The Training

When Dee and I decided to embark on this adventure, we knew that we had A LOT of planning and preparation to do. One of the biggest to do's was to get our bodies and minds trek fit - a.k.a. training. Given the different environments, climates, and landscapes that Dee and I live in, we've had to take different approaches in our exercise regimes.

Summer in Korea was brutally hot, humid, and rainy, so training was tough. Luckily, the fall emerged as the most perfect season for hiking - cool air, blue skies, cloud-free, and sunny. Moreover, I live on a lake in a basin surrounded by beautiful mountains. Directly behind my apartment stands a small, but steep mountain, Anmasan. While only 303m, it has provided great training grounds for daily morning hikes. On days, when the mountain is unsuitable for hiking, I take a brisk 10k walk to the lake and back home. On weekends, I take longer hikes lasting the entire day (below are photos from 1051m Girisan). I've also added a self-designed combo of stretching-yoga-pilates-meditation to my daily routine.

The approach

Craggy summit

No ropes, but metal railing and mini-footholds are provided on the ascent

And on the equally hairy, near-vertical descent 

View from the summit

Down in Australia, Dee is finally experiencing summer and the heat that comes along with it. And unfortunately, the Perth-area can hardly be considered the Alps of Australia (really, can anywhere in Australia?). Given these climate and landscape challenges, she has been training with 7-10k daily walks, with longer 15k walks on weekends. Moreover, Dee is an avid diver and has been training for her Dive Masters, which is providing her with an entirely different kind of workout.

Through this training, we've also broken in our hiking boots (we actually bought the same pair) and become used to carrying weight in our packs. Accompanied by healthy eating, less partying, and more positivity in general, Dee and I can now check one more thing off of the 'to do' list.

The Flights

Dee and I have finally booked our flights to Nepal, which makes this whole adventure a little more exciting and a lot more real. Dee is flying out from Perth with a week-long layover in Kuala Lumpur to visit friends. She then heads to Delhi and finally onto Kathmandu, arriving December 9th. I am flying from Seoul with a stopover in Taipei and a night in Bangkok. I then fly to Kathmandu, arriving December 10th. We are quite the Asia jesetters, hitting seven countries combined as we travel to Nepal.

Here's the view I'm hoping for as I enter Nepal:

Everest from an airplane.

The Food

As today marks one month until I leave for Nepal, I have a confession to make. While I'm beyond excited to reunite with Dee, see some of the highest mountains in the world, immerse myself in a new culture, and embark upon this amazing adventure, there is something a little simpler that I cannot wait to experience.

The food.

Dal Bhat.

Consisting of lentil soup (dal) and rice (bhat) and often served alongside vegetable curry (tarkari), this Nepali staple food is typically eaten twice a day and is readily available at teahouses all along the Annapurna Circuit.

Yes, please!

The Vaccinations

Thinking back on my childhood, I don't remember ever being scared of needles. Not that I was a fan of needles, but I remember being quite comfortable with the idea of receiving shots and having blood taken. Still, I'm not entirely sure how accurate these memories really are... In any case, when I learned of the slew of recommended vaccinations for travel to Nepal, I immediately developed a strong aversion to needles. There are more than ten major diseases that one should be inoculated against before traveling to Nepal. Luckily, Dee and I received most of these vaccinations as children; however, there were several new, scary diseases we had to learn about and protect ourselves against.

Here's the rundown of recommended vaccinations for Nepal and the seriously scary potential consequences of forgoing them (I won't include any of the pictures I "Google Image" searched).

Hepatitis A (already vaccinated against)

what it is: acute infectious disease of the liver

causes: ingestion of contaminated food or water, direct contact with an infectious person

potential consequences: fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, appetite loss, depression, jaundice, weight loss

Typhoid (vaccination required)

what it is: infectious bacterial fever

causes: ingestion of contaminated food or water

potential consequences: progressive fever, profuse sweating, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, abdominal pain, delirium, intestinal hemorrhaging and perforation

Polio (already vaccinated against)

what is it: acute viral infectious disease

causes: ingestion of contaminated food or water

potential consequences: muscle weakness, acute onset of flaccid paralysis of one or more limbs, decreased or absent tendon reflexes, asymmetric paralysis (usually involving the legs)

Japanese Encephalitis (vaccination required)

what it is: viral disease

causes: bite from an infected mosquito

potential consequences: severe rigors, fever, neck rigidity, wasting syndrome, hemiparesis (asymmetric weakness), convulsions, inflammation of the brain, mental retardation, coma, life-long neurological defects

Hepatitis B (already vaccinated against)

what is it: infectious disease of the liver

causes: exposure to infectious blood or bodily fluids containing blood

potential consequences: liver inflammation, jaundice, vomiting, liver cancer, liver cirrhosis, death

Rabies (vaccination required)

what is it: viral disease

causes: bite from an infected animal

potential consequences: fever, headache, weakness, insomnia, anxiety, confusion, paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, delirium, agitation, hypersalivation, difficulty swallowing, hydrophobia (fear of water), death

Holy monkeys can carry a whole lot of diseases at Swayambhunath

(Monkey Temple in Kathmandu)

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR - already vaccinated against)

what they are: viral diseases

causes: contact with respiratory secretions from an infectious person

potential consequences: fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, severe rash, painful swelling of the salivary glands

Tetanus-Diphtheria (already vaccinated against)

what they are: bacterial diseases

causes: tetanus - wound contamination; diphtheria - contact with respiratory secretions from an infectious person

potential consequences: tetanus - muscle spasms, rigidity (usually in the face, lockjaw); diphtheria - sore throat, fever, upper respiratory tract illness

Beyond ensuring that Dee and I have received all the necessary vaccinations, we've also been stocking up on antibiotics, anti-diarrheal and GI medications, first-aid kit supplies, and water purifiers, as well as educating ourselves on prevention.

Here's to healthy travels!