Arrival & Recovery

2.5 weeks ago I made it back to the States safe and sound after 48 hours of travel. I just put away my backpack and hiking boots today. Below is a summary of my time since landing.

The flights went well but I was beat when I landed in Dulles. I then had to find a cab to my car. No problem right? Wrong, it was a Muslim holiday so many driver's weren't working. Additionally Washington Flyer has legal monopoly at the airport. How they managed to grease the wheels to get this EXCLUSIVE deal at the airport is amazing. Their contract means that other cab companies are NOT ALLOWED to pick up passengers at the arrivals gate.

After waiting in a ridiculous line for half an hour I got fed up and called the taxi company that brought me to the airport. Their name is withheld to avoid prosecution. Bottom line they were able to pick me up but I had to be waiting at the departure gate. I made it back to my car and went to pay the cabbie only to find I only had Nepali rupees in my wallet. Fixed that with a quick debit purchase at Giant then got in my car to go. Turn the key, dead battery. I contemplated attempting a push-start of my car, but the thought of running my car through the grocery parking lot sounded a bit much. A kind gentleman accepted my request for a jump and I was soon on my way. It was thrilling and terrifying to leave the grocery store and break 35mph for the first time in a month. After a couple mind numbing hours on the road I eventually made it home and curled in my bed about 10PM. (Thanks to Nico for the awesome khata.)

I was up in the office by 8:30 the next morning.

Biking through town I felt like a stranger in my own town. I was amazed by the society we've built with modern conveniences: paved streets, traffic lights, computers, refrigerators, and most of all potable tap water. We are so truly privileged.

The first couple of days were especially rough with my body being very confused. I slept about 6 hours a night but adjusting to eating 3 round meals was a challenge. My gut struggled digesting meat, beans, and dairy for the first times in a month.

My sleeping pattern actually worsened after a couple days back. I found myself waking up at 4AM unable to continue my slumber. My body has gradually acquiesced to sleeping longer but after 2.5 weeks I still have trouble sleeping past 7. After getting 10 hours of sleep a night on the trail, 7 or 8 hours does not feel like enough. I would like to try getting back to the sunset-sunrise schedule of rest. It was glorious.

I went grocery shopping while seeing Lauren in Williamsburg and didn't think it would be an issue. After traversing 2 isles and handling at least 10 varieties and brands of PASTA I was thoroughly overwhelmed. I quickly grabbed the couple of items on my list and headed for the exit. To see so much food in one place with so many choices of every conceivable item! How can we complain about a society that provides so much?

As is always the case after travel- nothing has changed in Charlottesville. With 2 exceptions, 2rw hired another mechanical engineer, and Obama came to town to campaign for our democratic congressional candidate Mr. Perriello. Who then lost. And so the frustrating tug of war continues.

I feel almost accustomed to 'normal life' again. I'm back in the hum of modern life with the pressures of work and society. Always much to do and work occupying the majority of one's time.

I've downloaded my 800+ pictures and put a good sampling online with some descriptive headings. They can be seen here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/BucknellJay/Nepal




I would like to spend some time editing and compiling pictures that I took for the purpose of making HDR shots. Google 'HDR photography' and you'll see what they can look like.

I'd like to keep using this blog while I'm back but want to figure out how best to use it. I will likely start more frequent shorter posts and especially put out links that I find educational/helpful. Nepal was awesome and has rekindled my love for travel. The world is such a huge, diverse, and truly amazing place.

PS- Movember was awesome. $250 in a couple days from friends and family. Thanks to everyone!

http://us.movember.com/mospace/1287424/
PPS- Figured out how to post pictures and a slideshow in my blog today!

Flying and Kathmandu

Yesterday was paragliding day in Pokhara. The day before we had met up with Dave's friend Charlie and his cousin Sarah who came up from India. They were also interested in getting airborne so the four of us signed up and signed all the legal paperwork (1 page double-spaced). We ended up going with the same company that does parahawking as they have a good reputation and are likely the best trained outfit in town. After a very bumpy ride up a hill we were suited up and strapped to our tandom pilots in under 3 minutes. We then received our instructions:
"When I say walk, start walking. When I say run, start running. Don't rush."

With that the wings were lifted off the ground and we took off one by one. I was the last to get going so had a preview of what to expect. Takeoff was super easy and literally involved walking and then a short jog. No running off a cliff required. My pilot was Illiad from Russia who has been a fighter pilot before turning to helicopters, small planes, and paragliding. Flying was very calm with the only noise the rushing of air by our ears. It was awesome soaring around this hillside cruising with black kites and vultures nearby. Apparently the thermals are so good you could normally stay up from 10AM-4PM without having to land. Our time was limited but sweet. Illiad offered me the controls after a while in the air and I managed to avoid the power lines and trees like a pro. We then cruised over to the lake hands-free, shifting our weight to steer. Illiad then offered a 'trick' and we dove into a huge spiralling corkscrew that made the blood rush to my head and my eyeballs try to pop out of my head. Must have been serious Gs and it was fun. Only downside was it made me get a bit dizzy. We landed a minute later with no problems and no puke. The weather was super cloudy the whole time we were in Pokhara so we didn't get any epic views of the mountains, but paragliding was still a ton of fun. I took my camera with me so managed to snap a good number of pictures during flight. I hope some of them turn out on the computer.

Today we caught our 7:30 bus back to Kathmandu. It was actually a nice bus and by far the most comfortable we've been on. Traffic was light so we only took 2 hours longer than anticipated (8). I had forgotten how crowded and dirty Kathmandu is. Glad I'm here for less than 24 hours. Some packing is left and maybe some shopping. Tonight we're off to taste the local chang beer and local hard alcohol. Certainly sad that my journey is ending. The 3 weeks have completely flown by. Dave & Nico and I are all still speaking to each other so I'd say the trip was a complete success.

Tomorrow AM I start my long flight home and have a nice overnight layover in Mumbai. Hopefully I'll make it back to VA on Thursday PM and my car will still be safely parked in the Giant parking lot. Stay tuned for final thoughts and a massive picture post as I figure out how to get 800+ pics online.

PS- I need to figure out how to turn off those annoying popup adds. Sorry about them.

Back in civilization

Thanks to a tiny car this morning and Dave and I are back to civilized life in Pokhara. We met up with Nico and all is good. I still have a little head cold but am ok. Just checked into parahawking and apparently it is the THING to do in town. All booked out until the 16th. Darn. Guess that leaves normal paragliding for tomorrow. Have to say being back in a city really isn't very exciting. Hiking the mountains is much more fun. Definitely unexcited about getting back to Kathmandu and then leaving in a couple days. Boo urns. Gotta make the last few days count. Cheers.

Yesterday made it over the Thorung La pass at 5416m! 1200m dwnhill-legs are tired.Spent tday in transit.13ppl in 1 jeep.Beni tnite, Pokara tmorrow.Updatebytxt.

High up

At 4500m on random satellite Internet. Sick again which sucks a lot.  
This country does not like me. Hoping azithro will kill it quick.  
Maybe big day tmorrow over the throng la pass. Only 2 blisters so far  
so feet are happy. Sleeping bag doesn't nearly meet up to its 20  
degree rating. Good thing for thick blankets. A hot shower in a couple  
days is sounding nice.

Made it to kangsar last night. Elevation 3700m. Dave is hiking Nico down tday. We are all healthy. I am chillin for the day.

Day 10 in Nepal

Internet! This has to be really quick. All is well and the hiking is amazing. Ridiculous views started yesterday. We are at elevation 3500m and only go up from here. We were all sick for a couple days but not we are healthy and moving well. Weather is sunny and gorgeous. Nights are very cold- sub freezing last night. Hope to be online again in about a week. All for now!
PS- 400 pictures taken,

2nd day

Today was awesome. Spent most of it walking through basically the whole city. Took a walking tour to durbar square with some help from lonely planet. Really cool shrines and temples still very much in use. Then off to get hiking permits. They are expensive and I have no idea what the gov does with all the money. It is certainly not spent on city improvements. Then off across the whole city to pashinath. Saw a couple cremation ceremonies going on which was quite moving. Dave and I had never seen a dead person before. Wild. Had delicious food and are ready to get on the bus at 7Am tmorrow. Should be great! Toodles for now.

Day 2 in Nepal!

I made it! Currently sitting here in Hotel Florid in the Thamel district of Kathmandu. The journey from Dulles was 30+ hours and quite exhausting. Arriving in Kathmandu I was completely overwhelmed by all the people, noise, and pollution. I made a new Nepali friend in the airport and we shared a taxi to Thamel. It was a tiny car with no seatbelt, tires with no tread, and a guy who kept shifting to 5th gear at 15mph. The streets are tiny and are choked with all manners of transport and the occasional wandering cow. The driver's wingman was continuously trying to sell me on his favorite hotel and on doing a guided trek with him as a guide.

We eventually made it into the heart of Thamel and I was ecstatic to find Nico sitting in the lobby on a computer! I had never met her before but thanks to the wonders of technology could tell it was her. Dave was right upstairs skinnier and hairier than ever before. They had just returned from 3 weeks trekking to the Everest base camp and had amazing epic stories. Many of them revolved about getting very sick at various times. We spent the afternoon eating and figuring out what we wanted to do in the coming weeks. I deteriorated pretty quickly in the evening and passed out on my bed at 9:30. I feel totally rejuvenated today after my first solid night's sleep in 3 days.

Tomorrow we're heading to the Annapurna region to start the Annapurna trek in Besi Sahar. We'll be on the trail for about 2.5 weeks. Internet access will likely be limited, but we may be surprised. I'm ready to escape this crowded city and trek through clean mountain air. We're off for a day of getting hiking permits and exploring the city. An early bus tomorrow AM will get us on our way. All for now.

Yummy food last night. Taxi drama this am, but i made it to heathrow. Next stop mumbai.

GSE interview went well. Off to dinner w bro.

My first blog

My first blog has arrived. I am figuring how to work this blogger gizmo so bear with me if things don't look quite right.

I leave in 32 hours for Nepal! All packed up and ready to go. So excited to meet up with Dayan and his gf Nico in Kathmandu. The current plan is to probably hike the Annapurna circuit which will take about 20 days. I need to leave a solid day to try this near Pokhara:
http://parahawking.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZn_gliSMhQ

I just decided not to bring my water filter as apparently you have to use iodine after filtering anyway. Their water must be seriously dirty. I'll have periodic internet access while traveling but will try to update the blog while on the go and see if I can get pictures uploaded too.

I have an interview for Rotary's GSE program this afternoon up in Falls Church. It's an amazing opportunity to travel to the Philippines, experience their culture, and meet their business leaders.

Tonight be some sweet time hanging with the bro in DC and maybe seeing a Venezuelan film without subtitles. Time to get my foreign language brain working again! All for now.