After a minor detour to Hong Kong...a short stint in Delhi...and 48 hours (yes 2 days) of continual travel on Indian and Nepalese public transportation...I finally arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal!
You see, I'd been riding the local bus for the past 8 hours from the border town to Kathmandu. Aboard I was the only Westerner and was dropped off on a desolate street, in pitch black darkness, at 0230 in the morning. I only knew to disembark because when the bus stopped they pointed at me, shouted some words, and tossed my luggage off the bus. So there I was standing with my enormous backpacker bag and heaps of other items (I can't seem to ever lighten my load) and completely overburdened to walk any great distance. I had little money, no map, no guide book, and no plan (I'm what you call a spontaneous travler) but conveniently there were a few cabbies waiting for those latenight/early travelers to be dumped out in no man's land and, for an outrageous price, be taken to their accommodation, which by the way I had none (I'm sure about now my family is stressing at my wonderful travel techniques but it really does work best for me). Luckily I had them take me to the only place I'd heard of, The Kathmandu Guest House and though everywhere else was closed they have 24-hour security guards who opened the gates and allowed me to rest in the lobby, for the next 8 hours.
It was peak season and I was fortunate enough to get a room at the Guest House. Once settled I rested and then began planning the next stint of my trip. I'd come to Nepal with the hopes of trekking and after researching my options, figured my best bet would be the Annapurna Circuit - a 300km loop which takes you to an altitude of 5,416 m (17,768 ft) and an average of 15 days to complete but I was planning on taking a bit longer to enjoy the sights. I was prepared to do the trek solo but was much happier when I'd soon befriended Mark and Reb, both would become my future trekking partners. We spent a few days in Kathmandu, preparing ourselves for the trek and then made our way to Pokhara where we'd obtain our trekking permit and finish any last minute tasks before taking off.
Since we'd be hiking over ENORMOUS mountains at heights which aren't even imaginable in Florida and without the aid of porters (people who carry your loads for you). I really had to lighten my load. It was going to be down to essentials only! So I packed the following:
1 x tshirt
1x tank top
2 x pants
1 x long sleeve top
3 x pairs of socks
1 x hike boots
1 x flip flops
many underwear (come on...good hygiene is essential and my grandma always told me it's always good to have on a clean pair of underwear esp if I may end up in the hospital)
2 x thermal pullovers
1 x set of thermal underwear
1 x long skirt (essential for travel in hot weather as women don't show their legs in Nepal or wear pants)
1 x wool hat for warmth
1 x gloves
1 x first aid kit because Reb's is non-existent and Mark's is so-so
1 x down jacket
1 x wind breaker
1 x warm jacket (lots of jackets I know but I'm from FL...it never snow there!)
1 x book
1 x water bottle with drinking apparatus
1 x bottle of iodine tablets
1 x bag filled with chocolates and goodies (no arguing here...these were ESSENTIAL esp since things are much more expensive and non-existent at the mtn pass)
1 x silk sleep liner
1 x down sleeping bag
1 x small bag of toiletries (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush) which was shared by me and Reb
1 x torch/headlamp
I may be missing a thing or two but that's the bulk of it.
In the end my pack ending being the heaviest (~14 kg) even though I was the smallest and lightest but I used everything I brought and wasn't reluctant on anything, especially the cold weather gear. A Florida girl can never be too warm in snowy conditions!
