Travel Blog Posts
March 27th 2009
OK, so we arrived feeling quite spent, and I'm probably not the right person to write this entry, but I'll do my best. Even prior to the food poisoning incident, I was feeling a bit under the weather. After being up all night and following a four hour car ride, I was downright exhausted. I decided that the best course of action was to skip lunch, skip dinner, skip the movie, and skip anything else that didn't involve looking for 1) mammals in the jungle or 2) birds in the jungle. That just left the driving safari in the afternoon, which I managed to make it though. I was sort of able to enjoy it, especially when we saw two species of Hornbill, which look kind of like a toucan with a shoe glued on top. ... read more
March 24th 2009
So, we are back in Kathmandu, and it's time to get up to date on the travel blog. We've had a rather eventful last week of the trip, but I'm going to try and keep this brief for reasons that will become obvious later on. When last we spoke, we had just disembarked from our private plane and headed back to our hotel. A full day to relax and stay in the same place! Excellent, and rare, as our loyal readers (few though you may be) know. Of course, we don't know how to sit still, so we planned a full day for our "free" day, but after setting a few matters before our trip to Chitwan National Park, we had a nice dinner and a chance to get fully cleaned up. We ate at Fire ... read more
Baby, It's Cold Outside (and Inside, Too)
Published: March 23rd 2009Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu » ThamelMarch 21st 2009
We have finally completed a long, tiring trip in the Everest region and we are both glad to be back. The places that we visited were amazing and unlike anything that you can experience anywhere else in the world. But the experience itself can be the end of you if you aren't careful. We saw at least 5 helicopters in the area and that means only one thing--another hiker needed to be airlifted out to lower elevation. From what we heard, all of these people were fine and just needed to get off the mountain, but not everyone is so lucky. Back here in Kathmandu, the traffic is as crazy as ever and the dust and noise a bit oppressive, but nothing a good (well, mediocre) margarita couldn't cure. Anyway... We left Phakding after a decent ... read more
March 10th 2009
Here we are, within spitting distance of the so called "Top of the World", and we have internet access. Owing to it's expense in parts remote, this blog entry will be a bit truncated from those in the past. Fortunately, there isn't too much to cover as most of the trip so far has been quite smooth. Let's begin! So, on Wednesday, Sara and I had the task of trying to wrap up all our loose ends at work and the final trip preparation, including picking up the rental car to drive and drop off at SFO. Not sure mine went quite as well as it could have (sorry Mik and Aaron), but Sara seems satisfied. After a hectic two hours of checking and rechecking our gear, we were off to the airport in plenty of ... read more
July 24th 2007
After a pleasant, but somewhat wet, night, Sara and I packed up and headed to the trailhead. The tarp seemed weatherproof enough to handle any storm we might encounter and our legs seemed recovered enough to do the same for any trail. As we passed the Visitor Center our views of the peak were still obscured by clouds, but the sun at least made an effort to shine on us as we parked the car. The trail was not hard to find, as we joined fifty or so other cars in the parked lot, and made our first crossing of many over the silt-laden Robson River. Just short of paved, the trail’s condition didn’t seem to be much of an issue for the first four kilometers, but apparently the river, due to the warm temperatures and ... read more
July 19th 2007
Due to the mosquito problems, we resolved to improve the setup for the tarp that night. Of course, if we were unsuccessful, there wouldn’t be many options out in the backcountry, away from cars and lodging. Since Sara was sleeping in the car and her alarm clock was in the tent, we didn’t wake up until later than we hoped. I just don’t hear alarms in the morning. Anyway, we rushed to get ready and hopefully make the first bus out of Sunshine Meadows. We though that would be an 8:30 am bus, but we got there at 8:40 am and found out the first buses were at 9 am. Perfect timing! There were two other groups of backpackers along with 20 or 30 day hikers. Most of them would only go as far as Citadel ... read more
Hiking the Canadian Rockies
Published: July 14th 2007North America » Canada » British Columbia » Yoho National Park
July 14th 2007
After getting off the Vancouver ferry, both Sara and I were spent. The long days of kayaking and excessive salt intake had both of us ready for a break. But since we didn’t want to get stuck in Vancouver morning traffic, we decided to fight through afternoon traffic instead. We made it to Chilliwack, British Columbia, about halfway across and close to the US border. After significant hassle caused by RV only “camping”, we found a campground with both of our requirements: showers and laundry. A third preference, mosquito-free, was not met, but we made the best of it and got ready for the hiking portion of the trip. A good night’s sleep helped get us going early the next morning for a 7 hour drive to Yoho National Park. Uneventful best describes the drive, ... read more
July 12th 2007
Many of the good things in life come in threes. We were hoping kayaking Vancouver Island would not prove an exception. The first trip was mainly a wildlife trip, the second scenery, and the third, an adventure. In fact, a bit more than we had bargained. We woke in the morning and checked the weather forecast and, once again, the winds were predicted as gale force. What we couldn’t figure out was where. Using the direct observation method of weather prediction, our wind meter detected . . . nothing. No wind, no rain, and no clouds. So using this simple science, we decided to head out for our three day paddle, unsure of what we would find out on the open seas. This first challenge would require parking in Tofino, British Columbia. It’s your standard ... read more
Discovering Discovery Sound
Published: July 9th 2007North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver Island » Tofino
July 9th 2007
After the rain and wind in Johnstone Strait, we were hoping for better from Toba Inlet and Desolation Sound. We would have to wait. We woke to overcast skies and occasional rain. We packed up to catch the ferry to Cortes Island, via Quadra Island. We were not sure what time the ferries ran, but it worked out anyway, as the ferry was just getting ready to load cars. The Campbell River to Quadra ferry ran once an hour, a short ten-minute journey, while the Quadra to Cortes ferry ran every two hours, taking 45 minutes. Luck must have been shinning on us, as the second ferry was waiting for the convoy of cars transitioning from our ferry to the next. A few minutes later, and we were aboard for the longer ride to our ... read more
Kayaking with the Whales...or Not
Published: July 1st 2007North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver Island
July 1st 2007
Once on the road, all felt right. No more worrying about getting task X done, or Y crossed off. We were free, and ready to relax. Easier said than done. The first day was occupied with the long drive to Port Angeles, Washington, which was fairly pleasant with the exception of the traffic in Portland, though the views of Mounts Rainier and Hood made it more palatable. After a long, tiring drive (I really need to teach Sara to drive stick!), we rolled into Port Angeles around 8pm, just in time to eat at Bella Italia, the best restaurant in town and one we had visited 7 years earlier. The vegetarian lasagna was just as good as Sara had remembered, and my dish was quite tasty as well. The KOA lived up to expectations (they ... read more
Tot: 0.168s; Tpl: 0.003s; cc: 15; qc: 98; dbt: 0.0701s; 2; m:notus s:notus w:www (50.28.61.183); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.8mb
