The trek
I know you’ve all been clamoring for the trekking edition of this newsletter but chill out okay?! I’ve been busy! I’m in BALI.
Where to begin.. when Julia and I planned this trip months ago it was to trek. India, Indonesia, happy add-ons. So I should have a lot to say about it. I’ll do my best. The trekking route wound around Mt. Manaslu, the eighth highest peak in the world and the cutest lil double horned baby you ever did see. Can you tell I’m tipsy writing this? **it’s ok to be envious I am sitting poolside, watching the sun set over the ocean, drinking rose. Sorry you're green.
Let’s get some facts and figures out of the way. Like I said, one of the tallest mountains in the world. The trek itself involved eleven days of hiking, 120 miles, we reached an elevation of 5,180 meters, and it was fucking cold.
Tea-house trekking is not like backpacking. Every day we hiked through river valleys, past waterfalls so tall we couldn’t see the top, through monkey-filled jungles, along glaciers. We watched avalanches tumble into glacial lakes, saw mountain peaks light up as the sun rose, and climbed high enough to watch eagles fly by below.
Every night we slept in charming guesthouses nestled between the snow-capped mountains. We ate dal bhat and fried rice around wood burning fires in cozy dinning rooms. We played cards and went to bed early. Pretty much paradise (albeit a different type of paradise than the one I’m currently enjoying).
That’s not to say it was all 10/10, Julia narrowly avoided a donkey trampling, my shoes busted apart, and we stressed about landslides. Sometimes the chow mein was made with spaghetti noodles.. sometimes the dal was a tad watery.
In seriousness, the isolation of hiking for two weeks through challenging terrain was a mental exercise as much as a physical one. Maybe more so. At times I felt like I had always been on that trail and always would be. Little anxieties became all consuming. News from the outside world pushed in, shaking our little cotillion of hikers. And still everyday we hiked.
But the Himalayas are pure magic. To my travel buddy Julia, our guide Rajesh, our new bffs, and all the trail friends we made on the way, thank you for one of the most insane adventures of my life.
Anyways time to go! Beaches to see and all that. Ttyl!
Julia and I at Larkya La Pass 5,106 meters up
Could’ve done without the bridges
Little rest
Too happy
What are rules anyway
Tibetan bread breakfast
Glaciers. Look for the people and try to understand the scale of it all
Resting in our tin can accommodation at 4,460 meters. Literally four mattress pushed together on the ground
Sunrise hitting Manaslu