Breathe.

I just returned from the most beautiful trek in the Langtang Himalayan Region. I decided to pick up the walking sticks and head away from the city and rejuvenate. On the seven-day excursion I was able to see four of the highest peaks in Nepal and well into the Tibetan Himalayan Region. The panoramic views from near the famous Goisakund Lakes, was stunning. You could see the peaks, Ginesh Himal, Langtang, Annapurna, Machupuchare and a slew of other smaller peaks. This area is mostly made up of Tibetan communities or Nepali Tamang ethnicities. The language is different from Nepali as well as the food and the customs. It was at times a very difficult trek, but worth every sweaty step. The great thing about trekking is that it really is just...walking. That is the secret. You just walk around and then stop to eat and walk again, look at stuff. Of course, when you get up to 4500 meters (14,800 ft) then it becomes very slooooow walking!

I met heaps of fantastic people along the trail and made friends with a few of the children at home in the villages on holiday. In one of the tea houses I stayed at, the woman who looked after the place knitted me some arm warmers. I want to sell them at Global Daughter, but the logistics of getting them back to KTM from 4,000 meters would be a nightmare. They are very cute, though and I look forward to wearing them this winter.

Life in the mountain regions is quite different than anywhere else in the country. Kids are used to walking up and down mountains, literally, to attend school or retrieve cooking gas, eggs, blankets... everything really. They will blaze past any fit trekker on the trail and they can handle the high altitudes like champs. They were born into it. On the trail I saw young women porters who weighed about 50Kgs (110lbs), carrying 40-50Kgs of baggage and equipment on their backs. Heaving up steep steps and dangerous foot paths. I was in awe. Some porters don't wear shoes and most don't have what we would consider "proper" trekking gear.

It was nice to get out into nature again after six months stuck in the polluted and noisy KTM valley. Out there it seems like time has stopped and it doesn't take you long to adjust to the pace. I sometimes forget that I live amongst the highest and most breathtaking mountains in the world. The trek made me realize even more how lucky I am to be here, in this place, doing what I love to do. The Nepalis I met in the mountain villages are so far removed from the politics and greed of the city, it reminds you that they are the most welcoming and peaceful people in the world. The simplicity of life is inspiring and the intense sense of family relationships is beautiful.

It is true.

When you sloooooow things down, you can see what you are supposed to... a whole lot clearer.

Langtang Peak. Dusk.

Breathe.

Flying kites is the coolest.


up, up, up...


Ginesh Himal, Annapurna Peaks from Laurabina.



Tamang village- Thulo Saphryu

This chunk was just sitting by herself, all alone in the middle of nowhere...mom was collecting fodder

Sunset


Knitting arm warmers by the fire.


4,500 meters- thin air and light head!