Monday, March 19, 2007

Brief Update

Dear Family & Friends,
I apologize for neglecting my blog during the past month or so... Between my trip to Europe-- where I was fortunate to visit nearly all of my good friends (and have some visit as well!)-- and my arrival to Asia for the first time, where I have been having the time of my life, while at the same time, adjusting to an entirely different culture-- I have left many of you in the dark as to where I have been and what has been happening in my life.

I realize this, and I promise to redirect this downward spiral... but for now, I must paraphrase, as I off from Kathmandu for another few days, so I thought a short summary might tide you all over for the long, long blog work that awaits me when I return...

In short, Europe was everything and more than I thought it would be. As mentioned above, I was able to see nearly all of my good friends, and my friends Sile and Orla were troopers and made the trip to Mainz for Carnival! I also had a long anticipated reunion with my good friend Nate (and his wife Alex) in France, which was superb, to say the least! As always, Micha was able to hook me up with a place to lay my weary head-- I think I might be forever indebted to him and his family-- they are truly the best!

I arrived in Nepal at 11pm on March 1... and my head has been spinning ever since (in a GREAT way!). This land and its people are absolutely amazing! There is always something going on here, and I never seem to have a moment where I am not thinking about how fortunate I am to be in such a place or planning my next trip. There are many, many things and stories to tell, but I will just highlight all that I have done thus far for now...

I participated in the Holi Day (the holiest Hindu holiday & a day filled with water bombs and paint) with my friend Steve.

I have been trekking in Langtang National Park (about 9 hrs north of Kathmandu and only a few kilometers from the Tibetan border) for 10 days with my friend Carolyn, where I was exposed to the splendor of the Nepalese landscape, as well as the sure beauty of Nepal's people. I don't think I have ever felt more welcome in a country as a foreigner as I have felt in Nepal. I feel truly blessed to be here.

Tomorrow I am leaving for the Bhote Kosi River (3 hrs east of Kathmandu-- near the Tibetan border) for two days of rafting with Steve. The river is supposed to be one of the best short trips in the entire world!

Afterwards, I will be returning to Kathmandu (time undetermined thus far) before heading to the Annapurna Range (6 hrs west of Kathmandu & considered to be one of the best trekking places in the world), where I plan on trekking the Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary, which I should complete in roughly 30 days.

Needless to say, I have been having the time of my life and have plenty of stories to tell already! I feel extremely blessed to be here, especially at this time in my life, and I hope to be able to share my thoughts, stories, and photos with you all shortly.

Thank you so much for your patience during this rough start to my blog. I will do my best to update (and maintain) it as soon as possible.

I carry you all with me wherever I may be and talk about you constantly to the people I meet...

Love,
C.J.

P.S.- Thank you to all who sent me their photos prior to me leaving for Asia! I have brought all of your photos with me and can't thank you enough for passing your lovely photos along so that I could bring you with me!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dude, this blog just oozes your love of travel and your mission to live life to the fullest. I'm soooo happy for you that you're fulfilling a dream and having an absolute blast.

I'll be eagerly following your travels through the blog and feeling jealous the entire time.

Your brutha from anotha mutha,
K Fizzle

BillBow Baggins said...

Sounds incredible so far, bro. Inspiring. Looking forward to hearing more. Don't worry about sparse posts, though. There will be plenty of time to digest and write later. For now, continue having a blast.

Anonymous said...

Happy to hear you are still kickin' and having a blast. Just let us know you are still alive every once in a while. Sounds like this is everything you hoped it would be. Good to hear your months of boot shopping will all be worthwhile with the 30 day trek. And that camera should be capturing amazing photos.

Upload some pictures when you get a chance!