Never in my life have I been in the uncomfortable situations I have found myself in on this trip (mostly cold showers, the sweltering afternoon heat, and 15+ hour bus/train rides), yet I've had nothing less than a full smile on my face every second of the past few weeks. The other day, as I showered under the cold water in the dark bathroom (yes, the bathroom - the shower and toilet are side-by-side), my headlamp resting on the sink, lighting up one corner of the ceiling, trying to keep my balance as I washed my foot to avoid stepping on the floor without my shower sandal, I thought about my trip so far, and what is still yet to come, and said to myself, "I'm the luckiest person in the world right now." Today marks one month exactly since I started my trip (not including my time in Israel). The bulk of my trip so far has been the 2-week Annapurna Circuit trek in Nepal (the decision to go there was made spontaneously at around 11am on 4/21 - that night we were on a sleeper bus to Delhi, and the next afternoon we were on a flight to Nepal), as well as the few days before and after it in Kathmandu and Pokhara. The trek was phenomenal. Every day brought us new views of the breathtaking Annapurna Mt. range. But the trek was very challenging as well, with the climax of the trek occurring on the 11th day, which started at 5am at 4,400 meters, climbing snow-covered mountains all day up to the Thorung La Pass at 5,400 meters, and then climbing down to 3,700 meters (common misconception: walking downhill is easier than walking uphill), finishing the day around 5pm. And as I saw on earlier days of the trek (with the day of crossing the Thorung La Pass being no exception), the more difficult the climbing was, the more beautiful the views were, and the experience felt that much more rewarding. And I can say without any hesitation that that day, May 3rd, was my favorite day of the trip so far, and will be hard to beat.
The amazing thing is, this past month of my trip is only a fraction of what my total trip will be, although I knew the Annapurna trek would be one of the biggest highlights. Now I'm on a detoured route to Northern India, with 2 guys I met on the trek. We stopped in Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, before crossing (freely walking across) the border to India. I also just split off from the last of the original crew I was traveling with, which I felt was the step I needed to take to truly feel like I'm traveling alone. And while I am ultimately alone on this trip, I have spent the lion's share of my time with other people. I've met dozens of Europeans, Australians, Americans, and of course, Israelis. I've been traveling with Israelis so much, in fact, that I have found myself on a few occassions speaking English with a Hebrew accent, subconsciously. This is different from when I intentionally use the Hebrew accent, to assist in bargaining power and getting what is known as the "Israeli deal." The "deal" is different in every country and situation (food, lodging, shopping, etc.), but anywhere you go that Israelis have been to before (basically anywhere in the world except a few Middle Eastern countries), negotiation is always an option.
Tomorrow I head to Rishikesh, which is known as the "Yoga Capital of the World." I think I will get some much-needed R&R for a week or two while I'm there, as this past month has been a bit tiring with all the traveling around, as well as from the trek itself, which was far from what would be considered 'rest & relaxation.' I have roughly 2.5 months now before I head to Thailand at the end of July, which I think should be a sufficient amount of time to explore Northern India and do a few more treks. And I also learned something else while on my trek. A few weeks ago, my thought on this kind of traveling was that this is the best time/age of my life to be doing this kind of trip. And after meeting so many 50+ year-olds on the trek, I realized that it's never too late to see any part of the world, or climb any mountain. And I plan on doing just that, until the day my body simply can't take it anymore.
So here goes. India, Take 2.
P.S. I lost my notebook the day before the Annapurna trek, and decided mid-way through it to keep a video journal to somehow document the trip. The first video is on YouTube. I will link the subsequent ones on my Facebook profile. Nepal Annapurna Circuit Trek Video (Intro)
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