Kathmandu Limbo

Well I'm still here cooling my heels in Kathamandu. I have had lots of ideas over the last week or so of what to do next, but nothing seems to be panning out for me. I was hoping to do a trek or two here in Nepal, in the regions of Dolpo and Mustang. Both of these are places that I've wanted to visit for a while and are now in danger of changing drastically due to roads being built into the areas. Dolpo was closed to tourists until a couple of years ago, as the Maoists were very active in that region. (Dolpo is featured in a movie called "Himalaya" if anyone wants to check it out. It was also released under the title "Caravan". It was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000.) Unfortunately, the trekking season is just coming to a close here so I've been unable to find anyone to trek with and the permits require a minimum of two trekkers per group. Going it alone is very expensive as I would have to pay for two permits (at $700 USD each), one for myself and one for my imaginary friend who would help me meet the group requirement. There is also the added cost of paying for guides, cooks and porters which I would have to cover by myself. Both of these regions are in the "rain shadow" of the Himalayas, which means they aren't affected by the monsoons, but there still aren't any planned treks into these regions by the trekking companies over the monsoon season.

Plan B is to kill some time in the vicinity until the trekking season opens again in September and I could join a group trek to Dolpo and Mustang. I'd like to get back up to Tibet and do a pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash (a very holy place for Buddhists) as well as some other sight-seeing in the country. It would be wonderful to see some of the religious sites again, and also visit the Tibetan Everest Base Camp. I've done some research into this and found a suitable tour/trek which starts on August 9 and runs for almost a month. I haven't booked it yet, but am leaning towards it.

In the meantime, I've applied for a visa to India. Yes, India. I know I've been afraid of traveling in India for the last 25 years or so, but am thinking of biting the bullet. My intention is to go directly to Ladakh, in the north-westernmost part of the country. This area is often referred to as "Little Tibet" and apparently is very much like Nepal and Tibet. It is also in the Himalayas. The capital is called Leh and looks to be about twice the size of Wakefield. I think this is a part of India that I can handle. I am hoping to do some trekking there, and then if I feel more adventuresome, I may venture into different parts of the country. I'd certainly want to see Dharamasala where the Dalai Lama lives, which is just south of Ladakh. This is the best time of year to trek in Ladakh although it's not so good for traveling elsewhere in the country, as it gets ridiculously hot there. I haven't booked anything as I'm waiting to see if my visa will come through. Apparently the first step is to get cleared by the Indian embassy in Ottawa, which is currently in progress. I'll find out on Wednesday if I got the go-ahead and will submit my visa application at that time. Strange process. I am hoping to go directly to Leh and book a trek once I'm there, as I don't really know much about the area and would like to talk to some experts before making a choice of treks. There are about 120 registered trekking companies in Leh, so I think this strategy should work as it's high season and there should be lots of groups going out that I can join.

Now that I've got my mind made up about India, I just got an e-mail from a Nepalese trekking company suggesting that they could put together a trek to Mustang for me alone. I'm not sure how they'd do this, but I may as well hear them out and see what the cost will be.

All this to say that I really don't know what's in store for me for the next few months. All I do know is that I really need to get back into the mountains, regardless of what country I start from. There is just something so special about the Himalayas, and I really wish I could find the words to describe how they make me feel.

I have been spending most of my time in front of the computer just trying to sort things out, and that's getting a bit tiring. I'm also really ready to leave the city. It's not Kathmandu in particular, it's just the noise and smog that are getting to me. It's especially hard knowing that the mountains are just a short distance away. Hopefully it will only be a week or so before I'm back into the fresh air again. The good news about hanging out here is that it's relatively cheap, so I'm not going through money quite as quickly as I would on a trek.

I am looking forward to tomorrow, when my old guide, Bhola, returns from a trek and I'll get a chance to visit him. I spent a month with him on the Annapurna circuit 5 years ago, and during half of that time we were trekking alone together. He is a fabulous guide and a wonderful person and I'm looking forward to catching up with him. He has been offered a terrific opportunity by a former trekking client to work in a restaurant in oil country in Alberta for two years. After that time he will be granted permanent residence status in Canada and will be able to bring his family over. I am thrilled for him and am glad that I'll be able to see him before he moves. Canada will be richer for his presence.

As for photos, I don't have much news. I have not been able to find internet access in Kathmandu at a speed which will allow me to upload them to my website. I'll continue to look around but telecoms here aren't really great. I'll let you all know if/when I'm able to post the rest of my photos from Burma and Nepal.

That's it for now. I'll let you all know when I figure out what comes next for me.