After Lombok, I headed back to Bali and had one night there where I was able to catch up with Adam from Oz whom I had met in Lombok. We hit the party town of Kuta and I was amazed I was still in the same country as we had just been in sleepy fishing towns and now were in a cosmopolitan hyperactive environment. One night there was plenty for me and I caught my flight the next day to Hong Kong and then to San Francisco. Spent one night and took the a.m. flight back home to Portland. Was only there for a couple hours and then got picked up by Andrea and headed to the coast for her 30th bday weekend festivities. It was great to catch up with friends and we had tons of food and fun. The surfing was pretty disappointing after Indonesia and it was cold as to be expected but still felt good to get out there. Back in Portland again and starting over with the job process and roommate hunt. Reality is starting to set in but have plenty of great memories from the past several months. Thanks again for all the support and keep searching.
Tom from France who I met in Lombok and I took the bikes over to Sumbawa on a 5 day mission to surf some uncrowded waves. Sumbawa is one island to the east of Lombok and was supposed to be about a 5-6 hour journey that wound up being closer to 8 or 9. The first major town Praya is very confusing and we drove around in circles several times before we were going in the right direction. Found the ATM as they are few and far between and then set off for the ferry. A flat tire on his bike was the only other setback but luckily it was right in front of a tire repair shop and they took us right away. Waited about an hour at the ferry terminal for the next boat and then took off on the 1.5 hour ride. Dark clouds were awaiting us in Sumbawa and shortly after disembarking we were caught in a torrential downpour. The rains didn’t last too long and we eventually made it to the mining town of Maluk which was close to our destination. We asked for directions to the Supersucks Hotel (named for the hollow reef break in its front yard) and went up and over a mountain and down to the ocean to where the accomodation was. The hotel is run by a Hawaiian man and his Indonesian wife and for the first 2 nights, we were the hotel’s only guests. He explained they are on the verge of bankruptcy as they only have a 6 month season (when the waves are good) and that the initial investors haven’t help support them along the way. I think they built it with high hopes but it is so isolated it will be hard to maintain. The first morning we got directions to a more manageable surf spot called Yo Yo’s and there was only 2 other people in the water, which is a trend that continued. We surfed a spot called Tropicals down the road that was my favorite of the area. Supersucks only works when there is a large swell which happens about once a month. I know I’m not ready for that and probably never will be as its very fast, shallow, and hallow. There are people hanging around who just wait for that wave to work and don’t bother with the other tamer ones. To each their own! Anyway, was a great week. Tom stayed on since he had a friend coming and I headed back to Lombok where I am sitting now waiting to head back to Bali and then home tomorrow. Its been a great journey, thanks for all the support everyone has given me, and I will put pictures up as soon as I get home. Take care and keep in touch.
On the beautiful island of Lombok now and like it much better than Bali. I am staying in a quaint fishing village on the southern coast of the island. Met up with Devin right away and we have been exploring the area on bike and getting some great waves. The waves seem a little more forgiving than in Bali and have had much better conditions. Some of the breaks require a boat to access and we have gotten good at bargaining for a good deal. There are fellow travellers from all over and since it is such a small place you see the same people all over and it has been quite easy to make friendships. Have been eating a lot of fish, fruit, and many delicious dishes.
Feels like a step back in time here, the locals all ask your name, where you are from, and seem genuinely pleased to meet you. There is a big fishing business here and I think mostly tourism is the main source of income. There was a big real estate deal that threatens to change the whole area, apparently a group of Dubai investors have bought practically the entire coastline, but they have been stymied by their crashing economy. It would be a shame to have big hotels here and there is a lot of resistance. A new international airport is to be completed next year about 30 mins from here, so changes are in the air. For now, it is a true tropical paradise and I hope it remains this way.
5th day on Bali and loving this tropical paradise. The waves have been really good, a little on the too big side over the weekend, but have settled down into more of a comfortable range. Apparently you can surf nearly every day of the year here and have good conditions somewhere on the island. The level of surfers here is quite incredible and there are a lot of them, but there are so many waves to go around you are bound to get some all for yourself. Still at the surf camp and planning on going by ferry over to Lombok the day after tomorrow. Hoping there will be less crowds in the lineup over there which is the reputation. Been keeping up yoga here and feel like I am sweating out a pound or 2 a week. The food is very good here and plentiful so staying very healthy. Thinking about buying a used surfboard to cut down on my costs since I have been renting one everyday and plan to stay another couple of weeks. The people of the island, especially the surf guides that I have gotten to know, have been very friendly. They laugh and play games with each other constantly but have good hearts and are kind. Between surf sessions at the camp are when everyone relaxes, laying around the pool or in a hammock, play tennis when it is not too hot although I haven’t played due to lack of sneakers, and eat the fresh food and drink strong Indonesian coffee or fresh juice. I have read about 4 or 5 books since I started this trip and probably will finish the 2 I have with me. Overall a really nice place to be!
Finished the 10 day yoga holiday at Sadhana and felt greatly rejuvinated after the month of trekking. Slept well, was well fed, and feeling a lot more limber. I decided to do their 3 day GI cleanse which was an interesting experience. For 2 days I continued with the normal days activities, but only consumed 2 apples 3 times a day and washed that down with a hot lemon drink with honey. I was encouraged to also drink plenty of their herbal/digestive tea and water throughout the course of the day. This was a major challenge but I got through it without feeling too weak. The biggest torture was watching everyone else eating the delicious food that was served there. The 3rd day was the cleanse and at 8:30 I started the 3 hour+ process. I was to drink a minimum of 20 glasses of water with salt added and after every 2 glasses, I was to do a series of exercises to stretch my belly in various positions and work on breathing. Things didn’t move as quickly as I would have liked but by the afternoon it was eventually successful. They fed me afterward a puree of lentils, rice, garlic, and butter which was nourishment I desperately needed. The following day I was able to eat normally but they did not recommend dairy or spicy food. I was also able to participate again in the days activities. I felt a sense of accomplishment of completing this process, but don’t know how quickly I’ll be ready to do it again as it was quite draining. I think it was healthy for the GI tract to flush itself out though and did feel strong again shortly thereafter. The cleanse took place on the 7-9th days of my stay and I left on the 11th day. I did one more mud bath we makes you look like someone who lives in the jungle and Asanga who is the yoga instructor led us in laughing meditation which I had heard about and was quite a hoot. We basically rolled on our backs and laughed continually for several minutes.
Nepal had had a week or so of Maoist protests and ensuing strike when I left making my departure a bit of an ordeal. The reason for this Baanh as they call it, is that later this month Nepal is due to write their new Constitution. They have been without a proper one since 2006 when the King was dethroned and the Maoists are wanting their voices heard. None of the shops had been allowed to open except from 6-8 pm and there were no taxis or buses available. Individuals were also not allowed to drive their cars or motorcycles making the streets eerily quiet. Luckily the airport was not affected and I had already booked my flight back to Kathmandu. They did have a tourist only van available to the airport which I made use of and flew to Kathmandu at 1 pm. However, my flight from there to Bali via Hong Kong was 10 hours later and I was stuck at the airport, which has very few amenities. There was a restaurant but I could not receive my boarding pass until 3 hours prior to departure and thus they wouldn’t allow me upstairs to that area. I subsisted on crackers and a few other snacks and passed the time making new friends and reading. The flights were smooth but there was a 3 hour wait to get a visa when I arrived in Bali, not a very efficient system. I was exhausted at this point and was happy to see my driver from the Padang Padang surf camp as I exited the airport. I felt refreshed after seeing the lush environment on this beautiful island and the camp is really a sanctuary with a pool, hammocks, Buddha statues, and a relaxed environment. The camp is run by a Scottish man and his Indonesian wife. My room is beautiful with a big bed with accompanying mosquito net. Was able to walk down to the beach the first night and see the ocean after being landlocked with past couple of months. Awoke the first morning and met the group at 5:15 am for a dawn patrol session and we went to Uluwatu, a surf break I had heard of after reading Gerry Lopez’s book when he was exploring the area in the 70’s. It is a gorgeous spot with rock formations and cliffs overlooking the beach. Had the full day to relax after we got back and had breakfast and then went to Balangan beach in the middle of the afternoon. Back to Uluwatu this morning and had another good session. Planning to stay here a week and then go over to Lombok to meet Devin who was on the medical trek.
I am several days into my stay at Sadhana Yoga, a retreat center in Sedi Bagar, which is a small village on the outskirts of Pokhara, Nepal. Our daily routine is wake up at 5:45, pre-meditation practices at 6, meditation at 6:10, morning walk at 7, tea at 7:45, yogic cleansing at 8 (mostly nasal passage washing), morning yoga at 8:30, breakfast at 9:45 (finally, so hungry by this point), mud or steam bath at 10 (the mud is interesting), break, pre-meditation practices at noon, meditation at 12:15, lunch at 1, break, karma yoga at 3:30 (helpingwith chores around the center), tea and popcorn at 4, chanting at 4:30, evening yoga at 5:30, dinner at 6:45, retiring at 8. Having a great time with all this and feeling quite rejuvinatedafter the month of travel, work, and trekking. It is a family run center and they are quite lovely people andwell experienced yogis. We have a view overlookingthe big lake in Pokhara and have a direct view of the World Peace Pogoda. There was a surprise guest yesterday, a photographer from the New York Times travel section, checfk out the next couple of weeks and maybe you’ll see me (not sure if I made the cut yet, will find out next week). Getting a massage today and runninga few errands in town before heading back to the sanctuary.
Next day headed up to Gorak Shep and then to Base Camp! Our group was feeling pretty good despite the trek becoming increasingly difficult. Another poor nights sleep making for a sleepy start but up for the challenge. Left a little earlier than usual from Lobuche to Gorak Shep and arrived for an early lunch before heading to Base Camp. This was the hardest day so far and we trekked through more dry rocky conditions parallel to the Khumbu Glacier. We made it all the way to Base Camp (most people seemed to stop at the sign announcing the arrival of BC 30 mins short of the camp itself which added an hour plus on total). We meandered through the city of tents and saw some of the icefalls that initiate the climb. We saw two small avalanches but they were far away from the climbers paths. Pretty amazing and inspiring to be here and to make our goal! Exhausted by the time we returned to the slightly lower elevation of Gorak Shep and I went to bed right after dinner. The shortness of breath was getting to me here and I only slept sporadically. There was a feeling of claustrophobia because I would be breathing fine and then suddenly feel panics of air hunger. I don’t think I’ll want to climb to any higher altitudes in the future. So another tough night and we had an early morning wake up call to trek to Kala Patthar at a higher elevation than Base Camp for sunrise views of the Himalayan range. I started off but quickly realized I was unwell and went back to sleep as the others went up. They were back at 9:30 am for breakfast and then we trekked back down to the village of Pheriche. This was my toughest day yet as I had barely been able to tolerate any food intake and combined with sleeping poorly for several nights had no energy. Luckily we were headed down considerably and thus I knew I’d improve. Didn’t eat lunch until about 2:30 but was feeling better at that point and felt stronger for the rest of the days trek and we got in about 5:30.
Slept great in Pheriche with appetite and energy returning to normal. Never had shortness of breath during the day and now at the lower elevation was able to sleep peacefully. Walked all the way back to Namche Bazar and stayed at the nicest teahouse yet. To describe a teahouse for someone whos never stayed in one, there is usually a big common room with a wood (or more often yak dung) burning stove. They have the feeling I’d imagine a family run ski resort would have several decades ago but instead of the brightly patterned sweaters, the men and women would be wearing knock-offs of today’s top mountaineering brands. The rooms typically have two twin beds, a small set of hooks on the door, a window or two with a ledge for belongings, a fleece blanket, pillow, and a bathroom down the hall with a squat toilet. A bucket of water and a pail are the means to flush and there is no TP. The higher up the mountain, the less likely some of these basic items are found, typically running water being the first to go although we have been masters of finding decent drinking water. Between our group we have the trifecta of procuring potable water with my Steri-Pen, Sarah’s filter, and all of our iodine tablets. No GI problems reported but a lot of respiratory problems on the trek and in the teahouses there was a cacophony of coughs coming from all groups, luckily I avoided this.
The last day of trekking was down to our starting spot of Lukla. Was mostly downhill in the morning, but ended going uphill for the majority of the afternoon. Met a couple on the trail from Jackson, Wyoming who work with my high school biology teacher and found out he is now heading the Teton Science school. Was nice to make that connection. We made it to Lukla in the mid afternoon and felt great to complete the trek! After checking into the hotel, I decided to go to a barber and get a haircut and shave. It was an interesting experience as they give you quite a head and upper body massage after without any forewarning. I got my hair buzzed and shaved the beard I’d been sporting since November – my friends and the porters didn’t recognize me when I was through. Flew back to Kathmandu this morning and making arrangements to go west in Nepal to the town of Pokhara for a little over a week to do a yoga retreat and recover from the past month of trekking.
Following day from Namche we trekked up to Tengboche, with the main attractions of a large Buddhist monastery and a delicious bakery. We had our first real view of Mt. Everest but it was overshadowed by closer peaks and afternoon clouds. Early in the morning has proved to be the best weather consistently and clouds, fog, rain, and snow typically come in the afternoon and evening only to wake to crystal clear skies again. Next day we walked from Tengboche to Dingboche. The suffix -che on the names of most of the towns in the Khumbu Valley is attributed to a famous Tibetan monk with this name that passed through the valley at some point. We had some clear views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse, and Everest this morning before the afternoon rains that started after we were in the shelter of the teahouse. Had a rest and acclimazation day in Dingboche and were able to take hot showers. All of us got into eating garlic soup at least once a day and combined with drinking heaps of ginger tea are supposed to combat the effects of altitude. Sarah brought her pulse oximeter to measure the oxygen saturation of our blood. The readings were a little alarming, despite none of us showing any signs of hypoxia. We were a little assured when our experienced guide had similar readings but it is apparent we are indeed in thin air. Decided to sleep with the window open despite the low temps due to the start of some shortness of breath. However during the night I woke up to get some drinking water and noticed the strong smell of gas in the hallway of the teahouse. Turned out there were 5 canisters of kerosene in the hall and with the window open breathing fresh air I was fine. No altitude sickness (yet). Was a bit of a rough nights sleep which would continue as we headed up the mountain. During the next day, feeling good and we went for a short acclimatizing hike and got some great mountain views. Two more days of uphill until we got to Base Camp.
Next day trekking up to Lobuche over a dry desert like climate at a little over 4900 meters. The valley further down was much more lush and the higher we go up the drier it seems to get. The further we head up, the fewer the ameneties become and this teahouse was particurly uncomfortable with a bed with some of the support beams broken and a make shift carpet put directly over unlevel dirt for the hallways. No running water either unless you pestered the kitchen staff. Looking forward to getting past this one. Only a little over 10 km from Tibet at this point.
Writing from Namche Bazar, one of the prettiest places I have ever been. The architecture is impressive this high up in the mountains and oh what mountains! The highest airport in the world is here and some people actually fly in and stay at this posh hotel for the night and then fly back. We however are doing what most do and make it up here on our own two legs. This is such a stark contrast from the previous trek experience as there are thousands of other tourists taking the same journey up to Everest Base Camp or other places in the Khumbu Valley. On the medical trek we did not come across a single other foreigner. The trek up here yesterday followed the river for most of the morning with many dramatic suspension bridges with prayer flags flying. After lunch we began our ascent up numerous switchbacks and caught our first glimpse of Mt. Everest. although the afternoon clouds mostly obscured the view. Checked into our teahouse and I ate my first yak steak for dinner which was delicious. Rain started last night and was heavy for a short period but when we woke up today there was fresh snow on the ground, just a dusting here in the village but the peaks look even more impresssive with several new inches fallen. Today is a rest and acclimation day. We are going to take a short hike to have a look around and in the afternoon are going to the monastery where there are some singing monks. Having a great time and loving the crisp mountain air.
Early morning wakeup at 4:30 am in Kathmandu. A couple of days ago, the Maoists (rebel minority group in Nepal) announced a planned strike day and thus transportation was going to be difficult. They shut down all taxis, buses, etc. in order to show their might. The reason for today’s strike was that Nepal recently granted a large contract to India to produce new machine readable passports. That being said, we were assured by our trek guide that he would be able to get us to the airport and he lived up to his word. Apparently the Maoists aren’t early risers.
We got on a prop plane at 6:50 thanks to the maneuvering capabilities of our guide Nabin through the chaotic airport. We had a short flight to Lukla at elevation 9300 feet where we got a vague glimpse of some very big mountains through the haze. Luckily when we landed the air was crisp and the views were unobstructed. We stopped for breakfast and then began the days trek which was a gentle 3 hour walk on a trail described as “Nepali flat” which is really a little up and a little down and todays was a net downhill. There is a beautiful raging river down the hill and we are headed up through the valley. It is truly breathtaking and I am enjoying all of the Buddhist shrines and prayer flags along the way. We had lunch and checked into our teahouse and now have the rest of the afternoon free. Tomorrow will be a strenuous uphill to the village of Namche Bazaar and the following day will be a rest day.
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