Falling in Love with Nepal ❤
“This diaphanous landscape, this quintessence of purity — these were not the mountains I knew; they were the mountains of my dreams”-Maurice Herzog
Ironically, my love affair with Nepal with its expansive and all-encompassing scenery and it’s generous, sarcastic, and yet charming people, began early one morning on a cramped underground journey to work in central London.
Flipping through the morning newspaper, I came across an advert for a charity trek up the Khumbu Valley towards Everest, starting at the head of the valley where you were promised views of the world’s Mother Goddess. Chomolungma. Three months later, and having raised nearly £8000 for charity, my husband (Joolsy) and I, (along with 27 other unsuspecting trekkers) landed in the madness that is widely known as Kathmandu.
As soon as my foot touched her soil and my lungs breathed her air this country, this place, these people, this culture permeated my heart and my soul. The next thirteen days involved an internal flight to Lukla (reputably one of the world’s most dangerous airports) following the Khumbu Valley to Gorak Shep, where we would summit Kala Pattar, a small hill by Nepali standards sitting at a mere 5550m. Only then would we see her. Mighty Chomolungma, steadfast and overpowering in her beautiful magnificence.
On descending the valley I found it increasingly difficult with each step to move back towards ‘the real world’. I had a sense that the mountains didn’t want me to leave, as a magnet draws things closer, it wanted to encompass me with its invisible arms and dance with me for eternity.
It was no surprise that by the time I arrived back in Kathmandu I had already resolved to return to Nepal as soon as time allowed. Plans got underway immediately, and before the next year was up, I found myself back in the Khumbu Valley. This time the three week trek covered the majority of Sagarmatha National Park, and I knew from that point on that I had found my soul-filled home. I returned every year for increasingly longer periods of time.
Nepal has consumed ever increasing pieces of my soul. Its hands have guided me to some of the best experiences of my life. Nepal has stolen my heart.
Written by: Jacqs Leui'i
Jacqs is the founder of Unite for Nepal, an initiative dedicated to the support, development and growth of community based health & well-being projects in rural Nepal. Find out more about her initiative, here http://bit.ly/2dGgNXw
