Journey to the summit

With varied terrain (forests, jungles, rivers, villages, streams, farms, mountains) and epic panoramas, trekking in the world's highest mountain range is truly an unforgettable experience. We hope you enjoy these views!

trekking: mountain activities

Most days began with a sunrise over the Himalayas

If we were lucky, a morning hike would be rewarded with cup of hot cocoa

Not all of the trekking was as rigorous as Avi makes it seem

We often moved at a comfortable pace and stopped for vista/stretching breaks

Sometimes we even stopped for a game of high-altitude volleyball

Or hung around construction sites

Some days we had to be especially careful to avoid oncoming traffic

We mostly got along, but there was the occasional sword fight...

Which was often resolved with a sunset yoga session

Or a late night (7:30 pm) dance party in the teahouse lodge

If the dance parties went tooo late, we often found ourselves trekking horizontally

trek #1: meet the characters

With a multitude of trekking trails available in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas, Pokhara is the place to set out for world-class trekking experiences. Within hours of arriving in Pokhara, we were having drinks with travelers who would quickly turn into good friends and trekking partners. We set out on a 5-day excursion into the Himalayas: meet the cast of characters.

Our group of 2 turned into a Party of Five 

Our fearless leader and captain of the Himalayan mothership: DEEPAK

Our track star CASSIE leads the crew with enthusiasm, inspiration and gluts of steel

Aspiring Yeti in-residence AVI howls to the spirits seeking adventurous winds and colorful skies

With deep peace and serenity, KEZIA, our acupuncturist on the trail watches over our spiritual, physical, health and gastronomical needs 

With an endless supply of jokes, ascent/descent statistics and a carefully calculated analysis of the engineering of every footbridge we crossed, CRAIG was mostly in charge of scaring the bears away...

Before leaving town, our Lonely Planet guidebook warned us that proper trekking gear would be essential… perhaps even a matter of life and death.

So we searched high and low for the perfect gear 

ESSENTIAL: all articles of clothing should be prefaced with at least 3-4 of the following adjectives/catch phrases: breathable, gore tex, quick-dry, super-down, lightweight, extremely warm, pack-able, wind/water resistant, technical, -20 degree Celsius proof…

But as we learned, every trekker has his or her own style:

Next time you're handing over your Visa at EMS or REI, remember what the locals wear: slacks and a collared shirt

Don't forget your flip-flops and technologically advanced, highly ergonomic backpack

to each, their own...

When drinking several cups of sugary tea each day,  a toothbrush is essential! (As for packing your toothbrush on the outside pocket of your backpack... suit yourself...)

Forget the gore-tex shell, you could just carry a tree in your pack

And most importantly, for safety reasons that is, you should always wear matching outfits 

Paragliding!

It is not intuitive to jump off the edge of a mountain 6000 ft above the ground… But when the opportunity to fulfill Avi’s deeply rooted childhood desire to fly became available-- is intuition really that important? It was an obvious choice to try Paragliding. And we must say, Nepal looks pretty nice from a bird’s eye view.

Cassie gearing up

Before her harness was fully fastened, Avi was already soaring high above Planet Earth

And taking pictures of his feet...

Cassie made it up soon enough, with a smile upon her face

In the good hands of a Nepali pilot, Avi's dream became a reality

How often do you have the opportunity to look DOWN on a mountain ridge-line

With a backdrop of the snow-capped Himalayas

Cassie prepares for landing

Still alive- with vomit bag in hand... empty!!!

Vacationland (No, not Maine...)

As our students were faced with three weeks of grueling exams, we had no option but to skip town and go on a little vacation.  Destination: Pokhara. Back to a world of hot showers, toilets, spinach and goat cheese raviolis, and Nepali cover bands cranking out 'Hotel California' at all hours of the day and night - we found the perfect spot for some rest and relaxation. Over the last few weeks we have found ourselves canoeing, trekking, paragliding, volunteering, meditating, practicing yoga, making new friends and reminding our taste buds of the culinary world beyond rice and lentils.        

Welcome to Pokhara!

Although it was difficult to spend the holidays away from our friends and family, we found a community of like-minded travelers who were equally eager to develop a surrogate family and celebrate together.  We were endeared by all of the Nepali holiday cheer as well!

Nepalis love any excuse to celebrate. Although we were asked on more than one occasion what Christmas was a celebration of (even by a Nepali dressed up as Santa), the whole town was decked out with trees, lights, garlands galore 

Even Santa found his way to this Hindu country

And filled our stockings with care (hanging next to our christmas tree/coat rack)

Friends and fellow travelers

Cassie enjoys the Himalayan views from our guesthouse rooftop

Big mountains = happy Avi

World Peace Pagoda sits atop the serene Fewa Lake

Avi enjoys an afternoon canoe ride

Dusk on the lake

After not leaving each others' side for almost three months, we decided we could stomach being apart for 2 weeks.  While Avi ventured off into the hills to sit a 10 day silent meditation course, Cassie took a job working for Empowering Women of Nepal, a non-profit that educates and trains females (with little other economic opportunity) to become trekking guides, porters, midwives, and businesswomen.     

Some of the women engaged in a community building game   

Cassie quickly felt right at home with the staff of EWN

It wasn't all peace and serenity at Avi's mountain view retreat center. 11 hours of silent meditation each day is no easy task!