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!
