Hulhumale by night

Arriving at Hulhumale by 6.30pm, I start walking briskly round the island. It grew darker and cooler but, for the first twently minutes, I'm sweating my bollocks off. Thereafter I begin to enjoy the exercise. Because of the dark, there aren't any people around except in the centre of the island, where most of the housing is. For most part, I am walking in blackness, lights glimmering in the distance, and a pale moon rising over the silhouettes of the palms. Walking round Hulhumale at night is quite an experience.

I'm 10 days into a training programme involving swimming, walking and, for the first time in my life, gym. I'm hoping to maximise my strength and endurance for a trek to Everest this spring. If all goes well, I'll be flying out to Bangalore early in April and taking the train to the Indo-Nepalese border. I want to spend more time in the mountains this time around, cross a mountain pass and take in the Gokyo Valley as well as the Khumbu Valley in the Everest region. Because I'm going alone, I have to be as fit as I can make myself in the two months that I have.

I'm currently finishing off a video project that I have and then I'll focus entirely on my training. But I may take a week off to do a writing assignment to fund the trek.

I can't wait to be back in the Himalaya and to see the rhododendrons in bloom.