Rogue Chemist — Outta the lab and into the entropic jungle

Carnival of horrors

Towards the end of the gloomy winter here in southwest Germany, I’m usually starved for telltale signs of spring: tulips and daffodils, birds singing before sunrise, earthworms scattered on the sidewalks (which I try my best not to decapitate), and the fresh scent of dirt in the warming air.

Mall rat

As maids swept and dusted my room and hung my clean laundry from the trek in a flurry of activity around me, I realized I would have a hard time getting used to this in my normal life.

Precious cargo

Along with the driver we hired, Hassan accompanied us on the ride back to Skardu from Hushe. Also in tow was a random teenager from the village who had slept in too late, missing his earlier bus to the city to write his exams that started the next day.

Mashabrum

Situated on the immediate outskirts of Central Karakoram National Park, the village of Hushe (part of Hushe Valley in the Ghanche District of Gilgit-Baltistan) is the stopover point for treks to Mashabrum and Gondogoro La.

The long-ass road to Skardu

Entering the airport arrival hall in Lahore at 5 am, I was met with a sea of multicolored salwar kameez and not-so-discreet gazes from curious onlookers. Once Maida and her family appeared outside to whisk me away (and snap me out of my red-eyed trance), we headed directly to her home.

Prepping for Pakistan

Following my trip to Ethiopia in March, I had originally thought that my second “big trip” of the year would once again be Africa (i.e., Republic of Congo, for an exciting documentary project I’m involved in), but alas, the filming has been postponed for the time being.

Vacation vs Adventure

“But what is an adventure?”

Ethiopia: what to pack and what I learned from backpacking

Overall, I did a pretty decent job of anticipating what I would need in my backpack by relying on my previous travel experience, country research, and consulting fellow travel bloggers’ listicles.

The city of squeaky clean shoes

It turns out I was very wrong in assuming that a cozy room would automatically lead to quality sleep. For the third night in a row, I tossed and turned, falling asleep in a few short intervals before having to “wake up” at 4 am to board the bus to Addis half an hour later.

Resting bitch face

Since I was beginning to feel better from the tinidazole, my ambition for another mini-adventure (likely my last before returning to Addis Ababa) started to resurface.