Our first day near the Himalayas. We woke up early to try to catch a view of Kanchenjunga ... but it was fully covered with clouds. This is apparently the season when it is hard to catch the mountain because of the clouds and rain. It's amazing how something that big can totally disappear as if it does not exist by being covered with something as simple and light as clouds. You can't even tell that the 3rd highest mountain in the world is hiding behind it!
It is very peaceful around here. Everyone is very kind. The temperature is cool in the morning and the views are unmatched by anything I've ever seen. Sights of mountainous hills of vegetation and greenery with fog covering them. Actually ... it's not fog, we are so high up that it's actually clouds! We are surrounded by these "hills" but anywhere else in the world they probably would be considered mountains since they are so huge. This is the Himalayas so they are comparatively labeled hills since the mountains are much larger.
Imagine standing out in the morning in the brisk cool breeze breathing pure fresh air you won't find anywhere else surrounded by sights of HUGE green hills you've never seen before listening to the sounds of nature as you hear water falling somewhere in the distance but don't know where it is. It's a feeling like you are close to the heavens. From up here ... close enough to the "top of the world" ... you actually see how grand the world is in sight and how simple and peaceful it is in soul. Need to get-a-way? Forget the Snickers ... go to the Himalayas!
I wish I had the articulateness of a poet to justifiably express its splendor to you so you can too feel you visited the Himalayas. No matter how many pictures and videos you see of it ... it does not do it justice in the least. It can only be experienced by visiting, and if you have a chance to do so ... you will be happy you did. Guaranteed!
There are a lot of ancient Buddhist monasteries around here and we went to visit many of them. Many of the monasteries have kids living there in the traditional red and yellowish/orange cloths. Everything seems to have meaning ... and the people around are happy to explain it. What a place to meditate!
There was on monastery so high up and the roads were so bad that the car we were in could not make it all the way up so we had to walk up it. It was extremely high but clouds covered everything in sight. If you took one wrong step ... you probably would fall thousands of feet. You don't even know a cliff exists since the clouds cover everything!
That evening at the backpackers hotel, we met some other interesting backpackers. It was basically a collection of 3 dudes who had randomly met each other at various points of their travels. I would call them "wanderers". One was from the UK, another from Canada, and the last from Seattle. [SRIN ... I can't remember all the name. ] The guy from UK had been traveling ... I man wandering around for about 4 months, the guys from Seattle for about 3 months, and the guy from Canada for over a year. The dudes from Seattle and the UK had met each other in Calcutta about 3 weeks ago and they started traveling together. The guy from Canada had just met the other two on that day and they "decided" to just start traveling together. I say "decided" with the quotes because for them I don't think it's a matter of discussion to come to a decision to wander together ... it's more of like:
"Duuuuude ... whats up?" ~#1 says to #2
"I don't know you ... but I think I'm going this way" ~#2 says to #1
"Okay lets go that way" ~#1 says to #2
"Nice to meet you" ~#2 says to #1
"Let's smoke something on the way" ~#1 replies to #2
We had some food at the restaurant. The food is very simple and pretty plain. ... [SRIN: I don't know how to explain the food]. Hopefully we can catch Kanchenjunga in the morning.
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