Jan. 6, 2009
I write to you now from Bangkok having flown in from Kathmandu via Delhi on January 4th. I spent my Christmas and New Years with a group of people I met during my last days trekking the Annapurna Circuit.
It might seem odd or sad perhaps spending the holidays with people that one barely knows. But travelers are a different breed. We find a common bond with our fellows on the road. We bunk up to save a few rupees and share meals and stories to pass the time and gain information about where next to bring the adventure. We make friends and form relationships that though maybe fleeting as we head in different directions, are intense and unforgettable.
Over the past four months, I've come to realize that the world is much more accessible than most of us know. I've received several e-mails from friends and former colleagues who say how jealous they are of my trip. The thing is, all it takes is some money and the will to actually leave your house.
I saved up for two and a half years living at home with my dad and working at a newspaper company (where you don't make very much money at all) to be able to fund this trip. Though Europe hit the wallet pretty hard, since I arrived in Asia, everything has been quite affordable. Even the 19-day Annapurna trek only cost about $500. That money went for food, lodge expenses, renting and buying some gear, and the 2,000 Nepali rupee fee to walk in the Sanctuary. Outside of trekking, you could live comfortably on less than $100 a week in Nepal. A few months of savings could last you years in India.
There are many ways to live in this world. Those with any kind of desire to get out of their current situations, to escape the world they know for a while, should just get up and do it. The Lonely Planet guidebooks (Bibles for the budget travellers) were driven by the philosophy "All you've got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!"
My best friend asked me the other day if I had made any New Years resolutions. I'd kind of forgotten all about making resolutions.
"No," I told her. "I've made none, because I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing right now."
5 comments:
Perfectly stated. The hardest part is deciding to leave what is familiar and comfortable.
Now the next huge challenge will be, as you know, deciding when and how to return.
Good to see you back on the blog. Great pictures, great text. Keep it coming wild child. Love the picture of the red yak and the beautiful children and the clean, lonely landscapes. And that moon!
What about a shout out to all the couch potatoes who live vicariously through you? Whoop Whoop
I do consider myself to be traveling right now, you know.
I love the pics! Glad to hear you're in good company. Have fun in Thailand and be sure to send any recommended honeymoon locales my way.
Love you Poops!
Wow, Maggie, Wow. You are making a lot of people jealous. Even the acute mountain sickness noted in an earlier post looked like fun. Well, the picture of the guy anyway.
Trip of a lifetime. Or maybe just the beginning of many more... I like that idea.
Bruce C.
PS - What did yak meat taste like? Did you try it?
This inspired me. Thanks Maggie!
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