‘I sometimes seem to myself to wander around the world merely accumulating material for future nostalgias’

Vikram Seth

So – I’m here. In Pokara. Shot above was taken from my window in the nicest room this guesthouse had to offer. Granted, I had to zoom in a wee bit, but that’s what I wake up to. Every morning. Most mornings. Yesterday it was a bit hazy and you really couldn’t see the mountain so I sat out on the terrace and felt bad for all of those who were still paragliding. ‘What a horrible thing to have to do – stick to a schedule that means you’re paragliding whether the view is nice or not’ I thought to myself. ‘In fact, what a horrible way to have to go through life – forcing the beauty if even for a glimpse when tomorrow might prove to be better’.

Ah, such the philosopher I am in the mountains and have a confirmed publisher for the ensuing book. Or a twat who’s been reading too much Kerouac.

So, my days here (on the 4th now) – I meant to write about this earlier, as something strange happens to my friends when I travel. Something I hate. See, I come back and want to hear about what’s new and what’s happening in their lives and there is always the preface of ‘oh, you don’t want to hear about that after being in _______’. But I do. This here’s the easy way out, trust me on that. No car payments, no responsibility for other lives and mouths to feed, a constant revolving door of new friends and the same questions. I could do this in my sleep, this initial meeting. Maybe that’s why in years past (and still occasionally to this day) I change it up a bit. Who knows? But this is not brave. This is not to be admired. If you want to be jealous of the few things I’ve seen, then fine – but allow me to do the same when it’s your turn.

Anyway, yes – I wanted to dispel a few myths to what actually happens when people travel, as most seem to be under the impression that the majority of days are spent on the back of some Sherpa named Kita, eating local food and trying hard to communicate in the local dialect.

No. Not at all.

When I have more time, I’ll break down what a travel day actually looks like and you’ll be surprised. I’d say the same amount of time is spent on Facebook (and fucking Skype!) as it is actually absorbing local offerings. Sad, but true. Most come to certain places because of the backdrop it offers. The vibe of other travelers. Ask me how many ‘steak!’ places you see in this town and then how many local ‘mo-mo’ shops there are. Haven’t seen one place offering ‘chang‘ (a local moonshine) but all have Absolut. So, please don’t think that anyone coming from SE Asia, etc is to be looked up to. Simply accept with a smile the small gift they’ll make out to be ‘handmade’ in front of them allthewhile knowing it was bought right in front of a 7-11 (if not in the place). Annapurna is not going to change my life – even if I climb it. When I have a few beers at night – by myself – on the balcony, most of my thoughts are with when I’ll ‘get to share a pint with _______’ as opposed to rethinking the mindset of Sir Edmund Hillary.

Wow – hang on. We were talking about Pokhara, sorry. Anyway, my days are spent loafing. Walking around. Taking a photo here and there. Having a cup of tea and a smoke when the desire so hits. Reading books I should have long ago but chose to play basketball. That’s it, really. I simply dig the atmosphere and weather here. Trekking? Nope. Will wait on a few friends to do that. And that will be fun. But I promise you that when we return, we’ll have a lot more memories of the nights spent drinking and laughing than whatever peak we take our photo on.

So – that is what I’ve been doing. Nothing. No, I take that back – I decided the other night that since I was staying, for the first time since I can remember, in a place with a bathtub. I’d wash one pair of trousers and a t-shirt (I only have another shirt and a pair of shorts). The water should tell you some things:

…this entry seems almost as murky.