Rome is truly a magical city.

There are very few other places in the the world where you can find ancient history, pumping energy, and delicious food all in the same place.

And cheap flights to Rome have never been more abundant so there’s no better time than now!

ANCIENT HISTORY

As most are probably aware, Rome has been around for quite some time (more than 2,000 years!). With that in mind, there are a few things you should probably check out while visiting this wonderful city.

The first of which should be the Colosseum. Can you say Gladiator anybody?

The Colosseum really is a special place. It’s so well preserved that you can easily imagine brutal fights to the death taking place more than a thousand years ago.

And it’s huge. It could’ve held up to 55,000 people at full capacity. Maybe we haven’t advanced that much over the years after all?

Then there’s the Forum. It’s literally set 20 feet below the rest of the city because that’s where it stood 2,000 years ago. It’s crazy to think that Rome has actually been built up more than 20 feet in it’s existence.

It was the ceremonial, legal, social, and business center of ancient Rome. To walk through the area where Western Democracy was established gave me the chills. It’s mind boggling to think that the way many things are today are rooted in what happened there more than a thousand years ago.

Finally, there are the numerous piazzas, squares, and fountains to enjoy in Rome.

Specifically, the Trevi Fountain should be tops on your list to visit. Although, it may be crawling with tourists, the ornate detail in the fountain makes it probably the most famous fountain in all of Italy.

Plus, if you throw a coin over your shoulder with your back to the fountain, it ensures that you will return to Rome in the future.

The Spanish Steps is another place not to be missed. Here, you can people watch, relax, and take in the sights, sounds, and energy of Rome.

It’s also a great spot to open a bottle of wine and hang out with friends. Remember, you can never have too much wine in Italy.

PUMPING ENERGY

Many people think that Rome is insane. And at times, I would tend to agree with them. They think it operates without rhyme or reason, but if you look closely, Rome has incredible energy underlying what some people interpret as crazy.

Yes, you do take your life into your own hands if you decide to get behind the wheel in Rome.  But on the other hand, getting behind the wheel helps you understand that life isn’t as crazy as it appears. It’s just takes on that appearance because it’s necessary in this hectic city.

What others interpret as crazy is just “normal” in Rome. With a city of nearly 3 million people that’s been around since the time of Jesus and streets that worm their way through its’ core, crazy HAS to be norm.

And that’s the beauty. There are very few other places in the world that exude such raw energy as Rome.

DELICIOUS FOOD

Pizza. Pasta. Wine. Is there anything else you need in life?

The Italians have cooking down to a science and I suggest you check it out yourself.

However, don’t expect a pizza the way we get it in America.

In Italy, pizzas are made on a much thinner crust with more basic ingredients. In my opinion, the more basic, the better the pizza in Italy. Especially when the Italian olive oil, basil, and mozzarella are so remarkably delicious.

I have two words for you: pizza margherita.

And then you have to wash that incredible pizza down! For me, red wine doesn’t get any better than Chianti. Seriously, the stuff is insanely good and cheaper than water.

When you’ve gotten sick of pizza, that’s no problem. The different types of pasta, all handmade, combined with the different types of sauces ensures that it will take weeks before you have the same meal again.

Just beware, Italy is no place to go if you’re looking to loose weight.

Between Rome’s raw energy, delicious food, and ancient history, there’s really no reason not to visit.

So what are you waiting for?

Get on that plane and let me know what you think of Italy’s largest and most famous city.

This guest post is brought to us by Russell Grange of RussellGrange.com. Russell has long been one of my best friends and finds himself time after time in hilarious situations. Luckily for us, he’s an excellent writer. Enjoy!

A few days ago my brother and I were skiing in Park City and he started telling me about his awesome new job as a ski instructor for a company called “Special Ski Buddies.”  His job is to ski with handicapped people and be there to assist them, teach them, or just hang out and ski with them.  Most of the people he works with are only slightly handicapped, usually partially blind or an amputee.  He was telling me how rewarding of an experience it is to get out on the mountain with someone who is experiencing skiing for the first time, doing something they never thought possible.  His clients are always very appreciative and he comes home at the end of the day feeling invigorated and happy.  His most recent client was Kate, a cute 19 year old girl who was partially blind but could still manage to ski just fine with him next to her.

“Wow, that sounds amazing, what a cool experience.”

“Oh yeah, it’s just great, I love it.  I tell you what, we’re always looking for volunteers to come help out, you should come up sometime!”

“Oh definitely, I’d be willing to do that for sure.”

So just yesterday I had the day off from work and David called me up to see if I wanted to come up and join him on the mountain since they were shorthanded.  Normally there is an extensive training and certification process, but since David was my brother and could vouch for me, and since I was already first aid certified and had experience as a tour guide, they said it would be okay for me to jump right in and help out.  So I grabbed my skis and drove up to meet him at the lodge.  After a few quick introductions I joined him and the rest of the guides in a briefing before the bus arrived with our clients.  We all stood in a circle and Andy, the boss, started briefing everyone on who they would be skiing with today.  Most of the guides were assigned clients similar to the ones David had described to me, young people who were only slightly handicapped, very cool individuals.  I couldn’t help but hope that I would get assigned someone who was easy and mostly independent, since it was my first time.  And of course, getting a cute girl like Kate would be just fine with me as well.

David and I were the last to be assigned.

“Okay David, you did a great job with Kate the other day, she requested to have you back so you’ll be with her today.  As you know, she should be just fine on her own, just stick by her and show her a good time.  Okay?”

“Okay, no problem.”

Then it was my turn.

“Now Russell, thanks for helping us out today.  From what David tells us, I understand you have a lot of experience and are quite capable of handling a tough situation.”

“Um, well I don’t know about that, I mean, I used to take people snorkeling…”

“Great, well we sure appreciate it, we’re going to need your expertise today.”

“Expertise?  Well hold on, I only…”

“Listen up everyone, today we’re having Bob back with us.  As many of you may recall, he came out with us once before and it was, well, not a success.  But Russell has come in especially for this client and will be taking Bob around today.  If he needs any assistance I expect you all to help him out, understand?”  I heard a chorus of snickers go through the circle as I looked around in confusion, beginning to think there was a different “Russell” he must be talking about.  I looked over at David who was busy staring at the ceiling and wouldn’t match eyes with me.  “David?  David!  What did you get me in to?”  Before I could ask any questions the bus pulled up with all of our clients and everyone split up to go get suited up.  Andy came over and put his arm around me.

“Okay Russell, Bob is a good guy, don’t let the others make you nervous.  He just requires a little extra attention.”

“Well Andy, I appreciate your trust in me but this is just my first time, maybe I’m not the…”

“You’ll be fine, you’ve got a strong back and a positive attitude, that’s all you need.”

“Strong back?  Listen, I…”

“Now listen up.  Bob is severely handicapped physically, but mentally he is sharp as a tack, so don’t treat him like anything less than a perfectly capable human being, he takes strong offense to that, understand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Now, you’ll be seeing soon enough so I might as well tell you now.  Bob has no arms and no legs.”

I just blinked at him, waiting for the punchline.  He just looked back at me with a concerned look on his face.  I looked over my shoulder and watched all the passengers unloading from the bus.  Most appeared to not be handicapped in the slightest.  Their guides were waiting to sweep them away and get their skis put on.  I saw David give Kate a hug, a cute long haired blond girl with a huge smile.  He shot me a look over his shoulder as he quickly led her away to the ski area.  I turned back to Andy.

I was about to ask “How is this supposed to work?” but Andy was already holding a big black burlap sack.

“Bob can get pretty heavy in the backpack,” Andy said, “so if you need to take a break you just go ahead and do it.  Don’t let him push you too hard.”

“Backpack?” was all I could think to say.

“Let me take you over and introduce you.”

We walked over to the bus where everyone else had already retrieved their clients.  Bob was the last one off.  The bus driver lowered him on the lift, strapped into his wheelchair.  Andy led me over.  “Hello Bob!  We’re very happy to see you again!  This time you are going to have a fabulous experience, I promise.  This is Russell, our very best guide.”

“Nice to meet you Bob!” I said, stepping towards him and reaching out my hand to shake his.  My arm was only about three fourths extended when I realized what I was doing and I made a poor attempt to pretend I was swatting at a fly.  Bob didn’t say anything, just looked at me with a wrinkled brow, as if he was sizing me up.  Andy tried to step in to diffuse the awkwardness.

“Well Bob, let’s get you suited up and skiing, what do you say?”

I didn’t say much as they cinched the pack down on my back with a dozen different straps, then a couple guys lifted Bob and dropped him into the pack.  My knees about buckled and I probably would have gone down if Andy hadn’t steadied me.  They adjusted all the straps as I stood there feeling extremely awkward with Bob’s hot breathe on the back of my neck.  I saw David walking out the doors with Kate, both of them laughing and joking with each other, but they were too far away for me to call out to him.

“Alright, you’re all set!” said Andy.  “You two have a great time out there, ya hear?  Russell, why don’t you start out on the bunny hill, just to get a feel for everything, okay?  Then you two can decide what you want to do from there, but just take it easy and have fun, okay?”

I shuffled out onto the snow, still feeling extremely uncomfortable with this human being strapped to my back, especially with him not saying anything.  I tried talking to him.  “So Bob, you’ve done this before?”  He didn’t say anything.  I tried to look over my shoulder but of course the backpack spun out of sight.  I tried moving just my neck without moving the backpack, and I was able to crane my neck just far enough to find myself staring into Bob’s left eye, about an inch away, staring right back at me.  I quickly looked away.  “Well, let’s give this a shot, what do you say?” I said, trying to sound cheerful.  I started to shuffle towards to bottom of the bunny hill ski lift.

“We’re not doing the damned bunny hill,” said Bob.  I almost screamed out loud when he spoke, startled to hear someone talking an inch away from my ear.

“What’s that Bob?”

“Are you deaf?  I said we’re not doing the damned bunny hill.  Head for the big lift.”

“Well, if you don’t mind Bob, I’m sure you’re comfortable with the bigger mountains but this is my first time in this particular…situation… and if it’s okay with you I could use just a little warm up to get used to everything.”

“WE’RE NOT DOING THE DAMNED BUNNY HILL!!” Bob barked into my ear, then headbutted me in the back of my head.  A bunch of other skiers all turned to look at me and of course they all stopped dead in their tracks to stare at me.

“Bob!” I hissed back at him.  “Don’t ever head butt me!  Fine, we’ll go for the damned big hill, alright?”

I scooted over to the main lift and got in line.

“We don’t wait in line, go to the front,” Bob said.

“That’s okay, it’s just a short line, we’ll be on in just a minute or so.”

“GO TO THE FRONT!” Bob screamed into my ear again.  Once again, everyone turned and stared.  The lady next to me gasped and let out an “Oh!” when she saw what I had strapped to my back.  I felt my whole face turn red and I knew that I was going to kill David the first chance I got.”

So I tried to politely shuffle up the side past everyone to the front.  Fortunately no one gave us any lip, probably because I could feel Bob glaring at everyone as we went by.  The lift operator saw us coming and made sure we got a chair to ourselves.  I sat down at an angle to keep from squishing Bob.  Then we were on our way.  I tried again to talk with Bob, hoping to get off to a better start.

“So Bob, what did you do last time?  What do you like to do the most?”

No answer.

“Bob?”

After a long pause, he grumbled “We never made it to the skiing part.”

“Oh, okay.  Well then you’re in for a treat, you’re going to love it.”

No answer.  So we rode in silence up the lift.  Once to the top I slid off the chair and stopped at the crest of the hill.  “Okay Bob, now hold on…” (I cringed, wishing I hadn’t just said that) “…and here we go!  Just let me know if we’re going too fast or if you get uncomfortable, okay?”

No answer.  So I pointed my skis down hill and started to leisurely head down the easiest green run.  I had only gone about a hundred yards when we passed an incredibly steep ledge to our left marked with a double black diamond sign.  “GO LEFT!” barked Bob.  Once again, I about jumped out of my ski boots, having not heard from him in several minutes and trying to focus on my skiing while having an incredibly heavy weight on my back.

“Bob, I’m sorry man, I really can’t do that, it’s too dangerous!”

“GO LEFT!! GO LEFT!! GO LEFT!!”  My ears were ringing.

“Bob!!”  I gave the backpack an angry shake, trying to slosh him around a bit to get him to calm down but all it got me was a head butt in the back of my head again.”

“GO LEFT!!”

“FINE!” I shouted back.  I cut sharply to the left and got some air going off the ledge, hoping to scare him.  I landed hard on the snow and realized I’d made a big mistake.  It was just about a sheer cliff and there was no way I was going to be able to stop.  I had no choice but to just blaze down the mountain, carving when I could to try to slow myself down.  Bob took it upon himself to shout out each direction straight into my ear.

“RIGHT!!  LEFT!!  RIGHT!!  LEFT!!”  I was disappointed in myself to see that I was actually listening to his commands, following his directions.  It was preferable to any more head butts.  We were flying down the mountain, skis on fire, and Bob let out a yell.  “I’M DOING IT!!  I’M DOING IT!!  AHHHH!!!!”  It occurred to me then that Bob might have had a death wish and was using me to snuff him out.  “HEAD FOR THE TREES!”  Sadly, I didn’t argue, I just did as I was told.  We blasted into some deep powder that blanketed the forest and suddenly we were whizzing by hundreds of leafless Aspen trees in knee deep powder, which was pretty cool for about 2 seconds until my ski caught a hidden root and sent us both flying through the air.  I’m pretty sure I did a complete somersault in the air and came to a hard landing in deep powder, landing on my back.  Bob’s cry was immediately snuffed out as I buried him in the snow.  Unfortunately my skis stayed on and staked themselves in the snow, so I was stuck and unable to move.  I could feel Bob squirming under my back but I couldn’t even manage to sit up and give him some air.

“Bob!  You okay Bob!?  Hold on, I’ll get us out of here!”

After a good deal of thrashing about and straining, I was able to pop my skis off and finally sit up, expecting Bob to unleash a stream of profanities at me.  But Bob was loving it.  “Now THAT was awesome!  Oh man, what a rush!  You are THE MAN Randall!”

The rest of the day was awesome,  and Bob was nothing but a good sport.  He kept challenging other skiers to races and would call them some pretty filthy names when they refused, but other than that it was just great.  We spent a good several hours cruising all over the mountain until I was completely exhausted and we called it a day.  Bob and I sipped hot chocolate on the deck of the lodge while he smoked and I waited for David to finish up.  He and Kate eventually came cruising in and we all parted ways, agreeing that if we happened to meet up again we would definitely ski some runs together.  As David and I were walking away, Bob called out to me “Hey Rufus!  What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs in a pool?”

“I don’t know, what?”

“Bob!  HAHAHAHA!”

What a cool guy.

As the tour guiding season in America quickly approaches, I believe a catch up  is in order.

Over these last 2 months, I’ve literally circled the globe. Obviously, 2 months is nowhere near enough time to travel around the world, so I had to divide my trip in 3 general phases: Trekking in Nepal, Exploring Western Europe, and Sunning in Brazil.

Leg 1

The first leg of my journey took me from Vancouver, British Columbia to Nepal. In Nepal, I spent 3 incredible weeks trekking on top of the world.

Honestly, I would say these 3 weeks were the highlight of my 2 month circumnavigation of the globe (If you ask me when my girlfriends around, it’s when I was in Europe).

It wasn’t for the faint of heart though. We trekked 4-8 hours a day, endured temperatures reaching -20 at night, snow knee deep in sections, and air that only has half the amount of oxygen as it does at sea level. The trek tested my limits, but was an experience I will always cherish.

My buddy and I were staying in teahouses for 30 cents a night, experiencing culture that’s polar opposite of what were used to in the west, and seeing with our own eyes the largest mountains on Earth. They didn’t disappoint.

To put it simply, if this kind of thing sounds cool to you, DO IT!

And the sooner the better as they are attempting to build roads into the Himalaya allowing greater access to more tourists. That’s great news if you like vacations in large tour groups, but disastrous if you like the remote wilderness.

Leg 2

From Nepal I flew to Europe to spend 3 weeks with my girlfriend. Every weekend we set out and explored a different part of Western Europe.

The first weekend, we went 4 hours north to Hamburg, Germany. It was cold!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a frozen river before until Hamburg. Luckily, it was still sunny outside so we could still explore between periods of reprieve in coffee shops.

The second weekend we went to Luxembourg City, Luxemburg for one night followed by Strasb0urg, France for one night. Both cities are architecturally beautiful and the influence from France meant extremely good wine and cheese.

Strasbourg was particularly beautiful with it’s Petite France, a medieval area of Strasbourg that hasn’t changed for hundreds of years.

On our last weekend together, we flew to Siena, Italy. I used to live in Siena as a student, but hadn’t returned for five years. Floods of memories came rushing back as I returned to a town I so love.

Kudos to my girlfriend for putting up with me as I told her story after story about what happened on every street corner and pub that we passed as we strolled down the cobblestone streets.

On one of our days in Siena, we decided to sign up for a Chianti Wine Tour. We were told that the tour hosted up to 15 passengers, would take us to a winery, and 2 Tuscan hill towns. For 32 euro, we were both game.

What we didn’t expect was to be the only people signed up for the tour in all of Siena! So essentially, we got a private wine tour through Tuscany with a fantastic tour guide who bent over backwards to ensure we had an incredible experience.

The combination of a private tour, great tour guide, and as much wine as we could consume made the tour one for the memory books. Or at least I think so.

Leg 3

From frozen Europe, I flew to tropical Brazil to de-thaw and work on my tan. It’s crazy that I could be in the dead of winter and within 12 hours be in the middle of summer with flowers blooming.

This was my second time to Brazil and this go around I came less for the party and more to chill on a beach. And that’s exactly what I did.

From Rio de Janeiro, I went south to the relaxed island of Ilha Grande and colonial town of Paraty. Both places gave me ample opportunity to get golden brown, do a bit of snorkeling in the crystal clear blue waters, and hike through rainforest to viewpoints of mainland Brazil and surrounding islands.

From Paraty, I took an 18 hour bus journey further south to Florianopolis. And guess what I did there? You guessed it! Chilled on a beach and worked on my tan. Throw in a few Caipirinhas (the national drink of Brazil) and I was in heaven.

As of March 13th, I returned back to U.S. and will be starting my tours of America during the first part of April.

It’s great to be back home in Portland, Oregon and enjoying the luxuries of modern age living. I’ll be spending the next 2 weeks catching up on American T.V. and movies, sleeping in my pillow top bed, having hot water showers every day.

Life is good!

I LOVE kebabs. Therefore, I love Turkey.

There’s nothing better.

Combine this with the incredible natural wonders of Pammukale and Cappadocia and who wouldn’t want to visit?

The great thing is that flights to Bodrum are as cheap as ever. The best kebab I ever had was in Bodrum so get on the bandwagon!

I’ll be awaiting your thanks once you get your hands on this delicious piece of heaven.

Pammukale

Natural infinity pools anybody?

Only 250km or a half day’s drive away from Bodrum, this is a superb natural wonder to check out.

The calcium rich waters have left these pools with a grippy, white layer of deposits that’s easy on the feet as well as the eyes.

As the suns’ light reflects off the pools and you look out over the valley below, it’s easy to see why this area is so popularly photographed.

Just be sure to watch out for the Russian tourists who seem to think they’re soon to be the world’s next top model.

Sabotaging a photo!

I couldn’t help but laugh as the aspiring models drug their poor boy-toys around taking photos at every turn and angle possible. As the girls pouted their lips, I tried to look menacing in the background.

I can only hope I made a few people back in Russia chuckle as they look to a strange man making strange faces in the background.

Cappadocia

Cappadocia a.k.a. mountain biker paradise is a place like no else on the planet. It’s almost as if you’re in a fairy-tale world in some science fiction novel.

Here, rock spires shoot straight up out of the ground, a product of millions of years of wind and water erosion.

The local inhabitants have found a way to flourish in this environment by literally building their homes and lives into the rock spires. This makes for an “out of this world” feel as you hike, bike, and explore this amazing location.

My hostel was even built inside one of these spires. My bed was literally cut into the side of a stone wall where it stays cool in the heat and warm in the cold. It was like sleeping in a cave, which I’d be willing to bet very few of us do on a reoccuring basis.

Personally, I rented a mountain bike and cruised through Cappadocia while rocking out to my i-pod. Not only was it a relaxing and cool experience, but I covered more ground than I would on foot in 3 days. And for less than $10 a day, who couldn’t pass up the opportunity?

You can also take a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the top of this magical region (if you’re willing to shell out $300.) Although not cheap, I’ve been told it’s an experience you won’t ever forget.

Now to come full circle back to the kebabs. Unfortunately, the United States hasn’t really caught onto the kebab craze that engulfs Europe. Just like Starbucks in the U.S., kebab shops are on nearly every street corner in Europe.

And for good reason. They’re scrumptious!

So what better place to have a kebab than where it originally started?

So here’s my call to action: Get out there and start the revolution. Kebabs are the future and you can either jump on the bandwagon or be left behind. I know where I’ll be and it starts with K and ends with BAB!

Cape Town is a magical place.

It REALLY is!

And the good thing for all of us is that flights to South Africa are cheaper and more numerous than ever.

Nowhere else in the world can you find a city so perfectly set with so much to offer to its visitors.

In the same day you can be diving with Great White Sharks, enjoying breathtaking views from Table Mountain, and tasting some of the finest wines in the world. Combine that with friendly South Africans and you’ve got yourself a winning combination!

Diving With Great Whites

For just around $200, I had the opportunity to dive in “Shark Alley,” a feeding ground for Great White Sharks.

Although it may sound scary, it’s in a very controlled environment. I, along with 5 others, hopped into a large steel cage attached to the side of a boat.

Meanwhile, the crew above were chumming the water drawing Great Whites closer. From above, the 6 sharks circling the cage could easily be seen, but from water level, it wasn’t quite that easy.

Everytime a shark came near, screams from above would alarm us of the proximity and location of the majestic creature. In their environment, Great Whites don’t seem scary at all. They just glide calmly around for your viewing pleasure.

And then when it suits them, they go after the tuna heads, used for chumming, at alarming speed. It’s like a switch turns on in them and they don’t seem quite so friendly anymore.

While I was in the cage, I was fortunate enough to see 3 sharks (one 15 feet or 5 meters long) cruising as well as one chase after a seal. (For you seal lovers out there, I’m pretty sure it got away as the water didn’t turn to a crimson red.)

The experience really puts you in your place as you realize you’re definitely not at the top of the food chain anymore.

Although you may think what you want about the ethics of chumming water to lure sharks in, the experience is something that people will never forget. And hopefully it will help people understand that Great Whites aren’t as bad as they’re made out to be, just simply misunderstood.

Table Mountain

View of the city from Table Mountain

Often mislabled “Table TOP Mountain,” Table Mountain offers spectacular views of Cape Town and its’ surroundings.

There are two ways to get to the top: Hike or take the cable car. If you’re time crunched then the cable car is the obvious choice.

However, if you have the time, I highly recommend hiking to the top. The views continue to get better the higher you climb and the peaceful setting lets your mind ease. Just be sure to follow the signs properly or else your 2 hour hike will turn into 5 hours, as it did in my case.

Regardless, I can only think of one other city (Rio de Janeiro) that’s as remarkeably set as Cape Town. Sandwiched between the sea and Table Mountain, Cape Town is almost impossible not to fall in love with.

Wine Tasting

South Africa boasts some of the finest wines in the world. And for less than $100, I enjoyed a fine tour of the wine country just outside of Cape Town.

The best part about a wine tour is that you’re guide does all the driving, leaving you to enjoy the finer things in life.

In my case, the tour started at 9 and by the afternoon I was well on my way to beligerance. Do this with a group of friends and you’re sure to have a good time. Even if done alone, strangers will soon become friends at the rate they pour wine down your throat.

For those who know a little about wines (they all sorta taste the same to me), the guides are extremely knowledgeable about the different varieties in the region.

So quite honestly, the tours cater to clients in whatever way they like, whether it be a drunken party or knowledgable outting.

And all these amazing experiences are no more than 2 hours from Cape Town.

So the next time your planning a vacation, give Cape Town serious consideration. There’s no place like it anywhere in the world.

To catch some of you up, I’ve spent the last 2 weeks in Nepal. During that time, I trekked the Annapurna Circuit for 11 days, which is said to be one of the top treks in the world.

Done. Dusted. Complete!

Ryan-1, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal-0.

I’ve climbed to the highest I’ve ever been in my life (18,000ft, 5416m), saw some of the most incredible views imaginable, and conquered one of the toughest challenges I’ve ever faced.

It's tough, but it's worth it!

And now I sit in front of a computer in Germany telling you about it. It’s almost like a weird dream to be connected back to the outside world after going off the map for the last few weeks.

It’s even weirder when I consider I now have hot water at my disposal, internet, heating, and a bed that’s not literally rock hard. That said, I wouldn’t trade my experience in Nepal for anything. It was nothing short of AMAZING!

My buddy, Cailan, and I both agree that trekking through the Himalaya is a MUST for everyone at least once in their lifetime.

That said, the Annapurna Circuit is no walk in the park. It’s a strenuous (10 day minimum to however long you want) trek up to probably the highest trekking pass you will ever get to without crampons.

Suspension bridge over rivers mark the beginning of the trek

It traverses terraced rice fields to river gorges to high alpine valleys to finally mountain passes.

And it does so at a fairly rapid ascent and descent, which keeps you constantly on your toes. You never know if you may be scaling the side of a cliff around the next bend.

And in my opinion, January or February (the offseason) are the very best times to visit the Himalaya. My buddy and I were literally the only native English speakers we saw on the trail for an entire 10 days.

Hell, we only ran into 5 other tourists the entire time!

And that’s what we really wanted out of it. A sense of adventure, even if the trail is well worn during certain times of the year.

For entire days we would only see locals, which gave us a sense that we were out in the middle of nowhere. I suppose it wasn’t too far from the truth.

The beauty of the offseason is that we had entire teahouses to ourselves. Sometimes, we were the only foreigners in the entire town!

For those of you unfamiliar with teahouse treks, we walked from town to town during the day and stayed the night in teahouses that offer shelter, food, and a bed for weary trekkers along the trail.

It was exactly what we were looking for. Because let’s face it, even if it’s a popular trekking route, who wants to be trekking alongside and behind hundreds of other tourists? It just wouldn’t feel right to me.

And prices are cheap. And by cheap, I mean 30 cents a night for a bed type of cheap! For the entire 2 weeks, I didn’t spend more than $400. That’s what I call a bargain.

How many people can say they went on vacation and was money ahead?!

Another reason to go trekking in the Himalaya now is because they are building roads to get massive amounts of tourists to these moutains with as little effort as possible. To me, that just sorta seems like cheating. And who wants to be hiking next to crazed Nepali drivers who refuse to lay off their horn while deisel exhaust pours out the back of buses built in the 1960’s?

It just seems like that would defeat the whole purpose of going trekking in the mountains. Luckily for us, they still have a long way to go to build these roads. I’m told they are supposed to be completed in 3-4 years, however I don’t really see how that’s possible given the fact that they have the biggest mountains in the world to blast through in order to build such a road.

My hope is that they just forget this whole road business. However, I think it’s just a pipe dream.

One downside to going in the offseason is that it’s cold! And by cold, I mean -10 to -15 cold. It’s the kind of cold you feel in your bones and makes your nostrils burn every breath you take. Luckily, the more you move, the warmer you get and as you near the altitude where it gets this type of cold, you’re moving quite a bit. Usually in the uphill direction.

The final days are marked by uphill climbs, usually quite cold

Also, services tend to stop during the offseason like buses. At the end of our trek, we hoped to catch a bus down the valley. However, there was no bus service so we were forced to hoof it for 5 hours. Not what we planned, but the view was nice, it was downhill, and we weren’t time crunched.

However, if you were on a time schedule, this could be a HUGE problem.

Now about the trek in general.

I truly mean it when I say this was the best trekking of my life. The Himalaya literally shoot straight up out of the ground. There aren’t really any slopes to these mountains. They’re just vertical sheer faces of rock that rise higher than any other place on Earth.

If there’s a place to find religion, it would probably be here.

Unbelievable views!

The views are to die for, but the Nepali people equally enhanced the trip. I can say with confidence that I’ve never met a more friendly, welcoming, and helpful nationality as the Nepali’s in all my travels (at least those outside of the big cities).

We were constantly amazed at how hospitable the Nepali people are even with what little they have. Given the fact that we were the only ones in town, we really got to see the people for who they are. To say the least, I was impressed.

Now to the food.

DELICIOUS! People always told me that I would definitely get sick off the food in Nepal. However, I never had one problem and I ate what the locals ate. Either the Nepali’s have cleaned up their act or it’s just a bad rumor, but I never got sick once off their food.

And I’ve officially been converted to curry. Mmmmm….

I truly feel blessed to have spent the last 2 weeks in Nepal. It was an absolutely incredible experience marked with great food, incredible people, and amazing views.

And I’ll say it one more time: The Himalaya is a place everybody should experience at least once in their lifetime. I guarantee it’s something you won’t ever forget.

Who wouldn't want views like this?

]]> http://followmeeverywhere.com/travel/trekking-on-top-of-the-world/feed 4 http://followmeeverywhere.com/travel/ryans-travel-2012 http://followmeeverywhere.com/travel/ryans-travel-2012#comments Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:36:18 +0000 admin http://followmeeverywhere.com/?p=2396 As I’m sitting here in my folks nice comfortable living room with a cup of coffee, fast wifi, my dog, and a fully stocked refrigerator, I realize that it will be the last time I’m going to live this comfortably for a while. Travel is rough isn’t it? Tomorrow I embark on a journey to the highest [...]]]>

As I’m sitting here in my folks nice comfortable living room with a cup of coffee, fast wifi, my dog, and a fully stocked refrigerator, I realize that it will be the last time I’m going to live this comfortably for a while.

Travel is rough isn’t it?

Tomorrow I embark on a journey to the highest mountains in the world, the Himalayas of Nepal!

For 2 weeks, I’m going to attempt to trek the Annapurna Circuit (weather cooperating) with a one of my best friends that I’ve known since kindergarten.

When I tell most people I’m hiking through the Himalayas, they give me a puzzled look and ask, “Have you trained for that?”

My answer is yes, but I reality I’ve just been to the gym everyday for the last 2 weeks, drank marginally less than what is normal for the holidays, and hope that my relatively young age will work to my advantage.

That said, the Annapurna Circuit is a well traveled, not overly difficult trek with mountain views that are said to be some of the best in the world. I’m stoked.

My buddy, Cailan, and I have a vague idea of what the plan and route is once we arrive to Kathmandu, but have left things a bit undefined so that there’s a little more adventure in the trip. And the fact that the entire thing depends on weather and we won’t know what that will be until we arrive.

Armed with a new digital camera, a guidebook, and backpacks weighing less than 25 pounds each, we are hitting the trail and not looking back.

We will be staying in tea houses along the way, which dot the trail every few hours. The tea houses provide food, shelter, and water to trekkers. So nobody should worry about us while we are away (that’s more directed at my worrying family). It definitely should be an experience worth writing about when I return.

The last time I did something like this was on the Na Pali coast in Kauai. 1 summer sausage, 1 hammock, and an ultraviolet light water purifier. I survived!

At the end of January, I return to Germany just after having been there in December. I’ll spend 3 weeks in Germany and celebrate Carnival in Cologne which is said to have one of the biggest and best Carnival celebrations in the world (I’ve already been to Rio for the biggest).

During that time, I’ll be returning to Siena, Italy where I once lived and studied for 3 months in 2007. I’m very excited to return to the place that has had so much influence on who I am today.

Italy was where I think the “travel bug” really took hold and is when I decided that travel wasn’t just for leisure for me, but was a part of who I am.

And I can’t wait to indulge in the euro bottles of Chianti. Life is good indeed!

After Germany and Italy, I’m flying to Rio de Janeiro to do a short 2 month stint of traveling through South America. I’ll be reunited (for the 3rd time) with friends that I met on my first euro trip in 2007 and will primarily stick to Brazil, Argentina and then move northwards if time allows.

By that time, it should be around April and I’ll be starting my tour guiding season in North America. If you’re interested at all in seeing America, check out TrekAmerica.com, which is the tour company I work for. We do 50+ tours through all the best locations in North America and it’s an incredible time. Who knows, maybe I could be your guide!

As it may be a while before I return to FME, may you all have a fantastic New Year and I’ll be in touch once I return from the mountains of Nepal.

And remember, life’s too short not to enjoy. If traveling is what you love, get out there and do it. Nobody is stopping you!