High in the Himalayas, a Tiny, Shiny Black Leech Sucked My Blood

Just minding my own business in a Nepali jungle — high in the Himalayas — I was marveling at how tasty yet ugly a little banana was, even though it was giving me a bad case of chalky mouth. Then, a tiny, shiny, black leech decided to suck my blood. Determinedly, he came at me — head over heels like an evil slinky. He was oh so slow…but he just wouldn’t stop. I kept blaming my paranoia, but I was very scared nevertheless.

I have a lot of people interviewing me about drug policy reform lately. I thought this interview, by James McClure of Civilized, was particularly well done — and it includes stories I’ve never told of Himalayan travels. If you’d like a 20-minute primer on what’s happening with marijuana legalization lately, and my take on the related challenges for elections in 2016, you might find this interview worth listening to.

When there are monkeys around in Kathmandu, hold your biscuits close.

When traveling, whether in South Asia as a backpacker or in Europe decades later, your travels go better when you go local.

In South Asia as a backpacker, I’d connect with locals at any cost — even if it meant doing a little yard work.