Noah's Asian Adventures

Why I Go

It's funny that months and months before I left to come to Nepal, long before I bought my ticket even, I had a very strong sense of purpose in coming out here.

]]> I thought I would really be making a positive and much
needed change in my life. But in the proceeding months of physical and emotional preparation - working out what to take and what to leave behind, getting ready to say good-bye to loved ones, etc., I some how lost the desire that initially seemed very strong. So much so that when my eventual date of departure arrived I couldn't really work out what it was I had wanted to leave behind and go in search of. But my bags were packed and before I knew it it was time to wipe back the tears and get on a plane headed for the other side of the world. I left with a mind full of confusion and an unsettled sense of purpose. Thankfully that would eventually change.

Why Nepal?

Why Nepal.

Nepal had been the final leg of my previous trip to Asia, an adventure of body and mind that had also led me to Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam over the course of six months. As hard as it is to pick a favorite anything, let alone country, Nepal topped my list due to its strikingly beautiful filthiness and greatest "otherness". I fell in love with its perfume of chaos.

]]> My month in Nepal was spent entirely in the Kathmandu area doing the usual gawky touristy stuff but there was a particular period that stood out for its greatest "otherness" too.

That time was a ten day meditation course at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery called Kopan, situated in the foot hills overlooking the city.

Kopan had come recommended to me by a friend and in a spurt of spontaneity I decided to give it a whirl. By retreating to the hill top enclave I was more in search of a bit of peace and quiet than to study Buddhism. While being immersed in the basics of Buddhist philosophy, the most startling effect was how quickly and soundly I slept at night, a phenomena that had become more and more elusive as my travels progressed.

After the ten days were over I really wasn't too aware of exactly what it was that I had ingested but I knew I wanted more. It was similar to trying a new dish and even though you don't know exactly what it was you just ate, you still want a second helping.

An alluring after taste remained with me upon my return home, inspiring me to want to take part in Kopan's annual month long November course just as soon as I could get the money together to go back. So after a year and a half here I am for plate number two. And what a big plate it
is too.

Noah's List of Travel Items

This is a list of what I take when I travel. All of this fits into or is strapped onto a forty liter black Kelty backpack.

]]> 1x long sleeved grey Patagonia thermal shirt,
1x short sleeved cotton shirt,
1x short sleeved button up shirt,
4x pairs of underwear, 1x pair of blue
Patagonia long johns,
2x pairs of socks,
1x thin grey fake Patagonia fleece
pull over,
1x maroon fake Patagonia fleece vest,
1x orange beanie,
1x thick black Tawonga beanie,
1x medium weight grey and black fake North Face down
jacket,
1x pair of grey Ben Davis pants,
1x pair of grey cargo shorts,
2x snot rags,
1x well endowed first aid kit,
6x toothbrushes,
1x tube of Toms of Maine fennel tooth paste,
1x bar of soap,
1x bottle of Burts Bees bug repellant,
1x small bottle of sandalwood lotion,
1x semi-disposable razor & extra blades, 2x flat oval combs,
1x wash cloth,
1x small box of incense with lighter,
1x hand made incense holder,
1x bundle of extra zip-lock bags,
1x sewing kit,
1x digital watch,
1x Canon digital camera plus battery recharger,
1x pair of 510 hiking boots,
1x pair of Chaco sandals,
1x roll of toilet paper,
1x medium sized hand sewn satchel,
1x Nalgene narrow necked water bottle,
1x Tawonga baseball cap,
1x orange and black 30 degree sleeping bag,
1x seven foot orange fleece blanket,
1x small travel pillow,
1x address book, a couple of dharma books & a few bits of paper with important bits of information on them.

Arrival of the Fittest

Having been to Nepal before I knew what I was getting myself into and what to be ready for when I came back.

Specifically things like towering mountains, great food, spicy culture, getting lost, food poisoning, influenza, weight loss etc, etc.

]]> So to prepare myself for it all I put on a
few extra pounds, dug out my old crinkled map of Kathmandu and beefed up my first aid kit. Certainly I'm all for overcoming the obstacles of arriving in a new unknown place and making the best of a difficult situation. I'm well skilled in navigating labyrinthine streets, weaving through crowds with a heavy pack, finding a place to stay and safe food to eat, but it is so much easier showing up in a place like Kathmandu for the second time and knowing
how the show is run.

Even my experience of flying from San Francisco to Kathmandu via Taipei and Bangkok was no more complicated than stopping off at a couple of friends houses on the way back home from work.

After about 25 hours in transit I walked out of the airport terminal and met the barrage of taxi drivers with my head up, already knowing exactly where I wanted to go, how to get there and how much I was about to be ripped off. Simple luxuries.