On The Road

Photos of Our New Abode

2008-11-23T14:13:00.017-07:00

Here are some pic's of our townhome in Boulder.

View of our building. Ours is the place to the left

Our townhome

Front patio/windows of our place.

The large, multipurpose, main room downstairs. Serves as our living room & dining room.
Features large windows and a working fireplace.

Our dining space with stairs in view in back.

Looking back from main room to our vintage kitchen.
One-car garage is behind door in the photo.
Out of view to the right is another room with washer/dryer. furnace, and storage.

View leading upstairs

Master bedroom with nice windows to front.

Another view of master bedroom with master bath to the left.

Master bath

Upstairs hallway and 2nd bathroom.

Guest bedroom which is still "under construction" in terms of setup.

View of garage and Erin's new/used Outback.

Anyways, that's where we live. Now you can picture us here. All are invited to come and visit.

And finally, here's a nice shot Erin took of the Flatirons in fall.

Drew

Thank you thank you thank you

2008-07-29T17:07:00.021-06:00

We're baaa-aack! Cheers to good ol' USA, what a grand country! We love it here, and a year away has made that even more clear. Coming home has also meant the end of a great journey- something that will only happen once in our lives and something that will stay with us throughout. I have spent endless hours thinking about our trip: so many images, people, tastes, smells, vistas. So many distinct memories, emotions, discoveries. Here, back home with family we are learning to sum up our thoughts and our favorite stories with all the great questions we are being asked. It is a strange feeling to come home, like we are remembering old habits. It feels so easy and clean and convenient here. We revel in the simple things.... I put my first pair of jeans on in a year!

Here are some summaries of my thoughts I am having about our trip...

Top Ten Experiences (not necessarily in order):

Teaching in different schools with the Global Library Project, seeing the kids excitement and learning about their lives (especially with Kelly and Skyler).
Riding bikes to remote villages in Laos, meeting a group of women and laughing with them despite the language barrier.
Seeing the alpenglow sunrise on Cerro Torre and Mount Fitzroy in Patagonia.
Waking up in a bungalow on a white sand beach in Thailand, eating fresh fruit on our porch overlooking the sea.
Machu Picchu.
Climbing to 16,000 feet in the Langtang region of the Himalaya, seeing 360 degrees of mountain views.
Steak and Malbec in Argentina.
Angkor Wat with Ben and Casey.
Scuba diving in Koh Tao, Thailand.
New Zealand mountains, and our time with Aly.

Top ten things I won't miss:

Wearing the same clothes EVERYDAY.
Not being able to flush toilet paper
Being wary of ALL food ALL the time
Getting sick from the food your dared to eat
30 hour bus rides with screaming babies
Lager beer
Tourists from Texas (just kidding, but you know what I mean)
Living out of a backpack
Doing laundry in the sink
Instant coffee

Okay, now I realize I have so many more things then 10, but how can you sum up a trip like this one? This year has given us new perspective on the world and in our own lives for that matter. I have learned so much. I have learned that I am most happy when hiking in the mountains with Drew at my side, anywhere in the world. I have learned that life can be so simple. Sure it is boring to wear the same clothes everyday, but living with less, you realize how very little you need. The US is a country of excess, we have so much of everything. It is convenient, but we have to fight to keep from accumulating too much and to keep life simple. Less really is more! I have learned how important it is to spend time with family and how precious that time is (I knew this before, but being away has emphasized it). I have learned that happiness is a choice. Some people have nothing and are truly happy, others have it all, and are not. And I realize how very lucky I am: for my family and friends and Drew, for my career, for being American and having the opportunities in life we do, for my health and the ability to do a trip like this.

I also want to give a shout out to everyone who has been involved in our travels and helped us along the way. Your generosity has added so much to our trip...

To our families, who have opened their homes to us on both sides of the trip. They fed us well, shared many stories, and loved us along the way.

To Mari and Michelle, for taking care of my mail and my car... and for giving it back after a year of getting used to having two cars.

To Jen Talagrand for sharing her garage with us and taking care of most of our belongings in Boulder.

To Christina at Thorne for taking responsibility for Project BEAR during my hiatus from work and her commitment to all the students we serve. To all the staff at Thorne for fighting for my position there and your undying support.

To the Maho Bay crew in St. John, who shared many bottles of rum and midnight swims in the ocean.

To Jim and Katie in Kauai, who took care of us like family and let us camp on their land.

To Ganesh in Nepal, who guided us in Annapurna and whose family shared a meal with us in their home. And to Andy the Englishman, whose community is paying for Mindo to be in an orphanage and have an education.

To Ben and Casey in Malaysia (now Colorado), for giving us the royal treatment when we needed it most, a long term bedroom, and for all the memories together.

To cousin Johnny and wife Pim in Thailand, who took us to dinners and gave us tours of Phuket.

To all the teachers in Nepal, Thailand, Laos, and Peru who gave us the opportunity to do the Global Library ebooks in their schools.

To Aly for making the trip to New Zealand, for two weeks of time with a familiar friend, and for the resupply.

To Norma and her family. For her parents, Ana and Justino, and sister, Veronica and Renzo and for their hospitality and generosity to two strangers in Bolivia and Peru. You really went above and beyond and we'd love to repay the favor if any of you come to the U.S. Thanks so much!

To Claudine and Wes in La Paz for sharing your apartment and giving us the tour of the ruins at Tiahuanaku. You also went above and beyond! We owe you one.

To our host family and teacher in Peru, for teaching us Spanish.

To Kelly and Skyler for coming all the way to Peru and for Kelly's work on the Global Library Project.

To Libby and Benjamin in Musho, for letting me sleep on your floor, and for making the ebook project happen.

And to everyone that read our blog, kept us laughing with your comments, and gave us support along the way. THANK YOU! It has meant so much to us to stay connected during this time. You were our link to our lives at home!

___________________________________________

Drew here. Just want to add a few thoughts to what Erin has said as well as give a few more thank you's.

In general, my sentiments about returning home are similar to hers. The transition from a distant third-world country to home in the US is certainly an easy one. I can't get over how plush and easy life here is. Great food, warm and wonderful homes, clean drinking water, hot and consistent showers, clean and comfortable beds, quiet neighborhoods (no roosters!), no litter, clean air, road traffic that follows lights and lanes and driving laws, Yankees games on TV, oh and the best beer in the world, too. Yes, it is an easy transition indeed. I am much more appreciative and cognizant of every little thing and how the quality of life in the US is really unbelievable. All Americans should be very thankful for what they have, and I feel I appreciate and understand that more than ever right now.

I am also super thankful for the fact that our trip went off smoothly and safely. No major illness or injuries, no big ripoffs, no stolen cameras or wallets or passports, no calamaties. Unbelievable really. Of course I wouldn't tell my mom this, but I was expecting something would happen! The trip really was a dream come true. It's a fulfillment of a major dream that I had and fostered for over ten years. I am proud to have done what we did, and I feel fulfilled and better off for having done it. More than anything, I am thankful for the opportunity to do it and for the fact that it went so well.

With my adorable nephew Braeden
(Excuse the Red Sox shirt. He knows not what he wears.)

And of course, it has been just fabulous to see and spend time with our families and friends now that we're back home. It's great to reconnect with people with whom you have a deep and long-term relationship. It's wonderful meeting new and interesting people from all over the world while traveling, but ultimately the relationships and conversation are only so deep. Seeing and talking with my family is incredible because they know me so well and have a genuine interest in who I am and what I have been up to. Not surprisingly, we've had the warmest welcomes and the best food wherever we have gone.

fresh fruits and vegetables - Jersey corn which is unsurpassed, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, homegrown tomatoes and sweet peas, and more
barbecues of steak, burgers, dogs, chicken, veggies, and salmon

Kurt doing some textbook BBQing
(No excuse for that Red Sox shirt. We see where the little man gets it.)

all-you-can-eat sushi
breakfasts such as blueberry waffles, dutch babies, fried eggs, and real coffee!
and desserts of homemade chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookie bars, ice cream, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and soon-to-be peach slump (a new one for me, too!)

Kurt's homemade chocolate cake

The Fam in CT

As you can see, it's been pleasant. I think I'm starting to put back on those 15 pounds I lost on the trip. Real fast. But more importantly, it's been great to spend time with my parents and sister and her family and some friends. We arrived back in NYC last Monday after a long night from Lima, then rendezvoused with my parents for a trip to visit my sister Kelly and brother-in-law Kurt and their son Braeden in Connecticut. After a relaxing few days, we returned to New Jersey where my parents were in the midst of moving to Virginia. We spent a few working days packing their stuff and getting them set to head to VA. Now we're in Seattle visiting Erin's family and friends for a few weeks before driving back to CO mid-August. So we're not quite home and settled yet and I am still longing for my own space and bed and routine and - dare I say - job even. But we are almost there.

Final days in my childhood home with Mom and Dad

Mom on the move

A few additional trip highlights:

Snorkeling every day in the pristine waters and reefs of St. John
Hiking and meeting the locals on the Na Pali coast in Kauai

The delicious food, fish, and fruits of Thailand - best on the whole trip

Hanging with Ben and Casey

Climbing Mount Pisco in Peru

The generosity of the people throughout Peru and Bolivia who opened their homes to us

And my additions to Erin's list of won't-be-missed-not-even-for-a-second.

Long bus rides - I think we had something like 15 bus rides of more than eight hours in S America. Yikes!

Frequent stomach illness (read: constant diarrhea)

Crowing roosters at all hours of the day and night

Out-of-control horn honking in S America and Asia

Mangy stray dogs

Litter everywhere

Asian toilets

Flushing a toilet and just hoping it would not get clogged - again!

Cramming my 6' 4" fame into the tiniest seats on planes, trains, buses, taxis, minivans, you name it. The world is not designed for big American men like me.

And most importantly, some more well-deserved and overdue thank you's to add to her list.

To my parents for their love and support and hosting us on both ends of the trip. Enjoy your new lives in VA!
To my sister Kelly and Kurt and Braeden. Thanks for the warm reception upon our return and especially for taking care of my business and mail and taxes and all that good stuff while I was gone. A huge help!

To my brother Jim and Liz and Bridget. Thanks for hosting us before we left and for storing some of our stuff while we were gone. Can't wait to see you guys soon!

To Erin's parents and sister Mari and Michelle and family. Thanks so much for hosting us on both ends of the trip and all the support while we were gone.
To Ben and Casey, I know Erin thanked you, too, but I had to thank you myself. Was just awesome to stay with and travel with you guys in Southeast Asia. Thanks for opening your place in KL to us and making us feel at home. We really needed a place to crash and recover for a while and your place was perfect. See you back in the CO.
To our friend Jen who is storing a garageful of our stuff in CO while we are gone. Thanks a million and hope the grizzlies were good company in the meantime.

To Pat and Heather and Larry and Kasie for storing some stuff while we were gone. YITB.

To Kelty for being very generous in supporting us in this endeavor - for one-of-a-kind lightweight daypacks up front and for resupplying us with a new tent and sleeping bag down in New Zealand. The support was invaluable for us to manage our gear loads. It also allowed us the opportunity to donate a tent to a well-deserving conservation organization in Hawaii and a down sleeping bag/comforter to the needy family of four of our mountain guide living in Kathmandu, Nepal. Good stuff.

Special thanks to Kenny at Kelty for your kind help in making the above possible.

Thanks to Peter at Kelty for his help drumming up some additional gear support in the industry. You're the man!

Thanks to Gail at Kelty for the helping with the development and production of the daypacks. You're the woman!

Thanks to my friends Andy and Martin for hooking us up with two puffy down jackets to keep us warm at the bottom of the world in Patagonia and on top of the world in Peru.
Thanks to Marc and Allie and the folks at Sierra trading Post for the writing gig on your blog site. Added a great dimension to the trip!
Thanks to Vasque for the best pair of backpacking boots I've ever worn - the Vasque Kota Mid GTX - really light yet supportive and comfortable and waterproof. Perfect for this trip.
Thanks to Katadyn for the excellent water filter. Totally reliable, gave us clean water worldwide, also perfect for this trip.
Thanks to Optimus for the camp stove. Bomber.
Thanks to my friend Sheena for the scoop on her adopted home of New Zealand and adopted hometown of Wanaka.
Thanks to our new friend Andrew Milne in NZ for coffee and beta on all the good free camping and backcountry hiking spots down under.
Thanks to my friend Lucho in Caraz for helping to arrange and knock out a big climb in the Cordillera Blanca.

I hope we haven't forgotten anyone, but if we did give us a holler and we'll gladly give you your due thanks. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Drew

____________________________________

Okay back to me, just to show some pictures from Seattle. We spent the first couple of nights with Mari and Michelle and had a wonderful meal of steak and wine. I think I have drank wine every evening since we got to the US! Then we had a wonderful day and evening with my friends Lynnelle and Brian who are expecting their first baby in September. And finally a few nights with my parents, with long walks, all-you-can-eat sushi (my favorite!), and mom's homemade cooking: salmon, corn on the cob, and blueberry pancakes for breakfast. We are getting completely spoiled here!

Lynnelle and Brian

Seattle Sunset from the O'Neill's deck

The O'Neills

The Extended O'Neill Clan

The Santa Cruz Trek and ebook in Pariantana

2008-07-23T07:55:00.004-06:00

Valley on Santa Cruz Trek

Once we made it out of Huaraz, we headed towards the big peaks we kept seeing looming over the city. We began the Santa Cruz Trek, which is a four day loop, circling the most massive and impressive mountains in the Cordillera Blanca. Drew had done his research, but I was blown away by these mountains of Peru. They are sheer, snowy, glacier endowed peaks, and they are jaw dropping gorgeous. The first day was spent walking through a valley, but after months of sitting on buses and being physically dormant in cities I found myself huffing and puffing up a rather easy grade. I also blame it on our packs which were ridiculously heavy with more food than we could possibly eat (we ended up bringing nearly half of it home). The Santa Cruz Trek is a great trek but is a bit of a dichotomy- naturally beautiful but scarred by humans. We got to our first camp site, and found it littered with human waste and other garbage. Again we are reminded of how lucky we are in the US, where people understand "leave no trace" principles and our wilderness is still pretty wild. Our campsite was also a pasture for a family's livestock, and throughout the night and morning, we had all types of farm animals greeting us. It was like Old McDonald's farm with donkeys, cows, dogs, chickens.... a moo moo here and a bawk bawk there...

Farm Camp

The next day was cloudy but peaceful. We took our time, enjoyed the scenery, tried to eat as much food as possible, and made our way to camp 2. A memory I have of that day is crossing a long open field and seeing a herd of horses running together. It seemed like an old western movie, with wild horses running for the sheer pleasure of it, one even bucking and kicking. We got some rain that afternoon but a bit after setting up camp, it started to clear. All day we could only see the base of a big peak in front of us, but the clouds slowly parted and finally we understood just how good our camp site really was.

Views from Campsite

On day three we climbed to a pass at about 15,000 ft. It was a clear warm day and my body finally felt like it remembered how to walk outside like this. It was really beautiful, and those hours of walking always give me time to put my thoughts in order. I thought of our trip, of home, of work, of the future, and it all seems to fit together so nicely. It is like meditation for me, walking in nature, seeing the lupine in full bloom, the butterflies warming their wings in the sun... here everything just makes sense.

On the top of the Pass

We made our way down the other side of the pass and got to our camp 3, tired. There was no one there and it was a big open field. Just to make sure we had some space, Drew found a perfect spot on the other side of the river. We set up the tent, got in, and it started to pour. It was perfect timing (we weren't screwed by nature) and we didn't get wet at all. But it rained and rained and rained, and we had to eat a cold meal in the comfort of our warm sleeping bags for fear of getting wet(this didn't help our food situation). Then, as we were enclosed in our little polyester world, we heard grunts outside. Sure enough there was a donkey and a man setting up camp 5 feet from our tent... and we thought we found our own little spot. Drew tried to convince the guide in Spanish that it was too close, but no amount of polite pressure could get this man to change his mind... so instead we had neighbors for the night. It is just one of the many times we have to shrug our shoulders and chalk it up to cultural differences.

Our final day was easy and took us through quaint villages. The first two boys who approached us with their herd of sheep, surprised us by asking for pasta (not a Spanish word). I gave them some cookies, but realized quickly the trend. Every single person we passed asked for pasta or galletas (cookies) and we knew right away they are used to trekkers and their leftover food. We have learned not to give things to people when they beg, because it just just promotes more begging. In these places, they have enough food (they are farmers), they just get used to the tourists giving treats and that is what they see in you. We would rather leave kind smiles and words and hope that not every foreign face represents pasta.

Views on the Last Day

When we finished the trek we found a van to take us back down to the cities. The ride was almost as spectacular as anything we saw on the trek, and took us over a pass surrounded by high peaks. The only problem was the van itself- it sounded like the shocks were giving out and we would soon discover why. The road itself is dirt, and full of holes and rocks. The driver didn't seem to mind and went full speed ahead over anything and everything, giving us a adrenaline rush and picking us off our seats at times. Then the back wheel started to sound worse - making grinding noises and clunking every time we turned a corner. And this was not a road where you would want to miss a corner, it was steep with drop offs into an abyss. Once we were through the worst of it, the wheel finally gave up and seemed to fall apart. The driver stopped, pulled out a string from the front seat, and went under the van to fix it. I don't know what he did with that little piece of string but it got us down the hill and to another mode of transportation. Whatever it was, it was a miracle from my point of view.

Road to Civilization

We spent a few days in the lovely town of Caraz to rest and relax. We found a great hostel with big gardens and trekking information for Drew. It was perfect because Drew ended up climbing Pisco with the owner himself. The staff only looked at us kind of funny when we ate every meal around a camp stove, trying to finish our mounds of leftover trekking food.

Then, Drew and I spent our first few days apart after a year of traveling together. It was interesting to be alone, but it made me even more appreciate of having Drew as a traveling companion through this crazy world of ours. After the Santa Cruz trek, Drew stayed in Caraz to climb Pisco and I made my way to a small village at the base of the biggest mountain in the area, Huascarán. The town is called Musho and through a fellow traveler, I made friends with two Peace Corp Volunteers that have been working there for 2 years. Their names are Benjamin and Libby and they are a great couple who invited me to stay with them in their one-room apartment without even knowing me. They have a great life in Musho and the people adore them there. They are like superstars and the kids run after them just to give them a hug. To get to their house I just told the taxi driver their names and he dropped me off right there. It is that kind of place- a small village where everyone knows each other and everyone cares, or at least has an opinion of everyone else.

Benjamin and Libby

The reason I went to Musho was to do one last ebook project before heading home. When Kelly was here in Peru we worked with two schools in the city, but we were hoping for a third in the campo to round out the experience. The school was in an even smaller village than Musho, called Pariantana, with a total of only 23 students. When we got to the school, we were greeted with hugs and high-fives from all the students. I could tell right away they have a special fondness for Ben and Libby and I got to soak it up as well.

School in Pariantana

The school was small and a bit run down, but I was happy to see a small garden growing and the kids studying live plants when we arrived. Ben did most of the talking and when the kids found out that we were writing books, they were so thrilled they could hardly contain themselves. It was hilarious because our first few questions were answered by their screaming voices all at once- they were just so darn excited. Their answers were great and I felt lucky to get an inside view into their lives. They talked about their rural lives and when asked what they do for fun, they answered that they work in the field, taking care of the plants and animals. It is quite different than the average American child's idea of fun, I would say. Also when asked about the environment they said, "For every tree we cut down we should plant a new one." This came from reading the Lorax with Ben and Libby months ago.

Teaching...

After asking all of our questions, the students took us around the village for photos. It was like letting bulls out of their cages, they wanted to run and jump and play. The other problem was if you pointed at something you wanted to take a picture of, 23 students would run full speed towards whatever it was, to be part of the picture. It is okay if it is a house or car, but imagine the startled eyes of the donkey when a group of kids came charging at it full of energy. A couple of pigs suffered when we decided to take their pictures and the students all tried to pick them up. If you could only hear the squealing! But it was fun and silly and the kids had pride in their eyes showing us their homes. For me as an outsider, it was a powerful experience.

Can you hear the pig squealing?

The best part of the project is knowing how it will benefit the kids. They live in a place with hardly any books, and the school is run in an haphazard way. It is hard to imagine a school without books, but it is the reality for many students in rural communities in our world. When told they were each going to get a book, one 6th grader said, "YES! A book of my very own! I have always wanted a book." It is one of his first, which is quite heart breaking in some ways, but it also feels good to know he will have at least one.

The whole school

The whole experience was wonderful and it is hard for me not to idealize their lives. It is a beautiful spot, with rolling hills full of crops, and a backdrop of huge snow capped peaks. The community is friendly and everyone says hello to everyone else. Their food is grown locally and it is quiet and peaceful. But in some ways I know their lives are hard. Benjamin and Libby are working on a big campaign called "Healthy Homes" where they are implementing ways to improve homes and the people's health. A big part of it is building new stoves with chimneys so that people's living places are not full of smoke. In the past, everyone just cooked over a wood fire with a pot on top of three stones, but now they have three burner stoves which can cook much more food while boiling water for drinking. I take for granted the ease of our household equipment and access to clean water. Ben and Libby truly are improving the lives around them and it was my first glimpse into what the Peace Corp is all about.

After my trip to Musho, I had a quiet day by myself in Huaraz. I had time to really think about our trip and everything we have experienced this year... it is hard to express the feelings and thoughts I am having. I also started to get butterflies in my stomach because I am so excited to come home!

In Lima, we are spending two quiet days with our friends, Veronica and Renzo. Our last feast was a parrilla with lots of meats, including intestine, chicken stomachs, and cow heart. We will continue to write about some of our reflections once we have made it to the States so stick with us a bit longer... Hasta luego!

Veronica, Renzo, and us eating Parrilla

We made it home to the good ol' US of A! We'll write soon and give you more updates!

Erin

Culmination

2008-07-18T17:07:00.018-06:00

Hey all,

Well, we´re down to 2 days left til we fly back to the U.S. One more long overnight bus ride tonight (thank GOD it´s the last one!), then a night in Lima, and then we´re headed for home and the east coast to visit my family.

Before that, though, the finale in Peru has been incredible. Finally, we returned to the mountains where I feel most alive, excited, and in my element. We´ve spent our last week and a half in the Callejon de Huaylas - a valley at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca - and, of course, in the mountains themselves. After the paro - or strike or work stoppage - that Erin mentioned, we headed off for the four-day Santa Cruz Trek which is a gorgeous hike through two dramatic mountains valleys and the high pass that links them at a height of over 15,600 feet. The Cordillera Blanca is particularly picturesque with aesthetically-shaped peaks, striking faces, and lots of active glaciers. Erin will describe the trek in more detail, but I am most excited to write about another even more exciting adventure since then.

While Erin headed off for her culminating project in a local village about which she is very excited, I ventured off for an adventure of my own which was the perfect culmination to an incredible year. With a Peruvian friend named Lucho, I climbed Mount Pisco whose summit lies at 18,887 feet. It was probably the most challenging and definitely the highest mountain climb of my life so far. Pisco is a beautiful, glacier-clad mountain that sits in the heart of the Cordillera Blanca with a ring of other even mightier and more stunning peaks surrounding it in all directions. The climb itself was generally straightforward but entailed glacier travel and a pitch of more technical climbing on a snow and ice slope to the summit at just under 19,000 feet. It was the perfect level of challenge and reward.

Approaching Pisco

The idea to climb the peak came from a British traveler we´d met in Patagonia who had passed through here a few weeks earlier, climbed the peak, and told me about it on facebook. Then when we stayed at Los Pinos Lodge in the small local town of Caraz, I mentioned I was interested in it to Lucho, the lodge owner and also a trekking guide (but not mountain guide). He was interested as well, and we started making plans to gather the gear we needed - mountaineering boots, crampons, ice axes, harnesses, rope, etc. Our initial plan was to climb it ourselves without guide, but we were not certain if we had the requisite skills and experience to do that safely and securely.

The night before the climb, I woke at 2 AM and couldn´t sleep as my mind raced about the climb and if we could do it. Then Lucho knocked on my door at 6AM and also hadn´t slept because he had a case of stomach illness, and things weren´t looking good. But we set off anyway, and he took some meds and started to feel better. In an effort to save his depleted energy, at the trailhead Lucho asked to hire a mule and mule driver (arriero) to carry his gear to the base camp and then a porter to carry his gear from base camp to the higher moraine camp from where we´d attempt the climb. In the process, we inquired about guides and found an experienced older mountain guide who agreed to guide us from the high camp to the summit. It was perfect. In just a few hours, the whole picture shifted for the better, and now I felt we were poised to reach the top.

Our donkey and arriero

With the arriero and mule following behind, we hiked the few hours to the base camp. With each step, Pisco gradually came into greater focus and appeared to be an excellent objective. At base camp, the porter shouldered Lucho´s pack, and I shouldered mine. We picked our way across the glacial moraine that stood between us and the mountain - up one side of the moraine, down into it, across a jumbled maze of rocks and boulders, then back up the other side. By early afternoon, we were at the high camp. The high camp sits at 4,900 meters which is just over 16,000 feet. It´s the highest I have ever camped, and I could tell. I had a pounding headache and felt a general sense of malaise from the altitude. But we took care of the necessary tasks in camp - setting up the tent and our sleeping setup, cooking some food, pumping water, and prepping our gear for the next day - all the while trying to minimize exposure to the scorching sun. I was chugging water profusely, took an aspirin for my headache, and laid down for a rest in the late afternoon in hopes of feeling better. At 6 PM I was back up and felt a lot better - no headache. We cooked some pasta for dinner and went to bed by 7:30, knowing we had an early alarm at 2:30 AM, a big day ahead of us, and that neither of us were well-rested from the night before. Before settling in for the night, I spent some time gazing across the valley under the light of a near-full moon and a cloudy sky, reflecting on the situation and feeling confident that things would go well the next day.

At High Camp

A Dramatic Evening

We woke at 2:30 AM and our guide Victor arrived by headlamp across the moraine to meet us at our tent as we got ready to go. At 3 AM we started the climb with a half hour more of walking on the moraine. At 3:30 AM, we reached the foot of the glacier and donned our glacier gear - crampons and ice axes - and roped up. It was the night before a full moon so for a while - until the moon set behind a nearby peak - we did not even need headlamps with the bright moonlight illuminating the white snow and ice under foot. The climb generally consisted of a glacier walk over varying degrees of slopes. There were a countless number of rises along the walk that would max out at around 45 or 50 degrees for a stretch and then level off and then steepen again and then more level. On and on, one step at a time, gradually higher.

The Ascent

At about the halfway mark - two hours into the ascent - the altitude really started to take its toll on me. I could tell I was in new territory as far as altitude goes. I had a constant headache and a feeling of mental haziness and ill health. I just kept thinking I wanted to get up to the top as soon as I could and down again. Although I felt ill, never was the summit in doubt, and I always felt we´d make it. Gradually, we got closer to our goal, and the sun rose, creating amazing lighting situations in the alpine world around us. The climbing itself also got more interesting towards the end. The final three rises were steeper than the others, and the final slope in particular provided a special challenge. The last slope is a 50 foot pitch of gradually increasing angle to the summit. It probably maxes out at 65 or 70 degrees which is pretty steep, albeit not fully vertical. The slope was a mix of snow and ice, and as I reached the middle of the slope, it was necessary to change the use of the ice ax to an ice climbing function. It was necessary to swing the ice ax overhead, set it in the slope, move my feet up by front pointing my crampons into the ice, and then repeat the process. I have been ice climbing before so I knew what to do, and it wasn´t too challenging of a slope. But at an altitude just under 19,000 feet it added a degree of challenge and interest to the climb that was absolutely perfect.

On Top

The best thing is that once we reached the top of that pitch, we were on the summit and surrounded by an amazing vista of white-capped peaks. Across a valley in one direction were the dual summits of Huascaran - the highest peak in Peru; in another was Alpamayo - a picture-perfect peak once proclaimed as the most beautiful mountain in the world. And in every other direction was one after another of stunning, glacier-clad 20,000 foot peaks - Chacraraju, Chopicalqui, Huandoy, Artesonraju, Caraz, Santa Cruz, and others. It was awesome! To tell you the truth, though, I still felt pretty terrible and was eager to start heading down.

The Descent

Lucho and I rappelled off the summit to avoid down-climbing the steep last pitch; our guide belayed us and then downclimbed it. Then we were off, and the walk down was much more enjoyable than the climb up. For one, going downhill was much easier. And two, the sun was up so we could take in the outstanding scenery all around us and the dawn of a clear, beautiful day in the mountains. Also, as we descended, I gradually felt better and could enjoy myself more with each step. In the daylight, we got a much better view of all the incredible snow and ice formations through which we were walking. We could also view and peer into the huge crevasses and snow bridges that crossed our paths. Eventually, we were all the way down to the foot of the glacier, and the climb was done. We had made it in good time and good style. The climb up from tent to summit took 4.5 hours and the descent 2.5 hours - 7 hours in total.

Approaching a Snow Bridge

The Crevasse This Snow Bridge Crosses

Because my time in Peru was short, we had to head all the way down in the same day - walk back to camp, pack up, and hike a further 4 hours down to the road. It was an incredibly long day, and my body is taxed, but I haven´t been this excited about an accomplishment in a long time. It was literally the perfect culmination to an incredible year.

A Look Back Up the Route

Now I can´t wait to get home and see my family and then catch up with friends and get started again on a new life in Colorado. Life is good. We´ll keep posting for a while so stay tuned as we put some finishing touches and thoughts on our year of travel and the new horizons ahead.

Cheers,
Drew

Friends, Strikes, and Guinea Pigs

2008-07-09T14:04:00.020-06:00

We are stuck in the city of Huaraz, as the people of Peru are on a national strike. There is no transportation into or out of any of the cities in the entire country, and we were lucky to get here the day the strike began. What we have gathered from talking to locals, and from seeing the marching in the streets, is that the strike is fueled from anger for the current government and especially the increase in food prices. It is mostly the campesinos (country folk) that are angry. We tried to explain to some people that food prices around the world are increasing, it is not just Peru. But I dont think the people living in the campo understand that, they just know it costs 30% more today to get the food they need to feed their families. The chanting and flag flying is communist in nature, with flags of Che Guevara leading the pack. But there are also signs of opposition, people who don't want to stop life for a national strike. We fall into this catagory, as we would rather have taken a bus into the mountains two days ago. But we are here, and many shops that are pretending to be shut are actually open. We could buy our food, go to restaurants, and spend a day in an internet cafe- we just can't leave. It isn't chaotic or violent at all, actually more calm and quiet with very little traffic.

Boats in Huanchaco

Over the last two weeks, we have had some fun adventures. After Lima, we spent a few days in Huanchaco, a small fishing and surfing village on the NW coast of Peru. It was a nice change of pace after a few days in Lima. We strolled the boardwalks, watched surfers, and ate tons of seafood, inculding their specialty, ceviche. The town is known for making these special boats out of reeds that they have passed down through the generations. During our time there we also went to some ruins called Chan Chan, which was a labyrinth of rooms with interesting animal carvings on the walls.

Chan Chan

Next we headed towards Cajamarca, but before we got there we had one of those nightmare travel days. We got to a bus company to take a morning bus, and found out that they were sold out until 1:30. As we discussed this option, they sold out of those tickets as well and told us the next bus was at 10:30 pm. After driving around town looking for an earlier bus (every place was sold out), we finally found one for mid-day with a company we have never heard of. There was a reason for that- the bus was hot, stinky, and slow. We were in the front seat and got baked by the sun, and we both started feeling ill. There is nothing worse than being on a winding, bumpy road, in a humid, stale bus (without a toilet), when you are feeling sick. We didn't eat a thing that day, and finally got to Cajamarca at 9:30 pm and crashed in a gross hostel for the night.

Skyler and Kelly at "Las Ventanas" (Windows) near Cajamarca

The next day we felt better and found a nice (but noisy) hotel right on the main square. We met with a school we were working with and then met up with Kelly and Skyler (See their posting below). The reason why they came to Peru is so that Kelly could see how Drew and I have been doing the Global Library Project, but really we just wanted to spend time together. It was a good mix of working with schools, seeing sites, and just having long conversations over a bottle (or two) of wine. Kelly is one of those amazing people who makes you feel excited about work and after talking with her, the dreams for the project seem like they will become reality in the future. She is always happy- smiling and laughing, and has an infinite amount of energy and excitement for life. Skyler added to the energy, and satisfied my need to be with kids (at least for the time being). She has the sweetest laugh, and when she is excited about something her whole face lights up. She also has a sneaky side, that was easy to read as well. We nick-named her "SneakyT". She was such a trooper through hikes, long days at the schools, and hours of "grown-up" talk. The two of them covered our experinces together in Cajamarca in their blog post below, so I will just add a few pictures and comments below.

The city of Cajamarca is beautiful...

Plaza de Armas (main square) in Cajamarca

San Francisco Church, Cajamarca

The City of Cajamarca from above

The classrooms we worked with writing ebooks were great. It was difficult to teach in spanish but it was a good challenge for me. Like every other time we wrote ebooks with schools, we learned so much from the students about their lives and their community. At Davy college, the students came from affluent homes, and the school gave a good education. The classrooms were uber prepared, one teacher rewrote my questions to fit with her curriculum and the other had his students bring in photos on thumb drives. It was a bit different than our other experiences in Nepal and Thailand but they have the infrastructure to actually start a partnership between their school and Colorado schools. The other school, Joyas Para Christo was a more typical Latin American school, a bit chaotic and crazy, but wonderful. The books will turn out great, and we will post them when they are finished.

2nd grade and 6th grade, respectively at Davy College

4th grade at Joyas Para Christo

We had some time to see some sites around town, including "Las Ventañas" or windows. They are actually tombs of noble people

Cumbemayo is a rock forest where Kelly, Skyler and I hiked. There are 3,000 year old petroglyphs and canals.

A family we met during our hike at Cumbemayo

A hill above Cajamarca, called Santa Apolonia

And finally, our last meal together Cuy! (guinea pig)

Tomorrow Drew and I head into the mountains of the Cordillera Blanca, for our last hurrah! We will do a 4-day trek and then attempt to climb a big peak at almost 19,000 feet. It will be a good time, surrounded by nature, to reflect on the past year and all our adventures. We are counting down the days until we reach US soil, 11 days away!

Erin

P.S. Guinea Pig is gross!

Cajamarca, Peru by Skyler and Kelly

2008-07-07T21:26:00.015-06:00

After following the blog for a year, we feel a bit starstruck!...

From Skyler
I really really liked my trip. Especially with Erin and Drew. I had a great time. My favorite part of Peru is finding cow teeth and playing uno and go fish. The coolest part was going through a dark cave. We took a tour of a place called Cumbemayo – it is called a rock forest. It looked like a forest of huge rocks. I thought they looked like popsicles. We saw girls herding the sheep there and then we gave a baby and a toddler an orange and a banana. They were Peruvian. They had big hats and colorful clothes.

We walked through the street market in the city. There was a lot of stinky fish there. There was a lot of fruit and all it smelled like was fish. The smells changed over and over. We saw potatoes and hair clips and Barbie shoes. There were also baby chickens and lots of ice cream carts (helado). I ate a lot of ice cream and drank soda that tasted like bubble gum (Inca Kola).

We rode on a combi (a small local bus). Taking the bus was really bumpy and we didn’t get car sick. We saw lots of markets while we were riding on the bus. There were lots of women on the bus with us. We were so squished like pancakes. This is how many people travel in Peru. I would not like to ride to school like that everyday.

I went to two schools and three classes with my mom, Erin and Drew. One little girl gave me one sticker. But, it actually turned out to be 100 stickers. After one girl gave me a sticker, all of the girls and boys started to give me stickers. I felt like I was taking a sticker shower.

In Miraflores, Lima we saw lots of paragliders. If I went on it, I would say “yippee-kay-a”, but I think it would also be scary. If I was on a paraglider I would be so scared people! On our walk, we found a red bus. It was a bus that drove around and told people about Lima. There was an upstairs on the bus that was very tall and very windy. I touched a tree on my forehead on the bus. We drove around the city and learned about Lima.

Beep-beep, honk-honk! The cars never stop making noise here. All it was was beep beep and honk honk. We think that beeps are the way that the drivers talk to each other. They honk a lot! They honk in the city and in the country.

In the country hacienda that we stayed at a cow was eating a garden. It looked like the girl was herding the cows. I jumped on a trampoline with the cow. He ate the garden and I bounced up and down (and learned how to do a sit jump!). I also saw sheep, pigs, roosters and chickens, horses, and lots of dogs.

The airplanes were bumpy. We rode a small airplane that was so loud we had to wear earplugs. It had two propellers. On the other airplanes I was really sleepy, except for today. I made a new friend from Bolivia on the airplane from Lima to Mexico City. We played Uno and spaceship.

I miss my Daddy. I miss cereal, my dogs, and eating fruit. I really liked Peru. Peru is my favorite place that we have ever been to. It was fun and I saw lots of animals.

From Kelly
Cajamarca, Peru was a wonderful experience. We are so happy that we got to spend a week with Erin and Drew near the end of their trip and soak up all of their stories about their journey. The fact that we were swapping stories over fried guinea pig made it even better!

It is a place that is easy to travel with children for the most part because everyone is so incredibly friendly. Aside from the Lima airport, which is just a tad intimidating to navigate with a child, I never felt uncomfortable. Skyler is an incredible travel partner who complains very little and tolerates a lot.

Cajamarca proved to be a great learning experience for me to see first hand how Erin and Drew have been writing the ebooks with local schools. The first school we worked with was anything but common; Davy College is a tremendous K-12 program to rival any school in the states. It sits on a private sprawling campus with manicured gardens and topiaries cut in the likeness of llamas. The teachers are from all over the world, the resources are plentiful, and the students are clearly benefiting academically from their experience there. We worked with a 2nd grade class where Erin taught completely in Spanish. It was very fun to watch her explain her travels and engage the kids in writing about their community without a word of English. We also worked with a 6th grade class, in English, who brought in photographs from home to add to the book. Our contact there was passionate about her work and has made it her mission to use the ebook software and Global Library Project at the school. Our second school was more typical of a school in a city in Peru. Walking down the tight city street, there is nothing more than a nondescript door and sign at the entrance of the school. When through the door, it opens up to a 2-story tiled courtyard that is the center of the classrooms. This was a much different experience in terms of teaching (which Erin and Drew did again 100% in Spanish). The class size was much bigger (~30 students) and the classroom was much smaller. The students put together a wonderful book about where they live all while showering Skyler with gifts like stickers, keychains, bracelets, and pens. After seeing the books being written, I am more convinced now than ever that these ebooks and this project have a purpose.

We enjoyed the architecture of the churches, the constant flow of people in the central plaza (Plaza de Armas), and finding nice little spots of interest and amazing 3000 year history. At the end of the week when the work was done, we spent two days away from the city in a big hotel and had the entire place to ourselves. Even though it was only 6 km from the city, it felt like 100. It was muy tranquillo – quiet, relaxed, beautiful, and a small taste of rural life. They had a small trampoline, which made it a wonderful place for Skyler, and we got to just sit and read, talk, and be together.

The trip was also one of juxtapositions. Skyler jumped on a trampoline while a cow grazed a few feet from her. We saw a street performer in Cajamarca dressed as a robot who came to life when you put money in his cup…and a rural woman poking him in the bottom with a stick trying to figure him out. There are layers of city and country at every turn, and very few gringos (at least where we traveled). There are tightly woven cities with crowded sidewalks and people everywhere and then a few kilometers away there are vast spaces with evidence of the ancient peoples, including petroglyphs, tombs, and irrigation systems. The colors of the people are a brightly stark contrast to the drier colors of the landscape – you could always find the campesinos on the hillside because of their brightly colored cloths.

Every journey is a gift. I am grateful for the opportunity to bring Skyler here and to hook up with Erin and Drew in such a magical and rich place.

Cuzco and Machu Picchu

2008-06-22T11:00:00.021-06:00

We have been in Cuzco for about two and a half weeks, living with a Peruvian family and taking Spanish classes here. It has been a nice change of pace to be in one spot for an extended amount of time, getting into a routine (2 weeks is the longest we have stayed put, since December) and challenging our minds a bit. The school we went to is called Excel, and is a well organized, tightly run place. We really liked our teacher, Lyda, and her teaching style. She pushed us, but not too hard. We have learned to speak in their 2 past tenses (preterite and imperfect) as well as the future tense. When we arrived we spoke solely in the present tense for everything. We also learned commands, which will be especially useful when we are teaching in Cajamarca. The school had a few excursions, so that we could use Spanish in the "real world". We went to an Inca museum one day, which was great but all we did was listen. One day we went into the campo (countryside) and made hornos (ovens) out of dirt and cooked potatoes underground. Unfortunately, ours was the worst one and it fell apart. And one day, to our chagrin we had to sing a song in Spanish in front of the school. While Drew had the job of yelling out "Vamanos!" at the beginning of the song, I revealed my unknown talent of playing air guitar in front of a crowd of bored students. We also spent an evening learning to salsa dance (Drew was indulging me), but couldn't get past the first spin move for the life of us. Besides learning Spanish, we learned that we are not talented singers or dancers, and lucky for you we don't have pictures.

Besides school, we have been living with a Peruvian family here. The father, Julio Ceasar is a Cardiologist and the mother stays at home. We haven't seen much of the mother because she has been in Lima with her sick father. There is also a housekeeper, Fortunata, who cooks and cleans with her two sons. The family also has an adopted 7 year old daughter named Liliana who we talk to and play with quite a bit. Besides the family, there are 6 other students living there, so the house is always lively and interesting. The experience has been comfortable and easy, a good balance between having our own space and having time with the family and students. We practiced our Spanish and ate well, and it was actually really nice to live in a real home and not eat in restaurants (which have proven to be dangerous in Peru).

Cuzco has been very festive and colorful during our stay. It is a beautiful town in many ways, with many churches and small cobblestone streets winding up the hills. All the houses seem to be the color of the earth, and looking out across the city you see a sea of adobe-colored homes, strewn with colorful laundry hanging outside. The people are a mix of indigenous and Spanish, and many women still wear the traditional clothing of the area; big skirts, round top hats, and always carrying a colorful satchel (or a child) on their backs. The city has been getting ready for their biggest festival of the year for winter solstice, Inti Raymi (celebrated on June 24). Everyday there seems to be activity in the center of town. A few times we have stumbled upon huge dancing parades, where groups of students are dressed in traditional clothes and dancing in the streets. The colors are amazing, so bright and vivid, and combined with the music, it feels like a true cultural experience. The festivities are part of their tradition done for themselves, not for the tourists. We also saw a huge float parade, with enormous sculptures of different people, animals, and other things (including Shrek). All this has added to our experience here in Cuzco, which has felt very vibrant and interesting.

The flip side of Cuzco is the traffic, the constant noise, and the smell of urine. Cars have the right of way (not the pedestrians) and it is a free for all. Imagine a line of grid-locked traffic, all honking their horns, and you'll have a good sense of the traffic here. Even though the traffic is bad, I think the drivers have a clue about what they are doing. The pedestrians on the other hand, are completely clueless, always walking out in front of you or stopping mid stride. Cuzco is a busy city and you have to be very careful with your belongings. Cuzco has the highest theft rate in all of Peru, but luckily there is little violent crime. We have gotten used to most of these things though, and it doesn't phase us anymore, we walk around people, we've stopped feeling alarmed when a car squeals by inches from our feet, we hold tightly to our possessions, and the urine, well I don't think you ever get used to that.

The highlight of our time here was visiting Machu Picchu. It is hard to explain the feeling that comes over you as you climb the stairs and get your first view over Machu Picchu, it is absolutely incredible. The site itself is amazing, but the landscape surrounding it makes the whole place feel very mystical and surreal. The ecosystem is a cloud forest, and the mountains are green with vegetation. There are tropical flowers, and butterflies and birds flying around. Unfortunately the most numerous animal is that of the human species. I would be lying if I said this didn't take away from the experience. You would be sitting there gazing out across the years, at a civilization of incredible power and mystery, and a large Texan woman with burnt cheeks and a big hat with "Machu Picchu" written across the front, would step in front of you scream at her husband and ruin the moment. It was impossible to get away from the other people and have a moment to ourselves. But alas, we are tourists too and we had to accept the fact that Machu Picchu comes as a package deal which includes Texans.

The history of Machu Picchu is very interesting. The Inca believed they were the first people, born from the Sun. They built Machu Picchu as the last of many sites along the sacred valley and it is full of the symbolism and spirituality of the Inca. They worshiped nature- the sun, moon, stars, the mountains, and the animals. All of this is apparent in the construction of Machu Picchu, where you see the shapes of animals in the rocks, sun dials made out of carved stones, and their own representations of the mountains. What is really amazing, is how they built this city right out of the side of a very steep mountainside. The Inca are known for their architectural design, it is an art. Their construction is flawless- huge rocks, cut at different angles and rubbed smooth so that they fit perfectly together, almost seamless. There is no need for cement, because the blocks are like a puzzle, all holding the others together. You see these things and begin to understand their society. You can imagine people living there, working there, and you understand that the Incas who populated Machu Picchu were highly intelligent, strong, and spiritual. We learned that the society always took care of each other. If one woman lost her husband and had kids to feed, others would help her. Nobody would go hungry. In Quechua (the language of the Inca), there is no word for possession or ownership, because everything is shared. In a way, it is an idealistic way of life. The height of the Inca Empire only lasted a little over 100 years, but their decedents are a large part of the Peruvian life today. The history and culture is intricately woven in today's society.

We climbed up Wayna Picchu, shown in the background of the classical view of Machu Picchu. They only let 400 people climb this each day, and we were lucky to get the chance. It was a steep climb, but gave us views over the site. Supposedly, MP looks like an upside down condor from this view, but I couldn't quite make it out, can you? We found a small area to ourselves and had lunch overlooking Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains and meandering river below. We had a scary descent down the slippery, steep stairs but made it out alive.

We also had the chance to visit some other Inca sites near Cuzco. One place in town is called Qoricancha, and is interesting because it is an Inca site that was covered by a Spanish church. In 1950 there was a huge earthquake that destroyed the church, but Qoricancha was unharmed. Today both structures are there, reflecting both cultures. We spent our last Saturday walking to four sites, but two stood out. One called Qenqo was a strange place of carved tunnels and underground tombs. The other called Sacsayhuaman (pronounced like "Sexy Woman") is a large site with enormous rocks, again perfectly cut and fit together. It is hard to imagine the Inca creating these places with man-power alone!

Now we have made it to Lima, the capital city of Peru. We are staying with Norma's sister and husband here (whose parents we stayed with in Bolivia). We head north in a few days, for some beach time and then to meet Kelly and Skyler in Cajamarca to make our next ebook! Give us a shout out if you are still with us, we love your comments!

Love, Erin

Our Final Frontier

2008-06-07T11:05:00.006-06:00

We´ve reached Peru, the last country on our itinerary before heading back stateside. We´re in the city of Cuzco which has about 400,000 people and will be our base of operations for the next few weeks. Cuzco is the main jumping off point for Machu Piccu and the Sacred Valley which contains a number of Incan historical sites that we hope to explore while we´re here. We start two weeks of Spanish classes on Monday. The lessons will be the two of us with one instructor so we should learn alot and hopefully move our local language skills a step or two forward. Tomorrow we start a two-week homestay with a Peruvian family. The family consists of a couple and three godchildren. The husband is a cardiologist, and the wife is a teacher and housewife. There are two boys - ages 25 and 18 - and one girl - age 6. We´re really looking forward to the opportunity to improve our Spanish in a focused environment as well as immerse ourselves in the home of a Peruvian family and get to know what their lives are like.

Cuzco from above Barrio San Blas

We are also looking forward to just being in one spot for a while, me especially. I´ve had two bouts of GI illness in the last week, and Erin has had one. We´ve also travelled quite a long distance from southern Argentina all the way to Peru via some long bus rides. The truth is that it has taken it out of us a bit. It´s been a long road, and we need some R&R. We´re thinking that Cuzco will be a good haven for that so that we can recuperate and get revved back up for the final month and half of our travels here. I know it´s a unique opportunity to be here with so much time so I´m eager to be in good shape to take advantage.

Isla del Sol with Cordillera Real in background

Before arriving in Peru, we spent our final days in Cocacabana, Bolivia, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The lake is a monstrously big, deep blue, high-altitude lake. It´s over 3,000 square miles in size - up to 120 miles wide and 50 miles long - and resides at 12,000 feet in altitude. The lake is sacred to many of the native Quechua and Aymara people of the area, and the Isla del Sol is an island on the lake that was the place of origin for man according to the Incan creation myth. We visited Isla del Sol on a day trip and walked its length from north to south, about a 3-hour hike. It´s a charming island that features three different villages as well as Incan and pre-Incan ruins. Perhaps the best things about it, though, are the relative peace and quiet that it offers and the majestic mountain views to the Cordillera Real (Royal Range) to the west. We haven´t had many opportunities to get out and hike and relax of late so it was a welcome day for us.

The locals on Isla del Sol

As this is an impromptu post, I don´t have our photos with us but will post them soon. We should also be able to share some photos of our new home and temporary family as well. And all of you anonymous readers out there, drop us a line and let us know what´s new in your neck of the woods...your nape of the way...where you live. We´d love to hear from you!

Adios!
Drew

Bolivia

2008-06-02T08:41:00.003-06:00

We have left Argentina and entered the world of Bolivia. We spent our final week in Argentina in a wonderful city called, Salta, and it was everything we love about cities. It was clean, safe, beautiful, and surrounded by outstanding landscape. We didn't expect this gem in Northern Argentina, and found ourselves pleasantly surprised. The city was full of green plazas where there is always activity, but they also serve as a peaceful refuge. The plazas were surrounded by trees covered in oranges (they tasted awful) and open air restaurants, similar to a European city. The architecture around the city was really outstanding, especially the pink cathedrals with their gaudy interior.

The highlight of Salta was when we took a one day tour to the outlying countryside. We stopped at small villages and strolled along cobblestone streets. Men and women in indigenous clothes sold handicrafts in all sorts of colors.

We stopped by an old archaeological site, and learned about the rich history of the area. There were many indigenous tribes before the Incas, and they too fought the Spanish to keep their territory. One funny story I recall is of a chief who dressed up the cacti in the area to look like soldiers, and when the Spanish saw how many people they would have to fight, they retreated. We also got to see the beautiful landscape, which is a dry and arid desert, cut by canyons with multi-colored layers of rock. One area called the Painter's Palate Mountain had 10 different colors in the rocks! It was a colorful day and we wished we had more time to explore the area, but alas, we were off to Bolivia.

We spent two hot, sticky, terrible days in the border towns between Argentina and Bolivia. When we crossed the border between Aguas Blancas on the Argentinean side to Bermejo on the Bolivian side, we were struck right away by the differences. First of all, we had to cross a river and when we got into Bolivia, there was no sign of a custom's office or anyone checking passports. We had to take a taxi for a few kilometers to get to an indiscriminate office, where we paid our $100 for a visa. They have specific rules in place for Americans because we have our own rules for them when they come to the US, but they don't seem to be very worried about their border control.

After a long day of getting our visa and traveling north, we finally got to Tarija. We decided to go there because our friend Norma's family lives there. She is Bolivian, but now lives in the US. She lived with Jabe and Julie (my nanny family) for awhile, where I met her, and their family visited Tarija for her recent wedding- that's the connection. As soon as we got to Norma's parent's house, her mother Ana came out to greet us. She is a lovely woman and straight away cooked up a feast for us. It was just the beginning of many huge meals cooked by Ana.

We spent five days in Tarija. Norma's father, Justino, gave us tours of the surrounding campo (countryside) and we spent time exploring the city itself. But the best part of our stay there was simply spending time with a Bolivian family. They were tremendously generous, especially with the meals they cooked. We had many traditional dishes, as well as two parillas (barbecues), one of fish and one of several meats. We ate like you do during the holidays - too much! We also had the opportunity to go to the campesino (farmer's) market with Ana- a crazy, crowded place. We went to a part where they sell thousands of fish (all the same kind), but somehow she knew exactly what she was looking for. Once we bought our fish, we took them to a different area where they scale and gut them. Scales were flying, music was playing, and it was busy, stinky, and rich in experience. It was a taste of the local culture that we likely would not have seen on our own.

We spent our meal times conversing in Spanish, which was great practice for us. We could understand most of what was said, and even had in depth conversations about things like politics. Bolivia is the poorest of the South American countries, and there is a large divide between the haves and have-nots. The president, Evo Morales, is also a topic of heated discussions. He supports the rural, indigenous population (60% of the people), and wants a more socialized government. The working class, business owners and land owners, feel that their livelihood is in jeopardy and have many opinions about the current government. Much of the wealth lies in the lowlands, Tarija and Santa Cruz, and there is talk about these places separating from Bolivia to become autonomous. And all this we learned in Spanish!

Ana and Justino treated us like family, which is really nice after ten months on the road. We felt loved and pampered the whole time, and we had the chance to relax in the comforts of a home. We got to see Norma's entire wedding video, including the ceremony and the hours of dancing that followed. It was great to be able to see Pascal and Sabine dancing alongside a group of Bolivians- Pascal has some moves! We left Tarija in an emotional farewell, like we had known each other a lifetime.

We spent 18 painful hours on a bus to La Paz. Within hours I felt the change of altitude, the bus was freezing cold, and there was an infant crying every 10 minutes throughout the entire night. We got to La Paz, red-eyed and weary, but soon made it to the house of our new friends, Claudine and Wes, who are good friends with Ben and Casey.

They have a beautiful, 3-bedroom apartment on the 16th floor of a building, with great views of the city. They are both archaeology students here, studying a nearby site called Tiahuanaku. They opened their home to us, and we've been indulging in western delights, like blueberry pancakes, movies, and internet.

La Paz is a very interesting city. First of all, it is at about 13,000 ft in elevation and sits in a bowl surrounded by a high plain and mountains. When you look around, even amongst the buildings, you see homes in the hills rising above the city. La Paz has a large population of indigenous people, so it is colorful and vibrant, and it feels exotic even just walking down the street. It is loud and busy and there is a lot of poverty, but I am really enjoying the richness of the culture and the unique setting of La Paz.

We spent the last two days in Tiahuanaku with Claudine and Wes. It felt good to get out of the city and into the countryside. The site itself is really cool, and dates back to 500 A.D. (before the Incas).
It was amazing to be able to walk through the area with Claudine and Wes, since they are experts. We learned so much about the history of Tiahuanaku, and how the people might have lived. They built large tiered structures, with sunken courtyards in the center. There seems to be symbolism in almost every detail, and is designed based on the natural world around them. The sun, water, earth, animals, and people all are interconnected, and you see this in their artwork. See saw intricate rock carvings, painted pottery, and shaped metal. My two favorite parts of Tiahuanaku were huge monoliths of humans with carvings all over their bodies, and also a sunken courtyard with carved heads popping out of the walls. Another amazing aspect of the area, is that different people lived there for thousands of years. So you see evidence of the ancient Tiahuanaku culture that built these sites, and Incan ruins built on top of them. When the Spaniards came, they used the stones to build the church that exists in the town today. Many parts of the new town are built out of the ruins and you see the Tiahuanaku rocks in the buildings throughout the village. Also, there are pieces of pottery and bones scattered everywhere you look, because people continually lived there and dug up the earth to build new places. It was a fascinating visit, thanks to our personal tour guides!

Finally, some pictures of the local people, taken at the market in the town of Tiahuanaku. This morning we`re off for Lake Titicaca for two days and then on to Cuzco, Peru, which will be our home for the next few weeks. We plan to take Spanish classes there while also exploring the surrounding area and Inca ruins, including Machu Piccu.

Erin

Reflections on Argentina

2008-05-29T16:39:00.016-06:00

We've now left Argentina, as Erin will relate shortly, but I wanted to recap a few observations and sentiments that I had about the country while traveling there. It speaks volumes that of all the countries outside the U.S. that we have visited, Argentina stands out as one of my two favorites - along with Thailand. My reasoning for liking these two countries are similar. First and foremost, I love the natural world, and both these countries feature amazing landscapes - striking, majestic mountains and glaciers and open country in the case of Argentina and gorgeous tropical islands and beaches and coral reefs in the case of Thailand. Secondly, the people of these two countries are very gregarious and outgoing and welcoming. They have vibrant cultures of which they are proud and into which they welcome you with open arms. Next comes the food - and drink, I suppose. Argentina features amazing meals of steak and beef coupled with outstanding and affordable red and white wines. Thailand has my favorite food of any country we've visited, boasting an amazing assortment of flavors, spices, curries, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables and more - all washed down with cheap and light beers that go down easy in the hot weather. Both countries also provide a good quality of travel - nice accommodation, good infrastructure, quality roads and buses and airports, and generally the things needed to make travel easy and enjoyable as opposed to tough and burdensome. Overarching all of this, the two countries are very affordable. They are in the mid-tier of countries where an American can travel comfortably at a very affordable daily cost - not expensive like New Zealand or Europe and not dirt cheap like Laos or Bolivia - but offering a great value for enjoyable travels. Given all of the above, it is not surprising that we spent the most time in these two countries while traveling in South America and Southeast Asia. I give my hearty endorsement for you to see them in your lifetime if the above reasoning appeals to you.

The landscape - Cerro Torre

Now that I've professed my love for Argentina, here are some more specific thoughts and observations on the country.

Food - It's all about the beef. All manner of meat dishes are cooked and consumed by Argentinians on a daily basis. Our favorite, of course, was the steak. Great quality, great price. They also love mayonnaise in this country - too much so even. The Italian influence is evident in many things, especially the prevalence of pasta and pizza. The country also has some great ice cream and chocolate, an influence of some of the Swiss who emigrated to the Lakes District here. Sweet-tooth Erin's favorite discovery was dulce de leche (literally "sweet from milk"). It is similar to condensed milk but a more accurate comparison is caramel. It is basically like eating caramel, and they put it in and on everything . It's often featured for breakfast to be spread on bread; picture yourself waking up and dousing a roll in melted caramel and that's an accurate comparison. Erin was in love. Another common dessert is an alfajor which is essentially two slices of cake with dulce de leche sandwiched in between - not unlike a Ding Dong. In general, the food, particularly the beef, is good in Argentina, if not widely varied.

The food - an asado, or Argentine barbecue

Drink - The most notable drink in Argentina is its wine. They are very good and very cheap. I love reds, and they make great cabernets, merlots, and syrahs. They also have some good tempranillos which is a more spicy red. The big red wine discovery here, though, was malbec. Malbec is a smooth, easy-drinking red wine that comes from a European grape that has flourished more here than anywhere in the world. Go out and get yourself a good, relatively affordable malbec from the Mendoza or San Juan regions, and you'll be pleased. They also have good whites. In addition to the common chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, the new white wine discovery was torrontes. It's fruity but also sort of dry - a very interesting and unique white that also has done best in Argentina than anywhere else in the world. Buy one from Cafayate, a town in an arid valley in the north, and you may be pleased at a new wine discovery.

The food and drink - steak and vino

An interesting liquor that is "the drink" of all the young folk is fernet. They drink it with Coke like Americans would drink a bourbon and Coke - albeit without the bourbonization. Fernet branca is the full name, and it is a spirit made from grapes and flavored by up to 40 herbs. The taste is unique - sort of mediciney, like Dr. Pepper a bit - and is definitely an acquired one. But if you're looking to try a new drink, check it out and you'll be just like a hip, young Argentinian.

Aside from alcoholic beverages, the national beverage is matè (pronounced "mahtay"). It's a hot tea made from steeping the herb yerba matè in hot water. Its consumed from a traditional gourd called a matè through a metal (traditionally silver) straw called a bombilla. It's a social or communal drink and is typically shared amongst a circle of friends. The taste is a touch bitter and not my favorite - also an acquired taste, like coffee can be. But I was invited countless times to drink matè with the locals and often did so just for the opportunity to share in a local custom and chat with the local people. To me, it's sort of a symbol of their generosity, openness, and social nature. Another good aspect is that it is enjoyed by all - north, south, east, west, rich, poor, young, old. That's a good thing in a country that has some major distinctions in the class and wealth of its people.

A huge national pastime - like all over the world - is following and playing football (soccer). The people are passionate about it - arguably fanatical. They follow their national team, the variety of leagues in Argentina, as well as all the European leagues. A tournament among club teams from the Latin American countries extending from Mexico through all of Central and South America called Copa de Libertador was taking place when we visited so it was great to watch some games and get some reactions from the local peeps. Boca and River Plate are the two most popular clubs and arch-rivals. They`re the Yankees-Red Sox of Argentina. We also witnessed people playing football all over the place - kids in the streets, organized matches on both nice and ragtag fields, and families in the parks with mom, dad, and kids all joining in. It was cool to witness their passion for the game - although I do wish they had better coverage of the NBA Playoffs.

The sport - family football in a Mendoza park on a Sunday afternoon

A crazy dynamic of life here is the hours that people keep. They enjoy a siesta from 1 to 4 in the afternoon, and therefore their work and evening hours are way different than in the U.S. They go home and sleep during siesta, then return to work until as late as 8, 9, 10 PM. It's impossible to get anything done during the early afternoon hours, as we learned on countless occasions because we weren't quite on the local program. Their dinner time is way late, usually 9PM or later. For my birthday, we made a reservation for 8:30 - relatively late for us - only to walk into a vacant restaurant and amused waitstaff. The place didn't get going until after 10 PM, and when we left tired and yawning (I am 32 now, after all), there were young kids aged 2, 3 and 4 strolling in with their families, wide awake and ready to go. The nightlife is even later. One night we wanted to share a beer with a British couple we met in Patagonia who were heading in a different direction the next day and searched for an open bar at 9PM, only to be told they don't open until 11 or midnight. And the young people stay out all night until 5 or 6 AM or later as common practice on the weekend.

Overall, the quality of life in Argentina is generally good. In both Chile and Argentina, I was surprised by how good it is. Both countries were also much more European than I expected, drawing huge influences from Spain and Italy and to a lesser extent other European countries. Argentina offers a good infrastructure as mentioned above; you can drink the tap water in many places, as one example. The education system seems pretty sound, with nearly full literacy of the population. But amidst this generally good environment, we witnessed and learned there is a major difference between classes. You can see the poverty in certain corners vie the ramshackle old jalopies that are amazingly still on the road and the rundown, adobe-style houses that leave a great deal to be desired. At one time in the first half of the 19th century, Argentina was one of the wealthiest nations in the world, even lending money to European nations after WWII. But the economy and the distribution of wealth has not been managed well since that time, and the economy and resulting welfare of the people have undergone some major ups and downs. At this juncture, there is a small group of very wealthy people, a reasonable middle class, but also about a quarter to a third of the people living in poverty. The country had a multi-year recession culminating in a currency collapse in 2001 that diminished the middle class and really hurt the working class. The country has rebounded relatively well since that time but is still struggling to reduce its huge debt load and has a widely diverging income distribution. From talking to some of the poorer working class people, we got a sense that they are very skeptical of the government's interest in helping their cause. This is a dynamic and sentiment which has been increasingly common in South America in the last 5 or 1o years and has led to the rise of leftist government leaders like Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia. For the first time, I am starting understand this dynamic more clearly, not that I feel it's the best way to go.

There is some degree of conservatism in Argentina, as well as Chile, due to the predominant religion being Roman Catholic, with over 90% expressing this as their faith. The predominance of Catholicism is true of many South American countries, including Bolivia and Peru where we`re headed next. There is also a degree of conservatism resulting from the military dictatorships that ran these country with a ruthless and violent means of quashing any opposition in the 70's and 80's.

And finally, some of my favorite memories of Argentina.
- Trekking in front of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre in Patagonia - unbelievable!
- Watching the monstrously big Perito Moreno Glacier spectacularly calve off in huge sections into a lake below
- El Pueblito Hostel in El Bolson - the staff, the breakfasts, the other travelers, the asados, the relaxing vibe, the extended stay
- A backcountry hut trip into the mountains above El Bolson with two 19-year old chaps from England
- Our plush 2 BR townhouse for around $22 a night in Bariloche in the Lakes District
- Sharing some home-cooked food and steaks and having some great conversations in Spanish and English with two working class Argentinian guys
- Enjoying the wines and bodegas of Mendoza and San Juan
- A great birthday meal with Erin of amazingly tender filets and red wine. Then being pleasantly surprised by a gift of a bottle of malbec from the hostel owner upon our return to our room. This crystallized my fondness for the generosity of the Argentinians.
- The charming city of Salta, my favorite in all of the country
- Staying up til 4 in the morning drinking fernet and Cokes with a party of 20-year old Argentines and exchanging our thoughts and perspectives on their country and mine in a combination of English and Spanish. A really cool experience.
- The amazing red-rock landscapes in the northern part of the country - stunning. This was the most unheralded part of Argentina for me. I just wish I had understood how amazing it was earlier so that we had more time to explore.

The landscape - Red rock country above Pumamarca in the north

That's all I can come up with at the moment. Hope that better colors your perception of Argentina, its food, people, and society. It's a great place, and I hope it continues to find its way and prosper in the future.

Drew

Viva y Vino Tinto

2008-05-15T08:29:00.023-06:00

Mendoza conjures up romantic images of wines and countryside, doesn't it? We thought about spending several weeks in this midsize town to take spanish classes and explore the surrounding vineyards, as we had this image of a quaint, cultural town. But, Mendoza is a big city, with all the smog, traffic, and crime that goes along with big cities. After having several weeks in small rural towns, we found ourselves unnerved by the loud sounds of the city, the cloud-belching trucks, and the slight feeling of sketchiness. We also had just stayed in two of the nicest places of our whole trip in El Bolson and Bariloche, and got to our hostel in Mendoza with outdated furniture and a dreary feel to it. At first we were disappointed, but after accepting what Mendoza is really like, we could then enjoy it. It is like a good red wine, it gets better with time.

Bodega Cellar

We had two outings from Mendoza. One was a trip to the nearby town of Maipu, which is where the wine route is. Instead of doing a "wine tour" we got on the local bus and rented bikes. Sounds great, right? We were picturing our trip to Napa with Drew's family or the New Zealand's Malborough region with Aly. Again we were a bit disappointed as we rode through a shabby town, on a torn up road, with semi-trucks wizzing by us. It wasn't the peaceful experience we had in mind, but after a few stops, we started enjoying ourselves. The bodegas (vineyards) themselves were nice, and we got tours and did tastings at 4 different places. One thing we learned was that there is a big difference in taste between wines that are stored in oak barrels (mature) compared to those stored in stainless steel or other containers (young). We tend to like the mature, oaky wines best, but they are also more expensive. We ended the day at a chocolateria and got to taste chocolate liquors, spreads, and different homemade chocolates, it was my kind of place!

Wine Guard Dog

The following day, May 11, was Drew's big 32nd birthday and Mother's Day! For a treat, we made ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches for breakfast. We spent part of the day at a huge park in town, filled with families playing futball and couples laying in the sun. Drew talked to his whole family on the phone, and we got to see little Bridget and Braeden on Skype. This is one of the biggest gifts of all, just to communicate with our loved ones on special days. We celebrated by going out to a nice dinner. The funny thing was getting to the restaurant at 8;30 (late for us) and having the whole place to ourselves. The Argentinians started showing up at 9 or later. We had the most huge delicious steaks, and a wonderful bottle of wine. We toasted our moms, and life on the road! When we got back to our place, there was a bottle of wine with a note from the hostel for Drew's birthday. It was such a nice gesture, and we realized we were in the right place, afterall.

Drew on his 32nd with steak feast

For our second excursion, we took a bus to the region near Aconcagua, which has the prestige of being the highest mountain outside of the Himalaya! We spent 4 hours going and 4 hours returning, but it was worth it. We had clear skies and good views. The landscape is dry and barren, with red earth like Utah. But then there is this huge, glacier-covered peak right there! Pretty sweet!

Cerro Aconcagua

San Juan Vineyard

From Mendoza, we made our way to San Juan, another wine region of Argentina. San Juan is an interesting town because it was levelled in 1944 by a huge earthquake. Therefore, it has a 1950's feel to it and it is smaller and more tame than Mendoza. Yesterday we did another bike ride to the surrounding bodegas, but this time we were prepared for the roads. It's all about your mindset going into these things, and we had a great day because we weren't disappointed by our expectations. We visited 4 different places; 3 wineries and 1 place that makes organic champagne. When we were off the busy roads it was quite nice, and we got to see a slice of the Argentinian country life. All the tours we did were in spanish, which we could understand, mas or menos. Drew's spanish is pretty good, and he gets compliments from people all the time. I am sort of shy talking in spanish, so I am not progressing as much. But I'm trying to learn from Drew's example.

Biking in San Juan

Vineyard in San Juan

As we continue to head north, the weather is warming up. We head to the town of Salta next, on another! overnight bus ride tonight. 12 hour flights will seem like nothing after the bus rides in Argentina! Then we continue to head north into Bolivia, which will be more rustic and adventurous. We will begin our trip to Bolivia by staying with Norma's family (friend of Julie Edsforth), which should be a great inside experience of life in Bolivia. It will also be a good time to practice our spanish, as they don't speak english. Then we head to La Paz to stay with friends of Ben and Casey. We're so lucky to have these connections, and thanks to our friends for helping this along!

Thoughts of coming home are creeping in more and more regularly these days and I am even dreaming about work pretty consistently. We are looking forward to seeing our family and friends, but we're also enjoying our last 2 months of travel and freedom! Happy Birthday to my sister, Mari on the 18th!

Erin

Chilling In the Lakes District

2008-05-08T08:46:00.005-06:00

Buenos dias! Hope everyone is well. Erin and I are winding down a relaxing two weeks in the Lakes District of Argentina. This area has been in the news of late due to the volcano that has erupted in Chile across the border a few hundred kilometers away. We´re reasonably close but a safe distance away. We did witness the massive plume of smoke from the volcano last week over the valley of El Bolson where we were staying. Then last night in the town of Bariloche where we are now we had a brief rain of ashes that put a covering of ash on everything. And the night before the volcano first erupted we were staying at a backcountry hut, and I think I felt tremors - even before we knew that a volcano had erupted. So that has been pretty wild.

Smoke Plume from Volcano in Chile

Looking back now, I haven´t said much about our trip to the deep south of Patagonia so wanted to add a few thoughts. Erin did a great job with the play-by-play so I´ll just add some color commentary. Last time I wrote on the blog I gave you a sense of how we were feeling before setting out to Torres del Paine. The morning we were to catch our bus to the park, over breakfast we were staring out the window at the pre-dawn pitch black air with rain cascading down the windows and literally discussing a ¨feeling of doom¨ about our impending trip. It was that grim. But as Erin revealed, it turned out to be an incredible odyssey with its requisite ups and downs. Difficult and challenging times of mean weather interspersed with incredibly awe-inspiring vistas and dramatic ever-changing scenery.

The same basic themes were repeated the next week in Los Glaciares National Park. On the first day of our first backcountry trip we got crushed by rain on our way into our campsite. We spent a bleak night trying to stay dry and warm while fending off the voracious mice who were attacking our tent. Not fun. Erin said something like, ¨I hate this¨at one point. The the next day dawned perfectly clear and we caught one of the most glorious sunrises on Cerro Torre that one could ever see - all by ourselves no less, owing to the bleak conditions we faced the night before. The price we had to pay for this amazing moment, in my view. We were on cloud nine and had an awesome day, catching the vibrant fall colors against the snowy mountain scenery, sighting Magellanic woodpeckers in the beech forests, and then laying our eyes on the titan of the park, Fitz Roy, as we made our way to the next night´s camp. This day Erin was back in the ¨I love it¨mode, as was I. The next day our attempt to catch sunrise on Fitz Roy was foiled by rain and wind and snow and sleet, and we retreated to our tent for the whole rest of the day and night while the rain and then snow incessantly pounded our position. At this point, Erin - our environmental educator for young children mind you - stated that we were ¨screwed again by nature.¨ I had to laugh. The next AM, we retreated back to town for a few days before heading back our for a glorious second trip in the park, this time with better weather and enjoying a high degree of solitude. So Patagonia turned out to be exactly as it´s described. Amazingly rewarding but also peppered with some of the worst and most changeable weather you could imagine. Its rewards are only gained through desire and fortitude to fight through the difficult times. It´s a worthwhile challenge and a place with a well-deserved mystique.

After our marathon 30-hour bus ride through the emptiness of southern and central Patagonia, we arrived in northern Patagonia which is also known as the Lakes District. We found a really cool town and hostel in El Bolson (pictured here) and so stayed there for over a week. It´s a town for those who love the outdoors and arts, surrounded on three sides by mountains and boasting a lively feria (fair) three days a week. It also has multiple local craft breweries, an organic farm that makes the best cheese, and lots of homemade jams and marmalade. We were enamored with the hostel in which we stayed. The people who ran it - two young guys, one Argentine and one German - were great, and we hit it off with them and the other like-minded guests who were digging this mellow town. We enjoyed two asados - or Argentinian barbecues- which are these massive feasts of red meat featuring seven or eight courses of beef and sausage along with salads and bread and, of course, local vino tinto (red wine). We also found the energy to scamper up Cerro Piltriquitron, one of the taller peaks in the area, and to complete a three-day trip to a backcountry refugio (hut) situated in a snowy cirque below a glacier.

On the way up to Piltriquitron

Refugio Hielo Azul where we stayed for two nights

After El Bolson, we came up the road to Bariloche for some more hiking in the Lakes District. We´ve done two day hikes here to the summits of local peaks for vistas over the lakes and volcanoes and mountains that line this part of the Chile-Argentinian border. We found an amazing deal where we have been staying at what is essentially a 2-bedroom townhouse (pictured here) with our own kitchen and bath and cable TV for the equivalent of about US$11 per person per night. Argentina´s amazing that way - good quality of travel with very modest price tag. In the evenings, we have enjoyed some great meals with two Argentinian guys who have been the only other people staying in the hostel part of this place. One is a chef and has made homemade bread and gnocchi, and last night we treated them to lomos which are the most choice cuts of steak - steaks they can´t often afford, they informed us, even though the prices are so cheap to us - the equivalent of US$10 for four big tenderloins. Speaking with them has greatly improved our Spanish (which remains somewhat remedial but improving every day) and it also provided us a great window to understand the challenges of the working class Argentinian. By now we´ve had quite a few opportunities to talk with and get to know Argentinian people and generally find them to be quite warm, friendly, and ingratiating.

Lakes District, as seen from Tourista Peak

Volcano vista from hike in Los Lagos (looks like Mt. Rainier)

So we´ve had a very enjoyable and comfortable stay here in Los Lagos region of this country. But it continues to get colder as winter approaches so today we pick up our bags and move north. This time it´s an 18-hour bus ride to Mendoza - the area that produces 70% of the country´s wines and is also the access point to Cerro Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere. Mountains and red wine - sounds like my kind of town. Should be a good place to spend my 32nd (doh!) birthday on Sunday. And of course, Sunday is also Mother´s Day so Happy Mother´s Day to all the madres out there, especially mine. Love you, Mom!

I can´t upload photos on this machine so at the next opportunity I´ll add the accompanying pic´s to this post - volcanoes and smoke and ash and more! Go Celtics!

Ciao!
Drew

The Andes of Argentina

2008-04-27T13:30:00.016-06:00

In the last weeks, we´ve spent most of our time in a national park of Argentina called, Los Glaciares. First, we did a day trip from Calafate to a nearby glacier, called Perito Moreno, which is by far the biggest glacier we´ve seen on this trip. We spent a few hours watching it and to our pleasure, watched as huge chunks of ice split from the glacier and crashed into the lake. It almost seemed to happen in slow motion, you would first hear a loud crack, and then watch as crumbled into the lake, creating a huge splash, and a ruckus of noise.

Perito Moreno Glacier

From Calafate, we travelled north to a small dusty town called El Chalten, where gauchos (Argentinian cowboys) still make their home. It´s a small place without atms or the regular conveniences of most touristy towns. For example, the grocery store only has a few staples like rice, noodles, and mayo (South Americans love their mayo) but you can´t find much else. The town was changing before our eyes though, they were paving the streets and new buildings were going up every way you turned your head. In another year, it is going to be a totally different place, but during our stay it still had a lazy, rural feel to it. The town is right at the gateway to the national park and has free camping and no fees to get into the park. It was our kind of place!

After having a night in the campground, we made our way into the park. For all the luck we had on our trip to Los Torres del Paine, we got our share of rain on this one. It started after about an hour of walking, and by the time we got into camp, we were completely drenched. I´m talking wet to the core: shoes, socks, pants, backpacks, everything but the insides of our bags which were lined with plastic garbage bags. We set up camp in the rain, which got the tent wet, and by the time we got in, even the inside was soaked. It made for a miserable night in the back country, especially when we had to go to the bathroom and put our cold wet clothes back on, so we could keep one set of clothes dry. We were further tormented by mice that don´t seem to be afraid of humans at all. I awoke to one peering in at us as it climbed up the mesh window of our tent. I usually love animals, but man do I HATE mice!

Sunrise on Cerro Torre

Amazingly, we woke up to a perfectly clear day! It was warm and beautiful and we got up and watched the sun rise onto Cerro Torre, another beautiful tower of rock set behind a lake and a glacier. We dried all of our clothes and had a magnificent day, hiking along side the lake with stunning views the whole time. In the afternoon, we made our way to another camp called Poincenot, at the base of Monte Fitz Roy. We had views of this mighty peak as well, and felt like all our suffering was worth this marvelous day we were having.

Drew and Cerro Torre

We decided to make the most of our good fortune and wake up early the next morning, to hike up to a viewpoint of Fitz Roy for sunrise. Everyone who knows us, will understand that this is a big feat for us, as we are not morning people. It feels like complete madness to crawl out of a warm sleeping bag, to face the darkness before dawn and hike an hour up a slippery, icy trail. But we were troopers, and even brought a stove to make a hot breakfast at Lago de las Tres, a ridge looking directly at Fitz Roy. We did get great views of the sunrise, but what we were hoping for was the alpenglow on Fitz Roy. Unfortunately we barely saw the mountain at all, because clouds had overtaken the summit, and as we reached the ridge, the wind was howling and it started to rain. We still made our breakfast, and if nothing else, had a good cup of coffee.

At Lago de las Tres, Drew is cooking our breakfast

On the way down the trail we again got completely soaked from the rain, but luckily we had a dry tent to go back to. When we got to camp, wet and cold, we found that birds had destroyed our food bag that was hanging in a nearby tree (out of reach of the mice). They seemed to tear up every piece of plastic they could find, but only ate the meat and cheese products. We were hoping to spend another couple of nights out, but now we were running low on food.

The Culprit

We got into the tent, a bit defeated, and spent the rest of the afternoon tucked into our sleeping bags. It rained so hard that water was pooling up under the tent, and I have to admit, I broke down and and was not enjoying life too much when we had to get out and dig a trench. The next morning we woke up to fresh snow, and decided to cut our losses and head back to civilization. My mood increased as we headed back to the comfort of hot showers and a warm, dry room at a hostel. We celebrated by going out to eat and got the biggest, most delicious piece of steak. Oh, it´s all about the little things in life!

Morning of our retreat back to town

After two nights in El Chalten, we decided to make another attempt into the back country. This time we lucked out! We first hiked along a dirt road out of town to a waterfall. The fall colors of the beech trees were outstanding, and the hike was mellow. Just as we started to grow weary of being on a road, a van picked us up and drove us 30 minutes to the trailhead, saving us about two hours of walking. We hiked into a valley, called Piedra de Fraile, and had the whole place to ourselves. We camped next to a refugio that had closed for the season, protected by a massive rock (piedra) from the wind. By this point, we have become veterans at keeping away the animals, and had no more problems with the critters.

We woke up to clear skies, and hiked once again towards Monte Fitz Roy. We stopped at a beautiful hanging glacier called Piedra Blanca for lunch, and made it to the same camp, Poincenot, for early afternoon. This time, things were going our way, and despite our hardships last time we decided to try for the sunrise hike once again. This time around, we had perfect weather, and as we made our coffee overlooking Lago de las Tres and Fitz Roy, we got the beautiful alpenglow we were hoping for. It was absolutely worth all the pain we endured the last time, and now we were grinning from ear to ear. We watched as the mountains changed colors, on that warm, windless morning. I was so happy, I would spontaneously burst into laughter, not knowing how to contain myself. No matter where we are in life, we will always cherish these moments. This is what life is all about!

Sunrise on Monte Fitz Roy

Since then, we took a 30 hour bus ride to our new destination, El Bolson. We drove along the notorious Route 40, a dirt road linking the towns along the eastern side of the Argentinean Andes. These horrendously long bus rides are quite common in Argentina, and we got through it pretty easily, and probably needed the rest. It was two nights and one long day, but the worst part was that our legs got so swollen from sitting upright for so long, that they looked like we had sprained them.

Rush hour on Route 40

El Bolson is a quiet, hippy town that is just what the doctor ordered. We are staying in a quaint hostel with communal dinners, and a welcome feel to it. We´re enjoying some rest and relaxation, appreciating sleeping horizontally, showers, and other people cooking for us. From here we will do some more hiking, and then continue heading north to Bariloche. Until next time, adios!

The End of the World

2008-04-14T19:15:00.016-06:00

View of Los Cuernos (the horns) from our camp on the first night

We made it out of Torres del Paine alive! We were both a bit nervous about the weather before we left. The look on the people´s faces returning from the park didn´t help, as they looked like they had been tortured. They were cold, wet, and tired, like they had fought the elements and lost. We also learned that the trip we had planned "The Circuit" was closed due to an avalanche covering the trail, so we had to modify our expectations. We decided to do the "W" instead, which would still take us to the park´s highlights. The "W" name is based on the shape of the trail we were following, each arm of the "W" being a valley in the southern part of the park. That set the stage for our trip into the park, and our expectations were low. We hoped for some views, a break in the weather, and the ability to endure whatever nature was going to throw at us. The forecast was for rain, rain, rain.

On the way into the park, the weather seemed to be getting better and our hopes began to rise. But as soon as we entered the park, the snow started falling and we wondered if we were crazy to be here. We couldn´t see more than a few feet in front of the bus, let alone the mountains, but we did get to see some guanacos (lama-like animals), andean condors, and pink chilean flamingos out of the steamy bus windows. As we drove into the park, the weather began to break up again and we got our first views of the mighty Andes on a boat ride to our first camp. We were elated to have even a glimpse of the mountains, as we were already facing the fact that we might not have that chance. Once we got to our first camp, we hunkered down in the cooking shelter for the night, and soon the snow began to fall and the wind started whipping through the valley. Luckily, we stayed dry and warm in our trusted Kelty gear, and made it through the first night in Torres del Paine.

View from the boat

On our second day, we did a day trip to nearby Glacier Grey. We initially intended to camp near the glacier, but things change in this part of the world, and the weather rules. It was a nice hike with cool temps, and the weather was holding out for us. But just as we finished eating, the skies opened and it started to snow. The weather changes in an instant in Patagonia, so quickly it´s hard to predict even a minute before. So we pulled on our jackets and headed back down the valley, happy that we didn´t have to set up camp in this weather. The snow bounced off our jackets, and we felt lucky that it wasn´t rain.

Glacier Grey

On our third day, we picked up camp and moved towards the middle of the "W". We saw a sweet guanaco along the trail, and made our way to Valle de Frances.

Guanaco

Here we were walking right next to Los Cuernos. The trail up the valley was covered in snow and we slipped and climbed our way through it. The views of the surrounding peaks were gorgeous, even though they were covered by clouds. There´s something exciting about walking amongst clouds, and then having them open up to display the beauty around you. We got to a point where the trail abruptly ended, but we found ourselves completely surrounded by peaks, Los Cuernos and others with glaciers. Just as we left, the weather picked up again and the valley was quickly socked in with clouds. Next we made our way to camp, and got some of the best views thus far on the trip of Los Cuernos, with Andean Condors soaring by. One minute you see them, the next they vanish. Drew pointed out that by the time he pulls out the camera to take a picture, the scene has already changed. We felt so appreciative any time we did get a glimpse. Another highlight was seeing the stars that evening. At first we thought there was a cloud in the sky, but realized it was the Milky Way, so clear and bright. It was one of the best night skies we´ve seen in our lives, so far away from any city, at the end of the world.

View of Los Cuernos

The next day, we made our way to our final camp. The weather seemed to be clearing, and although there were clouds all day, we only got sprinkled on a bit the whole day. We made camp and spent part of the day staying warm in the nearby refugio. We had a campfire with new friends, and ate more chorizo (we ate about 3 kg of chorizo on this trip). We woke up the next morning to clear skies! It was one of those picture perfect days and Drew caught the sunrise on Los Torres (the famous peaks of the region).

Sunrise on Los Torres

We spent the day scrambling up an icy trail towards the Torres, and got to the mirador (lookout) just about mid-day. It was a sight I can hardly explain in words, coming up over the last snow bank and finding ourselves peering into a valley with the Torres towering above. I know I´ve said it before, but I think these have got to be the most beautiful mountains I´ve ever laid eyes on. They are so dramatic and massive. They look like nature´s castle. Imagine how we felt after preparing ourselves for a week of rain, not knowing if we would even see Los Torres, and getting a day like this!

View of Los Torres from the mirador

We were satisfied with our time in Torres del Paine, and spent the last day travelling in a bus through the park. From a more distant vantage point, we got views of the entire Torres del Paine massive. Drew likes these views best, where you can see everything and really grasp the scale of what you are looking at. It was absolutely glorious!

Now we are in Argentina. We´re in a small town called El Calafate, but I will save these stories for the next blog. We are in the land of beef, and tonight we are going to all-you-can-eat grilled meat buffet, with some Argentinian Malbec to wash it down!

At Los Torres with our new down jackets, given to us by Drew´s industry friends

Erin

In Patagonia

2008-04-07T22:15:00.002-06:00

Well, we´ve made it to Patagonia, and guess what? You know how they talk about the weather being wet, wild, and crazy down here? They´re not kidding. It´s been raining and snowing and blowing sideways since we arrived yesterday afternoon in Puerto Natales. Tomorrow we´re headed into Torres del Paine National Park and hoping pretty badly that the weather turns, and we get a respite from the storms. It's no joke down here, but we´re well-equipped and experienced enough to handle it. The question is are we tough enough. The other question is will it be enjoyable. We'll see and check back in a week or so.

By the way, just watched the NCAA championship game on the laptop of the owner of our hostel through their WiFi connection. It's a flat world.

Adios!
Drew

NZ Videos are Up!

2008-04-05T16:14:00.003-06:00

Here are three videos giving you a moving glimpse of the sights, sounds, and scenery of New Zealand. Enjoy!

Glacier Crashing Off Mount Sefton in Mount Cook National Park, NZ. Film taken from Mueller Hut.

Matukituki Valley, Mount Aspiring National Park, NZ. Panoramic view above Aspiring Hut on way to Cascade Saddle.

Single Yellow Penguin Coming Onshore, Oamaru, East Coast, NZ

New Zealand Dreams

2008-04-05T16:12:00.006-06:00

¨The truest living is when you are in dreams, awake¨ Henry David Thoreau

This sums up my feelings about our time in New Zealand. I felt so full of life, so awed by the beauty at every corner, that it felt almost like a dream, and a very long one at that. What a wonderful country, where you can experience city life, rugged coasts, glaciers, rare plants and animals, buying a car on a whim, wineries, and world class hiking all in a relatively small area! We made the most of our time and I feel like we have a pretty encompassing view of the South Island.

We´ve become so attached to our little blog here, that a trip doesn´t seem complete without saying a few words about each place before we can enitrely move on. So, although Drew and Aly did a great job of recreating the stories of our time together, I just have a few things to say.... One funny fact that we learned about New Zealand is that the population is only 4 million, but they have over 30 million sheep! It really is a land of animals more than people, and everywhere you drive you see sheep, and it feels like you´re on a farm even looking out the car window. I think this open land makes the country feel wild and pure. Besides the cities, there are no traffic jams, no big buildings, nothing blocking your view of your surroundings. I feel that my soul really thrives when I can look out upon beautiful rolling hills, hear the crashing of ocean waves, and feel humbled at the sight of an enormous mountain. New Zealand is full of those types of places and so I leave the island with a deep satisfaction, that is hard to explain in words, but you know what I mean.

“People's dreams are made out of what they do all day. The same way a dog that runs after rabbits will dream of rabbits. It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.” Barbara Kingsolver

I also want to say how much it meant to have Aly in New Zealand. The hardest part of this wonderful journey is being away from our loved ones at home. We miss you all so very much. But having Aly come to New Zealand, was more than just the feeling of reuniting with a great friend, it was like having a little piece of home there with us. We shared great laughs that just don´t have the same depth with strangers, we caught up on each other´s lives, and we lived new memories together.

So to go along with the dream theme, I have one last quote. Pascal would appreciate this one!

“I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each other's dreams, we can be together all the time.” Calvin and Hobbes

Love,
Erin

Hola from South America!

2008-04-03T11:14:00.009-06:00

Erin and I are safe and sound on the ground in Santiago, Chile. We had a good flight yesterday from New Zealand and are fighting through the jet lag and getting ourselves acquainted here. Last night I was struggling to keep my eyes open at night, went right to sleep at 9 PM, woke up bright-eyed at 1 30 AM, laid there until 5 45 AM, then fell back asleep until Erin woke me up at 9 30. Ugh, the joys of travel. But it´s all good. I´m actually really excited to be here.

Even last night - our first night in town - it was so exciting to be in a new city in a new continent where the people are speaking a different language. The most basic tasks are challenging and exciting - finding the way from the airport to town by public transport, landing a place to stay, navigating the streets of a strange city. This leg of our journey is by far the least planned of our travels so far. We had a flight to Santiago and that´s it. No itinerary, no plans, no limitations - other than our budget and a three-and-a-half month timeframe. I feel it´s a measure of how we have grown as travelers to be able to approach this part of the trip this way. We´re confident that having full flexibility will ultimately improve our ability to tailor the trip as best we can, moving as we wish and retaining the ability to modify our plans as we hear or learn of new places or options. It should be the ultimate adventure.

La Plaza de Armas, Santiago, Chile

We walked through town last evening, and it was pulsing with activity. Lots of chileños walking everywhere. We made our way to the La Plaza de Armas in El Centro which is a historic open city square which was a hub of activity. It was quite amusing and rewarding to successfully order food alongside the locals at the express foodstands. I was quite proud, even though it is essentially the equivalent of ordering a hamburger and Coke at a fast food joint in the U.S. Somehow ordering an empañada and chucarero and 2 bebidas in Spanish in Santiago was more exciting. These are the simple joys and adventures of travel that balance out the jet lag and other downers.

One thing I´ve been surprised about is how few people speak English here. So far on our travels it´s been pretty to easy to speak English everywhere - even in places like Laos and Cambodia. Here it seems English is less common. It´s perfect actually, as we aim to learn Spanish and speak to the locals on their terms and in their language. That´s another unique aspect of this South American leg of the trip that I´m excited about - the challenge of learning a new language. Erin and I have both had a few years of Spanish in high school but have very limited experience actually speaking the language. We aim to take a course at some point and do lots of learning-by-doing. It should add to the depth of the adventure.

Before I look forward too much to this next and last leg of the trip, I´d like to add a few final thoughts on NZ. Again, what an awesome place. So gorgeous. And we were glad to have Aly join us. It was great to re-connect with a friend from Colorado and get caught up on all the goings-on at home - not to mention share a few beers and learn lots of interesting things about birds.

Okarito coastline

Over the last couple weeks of the trip, we did a whirlwind tour of the island which Aly did a great job of highlighting. Two of my favorite highlights were hanging in Okarito and wine-tasting in the north. As Aly described, Okarito was an undiscovered gem of a town on the west coast, offering a picture-perfect setting on the beach between the ocean and the mountains. It was a great place to relax and enjoy for a few days. It was also a place of which we had no knowledge before our trip to NZ. We discovered it only through word-of-mouth and the insights of other locals and travelers on our trip. Sometimes it is these unheralded spots that turn out to be the most pleasant and rewarding. In addition to the classics, it´s just these type of places we hope to uncover in South America.

Okarito sunset

My other highlight of the last portion of the trip was wine-tasting in the white-wine country in the Marlborough region. We stayed at Watson´s Way Backpackers in Renwick which is one of the best-run hostels in NZ. Aly, Erin, and I rented bikes one afternoon and visited five small, family-run wineries to sip and taste their best vintages. It was an incredible way to see the wineries and the region. The wines were excellent, especially the sauvignon blancs and the pinot noirs. And often it was the wife of the husband-and-wife ownership team that was pouring and describing the wines for us. Without exception, our hosts were friendly, down-to-earth, and unpretentious. The New Zealand way, I suppose.

Wine-tasting on wheels

Which leads to my last thoughts on New Zealand. So much is said about the land and the superlative landscapes of NZ. They´re outstanding. But I´d like to touch on the people as well. First off, there are very few of them, especially on the South Island. I think the total population is roughly 4 million, with only a quarter of those on the South Island which is the larger of the two in terms of area. It´s tough to characterize a whole nation of people, but I have some definite impressions. The New Zealand people we met tended to be very friendly and operated at a slower pace than in the U.S. Of course, a handful were short or even rude - like the young guy who nearly road-raged on us for going too slow the first hour after we bought our car in Christchurch and were cautiously driving on the opposite side of the road than we are accustomed - but these people were the exception rather than the rule. As an example, one Kiwi gentleman we met on the Milford Track even gave me his name and address and invited us to stay at his place if we made it to the North Island. Kiwis also tend to be down-to-earth, outdoorsy, and in touch with the land - whether that be in an sporty or hunter or farmer sort-of-way. And also in my opinion NZers give an impression of being a little innocent or sheltered - in a midwestern US farmland sort-of-way - especially in the older generations. There´s little crime or pollution or the ills faced by large, more urban populations, and that seems to come through in the attitudes and outlooks of the people. They enjoy small, close-knit communities. But at the same time they are a worldly and outward-looking people. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that they are a small, island country - with strong links to Europe yet situated in Asia and with a native population of Pacific Islanders. It also likely has to do with the fact that they have about 2.5 million tourists descending on their shores every year - a staggering number relative to their population. In any event, the Kiwis are a breath of fresh air, and I like them quite a bit. They´re a lucky lot - living in the paradise that they do and not sharing it with too many others.

On the Abel Tasman Coast Track

That´s all for now. Off to track down a good English-Spanish dictionary and let the learning begin.

Adios!

Drew

New Zealand in Aly´s Words

2008-03-31T16:17:00.005-06:00

Hello Friends!

Aly here - Erin and Drew offered for me to write a guest blog. I've experienced so much in my short time here that I'll try to narrow it all down to my top 5 favorite experiences. Here we go:

5. As I was learning about NZ before my trip, I was excited to find that the Royal Albatross, an amazing seabird with a 10 ft. wingspan (our Bald Eagles have a 6-7 ft wingspan), nests on one little teeny piece of land on the Otago Peninsula. We went here, to the Albatross Center, and I did the tour. Fun fact: after the Albatross chick fledges from the Peninsula, the young birds don't set foot on land for about 5 years! They fly with the Anartica winds and finally land (very ungracefully) to have a "teenage party" 5 years later to find a mate for life on the Peninsula! I saw an Albatross chick (they're freakin huge!) sitting on the nest and as the tour was about to leave I finally saw the magnificent adult glide in - breathtaking.

Albatross wingspan

4. As we drove from place to place, I was always struck with the beauty of the landscape but especially the tall mountains shooting out of beautiful blue lakes. The west coast of the South Island gets a ton of rain and its a combination of the rainfall and the presence of glaciers from 14,000 years ago that created this majestic landscape. Lake-surrounded mountains are a refreshingly soft contrast to the very dry, sharp mountains in the Rockies.

Erin swimming/bathing in a refreshing mountain lake early morning.

3. One night, we went to a small beach (near the Albatross Center) because we were told that the very rare and endangered Little Blue penguin (the smallest of all penguins - about 10 inches) wanders up the beach and you can possibly catch a glimpse of one in this short window of time. We arrived around 8:30pm and it was quite dark already and we weren't supposed to use flashlights, or torches as they call them here. There were maybe 10 people waiting there and some areas were roped off. I asked a volunteer if many of the penguins had already walked past, did we miss them? She said most of the penguins had already come out of the water (they're in the water most of the day) and just a few were hanging out on a part of the beach we couldn't see. Then she spotted one walking towards us. As it waddled slowly past us, we fell silent and watched it intently in the dark. I had tears in my eyes as this little magical being crossed our path to head to its burrow for the night. One more waddled by about 10 minutes later, this one a bit more apprehensive of us. I felt blessed.

2. Okarito - a tiny little town, population 35, on the west coast about half way up the south island of NZ. Erin and Drew were told about a campground there by other backpackers so we decided to check it out. It had showers (a rarity for a campground), great drinking water, spacious grassy spots for our tents, and a hut to escape from the pesky sandflies. We spent 2 nights here and chillaxed on the beach between a lagoon and the ocean. Just in the distance were snowcapped mountains and the New Zealand bush home to the rare Okarito Brown Kiwi...

Okarito Campground

Sunset at Okarito - a bit of the lagoon and the Tasman Sea and its crashing waves is just beyond that strip of beach in the background.

1. When we arrived in Okarito (and thought we only had one night there), I discovered that there is one tour guide there (in partnership with the DOC or Dept. of Conservation) who offers experiences in the bush to hear or possibly see the very rare and endangered Brown Kiwi - New Zealand's national bird. I walked over to the tour guide's office/home and asked if I could join the tour that night. He had a limit of 7 people and it was full. Though he thought twice about letting me in b/c I spoke english well and there were some non-english speaking people in the group and he may need my help. I told him I have experience doing wildlife monitoring and I wouldn't let him down. He let me in for the tour that night and promoted me to co-guide! I was thrilled!

As we walked out into the thick forest at dusk with our light reflecting vests on, walkie talkies in pocket, and netted bug hats in hand, we learned more about the Kiwi bird. I was shocked to learn that the Kiwi has nostrils on the tip of its long bill, whiskers on its face, a body temperature close to humans, fur instead of feathers, and a few other features that make it more like a mammal than a bird! Ian, the guide, told us where to patrol - we all had our own 30-50 yard long space to listen for the vocalizations or the heavy footsteps of the Kiwi. After about 10 minutes on my own, (listening to Moreporks or owls call and the cloud of sandflies above my head) Ian called on the walkie-talkie and told us to come quick. I ran down the trail about 120 yards to find the group already there, standing quietly still. A Kiwi called loudly and we waited and waited listening to the pair in the bush. We went down to another spot where somebody else heard another Kiwi. Ian went back to the first spot and after a few moments, he called my walkie-talkie and told us to hurry to where he was. I motioned for the group to go! quickly! and I ran down the trail again. As I ran, I realized how funny I must have looked - I was wide eyed with excitement and thrill and trying to see as much as I could b/c it was pitch-black in there. I was also trying to run softly so I wouldn't scare the Kiwi's once I got there so I ran with a softness and my arms bent out at my sides. I also had a big goofy grin on my face as my heart pounded and I felt so alive! I arrived to see a male and female Kiwi pair sniffing around on the trail looking for grubs and worms. Ian shined his red flashlight behind me and asked if the group was coming I said they should be and we saw them waddling down the trail slowly. By the time they arrived the Kiwi pair disappeared in the bush. We waited here for awhile and the female came back out. We watched her sniff around and she delicately and sweetly walked across the path into the bush again. It was an amazing night and I left the bush feeling exhilirated and alive.

I came to NZ to be with my friends in another country but more importantly to feel alive again...to step out of my winter rut and step into some challenges. I head back to Colorado with plans to keep this aliveness awake and plans to travel more frequently. I'm sure I'll fall into my humdrum schedule again but I have my memories to tap into when needed. Erin and Drew are off to South America tomorrow riding the intensity of life's potential's and adventures. They are an inspiration to me and a gift. I am honored and humbled to have had this time with them.

Lots of love and light,

Aly

Wonderful Week in Wanaka and Beyond

2008-03-23T18:32:00.015-06:00

First off, Happy Easter to everyone! Hope you had a fun celebration with friends or family!

Over here and down under New Zealand continues to be grand. After a busy first few weeks getting things in order up in Christchurch and then marching off to our first couple of pre-scheduled treks, we finally had a chance to take a deep breath and relax and chill out for a week. We chose Wanaka as the town in which to do that. It's a smaller, more mellow Queenstown - beautiful lakeside town, surrounded by mountains and outdoor activities but without the hordes of tourists and all the adrenaline. It's also the former home of my Aussie friend Sheena from Kelty who gave us the inside scoop on all the hot spots to hit. Thanks, Sheena! The place suited us well, and we enjoyed our week in Wanaka.

On the summit of Mount Roy with Lake Wanaka and Mount Aspiring behind

In addition to taking a much-needed shower, we explored the surrounding mountains. First we hiked to the summit of Mount Roy and enjoyed panoramic views over Lake Wanaka and the nearby countryside. We also did an overnight trip into Mount Aspiring National Park, spending the days hiking to glaciers and mountain lookouts and spending the evening in the backcountry Mount Aspiring Hut. Mount Aspiring is the second highest peak in NZ, and it sits at the the head of a quintessential New Zealand valley - green, glacier-carved, filled with sheep and cattle, stream meandering down the middle, mountains on either side, glaciers feeding the river - simply beautiful.

Rob Roy Glacier

Hiking up the gorgeous Matukituki Valley

The valley from above looking across to Mt. Aspiring

During our time in town, we enjoyed strolling around the quaint, hip, compact Wanaka downtown. One of the highlights was checking out a flick at the Cinema Paradiso, a cool theater that features unique couch, lounge chair, and even old car seating in the film room and the most sumptuous freshly baked cookies at intermission. And through it all, we just enjoyed having the time and open schedule to relax and stay in one area and check out our surroundings at an unhurried pace.

The comfy seating of Cinema Paradiso

After leaving Wanaka, we retraced our steps back north to Mount Cook National Park. When we drove through this region earlier on our quick trip south, the Southern Alps were socked in by clouds and rain. Upon our return, we were psyched to enjoy clear and sunny weather and were blown away by the striking, glacier-filled mountain vista as we approached. The range rises up dramatically from the plains, and Mt. Cook stands out well above the rest as the tallest peak in NZ. We did a few dayhikes to the nearby glaciers, but the highlight of the trip was a two-day backcountry trip to the Mueller Hut. This hut sits high up on a ridge opposite the many dramatic summits and glaciers of the park. It provides the perfect perch for taking in the scenery and watching and hearing the glaciers and seracs tumble off the edges of the hanging valleys that they have carved out. It was one of the most spectacular spots I have ever spent a night in the mountains and will stand out as a distinct memory of our trip here.

The majestic Mount Cook

Glacier crashing off Mount Sefton

Now we have rendezvoused with our friend Aly from Colorado and are in the midst of a whirlwind tour of the south island. We met her in the east coast town of Dunedin and spent a few days catching up while checking out the birds and water-based wildlife of the Otago Peninsula. She's an avid bird-lover and so we checked out the Royal Albatross Center, a place where these mighty seabirds with 10-foot wingspans make their home. We were fortunate to see them in flight. We also spent a few evenings at beaches awaiting penguins to make their way from the sea to their nests on land. We caught some sightings of both yellow-eyed and blue penguins. Our place of residence on Otago was the homey McFarmers Backpackers which provided a perfectly relaxed environment to catch up with Aly and enjoy the harbor views.

Aly and Erin on Otago Peninsula

Now we're on our speedy tour of all corners of the south island. We drove the whole south coast and made out way to Milford Sound. We had some minor drama on Easter Sunday morning when our car wouldn't start due to a dead battery after camping out on Milford Road on the way to the sound. But with some with some very generous help from a pair of American guys, an Austrian couple, and the Kiwi park ranger, we managed to get our hands on some jumper cables and our problem was solved. Our version of an Easter egg hunt, I suppose. We all handled it super-well and were feeling blessed on Easter Sunday for the kindness of some fellow travelers. One of the best lessons that I have learned on this trip is to relax and take things as they come and that things will work out - but in their own way and in their own time and without being forced. I hope I'm able to bring back these lessons and this mindset and apply it to my everyday life in the "real world." We shall see.

Doh!

Right now we're in Queenstown again and on our way to the west coast to check out glaciers and the mighty Tasman Sea. Then we'll head to the north coast of the South Island for another backcountry trip along the coast and hopefully some relaxed wine-tasting in the renowned wineries of NZ. Hope everyone is well in their respective corners of the world.

Cheers,
Drew

Sierra Blogging Post

2008-03-15T00:48:00.002-06:00

For any die-hard blog readers out there, just wanted to let you know that you can read a parallel version of our around-the-world trip at Sierra Blogging Post, the blog for the outdoor retailer Sierra Trading Post.

- Check out the intro at http://blog.sierratradingpost.com/in-outdoors-camping-gear-forest-trails/around-the-world-with-drew-erin/
- Here's the blog's home page - http://blog.sierratradingpost.com/
- And to find all the stories on our trip, you can search "Drew and Erin" - Here's what's up so far. Stay tuned for more. - http://blog.sierratradingpost.com/?s=Drew+and+Erin

Thanks, STP, for the support!

- Drew

Tramping in NZ

2008-03-10T16:36:00.017-06:00

It has been over a week since our last shower, but in many ways we've been spoiled over the last week. We've just spent seven nights in the "backcountry" of New Zealand's Fiordland and Mt. Aspiring National Parks. By backcountry, I mean we carried our own supplies, but we were by no means roughing it. The major treks in New Zealand are connected by a first-rate network of huts, which on the "great walks" include bunk beds with mattresses, indoor hangout space with a fireplace, stoves for cooking, running water, and flush toilets. As far as backpacking trips go, we were living large.

We began our tramping in New Zealand with the Milford Track, which is a highly popular, world-renowned trek. It's so popular in fact, that we had to book this last July to secure a place. The area is gorgeous, with high mountain peaks and U-shaped glacier carved valleys. The trip began with a boat cruise on Lake Te Anau to the trailhead, a trip which which in itself was amazing. Imagine being on a enormous lake surrounded by peaks that shoot stright up out of the water. The scene was made even more dramatic by the misty clouds that settled between the mountains. And after a few days of camping in the rain, we were grateful for a sunny day. We learned that the area gets around 9 METERS!!! of rain per year, as it sits just inland from the Tasman Sea, so we felt lucky to see the sun at all.

The hike was gentle, and the three-mile first day was short and easy. At the first hut, we met the ranger, Peter Jackson (not the film director) who did a great job of teaching us all about the natural history of the area. We loved it, and learned that New Zealand has a fragile environment, similar to any isolated island. It evolved in the absence of land mammals (except for a few bats), so there weren't any big predators. The island was a bird haven, and birds grew to be huge. One bird called the moa grew to be three meters tall (!), and many other birds like the kiwi lost their ability to fly. This was great until people brought new animals to New Zealand. Many of the bird species have suffered from predators like stoats (weasels), rats, and possums. It seems that one of the biggest conservation efforts in New Zealand is to eradicate these animals. Luckily, some birds are still doing okay, including the kea (shown in photo), which is the only alpine parrot in the world. They are also one of the smartest birds in the world, but can be very naughty if you give them the chance to get into your things. Peter also did a night hike with us, where a group of people walked the trail without lights. We saw glow worms and ended the evening with star viewing. The stars were incredible, far from any city and light pollution. Drew and I were excited to once again see the Southern Cross, and the night sky in the southern hemisphere.

We were lucky to have great weather during our whole Milford trek, and only had a few minutes of rain the whole time! We hiked over one pass and the views were magnificent, with beautiful razor sharp peaks. We also passed many gorgeous waterfalls, and crystal clear rivers. Sutherland Falls is the highest in all of New Zealand - over 500 meters high. The water is so clean, that you can drink straight out of the rivers without filtering. The rivers were also a great place to clean ourselves off after a long day of walking. The whole trek was about 32 miles long, which we walked in four days.

Between treks, we had one night in Milford Sound, where we stayed in a lodge and got to shower and sleep in real beds, then we were off the do the Routeburn Track. For all the good weather we had on the Milford, we had our fair share of rain for the Routeburn. We began on a rainy day, which didn't cease for the rest of the evening. It reminded me of the Pacific Northwest, and once you resign to being wet, it is actually quite beautiful in the rain. The forests were dripping wet, full of ferns and moss-covered trees. It also makes you appreciate the warm, dry huts, once you get there.

The next day was socked in as well, but the rain slowed. We hiked through a forest that reminded us of "The Lord of the Rings" movies, and then hiked up onto a ridge. It was nice, even though we only got glimpses of the mountain views across the valley. The clouds swirled around us, and at times a window of sun would dance across the mountains. As we descended down into the next valley, the weather began to clear, and we made our way to the most beautiful hut for the night, next to a huge waterfall with expansive views of the surrounding peaks. Our last day was sunny and beautiful and the drive out of the hike was as stunning as anything we've ever seen.

Now we're back in civilization, spent a night near Queenstown, which is the "adventure capital of the world." We treated ourselves to huge Fergburgers (thanks for the tip, Sheena!) after too many freeze dried meals, and spent the night camping. We hiked up Queenstown Hill the next day and got great views over the area. Now we're in a small town called Wanaka, which is just another gorgeous place in New Zealand, on a lake surrounded by more mountains. We're planning on spending the next week around this area, relaxing and settling in a bit. Today, we're even going to take showers!

View from Queenstown Hill

Erin

The Land of Zeal

2008-02-29T21:49:00.007-07:00

We've arrived safe and sound in New Zealand. It is great to be back! This place is so gorgeous. I'm seriously debating whether to put it back on the top of my personal rankings of World's Most Beautiful Places. It was seated there for a long time, then got surpassed by Alaska last year. We'll see where it stands a month from now, but it is so so nice.

Unfortunately, it's also so so expensive. Erin and I are choking on the prices here, especially after getting spoiled in Asia. NZ is expensive to begin with, and we cried ourselves to sleep the other night after we saw on the local news that the US dollar is at a 20-year low to the NZ dollar. Ouch! The weakness of the US dollar is absolutely killing us right now. This performance couldn't be timed any worse for our travels. So to save some dough on transport, we actually bought a car. That's right, a car. Pretty wild to think about it, but it should actually work out to be cheaper than buses or renting a car long-term. It's an '89 Mistubishi Mirage (Lancer) with a guaranteed buyback arrangement from the place from which we bought it. We'll get a photo of it up soon. It should give us maximum flexibility for the least cost if it doesn't bomb on us. We have our fingers crossed.

The coast just outside of Sumner on the Banks Peninsula

After a long two days of travel from Bangkok via Melbourne, we arrived in Christchurch, a beautiful green city of churches and gardens. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in getting a visa lined up for Australia so we couldn't get into downtown Melbourne but instead passed eight hours couped up in the airport transfer lounge. In any event, upon arrival in Christchurch we knocked out a bunch of chores and trip preparations there and then made our way out to the coastal suburb town of Sumner which is gorgeous.

Lake Tekapo which we passed on the drive south

Now we've made our way down to Queenstown in the south. Tomorrow we set out for the Milford Sound area and then tackle the Milford Track and shortly thereafter the Routeburn Track. They're both world-renowned multi-day hikes in the Fiordland area so we are stoked to get out there. The weather's turned quite rainy which is typical but looks to clear a bit for our Milford trip. Our Kelty tent kept us warm and dry on our first night out in the rain last night, next to the scintillating blue Lake Pukaki.

Gratuitous Kelty product shot next to Lake Pukaki

We're also looking forward to our friend Aly from Boulder joining up with us in a few weeks. We'll catch back up with the blog in a week or so.

Drew

Ko Mak Daddy and Bangkok by Bus

2008-02-24T08:44:00.009-07:00

We're in crazy Bangkok on our final night in SE Asia, and reminiscing about our travels here....

After leaving Cambodia, we made our way back to Thailand. It was a relief in a way to leave the hardships of Cambodia behind. Even until the last moment, people were begging for money while shoving cartons of cigarettes in our faces. These interactions are exhausting to me, as I never quite understand how to react. I want to be civil and yet any acknowledgment feeds the cycle more and more. I want to give something, but this too encourages that begging works. There's no simple answer, and I again am reminded to be thankful for all the opportunities and blessings in my own life.

The fat ride of Sunset Bungalow

We spent our last few days in SE Asia on a small island in the Gulf of Thailand, called Ko Mak. It happened to be a Buddhist Holiday, so the islands were full of Thais vacationing. Ko Mak is another beautiful island with white sand beaches and palm trees hanging over the sea. We stayed in a hip budget bungalow spot called Sunset Bungalows. Unfortunately, the coral around the island has been destroyed, so the snorkeling wasn't too good. But more than anything, we simply wanted a place to relax. It seems that traveling so much has worn us out, although we have a very warped sense of responsibility these days. We started to think about how it feels to go to work everyday, wake up every morning to an alarm clock, and decided we shouldn't feel overwhelmed by a few long travel days.

Our final bungalow in Thailand

The rest of the story is pretty boring... we just sat around each day reading our books on the beach. We swam when we got hot, and drank Beer Chang when we got thirsty. We did find one of the coolest rope swings of all time, though.

"The bomb" rope swing

Our last night in Thailand is in Bangkok. We're staying on Khao San Road, which happens to be one of the busiest, loudest tourist traps in the world (I personally hate it). Luckily, we came on a day when there is no drinking allowed, because there are elections here. I guess they don't want people to vote under the influence. It makes for a quiet evening, as far as Khao San goes.

Hectic Khao San Road

Off to the literally greener pastures of New Zealand tomorrow.

Erin

The Dichotomy of Cambodia

2008-02-18T03:17:00.018-07:00

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Those opening lines to Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities are an apt description of what it has been like for us traveling in Cambodia.

Ben and Drew entering Angkor Wat

On one hand, we've rendezvoused with our good friends Ben and Casey here and had a wonderful time visiting the town of Siem Reap and exploring the magnificent ancient temples of Angkor. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor) Angkor is a region in Cambodia that is filled with massive temples and cities that were built by the Cambodian people, or Khmer (as they call themselves even today) almost a century ago, between 800 and 1200 A.D. It's a spectacular place. I was struck by two things in particular. One, the structures are absolutely gargantuan. And two, they are amazingly detailed. Every inch of these temples and walls that are some times miles long (or in most cases, hundreds of feet long) are covered in ornate carvings of Hindu, Buddhist, or royal figures and stories. It's truly staggering to get your head around how their civilization pulled this off a thousand years earlier when the U.S. was not yet even a glimmer in anyone's eye and even Europe was primitive by comparison. It marks one of the greatest achievements of the human race up to that time.

Ben and Casey in the tuk-tuk

It was quite enjoyable exploring the temples, by bike and by tuk-tuk. (A tuk-tuk is a carriage that is pulled by a motorcycle.) And we had a wonderful, friendly, and cheap guesthouse in town. And the Khmer food has been delicious. And we're with friends in an exotic part of the world. That all sounds great. Where is the down side, you ask?

Drew, Erin, Ben, Casey at Ta Prohm ruins

The faces of Bayon

Too many temples!

Nature wins, Ta Prohm

The ornate stone carvings of Banteay Srei

Well, there is also another side to Cambodia which we witnessed full force today in the capital city of Phnom Penh. In the 1970's a radical communist movement known as the Khmer Rouge (or red Khmer, as rouge means red in French) took over the country and plummeted the country into the darkest chapter in the country's history. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge) The Khmer Rouge led a radical social experiment in which they emptied the cities, marched everyone out to the country to work on farms, and tried to run a purely agrarian society. They ruled with an iron fist and eliminated all enemies of the revolution, real or imagined. The people lived in terror, even those who were part of the Khmer Rouge. They also ran the country into the ground, leading to massive famine and starvation. In the course of their five years in power, it is estimated that roughly 1.5 million people died from starvation, execution, or exhaustion - out of a population of 7.5 million. That's 20% of the population!

This morning we visited the Tuol Sleng Museum, which is on the grounds of a former top-secret prison of the KR security police known as S-21. It is one of the most morbid places I have ever been. It made my stomach turn to be there. During the KR reign, an estimated 14,000 prisoners passed through the walls of S-21. Only seven survived. The rest were detained, interrogated, tortured, and executed. A very grim place.

The memorial for the victims at the Killing Fields (Look closely if you dare)

Then this afternoon we visited The Killing Fields. The killing fields are the location, about 15 kilometers out of town, where the prisoners of S-21 and other enemies of the state were brought to meet their end. I'll spare you the details, but it is a memorial site whose grounds are covered with mass graves containing up to an estimated 20,000 bodies. Another very grim place.

It is in the shadows of this relatively recent history that Cambodia lives on and tries to recover. I'd argue that you can feel it in the air. The country suffers to this day. It is struggling to rebuild and heal its wounds and bring more prosperity and happiness to its citizens. As a visitor, I'm faced with it every day and around every corner. There are many beggars - children, mothers, victims of land mines that are missing limbs - asking for food or money. There are lots of signs of poverty where ever I look. We've seen a lot of poverty on our trip to Asia, but somehow it seems different here. Darker, more desperate somehow. It's been a challenging place to visit. I'm glad to have come here, but to be completely honest, I will also be glad to leave.

It has left a lasting impression on me, though, and will not soon be forgotten. It also has led me to think differently about events in the world today. Genocide, not unlike the one perpetrated on the Cambodian people, is happening right now in Sudan. Innocent men and women and children are being exterminated every single day, and I have done nothing about it, and the world collectively has done very little about it. I think 200,000 people have died there in the last three to four years. It's crazy. These human atrocities continue to happen through time and history. The visit to Cambodia brought the issue home for me.

It also makes me think differently on other matters - the U.S. prison and tactics at Guantanamo Bay, the past and current events in Kosovo, and more. But I'll spare you my opinions before I go too far astray.

Part of the The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

In any event, that's what it has been like to travel in Cambodia. Both the best and the worst of humanity have been on display. We're looking forward to spending some more upbeat and enjoyable days seeing the other sights of Phnom Penh with Ben and Casey before we go our separate ways. Then we'll head back to Thailand where we hope to find a beach for a day or two en route to Bangkok.

Cool fountain/statue in Phnom Penh,
Naga (or mythical serpents) with twisted tails

Be well.

Drew

A Millionaire in Laos

2008-02-18T03:09:00.015-07:00

That's what I am! I never thought I would be a millionaire, but finally the day has come! Unfortunately, the only reason I'm a millionaire is because there are 9,000 Lao Kip to every dollar. So, when you change $150 you receive a huge stack of bills (over a million kip). There are so many bills, it's hard to fit them all into your wallet. Psychologically, it gave me the sense I was rich, which is a good feeling for once.... until I realized I spent my million in only a few days.

I want to tell you some of our stories from Laos and to sum up our trip there. But first I have to admit that I did something very dumb a few days ago...
I've been having trouble with our camera in internet cafes, where the computer doesn't register the file where our pictures are. This has been a problem since we began our trip, and while trying to figure it out, I erased our complete memory card and lost all of our pictures from Thailand and Laos! I know... I feel like a complete idiot and I've lost sleep over this accident. Luckily, we at least have a few pictures on our blog from Thailand, but now we have none from Laos. What's most upsetting is that I deleted all the pictures for an ebook I was writing for a village in Laos, and so that project is down the drain. Such a bummer!

So to see the story of Laos, you will have to use your imaginations, and a few pictures from fellow travelers that I put in here. Leaving off from Drew's last posting, we did have an amazing time making the ebook with the teacher from Ban Nam Chang. It's a great community to study because it is self-sustained, everything that is needed is produced and created right there. After a meal of strange foods and many shots of rice whiskey, we took a tour of the village with Somsey, the local teacher who spoke great english. We saw how the people made their own clothing, by first growing cotton, then picking it, turning it into yarn, weaving it, dying it with indigo plants, and making into clothes. Their clothes are distinctive of their culture, and the women are adorned with silver coins in their hair. The custom is also for the women to remove their eyebrows after age 15, so they have an interesting and unique appearence. We also learned about their spirituality which is mostly animism, where they pray to the earth and the spirits of thier ancestors. They also make their own paper, build their homes, and grow all their own food. The experience of writing an ebook with them, allowed us an inside view of their culture, which was quite fascinating. Although we lost the pictures, we will always have the experiences in our memories.

Next, we took a slow boat down the Mekong River. This boat is loaded to capacity with tourists, who are happy to pay too much and sit on uncomfortable seats for 6 hours, so they can have the experience of the Mighty Mekong.

It is worth it, and we enjoyed watching the landscape slowly slip by and we were amazed at how little development there is in Laos. Sometimes we'd see a small village on the banks, a few fishing boats here and there, but mostly we saw hills and jungle along the shore.

Along our trip down the Mekong, we decided to get off the "beaten track" by venturing into another village. We had the boat drop us off at one of the villages along the shore, and took an hour long sangthaew ride over a dirt road pocketed by huge pot-holes to a village called Hongsa. The trip was a bruising, bumpy ride, and one Italian lady in her 60's kept saying "mama mia!" at each curve in the road. Hongsa is a nice town, known for it's working elephants who help with the logging industry there. The local people have been using elephants for centuries to carry huge logs from the jungle into the villages, and now they also use them in the tourism industry to give rides to people. We never took a ride, but we enjoyed watching them stroll along the dirt roads of Hongsa. There, we found the quiet atmosphere, away from tourist trail, a perfect setting for us.

From Hongsa, we decided to rent bikes for a day and ride through the countryside. This was one of the best days I've had on our entire trip, simply because it was so refreshing to be in the "real" Laos. We rode to a nearby village, and while admiring a small wat, we were greeted by a group of women. They asked us to join them (all in hand gestures, of course) and we watched them make rice cakes by steaming rice flour over a fire pit dug in the ground, covered by a pot of water and wet cloth. They then dry these "rice tortillas" in the sun and finally cook them over coals to make them crispy. They fed us about 5 each, and while we couldn't speak to eachother, we could smile and laugh and had one of those conversations that happen without words. It was a simple exchange, but we loved it. The ride through the countryside, took us through villages where people stopped and stared at us, having seen very few "falangs" in their lives. I even made one young girl cry, because she hadn't seen someone like me before. But most people stared until we said "Sabaidee!", and then they would grin and wave. Some of the children would run along the road saying "hello!" while laughing, as we rode along beside them. I found at the end of the day, my cheeks hurt from smiling all day.

We next made our way to Luang Prabang, which is the former royal capital of Laos. It's a great city, full of lively night markets, picturesque wats, and interesting history. We spent our time there wandering the streets, and exploring the beautiful temples scattered around the city. It was a place we both enjoyed. After this we went to Vang Vieng, although beautiful in many ways, was somewhere we didn't like. The Lonely Planet says it's a place that has "sold it's soul to tourism", which we found to be true. The town is filled with "t.v. bars" where you can watch "Friends" epiodes and drink beer at the same time. It wasn't our idea of fun, and so instead of staying two days, we got out of there as quickly as possible. This meant taking a public bus to Vientiane, which was an experience in itself. The bus was full when we left the station, but public buses stop for anyone and everyone, and soon we found ourselves with three people on a two-seater, with a girl falling asleep on Drew's arms, and a man falling on top of him as he dozed off standing in the aisle. It was a sticky, hot, uncomfortable ride and Drew felt sick on top of all that. It was kind of a nightmare, but we made it.

Vientiane is Laos' capitol city. After a long bus ride, all we wanted was to get to a guest house and relax. But we found that the whole city was practically full, and it took us several hours of walking from place to place, until we found a place to sleep for the night. These are the times when traveling is NOT fun, when you're tired, hungry, sick, and you can't find a single place to rent you a room. We finally found a sketchy place above a karaoke bar, but we were just happy to have anything. On our last day in Laos, we toured around, and again went to temples. By this time, we were ready to move on from Laos. We had a great time in many ways, but also found ourselves exhausted from moving around so much.

We now find ourselves in the country of Cambodia, but that is a story that is yet to come...

The Land of a Million Elephants

2008-02-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Hope you're still out there. We've had a marked decrease in comments, but we optimistically presume that's due to the winter doldrums or busy schedules rather than a drop in readership. In either event, if you're out there and following along, drop us a comment. It's a great boost for us on the road, and we love to hear from you.

We're now in Laos (pronounced like it rhymes with wow, s is silent). I had a chance to see and speak to my sister and mom and nephew by Skype a few days back which was a thrill. During the conversation, my sister asked something along the lines of "What the heck is the deal in Laos?", owing to the fact that it's a country that's off the radar screen for most people and therefore a mystery - me included, until this trip. To help clear up the mystery, check the destination info in the right margin for a link to the Wikipedia entry for Laos. But I'll give my quick take here as well.

Laos is a small country, sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam, with China to the north and Cambodia to the south. It also borders Burma. It's a small, poor country with most of the country still living on subsistence agriculture. It also is scarcely populated with only about 6 million people total. It was a French colony for a long time so that influence is apparent in many ways. The government is communist, although now more and more in name than in economic system. Like China, it's gradually opened itself up to market practices, but the government still retains strong control and power over the country. Today Laos is a very safe country with minimal crime (sigh of relief, Mom). But its history has not always been so. It owns the dubious distinction as the most bombed country in the world. In the 70's, there was a covert war that took place here in the shadows of the Vietnam War. Laos was basically a fighting grounds for capitalism - led, armed, and supported by the U.S., although with full denial from the US government - and communism - with arms and backing from Vietnam, China, and the Soviet Union. Laos unfortunately paid the price. When the US left Vietnam, communists took over in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. And the communist government still retains power here, although they've evolved over the years.

On a more chipper front, Laos is super-laid back and pleasant. Even crossing the Mekong River from Thailand which is a mellow country, you could feel a palpable change in pace - slower, less traffic, less tourists (or "whiteys" as we call them), more rural. It's quite nice. The landscape is green rolling hills and forested small mountains. There are also lots of rivers and elephants. Oh yes, and Beer Lao, the national brew, a lager that costs about a buck a beer. Good stuff.

Our first full day here was sweet. We arranged a sangthaew ride to a local village where we happened upon their Lunar New Year's celebration. They immediately welcomed us and invited us to their party and started to toast us with drinks of their homemade rice whiskey - called lao lao. It was incredible. I'll let Erin tell you more as she arranged another ebook with the local teacher who was our liaison since he spoke English. And just now, we enjoyed a tasty meal overlooking the sunset on the Mekong River and Thailand to the west.

Tomorrow we start a two-day slowboat trip down the Mekong where we're going to try to reach a remote town called Hongsa which is supposed to have lots of wild elephants in the nearby area and should be off the beaten path.

That's our deal. Let us know what you're up to in your neck of the woods.

Cheers,
Drew

Each Day an Adventure

2008-01-28T23:57:00.001-07:00

Sawadee from Chiang Mai!

Each day has been an adventure. We had a wonderful time on Ko Tao, which is a small island on the Gulf of Thailand (the east side). The island is hilly, and strewn with big boulders of all shapes and sizes. From a distance, the island is covered in palm trees and scattered bungalows overlooking the sea.

Ko Tao from the boat

Although the beaches were small and forgettable, the coral reef around the island was superb! Imagine an underwater garden of coral. Some are big and round and look like a brain, some are feathery and branched and look like plants. There is so much variety in color, shape, size, and texture, and that's just the coral. The fish are also abundant, and again, so many different kinds. There are eels, sharks, manta rays, and dolphins. It's biodiversity at it's finest!

The highlight of our trip was taking a "discovery" scuba diving trip, which means you learn the basics of diving, first in a pool and then out in the open water with a guide. We didn't have the time or money to do the whole scuba course, so this was perfect. I personally was pretty scared. I am not the most comfortable person in the water in the first place, and even snorkelling has given me a fright at times. But, I was determined to try something new, and Ko Tao is a great place to experience diving (they issue more PADI certifications than anywhere in the world, besides in Cairns). During the pool training, we learned to breathe into our regulators, clear our masks, equalize our ears, and become bouyant (which basically means you aren't sinking or floating). Then we hit the open water....

We first took a boat to the north end of the island, and after putting on about 50 pounds of gear, we got into the water by falling straight back off the boat. You are supposed to hold your regulator and goggles, and that's why I look like such a dork. You use a vest that you can pump up with air to float, or deflate to sink. Next, we swam over to a shallow area to begin. When we first started to sink into the water, breathing through our regulators, it felt so unnatural and I started to panic a bit. Another girl we were with totally panicked, and decided she couldn't go on with it. But I calmed down and slowly got used to the strange feeling of breathing underwater. We slowly made our way deeper into the water, equalizing our ears along the way. When we made it to the coral reef, I forgot my worries and was amazed at the world that exists under the sea. It was gorgeous and so much fun to swim amongst the fish. It was a totally new experience for me, and I loved it! It is sure to be one of the major highlights of our entire trip. We decided to pay extra and do another dive in a different area called the Japanese Gardens. We spent 45 minutes underwater, and this time could just explore and enjoy our time.

In the following days we continued to explore the island by foot, and found an isolated cove where we went snorkelling. There, Drew saw dolphins underwater!!!! I think that has to be one of the coolest animals to see, especially from under the surface. We also enjoyed eating fresh seafood each evening. The fishermen go out during the day and cook up whatever they caught that evening, over a grill. Restaurants on the beach have a lively BBQ atmosphere and for our last dinner on Ko Tao we ate a delicious fillet of tuna for about $5 each.

The coral around Ko Tao is a true gem as far as ecosystems go, but you can also see that it is being destroyed by the boats and other human activity. Again we are reminded of how people effect these beautiful places, and I feel a bit guilty for being part of the tourism that puts stress on the environments we visit. In the end, we do our best to try and keep our footprint small.

After spending about three weeks beach-hopping, we made our way up to Chiang Mai. To get here, we took a boat from Ko Lipeh, a bus to the train station in Chumphon on the mainland, an overnight train to Bangkok, and then another train to Chiang Mai. It was going smoothly, despite the many hours of sitting, until our train to Chiang Mai stopped in it's tracks. There was a problem with the engine, and we started to imagine ourselves stranded there for another night. Luckily, the train eventually kept chugging down the track, but instead of getting into the city at 8:30 pm, we got in at 11 pm, absolutely exhausted. Oh, the joys of travel!

Now that we are in Chiang Mai, we are enjoying the city. It is a unique place, a walled and moated city, with over 120 temples (wats). It's small enough to walk around by foot, yet dynamic and modern. Although we set out each day to see certain wats, we would come upon many different ones on our way. They are beautiful, highly decorated and ornate buildings. Inside there are intricate paintings and always a large golden Buddha and sometimes many statues. The grounds are always well-manicured and often there are monks walking around. It's quite breathtaking and interesting to learn about Buddhism (although there is much we don't understand). On the grounds of one Wat, there were signs along the trees giving advice on how to live your life. This is one Drew thought he needed reminding from:

Tomorrow we will head into the mountains to a town called Pai for a few nights. There are many hill-tribes around the area, as well as hiking trails and waterfalls. Then we head over the border into Laos for a river trip down the Mekong! We're looking forward to it!

p.s. we've added many more photos to Drew's last post, and I added a link to the Thai ebook on my last post, check it out!

Erin

Stories with Happy Endings

2008-01-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

While Drew recounts all of our recent adventures in Thailand, I simply wanted to tell you about two profound experiences that I've had...

First, for those of you have followed the story of Mindo Tamang, the young orphan girl in Nepal, the story continues...
A week ago I got an email from the organization that has the guide company/orphanage. Apparently a guide went up to Mindo's village on Christmas Day and talked with the family that owns the guesthouse we stayed at. The whole village got together for a meeting on Mindo's behalf, but she was very scared to leave her home. There was another girl there who is also an orphan and lives with her blind grandfather and sick grandmother. She has a similar story in that her parents left her behind when they split up. Anyways, the village and the organization decided to take BOTH girls down to Kathmandu to the orphanage! They both needed a place to live and an education, but they also have eachother! They speak the same "mother tongue," so they can communicate to eachother as they learn Nepali. I imagine this is so much more comfortable for both of them during this transition in their lives. Meena, my contact at the organization, said that both girls are now in their new home, have new clothes, and have started their education!
I was so happy and amazed at how it all came together! I hope that Mindo now has a better life with more opportunities and a bright future. I will continue to support her in a small way (most of the funding is coming from the english gentleman, Andy) and I hope to be part of her life.

Students in Koh Lipeh

The other story is that Drew and I created another ebook with students in Thailand. We were staying on a small island called Koh Lipeh (only 8 square km), which is a gorgeous place with white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, and a healthy coral reef. They also have a small community of indigenous people called Urak Lawoi, which means "Sea People" who are semi-nomadic. When I heard that they had a small school, I was instantly intrigued. So one day, we just walked off the beach and approached the school, asking for a teacher who speaks english. It took awhile to find someone (not even a teacher), but when we talked with him it was obvious the project wouldn't work because of the language barrier. As we were about to leave, the man asked if we could come back at 7 pm that evening, and we said sure.
At 7 pm there was a man there named Tom, a Thai teacher who spoke perfect english. What's even more amazing is that he also works for a non-profit that is studying the community and they have just written a book for the students about health issues. He goes on to say that what he's really passionate about is teaching the students about their ancestors and pride in their culture. eBooks are the perfect tool, and this is the heart of what the Global Library is! Amazing!!!
Our day with the students and talking with Tom about the island and the people that live on Koh Lipeh was one of the most insightful conversations we've had on this trip! Suddenly we are not simply tourists but much more. We learned as much from the students as we are giving back by creating these books. Drew agrees and has had as much fun with this project as I have. We both agree that it has added a lot to our travels, to have this sense of purpose but also to stimulate conversations with the local communities we visit.

The students wrote an amazing book and took us on a "tour" of their village for taking pictures. We were able to see the place through their eyes and they were proud of some aspects of their lifestyle and concerned about other parts, ie. the environment. We got to take a step back and look at how the tourist industry affects a small place like this and its people. Thailand's most beautiful places are developing so quickly and while this may be good for their economy, it has it's downfalls as well. And so through this project we learn to look at life differently.

Here is the link to the ebook created with students in Koh Lipeh:

http://send.realebooks.com/?bH=e44&c=ed11f491

Erin

Enchanting Thailand

2008-01-21T03:57:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Trang, Thailand!

Our beachside bungalow on Ko Bulon Leh

In Ice Cube's words, today was a good day. Let me tell you about it. Hearing about our day goes a long was to understanding why Thailand has been so enjoyable. This morning Erin and I woke up in our thatched bamboo bungalow on the remote island of Ko Bulon Leh about 30 feet from the turquoise blue ocean, with a fine white sand beach spanning the distance between us and the Andaman Sea. Today was a travel day so we were up early at 7-ish. I wanted to squeeze in a snorkel before we left so I threw on my new boardshorts (stylish counterfeit Billabongs I picked up last week for cheap) and walked down the beach. There I spied a small (2 foot) blacktip reef shark in the shallows. I walked a bit further and headed into the sea. Below me unfurled an amazing colorful world of soft and hard corals and thousands of fish of all types and sizes and colors - clownfish, angelfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, yellowtails, and others. This particular snorkel was highlighted by a giant manta ray. The day before it was an eel - purple, ugly, 4 feet long and six inches in diameter. The day before that on a different island it was a big shark - 5 feet long that scared the you-know-what out of me and send me to shore even though I know it wouldn't eat me.

The view from our bed. Not a bad view to wake up to every morning.

In any event, I snorkel down the length of the reef, swim into shore, and wander back to our bungalow. Along the way, I'm trying to take in the blue sky and surrounding islands and limestone rock formations that jut out of the sea. As I return to our bungalow, Erin is just getting back with our breakfast which consists of a pot of coffee and muesli with fresh fruit and yogurt. The fresh fruit is incredible - banana, mango, papaya, watermelon, and my new favorite pineapple. The pineapple here is out-of-this-world. As we eat, we stare out over the amazing scene before us and hear the water lapping up to shore.

After breakfast, a quick shower, paying our bill (500 baht or about $15 a night) and checking out, we catch a longtail boat to the ferry that will take us back to the mainland. On the ferry ride, the captain turns to me and points and says, "Big fish" in broken English. I look out and see a pod of dolphins jumping through the water to the side of the boat. Once back to the mainland, we stock up on fresh fruit for the day - pineapple, oranges, and bananas - for the equivalent of $1.50. We catch a sawngthaew to the next town. A sawngthaew is the local taxi which consists of a pickup truck with two benches lining the back. We make our way to the next town which is on the public bus route. We're now off the tourist path and in a town where the locals don't speak much English. We sit down on one of the many streetside restaurants (more like a food stand),and I order Pad Thai for me and Pad See Yoo for Erin - to the waitress' amusement as she tries to understand my Thai with my farang (foreigner) accent. We wolf down our meal of noodles and chicken and shrimp and pay up. The bill comes to 50 baht or about $1.50.

Next we wait by the roadside and catch the next bus with the locals to Trang where we're headed. After a brief scare that the bus has broken down but which turns out to be just a 10-minute delay, we get off in Trang. It's a city but a relatively small and easy one to tackle as far as foreign Asian cities go. We find the backpacker's hostel we're seeking and book a mediocre room with a fan (but no A/C or TV) for 180 baht, or about $6. From there, the day is less eventful. We spent most of the afternoon in an internet cafe getting caught up with all of our emails and personal business, perused a few bookstores, and just enjoyed a nice meal of pork with garlic and pepper and curry chicken with rice for less than $5. Tomorrow is another travel day.

The beauty of today is enjoying the natural wonders that Thailand's beaches and ocean provide, getting comfortable enough to start to be able to get around easily off the tourist path, enjoying the amazing food and wonderful people of Thailand, and doing it all for a small price. We're really starting to hit our groove here, just as we did in Nepal after a few weeks.

We arrived in Thailand on January 4th in Phuket where we were met at the airport by Erin's cousin Johnny. Phuket is large island on the SW coast of Thailand with beautiful beaches and lots of action. Johnny is a Canadian native who is a safety engineer on an oil rig off the coast off Australia and now lives in Thailand. He's married to a beautiful and bubbly Thai lady named Pim, and they have an adorable two-year-old son Arthur.

Johnny, Pim, and Arthur went above and beyond and showed us around the big island of Phuket for the first few days we were in Thailand. It made for an easy adjustment to a new place. They took us to a nice waterfall, a Gibbon (type of monkey) Rehabilitation Center, a Buddhist temple, several viewpoints, and a few tasty restaurants. We enjoyed our time and especially our gracious hosts.

Cliff and beaches of Hat Rai Leh West

From Phuket, we struck out on our own and made our way down the coast by bus to the Krabi area. We spent four days on the beautiful beaches of Rai Leh (Railay) West, Phra Nang, and Ton Sai. The Railay area is one of the top rock climbing areas in the world, owing to the huge limestone rock formations that tower over the beaches and rise out of the sea. I was expecting it to be a real low-key climber's spot with just a few backpackers and climbing bums about, but it is also very developed, and there were lots of people of all kinds. This didn't slow us down, though. We broke out of our idleness from the last month and were quite active. We swam and snorkeled a bunch. We rented a kayak and went sea kayaking around the rock formations and to private beaches one afternoon just before sunset. The next day, we went rock climbing with a local guiding service. Having not climbed in quite a bit, we were quite psyched with our performance, and it was great to get back on the rock. We also enjoyed lots of meals looking out on the fiery red sun setting over the ocean.

Sunset over Andaman Sea and Hat Phra Nang

From Railay, we ventured further down the Andaman coast to the port town of Pak Bara and arranged a ferry ride to some remote islands off the far SW coast. We spent about five days on Ko Lipe which is a tiny, gorgeous island surrounded by the islands and oceans of Ko Turatao National Park. Ko Lipe is only a square mile or two in size so you can walk from one side to the other in minutes. There are lots of nice beaches, many secret coves, and nice coral reefs just offshore. The island is also home to a village of chao leh (which means sea people or sea gypsies) who are not Thai in ethnicity but came to these islands from Indonesia about 100 years ago. Erin managed to set up another e-book program with the local school on the island so that added a nice dimension to the trip. Ko Lipe is developing quickly and had its share of tourists, but it was a very low-key place where we could kick back and relax and really get into the slow and easy Thai beach life. We really started to hit our stride on Ko Lipe.

Longtail boat on Ko Lipe coast

From Ko Lipe we hopped to Ko Bulon Leh which is closer to the mainland but even more low-key. We lucked out with our cheap but perfectly situated bungalow by the sea. Erin and I enjoyed our last few days there immensely, and both agreed that Ko Bulon Leh may end up being the highlight of our whole trip to Thailand. We'll see, as we still have about 3 weeks left.

The plan from here is to head to the east coast and stay on Ko Tao, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. The we'll wander up to the north of Thailand, likely via Bangkok. The Chang Mai area in the north of Thailand is known for its rich ancient culture, many old Buddhist temples, lush jungles and forests, and mountainous terrain. It will be a nice complement to the beach life in the south. Then we will venture over to Laos and make our way down the Mekong River and to the towns of Luang Prubang and Vientiane. From Vientiane, we'll fly to Siem Reap where we will meet up with Ben and Casey and a friend of theirs to explore the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat. After Angkor, we'll check out the capital city of Phnom Penh and the killing fields from the dark era of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot. Finally, Erin and I will split on our own for the last few days and hope to find a beach in either Thailand or Cambodia for some final R&R before flying down to New Zealand at the end of February.

Looking forward to enjoying the ride! And pictures are forthcoming. Due to technical difficulties at the web cafe we're using, we can't get them up today which is disappointiong, but we will soon, I promise.

Drew

Malaysia in a Nut Shell

2008-01-03T02:12:00.000-07:00

Casey, Ben, Erin and Drew

It's our last day in Malaysia, and the last three weeks have flown by. Our time here was more about relaxing, than about seeing sights or traveling from place to place. Most importantly, we wanted to spend time with our good friends Ben and Casey, who are some of the coolest folks we know. Ben is a wonderful guy, full of interesting conversation and good humor. We've been able to observe firsthand, his strength and positive attitude in his recovery from a recent stroke. He's almost back to his old self, and has a vigor for life that can't even compare. Casey is a sweet, beautiful, strikingly smart gal. She has an honesty and openness to life that I've rarely seen equaled in others, and she seems to always be in search of the authentic experiences in our world. We've had such a great time with them, and I can't even express how wonderful it is to have quality time with friends during this year of so many strangers. Even though they felt like they didn't show us around enough, we simply wanted to have time with them in their home here in Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur Skyline

We spent most of our time in Malaysia in the city of KL. It's a very clean and colorful city, with great architecture and mass transit that zips you around. It's people are diverse, a collection of Malays, Chinese, Indians, and expats. There are Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians. KL has a lot of green spaces, big parks and even a jungle walk in the middle of the city. And even though it's a modern city, it's relatively cheap if you stick to the local food stalls and public transportation. As far as cities go, it's a great one in my book.

Christmas Dinner

We felt lucky to have spent the holidays with Ben and Casey. It meant a lot to us to be in the company of good friends, both for Christmas and for New Year's eve. We did have a few presents but the biggest gift of all was to be able to speak at length with our families. We all discovered how cool technology can be, and used Skype for the first time. It's amazing to see the faces of our loved ones across the planet from each other, and it really gives a sense of intimacy.

Palau Pangkor Beach
We did get out of the city on a couple of occasions. We spent 4 days on the island of Pulau Pangkor with Ben and Casey. We tried our utmost to be complete beach bums, and spent our time either slothing it on the beach or eating. We entertained ourselves in the evenings by playing cards.

Boh Tea Plantation, Cameron Highlands Drew and I spent another 3 days up in the Cameron Highlands, which is a hill town at about 1500 meters. It's cool temperatures and rainfall make it the perfect climate for growing tea and vegetables, and it felt very comfortable after the sweaty heat of KL. During the days, we visited a tea plantation and did a short jungle walk to a waterfall. Our evenings were spent reading. It was relaxing and easygoing, a nice break from the busy city.

Robinson Falls, Cameron Highlands

Our time in Malaysia was just what the doctor ordered... time to "chillax" as Casey would say. We ate well (satisfied all of our cravings), watched tons of movies, spent numerous hours on-line, and talked at length about our adventures so far. We feel energized and ready for our next leg of the trip, which is Thailand, tomorrow! Our first stop will be in Phuket to visit my second cousin Johnny, his wife Pim, and son Arthur. We'll be sure to fill you in as our adventures unfold!

Erin

Nepal Gallery

2008-01-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year! All the best of health and happiness to you and yours in 2008. May your dreams be realized.

Our free time and widespread internet access has allowed us the opportunity to organize our photos and videos. As a result, I was able to put together this final gallery of Nepal photos and video that capture some of the more colorful aspects of the trip there that we did not touch on earlier.

First, here's a video we took on the top of Tsergo Ri, the peak that we climbed in northern Nepal. It's from a height of 16,328 feet. You'll get a glimpse of the high peaks, glaciers and valleys of Nepal and even Tibet. You'll also see and hear the player flags flapping in the wind which is such a common sight and sound there. Might take a bit to load since it's a big file.

Kathmandu - The Good
Boudhinath - Buddhist Temple

Kathmandu - The Bad
The Cow (which is Sacred in Hindu and Roams Freely) Eating Garbage in the Street

Maoist Checkpoint - Near Dhampus, Annapurna Sanctuary Trek

Nepal's political situation is currently in flux. The Maoists are a group a group of communist insurgents who started a revolution in the country earlier in the decade to overthrow the government and monarchy with which the whole country seems dissatisfied. At first it was a bloody fight, but in the last two years there has been a ceasefire and the Maoist have joined in political discussion. I have mixed feelings about the Maoists - aside from being communists. On the one hand, they are making change and the government of Nepal just passed a measure to abolish their monarchy just a few days ago. That seems like a good step to me, and Nepal is hopefully on the way to a republic with direct democratic elections. The government needs to be more accountable and effective. But the Maoists are definitely not angels, and their methods are very suspect. They steal and take food, crops, money, and resources from the hardworking people of the countryside. They also kidnap, kill, torture, and injure their opposition - including people involved in government, school, NGO's that are there to help the people, and others.

Our direct interaction with Maoists was limited to passing two checkpoints, one on the way in to the Annapurna trek and one on the way out. They extort money from every trekker (hundreds in a day) to support their cause. They hand you a propaganda letter that states their case and says they "loathe the very idea of extortion from anybody as alleged by their detractors" and "humbly appeal to you to make a voluntary donation according to your capacity" and then inform you that you must give a fixed sum of money per person per day of your trek and if you do not, you will not be allowed to pass. There were no arms visible, but it was clear that a donation was not voluntary. With our guide's assistance, we negotiated down our payment and eventually paid a sum roughly equal to $16. I was not ever scared or threatened, but at the same time felt like, "I can't believe this is how things go down here. It's crazy."

Made me thankful for the fact that we have a sound and generally just and organized government in our country. Those lessons are also driven home by the current events in places like Kenya and Pakistan. In big picture terms, the election situation in Kenya is not too different from what the U.S. experienced a few years back with the disputed Bush-Gore election. As controversial as the result was, the political leaders and people accepted the decision of the government and courts and went on with their lives. In Kenya, the leaders and people are not accepting the decision and the country is being torn to shreds before the eyes of the world. Again, it's crazy! Again, I feel lucky.

Bus to Langtang

Speaking of lucky, I feel lucky to have survived the 9-hour rides - mostly on dirt road - up and back to Langtang. This is our bus. Note the many people on the roof and the dude climbing up the ladder on the side. In this shot, we are at a rest stop in a small town. But when the bus is moving, the scene is no different. Tons of people on the roof, jam packed inside with people and crops and packages, and riders climbing on and off of the roof while in motion.

There are a lot of Buddhists in Nepal. During our time there, I came to understand that Buddhists believe that all life is suffering and hence they are trying to reach samsara which is an eternal escape from rebirth and worldly suffering. After this first bus ride, it became pretty clear to me why the people feel that all life is suffering.

Lady Carrying Monster Bundle of Wood in the Mountains

Typical scene in the mountains. This one is of a lady, probably 40 or 50 years old, carrying a bundle of wood that she just chopped down and that is about as big as she is. The method of carrying is with the load attached to the back by a strap that runs over the forehead. No waistbelts, padded shoulder straps, or load lifters here, kids. Hard living.

Bamboo Basket Maker near Chhomrong

We witnessed so many amazing sights of local mountain people making everything that they use in their everyday life - knitting clothes; cutting and weaving bamboo for baskets, roofs, walls, an other uses; building their own homes; and many more. We also saw a family - mom, dad, sons, daughters, grandparents - gutting and cleaning the insides of a goat that they had just slaughtered. It was clear that every part of the goat was of huge value to them - blood, intestines, meat, tongue, etc. I spared you the photo of this scene, but my point is that we witnessed the amazingly different way that the Nepalese people provide for themselves than what we are used to.

Natural Millstone

Speaking of the above, here's a natural millstone we encountered. In the photo on the left, the mountain stream is being diverted by a half of a hollowed-out log that carries the water into the bamboo-thatched hut where the millstone sits. The photo on the right shows the inside of the hut. The bamboo cone sits above the millstone and "sort of jiggles" in such a way that corn falls slowly out one kernel at a time onto the surface below. The power of the water turns the millstone which grinds the corn into powder. It's a very simple device all in all, but I was completely blown away when I saw it and took in what I was witnessing. It seemed ingenious it was so simple and effective. Just another incredible example of how differently we go about our daily lives.

Mani Stone
In the Buddhist areas of Tibet, one encounters many mani walls. A mani wall consists of many stones that are carved into scripts, images, and prayers. Each stone is about 2 feet high and 4 feet across. Some of the mani walls are hundreds of feet long and contain thousands of stones, all of which have been engraved by hand over many years. The Buddhist walks clockwise around the walls while praying "Om mani padme hum" which is the most common Buddhist mantra. The prayer is directed to the Buddha of compassion and is supposed to contain or represent all of the Buddha's teachings. Buddhist or not, it's quite a sight to behold walking along a mani wall while taking in the amazing natural beauty of the Himalayan mountains all around you.

Between a Rock and a...
It's not every man that can live off the land. This guy should be proud.
Comic Relief, Take 1

A sign outside a small store we encountered on the way down from our first trek after walking down and up thousands of feet and hundreds of stairs and steps. Note the item toward the middle, just above the tiger balm - Knee Cap 1 piece, 100 rupees (about US$1.50). Not a bad deal under those circumstances. I think Erin gave it some serious consideration.

Comic Relief, Take 2

Litter Tree Zone

Amazing Sunset Between the Clouds
that Erin took from Kyanjin Gompa

Final Gratuitous Mountain Shots
It was too hard to choose just one so here's two.

Dhaulagiri at Sunrise
7th highest mountain in the world, 26,794 feet

Annapurna South Face
with Prayer Flags and Monument to those who have Died
Climbing the Mountain, including Anatoli Bookreev
10th highest mountain in the world, 26,538 feet

Peace Out.
Drew

A Short Story

2007-12-30T22:22:00.001-07:00

I have one more story I want to tell about Nepal. Sheesh..... I can't seem to let that place go!

This is a story about one little girl. Her name is Mindo Tamang and she is an orphan. As I have said before, there are many problems in Nepal, and one of them is the overwhelming number of kids without parents. Parents die of disease or many leave their children because they don't have the means to take care of them. Some children end up in orphanages, where they are provided with food and shelter. Otherwise, many will live the life of an outcast, where they have to beg in order to survive. While there are many orphanages in Nepal, there is just as much corruption in these organizations. I am a kid person, I love them. Sometimes I relate better to kids, than I do to adults, and it breaks my heart to think about a suffering child. I felt the desire to help in some way, but I didn't know how...

Then I met her. While trekking in the Langtang region, we came to a small village of only 4 guest houses. As we approached the one we stayed in, I noticed this young girl carrying a baby on her back. I was immediately struck by her and couldn't take my eyes off the pair. Later that evening, while talking to the owner of the guest house, we learned that this girl, Mindo, is an orphan. The owner told us that Mindo's mother and father split up, and both left her. The mother has had many men, and also has many children that she leaves in different villages. The owner told us this was a big problem. He doesn't want to take care of this girl, he already has raised 5 of his own children and given them the best he could. Mindo is a burden to him, and it shows. Although I think he is a good person, he is looking out for the best interests of his own family. The extra money it costs to support Mindo, is something that he resents. Mindo tries to help, bringing in fire wood, stoking the fire, but she is treated like a pest. I try to be understanding, but I feel sorry for this little girl. Her options in life aren't good... she's unwanted and uneducated. She doesn't even speak Nepali, only the local language of her village.

I stay awake all night, my mind spinning with ideas of how I can help Mindo. Amazingly, the day before we met a gentleman from England who supports an orphanage in Kathmandu and he is staying in the guest house next to ours. I get up in the morning and ask him if there are any options for Mindo, if there is any space in his orphanage? There is also the problem of money, I can give some money, but know I can't support her for the next 10 years. We've already heard the sad stories of tourists trying to help, giving money to support kids in the short term, but then not following through. I don't want to do that.

After talking with the English man, Andy, I call the orphanage. They don't have space and they don't have money. There is also the problem of Mindo not speaking Nepali, and that she only knows mountain life. She has never seen a car, let alone lived in a crazy busy city like Kathmandu. Which life would be better? The option of an orphanage would at least give her an education and maybe some hope for a better future.

The story continues... we run into Andy again on the trail and he tells me that money is not a problem, that his community near Oxford England can pay for Mindo to go to an orphanage! This is incredible to me! With this in mind, the orphanage can find space in a different home for her. The orphanage is affiliated with a guiding service, and they can come and pick her up and take her back to Kathmandu (the guide even speaks her language,Tamang)! In the orphanage, she would get new clothes, food every day, a roof over her head, and a decent education. It's all coming together, but I'm wondering if it is my place to change this girl's life. Again my mind is reeling! We still don't know what is going to happen, and when we leave the mountains, I give Mindo my fleece and the owner some money for shoes and books. I tell them we have to wait and see....

Since then, the pieces have been put in motion. A guide went up to the village to get Mindo, but unfortunately the owner asked to put one of his own children in the orphanage instead of Mindo. Then he asked if he could have the money to support Mindo himself. Like I said, he has his own best interests in mind. I knew it couldn't be so simple and I still don't know what exactly will happen.... Either ending of this story will be hard on Mindo, but I believe if she does get into the orphanage there will be hope. With an education, maybe her life will turn around.

I learned some of my own lessons from this experience. Even though I still wonder what will be best for Mindo, I am amazed at how it all has fallen in place. I am reminded of the power of intention, and how life comes together when you put your ideas out there. I've experienced this same power of serendipity with the Global Library project (right, Kelly?) and I am trying to trust that things will happen the way they are meant to.

The rest of the story is to be continued....
Erin

Global Library Ebook from Nepal

2007-12-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hey. I wanted to post the ebook that Drew and I created in Nepal with students. If you want to hear more about the experience, you can read our blog post on November 25, titled Trekking in the Annapurna Region.

For those of you who don't know, The Global Library is a project that was thought of by Kelly Keena and myself, and is made possible by the ebook software created by a former professor of Kelly's, Mike McGuffee. The idea is to create books with students from around the world, focusing on their communities. These books can then be sent to the schools and each student receives a copy to take home. The hope is to provide access to literacy for students that don't have many books, and it also gives them a medium to express their pride in their communities. These books can then be shared between schools across the globe, linking cultures through the eyes and words of kids! It really is a dream project for me, combining cultural and environmental awareness for both the students we work with and for my own understanding. It also feels like a way to give back to the communities we visit, which is something that has become more and more important to me while traveling.

To view the ebook copy and paste the link below into the address bar. I hope you enjoy it!!!

http://send.realebooks.com/?bH=d63&c=e3bd7f57

Erin

Our Visit with Ben and Casey - In their Words

2007-12-30T02:54:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is fat and happy after big Christmas feasts and enjoying some quality time with friends and family before 2007 is a wrap. We're going to switch it up and offer some guest commentary on our blog this time around. We figure some fresh voices will be good. I assure you, it has nothing to do with lack of motivation.

As you know, we're staying with our friends Ben and Casey in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They are good friends of ours with whom I went to college at Bucknell. They're in Malaysia for a year and a half while Casey does research for her Ph.D. thesis in the field of medical anthropology. Without having to work any sort of 9-5 jobs, they're pretty much fully funded through grants so it's a good gig they have going.

The other key piece of background is that my good friend Ben who is an otherwise healthy and robust 31-year-old like myself had a stroke in July. That's right, a stroke. It was a crazy development out of nowhere which initially left him paralyzed on his left side. He has since made a miraculous and speedy recovery and is now walking around on his own and leading a very normal life. He continues to improve and regain strength and coordination day by day. The way he and Casey have handled it has been absolutely amazing and incredibly courageous. To let you know just how amazing his recovery has been, we actually went bowling a few nights ago and the dude beat me in the first game, 145-142! It's not like I had too bad a game either; it was amazing!

It's been a real pleasure to spend some quality time with Ben and Casey, and we owe them dearly for opening up their home to us for a few weeks. Without further ado (and without their approval), I'm going to steal the last two posts from their blog (www.bchilliard.blogspot.com) and reproduce them here. Casey, that doesn't break any academic plagiarism rules, now does it?

Let the Fun Begin - Casey's Post, 12.16.07

Hey, everyone. How is it going? I hope the fast approaching holiday season has everyone feeling happy and joyful not harried and crazy. We are doing our best to capture the spirit here, though its not easy with the absence of family and cold weather. Somehow palm trees and 90 degree weather do not scream Merry Christmas. No matter though, we do have our friends in town and lots of love and joy in our hearts so we won't be feeling like complete scrooges this holiday season.
So its true, Erin and Drew arrived late Wednesday evening and we are so happy to have them here. We are doing our best to show them what Malaysia is all about. So far we made them an all American breakfast of greasy eggs, bacon, hash browns, and coffee, dragged them to one of the biggest and busiest megamalls in Kuala Lumpur, offered them giant messy burgers at Carl's Jr. for dinner, made some super cheesy homemade pizzas, went to an expat filled coconut reggae party at one of the high end condo buildings in the city, and downloaded the complete season 4 of Entourage for all of us to sit around and watch on the couch in our air-conditioned apartment. How about it! Today, they wanted to do some cultural stuff and explore the city so we sent them out on their own with a city map and a cellphone. We wished them good luck and promised to call them later to arrange a spot to meet before dinner. We're thinking that some place like Starbucks or Coffee Bean would be ideal.

Sadly, I am not joking. Of course, having just spent the past 5 weeks traveling on foot in Nepal, backpacks strapped to their backs 10-12 hours a day, eating the same vegetarian fare every meal, sleeping in a different low rent guest house each night, and getting into bed with their books by 8PM each evening, Drew and Erin's KL experience so far has been the exact jolt to the system they were looking for. Some all-American grub to fill their hungry bellies, some crazy commercialism to shake off the peace and tranquility of the Himalayas, and some good old-fashioned quality TV to mush up their minds after all that reading- it was just what the doctor ordered. Even after the most awesome, breathtaking, and memorable experiences, the most grateful and adaptable travelers can't help but crave a taste of home. I think, amazingly we have not only fed that need but overwhelmed it, in just few short days.

Its actually a sad revelation for Ben and I. It feels like we might have caught a mild form of expat fever living here in the center of KL, taking taxis everywhere, eating out at Western restaurants, and spending way too much money, while justifying it by translating it to USD. Despite our best efforts, we have been infected. It is easy to slip towards the comfort of what's normal, it's natural and no crime but still its nice to be awakened to how far we have slid.

That is one of the differences between travelers and expats, I guess. Travelers keep moving on so they never have a chance to really get too comfortable. They are also motivated to consistently seek out new experiences and see all there is to see since they only have a short time in each spot. Whereas those of us who stay awhile start to make the foreign place home, adapting to it but also molding it to fit our personal comfort zones. We start to seek out routine and forget to explore our surroundings. However, we also take for granted that what is now normal to us may not be so normal to our traveling friends. For instance, the megamalls or the crowds of traditionally dressed Malay women wearing head scarves intermingled with the scandalously clad trendsetting Chinese youth, who make even Ben blush, or early mornings in the park doing QiQong with a spontaneous crowd of local Malaysians.

This last one has actually become Ben and my favorite Saturday and Sunday morning activity. About a month ago, I rode my bike to the very large city park near our apartment to do some 'research'. By research I mean sitting and staring at, sometimes stalking, all the people out for early morning exercise. Someone said to me before I left you are going to be so fit after this experience. Ha, ha, I am finding I prefer to watch. Anyway, while wandering around the park, I stumbled upon a large group of men and women spread out across a field playing follow the leader with a small, very skinny old Chinese man. He said nothing just did his movements and the crowd followed. The best I could tell it looked like QiQong, a popular exercise here in Asia that consists of slow coordinated movements designed to get the Qi in your body moving (its a form of Tai Chi) but the truth is the more I watched, the more suspicious I got. It seemed like the instructor, taking advantage of his aged and wisened appearance, might have creatively taken communist cadre callesthetics infused them with a few fancy arm and hand movements and tricked the crowd into thinking he was an ancient QiQong master. Didn't bother me much though, it looked like fun and I joined in.

When I got home I told Ben about it and how I thought it would be perfect for him since it seemed to really stretch the body out while also demanding many bilateral coordinated motions. To my surprise, he agreed that it sounded like fun and followed me to the park the next weekend and we have been faithful QiQongers ever since.

As it turns out, Simon (this is the name we have given the instructor due to the uncanny feeling that we are playing a silent form of Simon says) is there every Saturday and Sunday morning at 8AM and has been since the 1980s. He wears the same yellow shirt, blue workout pants, and big Jackie Onassis sunglasses every weekend. He never says a word. He just begins moving and everyone follows. The session last for about 45 minutes and then he stops. The crowd is great too. It usually starts with a handful of Malay women and keeps growing from there. On Sundays, a crowd of about 50-60 people gathers. All ages, both sexes, its great. And this past Saturday there was actually four Americans in the mix.

So I guess we are not all that insulated in our expat world. We just forget that what we deem as the mundane is not always that mundane. With Drew and Erin here, we are not only going to get the chance to see our experience through fresh eyes but also get to seek out some new adventures. It is going to be refreshing to get to live like travelers for a bit. In fact, we are heading out this morning on a long distance bus for the beach. Finally, the beach! Rain or shine, I cannot tell you how happy I am to be getting out of the city. I can't wait to sink my feet in the sand.

Take care and be Merry! Oh and I placed a link to Drew and Erin's Travel Blog if your interested in vicariously taking an adventure around the world. Just be careful it is envy inducing!

Casey

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - Ben's Post, 12.26.07

I am writing this the day after Christmas and true to Christmas form I am sitting here fat and satisfied after gorging on a Christmas feast. We were embarrassed after our Thanksgiving debacle of KFC and fish soup so we decided to do Christmas right. In the land of fried noodles and fried rice we feasted on a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Casey, Drew, Erin, and I all contributed to figure out the Celsius/Fahrenheit conversion, we mastered our ghetto propane stove, we each did a bit of cooking, and we all sat down to a delicious meal. Special kudos to Erin and Casey for making apple and pumpkin pie. SEDAPNYA!!

I love to host parties or dinners with Casey. She always errors on the side of too much and going overboard is putting it gently. Casey, as usual, went a bit overboard and she and Erin made 4 different types of Christmas cookies. Drew and I being the lucky recipients have expressed our gratitude by pounding down cookies every hour on the hour. This is a shot of Drew, Erin, and I patiently waiting for the bird to cook. We kept ourselves entertained by watching National Lampoon's Christmas vacation (sorry, substitute photo and blurry at that)

Christmas Feast with Friends - Cisco, Casey, Erin, Elizabeth, Ben

Although we had a delicious feat, we missed spending time with our friends and families. Thanks to Skype and cellphones, we were able to connect, but it just isn't the same as being there. Next year we promise to be stateside for the holidays.

We are still in the middle of vacation season here. We have had an awesome time with Drew and Erin although I feel a little guilty as we did not do Malaysia justice in our role as tour guides. Malaysia is a diverse and beautiful country, but we managed to limit ourselves almost exclusively to KL. We did, however, escape to the beach for a few days and even though it is the monsoon season we were blessed with three full days of sun.

Annette and Z (B&C's friends from Germany & Malaysia), Ben and Casey, Erin and Drew

That, in case you are wondering, is just enough time to get completely sunburned and peel off an entire layer of skin. Tomorrow we are off to meet David and Cindy Hilliard (Ben's parents) for an epic vacation. A few days in Singapore, a few days in Malaysia, and then 2 weeks in Australia. After one full year here in MaLAZYia, we will see if Casey and I can keep up with the Hilliards - I'm betting no. It will be a few weeks before we will be able to post again so Happy New Year to everyone and don't forget to watch AND cheer for THE Ohio State Buckeyes on Jan 7th.

Ben

Life is Good

2007-12-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some of my thoughts from Nepal before moving onto our new stories from Malaysia. It's amazing how easy it is to change mindsets once you are in a new place, where all the moments you were once living and experiencing, simply become memories. But I had so many thoughts and inspirations from Nepal, that it would be a shame if I didn't express some of them here...

Our trip into the Langtang Valley was an amazing experience in so many ways. While walking through the valley, we had lots of time... countless footsteps surrounded by towering peaks. With this sort of time, your mind can't help but unwind and your thoughts are free to wander. We also had lots of time to talk with the local village people, and often our evenings were filled with long conversations in broken English. Many times, our conversations had moments where the Nepali people were complaining of their lives and the hardships they face. They are poor, they have to work hard every day, the government is corrupt, and they don't have many choices for changing these things.... So, as we walked each day, my mind was often filled with the reality of life in Nepal. Life is very different in the mountains of Nepal, much simpler and in many ways harder. And with each contrast, I am again reminded of my own life.

First off, think of life without cars... Every time you need to get somewhere, you have to walk. Life as we know it in America couldn't exist. In many ways, I think it would be a great life, because I am a firm believer that time spent driving in a car directly correlates with a decrease in the quality of life. But cars are oh so convenient, and it allows us to work across town from where we live, drive to see family in a different town, pick up groceries for dinner, and pretty much get anywhere in a hurry.
In the mountains of Nepal, they have to walk everywhere they go. Many times children will walk hours to get to school each day! People carry all their wares from a village near a road, sometimes many days away. And this includes things like a cast iron wood burning stove, all on some one's back! The result is a totally different lifestyle, slowed down with a lot less stuff. There is something wonderful about walking everywhere, and it's environmentally friendly as well. This is something I think we can all use more of in the US.

Next think about basic things like food and water. When we want water, we turn on the tap and whoosh out comes clean, pure water, in either hot or cold. Do you ever think about how amazing that is? In America our water is cleaned and cleaned again, fluoride and other minerals are added for our health, and we even use this drinking water in our toilets!
In the mountains of Nepal, they get their water from a local river. If it is not near their home, they have to carry it (think of how heavy water is and how much you use a day) and the lucky people have a hose that goes directly from the river to their house. The water comes down from the peaks and is the same stuff people bathe in, wash clothes in, and where all the the rainwater runoff goes. If we drank it, we would get sick instantly because it is so full of bacteria and other organisms. But the people of Nepal are used to it. Unfortunately, many of the trekkers buy bottled water and the result is plastic bottles everywhere!

When we want something to eat, we go to the store, and there in front of us are thousands of different items to choose from. I'm thinking about the number of different kinds of cereal, talk about variety! We can get fresh meats, organic milk, and apples from New Zealand all in the same place. The average piece of food we eat travels 1500 miles to get to our stores, amazing and disturbing! We can pop things in the microwave or turn a switch on the stove and cook up a variety of feasts.
In the mountains of Nepal, most people grow what they can. The crops are usually corn, rice, potatoes, barley, and millet (to make wine). Everything else is carried in, including the Coca Cola you see in even the most remote village. The result is that they eat the same thing every single day, dal bhat! When they want to cook their food, people first have to gather wood by cutting down limbs of trees. You can imagine what this does to the areas that don't have many trees. They carry this back home, along with yak dung in the high mountains and start a fire each time they cook. The result is long cooking times, smoke-filled homes, and a constant hacking cough that all Nepali people seem to have.

Now think about the people you love most in the world. When we ourselves or our loved ones get sick or hurt, we can rush them to the hospital. When someone has a disease, our doctors have the means and the medicine to treat us. We can be treated for everything from pneumonia to cancer! When we have babies, we have proper facilities to take care of us. If there are complications, our doctors are ready to help us.
In the mountains of Nepal, there aren't medical facilities. If someone gets really sick, they have to be carried in a basket to the nearest town. 85% of women have their babies in their homes with only their family to assist. When things get complicated, they have no one to turn to, no one to help. The result is many more deaths, both in childbirth and from common diseases we wouldn't even think could be fatal. Think of this tonight and give someone you love a hug!

And now just think about your life. Our kids have the opportunity to have an education and pretty much do whatever they want with their lives. We are so lucky! We can choose any job we want, and if we don't like it, we can change our jobs. Even young couples can make enough money to have their own homes, and each family can have two cars. We can dream big, and for the most part we can make our dreams happen! Although some may argue with me, we can pretty much trust our government. We have a voice in our government, and the ultimate decision of who runs our country is in our hands. Things work, buses run on time, roads are fixed when they fall apart.... Just stop and think about all the things that work together in our society to create a well-oiled machine!
In Nepal, things are different. There are less choices, less control, less opportunities... Many people's dreams can't become a reality. We heard over and over that people wanted to come to America, but couldn't get a visa. They want opportunity, they want money, they want cars and things.
And there are certainly many lessons we can learn from the Nepali people. Living simply, having a sense of community, being in touch with the earth are just a few... My vote is life without cars! And I think it's important to be grateful for what we do have and not take for granted the ease and comfort of our lives, as well as the opportunities available to us. In so many ways, we are very lucky people!

I also wanted to wish a Merry Christmas to all our family and friends!!!! We are so grateful for all of you in our lives and we are missing you during the holidays. More than ever, we are realizing that the holidays are about being with family, not about things or presents. I'm using this time to be thankful for what I do have and for the blessings in my life. We will be treating ourselves to a full Christmas dinner with turkey and all the works! We're so glad to be sharing it with Ben and Casey in their lovely home here in Malaysia. We'll be thinking of all of you back home!

Erin

Our Himalayan Journey

2007-12-15T00:52:00.003-07:00

Hey y'all! Great to hear from and catch up with everyone. Please keep the comments flowing as it is great to know the scoop back home.

I'm writing this from the relative comfort and convenience of the couch of my friends Ben and Casey's apartment in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We've officially made the transition from the cold and challenge of trekking and travelling in Nepal to the ease and warmth of first-world tropical Asia. It has not been a hard transition. We're psyched to be here with our good friends and kick back and relax for a while. In our first 48 hours here, we've sought out some soul food and drink in the form of homemade bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches for breakfast courtesy of Ben and Casey, a Super Star combo (that's a huge double cheeseburger with fries and Coke) at Carl's Jr at the Mega Mall, a half dozen Dunkin' Donuts, and some Jim Beam. I think we just needed to get it out of our system and will return to our normal trajectory of trying to experience the local culture and food - but it sure was nice for a bit.

The Langtang Valley, peak of Gang Chhenpo at the head of the valley and mani walls (rocks inscribed with Tibetan prayers) on left

I'll fill in more details on KL on future posts, but now back to Nepal where we concluded our trip there with an incredible trek in the Langtang region and a few final days in Kathmandu. We thoroughly enjoyed our trek - even moreso than the first - due to a number of reasons. A big factor was that we were on our own without a guide which gave us the freedom to hike and explore at our own pace and in our own direction. It also gave us alot more interaction with the local people since all our food and accommodation were handled directly with the local teahouse owners and not via the guide. It also saved us alot of $ and was cheap to trek independently. Many times, our room was free and we might have spent $10-15 per day per person, usually all on food. Another aspect we liked more was that Langtang was much less trafficked than the Annapurna region. The Annapurna region is incredibly beautiful, but like Everest, it is super popular with the world travel crowd. Langtang is well-equipped and easy to travel in but with about 10 times less people. Our trip was in December which is also the tail end of the trekking season so that contributed to the smaller crowds. Often times, we had a guesthouse to ourselves or maybe shared it with one or two people. That also allowed for more interaction with the local hosts. And finally, we just really dug the people there. Almost all the local residents are Tibetan, either from refugee families that fled Tibet after the Chinese invaded in the 1950's or from ethnic groups that moved down from Tibet within the past few centuries. Tibetans are a colorful, friendly, hospitable people that practice Tibetan Buddhism. Erin and I really connected with these folks and learned a ton from speaking with and being around them.

Face of Langtang Lirung

The Langtang Valley is a gorgeous, glacier-carved valley in north-central Nepal, just south of Tibetan border. We took 3 days to hike up the valley to the last high mountain village called Kyanjin Gompa at about 13,000 feet. This a quaint spot with towering mountain walls and glaciers lining both sides of the valley. We spent three nights up here to check out the surrounding peaks and valleys. The first afternoon I scampered up past the local gompa (Tibetan monastery) to the moraine at the foot of two glaciers that are piling their way down two huge peaks in the area called Langtang Lirung and Kinshung which are about 24,000 and 22,000 feet, respectively. The east face of Langtang Lirung was one of the most impressive and imposing rock walls I've ever seen. From that vantage point, I was pretty close to the peak at an elevation a hair over 14,000 feet. That means the summit of Langtang was about 10,000 feet over my head which is about 2 miles straight up. It was a staggering sight.

Erin's summit push

The next day Erin and I successfully climbed a 'small Himalayan peak' in the area, Tsergo Ri (ri means peak or mountain in Tibetan). This was one of the highlights of our trip, as it was the highest either of us have ever been - 16,348 feet! We were psyched. And the views were absolutely amazing - the best of our trip to the Himalayas. We had high mountain views in all directions - 360 degrees of mountains and rock faces and glaciers and valleys, including a bunch over the border in Tibet. There were a ton of peaks in the area over 6000 and 7000 meters (meaning over about 20,000 and 23,000 feet). The climb itself was pretty straightforward and doable. Other than the high altitude, the only objective hazards were a few small, glacial-melt stream crossings and a firm snow field leading up to the summit. And we had the place all to ourselves to savor for a while.

View from the Top - Gang Chhenpo

The next day we set out to hike farther up the valley to get a different perspective on some of the same peaks we saw the day before and also to check out the glaciers at their foot. The night before was crazy windy, and we woke up to low clouds and high winds. The weather opened up for a while, and we headed up the valley but after a couple hours were turned back by snow, clouds, and cold, gusty winds. An early Himalayan squall had rolled in. While we were disappointed to not get to our destination, we were glad we had clear skies the day before and figured if we're gonna have bad weather, it might as well be snow. It was good to experience a snowstorm in the Himalaya.

In addition to the natural beauty and adventures of the area, we really enjoyed the company and stories of our host at our lodge, the Buddha Guest House. On the way up the valley, I had befriended the owner of the lodge, Tenzin Lama. As a background, on the first days of the trip, I was just finishing up the book Freedom In Exile which is the autobiography of the Dalai Lama, the exiled religious and secular leader of Tibet. I'd always heard the phrase and seen stickers saying Free Tibet (especially in Boulder) and had a vague sense of what that meant. But I read this book and finally had a clear understanding. What an incredible tragedy! For those not in the know, the Chinese invaded neighboring Tibet in the early 1950's after the Communists came to power and have absolutely ravaged the country and the people. Out of something like 6 million Tibetans, they've killed over a million, I think. They've destroyed 99% of the 6000 monasteries that were the religious lifeblood of the people. And the stories of the torture of the monks, nuns, and laypeople are beyond belief and not suitable for recounting here. I'm really not trying to be dramatic or one-sided in my view of the situation either. Check out the book or others like and your eyes will be opened but not in a good way.

Lakpa Sherpa (cook), Tenzin Lama (lodge owner), Erin, Drew

Back to the story. On the way up the valley and just days after finishing this book, I met Tenzin Lama whose family fled Tibet at the same time the Dalai Lama left in the early 1950's. He began to recount for me the tale of his grandfather who was a well-to-do Tibetan leaving his home and land and all of his possessions behind to escape the Chinese army. He carried Tenzin's father who was a young boy at the time on his back for many miles. He explained how they faced heavy snows and were ill-equipped for the journey but faced no alternative if they wished to escape the oncoming oppression of the Communist regime. Unfortunately, once the family came to Nepal, they had nothing and had to start over. Tenzin himself is not an educated man and told us these stories in his broken English which he has learned from trekkers. Due to some hard work of his own and some huge generosity of some German trekkers (not uncommon in Nepal, we found), Tenzin now has a lodge of his own and is sending his son to a private boarding school in Kathmandu. In Nepal, the private schools in the city provide a way better education than the local, scrappy government schools (like the ones we worked in). So Tenzin is living a parents' Nepali dream - which like the American dream - is to provide their children with better opportunity than they had. For me, it was an incredible life lesson to gain a personal understanding of the story and nature of the Tibetan people.

While for me the stay in Kyanjin Gompa was the high point of the trip, the rest of the trek was quite enjoyable as well. Over the next week, we made our way back down the valley and then hiked up onto a ridge which led to some high alpine lakes and a pass. One of the lakes, Gosainkund, is sacred to Hindus and Buddhists. We made our way past the string of lakes and on up to Laurebina La, a high pass over 15,000 feet. From there we retraced our steps back down the ridge and made our way back to civilization over the next few days. A 9-hour bus ride later and we were back in Kathmandu. As it turns out, we made it out just in time as we caught a bus out on Monday AM and the Langtang area got heavy snows Monday night and all transportation was shut down for days. Thank the lord! As awesome as Nepal was, it was tough living and took its toll on us. We were psyched to come down to KL and kick it in the warm weather and creature comforts of the city with our friends for a while.

Descending to Gosainkund from Laurebina La

There are so many more thoughts I have on the Nepal experience that there are too many to share. Hopefully the above gives you an insight into our adventures and experiences.

And now...off to a Cocunut Rum Reggae Party with some expats and the Hilliards in KL!

Peace.
Drew

Heading to Langtang

2007-11-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give a quick update on our whereabouts and plans so people know where we are. We're back in Kathmandu at the moment. Took a brutal 8-hour bus ride from Pokhara today. Tomorrow we face an even more brutal 9-hour bus ride to Dhunche/Syabresi - half of it on unpaved roads. Not psyched. These are the tougher days of travel; it is not all easy.

So we had a few days to relax and take care of errands after our first trek. Tomorrow we leave for the next one. We will be taking this next trek on our own, sans guide. We're confident it should be pretty straightforward. The area we are headed to is the Langtang Valley. It's a valley north of Kathmandu and only about 5 miles south of the Tibetan border. The people there are Tibetan in origin and ethnicity. There will be big peaks lining the valley - some over 7000 meters. We'll be pretty close to Shishapangma, an 8000 meter peak in China/Tibet but won't be able to see it. We may get a chance to scramble up a 'small Himalayan peak' if weather and conditions are OK. That will be a thrill if it happens but no big deal if it doesn't. We should be back in about 10-12 days before we fly to Malaysia on Dec 12th.

Take care and please give us a shout if you're reading this.

Drew

Trekking in the Annapurna Sanctuary

2007-11-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

Poon Hill (Bishnu-porter, us, and Ganesh-guide)

We just recently returned from a 12 day trek into Annapurna Sanctuary. It sounds like a long time in terms of backpacking, but for Nepal, it is quite a short time. First of all, trekking in Nepal is not a wilderness experience. Although the scenery is amazing of the Himalaya, you are never far away from a village. In fact, you walk from village to village, usually no more than 2 hours apart, and you can stop and have lunch or stay the night where you please. The trails are pretty busy, both with ther trekkers and with people that are carrying goods from other villages. They usually have a basket that they carry with a band around their forehead, and they can haul an incredible amount of weight. So, although we were away from cars and walked everywhere, we were never away from other people.

We were blessed with great weather. Everyday it is clear in the morning and for sunset, but when we were in the sanctuary, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The temps got cold as soon as the sun went down, but while it was shining, we could hike in shorts (a skirt for me). The views were incredible each day, and one of the highlights was waking up before dawn one day (a major feat for both Drew and me) and walking up a place called Poon Hill, and watching the sun rise on the Himalaya. First the mountains turned pink in alpenglow, then golden, then whitish blue as the sun rose completely. It was magnificent!

Sunrise from Poon Hill

We also saw some cool animals along the trek. There are forests of rhodadendron in Nepal. I grew up with bushes in Seattle, but these are huge trees! I'm sure it is beautiful in the spring when they bloom. In the trees, we spotted langurs, which are white monkeys with black faces. We watched them for a long time as our guide, Ganesh waited patiently. In Nepal, they aren't very excited about monkeys, since they see them all of the time. We also saw a strange animal called a tahr, which is like a mountain goat.

When we got into the Sanctuary it was picture perfect. Annapurna Base Camp is in a natural amphitheatre surrounded by huge 7,000 and 8,000 meter peaks. The actually mountains almost seem stunted by the immense size of everything. Drew and I both read a book about Chris Bonnington's expedition up the south face of Annapurna, and it seems so crazy. It's incredibly steep and you can constantly hear rockfall and avalanches coming down. Plus there are huge glaciers to cross, and unbearably cold weather. I think I'll just stick to looking up at the mountains!

Machhepuchhare ("Fish Tail") from the Sanctuary

Besides the obvious glory of the Himalaya, we both very much enjoyed the cultural experience of the trek. We learned a lot about the country and the people. In some ways, it makes me feel very lucky to be American, because we have opportunities that many people in the world don't. The people who live in the countryside of Nepal are quite poor, living mostly by farming for themselves, selling what they can to buy a few things that they can't grow. There is something beautiful about the simplicity of their lives, living hand to mouth, and a happiness that shines through sometimes bleak conditions. The people who are doing the best make money from the tourists, which makes us a target. Sometimes I am bothered by this, and yet I understand that everyone wants to make a living. I think I can learn a lot about simplifying my own life from these people, and to remember that happiness can exist with very little.

The highlight of the trip for me was working in two local schools in small villages, writing ebooks with the students. It felt like a truly authentic experience, where we weren't simply tourists, but teachers. Drew was so helpful, taking pictures and was just as involved as I was with the students. He also set up the project with the second school on his own, which I feel so grateful for. The schools were both quite poor. The kids wore torn clothes, and some had strange cuts that weren't healing properly. But they seemed happy, all the same. The schools were both chaotic in nature, with kids of all sizes coming in and out of the classroom, totally curious of what we were doing. But, we learned so much from the experience, and how different things can be in Nepal on so many levels. In the end, both sides won, and while we learned about the people in more depth, the students will each get a copy of a book they wrote about their village. They are trying to learn english, and so it was also an opportunity for them to practice, and for them to teach their parents. It was the beginning of a bigger project that Kelly Keena (in Colorado) and I am trying to do, where we write books with students from around the world about their communities, called the Global Library. It went fantastically well, and I will post a link to the books when they are finished.

We also celebrated Thanksgiving on the trek, and while we were dreaming of turkey and mashed potatoes, we instead ate dal bhat.... again. It is actually quite delicious, lentils over rice with a veggie curry, but not like homecooked turkey. We've become vegetarians in Nepal, after our stomach bugs, and I can eat an incredible amount of food these days. But anyways, we still talked about all of the things we are thankful for and I wrote in my journal.... "I am thankful for my family, and when family is doing well, life is good. I'm thankful for Drew's family, and the two new members, Braeden and Bridget. I'm thankful for my friends. I'm thankful for this opportunity to travel and for having Drew to share it with. I am thankful for my health and happiness...." I feel like there is a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! We celebrated the next day with a dessert called a snickers/mars roll. It's a candybar rolled in dough (like a springroll), and deep fried! It's dangerous, gooey, goodness.

I feel I hardly expressed my thoughts and emotions that I felt on this trek, but hopefully it scratches the surface of the incredible journey we are having. We are always thinking and loving

our friends and family, so even though we are far away, you are always with us.

Annapurna Sanctuary

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-24T02:46:00.000-07:00

Hey 'all,

A few days late but Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. This is a holiday that Erin and I really missed. My bro emailed me a picture of his holiday feast with his family, and Erin and I were drooling at the sight of the food spread on the table. We would give anything for some turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie... (not to mention friends and family which, of course, is more important). But we've been eating primarily porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast, vegetable curry with rice for lunch, and daal baht for dinner every day. Ben and Casey - if you are reading - we are going to have a fat, fat meal for Christmas. Please tell me those ingredients are available in Malaysia!

We just returned today from our 2-week trek into Annapurna Sanctuary. It was a fascinating trip and went well. We'll give more details and pic's soon. Just wanted to say hello and let everyone know we're alive and well.

By the way, I noticed the Dallas Cowboys and Boston Celtics are both 10-1. We're back, baby!

Cheers,
Drew

Hawaiian Reflections

2007-11-12T02:37:00.001-07:00

Erin's feeling a little under the weather today with a stomach bug - which is all too common here - so we've pushed back the start of our trek for a day. Hopefully she'll be feeling better by tomorrow and is resting and recovering in our room. We knew there would be days like this so we're prepared for it. After spending most of the day reading and playing nurse and launderer (the legal kind), I'm now passing some time in a cyber cafe while she sleeps and gets well. It's a good opportunity to recap my thoughts on Kaua'i which I haven't had a chance to do.

So the first part of our trip was work, not play. We're trying to contribute in some way to the places we go and not just play tourist. It allows us to get "closer to the ground" and have a more rich experience than just passing through and seeing the sights. It lets you meet the people and have experiences and relationships and conversations that you wouldn't otherwise have.

We worked in Koke'e Forest on the mountainous west side of the island. It's significantly higher and cooler than the Hawaii I pictured (beaches, sand, palm trees, bikinis, surfers...) It's about 15 to 20 degrees cooler up in the forest than down below. We had very simple, cabin like accommodations and worked real hard. The work of removing/killing non-native species (aka weeding) plants sometimes as big as trees is not easy. It consists of being hunched over all day ripping plants out of the ground if they are small or slashing them with machetes and then treating them with herbicides if they are big. We were spent after every workday.

The goal of the program (Kauai Resource Conservation Program, www.krcp.org) is to eliminate non-native plants in certain areas of Kokee forest. What happens is these plants come in and outcompete the native plants and take over the forest, eliminating the biodiversity and threatening the survival of the native plants. The plants we targeted were kahili ginger (from Nepal ironically) and strawberry guava (from Brazil). Unfortunately, these plants already have a stronghold on the island and dominate large tracts of the forest. It was frustrating and somewhat disconcerting after having spent a full day working to remove and kill these plants and getting into a van for the 10-mile drive on a dirt access road back to the lodge and seeing ginger lining the road on both sides the entire way. So the program has it challenges set out for it. To be frank,I'm not sure what to make of our efforts and those of the program. I understand the goal at this point is not to eliminate the plants altogether but to prevent them from spreading into select tracts where native plants are flourishing - or to postpone the spread of the non-native species until a better and more effects deterrent to their spread is figured out (like a biocontrol or fungus which may create issues of its own). In any event, it's a challenging and complex issue to address and I'm not totally sure what to think about it. I do commend the folks at KRCP for fighting the fight.

In addition to giving back to the local scene, volunteering at KRCP also afforded us with some opportunities to connect with some permanent Kaua'i residents and get a glimpse into their lives. Thanks especially to Katie and Jim for their over-the-top hospitality and generosity. We greatly enjoyed both the local housewarming party and beach bonfire to which you guys invited us.

After the first week of working, we were free to explore Kaua'i on our own accord. We took the local bus and hitched around the island to get to the start of the Kalalau Trail. Kalalau is an epic backpacking trip along the Na Pali coast that is regarded as one of the classic hikes in the world. "Pali" means "cliff" in Hawaiian, and this hike merits the description. I've done a decent amount of rock climbing and some mountaineering in my day and even I was spooked on this hike. Picture yourself on a thin (perhaps a foot or less wide in places), loose, small rock and gravel trail that is in disrepair at times and is perched precariously above a steep drop-off of hundreds of feet (think pali) into the raging and notorious north shore of Hawaii. The high surf was incessantly pounding the rocks below in a loud torrent. Add to this a strong and menacing gusty wind that threatened to throw you and your 35-pound pack off balance and also intermittent rain showers. It makes for a dramatic walk.

But eleven hard-earned miles later you get to a special place. There's a large secluded beach with a two-tiered waterfall that's a hundred feet high and provides fresh water to drink and a shower to bathe in. Kalalau is held to be a sacred place by the Hawaiians who used to have a village here and this is the place that I half-joked to Erin that is perhaps protected by the spirits of the gods they worship.

Above the beach is a lush and fruitful valley this is inhabited by an interesting, eclectic, and free-spirited group of hippies who squat and live there. As every good Easy Rider fan knows, "these people should be proud. They're doing there own thing in their own time. It's not every man who can live off the land." But that's just what these people are trying to do. Some have spent most of their lives there (30 years in some cases) with just brief trips out to the real world. They gather greens and fruits (mangoes, oranges, bananas, lemons, limes, breadfruit) and grow vegetables to sustain themselves. They have a gathering place called "the sanctuary" where they meet in the evenings to share communal meals. One night we attended and were offered bread freshly baked over a campfire and fish and a salad that had been picked that afternoon. They were quite gracious hosts. As Erin mentioned, they need to clean up their act in terms of dealing with their waste and garbage, but if they do that they will be a long way towards sustainable living which is no small feat. There's also the minor detail that living there is illegal so that's a hitch. But it was a cool and unique experience for us to enjoy and observe.

After a few relaxing days at Kalalau and a speedier and less treacherous hike out, we mostly relaxed and toured the beaches and waterfalls of the island. I really enjoyed camping at Polihale State park which is a remote beach park on the west side with lots of sand but few people. (Surprisingly enough, there were traffic jams and bumper-to-bumper traffic at times around the main towns of Kauai, a real bummer.) I also really liked the north side of the island that had cool, hip towns and gorgeous beaches, including Erin's favorite Secret Beach. Another chill spot was the Queen's Bath, as shown among the pic's below. Erin uploaded some more HI pic's by the way so check back to the older posts for more shots.

While in Hawaii, I read the book Hawaii by James Michener. I highly recommend it for insights into the people and history that shaped this island. It's historical fiction so readable with lots of action, personalities, and steamy drama thrown in. It covers everything about Hawaii from geological formation to arrival of Polynesians to arrival of white men (mostly whalers and missionaries at first) to the ensuing plight of native Hawaiians to the blending of Asian peoples (Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos) into the population (at first as cheap labor and later as citizens) to Pearl Harbor and WWII to Hawaii's annexation to the U.S. Lots to understand. Hawaii is no ordinary U.S. state.

Here are some other random "points of interest" about Hawaii. They're all more or less true, exact details not withstanding.
- Hawaii was likely first inhabited by man when Polynesians sailed thousands of miles in a two-hulled canoe from Tahiti or Bora Bora or some far-off Pacific island at a time when no other civilization in the world was even sailing hundreds of miles on the open ocean - an amazing feat.
- The Hawaiian islands are part of a chain of mountains, mostly underwater, that stretch across the Pacific all the way up to Siberia.
- There's actually another underwater "island" in the Hawaii chain that is currently forming off the coast of the Big Island. Check back in a few million years and there may be some more real estate in HI.
- The native Hawaiian people are a small minority of the people on Hawaii. I read somewhere that the population by nationality goes something like 1) Caucasians 2) Filipinos 3) Japanese 4) Hawaiians. For some reason I was surprised by that. There are tons of white people (called haoloes - "howlies") and tons of Asian people but surprisingly fewer Hawaiians than I expected. When white men arrived, they brought with them lots of diseases like measles and changes that the Hawaiians were not adapted to survive. Their population dropped from 400,000 to 40,000 in half a century (or something like that). These people and their culture (which is a very cool one) seem like they are all struggling a bit to find their way. But in the meantime, Hawaii is an amazingly diverse place.
- The original native Hawaiians could recite their family's oral history back over a hundred generations by memory. That's 1000's of years! Totally amazing. In contrast, my siblings and I are struggling to research our family history back 5, 6 generations.
- There's actually a small island off the SW coast of Kauai called Ni'ihau that is forbidden to visitors and populated solely by native Hawaiians. I guess it's a little contrived because the island is owned by a rich white family that has decided to do this but it's an interesting situation.
- The only mammals native to Hawaii are a bat and a seal, owing to the extreme isolation of the place.
- To let you all know how budget Erin and I are, the cost of all our accommodations on Kauai for 3 weeks amounted to roughly a 100 bucks. That's what I fondly call "ghetto living." It consisted mainly of staying at the lodge in Kokee for free because we were volunteering and then small camping fees. But I must say, it was awesome waking up close to the ground every day whether that be in the forests of Kokee, on the lush farm of our friends' family, or looking out over the beach and the Pacific Ocean.

Well, those are my rambling thoughts about Kauai. Perhaps longwinded and scattered but I'm glad to get those things into writing. In each place we go, I'm trying as much as possible to immerse myself in the nature of the place and its people and history by reading, talking to people, asking questions, and observing so as to better understand. I figure I'll share a boiled-down version of what I've learned via the blog to drop some of the knowledge. Hopefully it's well-received.

Now being in Nepal for just a few days brings up a huge array of new thoughts and perspectives and issues related to peoples, races, nations, religions, wealth vs poverty, materialism vs simplicity, and so much more. It's like the wheels in my brain can't stop turning. Check out the blog of a friend of a friend from Colorado who's volunteering at a school in the town of Pokhara that we're currently visiting. www.blogspot.wandertheeast.com He's a skilled and entertaining writer and describes well the issues at hand here. Also, check out the book Annapurna Circuit by Andrew Stevenson for a great read by a man who treks through the same general area we're heading out to see tomorrow and describes vividly the landscape and people and contrasts what he sees to his own Western life back home.

Finally, last thought. Our view every morning includes Dhaulagiri (the 7th highest mountain in the world), Machupachare (the striking mountain in the photo below), the Annapurna massif, and Manaslu. I don't care what anyone says, the Nepalis are lucky!

Off to see the patient. Ciao.

Drew

Namaste from Nepal

2007-11-10T04:08:00.001-07:00

We made it to Pokhara after 8 hours in a bus. The sad part is that the distance between Kathmandu and Pokhara is only about 100 miles, but it's a days journey. Pokhara is much more our speed of city- it's smaller, quieter, and the air is clean. The city sits on a large lake and has the backdrop of the Annapurna range of the Himalaya. Today we woke up to our first full glimpse of the mountains, which were pink with alpenglow and absolutely stunning! We are getting more and more excited for our trek into the mountains which begins in two days! View from our room in Pokhara of Macchepuchare

Today we walked up to a stupa, or Buddhist temple, above the lake. We were greeted by many people, but one group of kids linked arms and blocked our way. Then they sang and danced for us because it is the middle of a five day festival here and that is part what they do. The kids go from house to house, store to store, singing and dancing for money. They recieve a small token for their efforts. It's similar to Halloween, in a way. So, every day the streets are filled with the sounds of children singing and fireworks exploding (which scares me every time!) Also, each day they honor a certain animal, first the crow, then the dog, today it's the cow. The animals that are normally a ferrel creature, have their day of glory, in which they are decorated with flower necklaces and red paint on the forehead. It's funny to see the animals roaming the streets all decorated.

So, soon we'll be off to explore the mountains and I'm sure we'll come back with many stories and pictures, so stay tuned for that....
Erin

Hotel Karma

2007-11-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Namaste!

We've arrived safely in Kathmandu. We're staying at Hotel Karma so hopefully that bodes well for us. It's been quite an eye-opening experience just walking around and checking out the city. Lots of local crafts and traffic and people. I read somewhere that the local drivers use their horns more than their brakes. Now I know that to be true. It's chaos out in the narrow streets but a very vibrant place. We're here one more night, then take a bus to Pokhara - another main city, then off to start our first trek a few days later. Our guide, Ganesh Adhikari, seems great so we're psyched about that. Thanks, Erin Sovick of BCM, for the hook up. The website and contact info for our guide service can be found at http://www.asahitreks.com/. I feel we're in good hands with them. Off to explore Kathmandu.

Peace.
Drew

From Na Pali to Nepal

2007-11-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all. Hope everyone is enjoying autumn and doing well, even the gloating Sox fans of which I seem to have many among my friends and family.

Just wanted to drop a brief line and let you know that we've safely arrived in Bangkok so the greater part of our journey to Nepal is complete. We spent last night here and will fly to Kathmandu shortly. Our 3-night run has been Waikiki to Bangkok to Kathmandu. Such exotic names and places, sounds so exciting. Our travel has been smooth thus far so we're thankful for that.

As Erin mentioned, we had a stellar time in Kauai. It's a very chill and unique and beautiful island. I felt we had a great and rewarding close-to-the-ground experience there. When I have more time, I hope to share more thoughts, sentiments, and reflections on Hawaii and Kauai. We did manage to post a few pic's below and will fill in more when we have a speedier connection and more time.

But now on to Nepal. This is the part of the journey that I have been anticipating and looking forward to the most. I'm prepared to see the biggest, baddest mountains in the world and the friendly, ancient, and unique culture of the Nepalese people. We'll be hooking up with a guide in Kathmandu, then heading out on a 12-day trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary/Base Camp where we'll be surrounded by 7- and 8000 meter peaks. I think it will be a highlight of all my travels anywhere, anytime. We shall see. Can't wait.

All our best to everyone,
Drew

Hang'n Loose in Hawaii

2007-11-03T23:45:00.000-06:00

Today marks the last day of our adventures in Hawaii, so here is a quick explanation of our adventures here....

Looking west on Na Pali Coast with Kalalau beach near foreground

After our week in Koke'e, we finally got down the mountain to the beaches of Kauai. We headed straight to the Napali Coast, where we backpacked 11 rather treacherous miles into the Kalalau Valley.
When I say treacherous, I mean it's pretty dang hard. You hike over 5 main headlands, which equals to about 5,000 ft of elevation gain. At about the 7th mile (mom's, maybe you should skip this part) you hike along a hair-raising stretch of the trail which is loose, very narrow, and with about 100 foot cliff dropping into the ocean. On top of that, it was so windy, it would push you around, just to make things tricky. More than anything, I think it's a mind over matter thing, and I kept the mantra in my head "I will not fall, I will not fall..." and we didn't!

It was all worth it because when you reach the Kalalau Valley, it's a stunning sight. Kalalau means "Wandering" which seems so fitting for our own travels! The setting is a golden stretch of beach, with it's own waterfall pouring down over a cliff, perfect for a shower after the long hike in. The waves on the north shore are huge and powerful, so much that they don't advise swimming, but the sound of the waves thundering down eases your soul anyways. The beach also has a couple of natural caves to explore and swim in. The next day, we went into the valley and found more swimming holes along the stream to swim in and cool off, and there is plenty of edible fruit trees when you get hungry. To me, it's a place almost too good to be true, like the garden of eden. Drew said, "It's almost like the place is naturally protected though, because it is so hard to get in and out." It has a natural protection from the swarms of tourists that would be there if it wasn't so tucked away, which is lucky for us.

It's such a cool place that people have chosen it as a home. There is a group of people living in the valley, hiding from the rangers (which we never saw), and trying to find, as one of them said, "enlightenment". One man named "mayor" Ronnie has been in there for 28 years! When we visited with them in their hangout spot called "the sanctuary" Ronnie began with "welcome to the wildlife perserve for humans!" They try to live mostly off the land, share everything, and they were very welcoming to us. The downfall is that these people create alot of trash that there aren't systems in place to get rid of. So, in this beautiful setting, there are piles of trash bags as a constant eye-sore to what humans can do to a place. It really got me thinking about how much waste we all produce (we just don't see it so clearly) and how I hope to really work on my own waste footprint in my life. I'm thinking alot about how many resources I use, how much waste I produce, how much energy goes into each thing I buy, where my food comes from, and how I can simplify my life. I am already learning so much from other people how to do this, and how not to do it. These are all things I've thought about in the past, but they are becoming more imprinted into who I am through this journey.

The Queen's Bath with start of Na Pali coast in background. Note the waves filling up the bath.

We spent the next fews days exploring the rest of the island, going to different beaches and natural gems like "Queen's bath" which is a a big tidepool that you can swim in. We only had one mishap where we got our SUV stuck in the sand at a remote beach called Polihale. We've met some locals, read more than I ever have in my life, and I even touched a sea turtle during our last day in Kauai, snorkeling! We've had a great relaxing time in Kauai and have had lots of time to talk and think, reflect and look forward. We're leaving for Nepal tommorrow morning, and after a grueling flight we'll get there on the 6th of November.

Thanks for all of your thoughts! Your comments make our day, and crack us up. Keep 'em, coming!

Erin

Aloha from Kauai

2007-10-22T23:51:00.000-06:00

Kalalau Valley from Koke'e

Kauai is one of those magical places that exist on our earth that seem more like a dream than reality. You have to pinch yourself to make sure you're really here, seeing the impossible beauty that surrounds you. It really is stunning and we saw firsthand as we stood atop the Kalalau Valley Lookout of the Napali Coast during our first day here. The razor sharp ridges are green with foliage and the soil that was once lava has again become red as it erodes and oxidizes. There are waterfalls cascading into pristine pools, colorful flowers, and it just happens to be the perfect temperature on top of all of that (plus no creepy bugs!)
CCC Camps in Koke'e

We are beginning our visit here by working for the Koke'e Resource Conservation Project whose mission it is to save the native forests of Kauai. This is a program I volunteered for right out of college for 3 months in 2000. As many if you may know, Hawaii evolved in isolation without much competition between species, so many plants have lost their competitive advantages; for example there is a local raspberry that doesn't have thorns. Unfortunately, with the arrival of people comes invasive species that can easily outcompete the local plants. So, our job this week is to try and target certain invasive plants and kill them (a fancy way of saying that we are weeding), in hopes of saving the native forests that exist in some spots on Kauai. In order to do this work, we use machetes and crawl through thick vegetation seeking out the weeds, then we cut them and spray them with herbicide. I enjoy it because I am relearning the plants of Hawaii, (plus, how often do you get to use a machete?) but the work is pretty tiring. Today as we began our work we started with a Hawaiian chant that was sung by a staff member in Hawaiian, asking permission of the forest to enter and keep us safe. It was quite touching, and the first line translated to "Humbled, as travellers, we seek the light of Heaven as our guide."

Weimea Canyon

Over the weekend, we backpacked into Weimea Canyon also known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" and it's gorgeous. We hiked from the rim, down into the hot valley within. We had spectacular views along the way, and after 6 miles found ourselves at a spot called Lonamea. Here our campsite was adjacent to a river that has to be one of the most breathtaking places I've been to. Waterfalls cascade into perfect swimming holes, surrounded by the red cliffs of the canyon, banana trees, and flat rocks perfect for laying on. You can even take a ride into the pools on what the locals call "slide rock" which is like a natural waterslide. Drew kept saying "You couldn't design a place this great!" and its true, only nature could be this amazing!

Kauai is a place close to my heart, and there is something wonderful about coming back here, like a homecoming. There are few places I know that have all the right ingredients of paradise; natural beauty, varied landscape, golden beaches, 80 degree temps, and happy people. We're having a great time!

Erin