For a hot second I thought I was moving to Vietnam for the summer. I received an email from a guiding company located on the island of Cat Ba Island in Ha Long Bay asking if I was avalible to work for them for the summer; I was stoked, super stoked but in the end it didn't work out and they didn't get the project I was going to work on....oh well; maybe next year. So where did I want to go next, back to Yangshou and climb the limestone karsts I saw only a few days before. It's slow season [View Full Entry]

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Shanghai is a city, a big, bustling city. It was everything I had pictured for a typical modern Asian city; big buildings, lots of people/lights. The best way to see the city is to hit The Bund, which is right on the river, and see for yourself. We decided our second evening in the city would be our tourist night and hit the light filled river front. Arriving at the Bund you could immediately see the crowds it attracted, we had to walk quickly around the slow meandering tourist staring up at the light covered buildings across the river. The Bund [View Full Entry]

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China. I've arrived and I already like the place. It's cleaner that Kathmandu, which isn't necessary true (according to some random rumor I heard one day; Beijing is like smoking 60 cigarettes, while one day in Kathmandu is like smoking 30 cigarettes...I'm sure that isn't entirely true but China seems much cleaner and doesn't smell as bad. I flew in to Guangzhou, a major port city 2 hours west of Hong Kong. It's a nice city divided by one river that splits off and reconnects together again in various areas. It makes from some good views and a nice breeze. I [View Full Entry]

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Yep, I'm back. I know you all missed me and are now thrilled that I'm back. Glad to hear it. The past two months have been a blur. Last I left I was on my way to Nepal to meet up with friends Rich and I met in Thailand to trek the Anna Purna Circuit. Which we did, it was approx. 120 miles with about a 15,000 foot elevation gain and loss and it was absolutely phenomenal. It took us about 18 days and we started with 9 people and ended with 5. One flew out due to altitude sickness, one [View Full Entry]

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Just arrived in Kathmandu a few days ago and I have been gearing up for the trek and all the necessary permits/visas for China/Tibet. The option of going to Tibet is a big if right now due to the Chinese brutal crack down on some monks who were protesting on the anniversary of a Tibetan rebellion. I met a journalist on the flight in and he said his newspaper (The London Herald) told him to get into Tibet as soon as he could be monks were getting gassed. The next day we hear all the boarders are closed and that 100 [View Full Entry]

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After my long and arduous bus journey from Vang Vieng to Hanoi we had to relax for a day and get out composure back. We set about wondering the small streets of old town Hanoi. A framing of French architecure but the soul of Vietnam. Many of the streets in old town are designated to one item or another. For instance our guesthouse is on the lock street, where they only sell locks, all kinds too; doors, bike, motorcycle, padlocks, etc... these shops sell many of the same things but they all seem to stay in business. Near us is the [View Full Entry]

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It's Thursday, February 28th. Rich and I have been in Vang Vieng, Loas for about a week now. Loas is very similar to Thailand with regards to culture, food, language, and people but Loas is set back 40 years before any of the tourists came to Thailand. The countryside is much more rural and untouched by the western world. There are backpacker havens like Vang Vieng but as soon as you get off the beaten path , which could be a 5 minute walk outside the city, it changes drastically. The climbing is very similar as well. In Thailand, especially Ton [View Full Entry]

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It has been a while since my last entry. Let me catch you up....last I left off I was in Chiang Mai. We stayed in Chiang Mai for a few more days doing some days trips to local Wats, industry (see the leather factory pic), and a local climbing crag. After 9 days of staying at our hostel we decided to go south for some sun and some climbing. We left on a Thursday and rolled into paradise about half past noon on a Saturday. I couldn't tell you day by day of what we did; if I didn't have to [View Full Entry]

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Sunday we woke up early for a day trip to some areas north of Chiang Mai. It was a long day up at 6:45am and back at 8:30pm but a good trip all in all. The first stop were some hot pools which had been turned into a full on tourist trap, this is where my alter ego Wanye Rooney was approached for an autograph, I declined not wanting to talk to anyone so early in the morning. From there is was on to a sort of modern day Wat (Wats are temples or shrines, generally for the Buddist god in [View Full Entry]

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If you don't know who that is feel to Google image the man and then compare my face with his. It was apparent on my arrival to Chiang Mai that the Thai's up here (and potentially all of Thailand) watch English football (soccer) and are fans of Wayne Rooney. He's one of the star plays on Manchester United (ManU) and has been sucessful on England's national team. I have been in Chiang Mai and the nothern region for six days and day after day people have come up to me and asked if I was Rooney. My nickname at the hostel [View Full Entry]

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