I walked out of the bathroom shaking in silent mirth. I had just been forced to use letterhead from a 5-star hotel as toilet paper.

The absurdities of travel.

As I stepped out into the outdoor shopping center, I kept bursting out into laughter. I couldn’t get over it. A world that would give you a taste of the good life, then give you a forcible reminder of just how unconceivable that luxury was for most people in this world.

It was a good lesson, although at the time, it just seemed ridiculous.

I went back to Himalayan Java and ordered another cup of coffee. I sat inside and checked my email. The message I had been waiting for was there, finally.

The company in Austria wanted to arrange an interview.

They suggested a date 11 days out. That would allow me a moderate-length trek, to either Poon Hill or Annapurna Base Camp. The Annapurna Circuit would be out of the question though. It was actually a pretty unfortunate date, all things considered. But with my head in the foggy state it was, I honestly couldn’t decide what I wanted to do. With no plan, I couldn’t tell them where we should move the date to. So, I thought, I may as well just plan around their date.

I fired back an email telling Runtastic that would be great and I looked forward to the opportunity. I downloaded their apps to my phone. I’d always been a Nike+ guy, but I guessed that I could get used to the change.

So with an interview 11 days out, I had to go arrange a trek, and I had to do it quickly.

But you know me by now. I wasn’t going to do that, at least not right away.

I set course for the Malaysian’s coffee shop.

***

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