“Chew garlic—it’s medicine for high altitude. And salt helps against leeches.” That was the advice from a young, beautiful, brown-eyed girl, just returning from a trekking adventure. I met her in a restaurant not long ago. She shared her story with me, and I was enjoying myself so much listening to it. It was so funny, I felt it had to be shared with others.
An idea starting for a short Instagram reel turned into a much longer conversation. So I made it into a YouTube video instead. Yeah, I know—not the expected format, right? But then again, neither was her trek what she expected. So, in that same spirit, this version is just as perfect as it can be.
And then, her heartfelt advice came. It arrived just in time for my own upcoming trek to Mardi Himal. I start this trek early tomorrow morning from Pokhara.
Listening to her story, I couldn’t help but think of my own adventure. It was 30 years ago when I was 23, here in Nepal. Trekking in Langtang, partly all on my own. I ended up under house arrest in one of the villages close to Tibet. Why? Because my friend Aaron—whom I met on that trip—and I were openly talking about sneaking into Tibet. Back then, traveling to Tibet was prohibited.
Ironically, it was our openness that saved us from being shot at along the heavily guarded border. A strange grace, I regard it now.
Now, decades later, I’m about to trek to Mardi Himal— maybe chewing garlic and sprinkling salt on my boots like some wild gypsy woman.
Traveling is fun, yes—but it’s also full of unexpected moments, spontaneous meetings, and stories that somehow stay with you forever. And speaking of travel—I’ll be hosting a retreat in the Moroccan sand dunes at the end of October. Stay tuned for updates on the program. You can also reach out to me directly if you’d like to learn more.
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