A vacation is having nothing to do and yet you have all day to do something in it. So, to enjoy your holidays, these are the places you must visit in Nepal.

What is it about a government job that explains its enduring appeal? Job security? Check. Perks from the get go? Check. Minimum exertion at work? Check. Inflated sense of self-importance? Check. Prospects for underhand inducements? Check. All of these may undoubtedly figure as strong motivating factors for the hordes who sit for the Lok Sewa exams every year, but one important element that is missing, and often overlooked, are the travel perks.

The alarm went off at 4:30 am. We got up feeling groggy and tired, every muscle in our bodies aching for more rest. We had some hot tea and felt a little soothed. By 5:00 am we were ready to move. The early hour saw a bunch of travelers trudging slowly along in a single file through the snow filled trails with a dark sky overhead.

After a trip to the Ice Lake, we headed back to our hotels. We had decided to rest for a while and then head off to Tilicho. But we had to change our plans because a) our bodies felt numb due to excessive walking and b) the weather and rainfall forecast for the next few days didn’t look great. We were sad that we had to leave Tilicho for another time but were, at the same time, excited to move towards the world’s highest crossable pass – Thorong la Pass.

Every time we thought we had reached a mountain top and we would finally get to see that lake, we ended up being wrong and there was always another one to trek over. Every once in a while we felt like giving up but we persevered and finally reached Ice Lake.

It had only been a few weeks since I got back from the Mardi Base Camp trail. The phone rang and a voice on the other side said, “Bhai, Annapurna round circuit gardim na ta daju bhai.” When one travel enthusiast says to another, “Let’s hit the Annapurna Round Circuit trail,” you just don’t say no. With the buzzing of world’s highest crossable pass “Thorong la”, Tilicho lake, and the whole of the Annapurna Range to walk through, my soul craved for adventure and my heart was already up there in the mountains.