Stormy Pokhara

On the 26th, I had lunch with my Brazilian friend Camilla, who returned from her 10-day trek. Our plan was to gang out afterward, but shortly after, Camilla felt sick. She ordered fish, so we thought that was the culprit.

That evening, I did a breathwork session hosted by Lauren (Welsh) and Estelle (French), who are staying at Santoshi, my favorite accommodation so far. The group of us had dinner at Foxys Corner.

The next morning, I was fatigued, feverish, and sick to my stomach. At the time, I wasn't sure if it was my lingering cold or something new. I stayed in bed all day and couldn't eat. It rained heavily all day; it was nice and cool.

The next day, Saturday, I had to catch a morning flight to return to Katmandu to begin my Shamanic Tour with Bhola Banstola. The prior two days' flights had been canceled, and I was warned that I might not be able to leave.

Status detailed a delay, and no flights had taken off. Every hour, all flights would get pushed back another hour.

My stomach still uneasy made for an uncomfortable day of sitting around and waiting. My flight was supposed to leave at 11 and by 4, I asked the hotel if I would return to my room.

Days later, news reported the many landslides resulting in 219 deaths. The retreatants from Kopan continued to give personal updates as some were on their hike.

I finally got out a day later. For the record, it was not normal for this time of year.Read more