There are obvious reasons why many travellers pick the same destinations to explore. I can’t argue against affordable transport, safe accommodation, and a welcoming culture – no one can. Yet these destinations, such as an Everest pilgrimage or Phuket’s tropical beaches, simply don’t appeal to me. Instead of sitting and pondering the places I would like to see, I decided it was time to make it my reality, so last autumn, I booked a direct flight to Nepal and left the very next morning.
Many of my fellow travellers recommended I visit the Manaslu circuit trek – a circular hike over 13 days that explores the restricted Himalayan region. While I was tempted, particularly because it’s a completely remote and secluded path. But I still wasn’t satisfied. I wanted something even more adventurous – somewhere I could get lost in nature and feel entirely disconnected from the rest of the world.
After a few days of research, I was ready to give up. It felt as though everywhere that was suggested to me, someone had already done it! I had this itch that became slightly overwhelming at times, to be one of the very few people to explore somewhere isolated in the region. But just before I was about to pack my bags and choose a different destination to explore, I got talking to a local in the area of Dunai – where I was staying at the time – who mentioned a location that I hadn’t heard from anyone else. He called it Tsum Valley.
The next morning, I didn’t leave a second to spare, packed my bags and headed towards the Gorkha district where I would find the Tsum Valley. The second I stepped off the jeep, I was engulfed by the beautiful silence that felt like it went on for hundreds of miles. I knew instantly that this was what I was looking for.
Along the trail, I was accompanied by fascinating species like the Himalayan blue sheep and another intriguing mammal, which I’m sure was a species of snow leopard. Amongst the diverse wildlife, I enjoyed taking frequent pauses along the way to take in just how humongous the Himalayan mountains truly were.
But roughly halfway along my journey, I came across an ancient monastery, home to a community of Buddhists in the area. As I explored the area further, I first noticed how impressively mature they were, while seeming more physically capable than myself and anyone I knew. I stopped outside one of the local monasteries, where I was pleasantly greeted by a monk who was practising there. We quickly got talking, mainly about the area and how I admired its beauty, but then I wondered how they felt about living in such a remote area, and if they faced any challenges in their daily lives. He confidently responded and said, ‘You don’t need much to be happy’. We politely parted ways, and I carried on with my journey.
For some reason, I couldn’t seem to forget about what the monk had said – despite coming across new sites along the path. I guess you could say that I was suddenly uninterested and was instead caught up in the thoughts that were spiraling in my mind. It sounds like such a simple statement, but upon reflection, it made me consider how I’d been desperately searching for what’s next, and a bigger achievement than the one I already had. I suddenly realised that I was running away from my own problems that I was obviously too scared to face, and the travelling was just a distraction.
I remembered the old, and slightly crumpled photo print that I had sitting at the very bottom of my rucksack. It was a photo of my mum, who I hadn’t seen in years due to my travels, and strangely I felt an overwhelming wave of guilt. Being so far away from her had never bothered me before. But this time was different. It was different because for the first time in 5 years, I’d realised the damage I was doing, always chasing what’s next, without realising I was missing all the opportunities right in front of me.
I guess you could say that my experience in Tsum Valley was transformative. The simple, yet wise words from the monk didn’t stop me from travelling the world and exploring destinations where no one had ever been before. But it did teach me to be selfless and realise the value of travelling with others, and sharing every memory along the way together. Since then, my mum has joined me on every flight, off-trek path and slightly scary hostel stay that I’ve been on, and I couldn’t be more grateful.