[Pokhara, NEPAL]

Leaving Varanasi into a gentler quiet Nepal was a breath of polluted free fresh air. 4 months of India was getting on me. Valentines days was spent in a Korean Buddhist Monastery in Lumbini, the said birthplace of Buddha. Awoken every 3am to the singing monks and the regular gong of the Chinese monastery sounded nearby. It was a place with a different rhythm and a romance of devoted religious followers.

The 2nd most horrible bus ride in my life, full of stop/starts every 2min as locals and their goats got on/off, we arrived 9hours later by a serene lake backdrop by the snow capped Himalayas. Pokhara.

In a few short days we were off trekking, headed for the Annapunna Base Camp at 4200m. Unlike Kilimanjaro in Africa, I vowed not to do it with a guide or porter. My faithful and hard working best friends (my walking shoes since I've started travelling) have let me down... I only realised when I got to the snow line that I have no profile on souls of my shoes. Going up was hard work, one step up, half a step sliding back but on the return journey I slid on most possible extremities- feet, hands bum and even pack! The fact I only walked out with grazes is a testament to divine intervention. It was certainly scary at moments....

For almost 6hours a day we walked, traversing valleys, rivers, passing farmland walking through snow patched trails swirled in clouds. It was in short beautiful; I call it my own personal active meditation. With a tinge of sadness (and screaming hand strings!) we entered the fray of civil life again.

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