So i haven’t quite figured out how I should manage this blog language wise. I would have loved to have a perfect, seamless built-in translator with no extra effort needed whatsoever. And obviously I can write in Swedish or English and just translate it directly, but that just feels kind of lazy. Tussingar i sjön apparently got translated to ”kisses on the lake”, which is not what I was going for. And if not then I have to write everything twice. Personally I have no problems with either language, but that being said I’m aware that not everybody is super proficient in both, so that leaves me in a kind of a sticky situation.

Because I feel like if anyone is even slightly intrested in whatever BS or otherwise I’m writing, she or he should most def be able to. So, I’m not sure honestly. If anybody have any suggestions, please let me know. Maybe I should just suck it up and write everything twice. Maybe. Who cares, I guess. I’m mostly doing this for myself, and for selfish reasons anyway.

Wednesday 16-07-2025 19:34

So thankfully the checkpoint from yesterday was clear today, and we managed to drive all the way up to Margan Top. And what a rugged ride it was. A long (guessing 15 km maybe?), thin and winding road up the mountain. Huge potholes, rain, thick fog and the occasional car going the other direction. We couldn’t see very far ahead at all after a while, besides just; if we go down this cliff it’s instant and certain death. A very imposing feeling when the wheels of the car is less than a meter from the edge.

The hike when we got up there was nice though. The base camp, if you can call it that (few tents, few dudes, few sheep) was situated at around 3700 meters above sea level. After about an hour of climbing you pass by three small ish mountain lakes. Wild horses, heards of sheep grazing and that kind of scenery. It was nice, but the weather for the next 10 days was and is predicting rain, and today was no exception. So we (me and some dude from the taxi up there) didn’t stay too long. Not much else to say about it, other than that I’ve realised that unfortunately, alot of people here just doesn’t seem to respect nature. Maybe they don’t respect others, or just don’t care at all to begin with. There was soo much plastic waste scattered pretty much all over the base camp, and all the way up the mountain. Plastic bottles, candy wrappers, empty bags of chips. Cigarette packs. It was pretty sad to see honestly. Nay; it was awful, and once I saw that, I started seeing it everywhere.

There’s so much fucking trash everywhere here. In the streets, in the ditches besides the road. Just scattered all over… and that sucks. It’s not that hard to just put your shit in a bag, or find a trashcan somewhere. Eat your fucking trash for all I care. If you can bring a bag of chips up a mountain, you sure as shit can put it in your pocket when it’s empty. It’s so fucking stupid, and all the empty plastic bottles are gonna be there for generations and generations, until someone picks them up. And my guess is that, no one will. And not only that; it will likely get worse. So in a thousand years, those bottles will still be there. Good job ya fockin bum.

It is really sad, and it shouldn’t be that hard. It just makes everything less appealing, and I wish that more people gave a shit about leaving the place as you found it, and not worse. At the very least along hiking routes, in national parks. In otherwise supremely beautiful nature. In their own country. It’s just wild to me. And yes, I know it’s easy for me to sit on my high European horse and say how other people and countries should manage their garbade disposal… but we, collectively, as a species, should just be better generally. This place (planet Earth) is a dump now, at least compared to any time in the past billion years. It’s really unfortunate. And that’s my rant on trash.

The checkpoint from yesterday by the way could have been because of some town in the area is stricktly off limits for anyone who is not a Hindu. If you’re not a pilgrim, you ain’t getting past. Which is another thing that feels very foreign. Which feels kind of crazy as someone with zero relations to this land. In a land where something like 85 % of the population is muslim, and the flag looks like this;

Not officially of course, but I guess how it used to look before it was divided and became parts of Pakistan and India. Before several different wars was fought over it. I could of course be wrong about some of these things, but all I know is what I’m hearing from people who are born and raised here. So I think it’s safe to assume that most of what is being said is at least somewhat accurate.

One thing that I did think about was that the last time I was this high up, it was pretty rough honestly. At least with the heavy backpack, the heart is pounding at solid, heavy pace within minutes of starting the trek. And I guess the climbing was pretty taxing here as well this time around, but not as rough. So that’s neat, that I actually managed to get into decent shape before this trip. Good job myself, and it feels awesome that it will just continue to get easier, because this; the earlier so despised cardio training quickly became sort of my thing. At least once I realised that it actually feels great, I look great, and all other training just get so much easier. It just feels healthy sweating copious amounts; especially two or three times a week, most if not all weeks. Plus I’m able to do these kinds of things without stopping to catch my breath every fourth or so step. Sattee, very good. The fruit of this labor is plentiful. And the final goal is being able to do pretty much whatever I feel like doing, in terms of getting myself this or that distance. Climbing this or that mountain. From point A to point B trouble free. Hiking, endurance challanges — whatever, because I will know that it’s possible with enough effort. LFG as they say.

Gains are nice and important. Strenght training is the bees knees. But there has been a very apparent shift in how I approach training these days, since easily less than a year ago. It presents itself as maturity in my mind, and just knowing what goals I would like to achieve before it’s coffin time. Knowing that regardless of how much I deadlift or not, I’m just not a power lifter or bodybuilder type of guy. Great physique or not aside, it’s mostly just a byproduct of a healthy and active lifestyle. And it’s not really in my genes or goals anyway being absolutely huge and jacked to the teeth, which is fine (would have been awesome though, don’t get me wrong). So, very palpable progress has been attained in alot of different areas of my life this year. Training most definitely so. Personally the best year I’ve had so far in many years. Jah bless.

Not that this is a training blog by any means; it just all ties together with lifestyle and habits I guess. Wanting to travel, to explore and experience, and being both mentally and physically fit to do so. It’s important, especially in the long run, regardless of ones sense of wanderlust or lack thereof. It’s also a recepie for a pretty good, fun and interesting life if you ask me. Both of them I mean, preferably combined.