Whoo hoo...we landed last night in Thailand and in the past 18 hours I'm sure we've all sweated out at least a litre of fluids from our bodies! The small town we are staying in is called Hang Dong and we are about 10 minutes outside of Chiang Mai. We have a little guest house rented in amongst mango, palm, jackfruit, and other tropical trees and flowers at the end of a dead end street surrounded by other houses or rice paddies. Our bedroom is inside, but everything else is located just outside. So even though we have a whole "house", it still feels like we are camping a bit. Today we are just taking it easy as Zach rests and recuperates from a stomach issue (we think from the last airport food from Kathmandu...and we thought we got out of Nepal without the true Nepal experience!). We have tons of geckos crawling around and Alex even spotted a lizard bigger than Titan climbing on a wall outside (green, spotted). We were proud of our lunch negotiations at a local market and have already started to enjoy true Thai cuisine (all for about $1 a plate). Unfortunately Alex and I also went to a fruit vendor after lunch and paid for this giant fruit called "Dary?" and realized that the horrible garbage like smell it makes when cut open is exactly how it tastes as well! Tomorrow we're off to explore Chiang Mai and the fantastic night bazaar everyone keeps telling us about. We have wifi in our place this week, so feel free to email or face time us if you wish. We are 11 hours ahead of Ontario time.
Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Sunday, 11 May 2014
Pictures from Nepal - Everest Area
Of course, we have many, many pictures to share. Be prepared those back at home!
Lots of love from Nepal. Namaste. Jenn and family.
Thursday, 8 May 2014
A Haircut for a Longer Life
A Haircut for a Longer Life
Today we left Namache for lower ground. We hiked for about 4 hours to Phakding and made a quick side trip up to the monastery to say hi to the kids. They were very excited to see Zach and Alex! Today was the day for all monks in all monasteries to shave their heads. It is symbolic fora longer life. So, Alex and Zach are now sporting a new look! Zach describes Alex as looking very much like the next Airbender...he actually looks very good! The young monks had a great time watching Pasang shave all that hair off. Lots of laughing and giggles! Now we are a day away from Lukla and hoping the weather improves. Currently flights have been cancelled the last few days for weather, so we'll see...
Side note: in Lukla now with sunshine and clear skies! Should be in Kathmandu in a day or two.
Mattresses, Yaks, and Up to Everest Base Camp
Mattresses, Yaks, and Our Trek to Everest Base Camp
Our rest day in Pheriche worked out well and everyone felt better after a day at a lower altitude. We went for a short hike and had our oxygen level checked (all very good) and so the next day we headed back up to Lobuche. It was tough to retrace our steps but this time we felt great at Lobuche. After a solid sleep we headed towards Gorakshep for the morning. After a snack at our lodge, the highest inn in the world (Snowland 5100m), we headed off for Everest Base Camp. It was only a two hour trek but beautiful amongst these giant mountains and glaciers. Several times we saw parts of a glacier break off and start an avalanche! The most mind blowing part of the trip up to the camp was the many times we needed to pull off to the side for yak "trains" carrying loads of items from base camp as they are dismantling it for the season and the porters carrying LOADS of stuff down...carpets, tents (think wedding tents), chairs, mattresses (several at a time), metal containers, etc! It was insane! Once we got to base camp it was almost deserted of tents, which our guide tells us has never before happened in Everest climbing history. Usually the place is covered with hundreds of tents, but instead just a lonely few were left. We saw the Khumbu icefall that climbers set off on and it looked dangerous! Finally, Alex and Zach found the perfect rock souvenir to bring back to Canada. A rock from Everest was on Alex's list!
The next day we woke up early (4:45) to summit Kala Pattar. We were told the views from the summit are spectacular and you really get the true sense of how big Everest is, as it is right infront of you. The clouds were low and thick when we set off and not very promising. However, the boys and Mark pressed on to the summit and were rewarded with the clouds burning off and "the world's best views" says Zach! Once they returned we had a quick breakfast and began our descent down. Tonight we are back in Pheriche and in the next few days we should be back into Lukla for our flight back to Kathmandu. We're getting ready for our next step but equally sad to be leaving the beautiful Himalyas. Zach already has plans to come back to complete the Kongma La pass and other peaks! This has been the best trekking experience ever. The kids have surprised us each day by their perseverance and attitude. They are amazing!
Yak "Trains" Coming Down
Yak "trains" Coming Down
We arrived in Lobuche to a great lodge with a fantastic sunroom...ahh, finally warmth! As it was a short trek we had tons of time to put our feet up and just relax! From the sunroom we could see the steady line of yaks bringing down supplies from the camp up in Everest. It's closed for the remainder of the season after the accident where many Sherpas were killed a few weeks ago. We spent the night playing cards as usual but Mark wasn't feeling the best. It turns out he had a really bad night, as did Zach and Alex. So, in the morning instead of heading up to Base Camp and Kala Pattar we decided to go down in elevation to get better. We went down close to 800 meters to Pheriche to another warm and cozy lodge. We'll stay here all day tomorrow and decide if we should go back up or begin our decent down. Either way works as we've been in Everest region almost a month and have accomplished so much! So, a rest day tomorrow and then we'll see...
Up and Over Cho La Pass
Up and Over Cho La Pass
We spent a few extra days in Goyko getting ready to climb over our next pass, Cho La. It was a great place to spend a few days with a beautiful lake framed by mountains and a huge glacier behind our lodge. Mark woke up early one morning to hike to the summit of Goyko Ri and had fantastic views of Everest and surrounding mountains! We spent a lot of time hanging out in the lodge which is interesting as groups all seem to come and stay for several days. There was even a group of mountaineer guides that had come down from Everest after the horrible avalanche that occurred a few weeks ago. They were carrying the google map camera with them to the top of Everest. Since Everest is now closed for the season, they were trekking down and mapping some other areas. When we left, they were behind us so we made sure to wave. Try googling "street view" of Goyko in Everest to see us on the trail???
We headed up Cho La pass early a few days later. We felt really strong and got to the top of the pass in just under 4 hours. Our second "high pass" completed and it was awesome! We had to cross a glacier on the way down and with the warm sun we had to be really careful not to step in too deep. It was a great day trekking and we made it down in a few hours and to our lodge by noon. It's amazing at the top of the passes and everyone is so surprised to see Zach and Alex make it up. Everyone asks..."and how old are your kids??". I had a better climb as well and found breathing a lot easier even though our altitude was as high as our first pass.
Now we are off next to Lobuche and to sleep at even higher altitude before Everest Base Camp.
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Kata - Good Luck on your Travels
Kata - Good Luck for our Travels
Yesterday we started off on our trek of the three passes. We have a porter with us carrying our bags, a sherpa helper (not to be confused with the last name Sherpa that most monks had at the monastery...that is their family name, but our sherpa is a helper for the kids, although I noticed he spent most of the trek with me at the back), and our guide. When we left the monastery everyone came out to say goodbye and the head teacher, Lopan La presented all four of us with a kata, a silk scarf, with woven images of eight lucky Buddhist symbols. He told us it was to wish us luck on our travels. We then had a 5 hour trek up to Namche Bazaar. It is really interesting to be on the EBC (Everest Base Camp) "highway" with loads of tourists and constant traffic jams with the yaks! It really is important to stay on the mountain side when these guys come past! It's hilarious to see all the trekkers decked out in top notch gear, hiking boots and poles, all slowly heading up and then right beside them are porters carrying huge loads (about 100-150 lbs) in their flip flops! The porters are built out of something else entirely. We crossed several suspension bridges and one was very high up over the raging mountain river below. With the high winds I kept telling myself not to look down meanwhile the boys in front of me were yelling and jumping and laughing. Ahh! When we got here we went to our first guest lodge. What an improvement from the monastery! A bathroom inside! We splurged a bit and went to the bakery to try its famous goods. We had 2 pizzas ( with yak cheese), macaroons, cinnamon roll, and Alex had cheesecake (Yak cheese). Then for dinner, Alex couldn't resist and had more pizza. Well, I shared a room with him last night and let me tell you, perhaps too much yak cheese caused his stomach to "yak" all night!!! Today Zach and Mark went for an acclimatization hike while Alex and I recovered from our interrupted sleep. All seems well now and tomorrow we hike off to Thame and in a few days will go over our first pass - Renjo La. We've been told we will have spectacular views of Everest and the surrounding range! Until then...
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Pema Choling - Our First Day
Pema Choling - Our First Day
We are now living with the young monks here at Pema Choling Monastery for the next ten days. It was about an hour and a half trek to get here and two young monks walked to Ghat to guide us to the monastery and porter our bags. When they showed up we were shocked at how young they were to be carrying our heavy bags (11 and 15). Immediately Mark and I tried to stuff all our heavy items into our day packs. When Mark told them he would help carry the bags he was flatly refused. I suppose it was a matter of insult to insinuate that the boys could not do their job. So, we followed behind a bit sheepishly and, even still, they out-hiked us on the journey up to the monastery.
Once here our treatment of being waited on continued. We were served cup after cup of milk tea as the young boys seemed to come two by two to sneak a peek at their new teachers. After we were shown to our room - very modest but with windows looking over some spectacular mountains. At lunch the monks were very quiet sneaking looks at us and whispering. All the meals here are served by the monks (we are always first) and served out of these giant metal buckets. I feel a bit like I'm in an Oliver Twist scene! The meals have been mostly rice, dahl, curry, and potato something or other. We can't believe how much food these young monks eat. We can barely finish our plates and most are having seconds and thirds.
We had a short class after lunch to try to learn all the boys names. They were so excited to show us their classroom and their notebooks. Before we were allowed to teach they told us to stand aside as they cleaned the class. They use a bunch of thin twigs tied together to sweep the dust. We ended the afternoon bringing out 2 hacky sacks that Alex brought and everyone played. The monks had homemade versions of their own made from rubber bands. Then they wanted to show Zach and Alex everything they do for play (lots of jumping, racing, marbles, "Kung fu", and tricks). They are very fit and impressed the boys with all their games. A few monks and Zach spent a long time perfecting the butterfly kick. Just picture it...16 young boys all dressed in red monk robes all running and kicking and jumping off big stone walls with Zach and Alex...our boys were loving it.
Dinner was a lot more noise as everyone was comfortable with us and asking us questions. We had brought some maple syrup from Canada and took it out after dinner to share. Nobody was keen to try it until one brave boy brought out a bowl and said yes. Soon, everyone was digging in and literally licking the plates clean (including the adults and cook). After dinner we settled into bed but could hear the boys from where they sleep all chanting and singing for quite a long time. It was a very soothing sound to fall asleep to. The next few days should be quite the experience.
Wednesday, 9 April 2014
Welcome to Beautiful Lukla!
We have finally made it to Lukla in the Everest region. Our flight was spectacular with views of the Himalayas. The landing was adrenaline filled. We are now off to the Pema Choling monastery which will be a 3 hour trek. Everyone is so excited to meet the young monks we will be teaching for the next two weeks. We have brought them notebooks, pencils, and other supplies. It is so wonderful to be in the fresh clean air now after Kathmandu and the beautiful views of the mountains.
Monday, 7 April 2014
We are off to Lukla...hopefully
Our flight was cancelled to Lukla on Sunday, very typical we are told. So now we have a flight booked for Tuesday. We are very excited to get to the Everest region and begin our program with the young monks at the monastery. Fingers crossed we fly tomorrow!
Saturday, 5 April 2014
Friday, 4 April 2014
Namaste...Welcome to Nepal
Our arrival here in Kathmandu came after 20 hours of flying and a very short layover in China. We knew we were really on our way when we noticed the line up of those going onto Kathmandu from China was noticeably different with more backpacks, trekking poles, and North Face gear strapped to people's backs versus rolling suitcases. Exciting! Here comes our next adventure! We were picked up at the airport by our program driver and safely driven through smaller and smaller streets (some just dirt and rocks) to our hostel. Although the hostel is very simple, the people here are so friendly and welcoming. We have a room for the four of us and a small bathroom and shower connected to it for our use only.
"Your problems will become our problems. Your happiness will also be our happiness. You are now part of our family here," was our welcome in the morning by our language teacher, Prakash. We spent our first day learning about Nepal, it's culture, and some language. We also made a trip to the local shops. To get there we walk up a hill to the Kalanki temple. The street is very crowded and noisy and our senses quickly become overwhelmed with honking, dogs barking, cars and scooters and buses jammed with people everywhere and, oh yeah, the occasional cow wandering in and out of traffic (Zach says they must be power hungry as they are sacred here and can't be touched...if only we could cross the street like that)! At the top is a temple and outside of it you will find women selling fruits and another old lady cooks corn on a small fire beside the temple by the road in the ditch.
We all eat together on the top floor of our hostel. We've had all kinds of traditional Nepali food, all a curry dish of one kind or other. Our favourite so far has been the momos. Another volunteer, Megan from Australia, started with us and is very friendly. Lore, a volunteer from Belgium works at the monastery each day but returns here for all her meals. There are other people constantly coming and going as well. It is very friendly and social and I think the boys are really enjoying all the interactions.
On Wednesday we travelled by taxi to Thamel. Thamel is the touristy area of Kathmandu and all the signs, guest houses, and stores are about trekking. The boys tried to play some singing bowls and thought they were amazing. The most adventurous part of the day by far was the taxi. We dodged cars, motorbikes, scooters, rickshaws, people, cows and went down alleys, and even pulled up along a food vendor to buy food through the window! I took a video because you'll never believe it unless you see it. I'll post it later.
On Thursday we travelled by bus, and return by mini bus, to Kathmandu Darbar Square. The most interesting part, other than the obvious dodging of cars, people, motorbikes and buses is that we shared our bus with a goat! The mini bus looks like it should fit perhaps 8 people but when we piled out we had counted 16! Needless to say it was cramped seating! It's fun though and we're beginning to get the feel (a bit) for this Nepali way of life. I hope to add pictures for you on our next post. For now,
Namaste!
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Alex writes about Revelstoke and his video edit...enjoy!
Hi. Do you know where I am? Well, I'm in Revelstoke. Revelstoke is in the western part
of Canada and just past the Rocky Mountains in the Selkirk Mountains. My family and I
came to Revelstoke to ski because Revelstoke has amazing skiing. My favorite run is
Gracias Ridge. It is a run in the Greeley bowl. You have to hike to get there after you
get off the Stoke chair and traverse through the North Bowl. When you finally get there
you will probably have to take a rest. After you rest you go straight and you get tons of
powder or go the other way and run in to a gigantic cliff. So, go straight.
We had four friends to ski with when we got here but Jen and Jack left after the first
week. Nick and Bruce stayed for longer. They showed us their favourite spots on the
mountain. One day we had 43cm of snow, so we all crammed into our car to get to the
mountain. It was too deep to get Bruce's car out of the apartment driveway. We rushed
to the ski hill and waited until the lift opened. That day was awesome because we got
snow all over our faces from the powder spraying up. It snowed for almost two weeks
straight after that with 10 cm or more each day. After our friends left there was a
freestyle ski competition called SWATCH. It's the biggest in the world! Sadly it was
cancelled by high avalanche risk. On the radio they said the risk was brutal. We met a
competitor and he gave us a tip to ski better. Revelstoke is a amazing place to ski but
we have to leave soon. I hope I can come again.
of Canada and just past the Rocky Mountains in the Selkirk Mountains. My family and I
came to Revelstoke to ski because Revelstoke has amazing skiing. My favorite run is
Gracias Ridge. It is a run in the Greeley bowl. You have to hike to get there after you
get off the Stoke chair and traverse through the North Bowl. When you finally get there
you will probably have to take a rest. After you rest you go straight and you get tons of
powder or go the other way and run in to a gigantic cliff. So, go straight.
We had four friends to ski with when we got here but Jen and Jack left after the first
week. Nick and Bruce stayed for longer. They showed us their favourite spots on the
mountain. One day we had 43cm of snow, so we all crammed into our car to get to the
mountain. It was too deep to get Bruce's car out of the apartment driveway. We rushed
to the ski hill and waited until the lift opened. That day was awesome because we got
snow all over our faces from the powder spraying up. It snowed for almost two weeks
straight after that with 10 cm or more each day. After our friends left there was a
freestyle ski competition called SWATCH. It's the biggest in the world! Sadly it was
cancelled by high avalanche risk. On the radio they said the risk was brutal. We met a
competitor and he gave us a tip to ski better. Revelstoke is a amazing place to ski but
we have to leave soon. I hope I can come again.
Zach writes about Revelstoke...and adds his video edit
The skiing in Revelstoke is awesome but that’s not the only thing that draws people here. Revelstoke has a huge pool with a warm pool, lazy river, hot tub, diving board, waterslide, and a 25m pool. Revelstoke also features many delicious pizza places, our favorite is Nico's Pizzeria. It is so delicious I think they use extra terrestrial ingredients. Another thing that Revelstoke has that many communities do not is a acrobatic gym it has a foam pit, 2 super bouncy in ground trampolines, and a bunch of mats. The trampolines are so bouncy I feel like I’m on the moon! Those are some things that make Revelstoke an awesome community to live in or visit.
The main attraction is the ski hill, it has the most vertical in North America! It has the world's best powder and has people from Europe coming around the world to ski for just a few days. Our new runs that we found were Stink and Pink. On pow days we will wait in line for hours to get first tracks. Revelstoke occasionally hosts the world’s biggest freeski competition. While skiing I met and skied with one of the competitors. The Revelstoke skier to terrain ratio is one of the things that make Revelstoke the best ski hill in the world.
I think being is Revelstoke is awesome. At the mountain I can go off bigger and bigger cliffs, hit jumps, and do 360’s. I can fly through the glades. I love that I can ski so amazingly, epicly, awesomely well. I love being in Revelstoke.
by Zach
Friday, 14 March 2014
Visit from Peter
My brother Pete came up from Vancouver to spend a few days with us in Revy! We had a great time showing him around the mountain and enjoying more spectacular sunshine, views, and vertical! The boys loved having Uncle Pete around and we all had a great time out last night at our favourite spot, The Village Idiot!
Springtime on the Mountain
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Jenn's edit of our February Powder Skiing
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