As per usual, here is a video hi-lighting a lot of our photography from our trip to Nepal, plus some Blair-Witch styled video footage, all rolled into one delightful video, complete with Nepalese soundtrack.

Enjoy!

**A week ago we traveled to Nepal.  The posts that you will see over the next few days are excerpts from my travel journal recounting our trip.**

We both woke up surprisingly warm considering we were staying in a room made out of plywood without any heat. I guess that’s what 4 blankets will do for you! We pulled the “curtain” back, and we had such a stunning view of a mountain. It immediately pulled us out of bed at 6:00 a.m. ready to get trekking for the day. After a quick, but hearty breakfast, we were on our way.

Our “guide” set off with us and we walked along taking in the glorious views. I’m not exactly sure when things took a turn, but all of a sudden we found ourselves gasping for air, chests tightening, heads “floating.” It was compounded by the fact that our trek became colder and steeper. At one point we were told by fellow trekkers that it would be a steady steep incline for the last 2-2.5 hours.

I’m not even sure that “discouraged” adequately describes the emotion I was feeling. I was tired, my body was slowly shutting down, and the altitude was getting to me. I don’t even know how many times I paused in our 7 hour trek; nor can I (nor will I) admit how many times I said, “I can’t do this.” There were other dramatic statements declared as well, but ultimately my #1 encourager, Peter, kept me going. That, and the snickers bar I ate in 7 pieces.

Seeing as our “guide” didn’t speak any English (I think he muttered 3 words the whole trip, and not at once.), we couldn’t even ask “Are we there yet?!” So we had to rely on conflicting reports, and hear things like, “Oh I remember that part; it was the worst!” Stellar.

Anyway, enough of the melodrama (for now). We rounded a corner and we realized that we were at a check point for Namche Bazaar, so we knew we were almost there. At this point I could barely feel my toes, and every muscle in the lower half of my body was screaming, “Why?! Why would you attempt to climb the Himalayas when your only source of ‘physical exercise’ consists of climbing the stairs at school?!’”

I still don’t have a good reason other than it seemed cool. And cool it was; as we took step by slow step down and up the muddied trail into the village of Namche.

We had some confusion with our “guide” about finding the hotel we wanted, so we ended up eating soup in this random restaurant with an old woman humming the same 3-note tune over and over while continually flipping from Bollywood channel to Bollywood channel. We were still debating going on to the hotel we’d heard about that has a view of Everest. However, the journey of 1 hr. seemed insane and we were told it wasn’t clear enough to see it.

So we took that as a sign to settle in Namche. It’s a good thing we did because not even 15 minutes later it started pouring rain. And then as I settled in to write this journal entry, it started snowing. All things considered, I think warming by the fire with a thermos of hot lemon tea was a much better plan.

We sat chatting with various other travellers, warming up and relaxing. Dinner was a bit of a scene though. I ordered a “hamburger” and when it arrived, it was 3 slices of spam on a bun. Umm… no thanks. So we sent it back and asked for a veggie burger instead. Well, that eventually returned, but they stuck it on my existing bun and served it cold with cold fries. Not cool. Or is it? Anyway, I finally got it but was almost not hungry at that point. After that we headed off to bed early seeing as we both had headaches from altitude adjustments.

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Read more about our trip to Nepal…

Nepal: Day 1

Nepal: Day 2

Nepal: Day 4

Nepal: Days 5-7

Nepal: Day 8

**A week ago we traveled to Nepal.  The posts that you will see over the next few days are excerpts from my travel journal recounting our trip.**

At some point during the evening the music stopped and things in Kathmandu settled into a comfortable silence. I know this because I was awake for much of the night. I think it was a mix of jet lag, sweating and not being able to turn off my mind. With turning 29 and having a scheduled power outage (thus no power for our alarm clock to catch an early flight), and being concerned about flying to the “most dangerous airport in the world”…I was not able to sleep.

Regardless of my worry, we woke up just fine, at a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, with a side of sweet ‘n’ sour hash browns. We at on our hotel’s terrace overlooking the stacked buildings, swooping birds and trees and flowers of all kinds. They all neatly fit together in a multi-coloured hodge podge. It’s hard to tell which buildings existed first.

After breakfast we were taken by our driver back to the airport to the domestic section to catch our flight to Lukla. He let us off at this random gate with the advice to just “go down there and you will see line.” …So we got out, walked outside on this rough trail, past a random monkey, and tons of people (none whom looked like they were flying anywhere), towards a run-down building. Now, the flight on a dinky plane to the “most dangerous airport in the world” was worrisome enough… but now this, a very dilapidated building, added to my concern.

We pushed past the crowds and into what appeared to be the Nepalese airport version of the New York Stock Exchange. There were tourists, locals, backpacks, crates of resources, and it was all happening very loudly in every chaotic direction. We both kind of laughed and then dove into the craziness and headed toward the “flight counter” that said “Lukla.” We moved around the desk trying to squeeze in amongst the others. Eventually we were given tickets and told to go to our gate. So we went through some pretty relaxed security and passed through these curtains. All of a sudden it was like we’d entered another world. There were regular airport seats and large windows facing the tarmac. It all seemed so relaxed and civilized in comparison.

We met up with the father-son duo we’d met the previous day and we all revelled in the check-in “process” we’d just been through. No sooner had we arrived than we were rushed out for our flight. When we checked the time it was barely 8:30 a.m., and yet our flight was scheduled for 9:20. As it turns out, there are no “real” flight times. They’re merely “suggestions.” What really happens is that when enough people check in, they go. So apparently they were ready.

Our small gaggle of passengers were taken by bus to our tiny plane. We loaded the 18-seater where we held our bags on our laps. We also could see the entire cockpit. It was both interesting and unnerving.

We took off with the engine humming in our ears. We were offered cotton balls and candies to help adjust to the sound and cabin pressure. The mountainous terrain was quite stunning as we soared quite closely to it. Our fellow plane companions were practically on the edges of their seats as they snapped photos and filmed the journey. You could sense the excitement and anticipation, thick amongst the gore-tex-clad trekkers.

As we began our descent, I decided not to look up due to the fact that we were about to land on a 420m runway that ends directly at a brick wall.

My fears were allayed when we landed smoothly on this mountainside “airport.” We hopped out and our guide was there with a sign all ready to go. We walked through the village of Lukla with only a brief stop to go to the toilet and for the locals to record our trekking passes.

After that we were on our way. Our guide (who, by the way doesn’t speak a word of english and who is probably only 18 years old) carried my pack which made things pretty easy for me. It was hard to take in all the incredible scenery around me while simultaneously trying not to step in animal dung.

Nevertheless, our rocky path led us through some truly magnificent views of the Himalayas. It seems to be layers of lush green grass, trees, bushes, all nestled into the mountains, with some homes and monasteries scattered throughout. Birds were chirping, the bells of the herds of cattle and donkeys were clanging.

We passed dozens of Buddhist prayer wheels where trekkers and sherpas all took turns spinning them, listening to the chiming bells, as they hoped for protection, peace and prosperity.

We paused briefly here and there along the trail to catch our breath, drink water and eat copious amounts of trail mix.

The morning was perfectly overcast with a fairly warm breeze and just a sprinkling of rain. We stopped more officially around 12:00 or so, after we’d been hiking for 3-3.5 hours. We settled in at the Shangri-La Guest House where we we warmed up with a bowl of fresh, hot soup. We rested and chatted with fellow trekkers, just enjoying the afternoon.

As we sat, we realized the rain had picked up, and instead of a light mist, it was legitimately pouring. So it was in that moment that we chose to settle there for the rest of the day. This is vacation, after all. So we sat in a room by a pot of charcoal staying warm, eating snacks and generally chatting the afternoon away to the sound of the pitter patter of raindrops. It was absolutely lovely and relaxing.

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Read more about our trip to Nepal…

Nepal: Day 1

Nepal: Day 3

Nepal: Day 4

Nepal: Days 5-7

Nepal: Day 8

We had finished Church, taxied home and had eaten a delicious lunch of leftovers.  It was then that we set out to walk to another Church to meet up with friends for an afternoon in the desert.

We walked along busy, dusty roads in the glorious sunshine, recapping our weeks and excitedly chatting about the upcoming drive out into the desert of Kuwait.

Upon reaching our destination we eventually met up with various friends from our weekly Bible study and even work, and boarded a mini bus desert-bound.

The bus passed many stalls set up along the highway selling flags and other such paraphernalia for Kuwait National Day coming up next week.  It was fun to see the various homes and cares joining together in pride for their our country.

We arrived mid-day in the heat of the sun, passing piles of sand, lots of families and various dead sheep.  We set up our humble picnic amidst desert flowers, sand and garbage (the latter being the least enjoyable of the three).  We ate, chatted and enjoyed some much-needed vitamin D. The weather was perfect, really.  A little hazy, but comfortable and warm.

Our afternoon was spent amongst fine friends climbing up to the top of Mutler Ridge (the highest point in Kuwait…and since Kuwait is a desert, let’s be real, the ridge isn’t that high…).  We had a beautiful view, and it felt kind of like walking on the moon with all of its pebbles, neutral tones, dips, and dives.  It would be a perfect location for a picnic.  (Note to self: make that happen!)

After sufficient exploration up top, we climbed back down (going down is always worse than going up!), played some frisbee (who am I kidding, Peter played frisbee, I took pictures), and then took the bus back into the City around dusk.  It was a fantastic end to our Friday.

Close your eyes and imagine with me. Okay wait – don’t close your eyes yet. Read this first, and then close your eyes and imagine…

…mountains and mountains of golden-red sand rushing through your toes, warm-hot air swirling around you, the smell of wild camels… that’s what summarized our day in Abu Dhabi.

While Abu Dhabi is known as the capital of the UAE, filled with all the big-city charms, we chose to by-pass most of that and headed for a 4×4 experience out in the desert. We were pleased that we did!

Our 4×4 was filled with us, my parents and another older retired couple from Holland. We had a driver that loved a mix of 90s power-ballads and pop Arabic music. Nothing says “We’re driving through the desert” like “I will always love you…”

Anyway, it was probably the most intense 4x4ing experience I’ve ever had! We literally drove down mountains of flowing sand, side-ways. There were definitely moments where I pondered “umm…what would happen if this jeep rolled over?” Yah. But it didn’t!

As we slid down one dune and sped around to catch up with the other 4x4s in our convoy, we happened upon a mother camel caring for her newborn baby that had just been born that morning. We’re talking the umbilical cord was still attached, the baby was still damp with grayish-white hair, and although it was attempting to stand up, it kept crumpling back down into the sand. INSANE!!!! On one hand I felt so sad to be intruding on such a private moment for this mother and baby; but on the other I am so glad that we got to see such an incredible moment in nature.  It’s a moment that will stay with me for a long time.

We drove along for an hour or two, with our driver continually satisfying our need for thrill-seeking, until we arrived at a semi-permanent Bedouin-styled camp set up for us to enjoy a lovely buffet of mouth-watering middle eastern eats. Mounds of rice, tabbouleh and hummus were among my favourites. My parents even got the chance to ride a camel while Peter tried his hand (or feet?) at sand-boarding.

People might say that the desert is barren, boring, and not even worth visiting.  But I can tell you, as someone who now lives in the middle east and has seen at least 4 desert areas in the last few years, the desert is full of mystery that goes beyond what meets the eye, and it’s filled with a beauty that most miss out by assuming it has nothing to offer. How true is that in most life situations?

The last day in Jordan we drove a little south from Amman again and set out to enjoy a bit of time near the Dead Sea, famed for its high salt content and floating capabilities, as well as to see some biblical sites that are well known to us.

Our first stop was to see The Jordan River, where it is said that Jesus was baptized by John, and when God declared Him as His son and sent The Holy Spirit upon Him. It’s a pretty big deal for Christians, so I was excited to see it. As it turns out, the river has receded in recent years and so there is no longer any water at that particular location, but nevertheless, the spot was still there and it was neat to see.

We walked a little further down a trail and discovered the portion of the river that is still flowing, and we stood on one side of the river, with our feet submerged in the water, while we could witness people on the West Bank side being baptized in the Holy Land. In the distance we could see an Israeli flag flying.

After leaving that area we drove on to a nearby resort where we got day passes to go and enjoy the pools and particularly, The Dead Sea! I had heard lots about this from various people, most notably stating that you can’t help but float while you’re in the water due to the salt content. So after eating some lunch, we marched on down to the water and immediately upon entering I could feel the “slimy”-ness on my skin from all the salt. I could also feel the salt getting into the little cuts and scrapes I had on my body. It didn’t hurt, but I have heard that if you have open wounds The Dead Sea is not the place for you to be!

In any case, once our bodies were fully in the water it was funny because even if you were to try and lie flat on your back, your limbs just pop up! And if you try to lie on your stomach, your feet pop up into the air and it takes great effort to roll over!!! Definitely an odd, but fun, sensation.

We wrapped up the day by driving up to Mt. Nebo to see the location where they believe Moses first saw The Promised Land, and where they think it’s possible he is buried. It was a beautiful way to see the sun set on both the day and our vacation in Jordan.

After Aqaba we headed back to Amman, but along the way we paused in a couple of different spots. The first spot was Lot’s cave where he and his daughters took refuge when fleeing from Sodom and Gommorah. It was waaaaay up hill and we had to climb through a fence to get to it, but it was quite neat to see.

I mean, there wasn’t much to it but a cave, but I like seeing things like that and thinking about the history that it holds! It’s kind of mind-blowing if you really think about it.

Then, as we drove further, we stopped in Wadi Mujib for what I would say wins the “most surprising” award of our trip!

We all knew that it was a water fall that we would be walking through, but we had no idea how exciting it would be!

We were suited up in bathing suits and life jackets, and equipped with the best footwear known to man: flip flops. We started our trek through some gravel and ankle-high water and eventually found ourselves totally submerged in water and climbing intense jagged rocks with nothing but a rope to help us up!

It was loads of fun and definitely an adventure we all enjoyed. A few bruises later (mostly for accident-prone me!) and we were all really pleased with the experience! We had so much fun and if you’re ever in the area you should definitely give it a try!!!