I went with a different guide, who also operated the small internet shop next to the hotel. He spoke better English and was offering the tour “at cost” meaning he would not be earning a profit. I don’t know why. My guide from the first day said such a move was designed to “destroy” him. […]
Adventures
Kayaking Ang Thong National Marine Park
The real life inspiration for the beach in Alex Garland’s novel, ” The Beach,”? is part of the Ang Thong National Marine Park. As I was finding the cost of living noticeably higher in Thailand than Nepal or India, I decided to adopt a more prudent approach to my sightseeing. In other words, Mr. Ung’s […]
Day 4 – A Return To Civilization
On our fourth and final morning of the trek, I awoke with surprisingly little soreness in my legs and body. And my headache was gone, again. Harold and I packed up our stuff, ate breakfast, and we were all on our way back to McLeod Ganj. A dog we had fed leftovers to the prior […]
Day 3 (cont.) – Dangerous Descent
When the photos were taken, the Tibetan freedom video shot, and the food consumed, we began our descent into the now cloud-shrouded valley. I was glad to have finished one of my two bottles of water so I could use both of my hands to steady myself on the way down. The first stretch of […]
Free Tibet!
Video Dedication Of My Climb The world’s attention is on the Chinese government in light of the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympics. To find out more about the Tibetan cause and how you can help, see the International Campaign for Tibet’s website.
Day 3 – Redemption At 4,320 Meters
We initially planned to wake at 5am, and head up to the pass at 6am, however there was a rain delay of an hour. I was again thankful to awake with no headache. A light breakfast of cornflakes, hard boiled eggs, and tea was served. Around 7:15am, Ashok lead Harold and I across the glacier, […]
Day 2, Crossing The Snowline
I was glad my headache had disappeared after 5-6 hours of solid sleep. Our second day was to be an easy one (2 hours walking, 300m gain) which would allow us to further acclimatize before the big climb on day three. Ashok cooked up some amazing banana porridge, omelettes, and toast which were served with […]
Day 1 – Heading Into The Mountains
If I were as auspicious as Tibetans, I might have taken the giant black scorpion which appeared in my room the morning my trek was to begin as a bad sign. Instead, I wondered how to get rid of it. As the little beast scuttled toward the protection of my bed, I grabbed two pieces […]
Arranging A Trek To Indrahar Pass
I stopped into Eagle’s Height Trekkers one afternoon to gather some information about local trekking opportunities. The owner went over the details of the two options of most interest to me, a two day trek to the snowline (Laka Got glacier) and a four day trek to the top of 4,300-meter Indrahar Pass of the […]
Rafting Nepal’s Kali Gandaki River
I was still having trouble bringing myself to leave Pokhara so I signed up for a 3-day/2-night rafting trip through Paddle Nepal/Ultimate Descents. I chose a trip on one of Nepal’s holiest rivers, the Kali Gandaki. It offered class III and IV rapids, so I knew it’d be exciting without scaring the hell out of […]