[ Pokhara ]

Only three days late, and zero dollars short, I extended my Nepali visa one last time. This extension takes me to the first of October, completing my 150 days for 2017. For the first time since 2012 I will be leaving home with no idea when I’ll return.

The upside? Africa. And yet it’s a bittersweet feeling leaving this place I love.

And the pressure is now well and truly on: three months from today I will be in the upper reaches of the Sahara, riding southward towards Mauritania. My legs will be screaming in pain, as will my poor unprepared backside; the heat will be profound, the distances overwhelming, and my trepidation only slowly subsiding. But I’ll be in Africa with two years of adventure ahead of me!

For now, though, I’m ticking off my final four weeks in paradise and (surprisingly) looking forward to a short stay in the USA and the inevitable visits with friends and family. For those of you in the area, I look forward to seeing you soon.

Cheers (and good luck to those of you in the path of Hurricane Irma),
—jim