A nine month, solo adventure exploring Nepal, India, Southeast Asia and the world within.

PARAGLIDING – POKHARA, NEPAL

I try to make it a general rule to avoid all tourist traps. But seeing that there’s always an exception to the rule, I feel that I could endure the cash grab if it contributes and is beneficial to my collection of personal travel experiences. So off we went - a bunch of tourists bumping around in the back of a truck headed up a mountain, ready to plunge off it and para-glide over Pokhara’s glittering lakes. I was lucky enough to have picked a clear and magnificent day. As we lifted off, the Annapurna range suddenly came in to view and the mountains provided me with a silent and enticing view that just kept on giving, truly living up to its own and great name - God Of Plenty. With the Himalayan range behind me and Pokhara’s largest lake beneath me, I was indeed flying high. Shadows were casted on rolling rice fields, winding roads seemed distant and chaotic, the water gleamed and speckled and all the while I was cradled by a playful wind. The other parachutes dotted the skyline and I wondered what the other tourists were thinking. Perhaps we shared the same thought in that blissful moment - that maybe it’s sometimes necessary to go with the flow and blend in to the sweaty lineups, aging backpacks and well-thumbed Lonely Planet guidebooks.

Yaamini Kanthaswamy