Well, one more country to visit before we head back home.... next up, Cambodia. We're going light and fast... with only two small daypacks. There will be no climbing here, no trekking, no camping. None of this is really recommended, due to the landmines still decorating the countryside. Nope. For this country we will travel like plain-old tourists - hitting the beach, the capitol, the historical and cultural trademarks of the country - the Killing Fields and the Ancient temples of Angkor Wat. And if that isn't enough to make us real tourists, we will have help. To teach us to [View Full Entry]

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The Trip to Bangkok The flight to Bangkok was pretty uneventful. The food was already better, we left Pakistan as the country was beginning to disintegrate, and we even got a movie about Creationism. It was sort of like being in Kansas, only with quotes from the Koran instead of the Bible. Same same, but different. My other funny / sad experience on the plane was with two completely covered women standing in line at the bathrooms (all empty as far as I could tell). Now I'm patient, but I wasn't going to sit there all day waiting for them to [View Full Entry]

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After our Rakaposhi Base Camp trek, we got excited and ready to do a little more extensive trekking. We found that our tent was more comfortable than in the villages (and way cheaper, too) and eating our campfood was easier on our stomachs. So we boarded another bus for Skardu, which is the base for climbing and trekking expeditions in the Baltistan area. We know of several American and Canadian parties on expeditions there, so we have a thought in the back of our minds that we will maybe see them in their base camps. Skardu The ride to Skardu was [View Full Entry]

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As we leave the Hunza Valley and head into Gilgit, the scenery and atmosphere changes drastically. There is a big military presence, as Gilgit is the military and administrative headquarters for the Northern Area - most notably, there are guns all over and there are no women on the streets. As we get off of our bus, the place is a little overwhelming. We walk around looking for our hotel. Our first choice was either 1) full, 2) closed, or 3) now a girls' hostel. You could imagine our confusion by this conflicting information, but somehow we got all three [View Full Entry]

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Hello, Everyone! It feels like a lifetime since our last update. The quick version of our last month is that we've been in Pakistan since September 4th... we traveled in over the Kunjerab Pass and we’ve been making our way south and east. We spent time in 1) the Hunza Valley with Ismali Muslims, 2) the Gilgit area with military personnel and a bunch of bearded men, 3) in Baltistan, home of big mountains, the place to be for big-time climbing expeditions, and some of the most interesting experiences we’ve had since we got to Pakistan, and finally 4) in Islamabad [View Full Entry]

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Philippe and I made to China a week ago. There is lots to share, too much to share! Getting to Kashgar... an epic in itself We took a 'shared taxi' from Bishkek to Osh. About 12 hours in a taxi with two local Kyrgyz folks. Long trip in a car, but an interesting business situation - instead of posting on Craig's List that he can drive others to Osh, he goes to the Bazaar and waits with the taxis. Everyone somehow knows where the taxis to Osh are all hanging out and sooner or later, he picks up a couple of [View Full Entry]

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Hello, everyone! We are wrapping up an excellent trip in Kyrgyzstan... lots of trekking, climbing, eating, meeting new friends, learning new languages! As you can imagine, the internet here in Asia is a little more difficult than earlier in our roadtrip, where we had our own laptop, electricity everywhere, and free Wifi! Regardless, we have posted a few entries about our Kyrgyz experience - breaking up into the different segments of our trip so far. The pictures are a bit slower to add, but in the next few days, we will try to add more (so look back over old [View Full Entry]

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Our next adventure was about 35 km from Bishkek... climbing in Ala Archa. Because our previous unsupported trek was six days, we ate most of the food we brought with us. So this time... we took up the kitchen sink, hiring a porter to help carry up our things. We planned to stay for seven days and climb both rock and alpine routes , so there was a lot of food and gear. Toby and Scott, new friends we met through the Alpine Fund (non-profit organization that takes kids climbing) came with us - so it was a little bit of [View Full Entry]

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When the Russians had Kyrgyzstan as part of the USSR, they made a lot of use out of this lake called Izzyk Kul. It means 'hot lake,' but it would be more accurate to call it, 'really, really big hot lake.' It is the second largest alpine lake in the world (second to Lake Titikaka). So back in the day, the Soviets vacationed here and tested their submarine missles. Through the kindness of strangers, we found the bus to Karakol and made the trip down in 6 1/2 hours with a Kyrgyz 'truck stop' along the way. We tried a few [View Full Entry]

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So after a few weeks in Omaha, I've bought all kinds of stuff... I heard from Philippe just before leaving, so I got a list of things to bring/leave behind. Everything seems small, expensive, and somehow it will become invaluable. My super-cute Grandma is watching incredulously as I unpack prescription drugs, camelback mouthpieces, and backpack covers. I enjoy explaining how all of these things will come into play in the coming weeks and months, and Grandma tries her best to act like it all makes sense to her. Flying halfway around the world.... it takes awhile. The actual flying time was [View Full Entry]

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