10/25 – 10/27

In a place where I should fit in the most seamlessly, I feel the most out of place.  I cannot breathe. I’m suffocating and I must get out.   After 2 amazing days, climbing the canyon from Butwal up to Pokhara, this is not the Nepal that I want. It is everything that I have tried to avoid. Pokhara is a beautiful city at the base of the Annapurna mountain range,and the launching pad for all things adventure; the perfect place to recharge and restock with trekking stores on every corner. Need a new North Face puffer? Got it. Crampons? Yup.  Expedition pack? No problem.  I went 6 weeks without seeing another white face or hearing anything but broken English…to this.  Good luck finding dal bhat. White people want pizza and hamburgers it seems as all the signs advertise for them.  I realize this sounds negative, a knock against Pokhara, or worse yet an “I’m more adventurous than you” rant. It is none of that, I can assure you. It’s comfortable here and maybe that is the problem. It just isn’t for me. I miss the solitude and daily challenges of the remote mountains.

The first morning, I woke at 530a.m. as my body just seems to be wired to do, and walked across the street to the park. Light was just coming up. The air was humid, yet crisp, and there was dew on the grass. The city was quiet. In the park, there is a pull up bar and some other outdoor exercise apparatus. There is even a place to do dips, which would make my brother Bobby happy.  I fully expected to be one of the only people there at that time. Surprisingly there were about 15 Nepali men already working out, doing pull ups, jogging, and enjoying the morning. Many of them are training, hoping to be selected into the army, and with it a more secure and bright future. I got countless initial stares as I jumped on the damp pull up bar or dropped for some pushups in the dewy grass, but then they realized I’m just like them. The curious looks quickly gave way to smiles, joking around, and a few challenges. We took turns doing different exercises, sometimes even learning new things from one another. Needless to say, I didn’t win the pull up competition.

The views of the sunrise as it drips light over the Annapurna range to the north each morning are beckoning. The snow capped peaks explode into the cobalt blue sky.  They sing their siren song. Almost like clockwork, by 11am they will be hiding behind a pillow of cottony cumulus clouds.  That’s where I want to be.

Going up!

Could not be happier to be back in the mountains

If you could have seen my face…I was even more excited to be there

Proper Nepal Dal Bhat set.  Moments later I mixed it all together

Phewa Lake, Pokhara

6 a.m. sunrise workout in the park

The Annapurna range beckons

The classic Annapurna Circuit except I’ll be doing in reverse, beginning in Beni, something everyone told me was a potentially dangerous mistake