High fives. They’re universal.

Khatmandu to Monjo.

Our first campsite on trek was on the edge of a village called Ghat. The town is a three hour walk from Lukla. The views here are beautiful with the grand Himalayas watching over us.

After arriving at camp, we took an afternoon walk to the local Stupa and the school.

On the way, we met a little girl of three or four. She was very keen to show us what was in the basket on her back. She took it off and inside was a puppy. A puppy very eager to escape.

I took a photo of the puppy, making a point to leave the little girl out of the photo. Looking back through my photos later that afternoon, I discovered the best photo bomb in history. A small face with a big cheeky smile had snuck in the side of the second shot.

Smiling for a photograph. It’s universal.

Further down the road was the local primary school. The organisation I am travelling with had recently arranged a volunteer trip to help with the playground. We could hear the laughter of the kids from one of the classrooms although school was long over. As they ran past, I put out my hand to offer a high five. More than one of them reciprocated. Boys and girls. Plaits and pinafores. We smiled.

High fives. They’re universal.

The following day on the road to Monjo after enjoying a coffee, I took a wander through a town and spotted a little boy, no older than two, who wanted to play tug of war with a stick. We played for a few minutes and he laughed with his whole body. I then had to go back to my group. I blew him a kiss as I left. And he blew one back.

Blowing a kiss. It’s universal.

No shared language. Lives so far apart. And yet we could still communicate with each other in a way that made both of us smile. And in a way that would forever be imprisoned in my travel memories.

A smile in a photograph. A high five. Blowing a kiss. They’re universal.

Get lost. Stay curious.

PS I have deliberately not mentioned the flight between Kathmandu and Lukla. A lot of people will have described the view on the flight. Others will have described the landing. The words that come to mind are spectacular. And scary.

There are many YouTube clips available that will be better at describing this flight than my writing will allow.