Hello from the Himalayas! We just finished our trek and are staying in McLeod Ganj for the week.
On the plane ride from San Francisco to Hong Kong, I had an OE for Southeast Asia tell me “while India is easily the biggest pain-in-the-butt country to be a traveler, it is without a doubt the most beautiful and rewarding place to experience.” How these words have reigned true. Just from the past couple of days I can give you more than a few examples.
Minutes into day one of our trek, I almost fell off a hill after being knocked to the ground by a mule. Yes, a mule. Then, within the next thirty minutes I had fallen two more times (without a mule’s help). Now, I could have told you this would happen. But even though I knew this, my clumsiness still bothered me. I was beginning to have doubts about wanting to do this hike. I was extremely exhausted by the time we reached our camping grounds. But soon, I realized that the scenery was worth my exhaustion. As I set up my hammock, I listened to the sound of the nearby village — the local children playing, the river water rushing past the rocks, and the drums of a wedding taking place up the hill. Waving at passers-by while writing postcards from my hammock, I felt at peace. I thought to myself, “the work was worth it”. This became a central theme over the next few days of the trek.
No matter how tired and sore I was, no matter how many falls I took, and no matter how bad of a mood I was in, the positives always outweighed the negatives.
This became most apparent on the third day of our trek. I woke up thinking it would be an easy day. Our guides had told us that it was mostly downhill, so it shouldn’t be hard, right? No. When I saw the steep slope that we would basically be rock jumping down, I knew this would be the opposite of an “easy day”. While the first hour was filled with a plethora of imbalance and clumsiness, it wasn’t until I stepped on a slippery rock and slid crotch-first into a bush that I felt actual embarrassment. Not even fifteen minutes later I fell once again, this time it was hands first into a puddle. Frustrated, I told the group that I needed some time without anyone talking to me. During our next break, I sat my angsty self down on a rock overlooking a river. I began to calm down, but all calmness flew out the window once I noticed I was sitting in goat poop. While I couldn’t help but laugh, I was done. I just wanted to get to the campsite and go to sleep.
While my mood was at a record low for this trip so far, I began to slowly brighten up the closer we got to camp — not because of the prospect of sleep and a warm meal, but because of the landscape. The layers of mountains and the river running between them could only bring a smile to your face. As we arrived at camp and were served a warm chai, I remembered “the work was worth it”.
This trip is going to be hard — it’s supposed to be — but the people we meet and the experiences we will have will be completely worth it.
Until next time,
Jordan