What the journey gave me

Reflections from the road series

Some journeys give us joy. Others give us clarity, courage, or a reckoning we didn’t know we needed. Travel has a way of placing us in unfamiliar spaces where the noise falls away and the truth has room to surface. In this series, we share deeply personal stories of time spent on the road that shaped, challenged, or changed the way someone moved forward in their life. These are not light lessons, but honest ones — reflections from the road that speak to resilience, perspective, and the enduring human capacity to grow through experience.

By Travel Expert, Nicky Schulze

Nepal: Red-Faced, Proud and a Little Bit Broken

I set off on what felt like the trip of a lifetime — something that would challenge me both mentally and physically. Nepal had always intrigued me: its culture, its landscapes, and the lure of the Himalayas. On a whim, and with just six weeks' notice, I decided it would be my next destination.

I booked a 15-day Annapurna Circuit trek with Intrepid, which included eight days of trekking through the Nepalese Himalayas, staying in teahouses and the occasional camp along the way. Armed with all the confidence of someone in their 30s, I bought new hiking boots and a stepper machine to prepare. Hindsight, of course, is a wonderful thing!

If I could offer my younger self any advice, it would be to train harder, train daily and train outdoors. Marching away in your lounge room on a stepper does little to prepare knees and ankles for slippery rocks, uneven trails and never-ending stone steps. I'd also suggest spending a lot more time breaking in my boots!

After a couple of days sightseeing and acclimatising in Kathmandu, I set off with two other Australians, an Irishman, our Nepalese guide, and a team of 13 sherpas and cooks. We began with an "easy" three-day trek to warm up for the tougher five-day section that would take us high into the Annapurna region.

The Chisopani–Nagarkot trek climbed to around 2,300 metres above sea level. We spent five to seven hours each day walking through mud-brick villages, blooming rhododendron forests, and terraced fields where women in brightly coloured saris worked the land by hand. Across the valley, the Himalayas and Mount Everest stretched into the distance, although a drought-induced haze obscured sight of the famous peaks.

The scenery was stunning but by the end of the three days, every muscle and tendon below my waist was screaming, and my feet were covered in blisters from my relatively new hiking boots…rookie error!

We finished the trek in the charming town of Bhaktapur, where we enjoyed a much-needed night of recovery before a 6am start for the next leg of the adventure — a two-day white-water rafting trip. Unfortunately, I was already feeling extremely nauseous and weak as I got on the raft. About three hours into the torturously long five-hour ride, food poisoning hit hard. I spent the remainder of the trip battling stomach cramps and exhaustion, clinging to the raft as I vomited multiple times over the side.

That evening, the views from the riverbank campsite were spectacular — though I appreciated them mostly from inside my tent, shivering feverishly while feeling like I was going to die. Thankfully, by the following morning I was feeling much better and able to enjoy the fun of the rafting and the spectacular scenery.

The real challenge, however, was yet to come. On the first day of the main trek, Nepal's six-month drought broke.

After four hours of uphill climbing, cold rain hammered down so hard it felt like icy needles piercing my skin. Thunder and lightning cracked around us so close I could feel it reverberate through my waterlogged bones. With nowhere to shelter, it was terrifying.

Many, many times, I questioned what sort of “holiday” I had signed up for.

When the trail finally levelled out, the landscape transformed into something magical. Mist drifted through forests of red and pink rhododendrons, green terraces glistened with rain and the mountains appeared and disappeared behind curtains of cloud, all set behind a backdrop of cornflower blue skies. It was breathtaking!

For the next four days our small group trekked largely in silence, each of us absorbed in the battles we had going on within. The physical challenge was relentless: steep stone staircases that seemed to go on forever, slippery snowy descents and freezing nights at 3,500 metres. My sleeping bag, rated for around -5°C, proved dismally inadequate. But the hardest part wasn't physical. It was the voice inside my head. Those were the days when the real battle was mental. "I'm so unfit. Why didn’t I train harder? What was I thinking? I can’t do this." I’ve never experienced such an intense struggle with my own thoughts.

Despite the endless torment, there were moments of wonder and joy. Our cooks produced the most incredible meals in the middle of nowhere. Every day brought scenery and views more spectacular than the last. We even had anticipated camp visits from machete-carrying Maoist rebels — who fortunately turned out to be much friendlier than they appeared.

Our final day of trekking coincided with Holi, the Hindu ‘Festival of Colours.’ Children ran through villages throwing water and coloured powder — unsuspecting tourists were their favourite targets.

After descending thousands of rocky steps, we faced yet another brutal uphill section.

During a rest stop, a group of giggling children bombarded us, telling us they were going to mark our foreheads with coloured powder. I smiled as a tiny finger innocently reached out to put a streak on my forehead. Meanwhile, another hand appeared out of nowhere, smothering bright red powder all over my hot and sweaty face. Squeals of laughter from locals followed us as we trekked on, literally red-faced. Our final camp was on a riverbank where, to my relief, the chalky colour washed away easily.

After another stormy night, during which the rain nearly washed out our campsite, the final day was an easy walk into the pretty lakeside town of Pokhara. As we arrived, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride for what I had just accomplished. Every step of that journey was a physical and mental challenge for me where I doubted myself constantly. Some days I fought back tears. Other days I just let them fall. But I never gave up.

I did this trek in 2006, and some 20 years later, it remains one of the most challenging, expansive and rewarding experiences of my life — and one I’m proudest of. Nepal and the Annapurna region tested my body, challenged my mind and forced me to confront my own limitations. It also showed me just how resilient I can be when there is no real choice but to keep moving forward.

While Intrepid Travel no longer run this exact tour, they do a very similar one called Annapurna Circuit Trek. It’s currently on sale with up to 30% off until 22 June 2026. Ask us about your WeExplored additional bonus!