Yes… I do realize that I am now two months and 3 countries behind here… But I don’t have time to get caught up before we head out for two weeks of trekking on the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal!

Since Hue, we…

• had clothes custom made and relaxed in Hoi An, Vietnam;
• went canyoneering in Dalat, the “Paris of Vietnam”;
• went to Cambodia to explore Angkor Wat and pretend to be Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones at many other temples around there;
• lounged on white sand beaches and swam in crystal waters on Koh Lanta and Koh Lipe in Thailand;
• ate too much khao soy (curry noodle soup), and played with elephants in Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand;
• and saw Mount Everest…out the plane window.

We spent a day flying from Chiang Mai to Kathmandu, Nepal where we ran errands and made last-minute gear purchases (including an incredible neon chartreuse green sweater fleece which I got for $5). Yesterday we spent eight hours on a bus to get to Pokhara, got all of our permits in order, and got some yummy mo mo dumplings for dinner. Today has been all about running really last-minute errands and unpacking/repacking our backpacks, separating out what will stay at our hotel in Pokhara and what we will take with us.

Tomorrow we get on yet another bus from Pokhara to Besisahar where we will likely get on a Jeep to take us as far as the road goes, and then finally we will be on foot. Like the Haute Route in Switzerland last summer, we will be staying in little inns and guesthouses; but unlike the Haute Route there will not be four-course dinners every night. If all goes according to plan, in about a week and a half we’ll be crossing our highest pass at 17,000 feet! I have no idea what to expect but am hoping for some combination of beautiful views and difficult-but-rewarding exertion.

Wish us luck and we will be back in touch in a few weeks!