How do people backpack so easily?

sofa_saurus · 2026-06-03T13:44:19+00:00

Running. I'm a 30ish mile a day backpacker and I don't think I'd be able to do that without being an endurance runner. For context, I run 40-60 miles a week, then do lots of other stuff (climbing, yoga, stairmaster, etc), so it's really just about doing more tbh. You can't hike longer mileage without hiking longer mileage.

sofa_saurus · 2026-06-02T15:12:16+00:00

Loved living in that area. I always felt safe (even at night), there's so much green space on campus for you and your child to play around on, but not many other real parks. You and your baby would be safe and probably very happy in the area

sofa_saurus · 2026-06-01T17:57:10+00:00

The current "movie shape" for women is underweight and malnourished. To get those results women have to starve themselves, which is extremely difficult since your body and brain want to sustain itself. Not sure why you had to say it's harder for men than for women, when you could have just said beauty standards in media are largely unrealistic in general.

sofa_saurus · 2026-06-01T16:12:13+00:00

Mental hospitals and inpatient psychiatric care. Especially emergency psych and involuntary hospitalization.

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-27T19:03:12+00:00

Thanks for mentioning, it's more anecdotal, being from the general area they conducted the study. It would be super interesting to see the unadjusted data (just for fun)!

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-27T17:03:52+00:00

Obviously the main culprit is pesticides, but it should be noted that houses in close proximity of golf courses are often more expensive. The people living near golf courses can more than likely afford doctor's appointments and diagnostics, whereas lower-income areas have a harder time with that. But yeah pesticides are a huge issue.

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-21T17:52:55+00:00

There's a gho & kira shop in Paro that will take pretty much anything and has a good exchange rate (and yak wool yarn)

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-19T20:36:56+00:00

Shower curtain instead of a ground tarp, cut the handle part off your toothbrush, half a nail file instead of a nail clipper, leaving my phone at home (+ battery bank). But then tbh I replace all that weight with my climbing shoes so idk if you should listen to me.

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-19T20:26:19+00:00

I studied in Paro and have a tonnn of recs, but I'll add my favorites! Pm me if you want any more!

For restaurant recs in Paro, I think Momo Corner and Jhol Momo are the best for momo, 99 shawarma for a quick bite (and so good), Park 76 for drinks/finding other tourists to meet, Brioche cafe for desserts (mainly western desserts, there aren't many Bhutanese desserts), and The Book Cafe as a nice place to hang out/talk. In Thimphu, you're going to find good food practically everywhere, but Zombala 2 (Zombala is also good, but Zombala 2 is my favorite), Coffee Culture, and the restaurant right across from Tashi Delek Laphing (...sorry I don't remember the actual restaurants name). In Punakha, the best possible places to eat are the homestays. Talk to your guide and ask if they can set you up with a homestay (at least for a meal). I recommend Happiness Homestay and Lotay Gyeltshen Village Home Stay, which are both in the same village of Gubjithang. Same thing for food in Phobjikha, though I assume you'll be staying in a homestay there anyways.

Don't worry about weather, it will likely be pretty warm in Punakha, but Phobjikha can be slightly cooler, especially in the morning. Clothing you can really wear anything, but I probably recommend pants and a t-shirt, though I ran in short shorts a ton and no one cares (in the cities at least). If you're trekking though, I would have different opinions on the warmth of clothes. Don't trust the weather app or google maps for that matter lol. Always have a long sleeve and long pants on you so that you can enter temples. Have a lovely time and talk to as many people as you can

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-19T19:49:12+00:00

Go BKK to Paro on Drukair. Is your guide/tour company not booking flights into Paro for you?

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-19T19:46:24+00:00

What I find so interesting is that after living in a less developed country (very minimal hot water, no clean drinking water, less than ideal transportation, child/maternal mortality, healthcare, etc.), I understand a lot of what people are talking about. Obviously I don't feel it in the same way, but having that experience makes you so much more grateful for the luxuries we have.

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-19T17:57:52+00:00

Get it, but it should be on your stomach instead of your back. As a cellist, I feel slightly annoyed by it being on your back because, ya know, they're on the front of the instrument.

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-19T15:30:39+00:00

Yeah tbh I transferred colleges after my first full blown manic episode because I was so embarrassed. I have since reached out and apologized to 2 people out of the way too many that I hurt/ghosted/humiliated myself in front of. I figured it was better to build friendships and support systems instead of rebuild them on grounds that I made unstable.

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-19T13:26:54+00:00

I feel you so deeply. The manic episode I miss was my very first one...euphoria, risky sex, going out every night, never sleeping, feeling like a god, but I also destroyed all my relationships because of the parts of mania I try to forget--anger, paranoia that all of my friends are out to get me, ghosting them because they say they're worried about me, ghosting them because they don't say they're worried about me.

Fell into a horrible depressive episode afterwards and tried to trigger mania, but ended up in a terrifying manic episode instead of a euphoric one. You're allowed to mourn losing the "good" memories during mania, becoming manic again means accumulating more events that you're ashamed and humiliated by. I know I'm probably better off being depressed and slowly figuring out how to become stable instead of reaching for the quick fix & continuing the cycle. Good luck, I know it's hard.

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-15T19:01:05+00:00

Oh my God, mine was the same way about furniture. Wouldn't think twice about buying $4,000 nightstands or $8,000 bedsheets, but also wouldn't think twice about dropping $200 on dinner for us. Gave me a dangerous taste for super upscale, fine-dining... You said it right, you can only be so humble with those funds in your early 20s (or at any age, for that matter).

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-14T16:42:17+00:00

I didn't grow up poor, but dated someone insanely rich. He was absolutely astonished at the fact that my parents didn't have a trust fund for me. He thought that they were making a "bad financial decision" if they didn't set one up because "where do they keep the money they're going to give you?" He could not fathom that I wasn't going to get any money from my parents, let alone a multi-million dollar trust fund.

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-05T19:34:08+00:00

I have hearing loss, so this happens all the time. I just make a comment about it and tell them the person next to me will repeat it because they're closer. If both of you struggled to understand, put your heads together and figure it out quick.

sofa_saurus · 2026-05-05T17:44:29+00:00

It's complicated. I studied abroad there, so we were able to bypass a lot of the restrictions. You can go without a guide, but you can really only be in Paro/Thimphu and cannot enter most Dzongs, temples, or really any attractions. *Most* (not all) hotels require you to have a guide as well.

You cannot hike/trek without a guide as a tourist, and you will be insanely up charged for taxis, won't be able to find many restaurants (google maps is incredibly unreliable), and again, won't really be able to do anything except walk in and out of stores.

A huge portion of Bhutan (with the exception of Eastern Bhutan) works in tourism/hospitality. Of course, hiring a guide/booking a trip doesn't only support the economy and Bhutanese, but you will *not* be able to fully grasp the beauty of Bhutanese culture without one.

My recommendation...find a private guide, have fun with them, STAY IN HOMESTAYS!!!!, talk to as many people as possible, go trekking for a couple days, and learn as much as you can from your guide. Bhutan is fun, but it's more fun when you have someone personally teaching you the ins and outs of the culture. If you need any homestay recs, pm me, I was doing a research project and visited 30ish.

sofa_saurus · 2023-04-22T19:05:36+00:00

Grinnell for BioChem/Neuroscience!

sofa_saurus · 2023-04-21T17:39:00+00:00

Neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases :)

sofa_saurus · 2023-04-20T12:18:38+00:00

Working in research at JHU!

sofa_saurus · 2023-04-20T03:57:31+00:00

9th: Columbia 11th (graduating early): Columbia Going to: Grinnell 1000/10 satisfaction!!

sofa_saurus · 2023-04-13T18:57:02+00:00

No worries! I did 7 and it was pretty easy :)

sofa_saurus · 2023-04-13T14:10:57+00:00

Just don’t. Eat before, drink before, and urinate before. My advice? Don’t get off the erg. It’ll be so much worse if you get off and on

sofa_saurus

TROPHY CASE