Travel Essay: Nepal

The first thought that came to mind when I sat down in a $3 taxi at the Kathmandu airport was “Wow Bryden, what did you get yourself into.” The taxi ride to my hostel immediately showed that I had engulfed myself into a culture that lives drastically different then what I knew as “normal." I could tell I was in for a ride, and I loved it. Every bus stop, convenience store, butcher shop, a street vendor, fruit stand, and restaurant illuminated with obscurity. I spent the evening exploring the streets, wandering into knockoff North Face gear shops and slowly made my way to what looked like the best (and safest) curry restaurant.

My first sight of the Himalayas was from a bus that smelled like burning garbage with grease coated seats. The engine made sounds that hinted a breakdown was inevitable, but I kept my fingers crossed and held on tight for the next 9 hours to a town named Besisahar. This is the town where the beginning of the trail I had loosely planned to hike was located. The Annapurna Circuit, a horseshoe-shaped footpath around the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. At this point, being awake or dreaming was a guessing game. I was finally about to take my first steps into the tallest mountain range in the world. The Himalayas have always been on the bucket list, and it was an honor to be sharing this endeavor with my best friend Aaron Babbitt, an Ogden local such as myself.

We spent the next three weeks ascending and descending from jungle to alpine. I couldn’t decide what more mind rattling; standing under 25,000ft tall peaks, or watching a Nepali man carry grain on his back the size of a refrigerator in flip-flops. We slept in guest homes with stone walls and plywood bunks. One hotel had monkeys running on our tin roof, grabbing oranges from the trees outside our porch. Each night the hotel owner would serve all-you-can-eat Dal Bhat: a plate of rice with curried potatoes and peas, curried lentil soup, steamed spinach, and yogurt. Dal Bhat is Nepal's national dish. Most meals were cooked over a wood stove and veggies chopped with a cutting board on the floor.

The highest altitude we reached was Thorung La Pass, 17,769ft and we made the three-day side trail to Tilicho Lake, the tallest lake in the world at 16,138ft. I experienced Nepali culture in its raw form while standing under mountains that made me feel weak. Nepal changed my life in so many ways, and I feel highly privileged to have been able to travel anywhere, let alone travel there.

Words & Photos by Bryden Bowley