Okay so maybe just brief posts :)

Greetings from beautiful Paris!

After 6 months in se asia, I'm in culture shock of cleanliness and plenty! The hostel supplied breakfast was amazing. Real ham, swiss cheese,  chewy baguettes,  full cream yogurt,  muesli, honey, fresh fruit, orange juice,  non-instant coffee. Makes me want to cry just thinking about it!

Arrived early yesterday and had time in the afternoon to see the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is really quite impressive especially considering when and how it was built. Paris in general is just beautiful.

Will visit the Louve today and meet a friend for dinner.  Then an all day train ride tomorrow to Saint Jean Pied de Port.

Last blog post

Completion of the Annapurna Circuit has lead to the feeling of sadness and let down I've come to expect from peak experiences in this grand adventure. But, after a couple of weeks of downtime exploring Kathmandu, I am feeling rested and ready for the next adventure. Three more nights here followed by the journey to Paris! I'm feeling a bit anxious to get started on the Camino (and Paris is expensive!) so have booked only 2 nights there with the intention of at least a visit to the Louve. A 7 hour train ride will deliver me to St-Jean Pied de Port on the 21st.

I'll be mailing some things home prior to starting the long walk to Santiago de Compostela including the laptop I've been writing this blog on. Thus, the last post. Tapping out entries on my phone is just too painful and honestly after the experience on the AC I think I'll be too tired and/or engaged with my fellow walkers to get posts made anyway. So farewell for now to my faithful followers, perhaps someday I will take it up again. I love you all!

AC day13 - Muktinath

With the possible exception of giving birth, yesterday was, physically, the hardest day of my life. It started at 5 am from Thorung High Camp (4850 m) in the cold with a couple inches of fresh snow on the ground. The night had been rough with freezing temperatures and a midnight toilet call in spite of not drinking anything  after 5 -  a definite no-no at that altitude. The one squat toilet they had was a sheet of ice - the temporary toilet was anywhere you could find out of the wind.  After a quick breakfast of tepid coffee and porridge, I packed up and was on the trail before 6. The first 4 hours was relentless up, up, up to the top of Thorung La pass at 5416 m. I've seen claims that it is the highest pass in the world but have not researched it to know for sure. It is definitely higher than I've ever been and each step was hard won. Towards the top I was down to 10 or 20 steps then a stop until my breathing slowed. The feeling upon reaching the top was amazing. I suppose this was my Mt Everest (though I think the Everest base camp is higher than I got!).

The end is in sight. The little hut on the left sells tea!

I only spent a couple of minutes at the top as the wind was bitter cold and a clear threat of inclement weather was high motivation to keep moving. The next 5 hours was a relentless down, down, down to Muktinath (3800 m) - actually Ranipauwa is where all the lodges are - about 20 minutes from the temple which seems to be about all there is to mark Muktinath. The last 1.5 hours was in a heavy snowfall that left more mud than anything else. The reward at the end of the day was a free room with attached bath and a western-style toilet (score!), followed by a delicious yak burger and warm sea buckthorn juice. Today is a day off.

As expected, the views all along the way have been just spectacular. I will post as many pictures as possible given the slow internet here. But first - some things I've learned along the way!

- Don't eat large portions of white rice for two days in a row. Even if it's mixed with vegetables.
- Snickers should be classified as a superfood.
- A hot shower is an unimaginable luxury that I will never again take for granted.
- There is a place of exhaustion where you no longer have the energy to be afraid. All available energy has to be focused on that next step. In thinking of those who have perished in the wilderness, I imagine they were no longer able to focus on the next step - but they were not afraid.
- People are inspired by those who don't let being old and fat stop them.
- There are places where people live in frigid cold with little heat, haul their water, and shit in a hole out back. These places are not all that hard to get to. The people are humble and among the happiest I've ever seen.
- A 70 cent tip can cause a great deal of excitement to those who have little and expect little.
- Kids are the same everywhere - it's the adults who differ.
- Mentholatum. 'Nuf said.
- Every first aid kit should have something to help you go and something to make you stop. Even if you've never had a problem doing either.
- Willingness to carry something to the top of a mountain is the true definition of need (though I definitely had my sins - to the tune of at least 2-3 kg).
- Patience and determination can sometimes trump youth and strength.

Million step view

For a price, this guy would carry your bag while you ride to the top.
My pride wouldn't let me do it.

Some pictures from previous days:

Well, one. More later. Now food.

Annapurna Circuit day 3 - Tal

Not gonna lie, today was tough  but I'm feeling back in my element and so happy to be here! Overall, I'm making much less distance per day than anticipated but the good news is I have no time frame so it's all good.

Day 1 consisted of 2, 2 hour bus rides and a 9 km trek to a 100 rupee room in Bhulbhule (110 rupees to 1 usd atm). The tradition along the AC is to offer cheap or even free accommodation with the expectation that you will eat in the on site restaurant. So far simple meals have been around 2-4 usd making this the cheapest place I've been so far. I understand it gets more expensive to eat farther up the trail as everything has to be hauled in. Accommodation is very basic however. Day one offered no shower, no wifi, just a thin mat on a raised platform with wooden planks and a corrugated tin roof to keep out the weather. Last night in Ghermu was slightly better with a cold shower. Tonight is a treat - hot shower, wifi, 3 inch mattress - and still only 100 rupees!

The first 2 days the terrain was what I'd call foothills on steroids. Lovely terraced landscapes and small villages. Today entered the massive Himalayas. It took me close to 9 hours to make 12 km. Hard won elevation gains were disappointingly lost to long downhill stretches. But the views were wonderful. The last hard uphill push, I was accompanied by a herd of goats that I swear were trying to figure out why it was such a struggle for me.

Next... shower, food and sleep! Tomorrow is a new day.

The view from last nights accommodation

Magnificent waterfalls everywhere

Annapurna Dreamin

Today I purchased the necessary permits to do the Annapurna Circuit trek. But first, a bit of catch up.

After 5 nights in Kathmandu, my hoped for trekking partner backed out so I struck out on my own with the intent of catching a local bus (an experience that should only be attempted with a fully intact sense of humor! reminiscent of the craze in my youth of seeing how many people could pack into a VW bug - there's always room for one more!) to Bhaktapur, trekking to Changu Narayan Temple and then on to Nagarkot to spend the night, returning to Kathmandu after a 4 hour trek from Nagarkot to Sankhu the following day. The trip to Changu Narayan took much longer than anticipated however and I ended up taking a local bus back to Bhaktapur followed by one to Nagarkot. 

According to the young school boys who showed me the way to the top, Changu Narayan is considered to be the oldest temple in Nepal. It certainly looked old and somewhat in a state of disrepair. Overall it was a bit of a disappointment I think mostly because I was tired from the long uphill hike and there was no visible information available about the temple. Meeting the kids was delightful though and I wished I'd had something to give them. 

Nagarkot held the promise of amazing views but the haze limited visibility to just the shadow of mountains. It was still good to get out of Kathmandu and the trek through the forest and remote small villages on the way to Sankhu the next day was great. More than anything, the overnight excursion returned some of the travelers confidence that New Delhi stripped me of. 

After a couple more nights in Kathmandu, I was anxious to get out and so took what they call a "tourist" bus (everyone gets a seat!) to Pokhara to finish planning and shopping for the Annapurna trek. Pokhara is a lovely little town stretching along a massive lake. It is considered a launch point for the Annapurna region though it really is closer to the end of the circuit trek. I will take a 4 hour bus to Besi Sahar day after tomorrow and start from there.

I chose the AC trek mostly because it is a long "tea-house" trek that should be doable without a guide. Meaning, I can walk all day and then get food and a bed at night. On my permit applications, I allowed for 21 days - which seems to be the most anyone takes to complete the circuit. I will take my time in acclimating and do some side trips around Manang. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about the whole trip. Most of it should be fine, but the highest point is a crossing of Thorong La pass at an altitude of more than 5400 meters (about 17,700 feet) - much higher than I've ever been. 2 or 3 nights above 3500 meters is a must on the way up. The balance between weight and warmth is still knocking around in my head and I hope my pieced together gear will suffice. I've promised myself (and now all of you) that I won't be a hero and will turn around and come back down the way I went up if for any reason I don't feel up for it. But it would be disappointing... 

I think some internet should be available in some of the larger villages - I will try to post or at least send out an email, but please don't worry (Vicki!) if you don't hear from me for awhile. The infrastructure is the worst here of anywhere I've yet seen. Between lack of electricity to charge devices, slow/intermittent internet and anticipated daily exhaustion, blog posts are likely to lose out. 

A Comfort Oasis in Kathmandu

I've landed in a lovely hostel called Dorm Nepal in Kathmandu. The young people who are running it are simply amazing. Intelligent, well spoken and conversant on a variety of subjects. During the time right after the earthquake, they set up a facebook page, took in donations, bought food and distributed it to people in need. They housed people who came here to help for no charge. Al Jazeera came and did a piece on what they were up to and donations poured in - as did the area NGOs - wanting to partner with them, or flat out claiming a partnership with them without having one. Some tried to move in and take over distribution of what they had collected. Listening to their stories made me realize what a truly money grubbing, ugly business the "helper" business can be. They are pretty adamant that little or none of the massive amount of money donated to the victims of the tragedy actually got distributed to those in need.

The reality is, Kathmandu is a pretty fail city and I suspect most of the country is the same.  The earthquake struck a blow, but the real crisis is the ongoing fuel shortage. I walked for 2 or 3 blocks past hundreds of stopped motorcycles and cars to find at the end, a single gas pump doling out petrol at around $5/ liter. For cooking, a single propane bottle roughly BBQ size costs $80 usd to fill. Most simply cannot afford to do so.  Electricity is on twice a day for a total of 11 hours (there are phone apps to tell you when there will be electricity in your area). In spite of the fact that Nepal has extraordinary water resources from the Himalayas, there is an extreme water shortage and none of it is drinkable.

I haven't had a chance yet to do independent research into the cause of the fuel shortage,  but the locals attribute it to India. Nepal seems to be tightly bound to India (in fact, it's currency is locked to the Indian rupee at a rate of 1.6 npr to an inr). Nepal apparently passed a new constitution that resulted in a dispute over water on the India/Nepal boarder (I'm not even pretending to understand this yet...) so India has cut fuel supply to Nepal as a form of political pressure.

In spite of all of their struggles, the Nepalese people are smiling, happy and kind. I'm liking it here and I haven't even gotten out of the big, ugly city yet.

The plan for Nepal involves a lot of trekking. There are multiple opportunities for teahouse trekking - walking from village to village and finding a teahouse to stay in overnight. Most people hire a porter ( $10/day) or a guide ($25/day) or both. If I had more money to go on, I'd happily offer someone employment. But, I'm not sure it's necessary on the route I've planned. My roommate here is a young girl from Mexico who is here awaiting a visa to return to India. She and I will be undertaking a short two night trek starting and ending about an hour outside of Kathmandu (not set in stone yet but I think starting at Sundarijal, staying overnight in Chisapani and Nagakot then returning to KTM). Followed by a 7 hour bus ride to Pokhara, close to the Annapurna wilderness area. I haven't committed to it just yet, but am strongly leaning towards an attempt at the entire Annapurna circuit trek. Apparently, it isn't the epic trek that it used to be due to the building of a road to access most areas, but I'd still like to do it, and the road makes it a pretty safe venture for even a solo trekker. I will attempt to find trekking partners for as much of it as possible and might even hire a local for the most difficult part, Thorung La pass - at a height of 17,700 ft.

The net result of a country with poor infrastructure (Nepal isn't even included in my US t-mobile unlimited text and data plan) and remote trekking is that I might be out of pocket quite a bit while here. Any chance I get, I will at least update Erik with my location and planned itinerary.

Yet another New Year!

Still in Dharamshala but I will be taking a 4am bus to Amritsar tomorrow to see the Golden Temple. It is the number one holy place for those who practice the Sikh religion and I think I should see it.

Dharamshala has been a peaceful place to hang out for a couple of weeks, though I have struggled with stomach upset most of the time I've been here. Unfortunately, the Dalai Lama is in the US all this month at the Mayo clinic so there has been no chance of getting a glimpse of him. The Tibetan new year was on Tuesday, today is the last day of the annual 3 day celebration. I went to the temple on Tuesday and watched the monks chant and "perform" - it was fun even though I didn't understand any of it. They then passed out cups and small plates and gave us all butter tea and sweet rice. After it was over, they put up a ladder to the upper floor of the temple and all the Tibetans in their traditional garb lined up to go up it. After watching for awhile, my curiosity got the better of me and typical of me, instead of asking what was up there, I just got into line. An hour and a half later I was up the ladder and in a room leading to an alter where people were offering up white scarfs and money, feeling every bit the clueless fool. But everyone was kind and gracious and no one made me feel out of place.

I've been wanting to make a blog post about the plight of the Tibetan people but have been struggling to know exactly what I want to say about it. So, first just some history.

For centuries the Tibetan people lived in a remote mountainous region who's main protection was the fact that no one really wanted the worthless forbidding land they lived on. Then in 1949, China made claims that Tibet had long been part of it's territory and their army moved in. The 13th Dalai Lama had seen this trouble coming and warned of the Chinese threat before his death. Tibet had heeded this warning and had a small army, but they were no match for the Chinese and were systematically defeated and pushed back. In 1951, Tibet signed an agreement surrendering sovereignty to China. But, there was still a lot of rebellion and resistance in the form of guerrilla warfare going on. In 1959 China cracked down and the Dalai Lama escaped by way of a long walk over the Himalayas to Dharamshala. The Chinese crack down was brutal and almost total. In an attempt to wipe out the separate identity of the Tibetan people, the vast majority of the Tibetan temples were demolished, sacred texts were burned and used to make shoes. Monks and other Tibetans were imprisoned and tortured, forced into labor camps, or simply killed outright. It's a complex and sad situation. From my perspective it's unlikely that Tibet will ever regain independence but hopefully with all of the Tibetans that are in exile around the world, their rich and beautiful culture won't be lost to history the way so many vanquished civilizations have been.

There are many good documentaries on the situation in Tibet the one I saw was called "The Sun Behind the Clouds". The situation is complex and my thinking about it has been all over the place, but in the end...

"I stand with Tibet"

Darkest before the dawn

I woke to a beautiful sunny day in the Himalayas. Dharamshala is a much more comfortable place. The hotel I'm at even upgraded my room to the one with morning sun and a balcony. I seem to be the only guest - must be the off season. It is pretty cold. I will attempt to buy some warmer clothing today and hike up the hill to the temple and residence of the Dali Lama. Not sure how long I'll stay here but I think Dharamshala will be my last destination in India - at least for this go round.

Comfort zone? What's that?

If my comfort zone was on a map, I'm so far outside of it right now, I don't even know which way to go to get back in.

New Delhi is the dirtiest, most inhospitable place one can imagine. I spent my first few days here just trying to figure out how to get out and into some place that might be okay. Initially I thought I wanted to visit the so called Golden Triangle - Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra (the Taj Mahal). But after looking into all options and experiencing Delhi for a few days, I decided it might be best to just make a run for the hills. So, I've booked a plane flight to Dharamsala tomorrow. Dharamsala is in the Himalayas and is where the Dali Lama lives. While it would be wonderful to be in his presence, I have no expectation of that happening. I just don't want to be here and would hate to flee the country without giving it a chance - Dharamsala seems like the best bet, though I do anticipate it being a bit cold.

About Delhi. If Indonesia is an education in how to protect yourself in a third world country, India is graduate school. The touters and scammers here follow you - usually striking up a "friendly" conversation. I changed hotels after the first night, and met the first of these guys during the 2km walk to the new, slightly less nasty place. He fell in stride with me and his English was excellent. After some introductory conversation, he started to tell me how the area I was going to be staying in (this is the "backpackers" area of Delhi - though I see few westerners) wasn't safe and I should take a tuk-tuk down the road to the central area where I could stay for just a couple of dollars more ("only 20 rupees" for a tuk-tuk I'm now sure he had on standby). He was quite friendly and believable but if I learned anything from Indonesia, it's that a local friendly always has an agenda. So when I spotted a McDonalds, I told him thanks for the advise, I'm going to slip in here, get something to eat and assess the situation. Which I did. As I was eating, I spotted another guy who seemed to be just hanging around and watching me. Honestly, I was feeling a bit frightened and was digging around the internet on my phone for as much objective information as I could find to figure out my next move. One of the suggestions I found on a forum was to ask a local female about the area. God bless the internet. There are few women in the streets here (another reason it's so uncomfortable), but a young girl and her mother came in and luckily she spoke enough English to be able to reassure me that the area we were in was safe "for me" in particular. I decided to give the new hotel a look and buy some time to figure out my next move. As I walked out of McDonalds, the lurker followed me and started telling me how the area wasn't safe. I politely asked him to leave me alone and when he persisted, I snapped and firmly told him I'd seen him watching me and it wasn't acceptable behavior - it took about 30 seconds to send him bolting back into McD's with his tail between his legs. I felt better after that. Though I am still very much on my guard any time I go out and cannot wait to be clear of this city.

That said, yesterday was actually a really good day. After a failed attempt at sightseeing the day before (a long boring story of discomfort and frustration), I almost had resolved to just stay in my room for the 2 days until my flight to Dharamsala. I'm glad I didn't. Humayun's Tomb is a world heritage site and is the precursor to the Taj Mahal. The site itself was impressive and interesting and I'm sure much less of a tourist nightmare than the Taj Mahal. But the real redeeming part of the day happened during the 2km walk from the metro to the Tomb. On a relatively civilized street (the first since arriving in India), I passed a street vendor with several people standing around eating. He waved me in and I accepted. They were 2 middle aged, warm and friendly men who served up a delicious, filling meal for 40 rupees (about 60 cents). While I was eating, one came over and asked me for one US dollar. Misunderstanding him, I told him I didn't have a dollar but I would be willing to pay more rupees for my meal (it really was so cheap), he walked away leaving me confused. Before leaving, I tried to offer him some more money but he refused saying they served a good meal at a fair price and hoped I would come back tomorrow. He really did just want a US dollar for a souvenir, I wish I had had one for him. It was an experience of such generosity and kindness, it brought tears to my eyes - perhaps a reflection of how isolated and targeted I'm feeling. Many people tried to tell me it would be rough here but others really love it. I suppose I am stubborn and just have to go see for myself. I am quite sure it's an experience I'll never forget and will cherish (once it's well behind me). Today is a national holiday celebrating the formation of an independent republic. I watched some of the parade on TV - no way am I going out into the streets.

Humayun's Tomb

I met a guy on a train

Though I've been thinking all along that Laos would be my next destination from Chiang Mai, it turns out it's India. I took the overnight train to Bangkok night before last and will take a 4am flight to New Delhi day after tomorrow.

The night train was great. Somewhere around 8 or 9 pm, a porter came along and turned my bench seating into a comfortable sleeping berth with clean sheets and a warm blanket. In bits and pieces, timed with starts and stops the train made along the way, I managed to get a pretty decent night's sleep.

My time in CM was a terrific break from the constant moving on that I've become more and more weary of. I spent several days working with Abby (Sean and Prang's oldest) on math and English. She's a bright and beautiful child and I will miss her (along with everyone else there).

I stayed in the guest house with Marisa who was turned out to be an instant and much cherished friend. One of the things I told her was that I felt like I had another life/work chapter in me and that the universe seemed to be telling me I need to teach. It's been coming at me in ways that are subtle and some that are not so subtle. I told her of my resistance to the idea and my attempts at bargaining with the universe ('cuz teaching has NEVER been on the list of things I would want to do in my life). Which brings me to the title of this post...

I met a German guy who gives seminars on NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) while traveling with the workshop attendees (at least that was my take on what he was up to - I suspect that I was part of his ongoing marketing efforts). One of the first things out of his mouth was "Are you a teacher?"  All I could do was laugh. I'm sure he thought me quite rude, but luckily he didn't take it personal and we went on to have a quite interesting conversation - though I still can't really tell you what NLP is... lol.

So, perhaps to teach. What, where, when and who are yet unknown to me. First up - India, Nepal, The Camino de Santiago and perhaps home for a bit to see my beloved Rasta in her last time on this earth (last summer, the vet gave her a year before she thought the cancer would return with a vengeance).

Best Christmas ever

It turns out, Sean and Prang's house isn't quite within walking distance of Chiang Mai. So, I rented a scooter for a month and google maps did the rest. Some back and forth emails and a dead battery on Sean's phone meant they weren't quite expecting me but were graciously welcoming anyway. Sean and Prang have built a loving home of barely controlled chaos, though their kids are some of the most respectful and well behaved children I've ever encountered. Every day is infinitely interesting. And exhausting. They live on a plot of land maybe an acre in size. It has 3 houses - one for them, one for their long time friends Adam and Cindy and their many, many kids (foster and otherwise) and one smaller guest house that Cindy has graciously agreed for me to stay in for a bit, along with her friend from the States, Marissa.

Erik arrived from Bangkok on Christmas morning. It was so good to see him, I cried in spite of myself. The following week was a whirlwind of northern Thailand. After collecting him on my rented scooter, we returned to Chiang Mai so he could get one for himself and made our way up into the hills to Doi Suthep national park and the Wat Phra That temple. After seeing so many temples already, this one was a bit meh. But, a day on a scooter adventure with my son was priceless!

After a night in a Chiang Mai hostel, we got on a bus (thanks to Prang for taking us to the bus station!) and headed to Pai. After a night of pigging out on Thai food at the night market, we once again rented scooters and rode 50 km over a mountain pass to the Lod cave and a truly unique experience. Entrance to the cave is only by lantern carrying guide and bamboo raft. You get on a raft and float down a river into the cave with fish swimming alongside. After disembarking there is a longish walk through a very large and cool cave. Our guide spoke very little English but was very kind and took good care of us (me actually, Erik didn't need much). After the tour, we got on another raft and floated to the exit where we made a 1 km or so trek back to the beginning. All in all it was an extraordinary day.

Into the cave - Erik's expression reflects the awe of the place

Out the other end

 
After Pai, we made the day long journey to Sukhothai. We spent the first day there visiting old Sukhothai on bicycles just as I'd done a couple of weeks earlier. I felt better this time and we explored much more thoroughly. At about the farthest place possible, Erik's bike got a flat tire and we had to walk back. Day two was a bus trip to Si Satchanalai - a place with the most impressive ruins yet. It's just far enough off the beaten track to limit the number of people who go there making it an extraordinary experience. We waited nearly 3 hours for the return bus after the 4 o'clock bus failed to show at all and the 5:00 one was very late. We were about to give up and call a taxi when it finally showed up.

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Old Sukhothai

The next day (new years eve) was time to say goodbye. Erik took the long bus ride to Bangkok and spent the night partying with half the city on Chao San Rd while I returned to Chiang Mai and slept the whole next day. Although the time felt like a blink of an eye, it was so great to see Erik and travel like we always have - packing as much adventure as possible into the time we had.