Every morning at breakfast our guide Buddhi gives us an overview of our day. Towards the beginning of the trek he would say things like “mostly flat” and aside from the glacier bed we walked along toward Base Camp I would say nothing about these hills could be described as “mostly flat”. So after a while Buddhi readjusted his adjectives to things like Nepalese flat, undulating, and Tibetan Bread. Side note: Tibetan Bread was by far my favorite food in Nepal – it’s a quick bread fried in oil and served with honey – the surface of it is similar to that of a German pancake. We also learned that when Buddhi says “20 minutes” it’s really more like an hour.
All of this to say that the trek down was not easy. We were still heading up very steep hills but breathing was becoming a bit easier. And it was nice to be heading down from the unfamiliar and hostile environment at 18,000 feet and back down to where life exists.
Now that we’re headed back down I’m finding it less necessary to focus on each step and breathe. My mind is starting to wander – I’m thinking about my friends and family back home. I’m thinking about design and typography. I’m thinking about my career and the big changes I’ll be making in the next year. I’m thinking about how excited I am to get back home but how I never want to leave Nepal. I love this life that has become about walking, eating, breathing and sleeping but I miss making things with my hands – things like food and art.
The clouds started coming down as we approached Phortse and it felt like Fall outside. It felt magical. In just two weeks I’ve completely adjusted to this being our life – to the point where it’s easy to take the whole thing for granted. But the matter of the fact is that our days here are limited, so I’m trying to saturate my senses with what it’s like to be here. I don’t ever want to forget.