My first ever solo trip was my trip to Nepal in 2018. Although I still had to turn nineteen that year, I thought I was pretty grown up already when I decided to go travel during my gap year. I finished high school in 2017, and worked a lot during the fall and winter. During my hours as a receptionist at my parent’s health center, I often had a lot of time to think about where I wanted to go. I was sometimes tempted to go to some of the more traveled places for gap years, like Thailand or Australia. But Nepal kept popping back up.
Growing up, I was fortunate enough to go on holidays with my parents nearly every year. My dad and I always tried to make hiking a large part of it, which was not always appreciated by my mother and sister, at least not every single day. But I loved the mountains, and still do. There is just no other place where I can feel so relaxed and energized at the same time. “And where better to go hiking than in the Himalaya?” I thought to myself at the time.
However, as it was my first time outside of Europe, and my first time traveling solo (minus that plane flight to London once), I was super nervous. What if I would not meet anyone there? What if I could not find a hiking buddy? All kinds of questions started to tumble around in my head, mostly shaped by fear.
Arriving in Kathmandu
So, I decided to start my time there with a month of voluntary work. When I arrived in Kathmandu after indulging myself in unlimited movies on the plane, I had a couple of days of exploring the city before heading up to the camp of my voluntary work. I took my Lonely Planet guidebook and started walking around. I remember I was completely shocked by the chaos, colors, and smells. Most of all, I was excited and proud of myself that I was not homesick (yet).
When I visited Durbar Square, I noticed the devastation the earthquake has caused. Numerous houses and temples had crumbled, and people were rebuilding everywhere you could see. Seeing this filled me with an extra sense of purpose and motivated me to start working as a volunteer. However, I have to say, as I was so young, I did not fully comprehend what I could do or how I should respond to what I saw. At the time, I merely walked around and observed, completely paralyzed by the sensory overload of the city.
The rest of those days, I visited the other main tourist attractions, like the Monkey Temple (Swayambunath) and the Garden of Dreams. The first I visited with two other Dutchies I met at my hostel at sunset, and the latter was an oasis of calm in the middle of my busy day of walking around. I went to Pumpernickel Bakery for coffee of course, and visited the French Bakery, where they had the best cappuccino’s and gluten-free French toast I had ever had. After those first few days, I had an idea of what Kathmandu felt like, and was ready to go into the more rural parts of Nepal.
Volunteering at Conscious Impact
A few days later, together with the other new volunteers, we gathered at the hostel to walk to the bus station, which would carry us further into the mountains to the Camp of Conscious Impact. Conscious Impact is an NGO that was founded right after the earthquake, and which has grown into a community-based organization that promotes sustainable building and agriculture, and facilitates capacity building and trainings for both volunteers and local people. They are a wonderful organization that takes care of each other and the Earth, so, if you have time, you should definitely check them out!
When I got there, my homesickness returned, however. I was crying all day and did not know what to do. Luckily, the people at CI were super empathic and able to help me through it. After that, I felt like I had found a new family. The workdays were tough, but fun, and the community activities and chores created a sense of belonging. We transported compact earth bricks, painted windowsills and doors, planted plants and trees, and took part in youth projects. For lunch we had dal baht, and in the evenings we cooked together. We also went hiking for a couple of days, and the views we got were absolutely breath-taking, as well as the ‘baby-tiger’ we approached.
From Takure, to Kathmandu, to Pokhara
After a month, I decided it was time to go back and do what I had always wanted to do: walk the Annapurna Circuit. So, together with some other volunteers, we returned to Kathmandu and decided to have some meat for the first time in ages. This, however, is the part where my trip started to go bad.
Although I don’t remember the restaurant’s name, I do remember what I ate, vividly. It was a savory buckwheat pancake, with minced meat and eggs. This was a big mistake, as two hours later, I started to feel really sick. I could not keep anything in, and felt like I was burning up. It was the first time during my trip where I got a very bad version of food poisoning. Being the stubborn eighteen year old that I was, I refused to take electrolytes, as it tasted like salty Fanta, which made me even more nauseous. Worse, the next day I decided to join the group of volunteers for drinks. Worse still, the day after I decided to board a bus to Pokhara, where I wanted to start my hike from. I thought I could sit it out there, and go hiking once I got better.
As you might notice from the tone of this blogpost, things actually got worse in the end. On one faithful Easter Day, I called my parents, telling them I felt super light-headed, and that I still had to run to the bathroom every ten minutes. They instructed me to go see a doctor immediately. Yes, they were extremely worried.
And rightfully so. The doctor told me my blood pressure was so low, that I might have fainted at any time, and might not have woken up. So, I had to stay in the hospital for two long nights while they put me on a drip with fluids and antibiotics. I also had to drink the salty Fanta electrolytes, which I should have done in the first place. After two days, I felt much better, but most of all: I really wanted to go home.
So, after I got out of the hospital, I traveled back to Kathmandu, and took the first plane home. Which, of course: got delayed. So, I missed my transfer in Dubai, which initially frustrated me tremendously, but when I saw the free hotel room I was allowed to stay at within the Terminal, I was delighted. It was the best sleep I had had in a long time. Eventually, I got home, where my mother and my grandparents were waiting for me at Schiphol Airport. My mom brought a typical Dutch ‘broodje kaas’ (cheese sandwich) upon request, and I was happy to be home.
Going back to Nepal
You might think this would have ruined the memories of my trip. But, as time passes we start to remember places with rose-colored glasses. Besides, five of the six weeks were amazing, and I still hold Nepal in my heart. So, yep, you guessed it: in two weeks I will be going back. Not to go hiking, but to do research for my master’s thesis at the very same volunteer organization I visited five years ago. Although the thought still scares me a little, I am confident this time will be very different.
So, if you want to follow my renewed travels, please keep coming back to Amber Eats Abroad, where I’ll regularly share updates and stories about my time in Nepal. If you want travel news on the daily, make sure to follow me on Instagram, and I’ll speak to you soon!
Love,
