Love Around the World 14: Nepal

There was nothing in Tengboche so we were not disappointed to simply be staying there the night before moving on. I was fast asleep later that night when I felt myself being shaken away. Opening my eyes to see Fleur looking at me, she put a finger to her lips but gestured for me to follow. I hadn't particularly undressed, using my torch to find my boots, thick coat and hat before following her outside.

It was a cloudless night, and the sky was a kaleidoscope of stars, something you would never see in either Sydney or Eindhoven. The moon provided just enough illumination so we were not going to run into anything in the dark, but I couldn't help but gaze up in wonder.

Feeling Fleur take my hand, I gently squeezed as she shuffled closer to me. "I just had to show you," she whispered, "Something this beautiful needs to be shared."

"Thank you."

Wrapping my arm around her, she snuggled into my side, feeling her arms wrap around me in return. "I'm glad I met you, Mark..."

"My daughters will be very happy to hear that I've made a lady friend."

She laughed at the description. We stayed outside for another half an hour, just gazing up at the stars before we returned to our room. I was kicking off my shoes when she leaned up to my ear. "Want to snuggle with me?" she whispered.

"Huh?"

"I'm not suggesting we have sex or anything. Not in a room full of people, but maybe you'd like to snuggle with me? We can just state we were cold if anyone asks."

I wasn't going to say no to the idea of snuggling with a beautiful woman. Sure, it was a tiny bed, lying on my side with my back against the wall as she slid into bed and spooned back against me. Without the layers of clothing, I could feel a rather tight and toned body underneath her t-shirt, and I was left thinking she had some nice assets on her chest. Given I was only in my underwear and hadn't been in bed with a woman for months, nothing could prevent the erection that formed.

"I'll take it as a compliment," she whispered.

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry because you're nice and hard in bed with me."

"I haven't felt this good in what feels like a long time."

"You're certainly helping me feel good too." Snuggling back against my chest, I tightened my arms around her. "Never thought I'd find a man who I liked while trekking in Nepal. I thought it would just be a couple of weeks on my own even though I'd be in a group..."

Waking in the morning with a renewed erection, she eventually rolled over and snuggled against me. Given I was six-one, I'd figured her height must have been at least five-nine. I knew the Dutch were quite a tall group of people. I'd watched enough Dutch ice speed skaters to know they had rather long legs. We remained in bed until everyone else had left the room before she opened her eyes.

It was another long day of hiking as we continued to ascend. The sights on offer were breathtaking, and numerous photos were being taken throughout the day. We stopped and visited a small nunnery in Deboche, another monastery near Pangboche, and stopped for a break and a cup of tea in Dingboche.

There was no missing how tired we all were when we walked into Periche at the end of the day. There were plenty of lodges to choose from, and Fleur asked our guide to find one where she could have privacy. The guide wasn't oblivious, asking if that privacy included me. Fleur smiled and asked if there was a twin or double room in any of the lodges that might be available.

Walking into our room a few minutes later, we had to share a bathroom with others though I didn't really mind. Dumping our packs on the floor, we collapsed back onto the bed next to each other, eventually turning to face each other and exchanging smiles.

"You realise a quickie won't exactly be that considering the layers," I suggested.

"I wouldn't want our first time to be quick at all, Mark." I felt my eyes widen at the implication. "Maybe it's just the circumstances, but you've been so easy to talk to. I'm guessing the fact we've both been hurt would make us careful in approaching any sort of relationship."

Our first kiss was soft and relatively chaste, but we were both smiling when we pulled back slightly. Spending the day in and around Periche as we were now well above four thousand metres over sea level and needed to give our bodies time to adjust, our guide told us to take a few slow walks to get used to it. It wasn't a case of being left completely breathless, but it was obvious the air was thinner, and that we would now be walking far slower than we had when leaving Lukla a few days earlier.

"Guess this means sex is out of the question," Fleur joked when we were relaxing in our room later that evening.

"I think we'd probably pass out if we had an orgasm," I retorted.

We took one last walk during the early evening as the sun was slowly setting before returning to our lodge for our evening meal and then spending some time with our fellow trekkers. Everyone was friendly, discussing any previous travelling or explaining what had brought us to Nepal and wanting to trek all the way to the foot of Mount Everest. When they heard that Fleur and I had similar stories, I don't think any of them were surprised that we'd gravitated towards each other.

Sharing a double bed was something different for both of us. After we'd both showered, I walked back into our room to find her already in bed. Switching off the main light with only a small lamp on a table next to her, I was wearing underwear and a t-shirt as I slid into bed, noticing she was wearing a t-shirt and panties. Immediately snuggling into my side, I turned my head so I could kiss her, Fleur was immediately receptive as I rolled onto my side and pulled her against me. The kiss slowly turned hot and heavy as my hand resting on her back moved lower towards her arse.

Lifting her leg to rest on mine, I felt her groin gently brush against me and she smiled feeling my erection pressing against her. "Been quite a while for me too," she admitted, "My sister had her fingers crossed that I'd meet a nice man during one of my trips."

The next day was all about climbing as we would be stopping at the village of Lobuche. At only seventy metres below five thousand metres above sea level, we were now getting to where the air was incredibly thin and more than one of our group was starting to struggle. Fleur and I were both relatively fit, but the thin air was rather obvious. It wasn't bad enough that we were gasping, but the only person who seemed to be continuing on without an issue was our Sherpa guide. Even the youngsters in our group were being affected by the altitude.

We slept well that night in a large room with our entire group as there were plenty of lodges, but this close to the base camp, people were coming and going. Fleur didn't hesitate in suggesting we just share a bed, not particularly comfortable, but when she was moulded back against me and my excitement was obvious, she gently grasped my wrist and ensured I was cupping one of her breasts.

"I'm a 36C, if you're wondering," she whispered, "They seemed to have got bigger once I entered my thirties." Wiggling her bum against me, she added, "And I think you're packing something nice and large in your underwear."

"My ex-wife never complained."

"More fool her she threw you away then." Rolling over to face me, I could just about see her eyes in the darkness. "Mark... When we make it to Gorakshep, would you like to celebrate with me by making love?"

"Not at the base camp?"

"Our guide said all we'll do is stay in Gorakshep tomorrow night, walk up to the base camp in the morning and return in time to be back in Gorakshep by nightfall. We'll then have another day in Gorakshep to simply relax before we start the return journey to Lukla."

"At least it's mostly downhill on the return," I said, making her giggle as she snuggled into me, "Fleur... We're from opposite sides..."

She immediately left a kiss on my lips. "Don't think about that just yet though I'm also thinking about that already. I'll make my mind up after we've made love. If we're compatible in bed as we appear to be as compatible..."

"You think we are?"

I didn't expect her soft hand to caress my cheek which was covered in stubble as shaving wasn't a top priority. "I know we are," she whispered.

The trek from Lobuche to Gorakshep was only a three-to-four-hour hike, but each step took us higher and higher above sea level and it was at our destination that we were well and truly above five thousand metres. To our collective joy, every single member of our party made it. We knew Everest base camp now lay in the near distance, our Sherpa guide explaining the plan once again for the next couple of days. At Everest base camp, we'd meet groups of people who were preparing to make the summit of Mount Everest itself.

Like all the other villages, Gorakshep had numerous lodges to choose from though we learned that it was not inhabited all year around like some of the others. Asking our guide if there was one offering a private room, he smiled and gestured for us to follow. The lodge he selected also had a restaurant, and he assured us that it came with private rooms though there was no running water and electricity is sparse at best.

"Stayed in worse," Fleur stated when we were shown to our room, thankful that our host didn't speak much in the way of English, "I mean, I've been to Egypt. At least I'm not being groped constantly by people passing by."

"Sure you want to follow through on your idea? I think I'm starting to smell a bit here."

"Hmmm... I can wait until we return to Kathmandu, at least. I haven't shaved my legs since we left." She paused and smiled at me. "Or my pussy."

Pulling her into my body, I kissed her softly before asking, "And how do you keep your pussy, Fleur?"

"Not completely smooth as I am a woman, but mostly just a tuft of pubic hair. All around where I know your mouth would be working? Now that would be nice and smooth for you."

"I can wait if you can..."

"I don't want to wait, but I want our first time to be special," she whispered.

"What we do is spend a lot of time kissing and cuddling until then. We'll have to take more pictures together. My daughters will love seeing me with such a beautiful woman in my arms."

Resting her head against my chest, she sighed happily. "Please tell me this isn't just some sort of holiday fling."

"We're both thinking of how this can work given we're from different countries."

For two days, we spent time around Gorakshep. Our first day was spent hiking to and from Everest Base Camp itself. It wasn't anything special, just a sea of tents and a small crowd of people who were readying themselves for a climb. On the day we arrived, there was no-one going up or coming back. A bit of a shame as I would have loved to talk to someone about the experience.

Our second day was spent hiking up to Kala Patthar. At over five and a half thousand metres above sea level, and at a higher elevation than the base camp, it provided absolutely spectacular views of Mount Everest and what seemed to be the entire mount chain that made up the Himalayas. I made sure plenty of photos were taken, ready to be sent off once we were back in civilisation.

Two days was more than enough to spend in the area before it was time to depart. Our Sherpa guide would be taking us back to Lukla via a different route with us trekking through the Gokyo Valley. Given that we were now descending back towards sea level, the air seeming to get thicker with each step down the mountain, our progress on the return leg seemed to be far quicker. Though we were all feeling tired after more than a week of trekking, the outstanding natural beauty still on display was enough to leave us breathless at times.

Fleur and I were now incredibly close. Whenever possible, we would walk along holding hands. We tried not to discuss the future too often though it was always in the back of my mind. Too early to think about feelings such as love, but I knew we were both eager to return to Kathmandu so we could at least consummate our obvious feelings for each other, and I reckoned if we suited each other in the bedroom as much as out of it, we'd figure it out somehow.

We spent every night together in bed. If we could organise a private room, even if it was expensive, we would do it. On the nights we had to share a room with others, we would just share a bed. It wasn't always comfortable but having her in my arms all night was worth any lack of sleep. I was eager to touch her, and she knew that, whispering that she wanted me to touch her too, but she was a little self-conscious as I could feel her legs and she was always apologising for the fact she hadn't shaved them. I told her not to worry as it wasn't like I'd been shaving either.

By the time we made it into Lukla, we'd been gone for two weeks. Nothing compared to those who would have gone up Mount Everest, as they'd spend up to two months at the base camp in preparation for any attempt at the summit. Getting a flight back to Kathmandu wasn't an issue as the planes were almost like shuttles, and we didn't have to book in advance, just show up and pay for the next flight leaving.

We landed back in Kathmandu early in the evening. Our group agreed to catch up the next evening for a celebration before we made our way home to our lives. Fleur and I agreed that we'd splurge on at least one night, the centre of the city being our best bet for finding a luxury hotel.

Given that Kathmandu was once believed to be Shangri-La itself, we stayed at the hotel bearing its name. We paid for a deluxe room, a porter helping carry our things up, no doubt aware that we'd likely just returned from a trek. The first thing Fleur did upon entering our room was grab her bathing kit, kiss me on the cheek, and tell me she'd be in the shower for a little while. As soon as she returned, wearing a thick robe and her hair up in a towel, I showered myself as although we'd managed to wash every now and then, it was probably our first decent shower since we'd left the city over a fortnight again.

Walking out of the bathroom with just a towel around my waist, Fleur looked me up and down, nodding to herself as she stood up and walked towards me, her fingers immediately running through my dark chest hair. Wasn't overly thick but even my ex-wife had said it was a sign of virility and masculinity. I didn't believe that myself. I was just a hairy guy.

Sliding off her robe, I saw her naked body for the first time. Even at thirty-four, her breasts were still somewhat perky, her dark pink nipples hard and a sign of her arousal. My towel ended up on the floor and she wasn't shy in wrapping her fingers around my cock as I pulled her into my body, gazing into her blue eyes. She'd kept her glasses on for now.

"Everything is shaved," she whispered, "Better for when my legs are around your hips when you're inside me. And my pussy is ready for when you go down on me. You will go down on me?"

"I love eating pussy," I stated bluntly.

I proved that for the next hour as I devoured her, savouring her taste, loving the sounds she made as I slowly but surely brought her to orgasm for the first time. When she sobbed quietly as her climax faded, I lifted myself to hold her in my arms for a few minutes before she asked me to keep going. I was happy to do that, showering her entire body with attention as I could only marvel at how someone so beautiful was in bed with me.

After she returned the favour by giving me my first blowjob in what felt like forever, we moaned together when I slowly sank my cock inside her for the first time. She blinked rapidly as our bodies slowly moved together, and if our relationship out of the bedroom was good, it was even better in the bedroom. To say we were made for each other isn't putting things lightly. It was pure lovemaking, the look in her eyes suggesting her feelings were rapidly growing rather intense and I knew I was feeling the same.

We made love all night so that by the time we fell asleep together, I was feeling thoroughly drained while she joked about feeling rather tender. Waking the next morning and making love again, we barely left the room all day as we'd booked for at least two nights, only wandering downstairs for breakfast, ordering in room service for lunch, and we didn't bother dressing until we headed out that evening to meet our group.

The fact we'd made love must have been all over our faces as we were quickly inundated with questions of what we'd do next. I knew we'd both been thinking about it, but I think I surprised her when I suggested that a trip to the Netherlands would be in my immediate future. She'd been worried that what we'd been sharing was just a brief holiday fling. Hearing that I was serious about wanting to be with her earned one hell of a kiss before she cuddled into me.

Returning to our room to make love, she was cuddling into me afterwards, her fingers running up and down my chest as my arm was wrapped around her, holding her as close as possible.

"You'll love the Netherlands," she whispered, "Everyone speaks English."

"Where are you going to live?"

"My family is from Groningen, in the north. The only reason I was even in Eindhoven was because I'd gone there to study, met my ex-husband... Anyway, my parents offered me a place to live while I got my life back on track. They don't mind me travelling as I make plenty of money anyway."

"Would you ever want to visit Australia?"

"I've always wanted to visit. Everyone I know wants to go there. It's just such a long way and can be somewhat expensive. You'll realise how tiny my country is to yours when you arrive. I can get to Amsterdam on the train in just two hours."

Given we were actually flying out on the same day, we stayed in Kathmandu for two more nights, staying in the same hotel. Having already played the tourist, we spent the time relaxing in each other's company, the conversation rarely stalling as there was always something on our minds. We didn't come to any firm agreements about the future, but I was suggesting that I was happy to head towards her. I think that made her happy as she was adamant that I would absolutely love living in Europe. I suggested I would need to speak to my daughters about it as the thought of leaving them behind...

"If they're students, they could always come to Groningen too. Massive student population," she suggested.

That last night before departure was spent making love constantly. She loved being on her back with her legs around my hips as her face lit up with every gentle thrust of my cock. I loved watching her riding me, her breasts swaying as she cried out when an orgasm hit. I loved going down on her as much as she seemed to enjoy returning the favour. Snuggling against me when we went to bed that night, that's when I felt my shoulder getting wet as she silently cried.

"I love you," she finally whispered, "I know this isn't just a holiday fling."

"I know I love you too, Fleur. Somehow, we're going to make this work. I promise. And I don't make those lightly."

Parting at the airport was far more difficult than I imagined. I was on the verge of changing my flight as she'd managed to get a direct flight from Amsterdam. When I suggested that, she hugged me tightly but told me to go back to Australia first, discuss things with my family and in particular my girls, and then I could decide on what to do next.

Her flight left first so that left me alone for an hour or so before my flight took off. Since returning to civilisation, I'd been inundated with messages and the two socials I kept had exploded from all the photos I'd taken. Of course, most of the comments and questions were regarding the beautiful blonde on my arm in many of the pictures I had taken.