Never forget that most generalities have exceptions. For instance, the fact that summers in India are really hot does not mean there cannot be snowstorms in May in the mountains. Sadly, I'm not speaking hypothetically. Of my seven days of trekking in Sikkim, it snowed on four and, with the wind chill factor, was below freezing on five of the nights. Perfect camping weather! Actually, the trek was great. I did a variation of the Dzongri Trek going up to the Goechala pass. The hike is usually done in anywhere from 8-10 days, but I elected to skip rest days and [View Full Entry]

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I'm now writing from Sikkim, India! I came here yesterday, leaving the house at 7:30 and taking a cab to the airport. I packed my bags that morning, I'm getting good at doing it quickly, keeping all "vital" items in my day pack, i.e., those items that cannot be replaced if lost/stolen - these included wallet, all electronics and my Red Sox baseball cap. The domestic section of the airport is really just one large concrete room, with various counters set up and some chairs for waiting. When you first enter, your bags are x-rayed, you go through a metal [View Full Entry]

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Its a week now since I finished the trek, and since that time I've experienced a myriad of Nepalese transportation methods. As I mentioned before, leaving the mountain involved a jeep ride, a minibus ride and then a bus ride - with the final destination of Pokhara. The minibus ride was the one with the over-friendly seatmate. At first, because it was a very crowded vehicle on a bumpy dirt road, I thought that the many "touches" could be accidental. I was quite willing to give a benefit of the doubt and gently placed my small daypack between us as a [View Full Entry]

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For those who want the short version of this post, which is a bit heavy on trek details and recitations of daily woes, the title really says it all! More seriously, the trek was fantastic, and I made it through relatively unscathed, with almost all good weather (minus the day of hail), great views and having met lots of interesting people. Although its not yet high season on the trail, there were still a good number of tourists doing the hike. A solo traveller, sans guide/porter, could easily meet people to walk with if desired and overall, the trail is quite [View Full Entry]

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After almost a month staying in the village, I leave tomorrow (at 5:30 a.m.) for my first trek! I'm excited to be setting out for the first real hike of the trip (the excitement dulls slightly when I pick up my backpack), even though I'm going to miss being in Patan. While here, I've enjoyed staying with Jampa's family, done some great sight-seeing, feel like I'm really beginning to understand the layout of teh area (probably helps that I finally bought a map) and have had time to really relax/unwind. I'm still working on my ability to sit still while doing [View Full Entry]

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After almost a month staying in the village, I leave tomorrow (at 5:30 a.m.) for my first trek! I'm excited to be setting out for the first real hike of the trip (the excitement dulls slightly when I pick up my backpack), even though I'm going to miss being in Patan. While here, I've enjoyed staying with [View Full Entry]

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I've learned that, in many years, the first several Saturdays after the Tibetan New Year are spent going on pilgrimages (Saturday is the only day off in the Nepalese work week). This year, one of those Saturdays fell on March 14, which in 2008, was the day that many Tibetans in Tibet were killed during demonstrations/protests regarding China's rule of the country. (I can feel my chances of getting a visa for Tibet slipping away . . . ) A demonstration was planned in Nepal, at the Chinese Consulate in Kathmandu, for the 14th. As happened on March 10th, the Nepalese [View Full Entry]

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1 month, 3 countries, 4 cultures and 14.5 books. As I sat on the stairs outside the house in the Tibetan Village yesterday, reading, listening to folks interact and watching the occasional cows wander past, it struck me that today marks a month since I left the U.S. At some times, it feels like much longer, particularly when I think of all I've seen already or try to recall the feel of working, other times, much shorter, probably given that I've yet to do any hiking and thanks in large part to the connectivity created by email. March 10th, the 50th [View Full Entry]

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A slight correction from my last posting about my location. I have come to learn (thanks Dad), that there are actually three cities in the valley, and while Kathmandu is one, that is not where I am staying. The camp in which I'm living is in one of the municipalities of the City of Patan. I've been into Kathmandu several times as it is not very far away. I don't think I've yet been to the the third city, which I think is on the other side of Patan, but I'm not positive as its hard for me to keep track [View Full Entry]

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While I'm now in Nepal, a brief note to anyone contemplating the Siem Reap to Bangkok trip by land. The bus ride was relatively easy, and I did not find the road conditions particularly bad, although there are of course unpaved sections (just don't sit above the wheel well as your knees will get pretty cramped!). The scenery along the way is not the most exciting, but you do get to see a fair bit of the country and can note the differences between Cambodia and Thailand - for example the change in the number and distribution of power lines is [View Full Entry]

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