Introduction to Planet Aurora
I leave in 3 months. There is so much to do in that time – bags to pack, shots and meds to be taken, bank accounts to be sorted out, sell my car, pack up my stuff. Sometimes it is a little overwhelming pulling together all the details. But then I think – oh yeah, in 6 months, I will be climbing Aconcagua. Or maybe, in 3.5 months I will be trekking in Nepal. And the stress and anxiety fades into the background just a little.
So, here are the details….
I leave on August 28th and fly to Nepal. There I will meet up with my good friend Lisa from college who lives there and my good friend Katherine will be arriving the next day. Katherine and I plan on trekking while in Nepal. Right now, we are deciding between the Annapurna Circuit or the 3-passes trek. Both sound amazing. Maybe we can do them both….
Katherine is in Nepal for 6 weeks and I do not have a set itinerary other than flying out of Delhi, India on December 18th. At some point, I will make my way to India. After spending a month there a few years ago, I know I want to go back and explore more – though hard to choose where! Varanasi, Calcutta, Rajasthan, Chandigarh…. the list goes on and on.
But, on Dec. 16th, I will fly to Thailand for a 5 day lay-over on my way to Vietnam. I know it is super short – but I bet I can eat a lot of really good thai food in those 5 days.
Then I arrive in Vietnam for 2 weeks. I plan on going to the Mekong Delta, Da Lat for the mountains, Nha Trang for the beaches, and Hoi An. New Year’s on the beach? sure, sounds good.
Jan. 6th I depart for Buenos Aires, Argentina. I arrive on the 7th to meet up with friends in order to attempt a climb of Aconcagua (one of the 7 summits). Between traveling to Mendoza for food, supplies and permits and then being on the mountain – our hope is to be back in Mendoza in late January/early February, drinking fabulous Argentinian wine, celebrating our successful and safe climb!
From there, I plan to head to Patagonia for some trekking and more climbing. And here is where the plans start to get a little up in the air…. I know that I want to travel north up the Andes, eventually to Peru. Somewhere in there I hope to volunteer and go to language school. And lots more climbing and trekking. And Salar de Uyuni. Huayhuash Circuit. Cordilla Real. The list goes on and on….
I don’t have a return ticket yet, though I will be making that decision sometime in the next few months. Most likely the end of May, beginning of June. My budget is tight for next year and I will need to return for work (school? Outward Bound? World Challenge?)
So, there you have it friends…. that is the plan.
