Wide-Eyed Wanderer Adventures

03-11-2012 Utah, U.S.A. To the roots – saga concluded When the prodigal one returns Mother's love Shines even brighter My beautiful Mama Some say, big changes happen gradually. Though, in my experience, it is the instant that “shifts the arrows” on our rails. And so it went this time – on that windy peak of Gokyo Ri, I felt my mission was complete. As Woland pointed out : “what's the point in chasing that which has run its course? ” It was as if the air has suddenly been let out of the balloon. No desire or will to go on. The farthest point of Gokyo Ri, 5360 m, Sagarmatha Natl. Park Lukla airport Back in Kathmandu I realized – I was tired. Really, really tired. All of a sudden, I felt like being close with the people I love. I'm not much for missing anyone [besides, maybe missing some “missing gene” - or so I thought] – but here I realized how much I did miss them.  With that realization, I booked the ticket and anticlimactically flew the 32 hours to my M...

1-1-2012 Namche Bazaar, Alt 3400 m. Sagarmatha Natl Park, Nepal Just as the python-esque path brought me to Namche Bazaar, it has also brought me a hotel that contained [miraculously!] a hot shower in the room [!] and – oh wonder of wonders – an electric blanket. All of it – a luxury one hardly imagines at 3500m in the heart of the Himalayas. A vew from my room [Hotel Namche] on the first day of the year For the New Year's eve, I was setting my sights upon some garlic soup, the usual high altitude fare, but the mountain gods have sent me yet another surprise gift. Two charismatic, well-traveled Dutchmen walking up to Gokyo. It turned out that staying up past midnight was not an issue after all. Their exotic journey stories of the many years of intense world exploration – from Arctic to the Himalayas and Patagonia – were more entertainment than I could wish for. Not to mention – all the “off the wall” ideas of the beautiful sights to behold. To our great surprise, John,...