Eat Trek Climb

Hanoi ... and the end

2009-03-25T08:45:00.001+07:00

Our last stop on the main travel itinerary was Hanoi, in northern Vietnam. [We have a 3 day stopover in Seoul, Korea to avoid what would have been a 13-hour layover, but in our minds, we are already be on our way home.] Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, but its much smaller than Saigon and of a completely different character. Hanoi lacks the large boulevards leftover from the French colonial period that dominate Saigon's downtown. Instead, Hanoi's hectic traffic is crowded into small streets and lanes, particularly in the historic Old Quarter, and as a result I often feel like the city is pressing in on me and crowding my space. Hanoi has hectic traffic like many other Asian cities, but here there are no rules of the road. (It makes Bangkok traffic look absolutely law-abiding and orderly) . Traffic at intersections simultaneously moves in all directions and it's a wonder that anyone ever manages to get across. Motorcycles are parked on the narrow sidewalks (only on the street once the sidewalk is full) and most cafes and street kitchens also spill onto the sidewalk so there's no room for pedestrians, who are forced to walk in the street and brave the onslaught of vehicles. I'm constantly fearing that someone is going to drive into me from behind; thankfully, it hasn't happened, although Adam's arms have gotten clipped a few times from motorbikes going by. I prefer to walk into the direction of traffic, but even that's not straightforward, since people regularly drive the wrong way down one-way streets and/or drive on the wrong side of the road! The Vietnamese believe heavily in fate, and walking anywhere in this city is an exercise in trusting the universe that you won't be killed. A few nights ago, a man on a motorbike drove straight-toward me; I expected that he would swerve around me at the last moment as usual, however, he kept coming straight on until I smacked my hands down on his bike and swore like a trucker at him. Yesterday, Adam and I were crossing a street that actually had stoplights and a signal for pedestrians. We were crossing on "the little green man" when a city bus came barreling around a corner and drove right through the crosswalk. We managed to get out of the way in time, but shockingly (to me), the bus didn't even slow down, not one little bit. If we survive the rest of the day in Hanoi without getting hit, I'll put it down as a small miracle.

A typical intersection in Hanoi's Old Quarter (above)

A relatively quiet sidewalk in the Old Quarter (below)

The lack of space on the streets of Hanoi is also felt in shops, restaurants and even hotels. Many Asian cultures have a different sense of privacy and space than Canadians, and northern Vietnamese people take this to an extreme; there seems to absolutely no concept of personal space or privacy. For example, in many of the shops in central Hanoi, the sales personnel have followed me around peering over my should at whatever I'm trying to look at, adding a running commentary as we move around the store. It's overwhelming. And at our hotel, while I was reading my email on one of the computers available for guests in lobby, the weekend manager came and sat down beside me, and began to read my email with me. She even commented on the content of one of the messages! Then she noticed my iPod sitting beside the keyboard and picked it up and started touching buttons. To her, she wasn't doing anything rude or wrong, but to me it felt incredible invasive and was terribly annoying. There's certainly a profound cultural difference that I've noticed over the past few weeks in Vietnam.

Then there's the noise. Given Hanoi's crazy traffic, drivers use their horn as both a defensive and offensive weapon in the war on the streets. All day long the honks of motorbikes, scooters, small cars, large trucks and buses resonate through my brain. Our hotel is in a relatively quiet part of the Old Quarter ("quiet" being a very relative concept in Hanoi) and so there is some relief late at night, but the honking starts up again terribly early in the morning, usually well before 7am. After awhile you start to tune it out and relegate the honking to background noise, but it's still there battering my subconscious and eroding my patience. If that wasn't enough, tourists can't walk anywhere in Hanoi without being hassled by someone for something. We don't usually get a block from our hotel before xe om (motorbike taxi) and cyclo drivers are asking us if we want a ride somewhere. Actually, if all they did was ask us if we want a ride, that would be tolerable, but they use any means possible to get our attention, which entails shouting, clapping, whistling, or whatever else they can think of to make noise and get us to look at them. Of course, we've learned not to respond to any of this, but (a) it's hard - Canadians seem to be inately trained to look for the source of and reason for the racket; and (b) it's irritating, even if we don't turn our head, and it increases that omnipresent cacaphony of sound. Then there's the guys wanting yout to buy one of their photocopied books that they carry around in cardboard boxes, the multitude of fruit ladies that want you to hold their basket for a photo, and other random folks with something (probably illegal) to sell.

So what is there to like about Hanoi? Lots. For me, the chaos is synonymous with energy. It's hard not to feel alive in a city like this where everything is buzzing. Hanoi is also full of "sights" for tourists including historic temples, museums, beautiful Hoan Kiem lake, and the heart of historic Hanoi, the Old Quarter. In the 13th century Hanoi's 36 craft guilds established themselves in this part of the city, each one taking over a different street, which was then named according to the wares or merchanise that was sold there. Accordingly, the Old Quarter was originally called '36 Streets'. Today, the streets retain their historic names although some areas have been taken over by tourism and are overrun by guesthouses, travel agencies, and uninspiring souvenir shops. But most of the Old Quarter remains 'authentic' and local; it's a great place to wander, maybe get lost a bit, and watch life go by. Hanoi also has some excellent shopping, other than the uninspiring souvenir shops and glut of shops selling fake luxury goods. There are excellent high-end silks, jewellry, lacquerware and art, if you have the money to spend.

A section of the Old Quarter where traditional laterns are sold (above)

But my favourite thing about Hanoi, without a doubt, is the food. Adam and I have been seriously investigating the local food everywhere we've travelled, and Hanoi is a goldmine. There are plenty of fancy restaurants and mid-priced cafes that cater to upcale businessmen, expats and tourists, but the real gem is the street food. This isn't street food sold out of little mobile carts or street stalls, but full-on kitchens set in hole-in-the-wall spaces, although they still only focus on one or two dishes and often lack any kind of name beyond the street number and type of food they sell. Some are famous Hanoi institutions that have room to seat one hundred for a busy lunch rush in the cavernous space behind the "kitchen", while others are tiny places with just three tables and a few plastic stools. So far, all that we have tried are lip-smacking good and of course, cheap.

Our first stop after arriving back in Hanoi from Cat Ba island on Saturday was the bun bo nam bo outlet at 67 Hang Dieu for lunch. (It has a name, but I don't know it, and it's not important.) Adam and I have been on concerted hunt for good bun (pronouced 'boon') since we had some bun bo at a Vietnamese restaurant in Vientiane, Laos. It doesn't sound like the obvious place for amazing Vietnamese food, but it was some of the best bun bo I've ever had, and it blew the socks off any bun that I've had in Toronto in the last few years. It reminded me how good bun can be and why I loved Vietnamese food so much during my last visit over eight years ago. Anyways, back to Bun Bo Nam Bo ... it's a street-kitchen that's a Hanoi institution, busy at all hours of the morning, day and night. You step into a long tube of a room where stainless steel tables go back as far as you can see. They only serve the one dish, but it's a doozy: a bowl of thin rice noodles (bun) with sauteed sliced beef, bean sprouts and onions, fresh lettuce, herbs, then topped with green papaya and carrot slices, deep-fried shallots, and finished with a generous ladle of rich beef broth. You mix everything up in the bowl, add some hot chili sauce and/or soy if desired and voila, a very filling bit of heaven for a mere 30,000 dong (about $2.50 Cdn). We've eaten there at least once a day since.

For dinner, we started at a very small outlet at 71 Hang Bo than serves up banh cuon nong, which is a bit like a dumpling or a cross between noodles and a spring roll. At this place, an old Vietnmese woman spreads a thin layer of rice flour batter on a steamer (which looks like a big pot with a cloth lid), and once the resulting rice pancake is sufficiently solid, lifts it off the steamer with a bamboo stick with one swift motion and immediately rolls it with a minced pork and mushroom filling. The rice noodle roll is snipped with scissors and then topped with deep fried shallots. The banh cuon are served with a warm broth made from fish sauce for dipping, and hot chillis, lime, and fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, etc.) are added to taste. It's a yummy snack, good for sharing, and oh, did we mention cheap? Only 10,000 dong (less than a buck) per plate, although most people indulge in more than one plate per person. We saw one family polish off plate after plate after plate. We've been back more than once, and yes, we order more than one plate each. We've also tried another banh cuon outlet at 14 Hang Ga street that was profiled in Bon Appetit magazing a few years ago; it was tasty too but a bit more expensive.

For the main course, we decided to try some bun rieu noodle soup at a shop with no name at 34 Cau Go. We love pho, and eat a fair bit of pho bo (sometimes even more than one bowl a day ...) but there are more varieties of noodle soup in Vietnam, including bun rieu. It's nothing like bun bo or bun cha (more on that later) which are both dry noodle dishes, but is made of the same round bun rice noodles rather than the flat rice noodles that are used to make pho. This soup is slightly sour, tomato based, and the stock is made with minced crabs, although you will be hard-pressed to find any chunks of crab in your soup. Ours had large chunks of pork sausage. Tasty and cheap, but given our limited time, I'll stick to pho for soup and eating my bun dry.

On Sunday we decided to go on a hunt for banh ran: deep-fried, crispy sticky rice balls stuffed with either a savoury filling of minced meat and mushrooms (banh ran man) or a sweet filling of mung bean paste (banh ran ngot) that is better than it sounds. The shop we went to, which again appeared nameless, at 52 Ly Quoc Su, also had fabulous crab spring rolls (nem cua be) and banh goi, which look like samosas and are filled with the same minced meat and mushroom mixture. It was such a super cheap and tasty snack that we actually went back the same day for more banh ran man and nem cua be, although afterwards I felt like I'd had just a few too many of these heart-stoppingly greasy morsels.

Monday was another street-food adventure. We went to the Temple of Literature in the morning (see, we do actually go visit some real "sights" and not just eat ...) and then stopped at nearby KOTO, a not-for-profit restaurant that trains street kids. It's much like the restaurants run by the Friends NGO in Laos and Cambodia, but run by a different organization. It was a feel-good place for a Vietnamese iced-coffee (heavy on the sugar and condensed milk) and french toast for Adam. Immediately after that we embarked on a mission to seek out some of Hanoi's famed bun cha. This dish, which is native to Hanoi and only second in fame to pho, is similar to bun bo nam bo, which originates in the south. It features small slices of crispy, grilled pork which are served in a fish-sauce based broth topped with green papaya and carrot slices. The bun noodles and herbs arrive separately on different plates. Chillis and/or garlic are added to the broth to taste, and then to eat, one takes a bit of noodle, dips it into the broth, and scoops up some pork and some herbs with it. The method is flexible and we've observed some different approaches to getting everything mixed up and into the mouth. We tried our first bun cha at the eponymous named kitchen at 1 Pho Hue, and also sampled some of their amazing nem cua be, which were irresistable as they were being deep-fried right in front of us (I could literally feel the heat from the pot of oil on my legs). I think that we may return here later today for one of our last meals in South-East Asia, it was that good.

One serving of bun cha and a plate of nem cua be (above)

The bun cha and nem cua be shop at 1 Pho Hue (below)

Although by noon on Monday Adam had already eaten 3 meals and we'd each had 2 cups of coffee, we stopped for che on the way back to the hotel. At least I had che, and Adam opted for the safety of another iced Vietnamese coffee. Che is the Vietnamese word for any traditional thick, sweet dessert-like soup, pudding or drink. It's a bit of a catch-all, as there is a myriad variety of che, served either hot or cold. It's usually prepared with beans or glutinous rice and served with sweet milk or a sugary-water concoction. To a Western palate, it seems strange, even weirder than bubble tea; but I had to try it. Trying to decipher the menu, not in English, was impossible so I relied on my limited knowledge of Vietnamese words for fruits and ordered a che sen dua - che with lotus seed and coconut. What arrived was a glass full of lotus seeds, coconut shavings, and shaved ice, all floating in a sugary-coconuty-liquid. The lotus seeds were the size and texture of chickpeas and were savory, yet the liquid was unambiguously sweet. It was a very odd combination. Adam tried it, made a terrible face, and went back to the safety of his iced coffee. But the che wasn't so bad, so I finished it, and at the bottom I realized that it had kind of grown on me. It's probably an acquired taste.

We have eaten at a few proper 'restaurants' in Hanoi, but not many. Generally, most of them seem horribly overpriced when there is such great, cheap food available in such abundance. We went to Highway 4 on Sunday night, a long way south of the Old Quarter in central Hanoi, which well-priced and popular among locals. The food was good, especially the salads and tapas, but the highlight of the night was the house-brand of rice liquors. Highway 4 is famous for their rice liquor and at less than $1 a glass I couldn't resist trying one of the 4-shooter tasting sets. Only one of the 4 varieties was decidedly undrinkable; I nursed the other 3 over dinner. We also returned to Quan An Ngon, a popular eatery that has a location in Saigon where we had a fabulous lunch, for an encore yesterday. We had fresh, zesty salads (nom lac and gio bo bop thau), pho cuon (a beef filled fresh spring roll), and shockingly good bbq beef with chili, lime and salt. Since my first attept at ordering che at a street shop didn't go so well, I gave it another try here, since almost everyone was trying the stuff. I had che su'o'ng sa hot lu'u, which is black jellies, water chesnuts, tapioca pearls and some unidentified red beans all topped with shaved ice and plenty of coconut milk. It was a big improvement on the lotus seed che, and I assume that if you were a bubble tea lover, it wouldn't be that strange at all. I also undulged in a bowl of roasted banana with tapioca pearls and coconut milk for desert, which was very tasty even to my palate.

Today is our last day in Hanoi, and in South-East Asia. Later tonight we board a plane that will whisk us away to Seoul and then back to Canada where we will have to reintegrate with reality. It's hard to believe. When we left, we knew that our time to travel was finite and we understood that it would come to an end at some point, but it still never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes. At the beginning of the trip, 7 months of travel seemed like an ocean of time, and now in retrospect, it seems like a mere drop. That's not to say that it's not time to come home -- it is. Adam and I are both tired and we miss the people, pets and things we left behind. We're craving a good BBQ, a solid cut of steak, a big bottle of red wine. We've had an incredible journey; shared amazing experiences and had a few crazy [mis]adventures. And I doubt this is our last sojourn abroad. But, it's always nice to return to Canada, because there's no place like home.

See you soon,

Robin (& Adam)

Climbing on Cat Ba Island (Ha Long Bay)

2009-03-23T15:56:00.009+07:00

We are now back in Hanoi after 10 days of climbing on Cat Ba Island, which is in the south part of the famous Ha Long Bay area. Ha Long Bay is known for the thousands of limestone karsts jutting hundreds of feet out of the water. Most people who visit this area take a single or multiple day cruise through the bay doing little else other than sitting on the boat watching the islands go by. But climbers see this area in a bit of a different light. A couple of years ago, a climbing video was released which featured Deep Water Soloing (DWS) in Ha Long Bay. DWS is fast becoming a very popular aspect of climbing due to the lack of ropes or crash pads! Since the video, Ha Long Bay (and Cat Ba Island) have become a destination for climbers looking to try out DWS. The only thing necessary, obviously, is deep water. Most of the established routes tend to finish anywhere between 15-20 metres in height and the only way to get off the wall is to jump. Therefore, the tide must be quite high in order to avoid smacking the ground under the water.

Prior to our departure, I was quite excited about the DWS as we had a great time doing it while climbing on Tonsai (in Thailand). But we were informed by the local climbing shop that the tides in Ha Long Bay during the spring season are generally lower than the summer and that DWS may not be possible. But there has been quite a bit of route development on Cat Ba Island over the past couple of years and that was enough to solidify our travel plans.

Limestone karsts visible from one of our beach climbing areas

Getting to Cat Ba Island is a travel experience within itself. From central Hanoi, it requires a taxi to the Luong Yen bus station, a bus to Haiphong, a transfer to the ferry, a ferry to Cat Ba, and then another bus to Cat Ba town. Luckily, it is a single company that runs this service and the transfers were seamless and the whole trip only took 4.5 hours (which for Vietnam is quite impressive). Upon our arrival in town, we immediately went to the only climbing outfit on the island, Slo Pony Adventures. This is a true climbing shop run by a couple of Americans, Eric (Pony) and Slo, who have done all of the work developing the crags and working with the local interests to ensure access. Eric was injured recently (not from climbing) while back in the US so we didn't see too much of him; Slo was our primary contact during our entire stint on the island. A HUGE thanks to Slo Pony as they helped us find a great place to stay (Bay View Hotel), get a motorbike for the entire visit, and pointed out all of the great climbs in each of the crags. They've even printed a guide book for all the bolted and established DWS routes. Anyone going to Cat Ba for climbing or just to check it out should seek these guys out as they will help you organize whatever you require and will make sure you don't get ripped off.

The primary route climbing is at Butterfly Valley, which has a collection of 25+ routes which are graded from 4 to 8a+. This variety of grades ensures that there is some climbing for the beginner all the way to the super strong! The limestone is pretty solid and offers a vast array of holds including giant tufas, stalagtites, huge huecos and razor-edged crimps! During our ten day stay on the island, we climbed at Butterfly Valley for six of those days. The land owners offer a fantastic lunch each day of fresh ingredients from the market (required to order before heading to the crag in the morning) and there's so much food that it takes some serious effort to get back on the wall afterwards! There's a gazeebo to eat in as well as hammocks for a quick post lunch nap if necessary. Not having to go find lunch each day is a huge bonus and allowed us to maximize our time climbing.

There were some great routes in the 6a range such as "Mother Butterfly" (6a), "Rome to Hanoi Express" (6a), and "Argentina" (6a+), which both of us enjoyed! Most of the routes were at least 18 metres long and provided for some awesome exposure. Right next to "Mother Butterfly" is a 7c+ called "Flight of the Bumblebee", which has a super easy start but then kicks into some harder climbing at the mid-section and then the last couple of bolts are a full on boulder problem with terrible underclings, haneous pinches and a dyno to the finishing hold! I worked this route a bunch and fell on the dyno quite a few times before finally sticking it and ticking this one off.

An area in the centre of Butterfly Valley has a collection of amazing routes which I spent some working. "I Enjoy Myself" (6b) follows a perfect line straight up to a pretty hard mantle crux; a good warm-up before tackling the more challenging routes. I worked an awesome route called "Prayer of the Mantis" (7b) just to the right of "I Enjoy Myself". The key feature on this route is a perfect arete that required some slapping and serious body tension! The bottom also has some serious ground fall potential so Robin was kind enough to pre-clip the first two draws on the way down from "I Enjoy Myself" (that's true love)! I sent this after a day and then was able to move onto one of the nicest lines in the area. "Hippie Banana Tree Killer" (7b+) is a route which has just about every type of climbing involved. A balancy boulder problem at the start leading into crazy, acrobatic roof followed by some huge deadpoints after the roof and then some sustained pocket climbing to the anchors. After placing the draws and working out the sequences, I tried this route a bunch of times and only once came close to the redpoint. I was a bit disappointed not to send, but it'll be there for next time!!! Below are some pics of Butterfly Valley.

Robin on "Mother Butterfly"

Adam on "Prayer of the Mantis"

Adam resting before the crux on "Flight of the Bumblebee"

Adrian (SloPony employee) setting up for the dyno on "Flight of the Bumblebee"

(which he stuck...)

Slo workin' his new project...

On one of our rest days, we decided to rent an extra bike and take a tour around the island. There's a great loop with a couple of side roads out to different points on the island. Driving around the island allowed us to see more of the beautiful mountainous terrain and we quickly realized the untapped climbing potential of the rest of the island, beyond Butterfly Valley. At Gian Luan harbour on the northern end of Cat Ba, the views of the karsts out in the bay were pretty good. There's little development here but that is changing rapidly. I imagine that in a couple more years, this point will be a major entry point of tourists coming to Cat Ba from Ha Long Bay.

Robin posing on our island tour

On our last full day on Cat Ba, we took a boat out to Lan Ha Bay to do some climbing at Tiger Beach on one of the karst islands. The boat wound its way through inlets and around islands until we reached our destination and then we took a kayak to shore. The routes were fine but it was clear that we were some of the first climbers of the season on this particular rock; I'm pretty sure the next climbers there will appreciate the cleaning job we did. But it was the scenery that was the highlight of this excursion. There was a slight fog due to the intermittent rain and it gave the islands an atmospheric, prehistoric feel, like we were right out of Jurasic Park! I was waiting for some pteradactyl to come swooping out of the sky!

While it was unfortunate that we did not get to do any DWS on this trip, we still had a great time! With a bit more sun, Cat Ba would have been perfect but we can't have everything! It is a place I would love to go and visit again. By that time, the guys from Slo Pony will probably have more routes bolted and more DWS established. So that's it from the climbing side of our trip. I'm pretty sure the next time I touch rock will be back in North America (Red River Gorge Easter Trip???). But who knows...there may be a quick hit to some boulders in Seoul???

See everyone soon back in Canada!!!
Adam

Goooooooooooood morning Vietnam!!!!

2009-03-09T21:50:00.002+07:00

We are in Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) at the moment, and it is definitely one of my favourite major cities! There's not much in terms of architecture or ancient history. Instead, it has it's own unique charm and character. The people here are very nice and for the most part quite hospitable. Before we arrived, we were surprised to hear from many people that they did not like Saigon and found the people not friendly at all. After walking around the city and interacting with quite a few locals, I was quite surprised at how friendly the people really are! [Robin had found people friendly 8 years ago, but feared that things had changed since then.] We've even made a serious attempt at learning basic Vietnamese phrases, and to the locals, that seems to go a HUGE way. They have a good laugh when we try but inevitably pronouce things very badly, and then they help us sound out the words properly. We can now order our favourite meals and ask how much things cost so we can bargain with locals who don't speak English (there's a lot of pointing at money in that case).

We've been to visit the Reunification Palace (which looks more like a city hall in any North American city than a "palace"), the Jade Emperor pagoda, and the downtown area (with the French colonial Opera House, Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc.) I also went to the War Remenants Museum, formerly called the War Crimes Museum, and I must say, it's no wonder that many Vietnamese still harbour a grudge against the Americans and French. We've walked through many of the back streets of the city and it's very interesting watching the people go through their daily lives. It really makes a big difference to get away from the backpacker/tourist district of Pham Ngu Lao to really get a feel for this city.

Saigon is also home to some of the best coffee we've ever had. The Vietnamese definitely have my vote for the best coffee of the trip, and we had some great brews in Laos. We've even tried the "creme de la creme" of their coffee, the Legende: a coffee bean that has been eaten by a mountain weasel, then pooped out!!! Believe it or not, it's the best, and I'm bringing back a bag or two of that stuff.

Today is our last day in the city and tomorrow we fly to Hanoi. We will only be spending one night before leaving for Ha Long Bay the next day where we will spend 10 days rock climbing in the Cat Ba National Park. The area is reputed to be as good, if not better, than the climbing found around Krabi, Thailand. We shall see very soon. One of the bonuses of heading north is that we will be leaving behind this oppressive heat and humidity once and for all. The average temperature has been around 35 degrees + humidity. Oh, and we had the heaviest thunderstorm that I've ever seen yesterday! There was sooooo much rain that the streets were flooded with close to 5 inches of water by the end of the storm. We were wading down the streets in water well above our ankles, with garbage and other detrius from the streets floating in it. (It was rather gross but we got over it quick -- we needed to eat.) It's threatening to rain again today. Hanoi and Cat Ba will be cooler, with daytime highs around 20 C. I'm sure everyone in Canada would like to throw things at us for saying this, but it will be nice to get to some more cooler, more comfortable weather.

[Note: We actually flew from Saigon to Hanoi this morning, but this post was written yesterday, while we were still in Saigon, I just didn't get a chance to post it.]
L8r,
Adam

Cambodia and the Mekong Delta

2009-03-08T16:45:00.002+07:00

My last blog post focussed exclusively on Siem Reap and the Angkor archeological site. But there is more to Cambodia, of course. After getting our fill of Angkor, Adam and I headed south to the capital, Phnom Penh. It's an interesting place, a city in transition, and one that is still grappling with the legacy of the Khmer Rouge and the country's long and bitter civil war. The Khmer Rouge's history is well-documented in Phnom Penh, and in particular, the S-21 Genocide Museum reminds visitors of the brutal reality of what Cambodia and its people endurred under Pol Pot's regime. One of the lesser known consequences of the Khmer Rouge's rule was the evacuation of the city around 1975. The Khmer Rouge forced people to march into the countryside and work as agricultural labourers, leaving Phnom Penh a mere ghost town by the time the Vietnamese invaded several years later. People have slowly returned to the city, but that upheal stunted the growth and development of this capital severely. Now, in a new era of stability and foreign aid & investment, urban migration is brisk. There is a real energy or buzz to the city, a tangible spirit of renewal as the citizens try to rebuild, develop and move forward.

But poverty is endemic in Cambodia, particularly in Phnom Penh, where it's likely exaccerbated by rapid urban migration. The city is much more "raw" than either Bangkok or Saigon; it reminds me a little bit of Bangkok ten years ago, when the gritty underbelly of that city was more visible, before it was cemented over with shopping malls and hidden behind towering office buildings and new condo developments. Phnom Penh is notoriously not one of the safest cities in Asia for tourists -- the chances of falling victim to a pickpocket, snatch-and-grab bag thief, or even a mugger are higher here than elsewhere, and we met people who were unfortunate enough to have their belongings stolen from right in front of them. However, if one is cautious and sensible the risk is still minimal.

For tourists, there are several museums and other sites related to the Khmer Rouge's bloody history, such as the Genocide Museum mentioned above, and some of the 'Killing Fields'. [Adam visited the Genocide Museum but neither of us went out to the Killing Fields, partly in protest that the land has been sold to a Japanese corporation that is now charging a considerable entrance fee.] But Phnom Penh also has beautiful colonial architecture left from the French, and an enviable location at the confluence of three rivers. There is a good dining scene in Phnom Penh and cafe culture. It's a pleasant place just to spend some time relaxing and eating and observing life going by.

We treated ourselves to a sundowner at the Foreign Correspondents Club, which is still an extremely popular spot for expats and tourists to enjoy a beverage and watch the sun go down. Their happy hour prices are rediculously low and they make a mean martini. I had almost forgotten how much I like vodka ... I highly recommend it. We also had a great dinner at Friends, a restaurant in Phnom Penh run by the NGO of the same name (which also runs Makphet in Vientiane). The food is modern Cambodian fusion, with a tapas-style twist, as all the dishes are fairly small. Perfect for me and Adam, who thought that everything on the menu looked tasty. We ended up ordering 5 dishes for dinner, including a Cambodian curry, a noodle salad, Cambodian-style coleslaw, and sweet-potato fries with curry mayo. (I can't remember the 5th at the moment.) We couldn't resist ordering the banana & chocolate spring rolls with vanilla ice cream for desert, which may sound strange but were simply amazing. It was an incredible feast, and all for about $15 Cdn.

We enjoyed Phnom Penh, but quickly exhausted the list of things we wanted to do, and were eager to move on to the small towns of Kampot and Kep on Cambodia's south coast. Adam and I took another slow, local bus from Phnom Penh to Kampot -- it was a never-ending five-hour journey to reach a destination that was a mere 150 km away! But it was worth it when we arrived in the small, riverside town where there really isn't much of anything to do. We passed three days in Kampot doing little more than eating, drinking, reading and watching movies. Yes, movies -- our fabulous guesthouse (Mea Culpa) had a DVD player in the room, and in the middle of the day when it was unbearably hot outside, it was slothfully delicious to sit in an a/c room and watch a movie. In the mornings and late afternoons, when it was just slightly less hot outside, we went for walks along the river, bikes through the village on the other river bank, and one very pleasant cruise up the river to watch the world go by. Not too many tourists make it to this part of Cambodia, and it gets very rural very fast. It was quite scenic and relaxing; I enjoyed our time in Kampot very much. Although there wasn't a great dining scene in Kampot, Mea Culpa Guesthouse made up some of the best breakfasts we've had in a long time and Adam indulged in their pizzas, made in an authentic Italian wood-burning oven. There were also plenty of spots to sit by the river and drink a vodka-soda/tonic while watching the sun set across the river and behind Bokor mountain.

After three days in Kampot we moved on to Kep, an even smaller town (pop. around 3,000) about 30 km away. Kep is on the ocean, and before the Khmer Rouge came to power, it was a prosperous seaside resort town and port. But Kep was seen by the regime as terribly bourgeousie and most of the villas and other buildings were gutted or burned by the Khmer Rouge. Recently, Kep has been superseceded by Sihanoukville as the major port and beach destination in southern Cambodia, but it's making a comeback with locals and expats looking for a little waterfront R&R in a more tranquil setting than Sihanoukville can offer (which has perhaps become a victim of its own success; it has endured rapid [over]development recently and become a little crazy). Even fewer tourists make it to Kep than to Kampot, and there are limited services and restaurants around. But it was a very pleasant little spot to relax and see some of rural Cambodia. We stayed in a simple concrete bungalow set in a gorgeous garden at Botanica, and kept busy driving around with a rented a motorbike. Don't worry, Mom, it wasn't terribly dangerous given the lack of serious traffic. Adam drove, and although he was a bit tentative at first, he quickly got the hang of it, and miraculously, there were no accidents. We really enjoyed just driving around the very rural countryside, taking it all in. On one of our drives, we stopped at a pepper plantation and saw how pepper is grown - the trees are quite tall (about 10 feet) and resemble juniper bushes a little. Another day, we spent the morning at the local beach, reading and watching the locals float around in the water on inner tubes, most of them fully clothed. Few other tourists were in sight. We also enjoyed sunset drinks every day. For entertainment, instead of watching Animal Planet (a channel we've become slightly addicted to in Asia), we watched our very own reptile reality show take place in our bungalow, which we shared with several other creatures, including 3 tokay (giant geckos) and some tree frogs. At one point, we stumbled into a tokay vs. tree frog showdown in our bathroom. (We didn't have the patience to wait for the outcome of the standoff, so we don't know if the tokay ate the tree frog or if the frog lived to see another day.) After spending a great three days of doing nothing-much-in-particular in Kep, it was time to cross the border into Vietnam.

But I must disgress a moment, to mention what another blogger has called "The Ambassadors of Hello". When we were out and about in rural Cambodia, it was not unusual for the local children to wave wildly at us and shout "hello", whether we were on a boat, bikes, or in a tuk-tuk. They were thrilled when we waved or shouted "hello" back, and sometimes, you could see them running to the road or the water's edge from quite a long away, just so that they could wave at us and say hello. It was incredibly endearing, and I was very happy to finally see children in Cambodia wanting to interact with us without wanting money from us. In Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, we were overwhelmed by children aggressively trying to sell us trinkets, books, water, and anything/everything else, or just begging for money. Of course, their parents or other adults put them up to it, and sadly they often benefit little from whatever money they manage to obtain. It's terribly disheartening to see children like that, particularly when you realize that most of them should be in school, but there's little that tourists can do that's meaningful to help. (Although Adam and I have made a point of patronizing restaurants and retail shops in SEA that are doing good works with street kids and providing fair trade for local artisans.) Needless to say, my heart was rather lightened when we met some children in Kampot and Kep leading more normal lives.

Back to our Cambodia-Vietnam border crossing ... The border was a mere 30km from Kep, but getting there and across was an "interesting" experience. It rates as one of the more complicated overland border crossings I've done, and there have been a number of dodgy border crossings in my life, one of which involved several hours in a holding cell, but that's a whole other story. From our guesthouse in Kep, we arranged for a motorized tuk-tuk (similar to a carriage pulled by a motorcycle) to take us to the border. It was a slow journey, but we travelled through some very scenic countryside, and the time passed quickly. We knew that the last few kilometers would be on a rough dirt road, but neither of us realized just how rough -- the potholes were big enough to swallow a car and I felt like I was getting a chiropratic adjustment every time we hit one. It didn't help that it had rained the night before, but mud wasn't the main problem. Eventually, when we had endured the rough road for as long as I though I could bear, the driver stopped and told us that this was where we got out. But, ... the border crossing was nowhere in sight! He tried to explain that xe oms (motorcycles with driver) were coming to pick us up and take us to the border. This did not please us terribly, as the arrangement and plan was that he would take us to the border, we would walk across, and then we would arrange onward transportation to the next town in Vietnam on the other side. Now we were stuck in the middle of nowhere with no transportation options and no choices. We had to use the xe oms he had arranged in order to get to the border, and we had to pay whatever we could manage to negotiate (which was unlikely to be a fair price). We were also terribly skeptical that our 3 large backpacks, including Adam's climbing gear, and our two smaller daypacks, plus ourselves, and the two drivers, could all fit onto two small motorcycles, but guess what? They did! It was quite a sight. Each motorcycle had a huge 90 litre backpack sandwiched between the driver and the handlebars, then either me or Adam on the back, with each of us wearing yet another backpack. (Adam had to wear/carry his 12kg climbing pack, which probably didn't feel so nice each time he hit a pothole.) It turned out to be several kilometers to the Cambodian checkpoint along an even worse road than what we had already come down. The motorcycles were zipping around and turning abruptly, trying to avoid potholes, yet sometimes slamming into bumps, and we were trying to hold on for dear life. While all this was going on, my driver was trying to have a conversation with me and we negotiated the fare for our journey! It was nothing less than crazy. But we got through the Cambodian checkpoint and the Vietnamese checkpoint, where it took an interminably long time for them to process our passports, and then finally drove to the town of Ha Tien, which is 8km inside the Vietnamese border. We had left Kep at 8 am and finally arrived in Ha Tien, about 38km away, about 3 hours later at 11am! We had no intention of staying in Ha Tien, and fortunately there was a mini-bus leaving for the town of Chau Doc (in the Mekong Delta) an hour later. The journey from Ha Tien to Chau Doc was uneventful, but not pleasant. Our mini-bus was so old and busted that it looked like it might fall apart during the journey. None of the seats were in one piece and we could even see the road through the floor! There was no air-conditioning but lots of air-flow. There were no chickens or other livestock on the bus, but it was a very local service stopping constantly to pick-up and drop-off passengers. Needless to say, we were the only tourists on board. When we arrived in Chau Doc several hours later, we and our bags were literally thrown out the door and onto the side of the road. We managed to negotiate a ride to our hotel from a cyclo (basically a bicycle pulling a carriage) and were very happy to collapse there.

Our adventures in the Mekong Delta started the next day. Most visitors to Vietnam see at least part of the famed Mekong Delta, but the great majority do so on a group tour from Saigon. Few tourists travel to and through the delta independently, but I'm not sure why, as it's rather easy to get around from town to town and to arrange your own river tours once you arrive. Tourists don't have to look very hard to try to find someone willing to take them out on the river, usually boat drivers find the tourists! It poured rain our first night in Chau Doc, so we didn't do much other than get some dinner and watch CNN & Animal Planet. It was an early night, since we planned to get up before 6am to get out onto the river shortly after dawn. All the travel guides recommend getting onto the river early, as it's busiest before 7am. It's so hot in the Mekong Delta that everyone is up and about bright and early, and then the towns shut down in the afternoon. By the time we got to the riverside shortly after 6am, there were lots of locals out drinking coffee, walking the promenade for exercise, and doing group aerobics or Tai Chi, something that is popular all through Vietnam. It wasn't long before a young boy came along and asked if we wanted to go out on the river. After some good natured bargaining, we got into his rowboat and were off for a 2-hour tour of the floating markets (more about those later), floating villages and a fish farm. It was a nice little tour, and we were done in time to catch our complimentary breakfast at the hotel -- pork noodle soup and really strong Vietnamese coffee. We had a whole day left to explore the small town of Chau Doc, and we wandered through the market and the small streets fairly aimlessly. We had coffee in plastic lawn chairs on the sidewalk with the locals and watched traffic go by. Children stopped to wave at us and say hello, and locals smiled when we waved and said "xin chao" (seen-chow) in response. And we bothered the very helpful and friendly staff at our hotel repeatedly with our questions of how-do-you-say-this and how-do-you-say-that in Vietnamese. The language is a tonal one, and the pronunciations extremely hard to figure out, but we were determined to give it a try.

After a very full day in Chau Doc, we took a much newer Mai Linh minibus to biggest city in the region, Can Tho. We arrived at a bus station about 5km from town and so had to use the services of xe oms (motorcycle taxis) once again in order to get to our hotel. The trip was not nearly as rough, given that we were travelling on well-paved city streets, but it was substantially more harrowing in city traffic. But both of us and all our baggage arrived safely. After getting settled, we headed out to the riverfront to try to meet some of the 'boat ladies' who do all-day trips to the floating markets on the Mekong. It wasn't hard ... if you walk around for more than a few minutes, you'll soon have people coming up to you saying, "You want boat trip?" But the locals who are trying to make a living this way are usually pleasant and polite, it's not a pushy or hard sell like some of the tuk-tuk drivers in Cambodia who harass you endlessly, even when it's obvious that no, you don't want a tuk-tuk. There's some friendly bargaining, but most of the boat drivers have a fixed price -- although this can range wildly from boat to boat. For example, a woman who based herself at our hotel wanted to take us on a boat tour for $30 USD, which for what is generally a 6-hour round-trip works out to about $6/hour. Other people offering boat tours on the riverfront were asking for $2/hour to $3/hour or more. We booked a trip with a very friendly woman who quoted us $2/hour upfront, no bargaining. (I appreciated that no-nonsense approach.) So it makes sense to shop around, especially because all of the small boats seemed to be more or less the same. There are bigger boats used by tour groups, which move faster and carry more people, but these boats cannot go into the middle of the floating markets the same way the smaller boats can, and of course, you share your day with a bunch of other tourists, rather than being the master of your own boat and going wherever you like for as long as you like. (You can guess that I'm not a fan of the big tour boats...)

Our trip on the Mekong started just before 5.30am the next morning. Although it was pitch black out, the city was already alive and there were lots of locals out, getting their day started. We cruised along the river in complete darkness at first, but we got to see dawn break while we were out on the river, and arrived at the first floating market, Cai Rang, right at 6am when it's busiest. A boat full of drinks pulled up to our little boat almost immediately, and Adam and I were able to buy steaming hot coffee, which really made our morning. Our driver, Sang, also took us to a boat selling food where we were able to buy some breakfast -- rice, pork and chilli. Sang plunged her little boat right into the middle of the mayhem, which at Cai Rang means both big and small boats. It's hard to explain (and so I really hope I can post some photos soon), but imagine a river full of boats of all sizes, laden with fruit and vegetables and ice and even housewares, where everyone is buying or selling. Sellers advertise what it is that they are selling by tying some of it to a bamboo pole sticking up from the boat. After cruising through Cai Rang for awhile, we continued down the river for another hour or two, until we arrived at the second market, which was made up exclusively of small boats, jammed together into a single thriving flotilla. Again, Sang thrust her little boat into the chaotic jumble, and we floated around in it for almost an hour, just gazing at the commerce taking place before us. I thought there might be order in the chaos, but no, I think it was just chaos. The boats smack each and move around each other like bumper cars, and most have old car tires tied to the sides for just that reason. It was an entirely unique experience. About mid-morning it was time to head back to Can Tho, and Sang took us back the long way, through the small, labyrinthine "back canals". It was incredibly scenic and we only saw one other tourist boat the entire time. We finally arrived back in Can Tho at 11am, 5 1/2 hours later. It was a fabulous trip. For me it was a highlight of our time in South-East Asia, but sitting on a wooden plank for that long was tough, and I don't know if my bum has ever been so sore! It was hard to believe that we had most of the day still ahead of us, although we didn't do much beyond eating, drinking coffee, and reading a good book. It was definitely an early night for us; we were totally exhausted from so much travel and so many early mornings in a row.

After 4 days in the Mekong Delta, we headed to Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, as it's still referred to by most people, on March 4th. I think Adam's going to do a post on his impressions of this city. I was here 8 years ago, but it's all fresh and new for him. We've been here for 4 days, mostly eating some amazing local food, drinking fabulous coffee, and even doing a bit of sightseeing, when it's convenient to the eating and drinking. We fly to Hanoi tomorrow morning, and head out to Cat Ba Island in Ha Long Bay the next day. Although wifi is ubiquitous in Vietnam and internet cafes are cheap or free, but I can't seem to find a fast enough connection (or the requisite software) to post photos to the blog. I have my fingers crossed for Hanoi, otherwise the pictures might have to wait until we're home ... in a mere three weeks!

Cheers!
Robin

Angkor

2009-03-01T13:33:00.011+07:00

Superlatives are heaped upon the Angkor archeological site, which is just 6 km outside of Siam Reap in northwest Cambodia, to such an extent that some tourists who arrive find that Angkor simply cannot stand up to the hype. But for most, it's the highlight of any trip to Cambodia, if not the highlight of South-East Asia. Travelfish.org states that Angkor is "quite simply, one of the most splendid attractions in all of Southeast Asia." Lonely Planet proclaims it as extravagantly beautiful, "the perfect fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devotion", and the eighth wonder of the world.

The Angkor site encompasses hundreds of temples spread out over a vast area -- it's all that remains of Cambodia's ancient Khmer empire, which lasted about 600 years from 802 to 1432 AD. Most of the significant temples that remain today were built between 900 to 1200 AD. At that time, the Khmer civilization was dominant in the region and Angkor likely had a population over 1 million. The houses and most of the buildings of the Khmer civilization were built of wood, and so quickly disappeared, but the Khmer's elaborate temples were constructed of stone, and remarkably many have survived in various states of ruin and restoration. Notably, most of the temples combine Hindu and Buddhist elements; some are dedicated to specific God-Kings or their mothers/fathers.

There are many books on Angkor and a vast amount of information available on-line, so I won't go into detail about the history or significance of Angkor or the Khmers (from whom modern Cambodians are directly decendended). Instead, I have decided to post some of the pictures that I took during our 4 hot and sweaty days of touring the temples. I've tried to restrain myself and just post a few, but I have almost 800 photos! (Yes, that's almost 200 photos a day, 40 photos an hour ...) I've mostly stuck to the big, famous temples, but I have lots of photos of the minor ones that I would be happy to share when we return. I've tried to use photos that Adam or I are in to show "proof of life". (No, we haven't killed each other and yes, we're still smiling, despite the dust and heat!) I had a great time touring around Angkor, and I think Adam, who unlike most people, had few expectations for Angkor, was pleasantly surprised at how much he enjoyed it as well.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is the largest and most well-known of the temples at Angkor. (In fact, most people use the term "Angkor Wat" to refer to the entire archeological site, when in fact it refers to the central temple -- or "wat" in Khmer.) It is widely believed to be the largest religious structure in the world, although Adam and I contemplated whether this excludes the pyramids of Giza as 'religious structures'. In any event, the symmetry of the temple is startling, and the size and state of preservation makes it impressive.

Pictures, or my pictures anyway, don't really do Angkor Wat justice. It's the kind of place that you need to experience yourself. I have included a few photos that include either Adam or I. But my favourite photograph of Angkor Wat was taken by John McDemott during a solar eclipse over Angkor in 1995. I cannot include it here for reasons of copyright, but an image of it can be found on the web at the following address: http://www.asiaphotos.net/photo.php?id=352. It's well worth clicking on to see a much more majestic Angkor Wat.

Above, Adam dutifully posing for just a few photos while the tourist hordes are temporarily abated. Below, me, on a very rare occasion of being in front of the camera.

Below is just one photo of a few of the hundreds of Apsaras that Angkor Wat is famous for. Most of the stone walls of Angkor Wat are intricately carved.

The Bayon

The Bayon is one of the most favoured and photographed temples at Angkor, and probably the most unusual. The temple, like others at Angkor, features a central tower (45m high) with additional towers surrounding it (a total of 54) in a pyramid design. However, originally each of the 54 towers had four faces at the top -- one looking to each of the north, south, east and west. Many of these remain today, and the effect is remarkable. Visitors to the temple often feel as though they are being watched by the giant faces, which surround them and look down on them in all directions. No one is sure what the faces represent, but my favoured theory is that the faces represent King Jayavarman VII (who ruled at the time it was constructed) as a God-King, looking down on the entire Khmer empire in all directions. We were fortunate to plan our visit to the Bayon for early morning before the masses of tourists descended, and it was quite peaceful and beautiful.

Ta Prohm

Most people will have previously seen an image of Ta Prohm, perhaps without even knowing that it's from Angkor. This is the temple that is being reclaimed by the jungle, and it is in various states of ruin. Images of Ta Prohm are scattered in our popular culture. The temple is perhaps most notable for being used in the Tomb Raider movie, and the "Tomb Raider tree" is now featured on most guidebook maps! Our first visit to Ta Prohm was in the middle of the day, and the site was swarming with Asian package tourists who queued up to have their photo taken in front of the aforementioned tree. Not the relaxed, spiritual visit I was hoping for. We went back the next morning when it was quiet and tranquil, and we could actually hear the birds chirping and feel a connection with nature and the temple.

I must note that there are sections of the temple that are cordoned off with pink tape for safety, so that tourists don't wander into unstable sections where parts of the temple could come down on their heads. A laudable aim, but not so good for my photos of the ruins. Adam was very helpful and temporarily removed some of these ropes/tapes in out of the way locations so I could get my photos. Of course, we put the rope/tapes back!

Above, the (in)famous crocodile tree. There is a platform in front so that tourists can stand on it and get a good picture in front of the tree! I had to wait about 15-20 minutes to get this shot with no one in it. There's about 40 people just beyond the frame ...

And below, Adam doing the tourist-thing and getting his photo taken in front of the Tomb Raider tree. Not the most remarkable image in the temple, but the most well-known.

Ta Som

Ta Som is one of the 'minor' temples at Angkor, which is quite beautiful and as it gets fewer visitors, it is more peaceful than the major sites. The eastern gopura (gate) is completely overgrown. I love this photo with the Cambodian children in front ... they are running to catch up with me.

Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei is set apart from the other temples at Angkor - it's about 25 km beyond Angkor Wat. This is perhaps because it was commissioned by a high-caste Brahman rather than a King. It is quite small, even petite, compared to the other temples (again perhaps because it was not a royal temple), but it is undoubtedly the most intracately carved and thus perhaps the most beautiful. It features some of the most detailed, exceptional carvings extant in the world. Mystery surrounds Banteay Srei. Some have suggested that it was built or designed by a woman as no man could have created something so beautiful and so delicate. Unlike the other temples at Angkor, the carvings were done directly into the pink sandstore rather that into a plaster coating that was later attached to the temple face. It has been dated at mid-10th century (which would be almost 200 years before Angkor Wat was built), but this has been called into question recently. It may have been built much later. No one really knows when it was built, why, or by whom. But its a highlight of Angkor, that's for sure. I have at least a hundred photos of it, but I've limited myself to including just one, below.

And finally ...

Who would be surprised that Adam couldn't resist clamouring about on some of the lesser temples, doing a bit of a traverse? (see below) This is at one of the earlier temples, Ta Keo, where it didn't seem out of place or inappropriate given that other people were scrambling up the sides of the ruins to get to the top for a view. Adam didn't desecrate any of the major temples, and we respected "no climbing" signs when they were present.

I hope you enjoy! This is the first time in weeks I've found a computer fast enough and with the applications to post these, and even then it's been a painstaking process. So I'm not sure when the next photos will go up. Perhaps Saigon or Hanoi ... or when we get home! We just arrived in Vietnam, and I feel like we're in the home stretch now.

Robin

Laos Climbing Update

2009-02-19T14:41:00.007+07:00

After climbing the wild limestone of Tonsai and Railay beaches, I was pretty sure that I had experienced the best climbing of the trip. But that was not the case!

We arrived in Vang Vieng after spending 6 sleepy days in Luang Prabang recovering from our Thailand climbing. I was pretty amped and ready to climb again! The day we arrived we went to the offices of Green Discovery which is a company that offers guided climbing lessons as well as simple "delivery service" to the crag. We were informed that they leave at 9am each morning and with that we were all prepared to go!! One small problem though....

Around 5am the following morning, I woke to the pattering of rain drops on the roof of our bungalow and although it dampened (no pun intended) my spirits somewhat, I held on to the hope that it would end before sunrise and dry quickly. NOPE!! Instead it just rained harder and harder and by 8am we had pretty much written the day off!

The next day though, we were off with Green Discovery to our first crag of our visit, Sleeping Wall. I had an awesome time on the roofs of Tonsai and was quite excited to see an incredibly steep roof with a number of routes available. Overall, Sleeping Wall is really good place to go with beginner climbers as there are a number of routes in the 5 and 6 range (french grading) in a corridor to right of the roof as well as a newer crag 200m to the left of the roof. Those who want more of a challenge on the steep stuff can be entertained for a couple of days on the roof .I was interested in a 7a called Spiderman which is a super-steep affair with awesome tufa pulling action!

Quick shake on Spiderman (7a)

Unfortunately, the crux was right at then end and I went for a couple rides throwig for the jug! At the end of the day, the routes had pretty much kicked my butt and I had to hang my head and walk away.

Our third day of climbing (yes I'm skippin the second day as I'm saving the best for last) was more of rest day for me. Robin, myself, Sam and Daniel (people we met our first day climbing and we climbed with most other days) went to Pha Dang mountain which has a great crag just on the left side of the mountain near the caves. The approach is a bit of a climb but the views are worth it! This is a beginner crag with fantastic 6a's and 6b's which are long and slightly overhung. Robin definitely showed her mad skills here by cruising the 6a and 6a+ and then came so close on the 6b! Although she hasn't been able to climb much on the trip, she still has fantastic technique which makes up for her lack of endurance. The tops of the routes provide breathtaking views over the valley and town.

The second and forth day of a climbing was a visit to the newest and by far the best crag that Vang Vieng currently has to offer! I will add that we found out about the other climbing outfit in town as well. Adam's Climbing Shop is a specialty company geared to towards climbers. There's nothing wrong with Green Discovery but if you're going to Vang Vieng with the intention of climbing hard, go to Adam's and they'll show you all you need to know as well as will hook you up with any gear you may be missing.

Pha Tang is a stunning chunk of limestone which lies 20 km north of Vang Vieng and is currently under the most development by a hardcore group of local and expat climbers. The current routes include anything from mild 5's all the way up to 8a+ but there is an endless amount of opportunity here! The rock itself couldn't be better! Beautiful tufas are all over the wall as well as bulletproof walls with only the slightest hint of an available crimp! The other highlight of this crag is the height. Multiple 30+ meter routes can be found in the 6c to 7c range which promises the enduro-crowd a good time. We enjoyed a couple of 5's and there is a fantanstic 30+ meter 6c which follows a perfect line on a slightly overhung face. Most of the routes are slightly overhung and require a bit more technical climbing than what is normally found in Tonsai. I played on another 7a and then a crazy long 7a+ (two pitch route but strung together with a 35 meter rope).

The 7a is a great line up a crack with multiple cruxes; one at the botton and one at the top.

Upper crux on ??? (7a)

I then tried what I was told was a 7b. This route had tons of "OOMPH" and had some crazy crimps as well as two dynos. Tried it a couple of times before I was completely spent! After we returned to Adam's we then found out that it was not 7b, but rather 7c+!!!! Actually felt better after that fact ;-)

Overall, I would definitely recommend the climbing in Vang Vieng to anyone who is thinking about taking a climbing trip to SE Asia. It is an awesome climbing environment and as Robin mentioned in a earlier post, we met some great people to climb with! With the development at Pha Tang, the routes at Sleeping Wall and Pha Dang, it is becoming a worthy stop. There is climbing in Luang Prabang too. One of the walls is one hour by boat along the river which has recently been rebolted and the other is a more beginner crag quite close to the town.

Stay tuned for more climbing updates when we hit up Ha Long Bay/Cat Ba Island around mid-March...

Adam

Lovely Laos

2009-02-13T14:35:00.006+07:00

Ahhh, Laos. It's like a deep breath of air in chaotic south-east Asia. We flew from Phuket to Luang Prabang on January 30th, via Bangkok. From the moment we arrived in Laos, we were struck by how relaxed it is here. The airport itself at Luang Prabang is a throw back to a simpler time -- the entire building could fit into the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge at Toronto Pearson. We just walked off the small, prop plane and across the tarmack into the arrivals area. No security, no buses, just a nice saunter across the runway. Getting our visa-on-arrival was also painless, although I was a bit miffed that Canadians pay more for their visa ($42 USD) than anyone else, even Americans. (I wonder what our government did to deserve that honour.)

After collecting our baggage, we walked outside. I was mentally prepared for the chaos of an Asian airport, namely a barrage of taxis or touts wanting to take us into town. But no. Complete calm prevailed outside. And there were two smiling employees from Le Bel Air resort waiting to pick us up. It was at that point that I realized that our time in Laos would be starkly different from Thailand.

We spent a week in Luang Prabang, in northern Laos, and loved our time there. There is no other word for it. Luang Prabang is a beautiful, peaceful town, and the entire area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But a big part of the reason we had such an amazing stay was Le Bel Air boutique resort. It's a bit out of the centre of Luang Prabang, but within a reasonable walking distance and a very short bike ride. (It's a small town, really.) We made use of the complimentary bikes offered by the hotel and so sightseeing was a breeze. It was so nice to retreat back to Le Bel Air in the afternoon or in the evening after wandering around the town and seeing the wats (Buddhist temples). The grounds of Le Bel Air were immaculate, a beautiful oasis, and the beautifully decorated rooms (with sumptuous duvets and pillows) in a traditional wooden Lao house were a real treat after 'roughing it' on Tonsai beach while rock climbing. (I know I keep using the word "beautiful", but it really was beautiful ...) The staff at Le Bel Air were also incredibly friendly and helpful; they really made our stay. I was so sad to leave at the end of the week. Upon reflection, Luang Prabang doesn't have too many "sights", (although we did the temple circuit and walked up Phou Si mountain to check out the views over the town) but it is a really mellow, beautiful town that offers great shopping and eating, and pulls you into the s-l-o-w Laotian approach to life. You see a few sights, eat a lot, hang out by one of the two rivers (the Mekong and the Nam Khan) and voila - a week has passed.

From Luang Prabang we travelled by bus over mountainous, windy roads to Vang Vieng. Our amazing luck with buses continued; this time we were delayed during our lunch stop while our driver fixed something under the bus. I'm not sure what was broken or even if it was fixed, but after two hours we were on our way again. I don't really know what to say about Vang Vieng, but it's certainly an "interesting" place ("interesting" being the word I often use when I can't think of anything nice to say ....). It's an extremely popular stop on the south-east Asia circuit for young backpackers, and it shows. There are 20-somethings drunk or high, stumbling around town, often in their bathing suits, at all hours of the day. Most of the very average restaurants show episodes of Friends, Family Guy or the Simpsons all day long, every day. There's an odd 'zombie' like look on the faces of the many backpackers that congregate in these places. And of course, there are lots of businesses set up to cater to these partying young backpackers.

However, the countryside surrounding Vang Vieng is spectacular -- large limestone karst cliffs dominate the skyline. Adventure tourism is incredibly popular, and we ended up here to check out the best rock climbing that Laos has to offer. We were rained out the first day, but spent the next four days climbing at several of the nearby crags -- Sleeping Wall, Pha Daeng, and Pha Tang (20 km north of Vang Vieng). Adam will write a more fullsome post about our rock climbing there, but for now I'll say that I was impressed by the quality of the rock. The crags are new (the routes at the best area, Pha Tang, are only about two years old) and there aren't that many climbers, so it's very different from Tonsai. Sure, it doesn't have the amazing beachfront seating of Tonsai, but the jungle and rice fields are nice to look at. (But watch out for those leaches on the approach!) There's so much potential here, both for new routes on existing crags and for entirely new crags. It will be very interesting to see what climbing in Vang Vieng is like in 10 years time. For the time being, it is easy to meet the relatively small number of other rock climbers who are staying in Vang Vieng, and I found the comraderie among climbers to be even greater here than at Tonsai. Spending our evenings with them made this bizarre little town bearable.

From Vang Vieng we took a mini-bus to the capital of Laos, Vientiane. It's probably the world's smallest and quietest capital city. I think it gets a bad rap from travellers, who say that there's nothing to do here. It's quite new (largely planned and built by the French in the early 20th century) and very different from Luang Prabang, but it has a charm that grows on you. Life is slow and relaxed here. There are lots of temples to see, albeit fairly new, modern ones lacking the kind of history of those in Luang Prabang. And there's a great food scene. The Lonely Planet Laos states that dollar-for-dollar, Vientiane might have some of the best food to offer in the world. And while I haven't been here long enough to confirm that view, I certainly haven't seen anything to refute it.

You will probably not be surprised to hear that food has formed a integral part of our travel experience. We are travelling to see and do things, but also to eat and experience the local food. Personally, I find that a local eating experience is often also a cultural one. Nowhere has this been more true than in Laos. I think that Adam and I have both mentioned food in our previous posts about Thailand, and as Thai food is quite popular in Canada, most of you can likely imagine some of the wonderful dishes that we feasted on during our time there. There is also cheap, plentiful, and safe street food such as fried noodles, fried rice, noodle soup, fried pancakes (more akin to crepes), fruit shakes and Som Tam (green papaya salad), which is one of my favourite things about Thailand. Lao food is often confused with or lumped in with Thai food (and indeed, many Laos restaurants in Laos also serve Thai food, which only adds to the confusion) but its actually quite different. Lao food is fresher, uses less coconut milk (you won't see creamy curries in a Lao kitchen), and relies on sticky rice rather than the steamed rice favoured in Thailand. Generally, the dishes are drier, relying on fresh herbs and spices for flavour rather than thick gravies or sauces. It's quite healthy and very, very tasty. I've learned that I love Lao food. [For more information, try: http://www.tamarindlaos.com/lao-cuisine.html]

In Luang Prabang, we ate at Tamarind, a great little daytime cafe/restaurant run by an Australian and her Laotian husband, which seeks to offer tourists an affordable and authentic Lao food experience. It was one of the first places we ate in Laos and it was very educational, as well as fun. It was here that we were taught how to properly eat sticky rice (roll it into a ball with your fingers before dipping/scooping food; its very bad form to drop rice into the food). We enjoyed traditional Lao BBQ at a no-name place by the Nam Kham (river), which is kind of a cross of Korean BBQ and Malaysian meat fondue, and involves lots of fresh herbs and vegetables. Terribly tasty and satisfying. We splurged on dinner at L'Elephant, the best restaurant in Luang Prabang and perhaps Laos, where very fine French food was enjoyed at a reasonable price (along with a 1/2 bottle of Tattinger and 1/2 bottle of red wine ...) And of course, large quantities of thick, dark Laos coffee were enjoyed every morning at Le Bel Air with breakfast. There are lots of other great dining options in Luang Prabang, but I got food poisoning from a very bland and not at all authentic dish of gai phad kaphrao (chicken stir-fried with basil and hot chillis) that I ate at a very touristy pizza restaurant. I blame Adam and his pizza craving for that, but in any event, it put me "out" of fine eating form for several days.

Vang Vieng was a bit of a culinary wasteland, but we've made up for lost time in Vientiane. Our first night we ate at Makphet, a restaurant run by the NGO Friends International, which trains formerly homeless youths to cook and/or wait tables. A good cause and excellent food; highly recommended. The next day for lunch we had the best bo bun (Vietnamese noodle salad with beef) that I've ever eaten. It was so good we had to go back today and have more. And for dinner last night we had a truly Laos experience at Vieng Sawan in Chinatown eating yaw (fried spring rolls) and siin joom (thin slices of beef that we 'fondue-d' at the table in a cauldron of coconut juice and herbs) wrapped in various combinations of khao pun (fresh lettuce, herbs, sauces, sliced fruit, lemongrass, ginger, etc.) Super tasty, I ate so much that I practically had to waddle back to the hotel after dinner. We have two more nights in Vientiane and I'm salivating thinking about what and where I'm going to eat. There are so many options and so little time ...

We're almost done our time in Laos. We'll be flying from Vientiane to Siem Reap, Cambodia (home of the amazing Angkor Wat) very early in the morning on February 15th. From that date, we only have 5 weeks until our return to Canada!!! Where does the time go? I need a pause button for my life ... But in all seriousness, while Adam and I are very much looking forward to 5 weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam, it will be nice to come home, eventually. Just please make sure that you arrange to have some warmer weather by March 29th, okay? ;)

Robin (and Adam)

Climbing on Tonsai

2009-02-11T15:37:00.007+07:00

Ah, how I've missed posting to the blog! ;-)

Since Robin's last post, we have been in Laos spending time in both Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng and are now in the country's capital of Vientiane. As per Robin's previous post I was supposed to do a climbing update and only now have I gotten around to it...

Tonsai! To most climbers, the mere mention of it invokes images of people climbing on crazy roofs on the beach or hugging tufas [types of stalagtites] 100 meters off the deck. But Tonsai Beach is so much more...actually, no its not! Tonsai (and we'll group Railay and Phra Nang in with it as well) is truly a mecca for the climbing oriented. Take a beach surrounded by soaring limestone cliffs, toss about 500 super fit people in the area and add a bunch of bungalows and beach bars and VOILA, you get Tonsai. We met so many great people and also bumped into a couple of people from home (Yuval, Nat and Kevin) which just added to excitement! I did manage to post a couple of pics a couple of weeks ago but no picture can do this paradise any justice. Happily, we were able to enjoy the climbing for just about 2 weeks but I could have easily stayed for 2 months! There are so many different crags to climb at and an endless amount of "classic" routes. I think the climbing on Tonsai brings out the ADHD in everyone! On the first day we arrived, we were off climbing within an hour or so and the day we left, we climbed until an hour before our ferry left! Two weeks of climbing allows for you to enjoy quite a bit but we only scratched the surface of what's available!

The moment we got off the longtail from Ao-Nang I was drooling at the crags on the beach, Tonsai Roof and Dum's Kitchen. Tonsai Roof hosts what is essentially a gym climber's paradise. Crazy steep climbing on pockets, jugs and LOTS of stalagtites! Some of the routes even allow for some crazy no-hands rests on the stalagtites (bring your abs)! I managed to haul myself up a couple of the routes but found myself a couple of pull-ups short on some others! Classic routes such as "Babes in Thailand" (7a), "Tonsai Playboy" (7a+) and Tidal Wave (7b+) are super popular and often have a crowd of climbers waiting for their turn, but there are sooooo many other routes available. The grades for the roof climbs start around 6c and go all the way up to 8b (5.11b-5.13d grade conversion) and as their are 40 listed routes, there's something for almost everybody. [Although Robin notes that this assumes that "everybody" is crazy strong .....] Dum's Kitchen is a longer crag found on the right side of Tonsai beach and this is where the hardest routes are found (8c\8c+) as well as some of the uber-classics such as "Lion King" (6c+), "Reminiscence" (7a+) and "Jai Dum" (8b). I will add that Lion King kicked my ass a good couple of times as the the last move is a desperate toss for a jug which for me resulted in some great lobs off the top. It was awesome watching climbers on Jai Dum and some of the other ultra-hard routes there. Long and technical routes on crappy crimps apparently makes for a good time! ;-)

Another favourite crag of ours was Thaiwand Wall. This hunk of rock is the most prominent crag in the area and is the first one visible from the water. It is home to some of the best long moderate routes as well as some great multipitch! We didn't do any multipitch so I can't really comment on any from personal experience, but most people found that the while the climbing was pretty good, the views were what made the experience worth it! But some of the long single pitch routes on Thaiwand had spectacular views of their own. "Lord of the Thais" (6a+ first pitch) was an awesome route to climb and then anchor in at the top and snap some of the classic shots of Tonsai and Railay Beach West. My personal favourite was "Equatorial" (6c) which is a 32 meter arete with awesome exposure all the way up and then a great cave at the anchors to sit and take in the view!!!!! Thaiwand Wall is a great crag to spend the day during the high season as it is in the shade for the entire day and usually has a nice ocean breeze. Unless you're a solid 8a climber or greater, there's more than enough routes to keep you busy.

Other crags we visited were Fire Wall, Cobra Wall, Eagle Wall, and Wee's Present Wall. There are about 35 other crags on top of the ones mentioned here so as I mentioned earlier, more than enough to keep anyone busy. We also visited Muay Thai Wall and 1-2-3 Wall but these are primarily beginner walls which are normally full with all of the climbing schools. Fire Wall has some great moderate routes including the super-classic "Groove Tube" (6a) (which Robin and I call "The Pinball Machine", as we saw a woman fall near the top and she rattled a couple of time off the sides of the "tube"). Eagle Wall must be visited either during low-tide or via a longtail, otherwise its a very wet and awkward walk back through the water. Lots of moderate routes in the 6a-7b range but becomes very busy due to its limited accessibility. Cobra Wall has some nice routes but the belay area [a super thin ledge) is super dusty and it can get crowded so I wouldn't put this on my "must visit" list. Wee's Present Wall also has some nice moderates and is in the forest so it stays nice and cool.

Accomodation on Tonsai (and Railay) is quite varied in terms of luxury (or lack thereof) and price. Railay West is the resort portion of the peninsula and is super expensive and full of tourists rather than climbers. Railay East is a bit more affordable, but instead of a beach, it has a mangrove forest which is a bit of a mudpile at low tide and there is some serious construction underway. If you stay off the main track of Railay East, there are probably some decent accomodations. But for those who want to climb, Tonsai is the place to stay. There is budget accomodation available (200-600 baht) and that will usually get you a decent bungalow with a bed and mosquito net, a fan, a cold-water shower and a toilet. In the 700-1500 baht range you can find a bigger bungalow with a larger deck, chairs, decent beds, a fan or A/C and either a cold or hot-water shower (A/C and hot water usually only at the higher end of the range). For those who require a bit more luxury, there is also Tonsai Resort which is 2000+ baht/night although the restaurant is quite affordable.

Food on Tonsai can also vary wildly. For cheap eats there are the "chicken ladies" and while this sounds like a terrible description, its the term everyone uses so can't really describe it any other way. They are found up the right side "road" heading towards Wee's and they provide the staple Thai foods such as Phad Thai, Pad Khao Pak, Som Tam (best salad ever) and Mango Sticky Rice (great breakfast option). For other meals we ate at Tonsai Resort a couple of times, Dream Vally Resort (once) and Cruie Thai. But almost all of our dinners we ate where we stayed -- Country Side Resort. We stayed here for 7 nights (after our break in Ko Lanta) and ate there most dinners and always had a great cup of coffee in the morning before hitting the rock. The owners are a British couple who are super nice and make sure that you are comfortable. Their staff also were great but we heard that they may have had some problems since we left. The food is well priced compared to the rest of Tonsai and their portions were more than adequate for a couple of ravenous climbers. This is a mid-range accomodation so anyone who plans on visiting and has the budget, we would highly recommend this place.

Overall, Tonsai made me a very happy person! Even Robin, who didn't climb as much, enjoyed it because as she puts it, "It's not the worst place to be a belay-bitch". Climbing on the beach in the morning is an unbelievable experience as well as going for that sunset send of your project after relaxing during the scorching afternoons. I was a bit sad to leave but made a promise to myself that I would come back here again and hopefully for at least a month!!

We'll eventually post some more photos once we've had some time to pick out some good ones. I also have an update on climbing in Vang Vieng but I'll do that in a couple of days once my fingers recover from typing this update!

l8r

adam and robin

Thailand West Coast

2009-01-29T21:10:00.003+07:00

Sawasdee. Adam and I are on our way out of Thailand tomorrow, after 6 weeks here. We could both spend longer, except we're not allowed ... Yep, that's right, despite falling tourism after a disasterous closure of both Bangkok's airports by protesters and on-going civil unrest in Bangkok and the deep south, the Thai immigration authorities make it difficult for Canadians and others to extend their visa or visa-free stay. We've already done one "visa run" to the Malaysian border (which was encouraged by the immigration officer in Krabi!) to get another 14 days in Thailand after our initial 30-day entry permit expired. In any event, we really must get a move-on to the rest of Indochina, as we've realized that we have to come home to Canada in just 2 short months! (sniff, sniff) Not that I don't love Canada -- travelling always makes me appreciate home even more -- but I certainly don't love the idea of going back to work after so many months of leisure.

Adam's last post covered the islands and beaches that we visited on the east coast. Since then, we've spent most of our time on Tonsai beach, near Krabi, a rock climber's Mecca. To say that Tonsai/Railay is one of the foremost rock climbing areas in the world is not an overstatement, and it undoubtedly attracts an incredible number of rock climbers every year. I was mildly surprised at just how many, and from how many countries -- Canada, U.S., all over Europe, Czech republic, Russia, Korea, China, etc. -- in fact, we had a running joke about being able to convene a United Nations of climbers on Tonsai beach. And even non-climbers can appreciate why Tonsai is popular - in addition to excellent rock, the setting is superb. Rock climbing on the beach, where your biggest worry is whether the tide is low enough for a "dry" belay, is amazing.

We were on Tonsai for about 6 days before we had to leave to do the visa run to Malaysia, and then we made a short visit to Koh Lanta for 4 days before running to Tonsai for another 8 days afterward. I have been to Koh Lanta before, and we ended up staying just 100 metres or so down the beach from where I stayed 8 years ago. Koh Lanta has changed much, but I don't think the change has been as dramatic as on Koh Tao or Koh Phangan. Much of what I loved about Koh Lanta remains intact. It's a large island with very long, white sandy beaches, and the length of the beaches means that you can always find a quiet piece of sand to call your own, away from any crowds. There are more high-end resorts and facilities on Koh Lanta now (e.g. lots of 7-11s) but budget-to-mid-range options remain, some even right on the beach -- a rarity in Thailand these days. Koh Lanta is quiet, but you aren't terribly isolated and there are lots of local restaurants. Notably, "Spicy" restaurant, which I had loved eight years ago, was still there, still open, and still cheap and delicious -- we ate there at least once a day.

We didn't do much on Koh Lanta, spending most of our time lounging on our veranda (with sea view) or walking along the beach. We did go diving on one day -- a trip via speedboat out to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang -- famous pinnacles in the middle of the Andaman Sea. We didn't see any sharks or Manta rays, but did see an amazing abundance and assortment of tropical fish, two schools of big barracuda, and lots of titan triggerfish. They were really good dives.

As I mentioned, after Koh Lanta we went back to Tonsai for a week, then it was time to go ... I'm sure Adam would have loved to have stayed for a month or two, as many climbers do, but our visa extension was up and there's so much else to see and do on this trip (as well as other places to climb in Laos and Vietnam) that it is time to move on. We're on Phuket at the moment, on Kata Beach, for a day of relative luxury (after the fairly basic conditions on Tonsai) and because we fly from here (via Bangkok) to Luang Prabang, Laos, tomorrow morning.

Adam will likely put up a further post about our rock climbing on Tonsai at a later date. I know he's got more pictures he wants to post to make all the climbers jealous! ;)

Cheers,
Robin

Climbing Photos

2009-01-16T21:04:00.002+07:00

Here are some photos from our recent trip to Tonsai...more to come...

View of Tonsai beach from Thaiwand Wall

Little Deep Water Solo action...

No ropes, no pads....just water...

Robin realizing just how high she has climbed...and now she has to jump!

Trying to crank out some close to the water routes...

Working the flake on "The Lion King"

Sticking the throw for the victory jug on "The Lion King"

Thailand East Coast Wrap-up

2009-01-09T20:37:00.007+07:00

Robin and I are currently sitting in Krabi preparing for a full day trip to Malaysia in order to extend our visa for Thailand for another 15 days. I started this post for the east coast about a week ago but never finished it (such is life on a Thai beach) ...so here goes...

We had an AMAZING time!! Koh Tao was all about the activities (diving and climbing) while Koh Phangan was all about seeing how little we could do.

We arrived on Koh Tao on Boxing Day and didn't really have a plan about where to stay. My only thought was to get to Sairee Beach as that was where many of the dive shops and the climbing outfit was located. Once there, I was sent to find us a place to sleep, which I was able to do rather quickly and didn't get "too" ripped off. We were able to walk around the town a bit and speak to a couple of dive shops where we would potentially do our diving. We decided that an outfit called Scuba Junction best fit our needs (my open water course and Robin's refresher course). The next morning we went to the shop and were able to enroll in our respective courses and were able to obtain very cheap accomodation for what would be the next 6 nights. The bungalow was small, the matress hard, there was no hot water, and we kept hearing a very strange bleating noise the first night and could not figure out what it was (more on that later). But it was cheap (200 baht/night compared to 750 baht for our first night). My open water course consisted of 2 days of theory and then 4 dives. The theory part was not the most exciting but once we were in the water with the gear it was pretty awesome! On the third day of the course we did our first two dives and these were "only" to 12 meters. The visibility at this time of year is not great (only 5 meters max) but that was enough to see lots of coral and fish. After these dives, I knew I was hooked on diving. The feeling of weightlessness is pretty cool. The next day we had our last two days and Robin was able to join our class and be my "buddy" for the dives! We spotted moray eels and a pretty large barracuda which trolled right past us and turned around for another look at us and then kept on going. After the dives I was fully certified and we will probably be doing some diving in Ko Lanta over the next week.

While I was in my course, Robin also did a deeper water dive to 29 meters at the famed Chumphon Pinnacle, which is pretty impressive, but she found the visibility was terrible. She did enjoy her dives but she is looking forward to the clearer water of the west coast.

We also figured out what the bleating was we had been hearing each night. It was a giant gecko called a Tokai! ["Giant" means about a foot long -- not your average gecko!] Not only did we hear it but after we had seen it one night, we came home from dinner to find one hiding behind the mirror in the washroom! Robin was "slightly" freaked but I wanted to get close so I tried to move the mirror but it then took off and hid in the rafters of the roof. We do have a great shot of the mirror and one of its legs sticking out!

Now that the diving was finished it was time to climb! I finished my course on New Year's Eve and the next day everything on the island which is run by foreigners would have been closed so I went over to the climbing outfit and hooked up a crashpad for a couple of days. Good Time Adventures is a relatively new shop on the island but they have pretty much cornered the adventure tourism niche! They offer guided top-roping, cliff jumping, diving, crazy custom adventures and good, ol' fashioned booze cruises on their pretty slick boat. In other words, if you are going to Koh Tao, check these guys out as they have their stuff together.

We had a pretty low key New Year's eve celebration and the next day I woke up to what was going to be an AWESOME day of climbing! Except for the rain. Sure enough, right after we had breakfast, it started to pour! And it didn't stop raining until after lunch. :-( I thought my day would be wiped but happily it dried a bit so I took a chance, grabbed Robin and the pad and wandered up to the two areas I would be visiting on this trip; the Frontyard and the Backyard.

These areas are right across from each other are pretty close to Mae Haad. We hit up the Backyard first as that was where more of the easier problems were located and my skin was pretty soft after not having climbed since the end of October. The granite here is razor sharp and I had a pretty good idea that I would only survive a couple of days before my hands would be raw. I climbed a bunch of problems for a couple of hours before the mosquitos got too bad and the sun was setting so we high-tailed it back to Sairee Beach. The next day we had to move accomodations which we did early and then I went off solo back to the Backyard. Robin didn't really enjoy the bugs [or the thought of how many snakes were likely hanging around, as the area is a coconut plantation] and wasn't really interested in bouldering on this stuff. So I went back and finished off the rest of the problems in the area which were classics and weren't too high for a solo attempt. My confidence was up and I still had some skin left so I went over to the Frontyard to check it out. This is definitely where the better bouldering is at. I did a couple of mid-range highballs and then went further up the hill to check out the harder problems. I was able to finish a couple more before my skin ran out. There's lots of more detail which climbers would appreciate but most people who read this would find it boring so I'll share it with other climbers in another forum.

On January 3rd we left Koh Tao and took a ferry to Koh Phangan for 5 days of relaxation. Robin found us a great spot on Than Sadet which is a very secluded bay on the east coast of the island. It is a 45 min ride in a 4x4 along a pretty gnarly dirt road but we arrived in piece. The resort is called Mai Pen Rai (which roughly translates to "don't worry, be happy") and they gave us a bungalow which was built on top of the boulders right on the ocean! I was blown away by the surroundings and immediately felt my body kick into relax mode. There's really nothing to do there but eat, relax and sleep! Over the course of the next 4 days that is exactly what we did! Waking up and going to sleep to the sound of the ocean was a great way to start and finish a day. I'm usually a pretty active person but this place was more than enough to turn me into a pile of useless goo! The food at the restaurant was great although a bit repetetive as it was really the only place to eat (they have a captive audience). Overall the experience was amazing and we left the resort completely relaxed and ready for our climbing adventure on Tonsai to begin!

We've finished our first 5 days out on Tonsai beach, but as I mentioned above, we're taking a break to do a visa-run to the Malaysian border, and then will likely go find some chill for a few days on a nearby island (likely Koh Lanta) while we rest. We'll post about Tonsai and the west coast in a few weeks.

Happy Trails!

Namaste Nepal ... Sawasdee Siam

2008-12-29T17:38:00.006+07:00

Adam and I enjoyed our time in the mountains of Nepal; trekking in the Himalaya was an incredible experience. But once we returned to Kathmandu from the Khumbu/Everest region, we were anxious to return to Bangkok. It had gotten much colder, even in Kathmandu, by mid-
December than it was when we first arrived at the beginning of November -- night-time lows approached freezing in the capital. In a city where very few buildings (our guesthouse included) are heated, that meant being cold much of the time. I was looking forward to roasting in Bangkok's heat and humidity. We also found Kathmandu, and the traveller's ghetto of Thamel in particular, overwhelmingly noisy, dirty and chaotic after the tranquility of the mountains. Horns blare constantly in the streets and pedestrians must constantly avoid kamakaze motorcycles weaving through people and traffic. Everyone wants to sell you something -- pashminas, trinkets, or drugs usually -- and harasses you as you pass. While there is an abundance of choice in the restaurants of Thamel, all the food is mediocre at best, and we usually sought out simple, Nepali and Tibetan food, which became very repetitive, and craved the culinary delights of Thai food. Finally, the fact that Kathmandu was without power more often than not began to wear on us.

Thankfully, after we arrived in Kathmandu, we almost immediately went to the Thai airlines office to change our flight, which was done efficiently and without any charge. (Unlike our flight from BKK to Kathmandu, the return flight to Bangkok was almost empty.) Adam almost jumped for joy right there in the Thai airlines office -- it meant he was four days closer to being back in Bangkok.

We spent our last few days in Nepal catching up on email and internet (when there was power), enjoying 'real' coffee, and doing a bit of sightseeing. We went to one of the largest buddhist stupas in the world at Boudha, which is a peaceful haven in a far corner of Kathmandu, and also to one of the holiest Hindu shrines in Nepal at Pashupati, which could not be more different. The complex at Pashupati is chaotic, crawling with monkeys, and teeming with life and death. It is on the banks of the Bagmati River, and is the holiest place in Nepal for Hindus to be cremated. (It is often compared to Varanasi on the Ganges River in India, but in my view, the two complexes are far more different than they are similar.) In fact, the burning ghats, where Hindus are cremated on pyres along side the river, is the biggest draw for tourists to Pashupati. (Sadly, we saw several people photographing and/or filming the ghats as though they were a spectacle, and not the site of someone else's grief.)

The process of getting on our flight from Kathmandu to Bangkok, and the flight itself, was quintessentially Nepali. We arrived at the airport just after 11am, where everyone who was entering the international terminal had to queue up in a single line. There was little order to the line, which moved slowly, and a fair amount of line-jumping. Various Nepali men (who were very clearly not flying anywhere) stood in line, and then gave up their spots near the front, for a small fee of course. The line moved slowly, and eventually we were allowed into the airport, where our bags were x-rayed. After paying a steep departure fee, we got into the Thai airlines check-in line, where we had to wait an interminable length of time (despite being the second in line) because their computer system was down. Once finally checked-in, we escaped the chaotic single departure area to the relative peace and sanctuary of the airport's single restaurant in the Radisson hotel. (Amazingly, a cold Carlsberg really improved Adam's spirits.) When boarding time came, we walked to the gate area, which was little more than a room at the far end of the airport, and then walked out across the tarmac and up the stairs onto the plane. (I had done walk-on boarding for lots of little planes and jets before, but I had never walked up and onto a Boeing 777 like that. It's a big plane ...) Despite boarding on time, we didn't leave on time. The pilot announced that the plane was ready to take-off, and it was the scheduled boarding time, but Kathmandu's air traffic control tower said they had to wait (for other traffic) ... and so we waited. And waited. I found it amusing but unsurprisingly that the Thai airlines staff took pains to explain that they were ready to go on-time, but it was the Nepali airport authorities that were preventing our take-off. In 40 days in Nepal, nothing had ever happened on time or left on time, so why would our departure be any different?

When we arrived in Bangkok, things could not have been more different than from Nepal. Adam and I felt like we had returned to the real world from the moon. That may sound harsh, but its hard to convey how isolated from the modern world we felt towards the end of our time in Nepal. And in stark contrast, Bangkok is a thriving global metropolis, coping with issues common to the rest of the developing world (e.g. poverty, corruption, pollution) but simultaneously indulging in excess and opulence. Before we left Nepal, we managed to find a great deal on a posh hotel in the downtown Sukhumvit district on the internet, (unsprisingly, high-end tourism in Thailand has taken a hit after the airport shut-down.) and we got upgraded when we checked-in, so we had a pretty nice place to stay for our first four nights back in Bangkok. We took advantage of the downtown location to visit the Vietnam embassy and apply for our visas (which couldn't have been done in Canada), window shop in some of the uber-expensive malls, and buy more weather appropriate clothing at the Chatuchak weekend market. We also took advantage of the hotel's rooftop pool/lounge area and nightly happy hour (free beer and snacks).

Halfway through our time in Bangkok, we returned to the old city area and to Lamphu Tree House hotel, where we had stayed before going to Nepal. Not as luxurious as the hotel downtown, but we weren't hard done by at Lamphu either -- the boutique hotel is decorated with teak wood reclaimed from a traditional Thai house. The location near the Grand Palace, Khao San Road, and Chao Phraya River is excellent as well. While staying at Lamphu, we ate lots of cheap street food, found cheap internet to post pictures, and shopped for more cheap clothes. (We donated most of our old cold weather clothes before leaving Nepal, and shipped home to Canada all the cold weather gear that was worth keeping.) One evening we took the boat down the river to Silom (downtown), gawking at the temples and really posh hotels on the river's banks, then had drinks at Sirocco's Sky Bar on the 63rd floor of the State Tower - expensive but worth it for the jaw dropping view. On Christmas Eve, we had an amazing once-in-a-lifetime dinner at Le Normandie, which we will be talking about for years.

Christmas Day was very un-Christmas-y. Adam was sick with the flu, and I ended up running around Bangkok on foot and public transit by myself for much of the day, collecting our passports and visas from the Vietnamese embassy and confirming bus/ferry tickets for our trip to Koh Tao the next day. We had a very low key dinner, as Adam was still sick, then it was off to bed to get some sleep before our very early bus ride the next morning. We were up before 5am to go and catch the bus. I'm pretty sure that's the earliest I've ever gotten out of bed on Boxing Day - I'd never wake up that early to go shopping! But the bus left more-or-less on time and we arrived at the pier in Chumphon just shortly before the ferry departed at 1pm -- perfect timing. The ferry ride to Koh Tao was almost 2 hours -- 2 horrible unbearable hours for me -- in which the catamaran pitched and bobbed and swayed every which way. People all around us were sick. Adam was completely fine, but it I had to put my head down and it was all I could do not to be ill ... Seems the seas are still a little rough this time of year.

We were thrilled to finally arrive on an island and start the warm-weather-paradise part of our trip. We had some initial challenges in finding accomodation, as the weeks over Christmas and New Year's Day are the busiest time on all the Thai islands. Also, I think the days of the $10 bungalow on the beach, which I enjoyed when I travelled to Thailand 8 years ago, are pretty much over. On Koh Tao, and in Haad Sairee (the biggest, 'main' beach) in particular, very little accomodation is right on the beach. Bungalows on the beach or with any kind of ocean view run about $100 Cdn per night, and the budget bungalows (usually in the $30 Cdn range) are at least a block back from the water. But Adam found us something decent for the first night (although nowhere near the ocean), and the next morning we checked into the bungalows provided by his scuba diving school, Scuba Junction. Adam will be doing his open- water certification scuba diver course over the next four days, and most scuba schools offer free or heavily discounted accomodation to their students. Scuba Junction's bungalows aren't posh (no hot water, no shelves or anything for storage, and rock-hard beds), but they're cheap ($7 per day while diving, $15 per day regular) and we're a stones throw from the water ... although I can't actually see it. Adam will be busy all day long doing his course though, and I'll be diving for half the day, so we don't need much more.

Also, while it's the busiest time on Koh Tao, it's not the best. The monsoon has just ended so the seas are rough and the weather is so-so. It poured rain yesterday and threatened to rain today. It's perpetually cloudy. And the mosquitos are fierce. So we might as well be diving or climbing because it's not really sunworshipping weather. (Although the rough seas cause their own problems for diving and rain is no good for climbing). Koh Tao itself isn't going to win any prizes in the beach paradise pageant, due to haphazardand unattractive development along the main beaches. But don't feel too sorry for us. There are lots of cool beach bars to sit and drink fruit shakes at. (we average 2 banana shakes a day.) The food is tasty and reasonably cheap. (I eat about 5 times a day.) And 2 nights ago we had a Thai massage on the beach (for the bargain price of $10). When the mozzies aren't devouring me, the evenings are perfect for long walks on the beach. It's a tough life.

Going forward, after Adam completes his scuba diver course and I've done some diving, the plan is to investigate some of the rock climbing on the island. I'm sure Adam will post all about it once he's done a few days, but he's pretty excited to get back on some rock (granite) after two full months off. I'm not sure how long we'll be on Koh Tao ... it is probably related to how good the
climbing, and the diving, is.

Wishing everyone happy holidays, and a happy New Year!
Robin

[Note: My apologies for the format of the original post, and the re-post, should you receive it again by email. Mobile blogging -- from my iPod -- is not entirely bug-free.]

Pictures from the Khumbu / Everest Region

2008-12-23T15:25:00.005+07:00

Just in time for the holidays, Adam and I have found some fast computers in Bangkok and are posting some pictures on the interweb. Below are some pictures from the Everest trek that I hope you enjoy. Adam has also posted some pictures from New Zealand -- both climbing and non-climbing -- on Facebook. You have to be on Facebook and perhaps a "friend" of Adam's to view them. (I'm sure he won't mind new friend requests ...)

Below is a photo of Adam on the trail between Lobuche and Gorak Shep.

And below is a photo of Adam and Robin at the top of Kala Pattar (5600m) with Everest (the big black peak) and Nuptse (the right peak) in the background.

The Khumbu glacier, which stretches from the base of Everest down the valley (pictured below) is quite magnificent itself. Much of the trail above Lobuche is beside the glacier.

Below is a photo of Everest and the ice fall (where base camp would be during the climbing season), taken from Kala Pattar.

Below is a photo of Adam and I chillin' at the Everest View Hotel in Syangboche, with Everest (centre left) and Ama Dablam (the big peak to the right) in the background.

Above, Mount Everest (left) and Lhotse (right) at sunrise. Below the same panarama at sunset. Taken from Deboche, on the trek up.

Below is a photo of Ama Dablum from the north, taken from the top of Nargarshang Ri (5200m).

We hope you enjoy! Happy holidays.

Robin & Adam

From Everest with love....

2008-12-16T12:36:00.004+07:00

Actually, I'm writing this post from Kathmandu not Everest...too damn cold!

Robin and I returned yesterday from our trek in the Everest region and one of my first thoughts was "God I hate the sound of car horns!" Up in the Everest region, it is so peaceful and the only sounds you constantly hear are that of yak bells and yak train "drivers"....and of other trekkers hacking up a lung due to the "Khumbu cold".

Seriously though, we had an amazing time in the region. As this was Robin's second time there she was able to provide a limited amount of guiding services which made it a bit easier. Luckily though, it is pretty difficult to get lost as there is really only one main trail.

We arrived in Lukla via airplane and you are treated to a type of landing that one can only find by coming to Everest (to the best of my knowledge). The landing strip at the Lukla airport is built on a mountain slope and therefore built on an angle. In order the land, the pilot must aim the plane downward at a fairly steep angle and at the last moment before contact, lift the nose in order to get the plane pointed uphill. The landing was very smooth and a majority of the passengers gave the pilot a quick applause before we all piled off to get our luggage. Now I say luggage as a majority of the passengers were not "trekkers" who had backpacks for long walks. No! A majority were tourists whose luggage (i.e. suitcases, duffel bags, etc...) would be carried by porters only as far as Namche Bazaar or Tengboche. Once you leave the airport grounds, there are about a hundred people lined at the gates hoping to take on a job as a guide or a porter (or both). We nicknamed this the "gauntlet" and moved past everyone quite quickly so that we may start the trek!

Leaving the town of Lukla we headed off downhill to towards the town of Phakding which is about 2 hours away. [Robin says that "town" might be a bit of an exaggeration ... "village" or "settlement" would be more appropriate.] Lukla sits at approx 2800m and the trail drops quickly to approx 2600m by the time you reach Phakding. We had a quick tea break on the way and then arrived in Phakding for lunch where we had our first real "sticker shock"! After enjoying relatively cheap prices in the Annapurna region, we found out that this is not the case in the Everest region...not by a long shot! I'm going to guess that most prices where 2-3 times that of the Annapurna region. (To be fair, this is because everything, including food, fuel and building supplies for lodges, has to be carried up by porters from Kathmandu or flown into Lukla and then carried up by porters.) After lunch we moved on to Monjo where we spent our first night of the trek.

The next day we began the hike back uphill. The next destination on the trek is Namche and it resides at approx 3400m altitude so you can imagine the uphill battle we faced. Luckily on the way up, we were treated to our first views of Everest and it definitely adds a bit of spring to the step. That spring was quickly broken though as its still a serious slog up the rest of the way and by the time we reached the town, we were toast. We would later find out that a 600m ascent would be a common theme each day! Once past the police checkpoint, we had to find accomodations and after some more climbing, we ended up at the Panorama which is the same lodge where Robin stayed during her first visit. This was a fantastic choice as the room, food and staff were great! Many of the lodge owners in Namche are former climbing Sherpas who have built lodges with their earnings and are very personable with all of their guests. We did a quick walk around the town and then were told of a viewpoint near the army base / national park headquarters (which is an odd combination, to be sure) where we could view Everest and the surrounding mountains. Definitely worth the short walk up and we could see Ama Dablam, Everest, Lhotse and others! Even though we were still 4-5 days away I was getting pretty excited!!

The next morning we went straight uphill to one of Robin's favourite places on the trek, the Everest View Hotel! I definitely have to agree and also consider this one of my favourites now.
This is a 5-star hotel with a view of Everest from every room. This view only costs around $200USD/night (a bit of a difference from our normal price of $3USD/night). We were only there to sit on their terrace, have some tea and relax. We met a couple of Tennesseeans (def: people from Tennessee), Mike and Jamie [thanks for the "kitchen sink"!] and they joined us for a good hour of chillin' in the sun and enjoying the view. Unfortunately, we had to continue otherwise we might have been stuck paying the overnight rate. We continued onto Khumjung and then all the way back downhill to the town of Phunki Tenga (I only mention this town as the name is awesome). From here we had to climb ANOTHER hill and it was (again) a miserable 600m straight up. But upon finally reaching the top 2 hours later, we were rewarded with more views of Everest. We were now in the town of Tengboche where there is a very important Bhuddist monastery. It was unfortunately closed but I would have another chance to view the inside on the way back down.

We opted to continue on to the town of Deboche 15 minutes down the valley, where we found lodging in a brand new lodge, the Rivendell, with killer views of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. We were able to watch sunset on Everest from the dining room, and watch sunrise on Everest from the comfort (and relative warmth) of our sleeping bags in our rooms. [Robin was a real fan of this, because otherwise she might have been dragged out of bed before 6am and made to stand in the cold and dark.] I need to add that at this point we had joined company with a pair of Australians, Tristan and Kate. We met them on the Annapurna circuit and by chance they flew into Lukla the same day as us. We had stayed in Namche together and would for the rest of this trip, become a foursome. This was a bonus as it meant that Robin and I did not only have each other to talk to.... ;-)

The next day we moved on from Deboche and trekked all the way to Dingboche. At this point in the trek we had moved from 3800m to 4400m and walking was becoming a bit more difficult and the temps were dropping quite a bit as well. The wind was not helping either driving down the daytime temps to close to 0 degrees!! Dingboche is one of two towns (Pheriche is the other)where trekkers tend to spend an acclimatization day in order to rest and prepare for the upcoming assault to Everest. Upon our arrival at the lodge, I decided to relax while Robin went out to explore. This was Robin's first time to this town as she had previously stayed in Pheriche. She was out for a while so when I went outside to spot her, all I heard was "Aaaadam.....Aaaadam..." I finally spotted her...about 100m straight up on a ridge overlooking the town!!! Such a keener....

The next day we opted for what we thought would be casual walk up the same ridge Robin had visited the previous day. It turned out to be a serious hike from 4400m all the way to the summit of Nangarshang peak..at just under 5200M!! But the views are definitely worth it! Ama Dablam, Makalu and Lhotse are staring right back at you!! Going up took about 2.5 hours but going down took a quick 1 hour... we were motivated by the need for FOOOOOOD!!! (We hadn't really planned on a day-long hike.) The rest of the day was a chill day and then we crashed. Sleeping on this trek usually was from 7-7:30pm until 6am the next morning (not including night trips to the toilet.)

Our next destination was Lobuche and this starts with a nice walk to Thukla only to be faced with a short but steep hill. Hills aren't usually too hard but when they start at 4600m altitude, they become a tad harder! We cruised up this one pretty quickly (passing groups who only had day packs to worry about) and at the top is an area with many memorials to fallen climbers (both Western and Sherpa). Its quite a sobering place and we did not spend too long there. The rest of the walk to Lobuche is through a gentle valley and Lobuche itself is a very desolate place located at an oxygen deprived 4950m. I slept only part of the night while Robin did not sleep at all. At altitude, sleep is very difficult to come by for many people.

The next day was by far the most rewarding! We left Lobuche once the sun hit the valley (until then it is a balmy -7 degrees) and began the march to Gorak Shep. This is the final lodging area and it resides midway up the Khumbu Glacier. While walking their, the views of Nuptse are unbelievable and you get your first sight of Kala Patar, which is the best viewpoint of Everest (for the vast majority trekkers anyways). We arrived in Gorak Shep around 10:30 and based on the weather, decided to make an attempt on Kala Patar around noon. The weather was maily clear but with serious wind and clouds could be seen high up on Everest. But a local guide said the views would still be there so off we went.

Ascending Kala Patar is only a 450m endeavour up to 5600m and again, would normally not be so difficult. But when you start that climb at 5150m, its a bit more of a challenge. I will say that I am quite lucky to be part of a very small minority of trekkers who are not affected by altitude. Going up I felt fine and although Robin had a bout of moderate AMS on the Thorong La (on the Annapurna Circuit), she made it up Kala Patar with little problem. I wish I could post a pic in this post but the connections in Kathmandu are SLOW! Looking at the mountains, I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Pictures just do not do justice what you are trying to take it from this viewpoint! Magical is probably the best word I can use to describe the panaroma! All around us are Pumori, Everest, Lhotse (not visible though), Nuptse, Ama Dablam in the distance, the Khumbu Icefall right in front of us and the rest of the glacier tailing away!!!! Everest Base Camp (EBC) is about 300m below Kala Patar and I was contemplating on whether or not to make a morning trip out to it the next day. But my decision was made not to when we saw a MONSTER avalanche rip off the side of the mountain (near the top of the Khumbu Icefall) and tear right into the EBC area. I shudder to think what might have happened if any expeditions had been there but the area was empty as this is not a climbing season. All the same, seeing an avalanche of that size is shocking!

We did not last more than 45 min at the top as the wind was blowing close to 80km/h and it was freezing! But we took quite a few pics and we will post those in Bangkok when we have a better connection.

It took just over an hour to get up but we hauled ass down in about 25 min to the relative warmth of the lodge. That night neither of us really slept due to the altitude but I was also still SO psyched to have been that close to the top of the world! The next morning we sat in the sunroom of the lodge, waited to see if the Nuptse wall would rain more avalances and then we set off back down the trail. Going up took us 7 days but getting back to Lukla took us only 3 days! Descending is much easier and as we were retracing our steps more almost the entire trail, we didn't stop and admire the view too much once we were down past Pheriche. The first night on the way down we stayed in Pangboche (just before Deboche) and the following day we continued all the way Namche. We were quite happy to be back in Namche as it meant an easier time trying to sleep and the food was amazing! The following morning to began our last full day of trekking all the way back to Lukla. This was a painful day as it requires a 600m descent and then a 200m ascent right at the end of the day into Lukla, and lots of up and down in between. (There's no place on the trail that is actually "flat" - it's always at some kind of grade.) Luckily the lodge owner Namche called ahead to a friend in Lukla (who also owned a lodge) and had him confirm that we would be on one of the first flights out of Lukla then next morning. The only condition is that we stay at this friend's lodge. To our delight we arrived in Lukla to find we were on the first flight out (at 7:15am) and this "friend" was another ex-climbing Sherpa who had a fantastic lodge. The next morning he made sure we had breakfast then accompanied us to the airport and made sure we had no problems. What a great way to end the trek...almost...

Although the plane arriving from Kathmandu was a bit late it wasn't too bad. Its the take-off which is the kicker! Upon arrival, I mentioned that the landing is essentially done uphill. Well, the take-off is done downhill!! The plane taxis to the end of the runway and then guns the engines and hard as they will go and then he releases the brake! The plane careens downhill as fast as possible and at the last moment, takes off from the tarmac as the slope disappears down into the valley below! Nothing like a little sports action first thing in the morning....

Sorry for the long post but trying to cram in what we did into a very short post just isn't possible. This was an experience of a lifetime!! From the day Robin and I met, I've been going on and on about getting to Everest and finally I've done that...maybe one day I'll come back and try climbing it!!! Yeah right.... Seriously, the trek to Kala Patar was very special for both of us, and seemed to bring us full circle from the very first day we met.

Now we're off to Bangkok and warm weather. We were able to change our flights and so will be leaving Nepal a bit early (on the 18th) and most likely spending Christmas in BKK before heading off to the islands for some sun, scuba and finally ... more climbing!

Cheers,
Adam [and Robin]

Pictures from the Annapurna Circuit

2008-11-30T18:01:00.006+07:00

I'm trying to post just a few pictures from our trek around the Annapurna Circuit. I'm having a terrible time loading them, so I apologize for the size of the thumbnails. I've learned that if you click on the thumbnail image, a full-size (very large) version of the photo will open. Enjoy!

Below is a photo of Adam and I, posing for a few precious moments at the summit of the Thorung La. Note how bundled up we are. It was damn windy and cold!

Above is a picture of Adam and Tiago, hiking along a ridge on our trek up to the ice lake/pond behind Braga. The Annapurna range and Gangapurna mountain (with glacier) is behind. Below is another photo taken from the ice pond walk, of the Annapurna range.

Above is a picture of the Dhauligiri range, just after dawn, from Poon Hill, near the end of the trek. And below is sunrise striking the Annapurna range, from Poon Hill. The middle peak is Annapurna South, which is under 8000m, and the left peak is the deadly 8000m+ Annapurna I. (It looks smaller because it's further away.)

There, hopefully those whet your appetites for now. Cheers!
Robin

The Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

2008-11-30T12:10:00.004+07:00

Namaste!

Adam and I travelled to Nepal from Bangkok on November 9th, to start our trekking extravaganza in the Himalaya. Our first destination was the Annapurna Circuit, a 16-20 day, 300-plus kilometre loop around the Annapurna mountains to the west of Kathmandu. It took a few days in Kathmandu to get settled, get our trekking permits for the Annapurna conservation area (about $35 Cdn each), register for the required "Trekking Information Management Service" or TIMS Card (which as far as I can tell, does nothing, but you *must* have), and buy bus tickets, etc. Basically, it takes a few days to get through the red tape, get ready, and get off to the mountains.

We left Kathmandu in the early hours of November 12th on a Nepali "Express" bus to Besisahar. I'm not sure what "express" means in Nepal, other than faster-than-a-chicken-bus, but it took us 10 very uncomfortable hours to get from Kathmandu to Besisahar. The bus still stopped in every little village/hamlet/outpost to let people on and off the bus, and at times, I had people quite literally sitting on my lap. Some of the delay was caused by a truck breakdown on a mountainous, winding part of the highway, which blocked most of both lanes and resulted in miles-long line-ups in both directions to get around. The truck didn't look like it would be moved to the side of the road any time soon - the entire axle appeared to have come apart from the truck - and they don't exactly have tow trucks in Nepal. The ride might have been endurable except that I didn't fit in the seats (again, quite literally) and had to ride all 10+ hours sitting sideways in the aisles with people on/against me. It wasn't exactly a piece of cake for Adam either. But we finally arrived in Besisahar, before nightfall, and could be off on the trek.

Things are changing rapidly in Nepal, especially in the Annapurna region, and there is now a rough road that runs along much of the traditional trekking route of the Circuit. So, upon arriving in Besisahar, we could have opted to get into another bus to the next village, or even taken a jeep much further up the trail, but there was no way that you could have convinced us to get back into a moving vehicle. It was really nice to walk after that bus ride. We had the same options on the other side of the pass two-weeks later -- take a jeep or walk. But we made the same decision, to walk. The roads are so rough that the jeeps can't go quickly and it's a very bumpy, dusty ride. It just doesn't seem pleasant.

For the first 10 days, Adam and I trekked through the mountains, slowly gaining altitude, up to Thorung Phedi (literally, the "foot of the Thorung") at 4450m at the base of the famed Thorung La pass - one of the highest in the world at 5400m. We were sometimes joined in our walks and inevitably in the lodges at night by a Swede (Per) and an American (Tiago). We sort of wound up as a cobbled together foursome along the way. There was no formal arrangement, we just all enjoyed each others' company and for Per and Tiago, it's safer to trek as part of a loose group than all alone in the mountains. We had some great views of the peaks of Annapurna II, III and IV, Gangapurna, Lamjung Himal and even Manaslu during this time. The walking was generally pleasant and safe, although there were some very difficult uphill sections. Adam demonstrated what amazing fitness he has, as well as his strength (which we all knew he had), by just bounding up the mountains like a jackrabbit, regardless of the altitude. I meanwhile really suffered on some of the climbs, but I was comforted in the fact that most people (men and women) struggle on these hills, and that we saw very few women carrying their own gear. Some, yes, but most couples and groups of women had porters. [Meanwhile, Adam and I each carried our own packs, with gear, mine weighing about 12 kg with water, Adam's was probably closer to 15kg.] We also had more than one scary moment when I thought, "hmmm, I hope I don't fall and break my leg." In particular, we lost the trail once in a landslide section and had to leap over a portion of trail (or what we thought was the trail) that had fallen away. It was very, very dangerous. Adam leaped without thinking, but I baulked several times before jumping, and then very nearly started to cry on the other side thinking about how stupid that was. Then we realized that we weren't on the trail, and we had reached a dead-end, and would have to cross back over the washed out portion - which I was not about to do - or scramble up a portion of the landslide (with backpacks on, of course). We opted for the latter, which in retrospect, carried a greater chance of injury (likely a broken leg) but less chance of death, because there was a ledge we would have landed upon, rather than falling all the way down the ravine. Sounds like fun, right? Thankfully, most days the trail was fine, although narrow, and the worst injury suffered on the trek was some blisters.

The food and lodging was also very good throughout the trek. On the near side of the Thorung La, the lodges were basic to any Canadian sense of accomodation, but they were decidedly more comfortable and luxurious than when I was in Nepal eight years ago. In most places we had two wooden twin size "beds" in a room, covered with foam mattresses and a single clean, worn sheet, and often a pillow. There is invariably at least one window (with real glass) in the room and a lock on the door. Walls might be stone or concrete in the better places, or wood in more basic lodges. You roll your sleeping bag out on the bed, and viola - that's home for the night. When I was in the Everest region eight years ago, toilets were almost always outhouses some 50m from the main building, but I think we only had that once, or perhaps twice. The lodges we stayed at usually had a (squat-asian-style) toilet at the end of the building. In a few very nice lodges we stayed at, we had a toilet attached to our room. What luxury during the cold nights! Once or twice we had a double bed. However, the showers are a bit more complicated affair. Most lodges (except at the highest altitudes) have solar showers, but you shower in a concrete-block building separate from the lodge. It's quite cold and it's hard to keep your clothes dry, so most people only shower every few days or so. (It' amazing what you can do in the interim with a bucket of hot water and a washcloth.)

One of the best things we did before crossing the pass was an acclimatization hike from Braka (at 3400m) to an ice lake (really, more of an ice 'pond') at 4600m above Braka. It was overcast and snowing the morning we planned to set out, and expectations of seeing anything from the numerous viewpoints were low. But the boys (as I referred to Adam, Per and Tiago collectively) convinced me that the walk was worth doing for acclimitization anyway, so we headed out. The walk was a grueling 4-hour affair uphill, at altitude, but an amazing one. Less than an hour after we left, the skies started to clear and we got great views of the mountain panorama before us, which reached from Pisang Peak, Manaslu, Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II, Annnapurna III, Gangapurna, and into the Tilicho valley. From the main viewpoints at 4200m to 4600m, the mountains were simply spectacular. And there was no one else there. Quiet, serene, peaceful, with peaks that looked close enough to reach out and touch. It was all you could ask for from a Himalayan experience.

We crossed the Thorung La itself on Day 11 of our trek. It was undoubtedly the most difficult day. It probably would have been easier if we had spent one more day acclimatizing, but at that altitude, it's cold and bleak and you just want to get over and down on the other side into more reasonable altitudes. Also, I had picked up some mild food poisoning just two-days before, and had been feeling weak and unable to eat as much as I needed. On the hike into Thorung Phedi the day before, I had to fight the urge to toss my breakfast every few minutes. But I was feeling better the day we were to cross the pass, and as I said, we were not terribly keen to stay another day at 4450m. We left after the sun came up, about 7.15 am, which is very late compared to what other people do. For some unknown, unfathomable reason, most tour groups and independent trekkers leave before dawn, around 4 to 6 am, and do the first part of the pass in the dark. I don't know why. It seems stupid and dangerous to me to hike up there in the dark, with the ice and snow and constant possibility of falling of the trail (which could mean death). And it's waaay colder before the sun hits. But that's what people do. In any event, its an exhausting 1000m vertical up to the pass, which takes about 4 hours. I got hit with mild to moderate AMS at about 5200m -- 200m before the pass. It was the first time I had been seriously affected by altitude, and it was not pleasant. By that time, I was cold, tired, and miserable. My hands and feet, which had been so cold that they hurt terribly, were simply dumb. And now I was dizzy and coughing and wheezing, and secretly considering whether we should turn back. But Adam was a great trekking companion and walked with me all the slow, tortuous way to the pass. And we knew that Per and Tiago were just ahead, should my condition get serious. So we made it to the top. Adam and I posed for a quick picture, and he celebrated with Per and Tiago while I made a bee-line over the other side and started to go down. I literally got to the top and kept going down the other side. I knew I had to get down to get better. Fortunately, you lose altitude on the the other side even faster than you gain it getting up, and within 15 minutes I was safely down several hundred metres and feeling normal again. The boys caught up with me, and we continued down.

The hardest part is definitely getting up the pass, but getting down is no piece of cake. As I said, you're cold, tired, and exhausted. And then you have to go down 2000m vertical -- that's 2km straight down -- to the next village where you can sleep. Going down 2000m would be an exhausting physical feat any time, but after going up the pass, and being at altitude, it's simply an unending endurance marathon that breaks the spirit of almost all. (Even Adam started to whine about being tired and sore near the end.)

From the Thorung La, we took a few days to stay in the villages of Jharkot and Kagbeni, which are in the culturally significant Mustang region. The upper Mustang is a restricted area that is not open to casual trekking, but Adam and I would very much like to visit. The people are Tibetan in culture and even speak a dialect of Tibetan. They were very friendly, the food was great, and it was a nice place to rest (a few hours of hiking a day was a "rest" day) before heading down and out of the Annapurnas.

From Kagbeni, Adam and I made a bee-line out of the mountains to the jungle-esque village of Tatopani (at 1190m) in just two days. It was a solid 7 hours or so of hiking each day, but the weather wasn't great, as clouds moved in during late morning, so there wasn't much to see. Also, the villages on this side of Thorung La see many more tourists and trekkers. As a result, the facilities were better (luxurious sit-down toilets attached to the rooms, and even a shower in our own room!) but the people are more jaded and its just not as friendly, warm or welcoming. It's a difference that's hard to describe, but you can feel. We intentionally stayed in Larjung, a very small village, about halfway between Kagbeni and Tatopani, at a comparatively 'basic' place rather than in the bigger, fancier lodges in nearby villages, because we were the only tourists there, and really had a window on a Nepali family going about their day. It was quite extraordinary. We arrived to a strange banging noise inside the lodge, which I thought was construction, but turned out to be the final throws of the family slaughtering a yak! I grew up on a cattle farm, and immediately knew what was going on. Adam was amused as well. But everyone turned around and were very concerned that we would be shocked or upset or put off by what was happening. But not at all. We went out and got a room, and they continued on with butchering their yak. It was a unique evening.

In Tatopani, you really feel like you've left the mountains. The road has made food, lodging, beer and other treats fairly cheap here. There is also a decent hot springs by the river, so many people stop for an extra day to rest - us included. After several big days trekking, it was nice to take a break, relax, read, and eat, eat, eat. Adam and I had eaten huge amounts of food while trekking, but both (inevitably) still lost a significant amount of weight. (Which we need to replace before heading to the Khumbu-Everest region.)

From Tatopani, trekkers can walk or take a bus out to Beni and then Pokhara, the major city in this area of Nepal, or trek the traditional route up to Ghorepani and Poon Hill then down to Birethanti to catch a bus to Pokhara. The views from Poon Hill are legendary, so it seems foolish to come all this way and not go to Ghorepani and Poon Hill. The catch is, that from Tatopani (1190m) its a long arduous hike up to Ghorepani (2800m) and then an equally if not more arduous hike back down to Birethani (~1000m) the next day. It's a very challenging two-day walk. In particular, the hike down involves a series of over 3,400 stone stairs down between two villages. It's a drop of about 500m in an hour. It doesn't sound too awful, but there's something about the constant, relentless stepping down, without any flat portions to stretch your legs, that leaves you literally weak in the legs. It was the only part of the two-day affair that was really that horrid. But you couldn't pay me to do it again, now that I know what it's like. Two days later, my calves are still painfully sore. The views from Poon Hill really were great, but you share them with several hundred other tourists, so it lacked the atmosphere and feeling of our hike to the ice pond on the other side of the pass. Both viewpoints are worthwhile, however, and you see different parts of the Annapurna range. From Poon Hill, we finally got a good look at Annapurna I - the deadliest 8000m mountain in the world.

Once we got out of the mountains, trekkers can get a bus or taxi to Pokhara. It's only 41km away from Birethani/Naya Pul, so we thought we'd save a little money and get a bus. In retrospect, we should have got the taxi. I'll save all the horrible details (which involve a bizarre bus driver, another truck breakdown, teetering over the edge of a ravine thinking, "this isn't the day I want to die", and many many stops), but it took almost 3 hours to drive 41km. Torture. Pure torture.

We've spent the last two days here in relatively-quiet Pokhara reading email, trying to make sense of the world (i.e. Mumbai and Bangkok) and eating way, way too much. We are on another bus (hopefully the last one in Nepal) from Pokhara to Kathmandu tomorrow, where we will spend a few days fighting red tape to get permits etc. to do a quick version of the trek to Everest Base Camp in the Khumbu region. This is the trek that I did eight years ago, but Adam has never been, and has been talking about it since the day we met (literally). The EBC trek is higher altitude, so colder, but I think it's less physically demanding. This is what I remember, anyhow, and sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Adam simply has to go, and I'd rather do it all again than sit in Kathmandu for 10 days.

We are scheduled to go back to Thailand on December 22nd. We're watching the Bangkok situation closely, and will re-examine/re-consider when we return from the Khumbu in about two weeks. A lot can change in two weeks, so we will see what happens.

I'm going to try very hard to post at least one picture, very soon. It all depends on power. The power goes out at least once a day in Pokhara, like all parts of Nepal, and often several times. Bear with us. But check back often in the next couple of days if you're not signed up for email updates.

Namaste (Peace).
Robin (& Adam)

Sweatin' in Bangkok

2008-11-08T11:13:00.002+07:00

Good morning from Bangkok! Robin and I have moved on from Sydney and are currently in Bangkok but only for one more day before we depart for Nepal where we will be doing both the Annapurna Circuit and the Everest trek (bodies permitting). We will be in Nepal until a few days before Christmas when we will return to Bangkok before heading down to Southern Thailand for a whole lotta climbing, diving and laying on beaches...

Just to wrap up our past couple of weeks. After Queenstown, we drove to the east coast of NZ to Dunedin and made our way up to Christchurch over a couple of days. As Robin mentioned, we did stop and see some penguins (or "Pen-goo-eens" as Robin says) which I'm pretty sure made her trip. We were also chased off of a beach by a rogue Sea Lion. The east coast is much quieter than the west coast which fine in order to rest up for our upcoming invasion of Castle Hill. We spent one day in Christchurch getting supplies and the necessary climbing gear (aka. a crashpad) and on the Friday morning we drove into the mountains and after an hour we spotted the boulders! Had I been driving I'm pretty sure I was have killed up both by driving off of the road into the river or ditch but Robin was nice enough to drive so I could gawk!

The bouldering at Castle Hill is magical. You don't even need to be climber to go and experience this area. The landscape is out of this world. Some parts of Lord of the Rings were filmed in the region (Flock Hill). There were tons of tourists walking among the hulking rocks of limestone but I wasn't there to gawk...I was there to crush (and be crushed). I quickly learned that whatever grade was in the guidebook was a bit of farce. Many of the "easier" problems are so polished and what was once a V0 is now closer to V4 (similar to No U-Turn in the glen). There few to no holds on the problems. Only pockets and the occasional edge. It's all about squeezing the life out of slopers and then the dreaded Castle Hill top-out. Pulling yourself over the top of a round bulge with 3-4 metres beneath your feet is quite the head-game. Took some getting used to. There are some crazy highballs if you're into that stuff...I was not as I only had one pad and Robin, and she was not happy about the possibility of me taking some HUGE falls.

Robin had not done any climbing since her spill in Payne's Ford but on the 2nd day at Castle Hill she strapped on some shoes and started crushing! She was able to send some pretty impressive mantle problems as she has amazing balance. She even had to show me how to top out a problem she flashed, yet I could not! I'm pretty sure she'll tell this to every person we climb with from now on!

We had a great 4 days of climbing, with a 1 day break in the middle relaxing in Arthur's Pass. While we were in Arthur's Pass, there was news of a guide who had gone missing in the mountains and we were witness to search helicopters flying through the surrounding mountains. The village is a very small community with about 50 full time residents who all service the area's tourist/guiding industry. Unfortunately, the bad news came that he had taken a fall on one of the peaks and didn't make it. It was a very sobering moment for everyone including us and definitely puts everything into perspective. Regardless of how good you are at something, it only takes one thing to go wrong and....Sorry for the downer moment...

We climbed 2 more days in Castle Hill where I was able to send two projects, 'The Classic' and 'Dominatrix'. Both were V5 but as I mentioned before, grades really mean nothing here. They were ridiculously hard and took quite a few goes and quite a lot of skin. Our last day I ended up trying the mantle test piece of the area, 'The Unrepeatable'. This is one move wonder; the mantle. Unfortunately I was another victim of the problem and it spit me off repeatedly while scraping skin from my forearms and ankles....NEXT TIME....

After Castle Hill, we went to the cottage town of Akaroa just an hour from Christchurch for a couple of days of chill before we went back to Christchurch and onto Sydney. The town a picturesque, bay-side town with great waterfront cafes and phenomenal views from our campsite. This was our last destination with Lucas (our van) so was were able to get a campsite which overlooked the town and bay...well worth it! After two days, we took the long way back to Christchurch. The road winds along the highest point of the peninsula overlooking the water from many different points. We did a couple of short hikes and enjoyed some oceanfront coffee before heading into Christchurch. Our last couple of days in Christchurch were spent packing, walking around the centre of town, and trying to best figure out how to deal with our upcoming confrontation with Emirates Airlines about our excess baggage fees. When we arrived at the airport to leave, we were lucky to deal with some very friendly people and they gave us quite a discount on our luggage fees. Instead of having to pay the full amount we only paid about $100 Cdn. The flight to Emirates was great. Our plane had all the amenities and the staff were super nice.

Once we arrived in Sydney, we took off to the hostel and upon our arrival, we pretty much called it a night. The next day we were up early as we only had 2 days to explore the city before leaving. We took the subway to where the ferries dock and walked around the area, had some breakfast and then took a ferry to Manly beach. I can see why so many people love the beaches in the city. The sand is so white and soft and the ocean is picture-perfect! We saw quite a few surfers getting abused by the surf but there were a couple who knew there stuff and it was pretty impressive to watch. After returning back on the ferry, we visited the Opera House. I guess that you have to see it on a sunny day, otherwise the "white" roof isn't so white. The architecture is pretty impressive though. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the park and then headed back into the core where we went to the rotating bar overlooking the city. I also have to add that the Melbourne Cup took place that day and it's pretty much a national holiday. Everyone gets dressed up and by 12pm, I'm pretty sure that there was not a soul at work. The bars and restaurants were full and we must have looked like bums to all the people in the rotating restaurant when we showed up! Ah well...they were happy to take our money anyways. For dinner we found a great (and quite tiny) Italian restaurant called Dolcetta. This "hole in the wall" restaurant served me some of the best Gnocchi I've ever had! Now i'm hungry...

The next day we went to Cooggee Beach and spent a good chunk of the day walking along the water. That evening was spent packing as we had to leave quite early the next morning.
I have to add that we found the BEST coffee spot in Sydney! If anyone is ever in the Surry Hills area and in need of a caffeine fix, visit Single Origin Roasters. This place makes some of the best espresso I've ever had and the staff are awesome (probably because they're all so hopped up on caffeine). They wouldn't even let us pay for our coffee the last day...

Our flight from Sydney to Melbourne to Bangkok was pretty uneventful although JetStar definitely gives new meaning to the term "flying bus". You have to pay for everything.
We are now staying in Bangkok at the Lamphu Tree Hotel and this place is fantastic. The room is a good size and clean, we have views of the downtown skyline and Grand Palace and the staff are great. That and it's a couple blocks off of Khao San road so it's not too noisy. We spent yesterday walking to the Grand Palace and Wat Po where we had our first (and definitely not our last) Thai massage. We chilled at the hotel in the afternoon to avoid the oppressive heat and luckily avoided the monsoon-like rain. The food is amazing and we've eaten at some great spots. That and the street food is perfect for a snack while browsing and being accosted by vendors on Khoa San Road. We're just chilling today and repacking for our trip to Nepal. There's not too much route climbing there so we are leaving quite a bit of stuff in Bangkok so not to incur more airline excess baggage charges.

I'm pretty psyched to see the Himalayas and can't wait to get there. I'm also lookin' forward to do some serious trekking as I've somehow added a couple of pounds...go figure...
That's pretty much everything in a nutshell. We probably won't be doing another entry until after the Annapurna Circuit so until then...l8r

Leaving NZ and on to Sydney, Bangkok and ?

2008-11-02T08:56:00.002+07:00

Hi everyone. Adam and I have been enjoying our last few weeks in New Zealand. From Queenstown, we visited Dunedin, the Otago Pennisula, Oamaru, Castle Hill, Arthur's Pass, Akaroa, and now are in Christchurch. The highlights have been visiting three penguin colonies (on the Otago Pennisula and in Oamaru) and spending 4 days bouldering in Castle Hill. I'm sure Adam will have a long post about Castle Hill (he was giddy while we were there) and I'll write more about Otago and Canterbury ... in a few days. We're waiting for free wifi in Sydney and ultra-cheap internet in Bangkok.

We've dropped off "Lucas" here in Christchurch and no longer live in a Spaceship. Tomorrow we fly to Sydney and have a short 3 night/2 day stay there before flying on to Bangkok. After that ... we're not entirely sure. We're still thinking Nepal, but don't yet have plane tickets. C'est la vie.

We're also hoping that once we have cheap/free internet access, we can *finally* post some pictures.

Cheers,
R.

Holy Schist!!!

2008-10-20T04:05:00.002+07:00

Word up from Queenstown! As before, I will forewarn that this is A CLIMBING POST!

As Robin mentionned in the previous post, we have been in the Queenstown area for about a week and a half doing various things. Happily, this area is a route climbing meca! Queenstown has numerous crags all within 20 min drive and most involve a short 20-30 min hike. Wanaka is the lazy climber's paradise with the cliffs being right on the side of the road...literally. The rock is a compact schist which is super strong and creates some amazing features on the walls.

I have spent my time climbing at Wye Creek while in Queenstown and if anyone ever comes out this way for some climbing make sure you visit this crag for a couple of days as the exposure is unbelievable. Robin and I have been lucky enough hook up with a local couple, Sally and Aaron Ford, who have done quite a bit of the development in Wye Creek. We met Sally back in Wherapapa on the North Island and climbed together at Froggat. She invited us to call on her upon our arrival and said they would give us a tour of the best sport climbing in the area. Well, we contacted her and sure enough on our second day here, we were taken to Wye Creek and instantly knew that this was a special place. The hike is a moderate uphill trek which takes you to the north facing cliffs which were still seeping from the copious amounts of snow and rain. These cliffs have everything from insane roofs to super techie faces. Continuing past the north faces, there is a water pipe which climbers must practice their balance on for about 15 meters before reaching a narrow wood walkway and handrail built on top of the pipe. This track takes you to the waterfalls and onto the south side of the valley where the cliffs receive sun all day long and are bone dry. The lower tier walls are about 30 meters high but there are numerous walls above making this area awesome for single and multi-pitch climbing. This section of the south side is predominately sport climbing but there are many awesome cracks for gear-enthusiasts.
Our local guides sent me up one classic route after another and I was loving the rock! My hands were suffering though as some of the features can be very sharp on my palmolive hands...The real treat of the first day was a roof route called Dream Thing (21)! A 7 meter horizontal roof which then turns into a perfectly vertical face. The exposure of the roof and the views of the mountains around us is definitely a reason to chill for a bit at the anchors and really take it all in!
Happily I bagged that route on my second go and then was introduced to the mother of all aretes, Aratika (23). This is a proud, slightly overhanging arete which requires the climber to clamp, hook and weave along both sides of the wall and its unrelenting until the anchors which are a full 30 meters away. I gave it one go and fully got my ass handed to me. Wish I could stay here and project it and many others.

My second day in Queenstown would not be for another week (yesterday) and I was fully prepared this time. Sally and Aaron again took me to the south side where our warm-ups consisted of beautiful face climbs and some more experiences with the famous New Zealand run-outs! These run-outs are not for the faint of heart. The climbing is not very difficult but it is unnerving not being able to see your last bolt nor being able to see the next bolt....all on a fairly vertical face...After my warm-ups I was ready to do battle with the classic roof route called Drunken Monkey (24/25). This route has EVERYTHING. Long horizontal roof, into crimps at the transition and requiring a committing knee-bar, very balancy hand-jams to clear the transition and then very technical face climbing on schist crimps. I was super-psyched to get this route on my second go. Big thanks to Aaron for all the beta on it! Our last route of the day was a slopey face climb called The Vision (24). Aaron led it and I seconded it but the route definitely won that round as we were perfecting our hang-dog skills. I'm beginning to enjoy routes which require very balancy mantles because if you blow it...you're going for a ride....

Onto Wanaka. The crags near Wanaka are conviently located right next to the road. There are parking lots to service the crags and access trails to each of the cliffs. There is some great bouldering at the Hospital Flats parking lot but we were there for the routes. My first day consisted of some classics on the Tombstone boulder which is a 20 meter vertical piece of rock which has climbing on three sides of it. The main face has some easy warm-ups (17, 18), the "side" face has one arete climb and one classic gear crack. The back side of the boulder is overhung which three hard routes on it. I opted for the middle route on the back which is perfectly named "Lung Starter" (24) (or as Robin calls it "Huff and Puff"). Big cranks to moderate sloping scoops and side pulls for most of the route and then the crux is at the top which requires some serious crimping on sidepulls, very high feet and a desperate lunge for the sloping lip...and of course topping out the route is required to access the chains. I loved this route as it got the blood flowing and the confidence up as my shoulder held up quite well. We then hauled ass over to Headbangers Arete (17) which is apparently the uber-classic route to do. It is another arete but fairly easy as it only requires laybacks the entire way up. Unfortunately the top is somewhat of a disappointment with the chains being located in a very odd location. Apparently it used to be top-out route and walk-off but as it is a "beginner" crag, chains were added for safety purposes. We then moved onto the Roadside Attraction crag for shot at another classic arete; albeit much shorter. Aretenaphobia (21) is a 15 meter sloping arete with a committing top-out. Didn't get it on my first go and was going to lower off to rest when the rain moved in. I would like to add that cleaning a route in the rain BLOWS!

Our second day in Wanaka followed an awesome hike to the Rob Roy Glacier viewpoint. The spectacular views of a mountain glacier were only enhanced by seeing pieces of the glacier fall off and avalanche down the steep slopes. The sounds of cracking ice were like gunshots reverberating off the mountain walls....SOOOOO COOOOOOOOOL!! Anywho, back to climbing. We headed back to Roadside Attraction for a quick warm-up and then I quickly dispatched Aretenaphobia. I then moved onto another "classic" route called Up Your Scud (23). What I thought was going to be an enjoyable route turned into a shit-fest. So called crimps just did not exist and I was relegated to pulling on draws to haul my ass up. HATED IT! In retrospect, it was probably not the best idea to project this route after some intense trekking to the Rob Roy Glacier earlier in the day. I called it quits after this and we headed back to Wanaka.

That's all for climbing from Queenstown/Wanaka. A HUGE THANKS to Sally and Aaron Ford who were not only the best guides one could ask for but also for being such generous hosts to Robin and I.

We're now heading to Dunedin where there will be a bit of climbing but I'm now psyching myself up for my big showdown with Castle Hill later this week. I might be missing some skin by the time we fly off this rock.

L8r!

Adam

Queenstown, Wanaka, Fiordland and Glaciers (oh my!)

2008-10-19T07:38:00.002+07:00

We've been delinquent bloggers, (sorry about that), so this is a fairly long post. Might be best to get a snack or a cup of tea or something before reading on ...

When we signed off our last posts, we were heading south from Golden Bay to the glaciers on the west coast of the South Island, and beyond. I mentioned a little back injury that had occurred the day before, and prevented further climbing in Golden Bay. However, as often happens, things got worse before they got better.

Last Monday, Adam and I drove from Golden Bay through to Westland (unsurprisingly, on the west coast) and stopped overnight in Punakaiki (also known as Pancake Rocks), which is nothing more than a campground, a few hostels and a pub surrounding some oddly shaped rock-formations created by the pounding of the surf on soft limestone for millions of years. It's worth getting out of the car for 10 minutes, but not much more. Unfortunately, the long drive was tough for me, and I was in a fair bit of pain when we arrived and didn't want to drive any farther. I was only comfortable lying down, so we soon went to bed. On Tuesday morning, after I got up, I was in excruiciating pain. There are no facilities in Punakaiki though, so we had to continue driving down the coast. We stopped in Franz Joseph Glacier village, another tourist-driven outpost, but one with plenty of accomodation and a health clinic. To make a long story short, we stayed two days in Franz Joseph in a very nice hostel but didn't do much of anything at all. We were fairly gloomy, pondering how badly I was injured and how much of the rest of the trip it would put in jeopardy. I got in to see a nurse about a day and a half later. She was excellent, confirmed that it was just muscle pain and nothing more serious, and basically told me to 'walk it off'. Not only did she strongly discourage further rest, (I needed to stretch and strengthen the muscles, she said) but also did not give me any good painkillers. The nurse encouraged us to move on to Queenstown as soon as possible so that I could get further examination and treatment. I had a massage later that day, which helped enormously, and Linda (with the magic fingers) explained that prescribing drugs just isn't the kiwi way. She said that if you left a clinic or hospital with a prescription, you knew you were really sick or ill, as they are relied upon only as a last resort.

If I might digress a second, while I understand this approach to antibiotics and perhaps some other drugs, what harm would there have been in giving me a few days supply of good narcotics to ease my pain? I was in excruciating pain, from a temporary, unserious injury. I fail to see the downside to making me a bit more comfortable, particularly as the nurse, the massage therapist and eventually the physiotherpist all discouraged rest? The nurse did give me some ibuprofen, but I fortunately had slight stronger painkillers in the first aid kit, that I brought for just such an occasion. I wanted more (to replenish my depleting supply) and stronger ones, but that was not to be. Lesson to self: Bring lots of prescription painkillers when travelling, you never know when you might need them and whether you'll be able to get them when you want them!

Back to the story ... on Wednesday, we did go for a few short walks around Franz Joseph Glacier, as encouraged, but the weather was nasty (we got hailed on!) and the visibly was awful, so we couldn't even get much of a view of the eponymous glacier. On Thursday, we drove from Franz Joseph Glacier to Queenstown, which took all day because we stopped every 30 km or so to check out the various viewpoints and to let me stretch. The weather that morning finally broke, and we went back to the Franz Joseph glacier viewpoint before driving onwards, and Adam finally got to see the mountains that had been hiding behind clouds for more than 2 days. Down the road in nearby Fox Glacier township, we drove out to a panaramic viewpoint that provided some of the best views of the Southern Alps that we've had, then did the short Lake Matheson walk. The lake is famous for providing reflections of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman in its waters, but it wasn't calm enough nor clear enough when we went. The day remained sunny, but clouds were once again hiding the mountains by noon. The drive from Fox Glacier through Haast, Haast Pass, and on to Wanaka was spectacular -- there was an ocean view or mountain vista to stop and admire almost every 5 minutes. Although I was still uncomfortable sitting, it has been once of my favourite drives in NZ, and I strongly recommend it.

We arrived in Queenstown last Thursday evening, and I feel like Adam and I have been here for a very, very long time. It's only been a week and a half, but this is the longest we've been in any once place, and I'm starting to get anxious for something new. The weather has been nice, but not quite warm enough for my liking. We've been here so long for a few reasons: I've been going to physio every few days, which is certainly helping; Adam is climbing with Sally & Aaron Ford, which is fabulous since I'm not 100% yet; and we've used Queenstown as a base and done several side trips to Milford Sound in Fiordland and to Wanaka (more below).

Last Friday, I had my first physiotherapy appointment and we got our first real diagnosis/assessment of my injury. Turns out that I may have excruciating back pain, but I didn't injure my back ... When I fell on my ass on the trail, the muscle swelled, putting pressure on my sciatic nerve, which in turn sent sharp pain down through my hip and leg and up and across my back. The bad news was that this can be an excruciatingly painful injury (which I already knew). The good news is that it is not serious and generally clears up within 2 weeks, once swelling goes down and any muscle strain starts to heal. I was already starting to feel a little better everyday, and by the second week, I've been feeling quite a bit better everyday, especially after physio. We've had to adjust our schedule, not only to accomodate my limitations, but also my physio appointments which are in Queenstown, but it hasn't been as bad as I think either of us feared.

Last Saturday, Adam went climbing at Wye Creek just outside Queenstown with Sally & Aaron Ford, which was great. I went along for the views, as Wye Creek has a spectacular vantage point over Lake Wakatipu of Queenstown and the mountain ranges beyond. It was a great day, and I'm sure that Adam will post in detail about the great climbs he got to do.

Sunday, the weather was very good, and we spent the afternoon visiting wineries in the Gibbston Valley, tasting wine (including another pinot noir vertical that made Adam very happy), and eating fabulous food at one of those wineries on their sunny patio.

Speaking of food, if I might digress again, we've been enjoying ourselves while on vacation -- eating liberal portions, snacking constantly, sampling the wares of various high-end chocolatiers, and drinking copious amounts of the local aged grape juice -- and it has taken it's toll. A scale was recently brought out at Sally's house so that we could weigh the bag of climbing gear (because Emirates has raised their excess baggage fees), and we each made the mistake of getting on it. If extra kilos are any indication of a good vacation, Adam and I are having a fabulous time!

We then headed south from Queenstown, around to Te Anau into Fiordland, and back north to Milford Sound. Milford is actually a glacial fiord carved into the mountains, but was called a "sound" by European explorers who were unfamiliar with fiords. It's almost directly west of Queenstown, as the crow flies, but to get there you have to drive south, west and then north around the mountains. Milford Sound is sometimes criticized for being touristy, and certainly is a must-see for visitors to New Zealand, but it is still pretty remote and in the off-season, pretty desolate. We drove 100 km from Te Anu into Milford and saw only a handful of other cars. There is only one cafe in Milford and only one place to stay - Milford Lodge. The road ends at the boat terminal where tourists clamour aboard one of the many boats to cruise the fiord/sound. Adam and I weren't expecting much, beyond the infamous sandflies (which are really black flies) that swarm the area, but were surprised to find that Milford Lodge was one of the nicer campgrounds we stayed at. It poured (100-150mm / day) for the two days that we were in Milford Sound, but that also turned out to be a good thing. The rain keeps the sandflies down and also provides water for the spectacular waterfalls that come over the sides of the mountains into the fiords. We were warm and dry in the lodge lounge and the spaceship, and the next morning had a great, albeit damp, cruise around Milford Sound. Taking the first cruise of the day ensures that it's quiet, as non of the day-trippers from Te Anau or Queenstown have arrived. It didn't rain too hard in the morning either, and although we didn't have great views of the surrounding mountains, the fiord was 'moody' (as the locals say) and atmospheric. We saw a few fur seals, and best of all, we saw a fiordland crested penguin! These penguins are very rare and can't really be seen anywhere else in the world. Adam's favourite I think was the waterfalls. We took a small boat cruise, so the captain gets the bow of the boat right up underneath the falls. The water is being blown about by the wind, and looks like fireworks coming towards you. Definately cool.

On Wednesday, we then drove back from Milford Sound, through Queenstown, back to Wanaka, which is about an hour north of Queenstown. We drove past Wanaka on the way to Queenstown from the glaciers, but didn't stop because the main reasons for visiting Wanaka are climbing and tramping -- and I couldn't do either at the time. By Thursday, I was feeling okay to belay (but not climb myself), and Adam had a great day climbing at Hospital Flats on the Tombstone (especially 'Lung Starter', aka Huff and Puff, a 24) and out at Roadside Attration on 'Aretanaphobia' (21). The weather was clear and sunny in Wanaka on Friday, so we did a walk in Mt Aspiring National Park up Rob Roy Valley to a viewpoint of the Rob Roy Glacier. The views on the drive into the park are fabulous themselves, and it was a great walk. At the top, you can see the glacier overhanging the edge of the mountain. At this time of year, the ice is melting, and we were lucky enough to see two pieces break off the glacier and avalanche! (Safely on the other side of the valley, of course...) In the afternoon, Adam did some more climbing before the wind picked up and forced us inside.

Saturday was a rest day, and we drove back to Queenstown from Wanaka the long way, stopping in several wineries in Bannockburn on the way. The whole Central Otago region is famous for its pinot noir, and Adam really liked two of the wineries in particular (Bald Hills and Akarua), which make their wine more in the old-world Burgundian style than the fruit-driven style of many NZ pinots. We spent the afternoon in Queenstown sitting in the sun, drinking coffee, and eating chocolate. We made pizzas for dinner (thank goodness for GF crusts in grocery stores here) and drank a bottle of wine we had been saving from Marlborough. A good day.

Today, (Sunday), Adam is off climbing at Wye Creek again with Sally & Aaron Ford. I decided not to go with them, as I'm still not climbing, and Wye Creek is a bit of a hike just to go and belay (being a belay slave also gets a tad boring). Additionally, it's the first day in more than 7 or 8 weeks that Adam and I *haven't* spent together, and it's long overdue. We're both lovely people, but as I'm sure many of you are really to attest, each of us can get a tad annoying after long periods. Try 24/7 togetherness, jammed in a itty-bitty Spaceship, with no personal space ... for weeks. A day apart is lovely. We've adjusted to the Spaceship quite well, but I am looking forward to an entire hostel room (with bathroom!) once we get to Sydney. I am not looking forward to having to stuff all my things back into my backpack though. Everything has kind of oozed out into various nooks and cranies of the van after several weeks, and we've accumulated even more stuff.

But first, tomorrow after my last physio appointment, we drive to Dunedin on the east coast of the South Island. We'll spend a few days there and on the Otago pennisula hanging out with penguins (me) and bouldering (Adam). From there, it's north to Christchurch and Castle Hill (the bouldering mecca), which Adam has been looking forward to since .... probably since I've known him. Ironically, it will be one of our last stops in New Zealand.

Until next time,
Cheers!
Robin

Abel Tasman National Park

2008-10-06T06:18:00.002+07:00

We didn't spend long in Nelson before deciding to move up Tasman Bay to Motueka, a smaller, cute little town close to the entrace of Abel Tasman National Park. We stayed at the Laughing Kiwi, a true backpacker place, rather than a campground in order to spend some time talking to people other than ourselves! We ended up hanging out with lawyers (from Australia) and medical students (from Britain). How much like home!

The weather remained mixed for a few days in Motueka so we did a day trip/drive up the coast through Kaitieri and Marahau to the start of the Abel Tasman coastal track. When the weather cleared, we drove through Takaka, into Golden Bay, and into the heart of the Abel Tasman national park to Totaranui campground. Remote and isolated are how I would describe it. The only way into the campground is along a 20 km windy dirt road that narrows to one lane in several places. We're told that tour buses sometimes make the trip, and that motorhomes regularly come to the campground in summer, but I honestly have trouble believing that they can make the corners. The drive was worth it, though, as we emerged onto a long, golden beach that was completely empty. At the height of summer, there can be over 800 tents, campers, vans, etc. packed into Totaranui campground. There might have been 3 when we were there, counting us.

We parked the Spaceship (campervan) at Totaranui and from there did a day trip south to Awaroa inlet, which empties almost completely at low tide allowing trampers to cross twice a day. We returned to Totaranui that night, and were able to have a nice dinner and wine, with only the Sandflies to bother us. The next day we went north from Totaranui through several amazing beaches, to Separation Point, over to Whariwharangi on Golden Bay, and back over Gibbs Hill, a nice little 405m hill that provides spectacular views of both Tasman Bay and Golden Bay. Although we did day trips, we ended up tramping most of the coastal track, while avoiding water taxis and the need to stay in DOC huts (which make sleeping in the campervan look luxurious).

From Totaranui, we headed back to 'civilization' and stayed on Pohara Beach (another long stretch of golden sand) in Golden Bay for one night before going to Paynes Ford to climb.

I'll let Adam post on Paynes, but I will say that I didn't really climb although I still got hurt - not on a wall but on one of the access trails to the cliff. We were hiking out and I slipped on a wet, mossy rock and ended up sliding down the trail with my knee under my chin and foot near the opposite ear. It wasn't too bad, but I pulled a hip flexor that has been nagging me for months. And the next morning my back seized up entirely. (I can't even bend to tie my shoes.) I might just be getting old and the two events (fall and back) unrelated, but I don't think so. In any event, it marked the end of Adam's time climbing at Paynes Ford, since I can't even put on a climbing harness much less belay him. We're both hoping I heal fast.

We're now doing the long drive south along the west coast of the south island. There isn't much from here until Wanaka/Queenstown in the southern end except for Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers, where we intend to stop for a couple of days.

Cheers,
R.

Paynes Ford Report

2008-10-06T06:01:00.002+07:00

***Warning*** This post contains climbing information and jargon which most people will find boring or will make no sense at all.

Well, our weekend at Paynes Ford has come to a finish and we lucked out with the weather. The forecast had originally called for rain starting Friday and going all the way through until Tuesday...Not the case though...Saturday turned out to be a great day where we were able to climb in the morning until mid-day. Sunday we were able to get a full day and Monday...well I'll get to Monday in a bit...

Saturday - We arrived at Paynes Ford and started hiking up the DOC trail to the first climber trail which I though was about a couple of hundred metres away, but Robin immediately relieved me of guidebook and navigation duty and determined that the first trail was WAY back near the entrance. New Zealanders are all about the easy approach to crag. In the amount of time it takes to get to your first climb at Lion's Head, one would already have done three routes and be working on their first project of the day.
For my first warm-up I decided on a classic from the guidebook which was rated 16 (back in '91). Very easy route up to the slopers...slopers on a 16...wtf??? The limestone in NZ (in this area anyways) is very slopy and very few crimps. After lowering off the anchors, Robin roped up and found the climbing very different from home and very difficult. The slopers were very polished up top and she found it impossible. After I cleaned the route I did the classic slab route next to it "....Cream Poofters". If anyone ever comes to NZ to climb on the limestone here, bring your slab skills as well as your top-out on bulges skills. I did a couple more routes until the drizzle started and we hid underneath Rawhide Roof (which was to become Sunday's project). We met some "locals" and they gave us directions to one section of wall which was overhung enough to protect from the rain. We headed up to Tenuite Wall and happily is was quite dry...well dry for the climber but not the belayer (AKA...Robin). I ran up a great 20 and then immediately got on a 21 which I went up quickly until I lunged for what I though was the "victory jug". Turned out to be the "victory sucker hold" and the sloper spit me off for a beautiful 15-20 ft plunge...("Take...Nooooo, shit!")
After this route we packed up and headed out to the car and to get supplies for our evening stay at the climbers campground, Hangdog. Its a piece of property which sits right next to the DOC parking lot for Paynes Ford. A family has run this camp for years; essentially a "by climbers, for climbers" camp ground. There is tonnes of room for camping and a small bunkhouse which a kitchen and toilet facilities. It was very quiet this weekend but during the summer it is very difficult to find a place to pitch a tent. We met up with some NZ and Scottish climbers and chatted them up for beta and by 10pm we were back to our "spaceship" for night-nights...

Sunday turned into an unreal day. Sunny with a high of 20! PERFECT!!! We climbed with Richard (from Nelson) and we did a couple of the longer classics to warm up. Temple of Stone (18) is an awesome 27 meter warm up as is the route-I'm-not-quite-sure-what-the-name-is (20) just to the right of it is. The second route is a full 30 meters and as we were not using our rope, I bailed to the anchors of the previous route as I still had 2-3 meters to go I wasn't sure how new Richard's rope was...turns out I would have barely made it to the ground if I had gone all the way up.
Afterward Richard climbed a crazy runout route called "Elvis like in Takaka"...3 bolts...17 meters...I'm sure some of you can figure out the Elvis name based on that info...Thankfully he made it up sans fall and sans me launching into the woods to take up slack!
Afterwards I was off to my project....There is a route there called Rawhide (the roof mentionned above) and its a PERFECT ROOF at the start. Its a 15ft V4 boulder problem under the roof. The first bolt is at the lip and the landing is crap if you blow it...thankfully we train on roofs every day in Toronto. Scared the crap out of Richard as I ran out the roof easily. From there it lessens in steepness (only 45 degree overhang now...) until the 3rd bolt, then bring on the mantle top out on slopers. Did that very gingerly only to see then next bolt still 8 feet away...Now I'm on slopey slab where your hand-foot matching skills come into play..After I clipped that and a bit more slab I get to another bolt and smack into another mini roof...then another top-out...then more slab...where's the next bolt???? I can see the anchors about 10 feet above me but I still have to pull this crazy crack layback section (not technically difficult but after already having 15 feet of a run out and then this to the anchors.....yikes)...I pull this off and finally hit the anchors and clip in and yell to my belayer for slack...He (and Robin) can barely hear me and he thinks I say "take" and I almost get yanked right off the route. Thankfully they heard me the second time swearing at them and I was able to clip in. While cleaning the route, Robin had a mild heart attack when she realized how far run-out I was from the last bolt to the anchors...If you blew the anchors you'd take a 50+ footer and the route is about 65 feet long. Cleaning the overhang kinda sucked but got it done after taking both Richard and Robin for a bit of a drag....
After 2 more routes further down the crag, we hiked over to the Wall of Thugs where there is an AMAZING roof with 6 routes along it. I would loved to have given a go at one of them but there are no fixed draws and cleaning it would have required downclimbing (minimum grade of 23) or doing the route a second time on TR. Do a search on the web for pics of the route "1080 and the Letter G" and you'll see the awesomeness of this roof (and some cool pics of the no hands rest).

We were hoping for a third day today but as Robin was packing the van, her back seized due to a fall the previous day while hiking out. There was no way she'd be able to have a harness on a endure some of the falls that I would have probably taken today on the routes I was gunning for...so we drove right on out of Takaka and past Paynes Ford (waving bubye!!).

We now head down the west coast to the glaciers and afterwards we will be heading to Wanaka (I think) for some more climbing....

Wish I could post pics but the connections have been too slow and take forever...one day though!!!

Peace out!!

Bye, bye North Island ... Hello sunshine! (mostly)

2008-09-30T07:00:00.002+07:00

First off, apologies for the long delay in posting. As you'll read, Adam and I have been busy off-the-beaten-track ...

We didn't end up doing the Tongariro Crossing, as hoped. The Crossing is currently open to independent hikers, but closed to guided groups due to access issues involving private landowners. (To our surprise, it seems not everything in national parks is government owned.) And, the Crossing is still covered by ice and snow, with a 'moderate' avalanche risk, so it requires avalanche-related equipment, crampons, and ice axes (which are not for climbing but for self-arrest should you slip and start falling down the mountain!). Adam and I thought that it was just a wee bit too dangerous for us to attempt this without a guide, and certainly not relaxing. We were also told that since the whole Crossing is covered in ice and snow, we wouldn't actually get to see much of the incredible volcano-created thermal landscape that is the main attraction. That was the kicker for us -- we'd seen enough ice and snow in Toronto this winter -- and so decided on another day tramp. We did the Tama Lakes trek, which was a beautiful 5 hour hike between two of the three volcanoes, mostly above the tree line, through alpine tussock grassland. The highlight of the day though was seeing Mount Taranki, which is several hundred kilometres away. It was poking out of clounds that obscured everything around it, so it appeared completely unconnected from the ground below. It reminded me of the mythical Mount Olympus, home of the greek gods.

After our day of hiking in Tongariro National Park, Adam and I quickly changed our clothes, loaded into the van, and drove south. The night before it was very, very cold in the park and hence, very, very cold in the van overnight, and we were determined not to freeze again. We ended up driving all the way to Martinborough, in the south end of the North Island. It looks like a long way on the map, but was only about 5 hours drive. (Distances just aren't the same in NZ as Canada ...)

Although you may not have heard about Martinborough, it is one of NZ's main wine regions. The wineries there are all quite small, boutique style, and the region as a whole doesn't produce nearly as many bottles as Hawkes' Bay, Marlborough or Otago, but the emphasis is on quality. Also, a real attraction of Martinborough is that there are more than a dozen wineries that are within walking distance of the town centre. So on Sunday morning, our hosts at Martinborough Village Camping (an amazing little campground, btw) dropped us off 5 km away at one of the further vineyards, and left us to walk back to the campground, stopping for tastings and food along the way. What can I say, it was an excellent day. We visited 11 vineyards in all (we just couldn't handle any more than that) and tasted more wine than I thought possible in a short period of time. Martinborough (like most of NZ) excels at white wine, but also pinot noir, and Adam and I were in heaven tasting/drinking high-quality pinot, including several vertical tastings that were a real treat. At Vynfiends, we even managed to convince them to part with a bottle of their 2003 pinot, which was part of a special vertical tasting but was 'not for sale'. (Adam is now going to have to grill up a worthy dinner to accompany it.) The weather was also great, as Martinborough is one of the driest places on the North Island. Windy, but dry.

The following day (Monday), we had to leave Martinborough and head to Wellington. There wasn't much point in staying - the whole town seemed to have shut down after the weekend, and Adam and I were also moving slowly after our indulgences of the previous day. But we were almost immediately saddened upon arriving in Wellington - the weather was yucky and it was unfathomably windy. Literally, wind that could knock you over. (Wellington is the windiest city in the southern hemisphere, aparently.) In Wellington, we did go to the Te Papa museum, which is quite interesting, and worth a trip even for the non-museum types (like Adam). I got a final fix of Burger Fuel. And that's about all I can say that's positive. I'm sure Wellington is great, but the weather was so nasty (with no hope of changing) and our stay at a hostel there so horrible, that we decided to book a ferry ticket and cross the Cook Strait to the South Island.

And on the South Island, with one exception, we've had sunshine! It's still a wee bit cold (about 15 C in Nelson today), but sunny and beautiful. As soon as we arrived in the port town of Picton, which is quite nice itself, we started making arrangements to do the 4-day Queen Charlotte Track, located in the Marlborough Sounds along the north-east coast of the South Island. We also made a short side trip to Blenheim, the centre of the Marlborough wine region (although we restrained ourselves and only visited 3 wineries, in part because one of us had to drive).

The Queen Charlotte Track (QCT) is 71km long and travels (roughly) along a ridge between the Queen Charlotte and Kenepurhu sounds. Trampers take a 1 hour water taxi to the beginning of the track, then another water taxi from the end back to Picton. Happily, this was not a trek which requires tents. Throughout the track, there are lodges where trekkers can stay and the accomodations range from backpacker hostels to premium chalets. The first night we stayed in a backpacker room with a double, the second night we ended up (to our surprise) having our own cottage, and the third night we stayed at an eco-lodge and ended up with an upgraded suite as hardly anyone else was there. Not exactly roughing it.....We cooked our own meals in the shared kitchens at each of the lodges save for the last night where we treated ourselves to a fantastic meal at the eco-lodge (Lochmara Lodge). We also did some sea kayaking at Lochmara and soaked in their hot tub. The whole track, and especially Lochmara Lodge, are highly recommended. Where else can you walk through the woods all day, then enjoy a sunny afternoon sipping great Sav Blanc and eating phenomenal food? (If you don't fancy the walk, you can take a water taxi to any of the lodges.)

We did have rain on our last day of the tramp (although I had made a deal with the rain gods that if it held out for the first few days, I wouldn't complain about rain on the last day), and ended up cold and wet by the time the water taxi arrived in Anakiwa to pick us up and take us back to Picton. After a quick coffee in Picton, we bolted to Nelson, where the weather is once again sunny, and we are catching up on email and gathering supplies (i.e. food) for our trip into the Abel Tasman National Park/Golden Bay area where we will be rock climbing in Paynes Ford and trekking on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track.

Central North Island

2008-09-19T05:06:00.003+07:00

From Wharepapa, Adam and I headed to Roturua for a day of rest. Roturua is a 'thermal' area, with hot springs, bubbling mud, and geysers created as a result of the volcanic and geological activity in the area. Some of the locals refer to it as Roto-vegas, however, giving you some sense of how tourism has affected these natural phenomena. (Although I don't think that's really fair to Las Vegas ...) Our first stop after a long overdue internet spree was a city park that includes several areas of bubbling mud, hot pools, and steam. Unsurprisingly, (if you know Adam), he was rather unimpressed. He quickly divised a 3 step recipe to replicate the 'attractions' of Roturua: 1. boil some water; 2. add mud; 3. fart, a lot, preferably after eating eggs. Okay, it's a bit crude, but remarkably accurate. Roturua does smell quite bad, and needless to say, after Adam's assessment of the thermal phenomena at the city park, we did not go to any of the over-priced thermal theme parks in the area. Instead, we opted to spend the afternoon soaking away our climbing pains in the Polynesian Spa, which has beautiful stone lined pools of hot minearl water set on the edge of Lake Roturua. Not a bad way to spend the day.

The next day we drove south to Lake Taupo, a mere hour away. Although there was copious fog and cloud in the morning and it had rained overnight, we were cautiously optimistic that the weather forecast for sun would bear out. Fortunately, it did. (I've since accepted that looking outside in the morning is a very poor predictor of the day's weather, in New Zealand.) By noon we were in the lakeside community of Kinloch, and hiking a small trail through the forest to remote Kawakawa Bay, for more climbing. It is a beautiful 1 1/2 hour walk, in and of itself, as you're hiking through the hills with periodic look-outs over the lake, with the three snow-capped volcanoes of Tongariro National Park in the distance. But as access to a climbing area, it's epic! We did a few climbs in the bay, which were worth the scrambling through dense forest and onto precarious ledges to belay, because from the top, there were great views out over the whole lake. And we ended up having the best weather of the trip so far, it was sunny and warm and maybe even 18 C. Adam discovered how hard a 22 (5.11) slab can be. We did leave the bay a little later than we had wanted, and the sun was going down as we hiked out of the bay and over the first ridge. It made for a beautiful sunset, but a long, cold, and dark walk back to the van and civilization.

Back in Taupo, we had some Burger Fuel to recover, and stayed at a 'Thermal Resort' - a hot springs park with attached hotel, motel, cabins, campsite, etc. It was a very nice place and the cheapest campground we had stayed at until that point. Adam especially enjoyed the proper BBQ with a cover, as most of the BBQs we've encountered have had no lid. Overall, Taupo is a relaxing, cute little town that I reminds me a tiny bit of Penticton.

Yesterday we braved the bad weather to drive north-east, backtracking a bit, to go climbing in Mangakeowa, a new area near Waitomo that has been called the Payne's Ford of the North Island. The rock here is very overhung, which means that the rock is dry, even while it's raining. Unfortunately, the access trail was very wet and muddy, and while the rock was dry, it was quite cold. It's difficult to hold onto rock when you can't feel your fingers. Adam had some fun on a overhanging arete, and I discovered how different crack climbing is on 'French Ethics', a clear trad line that has been bolted.

Today we're off to Tongariro National Park, home to those three volcanoes I mentioned earlier, as well as the Tongariro Crossing, which is called the best one-day hike in New Zealand. Right now, we're unsure whether we will get to do the Crossing. NZ has had huge amounts of snow this past winter, and the Crossing is still covered with snow and there is avalanche risk in some areas. As a result, a guided trip would be necessary, and we've heard that there are some access issues that might prevent guided groups from doing the Crossing. An alternative is to do the 'Traverse', another all day hike in the area, but for now we're keeping our fingers crossed.

Cheers,
Robin

Gluten-free in NZ

2008-09-17T11:30:00.003+07:00

For anyone who is curious how I'm surviving in New Zealand, in terms of food, I've found NZ to be surprisingly gluten-aware and glutard-friendly. The first few days in Auckland were very promising, as the first grocery store we went to had an embarassingly large selection of GF bread (none of which was frozen!) and every grocery store I've been too, even the discount ones, have had some kind of GF bread available. I was able to have the infamous 'mushrooms on toast' at Dizengoff in the Ponsonby area of Auckland (thanks Matt + Ally for the recommendation) because they had gluten free bread available. The trend continued with many cafes and restaurants having GF options or at the very least labelling their GF items as being GF. Even in the middle of nowhere, at a climber's cafe in Wharepapa South, they had a GF feta and spinach pasta pie which was crazy delicious.

And then there's Burger Fuel ... which we literally stumbled upon in Auckland. Burger Fuel would be an amazing find for anyone who loves burgers. They make big, juicy burgers (beef, chicken, fish and veg) fresh to order with 'real' ingredients, homemade toppings (like aioli), and have great fries. It's not really fast food, as it usually takes about 10 minutes to get your burger, but it's not exactly a restaurant either. But it's how a burger should be. And, best of all ... get this ... they have gluten free burger buns! Yes, that's right, not hard, dry biscuit type buns like you find in Canada or gummy rice bread, but real burger buns that you could market under the slogan you-won't-believe-it's-gluten-free. The first time I ate one I had to keep checking my burger bun against Adam's burger bun to ensure that mine was different and they hadn't simply made a mistake and it was a regular bun, because it tasted so good. And that's when I realized that this was the first real burger that I had eaten in years.

Not that I don't make good burgers (word is I make great burgers), but I can never really enjoy the complete experience because I'm either using rice bread, or a crappy biscuit type bun or no bread at all and just covering the burger and toppings with my patented roasted-pepper-toque contraption. This was the real burger deal.

Needless to say, we've eaten at Burger Fuel a lot. I've made Adam stop the Spaceship (van) at just about every Burger Fuel we see ... two more in subburban Auckland (one on the way out to Northland, and one on the way back), Rotorua, and Taupo. There's Burger Fuel in Wellington and since sadly, there are no Burger Fuel outlets on the South Island, you better believe I'll be getting my Burger Fuel fix in Wellington before I get on that ferry.

But I think I'll manage on the South Island in any event. It's striking that so far, at almost any cafe, coffee shop, or restauarant, I can walk in and ask if something is GF and the staff knows. They often don't even have to check with the kitchen - they know. GF options are almost invariably available, and yummy. Canada, it's time to catch up.

Pictures from Northland ... not yet

2008-09-15T06:38:00.004+07:00

Our attempts to post pictures have so far met with zero success. It seems the internet connections here aren't fast enough to load our photos in any kind of numbers (and we have lots of pictures we want to share). We're in Rotorua for the next few days, so hopefully we will have the time and resources to figure this out. Until then, I will say that it's incredibly green here, with rolling hills and lots of baby sheep!

Cheers,
Robin

Northland/Wharepapa Update!

2008-09-15T06:04:00.003+07:00

Hello everyone! Its been a full week since we've had interweb access so I'm going to update our progress. Its long so I apologize in advance....

We left Auckland last Monday in our "spaceship" (also known as a campervan) and headed north to the town of Whangarei where along the way we stopped at a couple of wineries and made sure their wine was of decent quality! ;-) We spent the night in Whangarei (pronounced "Fangarei"). Our first night sleeping in the van was interesting. Remarkably comfortable and warm under the duvet but pretty cold once you throw the cover off. I'm pretty sure I woke up about 5 or 6 times being the light sleeper I am. That and that it has rained off and on since we arrived. (Sept 14th was our first full day without any rain)...

The following day we drove north and found to one more winery just outside the beautiful resort town of Paihia. Its not summer yet here so although the weather is nice (15-20 during the day when its not raining), very few tourists were in the area. The winery was amazing and we ended up enjoying a lunch on their terrace overlooking the vineyards. The interesting thing about wineries here is that there are palm trees growing around the property; something you don't normally see in other wineries around the world.

We spent the night in another motor camp just north of the area and had a wonderful mosquito experience. Pretty sure I killed about 20 or so mosquitoes before sleeping.

The following day we drove all the way to the northern tip of New Zealand to Cape Reinga. This is where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. Its very cool to see exactly where the two currents meet in the water and cause the waters to swell in every direction. The wind was also blasting here at about 60+ km/h so we didn't spend to much time as it got cold real fast. We drove back down the peninsula and stopped along Ninety Mile Beach. This stretch of sand is actually about 65 miles long. There are tours which start at the south end of the peninsula and drive all the way along the beach until near the top where they connect back onto the main road. Our van is not suited for the terrain but we parked just shy of the beach and walked out along a trail to the main beach. As we arrived at the beach I heard the sounds of engines behind us and we turned to find 5 Police SUV's barrelling down the trail at us. We "jumped" out of the way as they arrived. They stopped and talked to us and explained that they were doing some late day off-road training along the beach. Now at this point I have to add that the tide has come back in and almost any vehicle travelling on the beach would get caught in the water and....well that'd be the end of the vehicle. But these police officers appeared to relish the idea of doing 80 km/h down the beach in their modified SUV's.

We drove south until dark where we had to do an evening ferry crossing then find a camp ground to spend the night. Luckily we found a decent one close to the road and even luckier, we were able to get a decent meal at the hotel nearby. Just to point out, unless you are in the larger cities, most restaurants close by 7:30 outside of the summer and its almost too cold to BBQ at the camp grounds at night so we have been trying to time our dinners right when arriving in new towns.

The following day we drove south to an area which is home to the giant Kauri trees. These trees are the second largest to the giant Redwood Sequoias found in California. We took some perspective shots to show how wide the base of the trees are (13m circumference). But since they are only trees we did not spend too much time as it was raining (what a surprise). We continued onto Auckland where we ended up visiting one of the local climbing gyms. There is very little climbing north of Auckland and I was getting a bit ancy not having climbed in a couple of weeks. The gym was pretty large but after doing a couple of routes we quickly realized the route-setting was not exactly "top-notch". Robin was done after a couple of routes and I followed suit not long after. Since climbing there, I have heard that the route-setting at most NZ gyms is pretty craptacular. After this experience we spent the night just south of Auckland.

This leads us to Friday. We headed south to our first climbing destination; South Wherepapa. This was about a 2.5 hour drive from Auckland. We arrived at a cafe/lodge called Bryce's and this place is clearly the hub of all climbing in the area. Bryce is the owner of the place and he knows every nook and crany of not only the local climbing scene, but almost every crag in NZ. He has a gear store which is probably the best stocked anywhere in NZ.. Luckily we did not forget any gear in Canada as the cost of gear here is at least double what you'd pay for it at home. We decided to spend two nights at the lodge and Bryce hooked us up with all the Beta we needed to get to the first crag calld Froggart Edge. My descriptions will not do any justice to this place so we will hopefully post some pictures soon. The area is in active farmland (as are most climbing areas in NZ) and the rock is a volcanic ignimbrite with tonnes of tendon snapping pockets. We parked and had access to 6-7 different walls within 5 min walking distance. The routes looked pretty exciting and we took note of the "starred" climbs in the guide for the next day. That night we cooked a great pasta dinner and I was able to sample of the phenominal meat pies from Bryce's cafe....damn good!!!

The following morning it was a bit wet early on but by 10am it had dryed out and just before leaving for the crag (3 min drive from Bryce's) we met Sally who is a gear rep and was looking for a partner for the area. She was originally from Auckland and new the crag very well. She joined up with us and off we went to Froggart. We started with a bunch of classic climbs and I had to get my pocket pulling power on pretty quick. The grading in NZ is done using the Australian grade scale (10-3?) and I've seen a couple of differing conversions to the Yosemite scale so I'll just use the local scale. We did a couple of 17's and 18's and then moved onto Monsterpeice Theatre (20) which starts off on a hard slab and moves right into an AWESOME roof section (Tony..think Brokeback Mountain at LH). At one point I had about 25 feet of rope run out on the slab to the roof and Robin was "not too happy with me about it" as a fall would have been a mild disaster . After this we moved over to another wall and I flailed on a classic layback route (Mister Daddy Long Legs) (beta intensive) and then sent the last classic of the day.
That night we had a great BBQ with steak and veggies!

The following day we visiting another crag which was a bit further away. After a muddy walk in we found the rock to be wet and mossy. Clearly it had not been visited by anyone since last fall and was looking a bit rough. If we had been with a "local" it would have been easier but we opted to pass on climbing here just in case we ran into any problems. That and we couldn't see some of the anchors as the forest runs right into cliff with no pathway. The rock is amazing and would be great later in the season. We ended up returing to Froggart and Robin was able to send a couple of routes now that she had been able to get a feel for the type of climbing. I went back to Mister Daddy Long Legs and sent it first go. Felt pretty good after good. There were other people there on the last route we wanted to do and we ended up bailing as there were a couple of them waiting in line to TR the route. We may be back though....
We left the crag and headed back to Bryce's for a snack and said our goodbyes to Sally and Bryce although I'm quite sure we'll be seeing them before our trip in NZ is over.
We drove to Rotorua which is a resort town built on geothermal vents and found oursevles a motor camp which has heated mineral pools at our disposal. I'm sure we'll make use of them at some point today.

That is pretty much it for the past week! Sorry its been a long post but not having access for a week meant we had a lot to tell! We're hoping the rain has subsided a bit more and we see more sunny days than rainy ones but we prepared for all weather!! Hope all is well with everyone and we'll try to post some pictures soon.

L8r
AC (and Robin)

Auckland

2008-09-06T04:42:00.002+07:00

Adam and I arrived safe and sound in the wee hours of Thursday morning (local time). It was a long haul to get here -- just over 5 hours to San Francisco and then 13 hours to Auckland after a 2 hour layover. The flights were mostly uneventful, aside from a screaming baby behind us on the red eye (ugh), and surprisingly, both flights arrived early.

Customs in New Zealand was also a breeze, which surprised me, because the Kiwis have a strict biosecurity policy that requires you to declare almost everything, including any food whatsoever (whether processed or not), hiking shoes/boots, any outdoor gear, swimsuits, etc. Needless to say, we had a lot to declare. But after a few questions and looking at the bottom of our shoes, we were on our way.

Auckland is a very pleasant place, sitting in the harbour on the ocean. It reminds me of Vancouver in many ways (there are areas that smack of Coal Harbour and North Vancouver) and also of Britian at the same time. The Kiwis are far more British than we Canadians.

We spent our first day just strolling around, getting our bearings, and fighting the urge to go to sleep. Yesterday was more ambitious, as we headed out to Rangitoto Island to do a hike up to the top of a dormant volcano and a little trek around the island. It was a good hike, but the weather turned foul while we were on the summit. We tried to look at it as a good opportunity to test our rain gear (it performed admirably). Today we're going to stroll and lounge around again, and tomorrow I think Adam is desprete to find some climbing. If the weather doesn't cooperate, I believe he's located some indoor climbing gyms.

We're in Auckland until Monday. Hopefully we'll have a chance to post pics before then.

Cheers. R.

Last full day...

2008-09-01T19:47:00.002+07:00

Well, it's our last full day in Canada before we depart for NZ. Today will be a full day of packing our backpacks as well as packing all of our clothes which we are not taking. I hope my clothes survive 7 months in boxes. Otherwise my trip clothes will become a more permanent wardrobe.

I am, surprisingly, not feeling any nervousness but that may have something to do with the lack of coffee this morning. I'm hoping that I don't have to give up my coffee habit while travelling too much but I'd better get used to not having a fresh cup of espresso every morning...and Robin had better get used to not having it brought to her in bed!!

Yesterday we finalized our decision on our method of transportation for New Zealand. I'm not going to post what it is until we've arrived and have some pictures to post along with it.

I wish I had been able to get in a bit more climbing over the past week but organizing and packing for this trip has been a full time job! Not really a big deal though as Auckland has an abundance of amazing granite very close to the city. I will definitely need to print out a grade conversion chart; Australian grading to Yosemite grading. I don't want to try to warm up on some 12b and not realize it until having blown a tendon. That and I don't think Robin will appreciate it either.

Not sure if either of us will be posting anything else until we arrive so I will sign off by saying...SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD!!! :-)
AC

Preparing for Departure

2008-09-01T00:50:00.001+07:00

I'm always anxious before leaving on a big trip. It's a mix of excited anticipation for another great adventure, and serious anxiety about what could and should be done before we take off. It's not 'real' stress (in comparison to what my old day job used to inflict), but everything I do and each decision I make is tinged with an unusual significance.

Do I pack this t-shirt or that one? It seems like an unimportant choice, but when I have to live what that choice (and that t-shirt) for seven months, its a decision that I could come to regret each and every day. It's not always possible to purchase specialized clothing (especially for a six-foot tall woman with long limbs like gumby) in other parts of the world. Case in point: when I travelled to Egypt and Jordan with my sister in September 2006, I neglected to pack a t-shirt of technical wicking fabric or an appropriate sports bra. My smart little sis had brought multiple MEC wicking t-shirts and was kind enough to loan me one for the duration of our three-week trip, which made the 47 C temperatures just a little more bearable. But I was out of luck with the sports bra. (I now have a master packing list that I consult before each trip to make sure that I don't repeat that mistake and forget such an essential item.)

On this trip, Adam and I are headed to New Zealand then Sydney, Australia for a few days before going to Nepal and Asia, so I'm fairly confident that unlike other trips, we will actually be able to purchase anything we forget. Our key problem is getting all those essentials to fit into our backpacks. For those of you following the backpack saga, we finally did get our hands on two Gregory packs - a 95L Whitney for Adam and a 90L Deva for me. (Quick summary: Gregory packs were sold out in our sizes almost across North America and no packs could be found in Toronto or Vancouver. We had to order from a retailer in Quebec, and had some serious snafus with the shipping. We didn't get them until after we'd moved out of our house in Toronto.) You'd think with packs that huge that space wouldn't be an issue, but all our climbing gear (rope, draws, harnesses) almost fills a 35L pack on its own, and then there's the extra climbing clothes and two pairs of climbing shoes for each of us. We also have sleeping bags, sleeping mats, and considerable cold-weather trekking gear for New Zealand and Nepal, as well as (on the other extreme) swimwear, shorts, etc. for hanging out on the beach in Thailand. Given that we will see temps in excess of 30 C and approaching -30 C on this trip, it's a lot of gear and clothing. And I can't make it all fit in my backpack. I've resigned myself to the fact that until we leave Nepal (and send our cold weather gear and sleeping bags home) that I'm going to be lugging around a huge backpack, a duffle bag and a day pack, while Adam has a huge backpack, a bag of climbing gear, and a day pack. (Six bags! Ugh.)

I am very excited though, and even though it's another two sleeps until we leave on Tuesday, I'm already having trouble going to bed each night. I'm like a six-year old kid on Christmas Eve waiting for the big day. My heart is beating just a little bit faster just thinking (and writing) about it. I'm definitely anxious for another adventure to begin.