Before my driftwood fire I sit,

And see with every waif I burn,

Old dreams and fancies coloring it,

And folly’s unlaid ghosts return.

John Greenleaf Whittier

There is a great mountain in central Nepal called Annapurna, Goddess of the Harvests. This book recalls a walking tour in this lofty and exhilarating region.

A time capsule from a world that has now largely passed, July 19: Today I Arrived in Kathmandu recounts the author’s journey, interleaved with memories stirred by events along the trail, setting off trains of reminiscence and prompting the old dreams, the fancies, and the unlaid ghosts to take over.

Peter MacFarquhar evolved into a keen India traveler by a fairly circuitous route. He was originally from New England, but soon moved to South Africa when his parents went there to work. He started school in The Hague in the Netherlands a short time later, and then spent the rest of his childhood and teenage years in Benghazi and Marsa Brega in Libya.

Following the usual order of things, he returned to the United States to attend university, eventually earning an M.A. in TEFL from the University of Hawaii. From there he transferred to the Middle East and worked at a number of universities in the Gulf region for several decades. During this period he took up long distance walking, and began traveling extensively in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, by train and on foot.

He has recently retired from international education, and now lives in central Florida. He hopes to resume his wandering life in the near future.

Find out more at www.july19kathmandu.com

"Annapurna, Goddess of the Harvests, towers over the Annapurna Circuit. If you dream of trekking there, whether in person or from your armchair, you need this charming memoir: July 19: Today I arrived in Kathmandu. The book describes the breathtaking vistas, the villages, the residents, the lodges, the food, the sudden, sharp variations in weather and much, much more. It also brims with practical advice like how to avoid eating rice in the lodge kitchen served with the same spoon recently stored in the yak dung used to fuel to stove.” – Neil MacFarquhar

"This book is a little gem. As if you fell in with someone on the trail, Peter MacFarquhar takes you along on an unhurried trek of the Annapurna region of Nepal. Present and past interweave as stunning landscapes give way to memories, stories and bits of hard-earned travel lore. Harking back to a simpler style of trekking, he nonetheless encounters the twenty-first century even in the mountains of Nepal. The obligation of a writer is to be a companion and not an authority, says Barry Lopez, and one would be hard pressed to find a better companion. "Visiting Nepal is good for you”, Peter concludes, and reading his book is the next best thing." – Jim Persei

"Peter!! I just finished your book. Magnificent. Reminded me of a long evening of catching up with an old friend. Truly a nice escape from the doldrums of everyday life. Thank you!" – Danielle Bus

"July 19 is a deeply rewarding read. Macfarquhar relates marvelous anecdotes from a life filled with adventure and beauty, and does so with humility, humor, and a natural elegance. The closing pages about listening to the ghosts of the past tie everything together with a profound and touching grace. This is a voice of wisdom that we would do well to heed in these fast-paced, anxious times. Highly recommended." – U.S. Reviewer

"I have just finished reading this book, and what a delight it has been: full of vivid descriptions and packed with interesting detail and gripping events and dramatic flashbacks, as well as absorbing information about the trek itself and Nepal in general, and practical advice, all leavened with candid insights into the author's own particular circumstances. I was happily carried along by the narrative. Peter McFarquhar is a very sympathetic guide to the world of trekking in Asia. Iconoclastic and even anarchic at times, but basically humane, sensible, responsible, modest, even humble, as well as intrepid." – David Palmer

July 19: Today I Arrived in Kathmandu

Peter MacFarquhar

Paperback

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