70 | TRAVEL HIMALAYA SPRING 2019 http://www.travelhimalayamagazine.com
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Kathmandu where he is welcomed with warmer
weather and easier conditions to breathe in (sans
the dust).
The other 6 team members are still pushing
on. After leaving Dingboche, Pangboche and
Zongla behind, they all arrive in Gokyo. They
are happy to be safely re-united and gain a new
humbleness and gratitude. “The choices we
make lead up to actual experiences. It is one
thing to decide to climb a mountain. It is quite
another to be on top of it.” Herbert A. Simon. One pass down and one to go. Breathtaking
views make the burn of cold morning mountain
air in your lungs bearable and Dal Baht (lentils
and rice) gives you all the power you need to
take that next step.
In the mountains, you are at the mercy of
nature and the strength of your mind, body and
spirit. Walking for many hours a day, away from
the everyday distractions and responsibilities
has a way of getting your focus back on yourself.
There is a lot of time for self-evaluation and
for silence. Trekking can be seen as a form
of movement meditation. One comes back
refreshed, proud of your achievements and
impressed with human resilience. You are bound
to meet some locals on the way, get inspired by
their simplistic way of life and you hopefully stop
often in awe of nature and thankful to be alive.
Along the way, the lifestyle of the hardy but
happy Sherpa mountain people can be observed,
Buddhist monasteries seen and porters carrying
food and supplies up to more remote villages or
teahouses can be marvelled at. Mountain life
has a pace and way of it’s own. You see people
walking in mountains for a living and you may
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holidays like these possible and your money
might make these people’s lives a bit easier.
After successfully completing their trek,
the last night is spent back in Namche Bazaar,
celebrating in 5 star Luxury When they arrive at
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It reminds them they are in the Himalayas and
that solar power is fueled by the sun and not
the amount of stars a hotel holds. Celebratory
drinks soon warm them up from inside and all
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adventure, but a slight anticlimax, the next
morning is spent waiting at the airport again,
going from Lukla to Kathmandu and later from
Kathmandu to Pokhara.
From the comfort of their hotel and after
stretching their legs slowly around the peaceful
Fewa Lake, the mountains, snow and sore bodies
seem to be a distant memory. The next morning,
well-deserved massages are enjoyed at Yes,
Helping Hands Spa where only blind massage
therapists and staff members are employed. The
team relaxes, unwinds. Some enjoy lake cruises
where someone else does the paddling and the
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adventures in the next few days. Nepal is slowly
becoming one of the top adventure destinations
globally and it’s easy to see why.
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this inspiring and breathtaking country, the
response is this: “The Himalayas are the
bringers of life; their presence is the catalyst
for change as the monsoon condenses before
them in order to bring life to the world. If you
come here and can allow yourself to be swept
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step, then you to will feel the change”TEAM YAK ATTACK