Day 183 of the project,
en route from Los Angeles to Dallas
"Welcome to the United States. The local time in Los Angeles is 7:15am on Sunday, January 4..." The greeting from the Australian-accented flight attendant sounded more like exotic destination than my native soil. I braced myself for re-entry. The holidays in the U.S. wreak havoc upon airports; the combination of so many travelers, weather delays and chronic overbooking creates a unique chaos and can bring out the worst of our national traits. Maybe not warmest embrace from American society.
Showing posts with label adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventure. Show all posts
January 4, 2015
December 25, 2014
Holiday laughs in Oz
Day 174 of the project,
Christmas Day in Apollo Bay, Australia
"You're sitting like you're a baller at some fancy hotel. Like this is the Ritz Carlton of Apollo Bay instead of the YHA and you are drinking a vintage champagne instead of quadruple X lager."
Her eyebrow arched and pinky shot out from the gaudy yellow can, posing for a ridiculous Instagram post. It was contagious and within seconds, we were both giggling uncontrollably. Not quite our signature silent hyena laugh, but enough to make my eyes tear up a little. It was a good release after a long meandering day on Australia's Great Ocean Road.
Christmas Day in Apollo Bay, Australia
"You're sitting like you're a baller at some fancy hotel. Like this is the Ritz Carlton of Apollo Bay instead of the YHA and you are drinking a vintage champagne instead of quadruple X lager."
Her eyebrow arched and pinky shot out from the gaudy yellow can, posing for a ridiculous Instagram post. It was contagious and within seconds, we were both giggling uncontrollably. Not quite our signature silent hyena laugh, but enough to make my eyes tear up a little. It was a good release after a long meandering day on Australia's Great Ocean Road.
December 10, 2014
Dreaming in Green
Day 159 of the project,
Auckland, New Zealand
"One....two...three...AHHH!" After wading waist-deep into the glacier fed lake, I finally worked up enough courage to plunge underwater. My fellow walker, a lovely woman from Toulouse, France, had bravely gone first and pronounced it "refreshing." I don't know that I stayed in long enough to describe it as anything but "frigid."
New Zealand is famous for its stunning and diverse landscapes. Fans of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy know it well (and often travel to tour the Hobbit homes). It is also famous for its series of nine Great Walks scattered throughout the numerous national parks. The Milford Track is one of the most famous of those walks. It is difficult to get a permit, as access is restricted to 40 people per day during high season. Trampers (Kiwi terminology for hikers) walk 33.5 miles over four days, tracing the river from Lake Te Anau through Mackennon Pass, past New Zealand's highest waterfall, Sutherland Falls and ending at Milford Sound.
Auckland, New Zealand
"One....two...three...AHHH!" After wading waist-deep into the glacier fed lake, I finally worked up enough courage to plunge underwater. My fellow walker, a lovely woman from Toulouse, France, had bravely gone first and pronounced it "refreshing." I don't know that I stayed in long enough to describe it as anything but "frigid."
New Zealand is famous for its stunning and diverse landscapes. Fans of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy know it well (and often travel to tour the Hobbit homes). It is also famous for its series of nine Great Walks scattered throughout the numerous national parks. The Milford Track is one of the most famous of those walks. It is difficult to get a permit, as access is restricted to 40 people per day during high season. Trampers (Kiwi terminology for hikers) walk 33.5 miles over four days, tracing the river from Lake Te Anau through Mackennon Pass, past New Zealand's highest waterfall, Sutherland Falls and ending at Milford Sound.
November 22, 2014
Hanging by a thread
Day 140 of the project,
Koh Lanta, Thailand
"More on your right foot. No, your other right. Now push and REACH for it! Good! Now move your left hand into the hole."
"What hole? There is no....oh wait, there it is."
After two days of sweat, swearing, scrapes and bruises, I was finally getting the hang of it. No pun intended.
One of the goals for the 30th Year Project was to get outside of my comfort zone. Sand boarding and high-altitude hiking aside, I had not really challenged myself physically. With only seven weeks to go, I decided the rock climbing mecca of Railay would be the perfect place to test my limits.
Koh Lanta, Thailand
"More on your right foot. No, your other right. Now push and REACH for it! Good! Now move your left hand into the hole."
"What hole? There is no....oh wait, there it is."
After two days of sweat, swearing, scrapes and bruises, I was finally getting the hang of it. No pun intended.
One of the goals for the 30th Year Project was to get outside of my comfort zone. Sand boarding and high-altitude hiking aside, I had not really challenged myself physically. With only seven weeks to go, I decided the rock climbing mecca of Railay would be the perfect place to test my limits.
October 31, 2014
Descending the dunes
Day 116 of the project,
slightly south of the Namibian border, South Africa
Of all the countries on my itinerary, few people knew much about the Republic of Namibia. The country became an independent nation in 1994. It has one of the world's lowest population densities with only 2.1 million people in its vast borders. The economy is heavily dependent on mining, but growth in tourism has prompted the creation of national parks. Namibia has the raw, uncharted ruggedness that appeals to the desert enthusiasts and adventure-seekers and discourages those looking for pampered luxury. In short, this is the sweet spot in time to visit.
My desert adventure began in Swakopmund. A former German colonial town, it straddles the mountains and the coastal sand dunes. The architecture is a mishmash of German chateaus and ugly modern concrete blocks. Several high quality brauhauses lubricate tourists and locals alike. It is a growing mecca for adventure sports ranging from kiteboarding to sand boarding to sky diving. There is little shopping and the main "cultural" activity is a tour of the uranium mine. Everything closes by 4pm with no clear reason why. It is by far one of the oddest places I have been...in the world.
In keeping with weird vibe, I did something out of character: I signed up for a day of sand boarding. It is not that I am out of shape or lazy; climbing the dunes is perfectly fine. But my well-documented lack of coordination and inclination for self-preservation has generally kept me from extreme sports. There was a good chance of injury and a guarantee of humiliation. Yet for some reason (maybe the beer?), I found myself calling Alter Action and signing up for the next morning session.
slightly south of the Namibian border, South Africa
Of all the countries on my itinerary, few people knew much about the Republic of Namibia. The country became an independent nation in 1994. It has one of the world's lowest population densities with only 2.1 million people in its vast borders. The economy is heavily dependent on mining, but growth in tourism has prompted the creation of national parks. Namibia has the raw, uncharted ruggedness that appeals to the desert enthusiasts and adventure-seekers and discourages those looking for pampered luxury. In short, this is the sweet spot in time to visit.
My desert adventure began in Swakopmund. A former German colonial town, it straddles the mountains and the coastal sand dunes. The architecture is a mishmash of German chateaus and ugly modern concrete blocks. Several high quality brauhauses lubricate tourists and locals alike. It is a growing mecca for adventure sports ranging from kiteboarding to sand boarding to sky diving. There is little shopping and the main "cultural" activity is a tour of the uranium mine. Everything closes by 4pm with no clear reason why. It is by far one of the oddest places I have been...in the world.
In keeping with weird vibe, I did something out of character: I signed up for a day of sand boarding. It is not that I am out of shape or lazy; climbing the dunes is perfectly fine. But my well-documented lack of coordination and inclination for self-preservation has generally kept me from extreme sports. There was a good chance of injury and a guarantee of humiliation. Yet for some reason (maybe the beer?), I found myself calling Alter Action and signing up for the next morning session.
October 24, 2014
In the food chain
Day 109 of the project,
Swakopmund, Namibia
It is the amazing the amount of information that can be gathered from a pile of rhinoceros shit. Obviously, you can learn about their diet and digestive process. Rhinos only have one stomach (unlike other large herbivores) and cannot fully process their roughage...meaning the pile of poop actually looks like an explosion of half chewed twigs. Less obvious is that a dominant male will drop in his territory; other males will pass by and drop on the perimeter of his poop, which alerts him about guests in his area. It is like a message board for the rhino community. However, when a female rhino wants to get the male's attention, she will poop directly on top of his pile. Initially this will piss him off, until he realizes who left the message.
However, the most important thing you can learn from the dung is proximity to the animal. So when the pile belongs to the less social and more aggressive black rhino and is relatively fresh, your park rangers on the guided morning walk tend to get a little nervous. A bad encounter between the locals and foreign tourists is not exactly great PR.
In my normal life, I have never taken any interest in rhino shit. These creatures were an abstraction--something seen from the comfort of my living room on National Geographic. I never dreamed I would be in such close physical proximity.
Swakopmund, Namibia
It is the amazing the amount of information that can be gathered from a pile of rhinoceros shit. Obviously, you can learn about their diet and digestive process. Rhinos only have one stomach (unlike other large herbivores) and cannot fully process their roughage...meaning the pile of poop actually looks like an explosion of half chewed twigs. Less obvious is that a dominant male will drop in his territory; other males will pass by and drop on the perimeter of his poop, which alerts him about guests in his area. It is like a message board for the rhino community. However, when a female rhino wants to get the male's attention, she will poop directly on top of his pile. Initially this will piss him off, until he realizes who left the message.
However, the most important thing you can learn from the dung is proximity to the animal. So when the pile belongs to the less social and more aggressive black rhino and is relatively fresh, your park rangers on the guided morning walk tend to get a little nervous. A bad encounter between the locals and foreign tourists is not exactly great PR.
In my normal life, I have never taken any interest in rhino shit. These creatures were an abstraction--something seen from the comfort of my living room on National Geographic. I never dreamed I would be in such close physical proximity.
July 28, 2014
South American desert dreams
Dia 21 del proyecto,
Entre San Pedro de Atacama y Valparaiso, Chile
Many people consider deserts to be barren and boring. Lifeless with strange plants and few visible animals. It is easy to dismiss, especially in northern Chile, the landscape as such. But to do so would be to miss some of the most spectacular terrain on this planet.
The Atacama desert is enormous--it spans about a third of northern Chile, a decent chunk of northwestern Argentina, most of Bolivia and all of southern Peru. It is the driest desert on earth, with many places never recording rainfall in the history of (western) civilization. The ground ranges from the peaks of the Andes to the altiplano, or high plane, to enormous sand dunes. Vegetation can be standard cactus to clumps of indigenous grasses designed to withstand the incredibly dry conditions.
In spite of the dryness, the Atacama is a geologist's dream. Salt is prevalent in nearly every area; crystals form in various patterns from traditional salt pans to fields that look like the top of an apple crumble. Lithium, copper and nitrates are also found in huge quantities and are mined by all four countries. Volcanoes dot the mountain-scape, with the active ones occasionally sending up a puff of gas as a reminder of their presence.
Entre San Pedro de Atacama y Valparaiso, Chile
Many people consider deserts to be barren and boring. Lifeless with strange plants and few visible animals. It is easy to dismiss, especially in northern Chile, the landscape as such. But to do so would be to miss some of the most spectacular terrain on this planet.
The Atacama desert is enormous--it spans about a third of northern Chile, a decent chunk of northwestern Argentina, most of Bolivia and all of southern Peru. It is the driest desert on earth, with many places never recording rainfall in the history of (western) civilization. The ground ranges from the peaks of the Andes to the altiplano, or high plane, to enormous sand dunes. Vegetation can be standard cactus to clumps of indigenous grasses designed to withstand the incredibly dry conditions.
In spite of the dryness, the Atacama is a geologist's dream. Salt is prevalent in nearly every area; crystals form in various patterns from traditional salt pans to fields that look like the top of an apple crumble. Lithium, copper and nitrates are also found in huge quantities and are mined by all four countries. Volcanoes dot the mountain-scape, with the active ones occasionally sending up a puff of gas as a reminder of their presence.
July 20, 2014
Machu Picchu
Dia 12 del proyecto,
Entre de Cusco y Lima
Halfway up the steep and uneven stone staircase, I switched off my headlamp. The sun was up but still behind the mountain. The gates to the trail opened at 5am and by 4:30am there was a queue of at least 200 hikers. Fortunately our group was one of the first 30 or so people in line and only had a half hour to go before the entrance gates.
After third day, our group of sixteen had been reduced to eight as most people had taken the four-day walk option. The gates to Machu Picchu opened at 6am and the stairs gave us a half hour head start over the buses.
So what would possess a person to climb 1,700 stairs in the black of early morning? Take a look for yourself here. Machu Picchu was everything you could imagine and more. Absolutely breathtaking.
Entre de Cusco y Lima
Halfway up the steep and uneven stone staircase, I switched off my headlamp. The sun was up but still behind the mountain. The gates to the trail opened at 5am and by 4:30am there was a queue of at least 200 hikers. Fortunately our group was one of the first 30 or so people in line and only had a half hour to go before the entrance gates.
After third day, our group of sixteen had been reduced to eight as most people had taken the four-day walk option. The gates to Machu Picchu opened at 6am and the stairs gave us a half hour head start over the buses.
So what would possess a person to climb 1,700 stairs in the black of early morning? Take a look for yourself here. Machu Picchu was everything you could imagine and more. Absolutely breathtaking.
Sube la montana
Dia 12 del proyecto,
Cusco, Peru
The city of Cusco is roughly 3,300 meters above sea level, nestled comfortably in a valley. Albeit a very high valley. Most guide books recommend arriving a day or two early (and consuming copious amounts of coca tea) to acclimatize before trekking. I agree completely; if your trek only stays at 3,300 meters, one or two days is perfect. However, neither the official experts nor this trekker have solutions for dealing with the 1,300-meter (3,900-foot) climb in the first 25 kilometers (15 miles) of the Salkantay trail.
While the classic Inca trail is the most famous, it is one of seven main footpaths that lead into Machu Picchu. The Salkantay trail is one and is named for the mountain which supplied most of the city's water. Quecha lore says that during a bad drought, the ancient Incan king sent his two sons out to find water. The younger brother, named Salkantay, died and became the mountain. His older brother's tears for his death became the glacier peak.
It doesn't seem so tough when I type it. But it humbled this marathon-running San Franciscan.
Cusco, Peru
The city of Cusco is roughly 3,300 meters above sea level, nestled comfortably in a valley. Albeit a very high valley. Most guide books recommend arriving a day or two early (and consuming copious amounts of coca tea) to acclimatize before trekking. I agree completely; if your trek only stays at 3,300 meters, one or two days is perfect. However, neither the official experts nor this trekker have solutions for dealing with the 1,300-meter (3,900-foot) climb in the first 25 kilometers (15 miles) of the Salkantay trail.
While the classic Inca trail is the most famous, it is one of seven main footpaths that lead into Machu Picchu. The Salkantay trail is one and is named for the mountain which supplied most of the city's water. Quecha lore says that during a bad drought, the ancient Incan king sent his two sons out to find water. The younger brother, named Salkantay, died and became the mountain. His older brother's tears for his death became the glacier peak.
It doesn't seem so tough when I type it. But it humbled this marathon-running San Franciscan.
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