quelle belle aventure Allo Victor!
parmi ses voeux de bonne année, ta mère m'a fait part de ton périple...wow!! je viens de visiter ton blog (en diagonale mais j'y reviendrai de plus près bientôt car tout me semble si intéressant...et que dire des magnifiques photos!!!) et je voulais juste te dire à quel point tu avais eu une belle et grande idée. profite bien de chaque moment!
Manon (tsé l'amie de Denise qui est orthophoniste à Joliette et qui t'a, il y a longtemps, refilé des trucs de Montignac...)
Bonne annee Coucou victor, ca faisait longtemps que je n'ai pas visite ton blog, j'arrive pas a croire que tu sois deja en Europe!! j'adore tes photos!!
Amuse toi bien en Europe et prends bien soin de toi.
Fais moi signe quand tu reviens a MTL.
A bientot.
I know I didn't give Belgrade the chance it deserved. I was in a bad mood when I got there and didn't feel like going out. I can't give every place I visit enough time to do them justice. I definately bit more than I could chew in Europe because there's so many interesting places in such a small area. I should've seen less places and stay longer in each. It just felt like a crime to go from Prishtina to Sarajevo (which I had planned to see years ago) while missing Kotor and Dubrovnik or to go from Sarajevo to Bucharest and miss Belgrade. But that's what I should've done and then come another year and do Serbia/Montenegro/Croatia when I had more time. Live and learn.
The women I've seen walking around sure made going clubbing a more interesting option than almost every other city I've been in but I didn't feel like it this day. I need to go back in summer one day.
belgrade?? well, too bad.. seems you missed out Belgrade almost completely. Not even visited it's major sights, not to say about feeling the vibe..
whatever..
wish you all best on your journeys.
marko
Wild Swans Salut Victor! Je ne peux m'empêcher de faire un commentaire sur Wild Swans. Je l'ai lu moi aussi il y a quelques mois et je dois dire que c'est le meilleur livre que j'ai jamais lu. C'est incroyable les émotions qu'il fait ressentir. Bon bien sur ce, bon voyage et j'ai bien hâte que tu sois rendu en Égypte...j'ai vraiment hâte de voir tes photos et tes impressions de là-bas! Prends soin de toi! Kim :)
russian? just that church is not russian ;-)
and you missed the best part of belgrade life - didn`t really meet anyone and didnt go out... maybe thats why it is boring entry...
are you alive? Hey Victor,
I assume by the fact you have approved people's comments that you are still alive but it has been over a month since an update on your exciting adventures. Way to keep the readers in suspense!
Can you believe how long you have been gone already- since that bus ride to vancouver!
wow! Hope all is well man!
And as Kim said it- I hope you had a Merry Christmas and wish you a very happy New Year- filled with many more adventures.
Joyeuses Fêtes Salut Victor! Wow quelle aventure tu vis! C'est complètement incroyable de lire tous tes blogs... j'en suis déboussolée à chaque fois! hehe Je voulais te souhaiter un Joyeux Noël même si tu es à l'autre bout du monde. Prends soin de toi et reviens-nous en une pièce! ;) Kim
A map isn't enough! Reading your story was like deja vu.
I also went to Yading this summer, stayed in that crappy tent lodge, and attempted the trek around Mt. Chenresig. Like you, I also got lost and had to retrace my steps the next day.
At the lodge, we found out that two German girls who had met in Daocheng were lost in the park. They were stupid - and went out without a map, light, or proper clothes.
As an experienced wilderness backpacker, I brought the map and trail description from chinabackpackers.com, bought warm clothes in Daocheng, a compass, and plenty of food. I set off with 3 others from the Tent Lodge, and it was a spectacular hike to Milk Lake. But, as we got to the top of the first Col, we saw a wall of clouds approaching. Sarah and I decided to stop there for lunch, and the Isreali couple promised they'd wait up for us down the trail.
Sarah and I descended from the Col and walked past a lake, according to the trail description. Beautiful - emerald green lake, glaciers, and so many flowers. There were so many azelas that the mountainside looked purple. It was still cloudy, though, so we couldn't see the mountain. According to the trail notes, we should have passed the lake in an hour, but it took nearly two. We started to get a bit nervous when we came to a river ford - the notes hadn't mentioned that. Unfortunately, the Isrealis had the compass with them. But, in the distance, we saw a "group of huts" that was in the notes. Just then, a wall of fog moved in on us, and we could barely see 3 meters in front of us.
We headed in the direction of the huts, through boggy, shitty land. We found one man at the huts, who invited us to sit inside. It was about 4pm, and we knew that we had to make a quick decision whether to try to make it to the monestary or to stay put. The Isrealis would surely worry about us. But, we figured that it was better to come out alive, and opted to stay in the hut. The stone hut was no Tibetan house - it was hardly large enough to stand, had a dirt floor, and a fireplace in the middle. But it was dry, and the weather was getting worse.
The yak herders didn't speak Chinese, and I began to pat myself on the back for bringing a Tibetan phrasebook... until I realized that they spoke a different dialect of Tibetan and couldn't read. Bummer. We spent the night staring at one another and showing them our headlamps, sharing food, and showing them our headlamps. Sarah and I slept together on a narrow yak mat on the floor and two yak herders slept together on a mat on the other side of the fire (very Brokeback Mountain). Twice I woke when mice jumped from my head to the rice sacks beside me.
Like you, we decided to retrace our steps the next day. We shook our heads when we realized our mistake the day before: we had missed a right turn at the top of the 1st Col, and had been going in the wrong direction all day after lunch. We later learned that if we had kept walking, we would've reached the road back to Daocheng. But, we were off our map.
We were supposed to meet our driver at the entrance at noon. Although we hiked faster than I've ever hiked without stops, we didn't get to the entrance until 3pm. The Isrealis had apparently waited for us, then left when they were mistakenly told that Sarah and I had already left for Daocheng (it was apparently the lost German girls, who had somehow found their way out). Luckily, I had the driver's mobile #, and was able to let them know we were OK. It was a teary reunion. We were exhausted and filthy, but happy to be alive.
We found out that the Isrealis also had a hard time finding the monestary in the bad weather, and did everything in their power to try to arrange a rescue.
Moral of the story: The map in Chinabackpackers.com is not sufficient. After the 1st Col, there are no signs, and the trail isn't always obvious. Yak trails can easily get you off track. You need a good topo map, and I don't know that one exists. You'd think that they could give you a map for your $10 entrance fee, but apparently they don't care if people die. Even in good weather, the 2nd day is long and very strenuous. Bring camping gear if you have it, though it won't be fun hauling it up the mountains. Without gear, you need a guide.
But, it's worth it! It's truly one of the most beautiful places I've seen. TLG doesn't even come close. And go to Tagong. For more, email me: roberts.m.r@gmail.com
hi Hey Victor,
It sounds like you are having an awesome time. I've read quite a few of your entries and really your journey sounds amazing. I can't believe that you've seen all these amazing places and experienced all these new things!
Anyways, I was remembering some of the good times TA'ing last year... Seems like so long ago...
Take care!
Marina
HI~~cat I see the cat, its really really really cute! I like it! and it makes me couldn't help writing something.
No matter what happened, I like this blog, and I will always follow it. :) Good luck!
world's youngest country heh, greetings to you, man.
nice travel journals anyway.
without any bad intention, just letting you know that Montenegro is actually one of world's oldest countries, but got no time right now to explain how and why :)
And I'm not montenegrin anyway ;)
have a nice time man. keep writing.
marko
hello! hi there, just wanted to say i came across your blog and enjoyed reading it! sorry that your last day was a negative experience, but at least you got to enjoy your other days in the PI. i've gone there numerous times as i'm filipina by blood. i showed your entries re: baguio and sagada and bontoc to my mom and we reminisced about our time spent there. especially that crazy drive along the cliff's edge!
thanks for sharing your experiences! happy and safe travels!
Banaue Etc Hi Victor, thanks for the tips on the Northern Philippines. We have just booked our overnight bus for Banaue and are really looking forward to some mountain times. Even if we are a little scared of the Irish like weather (heard rumours of 10 celsius!). Hope you are getting on well in the Balkans. Are you going to Slovenia? Out of the places I have been to in Eastern/Central Europe it is by far my favourite. Although a little more expensive than the other countries. EdAm
WHAT? How in the fuck you know that beggar was low caste and the guy walking past was brahmin. Motherfucker. Fuck you. Maybe you need to first worry about the "HOMELESS" like you say in your fucking country.
AAAHHH!! Vic- I LOVE the paint job they've done on the buildings too, it's very happy looking..
I gotta say though- Your trucker experience is hilarious!!(from this point of view of course) I'm glad you made it out there ok though-cause then I wouldn't be laughing. Keep your wits up there!!!
Bravo allo Victor, Kévin m'a parlé de ce que tu faisais et je suis tres contente pour toi mais je dois dire que tu es bien loin du 6è rang n'est ce pas. J'ai presque tout lu tes reportages et je suis émerveillée par ce que tu fais. Ne lache pas et j'ai hâte de lire ton prochain journal. Bye et bonne route. En passant tes photos sont superbes. Francoise de St-Gab.
Elle a tout dit ce qu'on voulait dire Salut Vic!
Ydola a tout dit ses recommandations de grand-moûman, Alors je ne te répéterai pas les miennes, c'est la même chose. Ici on parle juste de tes photos de Kamasutra (?) pis on a hate de voir ça. Qui sais, y a peut-etre des positions qu'on ne connait pas ha ha ha (quoi que à notre âge...l'expérience )! Marie-Eve a un chum. Samuel magasine toujours...
Hey, il se peut que Samuel aille en Tunisie au mois de mai-juin prochain dans le cadre d'un stage internationnal. Ils iront dans le désert pour offrir des soins aux nomades.Marie-Eve ira en France vers le 23-24 juin 2007(échange) et Michel et Moi nous irons au Mexique en mars et même Ydola ira peut-etre faire une croisière dans les Caraïbes en Février 2007. Et ta famille qui partira pour l'Égypte en janvier...Ça fait pas mal de monde qui se promèneront en 2007 ! Sur ce, je t'embrasse fort. XXXX
Bye Je t'aime. Sylvie et Michel
quand reviens-tu ? J'ai hate en titi ! Je suis chez Michel et Sylvie. On vient de regarder toutes tes belles photos. Malheureusement, je n'ai pas pu lire ton gigantesque texte pcq mon anglais est un peu pauvre !!! Je pense souvent à toi et je m'inquiète un peu, surtout, ne prends pas de chances inutiles, sois prudent. Tu sais, même si tu as dit que tu partais pour un an, tu peux revenir avant hein ha ha ha .En tout cas, si tu restes encore pour un tit bout, profites-en bien, amuse-toi, remplis tes yeux, remplis ton coeur.
JE T'AIME XXXXX Ta grand-moûman Ydola.
*sigh* It's getting cold here, but I think I would able to deal with it if i was backpacking around like you are!!! You're not missing much here, busy writing a stupid grant proposal for class. You're blogs are great to just get away for a bit :) And you're right-with those trees it does look like home! :)
Follow my adventures as I travel through Asia, the sub-continent, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe for a year or so. I'll be travelling solo, independantly and on a tight budget so it should be interesting.
There's been a little change in my itinerary. I cannot get a Iran visa as a Canadian so I opted to fly to Athens from Mumbai. From there I'll go through the Balkans in about a month before heading south toward Cairo overland.
I welcome any comments or constructive criticism.... full info
manon beaudry
non-member comment
quelle belle aventure
Allo Victor! parmi ses voeux de bonne année, ta mère m'a fait part de ton périple...wow!! je viens de visiter ton blog (en diagonale mais j'y reviendrai de plus près bientôt car tout me semble si intéressant...et que dire des magnifiques photos!!!) et je voulais juste te dire à quel point tu avais eu une belle et grande idée. profite bien de chaque moment! Manon (tsé l'amie de Denise qui est orthophoniste à Joliette et qui t'a, il y a longtemps, refilé des trucs de Montignac...)