The Day Nepal Died and Indonesia Was Born

One of my lifelong goals (I guess I've been caught up in the mystique of it all like everyone else who has been hooked, line, and sinkered) is to see Mount Everest with my own eyes. I've spent a lot of time over the past 2 weeks researching Nepal, the Everest Base Camp (EBC) and Annapurna Circuit treks, etc. Back in New York on one disgustingly rainy afternoon I even got my Nepalese visa in order to not have any problems with immigration, etc. to complete my quest to get to EBC. Knocked out the 2.5 weeks on my calendar, packed my winter hat, whatever gear I had, and was ready to start booking when I got here.

As of 5 hours ago I've had to cancel going to Nepal altogether. Took a part of me out but I think it's the pragmatic thing to do. Unfortunately, the rain is ridiculous there in July and August and no one recommends it except for the trekking companies which obviously have a financial incentive to twist the truth. I feel that it's much easier said than done, I thought spending 15 days in on-and-off rain wouldn't be that bad but then I spent 15 seconds in the rain here in Amdavad and said "to hell with it". There may be a few spots near Katmandu worth seeing but I've decided to save Nepal for another chapter in my life.

That being said, I now have a ton of time that has opened up on my calendar for me to pick a new place to go to. I'm thinking now of spending 4 or 5 days in Leh which is a gorgeous trekking city north of Manali in Kashmir, and then heading back to Mumbai for the weekend and then head to Indonesia.

Spent the day today doing tons of research, getting in touch with agents/sites/etc., and I think I have a plan down. Going to fly into Bali from Mumbai and then head to a smaller, less touristy island close by called Lombok. There is some trekking to do there near an active volcano (apparently a 2-day hike to the top and then you can sleep on the rim? Crazy!). Then, I'm planning on doing a 4-day, scuba certification course on a tiny island of Gili Tasdlfkjsadfjasf - I don't remember the full name but I guess that's why it's called Gili T. Indonesia, as you may know from Planet Earth, has some of the most abundant and awesome collections of coral reefs, marine diversity, and diving locations on the planet. I really think this will be an awesome place to head by myself and be able to enjoy.

The address of the scuba place is www.manta-dive.com. It seems legitimate, tourist friendly (traveling alone I'm a little worried about remote locations), and the people I've been shooting emails back and forth with are legitimate.

What I've read about Indonesia it seems like an incredible place. It's the largest archipelago in the world with 17,502 islands - 2/3rds of which are uninhabited! Some places are more remote than others and you need a lot of time to get to, but I think the itinerary I've picked let's me stay in a decent location and be able to settle down and enjoy scuba diving.

Let's see where this goes...