So it is Saturday afternoon, 11 May, 2013 and the generator sputters to life after the hotel having no electricity for the last six hours. The blessing which is electricity lasts for 10 minutes and then is gone again. I hear the daughter of the hotel owner insist she needs another 15 minutes so it is started up again and, as if keeping his word, after 15 minutes the power is out again.
It is 2pm and hot so I would well appreciate the fan being on, a hot shower after four hours of walking and a cup of tea. When I asked the guy on reception (there is a very large rotating cast down there – they all know me, but I am having trouble remembering all of them) how long before we have electricity again, he consults the calendar, SERIOUSLY, and says “hopefully at 4pm, hopefully”. He is not convinced and neither am I. Yep, this is Nepal. The locals do not expect electricity and plan their day around when it should be on. The timetable of this is a mystery to those who do not live here. But you deal with it because you have to. Again, this is Nepal.

I have booked a two week trek to a place called Langtang, north of Nepal. Apparently the trek starts with a NINE HOUR jeep ride to get 120kms away. Can’t wait to see why it takes so long.
I leave on Monday and am quite daunted by the first few days which are scheduled for five or so hours of trekking. Me! Trekking that long. Thankfully the guide carries your backpack (indulgent, oppressive westerner that I am I look forward to this) and he has assured me we can walk slowly. I have assured him I am capable of little else. His name is Dipak and we spent yesterday touring some of the really cool and ancient temples in Kathmandu. He carried my bag and I let him! He is actually a very cool guy. Much more cool than the operator of the tour agency who told me, within 10 minutes of meeting me, that he is married but he and his wife no longer have a sexual relationship because of cancer in “her female bits”. He then asked me out to dinner and suggested we could be VERY GOOD FRIENDS!!!! Eeeek. I lied and said I had dinner plans, but thank you. I wanted to say “Are you serious you filthy little man?” but I held my tongue. He then took me on a rather terrifying motorbike ride through the streets of Kathmandu back to my motel. Okay, not really terrifying. Kind of exhilarating but I don’t think I’ll do that again!

I was getting quite over the city a couple of days ago but discovered a whole new area today where the shopping is insanely good. That said, I am well pleased to be on a jeep on Monday heading out of Kathmandu and into the mountains. It should be one hell of (helluva) an experience. The creepy tour agency operator told me I would probably lose 5-6 kilos on the trek. I am pretty sure he was saying I am fat!

So the plan, well sort of plan, is to do the Langtang trek, head back to my motel for a few days and then go to places like Lumbini (birthplace of Buddha, yay), Chitwan where I can do some elephant safaris looking for lions (surreal) and then on to Pokhara which is a river city and laid back as hell before I take off from there for another five day trek on the Annapurna route – Vikki, the one the guy at Peregian markets told us about.

When I get back Kiran, who owns the hotel and is a bloody riot, is trying to organise a 10 day Visspasna (?) meditation course where you don’t speak or make eye contact or anything. Can you imagine me silent for 10 days? Would do the world a load of good I reckon. I wonder if he is saying I talk too much???? Kiran also saw an interview on television the other night with an 82-year-old Nepalese woman who had this brilliant outlook on life. He has decided to track her down and asked if I want to come and meet her. I dig the spontaneity of it and naturally said yes. She used to be the head of UNICEF Asia. It would be amazing to meet her. I wonder if he can pull it off!

Has Nepal been what I want it to be? Well, I have read a book which I haven’t done in forever. I have eaten some weird food – buffalo most notably but I think there was some yak in last night’s dinner. That said the flavours are extraordinary and the food is ridiculously cheap. The people are amazing but impoverished and as is the case in every Asian country I have been to, consider us westerners walking wallets. As such going out can be quite tiring but I get it. They need to make a buck and see us as a way of doing so.

There is very little agro in the street. Most people are very respectful. Though sadly, the only rude people I have come across have been travellers from other parts of the world. I don’t get that attitude at all.

I had hoped to spend a bucket load of time in northern India but don’t think that will happen this trip. I will save that for when we do the Everest base camp in two years Michelle!!! You up for it?

Janine, you will be happy to know the Indian Premier League finals are coming up so, when there is electricity of a night, I have been able to watch some of the best cricketers in the world strut their stuff. It is fantastic, until the power turns off mid-over!!!!

I have to admit I am struggling with the just stopping part. I feel as if I should be doing something; anything. And I am having quite a lot of trouble cutting the umbilical cord with Energy Publishing. I keep thinking I am heading back there when I am home; but I am not and it is quite hard to get my head around.

Marian, I am definitely going to have to take that job in Melbourne so I can buy some of the jumpers and jackets they are selling here. No way could I justify that for Brisbane, but Melbourne is a different story altogether. Warm and snuggly and soft. Mmmmm.

Am I having a good time? Yeah. I am. It is weird to have so much time on my hands and no demands, no expectations, no responsibilities. But I am starting to like it. I have even gone a couple of nights without nightmares which is such a relief cause I feel as if they were driving me insane. The events of October 24 still punctuate my day when I least expect it, but it happens less often than it did before. I hope John is having as good a holiday as I am! Maybe by the time I get home the nightmares and flashbacks will have stopped. Maybe!

Either way as annoyed as I am by the sound of the generator (and it turning off – I can’t decide which is worse), the intense and insane heat, the having to time my shower according to when power is on but not at dusk cause you have to open the windows to dry out the bathroom and that brings in all kinds of uninvited insects and the noise and pollution, Kathmandu has been kind to me. And I feel so blessed to have this opportunity. I wish you could all share in it because it really is mind-blowing!!!!

Hugs,

A