  Dave and I took just under four weeks to hike from Jiri, a small village in eastern Nepal, to near Mt. Everest, back south to Lukla. Here's the more extended trip report...

10/1:  To get to the start of the walk in Jiri, we took the worst bus ride of the trip.  The vehicle was built for midgets and driven by an insane man.  We sat in the very back row, and I cracked my head on the ceiling when the bus hit potholes (there were approximately 398,593,176 of them on the 180 km drive).  It took 9 hours.  By the end, I was slumped on the floor of the aisle.  That evening, I projectile vomited for a while, then the explosion of bodily fluids started from the other end. 

10/2:  Since I'm as crazy as the man driving the hellfire midget bus, we started walking to Shivalaya.  After a while, the nausea was so bad I needed to stop every 50 meters to heave on the side of the trail.  Dave carried my bag, Nepali-style, with the shoulder strap across his forehead.  That got a lot of funny looks.

10/3:   We walked from Shivalaya to Bhandar.  It wasn't a bad walk--typical of this section of trail.  Up a big hill, down a big hill.  And I mean big.  Unfortunately, by the time we got to Bhandar, I was running a fever and generally feeling like I had been under the bus for 9 hours instead of in it.

10/4, 10/5, 10/6:  Although my stomach settled down, I had a fever that just wouldn't quit, even with ibuprophen/ paracetamol.  An unexplained fever, especially coming from a tropical country, means I couldn't walk farther--if I got sicker, I was that much farther from help.  So we waited.  And waited.  And waited.

The path from Jiri to Lukla doesn't see many trekkers anymore, due to the construction of the airstrip in Lukla and the (now discontinued) Maoist practice of asking for sizeable cash "donations" to their cause from foreigners.  There were no large tour groups, trekkers tended to be more responsible, self-sufficient, and friendlier, prices were much lower, and the Nepalis were more interested in interacting with us.  We stayed with this Sherpa man, Chhiring, and his non-English speaking wife while I recovered.  Chhiring served me tea he grew himself and taught Dave the Nepali alphabet, so we could learn to read and write.  Chhiring and his wife giggle constantly, like children.  So cute.

10/7:  I was feeling well enough to start walking.  But the weather had changed--instead of clear and bright, the air felt damp.  Monsoon usually blows through by September, but this year it had come late and lasted long.  Our days of sunshine were numbered.  And since the trail was wet, there was another surprise awaiting me...

This nasty thing attached itself on my upper upper upper thigh when I stopped to answer the call of nature off the trail.  Let me tell you, the only blood-sucking thing I want that up in my business is a tampon (the picture is cropped for decency).  As he blew up like a hellish, demented grape, my other thigh would brush against his slimy back, so I had to hike bow-legged for about an hour.  I nicknamed him "Fatty McFatterson."  My leg is still bleeding, eight hours later, when I arrive in Sete for the evening.

Trip Report: Everest Base Camp Trek, Part II

From here, where to go?  Our original plan to cross the Cho La pass seems unlikely; we lost too many days when I got sick.  The weather would have to be perfect for us to cross safely, and we'd have a very short window of opportunity.  To complicate matters, the bad weather has meant that flights to Lukla have been grounded for four days.  The valley up to Everest Base Camp is slowly emptying out, and only trekkers crazy enough to walk from Jiri or rich enough for a helicopter ride are coming in.  Our original plan was to skip the crowds and to head up a valley to the west, but at the last minute, we decide to go for the famous Khumbu Valley.

10/14:  We walk to Tengboche, home of a famous monestary.  Unsurprisingly, there's another huge hill up to Tengboche.  You'd think this country was full of hills and mountains or something...  oh wait.  Yeah.  Tengboche has a lovely little museum with exhibits on the Tengboche Monestary and Tibetan Buddhism, the predominant religion here.  This was my first direct experience with Vajrayana Buddhism, the mystical, tantric cousin in the Buddhist family, though my favorite author (Pema Chodron) is an American woman ordained in this tradition.  The monks permit foreigners to attend their puja (prayer) services.  I sat in the monestary for a long while in the evening, until all but one other foreigner had lost interest in the funny costumes and mumbling prayers.  The other white woman and I sat next to each other in meditation and the monks dedicated their practice to all sentient beings.

10/15 and 10/16:  We walked to Pheriche, right behind the South Africans whose schedule has mirrored our own.  I found a friendly lodge where the woman in charge spoke excellent English and had the most amazing little baby.  Seriously, where is the factory that pumps out all of these adorable Nepali and Sherpa children?!

We all were scheduled for a rest day in Pheriche, after ascending about 1,000 meters from Namche.  Together with Greg and Duncan, we took an acclimatization walk over the ridge to Dingboche, where there was an excellent bakery.  Once again, I'm so happy we walked in from Jiri.  The trail camaraderie built over that week is a totally different experience compared to the anonymous mass tourist experience of the Khumbu.

10/17:  Our walk up to Dukla was quite short--just up the valley and up a hill.  It took two hours, but in order to stick to our <500 meters per night ascent plan, this is our last stop for the day.  Originally, we were going to take a walk in the afternoon, but the weather turned very bad very quickly, so we stayed inside and studied Nepali.  I know my handwriting must look like a child's--the porters get just as much entertainment out of our butchery of their language as we do.

10/18:  In the morning, Dave tells me he was up for much of the night with terrible nausea...  then three times to the bathroom before breakfast.  Uh oh.  He doesn't want to stay in Dukla, since it was likely the food here that made him sick, so we head up the hill to Lobuche.  Once there, he takes a turn for the worse.  He vomits so hard that mucus and stomach contents are pouring out of his nose--so hard that soon there's blood in his vomit.  If he can't keep down liquids, he can't keep down an antibiotic; at this altitude, he will be very dehydrated and very sick very quickly unless he gets medical attention.

Travel & Blog Updates

Blog Updates

Hi folks!  If you've subscribed to this blog via email or RSS, you've probably noticed the flurry of posts today.

A few months ago, I struggled with what to write, how to write, whether I wanted to write at all...  and not just that, but also where to travel, how I wanted to travel, and heck, whether I wanted to be traveling at all!  But lately, things have been groovy.  I've realized that I would like to have a souvenir from this experience.  Since I hate shopping, my best idea is a photo album and a blog to go with it.

Here are a few new posts about old topics:

Paradise!  (Koh Tao, Thailand)
Malaysia?  What's in Malaysia?  (Malaysia, in general)
Bali Highlights  (Bali, Indonesia)

And here are a few new posts about a new topic:

Khmer Kitchen
Finding Mind Happiness in Siem Reap
8 Things I Love About Cambodia

Enjoy!  Or not, that's ok too.  :-)  Over the next few months, I imagine the posts will come on a quasi-regular basis, so I hope not to jam up your inbox/ feedreader again.  Look forward to a Southeast Asia wrap-up post in the next few days.

Also, this is my 100th post on this blog.  Holy guacamole, I talk a lot!

Edited to add:  Wowza, this blog is about to have its 1st birthday!  One year ago, I was setting up One Great Dewdrop.  A few days later, on October 1, 2009, I published the first post.  Time flies.

Travel Updates

Today is our last day in Cambodia.  Tomorrow, we'll spend the day traveling back to Bangkok.  We've got one day in Bangkok to see a few people and to run a few errands.  Then, on September 27th, Davo and I fly to...

NEPAL

 

 photo credit

"I'm looking forward to this" is a gentle understatement.  Pardon me for a moment, while I freak the f*** out.

Southeast Asia was intended as a convenient way to waste some time between the tramping season in New Zealand and the trekking season in Nepal.  If I am so honored as to see Everest with my own eyes, I might need to be carried out of the mountains, because I might go blind immediately.

To add icing to this sweet, sweet cake made of 100% pure awesome, Davo and I might have a few buddies joining us.  J, M, and C:  I'm looking at you.  Get your asses over here.

We'll be in Nepal for about ten weeks, from the last week of September through the first week of December.  From there, we're looking to spend some time in the Middle East.  The current plan is to spend 10-14 days in Turkey (Istanbul, Capadoccia, and somewhere in the southeast toward Iran and Syria (gasp! Axis of EVIL! Don't worry, Pops/ Bernie/ Jill, I will not drag Davo to either of these countries)) and 10-14 days in Israel (visiting Dave's family, Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Massada, and yes, a day trip to Palestine/ Occupied Territories/ whatever you want to call it--anyone have recommendations for a group with whom we could do this?).

The next adventure begins in late December/ early January:  we're coming back to The States (!).  The agenda:

• a wedding (congratulations to Bernie (Dave's father) and Karen!);
• a road trip to North Carolina (hi Mummers!  hi Pops!  hi Sisser!);
• some quality time in Dave's hometown (hi Jill!  hi Grammy!  hi Rachel!  hi Eric!  Whoa, is that Maise?);
• a long weekend in Ithaca (COE staff:  score us free wall pass, pretty please!  Ithaca friends:  where are we drinking/ crashing?!)

After January, am I headed abroad again?  Scheming and dreaming...  you'll just have to stay tuned to find out.  :-)