Wet, Cold, and Happy in Iceland

October 19 - 25, 2016
Iceland

Arieh here.  "All the leaves are gone and the sky is grey; went out for a walk on a winter's day"....except it was October in Iceland!  Quite a bleak and open place at this time of year, although still beautiful.

Thanks to my best niece (in Northern California), Val and I went to Iceland for a week.  No....Lara did not pay for our trip.  However, she did suggest we join her on her way to work in Spain.  So, we did.  And then our friend, Denise Gordon (wife #4 on this trip; #s 2 and 3 weren't invited) came along to help us have lots of fun.

Despite the first parts of the title, we did have fun.  The food was excellent, the company was exhilarating and the scenery was fantastic.  Iceland is not a big place; only about 330,000 people (of which 90K live in Reykjavik, the capital) and a circumference of about 1,400 KM along the "Ring Road".  Pretty sparsely populated and very small towns with big gaps between them once you get away from the capital (and the Golden Circle).  Lara only had 4 days and we spent those in the Golden Circle area (mostly South and East of Reykjavik).  She's a good person to have along as she is an event planner and did so for the trip.  We started off by changing our plans because of the huge rainstorm/hurricane-style winds that were blowing the morning we arrived.  Instead of heading out of town for a day trip, it was suggested we not drive around and go to museums in town.  Which we did, as we couldn't get into our hotel until the afternoon.  The first museum was the National Museum with a history of Iceland.  New building, well done, well laid out and not too large.  And a good place to grab a bite to eat.  I did find myself falling asleep on my feet at times as our flight was an overnight flight.  That is not a comment on the exhibits.  Well-worth the visit.  The other museum was a photography exhibit in the main library.  It had some stunning pictures of people and landscapes of Iceland.

The next 3 days were spent driving around the Golden Circle and seeing some of the main sites--a natural park where the first Viking parliament was held (which also shows the fault line between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates), fantastic waterfalls that were wide (or tall) and very close to the road, lots of free-range sheep and horses, up-close glaciers (although we didn't walk on any), some gorgeous gorges, a stormy black-sand beach (a result of broken-down lava as opposed to a "common" white sandstone beach), and an iceberg lagoon (which we did not take a boat trip on as it was pouring rain and miserable).  Hopefully, I will get some pictures from Lara in the near future and post them here.

Iceland is relatively inexpensive to get to.  However, that is their trick to attract tourists.  Everything else is pricey.  Accommodations were good and not too pricey at this time of year, although I think they are higher-priced in better weather.  Food is very expensive; more so than we found in France, Slovenia, Israel and Portugal in the Spring of 2016.  And all goods are expensive.  So, go prepared.  As I mentioned, the food was excellent.  Good soups (vegetarian or otherwise), fresh-caught sea fish, tasty lamb dishes and god-awful fermented Greenland shark.  We only had some tasting of this Icelandic delicacy and that was enough.  The story of this food is that you can't just eat this shark meat as it is toxic.  Normal cooking, boiling, roasting doesn't help.  By chance the early settlers figured out that it needed to be stuck in the ground for months on end and fermented.  The process is slightly different today, but not too much.  It doesn't go into the ground, albeit a wooden crate.  But it still takes months and then it is hung to dry.  Why is it toxic?  So this particular shark can survive in the cold waters of the Northern Atlantic.  Think of anti-freeze in a car's engine--same sort of liquid flowing through a Greenland shark's body.  Yum.  ☺

After Lara left, the three of us went to the Western Region (slightly north of Reykjavik) for two nights.  It is famous for the Snaefellsjoekull National Park, which is famous for the Snaefellsjoekull volcano made famous in Jules Verne's "Journey to the Centre of the Earth".  We didn't climb the volcano.  However, Denise and I went down inside it.  And it is very dark.  A number of years ago a lava tunnel was discovered.  Think of a river in winter that freezes on top, but continues to flow under the ice.  Then think of "turning off the tap", so the water drains out of the river bed but is still frozen on top.  That is a lava tunnel.  The top layer of lava cools and the "inside lava" keeps flowing out.  Then, by chance years later, part of the top layer opens up and the tunnel is discovered.  It was 200 metres long and 35 metres below ground.  Did I say it was dark?  When you go down with flashlights, it's not so bad.  However, when the guide tells everyone to shut their eyes, turn off their lanterns, and then reopen your eyes, it is dark.  Couldn't see my hand in front of my face and couldn't see my bright yellow jacket (picture). 

It is said of the Egyptian plague of darkness that it was so dark, it was thick.  It is very dark down in the bowels of the earth.

It was during these two days that we met some interesting hospitality workers and realized that a lot of the people we thought were Icelanders were, in fact, from Eastern Europe (or elsewhere).  Wages are high (as is the cost of living) in Iceland and young folk flock there to make and save money.  Long hours of work and lots of fun for them.  One young couple from Poland were at the hotel and had been in Iceland for 3 or 4 months.  They were saving for a South American trip.  This was after they had already completed a 13-month bicycle trip from Poland to Thailand.  Another was from Romania and he was saving up to go buy apartments in Romania to rent out.  A third fellow was Spanish and he just loved being in Iceland--the openess, the nature, the quiet.  They are all legal workers.  However, they are not eligible for immigration.

On our last night we went out for a very tasty dinner, went to the local community centre and had an hour of swimming inside and outside in geo-thermally heated swimming pools.  Not a spa, per se.  However, after the swimming, there were hot tubs that smelled of sulphur.  The hot tubs and one of the olympic-sized pools were outside under the sky.  No people except for 3 Icelandic senior citizens enjoying the hot waters.  These community/swimming pools are in every little town.  A very nice alternative to the very expensive spas.  And then, to cap it all off, the night sky was clear and we saw the Northern Lights.  Quite a light show, except the colour was just white.....unless you looked through the viewfinder of a good camera.  If so, you could see green.  Just like in pictures in books.  Go figure.

And that's about it.  I would go back in a different month to try and get better weather, although we met someone on the airplane returning to Toronto and they said they had nice and warmer weather farther north!

Samoa

March, 2013
Hi Everyone,

My wife Evelyn and I have set off on our first long trip together as a married couple - a six week trip to Samoa and New Zealand.  I am writing this from the New Zealand, while sitting in the kitchen of the very hospitable Ally and Richard Commins, the parents of our good friend Anna.  We arrived here yesterday after spending a week in Samoa.

The trip from Canada was quite long.  We left Toronto at noon on Saturday, and finally arrived in Samoa at 6 PM on Monday.  Of that, 17 hours was time difference, and about 21 hours was spent in the air.  Samoa was HOT.  It was not so great to arrive wearing our hiking boots, jeans, and sweaters.  

We spent a couple days in Apia, Samoa's capital and largest city.  Largest city is a relative term, however, as the whole population of Samoa, predominantly located on the island Upulo, is less than 200,000.  Apia is also where Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island and Dr. Jeckyll and Mr Hyde, spent his final years before dying at 46 of tuberculosis.  We went to visit his mansion, and met an older couple there visiting from London.  They were members of "the R.L.S. appreciation society", and based their vacations around travelling to sites where Stevenson lived or worked.  We didn't have the heart to tell them we didn't even know who he was before we did the tour, and just came because we heard the grounds were beautiful.

Unfortunately, there was a cyclone in Samoa in December 2012.  Happily, there was minimal loss of life, but the cyclone damaged a lot of the tourist infrastructure, so most of the activities we were hoping to do were not possible.  So as a result, we left Apia and spent the rest of our stay in Samoa more or less lying on a beach.

The 2 hour drive across the Island was one of the trip highlights.  It was great to see the stunning beaches, the tropical vegetation, and the Samoan style of houses.  Because it is so hot, a lot of people live in houses without walls.  When you pass by, you can see people watching TV and setting up mosquito nets over the beds.

One reason the ride was so great was due to our taxi driver, Viala.  He was just so happy to be Samoan!  He kept stopping the cab at places he thought would make good photos.  While we were shooting, he would exclaim "this is my life! I thank Jesus that my grandparents and parents were born on this Island!"

The beach we stayed it was amazing.  Furthermore, because it was low season, we lierally had the beach to ourselves for the first day we were there, and only one other foreign tourist stayed at our hotel for the four days we were there.  Hotel is not actually the right word, though.  We stayed in "fales" on the beach.  Fales are huts right on the beach with a mattress in them.  It was a very relaxing and surprisingly comfortable place to spend half a week.

We also got to meet a bunch of locals.  The hotel we were staying at was hosting a government meeting  of the disaster response coordinators of various government departments.  It was interesting hearing about some of the work they are doing in response to the 2009 tsunami which killed a large number of Samoans.  Hopefully their work will help mitigate the damage from any future disasters.

Time to go to bed.  Tomorrow morning, we leave for a 3 day hike in Kahurangi National Park on the North of South Island in New Zealand.

Back to Bali: Part One; January, 2012 (Read first)

Hi there. Arieh here.

Well, we went to Bali again. 4th time for Val; 3rd time for me. It was great once again. The people are so gentle, crime almost non-existent (except for mostly Australian drug smugglers getting caught) and the food is good (and getting better and more varied). During this trip, our friend, Glenda, joined us for the first two weeks and then our friend, Sue, joined us for the last two weeks (of which one week the two friends overlapped and we were 4 people). Because the two friends were allowed to come only on condition they obeyed directions, everything worked out well. :)

I think what is so nice about Bali is the people.



Yes, we went cycling (Val was in the support van), snorkeling 4 times, walking in rice fields, etc. (in the heat), Val and Glenda took a couple of batik painting classes,

and I even went to an art museum. However, it is the people that keep our interest and how they live. The Balinese seem quite content with their lives. They are mostly Hindu and the temples (thousands of them) play a big role in their lives. From early morning (when the morning offerings are put out at the entrance to their family compounds) to late evenings (when dance performances are held in various places), the temple (and religion) is very important. In fact, when there is a holiday (and there are many of them during the 210 day calendar), the Balinese do not go away; they prepare for and participate in the events at the temple and in the family/community compounds. We were told (not substantiated, but believable) that 35% of a family's income is spent on temple-related expenditures. This would include the little offerings put out each day in the morning and during the day, as well as the tall intricate baskets of fruit brought to the temples for major (and minor) holidays. And they always make sure there is enough for those who cannot provide for themselves.




Tourism has a big impact on the Balinese; it is a huge economic factor. However, as important as this is in their lives, it doesn't seem to have made the Balinese crazy, obnoxious or subservient. The handicrafts that are in abundance and sold in the larger tourist centres are done in the local villages or family compounds. This means that the artisans do not have to move to the "city" to make a living; they can stay where they are and keep the family (and the family land) together. There is also a lot of copying done. That's fine as it is all quite different from Western handicrafts; much more labour intensive. And the handicrafts change with the times--5 years ago when I carved a wooden mask, that particular style of mask was sold everywhere. Now, it was not sold at all. There are new styles to do and sell and they are. The dance depicted in the video is classical Balinese dance. It is taught quite extensively on the island starting to children of a very young age. Most of the performances are done for tourists. And yet, the teaching, the dancing, the ticket selling, all those steps help the Balinese ; and the dance tradition is preserved as a result. Here is a sample of some of the great dancing we saw during our visit. This particular group was an all-women's troupe (including the orchestra). Most often, the orchestra and some of the dancers are men. The two women sitting in the background playing the drums are actually the conductors. Expanding to full screen is NOT a good idea; try to see the eye and hand movements.



The next video shows the women standing up and dancing.

Back to Bali: Part Two; February, 2012

Hi there. Arieh here. This post is about our time on Flores and Komodo islands.

We took an organized side trip from Bali to Flores for 4 days. The flight is about 1.5 hours and was quite beautiful flying across Lombok and some other little islands to get to Flores. Flores is a larger in area than Bali (longer and narrower) with much less population (300K compared to about 3 million people) and is the jumping off point to Komodo and Rinca islands. These islands are the only places on earth that you can find Komodo dragons in the wild and both islands are National parks and wildlife reserves. These islands (well, really the dragons) have recently been voted one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature. http://www.new7wonders.com/. (There are new "man-made" Wonders as well as the "old" 7 "man-made" Wonders).

After arriving on a Monday afternoon, we (Val, Sue and I) went for a quick tour of some natural caves (Batu Cermin) and then up to our hotel (Golo Hilltop: www.golohilltop.com). Here is the view from our hotel.

The next day we embarked on a 2-day trip on a boat designed for 7-10 passengers. There were two cabins on deck with room for 4 single sleepers. Everyone else sleeps on mats on the deck or on the roof above the cabins. It turned out that sleeping on the roof would have been much better as it was quite stuffy (even with the windows open) in the cabins.

Notwithstanding that minor inconvenience, the trip was great. Mostly sunny or dry skies, very little rain when it mattered (and this was rainy season) and fairly smooth ride. The food was cooked on board and delicious, albeit quite a make-shift kitchen (not something you would want to inspect too closely). The food was quite different than Bali with different spices and very tasty fried bananas as a treat. The islands we passed were quite green (again, because of the rainy season). However, many of them were uninhabited due to a lack of fresh water except for rain. Some had fishing villages only (no roads or electricity) and some of those villagers had to take their children to the local school by boat. This school would be located on another island perhaps a kilometre or two away!

The islands of Komodo and Rinca are quite small. The village of Komodo has built its house on stilts to protect themselves from the dragons. The Komodo dragons eat anything and anyone. This includes their own young. The young, after being hatched, scurry up into trees to avoid being eaten. As they get older, the dragons are not able to climb as they once could and hence the stilts for houses. The dragons have no natural predators and their bite can be quite serious (if they don't rip you apart). It is somewhat poisonous, although not as fast-acting as a venomous snake bite. Simple disinfecting and going to a hospital for antibiotics will do the trick and get you on the path to healthiness. However, as I said, they could rip you apart just as well. These dragons can be quite docile looking, yet they are fast-moving when they want to be for short distances. Val was actually moved off a path up to a gazebo because a young lady ran by her with a Komodo in pursuit. Neither Val nor the young lady were damaged.

Again, the people on Flores and the boat were very nice. English on the boat was limited but we coped and we all had a good time. Our tour organizer (don't forget--this tour was for the 3 of us only) was a former nun who left that "job" in Rome because there wasn't any time for her to visit family back in Flores. She decided that this was not for her; now she runs and tour company and speaks very good Italian. .

Video of the Komodo dragons in the wild.

INDIA: Agra

After Varanasi, we were way too tired and hot to take another regular class train so we opted for the a/c train. They have many classes so we took the modest 3rd a/c sleeper train. It was amazing! It is such a step up from the regular sleeper cars. You get a pillow, sheets, and a blanket! Looking out the window from inside the a/c car felt like looking out at another world. Needless to say, when we arrived in Agra I was in much better spirits.

We had heard less than positive remarks about Agra from various people yet I found it quite pleasant. It certainly helped that recent rains had eliminated the intense heat we had just felt in Varanasi. Many people that complain about Agra only take a day trip to Agra, see the Taj Mahal, and move on. It is hard to like any city when you are running around all day. Still, we only spent a night.

We arrived in the morning, found a place, and immediately went to the roof to sit around a rest. We had a beautiful view of the Taj from up there. What a spectacular building to have a city centred around. We wondered through the small market in town and got these delicious mangoes. That night, we hired a rickshaw to take us to the other side of the river to see the Taj with the sunset behind it. To lessen the cost, we agreed to have him take us to a few shops so he could get commission. It is a reasonable deal if you have nothing better to do.

The ticket to get in to the Taj Mahal for foreigners is 750 rupees and only 20 rupees for Indians. Many backpackers are turned off from the price and do not enter and are resigned to look from outside. I think this is a terrible mistake. The Taj is too beautiful to pass up. It is the most stunning building I have ever seen.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to get to the gates for its opening at sunrise. The guards that search you when you enter do not allow you to take in books or food. They do not want people to sit around all day inside. That was precisely what I wanted to do. They let me bring in my book with a small amount of objection. We spent a good 5 hours in the grounds and I could have spent much longer. It is easy to sit around when you in the midst of such a work of art.

The story behind the Taj Mahal is of love. Shah Jahan, who built the Taj, had many wives but his favourite was Mumtaz Mahal. When she died during complication with the birth of her 14th child he was devastated and wanted to build a mausoleum so she would not be forgotten. Even before its completion, his son had him imprisoned and he saw its completion from his jail cell. She certainly will never be forgotten with such a building.

We left that evening for Rishikesh.

Avidan

Nepal: Chitwan National Park

Bengal Tigers, Indian Rhinoceroses, and Sloth Bears, oh my! These are the magnificent animals, amongst others, that we were able to see in the Chitwan jungle. Unfortunately for us, we only had to worry about the rhino.


We happened to arrive at the village next to the park, Sauraha, in the off season. I guess this meant that it was hotter and there would be less visible animals in the jungle but to us it only meant that it was quiet. The little town seemed deserted by tourists in comparison to the many guesthouses and restaurants build throughout the town. This certainly did not stop us from having a great time as well as meeting some other great tourists.

We were recommended a guesthouse from a friend but when we arrive we decided the price was too high for the quality and we moved on. With a little recommendation from our friend, Lonely Planet, Randy went in search of a place called Chilax guesthouse. On his walk, a man on a motorcycle asked him where he was going. It turned out he worked at Chilax so Randy jumped on the back and quickly we found a new home.

The room was alright and clean but the real draw was the people that worked there. Immediately, like most other people in the town, they brought up the topic of a jungle walk. There was something about them that seemed honest and trusting so we decided to use them as our guides. There names were Deepech and Anil. We had a great time with these guys and I remember them fondly.

We started out with a canoe ride along the river which is the boundary to the park. The canoe was a hollowed out tree trunk and was propelled by the owner using his long staff to push on the bottom of the river. This part was not that exciting except for the few crocodiles that we saw swimming around. We departed the bought 45 minutes after we started and immediately started our walk seemingly in a random spot. Obviously, our guides, one in the front and one behind, knew where we were and where we were going. We walked through many different paths, stopping suddenly when one of the guides, usually Deepech, heard something. At the beginning, it was deer and birds.


The goal of many tourists in the jungle is to see the infamous and graceful Bengal Tiger. From talking to many people, our chances were slim to none so we had few expectations to see one. The closest we came was a fresh footprint in the mud. That was still pretty cool.

It was hot and humid so we took regular stops every hour or so at these wooden lookout points scattered throughout the park. These allowed us to see over the tall elephant grass that we spent a lot of time walking through. This was not the only terrain and we soon found ourselves in bush moving through overgrown paths.

This is where we saw the highlight of the day. Deepech stopped us with excited eyes and informed us that there were probably a few rhinoceroses in front of us. We crept forward and after climbing a few trees and sneaking closer, we discovered it was a group of maybe 10 rhinos all together staying cool in the river beside us. Supposedly, it is very rare to see so many together as they tend to fight amongst themselves. Also, you are never supposed to get too close to a rhino as they are unpredictable and might charge. Randy and I climbed a tree to get a better look at the rhinos. Then we ate lunch maybe 80 metres away from where they sat.

The day continued with some more deer, monkey, and bird sightings. We also saw Pumba. By that I mean, we saw a few wild boar and one with its little piglets next to it. It was a long day of walking, maybe 8 or 9 hours in the jungle. We spent the night in another village in a different part of the park right next to the river. We bathed in the fast flowing river.


The next day was more of the same walking. We took a nice little nap at one of the lookout towers and made it back by mid-afternoon. A few hours to eat and shower before our elephant ride. It was a bit much for two days and we were dead tired. The elephant ride was cool but uncomfortable and uneventful. They say you will see a rhino 95% of the time on an elephant ride. No such luck for us. It was fascinating to see how close the elephants came to the deer without them reacting. The elephant scent masks the human scent so the deer don’t run away. I assume it is the same with the rhinos.

Check out the third leg on this elephant.


The next day, we went down to the river and had an elephant bath. The elephant handlers bring their elephants down to the river to cool off. They let tourists pay a little and sit on the elephant while it sprays itself with water. The handler is standing on the back jumping up and down commanding the elephant to spray us and then fall over and make us fall off. It was a lot of fun. At one point the elephant stayed under the water for a long time and did not move. For a fleeting second, I thought it was dead or hurt because it wouldn’t respond to the handlers incessant yelling. I am happy to say we did not kill it and it stood up to continue its bath.

We had a jammed packed few days in Chitwan; exhausting and fun.

Avidan

NEPAL: Annapurna Base Camp

*click on the photos to see full picture*

Although chilling in Pokara, waiting for the strike to end was great fun, Nicole was interested in trekking and we had nothing better to do. We all decided to do the Annapurna Base camp trek. This trek was shorter than the Annapurna Circuit and we were able to walk right out of Pokara to do the trek. This was important because there were no taxis or buses to take us to any other starting point.

The night before the trek, we were organizing. We needed to ensure that we all had warm clothes as it would be cold at the top. Since there are so many tourists trekking in Nepal, the price for food in the villages along the way is astronomical (compared to the rest of Nepal). We brought muesli, mixed nuts, and raman noodles for the whole trip.

The night before, after we were all ready, I overheard a local man talking about how the strike had ended. The night before we left! The trek was initially organized BECAUSE there was a strike. Now that the strike ended... We decided to continue on the trek and also walk right out of Pokara instead of taking a bus to cut out a days walk.

An important piece of the puzzle is our desire to do the trek without a porter or guide. Not having a guide is no big deal as the trek is well established with mostly obvious routes (certainly not always). Anyway, the toughest decision was going without a porter. We minimized our bags as much as possible but the warm clothes and food we brought added some back-breaking weight.

Day 1 - Naudanda

The first day consisted of walking through many villages on a road suitable for a car. It was not the wilderness we were looking for. We walked up to Serenkot again but it was too cloudy to see the great views again. The road was somewhat boring but nice to see some villages. It was a good start day as it wasn't too difficult and we were able to get used to the weight of our rucksacks. My back was sore once we got to our destination and we were all exhausted. The nicest part of the day was the end.

We arrived in this place Naudanda looking for a guest house. All the guest houses were surprisingly expensive as we weren't even on the trekking route yet. It started raining so we found shelter at this small convenience store type shop. I decided to ask him if they could make us some food. He was initially reluctant but he decided to ask his son if he was interested in making some money. His 16 year old son cooked a fabulous Dal Bhat (rice, lentils, veg curry) for us. It was a yellow curry with lots of cabbage and a nice amount of spice. We ate with our hands which always brings a big smile to any Nepali's face. We also asked for a place to stay. The children were kicked out of their room and joined the parents while we took the beds. Despite the beds being hard, it was a great experience. We paid them, of course. It was a lovely house and the family was very friendly.

Asking for a place to stay at a regular household was a original experience for us. It really emphasized why I like Nepal so much. It was pretty simple to arrange everything and make some new friends.

Day 2 - Tolka

We woke up early and had some tea and noodles for breakfast. Not the best breakfast but it was fine. It took us awhile to find the right route as the place we were going had recently changed its name and people referred to the town with both names. Eventually, we started our ascent which we found to be very tiring with our big bags. We took many breaks for rest and water. We finally made it to the start of the Annapurna Sanctuary where we showed our permit and had a lovely lunch of Muesli and water. Probably, the worst lunch we had the entire time. We continued the trek through some nice forests and arrived in Tolka where the Didi (older, female owner) of the guesthouse offered us free accommodation and some free tea if we ate dinner at her guest house. Dinner was nice and ample. They give you refills for Dal Bhat and Randy mistakenly took two full helpings and ate both plates.

Day 3 - Chomrong

We discussed the route the night before and it seemed to us that the days route would be long but easy. We were completely wrong. It was the most physically demanding day of my life. As we started the day, we realized that Tolka was much bigger then we thought. We were staying at the outskirts. This tended to happen with most of the villages. These little guesthouses want to get customers so they put the town name on the guesthouse. It works well when you are exhausted.

Anyway, The town was situated on top of a hill so we had to walk down into a valley next to the river and walk next to the river for awhile. This river turned out to be next to the path the entire way up into the mountains. The beginning of the day was secluded despite walking through many farmers' fields. We stopped for a break at a nice waterfall and continued on these rolling hills for awhile. Finally, we found or point of ascent. We still had 1000 metres to climb that day and we spent most of the morning going down into the valley. The ascent was mindbogglingly long. It just kept going. We really felt the heavy bags at this point. When we came back down on the way back, I was shocked by how long we walked up. It was just stairs which was a bit disappointing. It makes sense because of all the people living in the villages a long the way. Chomrong was the biggest village along the route and, it seemed, the hardest to get to. We decided to stop for the day which turned out to be a great idea when we saw the route the next day.

We had walked for a good 8 hours and were rewarded with a great Dal Bhat that came with these local ferns that had a delicious bitter taste. This was our guest house.



Day 5 - Duerali

We woke up to a clear view of the holy mountain, Machupachare (Fishtail) and ate breakfast. The picture is above. Fishtail is named that because it supposedly looks like a fishtail. I don't really agree but nobody asked me. We continued walking and again discovered we were staying right at the beginning of the Town. Chomrong was huge and we had to walk down the other side of the mountain to cross a river. It was extremely tough on the knees and we tried to put it out of our minds that we would have to walk back up on our return.
Once we got down to the river, we had to walk up the other side. This day was extremely long and tiring because we kept walking up and down hills. steep ones. We did manage to take some breaks.



We ate lunch, raman noodles, at a place called Bamboo. The days walk was great and not as difficult as the day before. It turned out to be the most hours walked. It was about a 10 hour day with our bags on. We decided to skip the standard route and continue a bit further to another village. This part was a semi-steep climb that ended at the huge over hanging rock that could serve as a nice shelter. We could see Duerali (the place we were staying) from this cave. From the cave, we walked down to cross some rivers. This valley we were walking through had huge cliffs on each side with waterfalls all over the place. Many would cross the path. We were forced to jump from rock to rock to cross them. There was one very rough river which, with the wrong step, could have been a dangerous fall into the rocky waterfall.

Since Duerali was at a high altitude and far in the mountains it was more of a tourist village so all the people working there were young, seasonal workers and they did not know how to cook like the real villagers. Dinner was disappointing.

I also want to mention that along the walk near the top were many workers carrying huge pieces of wood probably to build a new guesthouse.



Day 5 - Annapurna Base Camp



Since we walked so far the day before, the final ascent to the base camp was shorter. We took our time stopping a lot. Since we were deep in a valley with high rock walls, it took the sun awhile to get in leaving the beginning of the walk cold. It was a great walk as we slowly began to see more and more of the mountains. We made it to Machaputchare Base Camp within a few hours. We didn't stay long but continued into this other much more open valley. It was only 1.5 hours more to Annapurna base camp and the route was easy with just some rolling hills to cross. The 4,000 metre altitude was a bit harder to walk in. In this valley, we were able to look back at Machaputchare which was spectacular and huge. It felt like it became this wall right behind us.

By the time we made it to the Annapurna base camp, everything was engulfed in clouds. On our other trek, when we reached the final point we were rewarded with beautiful views of the mountains. This time we were rewarded with indifferent guesthouse managers who would not compromise. It was the most expensive night and the food was expensive and bad as well.

Also, soon after we got there, it got extremely cold. We had got there at 11:30 AM and it was freezing by 2PM. We were bundled up in all our clothes and basically hid in our rooms under two blankets each. It started raining in the evening and quickly turned to snow.

We woke up early to see the sunrise and were greeted with a blanket of snow. The difference from the night before was astounding. It felt like a different place without the clouds. It felt like we were right in the centre of many enormous mountains that felt really close. Even Machaputchare felt like it closed the circle. It was really cold until the sun came out completely.





Day 6 - Sinewa

Once the sun came out it got a lot warmer and the snow started melting. The melting seemed like a daily occurrence. As we were leaving, we saw this weird Israeli girl we had met standing up on the rocks with one leg up playing the didgeridoo into the mountains. This image will forever be sketched into my mind.

We returned along the same path at a much faster pace. Nicole had a bit harder time on the down hills going at our pace because she didn't have proper hiking boots. This resulted in a bit of an accident. Nicole slipped and fell on a little bridge. Luckily she didn't fall into the water. She seemed okay and we continued to Sinewa. It turned out to be a long day but we got a really nice guest house with three walls completely windows. Also, for the first time, it rained so the clouds disappeared at night and we saw the mountains in full force at night from our beds.

Day 7 - Jennudundra

Jennu has hot springs. We were extremely excited to soak our aching bodies. We only had a little way to go to get there and planned on spending the rest of the day in the springs. It took us a bit longer then we though it would. We started late and Nicole found that her leg was in pain from her fall. The hot springs were soothing.



There was this American guy on vacation in the springs who wanted to be a Navy Seal. I guess to practise, he would get out and go stand in the freezing cold glacier river for as long as he could then come back. it was a bit humourous.

It rained while were in the springs which was nice and also cleared up the sky for the evening. This allowed us to go sit outside and stare up at the sky full of stars. It was amazing.

Day 8 - Pokara

This final day was a bit different. The route was on the other side of the river and was much easier then if we went the same way back. It was through a lot more villages. The scenery was a lot less inviting because they were building a road. This eliminated a lot of the shade and made the walk feel completely like we were just trying to get back and less enjoyable. We made it to the starting city, Nayapul, and caught a bus back to Pokara.

It was a great trek through and through. It was very rewarding having carried our bags the entire way. Personally, the trek in Sikkim was more beautiful and more rugged as we stayed in tents. I had a lot of fun with Randy and Nicole and loved the experience.

Avidan

NEPAL: Pokara

We had spent too much time in Kathmandu and were excited to go to Pokara which we heard to be more relaxed. The bus ride turned out to be a substantial moment in our Pokara adventure as we met this lovely lady, Nicole. From that day until we left Pokara (accept when I was rafting) we saw her everyday. A great relationship and I will miss her for the rest of my travels.

So now it is the three of us that arrived in Pokara to the nightmare of the bus park with all the yelling totes trying to get us to use their taxis and hotels. They also used the selling tool that there were few taxis on the road because of the impending strike. We just ignored them and ended up walking a good 40 minutes, with our bags on, to North Lakeside. To give you some orientation, Pokara is situated on the beautiful Fewa Lake and the tourist area is Lakeside. North Lakeside is closer to the actual Lake and much quieter.

We found this cozy guesthouse called, Pokara Quiet Home. It was one floor, consisting of 5 rentable rooms and another room for the family of four to sleep. Every night in Pokara was spent at the Quiet Home. It became almost a family. The other people staying there were all our friends and often stayed at Quiet Home until they left Pokara or went on a trek. The son of the family had his birthday while we were staying there and we were invited to the big party. This consisted of a big feast cooked on an open fire outside the small kitchen, a piñata that two of the tourist-guest made out of paper mache, and lots of children running around. As per usual, the piñata almost caused numerous injuries.

Digressing a little, the whole talk of no taxis because of the strike was accurate and the next day the strike (Bunda) began and no taxis or any motorized vehicles were allowed on the roads. This strike was called by the Maoists who represent the peoples desire for changed government and, as the name probably already declared, a more socialist Nepal. These activist were fighting the good fight against the government and demanding change for the people they represent. In reality, the Maoists are a group of thugs that bring in uneducated, easily manipulated people from poor villages and give them sticks to march around chanting. Most of the shops in Pokara did not want to close. They were forced to close their doors for the stick wielding Maoist would come harass or hurt them. Since tourists still needed to eat at restaurants, as we could not cook for ourselves (technically), most of the restaurants took a half-open stance. Either one could sit inside with the doors closed, one could sit away from the main road, or they left the shudder half open and closed it for any trouble. This was the same for shopping. Many shops would leave the shudder open a bit. If you knocked they would let you in. Anytime Maoists came strolling down the street everything closed up tight. The bunda continued for 6 days. Produce started to get expensive for the locals as nothing but police and Maoists were permitted to use the roads.

Despite the negatives, it was an interesting experience. We got to experience Pokara without the cars and trucks ruining the mood. Many children off from school played soccer and cricket in the middle of the streets. There were bicycles everywhere and smiling people. There was, unfortunately, lots of Ox feces in the streets as the Ox/water buffalo were allowed to roam free to graze. The shops were also permitted to be open between 6-8 pm. This is when the main part of Lakeside came alive. Yet all would stop during the day when the Maoists marched down the street. Most of them holding sticks but some of the biggest bullies held iron poles that they would drag to intimidate. The day before the strike ended, the shopkeepers of Pokara held there own demonstration, marching down the main street. The police stopped them and the Maoists came running to start a counter demonstration. The two groups were separated by 100 metres and a lot of police. It ended as quickly as it started but these uprisings from shopkeepers happened across the country and probably resulted in the stoppage of the strike the next day.

Life certainly continued despite the strike. One day, we bought a watermelon and some vegetables and bread and rented a boat to take out into the lake. The lake is so peaceful. We had my little speaker playing Bob Marley and we sat in the sun and swam in the water. Our little picnic lunch was delicious.



The strike made us be less active. I was interested in rafting but that was stopped. I wanted to do a motorcycle course but that too was on "strike". We took to reading, eating, and sitting. Three great pastimes. We discovered, thanks to our friend Etai, the best meal in Pokara. In Nepal, they eat Dal Bhat. That is watery lentils, veg curry and rice. This place called Sweet and Sour served the best Dal Bhat which also included this amazingly delicious chili sauce. The locals eat with their hands. This is not unlike India but I felt more comfortable in Nepal. Anytime I would order Dal Bhat, which was almost everyday, I would eat it with my hands. It felt more natural eating that meal with my hands. The interesting thing is that now that I am in India and ordering similar meals, I have no urge to eat with my hands. Must have been Nepal's charm. I would also eat this meal in the morning. Around 10am I would head over to sweet and sour and meet Nicole, Randy, and Etai for a morning Dal Bhat. After stuffing ourselves because of the refills, I would walk 20 metres to the lake and jump in for a swim.



We also did some wondering in Pokara and around. We went to this town, Serenkot, situated on top of a mountain. Here, if you are lucky, you can see a clear view of the entire Annapurna range. We were lucky. It was crystal clear. Although we didn't know it at the time, we would trek right into those mountains.

INDIA: Varanasi

Sitting here, in Rishikesh, at a roof top restaurant overlooking the Ganges river, I immediately think of a few days before when I was in the holy city of Varanasi - considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in existence. Although just a few days ago, it feels like I was on a different planet. I remembered thinking while I was in Varanasi that the entire country of India is a different planet or least it could be. You could land in India with a spaceship and not be the least bit surprised. I now realize while sitting in Rishikesh that it is not India but specifically Varanasi is the 'other planet'. Varanasi and any city like Varanasi. Although, I doubt there is one.

I have to apologize, for this post initially was not supposed to be a tiresome rant about Varanasi, as you will see, but a lovely description of my immediate rebirth upon entering the cool (only 30 degrees) hills of Rishikesh. I decided that neglecting to describe the senses and feelings that I had while being in Varanasi would be self-destructive. I cannot hold in the hatred I felt for that city.

I surprise myself with such a word yet the feeling is true and maybe mutual. I can't speak for Varanasi but I feel she doesn't like me much judging by my bowel movements while I was there. Many talk about Varanasi as this spiritual, holy place with a sense of foreboding. The most common feeling I had was disgust. How can people let their holy river get so polluted? How could millions respect their dead by burning them next to the filth that is the alleyways of Old Varanasi? How can a rotting body on the side of the river bank completely abused as a tourist photo-shoot be considered holy? I have heard that Varanasi holds this limbo position between the real world and the dream world. Is it not just the mythical hell on Earth with that never ending fire and revolving door of bodies? Now that is a bit harsh.



There is something to be said about that limbo position. This IS the real world. Period. That city exists and I went there, Smelled her, tasted her, and hated her. That is truly what makes Varanasi so infamous. The holiest city for the Hindu people and I am disgusted with it. It is not that I am so much disgusted by the idea of thousands of bodies being cremated beside a river and beside me, it is many other things. I am disgusted with the garbage spewed carelessly all over the streets and the "holy" cows that walk the alleys eating garbage and releasing the most unnatural splashes of feces everywhere. How do you carry your recently deceased family member through these filthy alleyways to the dead river Ganges so polluted it lacks sufficient oxygen?

If you weren't convinced yet of such a wonderful place the heat of Varanasi might sway your vote. Varanasi's over 40 degree heat makes your brain sweat while abusing your nostrils by baking piles of dung and garbage. As you walk through these tight alleyways trying to avoid both types of piles, you must also avoid other people, bikes, motorbikes, cows, and harassing shopkeepers who offer everything they sell in one long breath. It is also unnerving when these shopkeepers get right into your face and you can see their red stained teeth from the Paan leaf that they chew. This disgusting habit leaves red spit stains all over the streets. All of this in the sweltering heat. A heat that I have never felt before and hope to never again.



There is an alternative to paan for the desperate people of Varanasi. You can get a small packet of some kind of chewing tobacco readily available at any shop. This tiny pack of tobacco packs a big punch. I have no idea what it does to your body or mind but it definitely affects mine. These people put this stuff in their mouths and then attempt to talk - attempt to talk to me. I just feel like being the motherly figure and refusing to talk to them until they remove that crap from their mouth. This is how they live and function. Surprisingly, they don't just do it to annoy me.

Furthermore, all this magic was magnified by the simple fact that I was sick. I was exhausted, ate very little, and took frequent trips to the squat toilette. The heat amplified my sickly state and completely drained any hope of enjoying even a tiny bit of Varanasi. I dreaded leaving the guest house for the madness of the street. I would only consider going out at night when the beating sun disappeared and the world seemed a bit more sane. My diet consisted of toast and bananas bought from the guest house restaurant. I developed a paranoia towards any other food in Varanasi.

Varanasi epitomizes the word 'extreme'.

Now, while in Rishikesh, I am looking at the same river Ganges yet I see life. I want to swim in its holy waters. I want to wash Varanasi from my body in the Mother Ganges.

Somewhat dramatic but you get the point.

- Break -

I have now washed for the first time in the holy waters of the Mother Ganges and I feel great! I woke up this morning from the first good nights sleep in two weeks and I am looking forward to a day filled with very little. India is again exciting for me. Varanasi attempted to obliterate my desire to be in India by smacking my senses against a rock. I have now felt the cool, clean waters of the Ganges and am rejuvenated towards the rest of my trip. (The sweet mangoes may also have contributed to this rejuvenation).

Varanasi is an interesting place as you might have gathered. At the same time, not going to Varanasi would have left me without such an experience. If you go to India, Varanasi is a must. I will never forget that city.

NEPAL: Kathmandu and Chitlang

After our trek, we spend a little more time in Sikkim enjoying, as the Israelis say, "Da Nature". Sikkim is a wonderful place full of Israelis. Actually, India is full of Israelis. I have met more Israelis in India/Nepal than I met in Israel. It is a shame I didn't do this India trip before the internship in Israel because I would have had so many more Israeli friends. "Why like dis?"

Moving on, after Sikkim we spent a few more days in Darjeeling and then headed for the Indian/Nepal border at Kakarvita. The trip to the border was uneventful, just a few shared jeeps and a unpleasant stop in Siliguri. The bus ride from the border to Kathmandu is where the real fun lies.

There is no "tourist" bus from that border to Kathmandu. Tourist bus means that you pay a little more and the bus has mostly tourists and stops less. Oh, it also doesn't have bags a rice piled up in the aisles. Our bus was considered a local bus. We were seated second row from the back. Never sit at the back of the bus in Nepal and India. The buses and the roads are so poor they combine to an extremely bumpy ride. More bumpy than any bus ride you have ever taken. The bus was really dusty, we had a argument about our bags been locked under the bus, the bus stopped all the time, bags of rice in the aisles that Randy used as a foot rest because he is a giant in this country and can't fit and more and more. The distance between the border crossing at Kathmandu is 600 KM. They tell you the bus should take 12-14 hours which is already twice as long as it would take us in Canada to go that distance. We were stuck on the dirty, smelly bus for 17 hours. Travel takes forever in Nepal. At one point the bus stopped and a family came on. This old, skinny man sat next to me. After a bit, the owner/manager (?) of the bus came to the back to discuss something, probably money. They got in a big argument with yelling and some arm pulling. I have no idea what the problem was but it was all happening right beside me. Then, after the lights were turned out, I saw the old man reach across me with a bottle full of liquid and pour it out the window. I know for a fact he had finished the water out of the bottle earlier. Unfortunately, my mind went straight to urine being poured out the window over me. I still think that's what it was.

We finally made it to Kathmandu and we were greeted with a mob of hotel owners and taxi drivers trying to get us to go with them. This happened when we got to Pokara too. It is extremely unpleasant especially after 17 hours on that bus. They just keep bothering you to take their hotel or taxi. It is one of the worst things about Nepal. We ended up leaving with someone to get out of the mess of people.

Kathmandu was a surprising relief from Indian cities. It is still dirty, noisy and dusty but there are a lot less people. Somehow it felt calmer. Also, there is so much to buy in Kathmandu. There is trekking gear, crafts, jewellery, clothes, counterfeit musc/movies, and anything else you can think of. It is overwhelming to the point where I bought very little. They also have live english music every night with a few places offering live Nepali bands. This was exciting at first because we were used to the 9 o'clock curfew in Sikkim. It soon became a bit obnoxious as the set lists did not change and all the bars were close enough that you could hear competing music trying to overpower each other.

After too many days in Kathmandu we decided to go to this small village we had heard about from some other tourist. It was almost a secret Israeli tourist spot as they all tell each other about it. Anyway, this village is called Chitlang and the man with the home-stay has a goat cheese factory. This Israeli girl, Raya, who we had been running into all over on our travels, accompanied us to the village.

It was a small farming community up in the mountains but within a valley. When we arrived, they were just finishing a week long religious celebration. A holy man was in the village to celebrate and the entire village along with neighbouring villages were all together. We were quickly ushered into the big tent where people were dancing and the holy man was chanting. We were urged to dance and had a nice time trying to copy the Nepali dance while being stared at by 300 people many of which don't see many white people.

After a little time, we left and went for a nice walk through the fields and hills. We found ourselves in wheat fields that sparkled with the sun. The whole area was beautiful. We had a lot of fun wondering around.


We returned to find that the party had moved out of the tent and there was a dance circle outside which we got dragged into. The girl dancing with Randy is his future wife.


Although it was a lot of fun, it was nice that it was the last day of the festival so we could have some quiet and do other things.

We were only there two nights yet we managed to experience a lot. The man, Oshuk, who invited us into his home was amazing. That first night, after a bit to drink, I suddenly experience something I have never done before. I became really dizzy and upon my trip to the bathroom I fainted. This man came running when he heard the bang and carried me into the room to lay me down. I was completely fine once I was lying down but he was so caring. He kept hugging me and kissing me like a father and not like a person I had met 10 hours before. It was suggested that I have some sugar so he went running and came back with a handful of sugar. I politely refused putting a handful of sugar in my mouth but accepted the cookies and water he brought. It was such strong love for a stranger that really blew me away.

As mentioned, Oshuk has started a goat cheese factory through a cooperative with a French organization. One of the tastiest things we ate was a platter of fresh garden vegetables covered in soft goat cheese. I don't normally like tomatoes but when this platter came out I could not resist. I now will eat tomatoes.
The factory was very simple. Only four rooms with little inside. The family made the cheese everyday. We ate a lot and he even made us some Lavne, Israeli soft cheese spread, which tasted more like cream cheese but was exquisite. He even had Zatar from some Israeli visitor. Most of the cheese was sold to expensive hotels in Kathmandu. I don't think there is another goat cheese factory in Nepal.

The second day, we had another unique experience for city kids. Oshuk brought over a goat and tied it to a post next to the house. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw them sharpening the knife. They brought the goat over to a log, one person held its back legs, the other held the rope around its neck, and Oshuk held the knife over his head.

Randy took some very graphic photos of the whole event. Some of the less graphic ones can be seen on Facebook. We watched the entire process from the beheading, to the draining of the blood, to the cleaning and sorting of the meat. They eat almost all of the goat in some way or another. We were treated to some of the fresh goat meat in our next meal. Some of the meat was tough and we had no idea which part of the goat we were eating. I don't eat meat much but after watching the whole slaughter process, eating the goat was essential. At the same time, watching the process and truly realizing the complete disconnect we have from our meat has made me even less interested in eating meat. That goat was alive just a few hours before I ate it. I watched it annoyingly poop on the porch where it was being tied. And then I ate it. That connection and realization to our meat has been lost in our society and there is something wrong with that.

Anyway, the next morning, Randy and I went on a long walk to see a lake in the area. It was about a 3 hour walk both ways and we were planning on going back to Kathmandu when we got back. The walk was nice. We walked through villages then forest, then next to rivers. We eventually made it to this spectacular lake.

While we were sitting, we noticed that a group of school children were canoeing across the river. This must have been there daily route to school. We spent too much time sitting and wondering around this lake that we had to hustle back.

Chitlang village with certainly remain in my mind, not just for the different experiences, but for the warmth that was shown to me as a guest. A truly magical place.

Avidan

Goecha La Trek - Sikkim, India

After a long, comfortable stay in Darjeeling, we took a shared jeep to Sikkim; another province in India. I have spoken about the shared jeeps before but you are packed in like sardines. Anyway, because of bad planning, we were forced to go to a different town first. This place is called Pelling but it is just a road full of hotels. Not much character to the place and the spectacular view is not available at this time of year. We had our eyes set on Yuksom.

Yuksom is another small town where one leaves to go to the Goecha La trek. Yuksom has a quiet, village feel to it. Also, the province of India, Sikkim, has some very interesting rules. This meant that at 9:00 PM a policeman walks the street blowing a whistle and all the restaurants have to close or at least bring everyone inside. Sikkim is a much stricter place. We were required to get a free permit to go to this province and my passport has more stamps in it from Sikkim than all the times I went to Israel. It has some very positive non-bureaucratic rules too dealing with the environment. They have created a culture there completely opposite to most of the rest of India: they don't litter. It is extremely frowned upon and plastic bags are banned. Monitoring the tourists like they do is in order to limit the garbage brought in and limit the erosion of the beautiful Sikkim landscape. The problem is they don't have the same power with South (more south than Sikkim) Indian tourists who do not need a permit and throw their garbage out the window without a second thought.

Another requirement in Sikkim (only for non-Indian tourists) is to go on the treks with a guide, porters, and yaks.

As you can obviously see from the picture, these animals are not actually yaks. Yaks can not live at such low altitudes. These are Juang (most likely misspelled), a mix between a cow and a yak. Anyway, being required to have these things made the trek more comfortable in certain ways. All our food was cooked for us, all our stuff was carried for us, the camp was set up for us, and we were guided. Nonetheless, we still had to sleep in tents.

We organized the trek with this nice women who, with her husband, ran and owned the guesthouse we were staying at. There were five of us: Randy and myself of course; another Toronto guy, David; this girl from California, Lisa; and this Israeli girl we met, Sivan. For the five of us we had two guides, 5 yaks, 3 porters, 1 yak guy, and a cook.

The trek started through these beautiful forests up and down the hills walking down to valleys to cross amazing rivers and waterfalls. Then it turned to a steep part that ended with us at a place called Choka at 3000 metres. We spent an extra night acclimatizing to the altitude before we went on. The day after, we continued up a steep part through a Rhododendron forest. For those that don't know, a Rhododendron tree blooms in the spring and has the most beautiful, big wildflowers. The highlight is the amount blooming at the same time and the different colours of the flowers.
By the end of the day, we were walking above the tree line looking out at the cloudy sky with bits of mountain peaks in between. We crossed over the peak and went down a bit lower to Dzongri at 4050 metres. Many people just trek to Dzongri because the view is spectacular. We woke up the next morning, early, for the sunrise over the snow-peaked mountains. The bonus was the snow that accumulated the night before. It started as hail and moved to wet snow that made our campsite look somber yet exciting.

Another interesting part of the trek was the mountain dog/dogs that follow trekkers up and down the mountain. We named ours Yoda because it was wise to the ways of the mountain. In Dzongri, it managed to squeeze its way into our tent and slept at the foot of my mattress. It was very cold outside and the dogs have no shelter.

The next day, our plan was only to walk maybe 5 hours and stay at a similar altitude. It felt a lot longer because of the altitude. It is hard to breath up there so usually easy walks or ascents can be difficult. This day we continued to walk above the tree line in these big open fields with next to nothing but shrubs growing (the Yak picture from above was taken during this day). The day ended with an extremely steep decent to a strong river and a surprisingly tough walk to our campsite. This was our first of three super cold nights.

In these mountains, after about 1-2pm, there is complete cloud cover and the wind picks up making it extremely cold. During the morning, the sun hits the top of these snow covered mountains and lots of the snow evaporates to forms these clouds. This happens in the early afternoon and makes the place freezing. A stark contrast from the morning sun.

The following day, day 5, we only walked 1.5 hours over flat ground to another campsite. A the same cold day as the day before and waited for dinner so that we could crawl into our tents after dinner and keep warm. We had an even earlier night then usual as we had to wake up before sunrise to climb to Goecha La. Another lucky night where we had a snow storm that covered the ground with fresh snow.

Goecha is a mountain peak and Goacha La is the pass between the Goecha peak and the other side. So, our sixth day of trekking and we woke up at 4am to walk. The first part passed a quiet lake and rose into the mountain pass just beyond the lake. We were walking up to 4500 metres so the going was slow. The amazing view of Kanchendzonga (third highest mountain in the world) made the breathless walk worthwhile.

This first view point was not the actual pass. This was another 1-2 hours away. The walk took us over a dried lake bed (which wasn't dry 10 years ago) making it seem like we were on some kind of glacier expedition. We then started our climb up to 4800 metres. It was a tiring trek up the side of a ridge. At the top, the first thing you see looking down is Green Lake. This beautiful lake unfrozen in the mountains. Then you look out at an even closer view of Kanchendzonga and some other peaks including Goecha.

As I was sitting at the view point, I could hear cracking and rumbling coming from some of the smallish glaciers on top of the mountains. After a lot of cracking sounds a tiny piece of the glacier broke off and fell almost into the lake. It was interesting to witness. The noise was incredibly loud for the seemingly small piece that broke off.

We then began our descent back to our last campsite. In total, our day was about 10-11 hours long, walking at over 4000 metres. A well deserved rest at the bottom.

The next morning, we began our serious descent. It took us 6 days to get to the peak and it would take us two to get down (this includes a bit of a short cut). Anyway, we continued our descent through the results of another substantial snow storm. Despite the snow, it was sunny and we soon stripped off our warm clothes.

Randy took some excellent pictures as you can see. The day took us through all for seasons. We woke up to winter, the walk through the melting snow - spring, summer happened later that day after we got a bit further and the sun was at its peak, and fall appeared once we had finished for the day and the clouds came out again and lowered the temperature a far bit. It was a great day with a consistent up an down over hills. For the most part, we still had a great view over the trees of the mountains. Despite the different route back, we arrived at the same campsite as the first night.

That night we had a "party" which consisted of a small amount of whiskey and rum and a delicious chocolate cake made by our cook over a gas flame that said "Happy Trek" on top. Our guide seemed to get a bit drunk every night but this night he had even more and, with his increasing comfort with us, began to do a lot of talking. For one, he basically bragged about how the Himalayan Mountains, his mountains, were better than the mountains in California where Lisa (member of a group) worked. He was a weird guy once you got to know him and not all that nice either.

The alcohol that our guide, Nima, usually drank was called Tongba. This is fermented millet that is served in a big bamboo glass with a bamboo straw. The millet looks like tiny red balls. You refill by pouring more water over them. We drank a lot of these too. Tastes a bit like the Japanese sake.

The final day, we walked back to Yuksom, retracing our steps from the first day of the trek. We stopped for lunch under a bridge that was crossing a waterfall and river. Nice place to eat lunch.

For more pictures, look at Randy's facebook page or his flickr account which is more selective. http://www.flickr.com/photos/46723117@N06/

Avidan