Holy Mother of God view from Poon Hill
The time has almost come for my 3-week break from civilisation, away from traffic, work, bills, facebooking, pollution, politics, fast food, ladida… and embrace the splendour of nature, Avatar style. It’s my long awaited Annapurna Circuit trek where it’s just me and the mountains! Can’t wait… On the flipside, boy, I’m gonna miss my Arsenal FC, tennis on the weekends, mom’s birthday, episodes from the final season of Lost, and Clash of the Titans premiere (well, I’m just missing it by 3 days, so it’s not that bad after all) Crap. I’m already dreading the backlog of work, bills and tax matters upon my return. Well, gotta get my matters sorted out this week best I can so I don’t have to worry too much when I’m away.
In a nutshell, I’ll be leaving on the 6th of March and arriving on the 30th, almost a full month. No Keith and Adam this time. Keith taking care of his new family, and Adam who I suspect regards Himalayan trekking as once is enough. This time, it’s just me, Nava Raj (same guide from my first trek) + porter, and another fellow kindred spirit traveller, João from Portugal who replied to my Lonely Planet Thorntree Forum post.
So, some stuff I’ve already lined up, a few of these being carried over from the last trip:
Hiking Backpack, Columbia Coremic Ridge Hiking boots, Iodine Water Purification Tablets (thanks, Keith), Raincoat (thanks again, Keith), Deuter cargo bag, Gore-tex jacket, Polarized sunglasses, Wooly cap, Gloves (I think Maya has these, gotta check), Camera tripod, Iphone (essential!), Swiss Army pocket knife, playing cards (hmmm… should I bring a couple of playable Magic: The Gathering decks, I wonder and have fellow trekkers marvel at my geekdom?), earphone splitter (for that shared music experience), quick-dry towel, quick-dry undies, toiletries…
And some which I still need to get here:
Nike+Ipod patch, Halogen head lamp, compression sack, excedrin, Tevas outdoor sandals, Mili Power Skin for my Iphone, super glue, mini sewing kit, a Digital SLR (looking at something cheaper like a 2nd hand Nikon D60 or sonething), lip balm, sun-block, SoundMagic PL30 earphones, immunization, travel insurance, spare batteries, some of those Isonotic pills Mun Kitt plops into his bottled water for tennis (gotta ask him where he gets those), Ziploc bags, binoculars, trip to the dentist just in case, cash in USD, travel pouch, souveniry items & snacks…
And some which I’ll get at Kathmandu itself:
Adjustable trekking poles, sleeping bag, some extra winter clothing, thick sock…
Am I forgetting anything else? Some other notes:
1. Wished I could’ve gotten myself an astronomy telescope for my trip but shipping it to Malaysia costs a bomb! Gotta make a trip back to the US next time for this.
2. Have thought about bringing my laptop with me. But, perhaps more likely, I won’t. Would’ve been nice to have an IPad for this trip, though.
3. Should I download GTA: Chinatown Wars to my Iphone for this trip? Tempting.
4. I’ve a running bet with João whose team, Porto FC, plays Arsenal in the Champs League. Come on, Gunners! Win me dinner.
5. Last time I went for a hike, my Ipod went for a drink on day 1. Tragic. At least I had a few moments of bliss when Keith loaned me his. There’s not much better moments when listening to Hans Zimmer’s “Now We Are Free” from Gladiator when up on a majestic view of Poon Hill. Gotta be extra careful this time.
Now, back to work.
