Canyoning photo's

Here are some pics from our day out canyoning courtesy of Charlie :-)

Chris, Charlie and I under the waterfall at the start of the canyon

Me at the start getting ready

Charlie in action

Charlie in action again

Me in action

Chris Charlie and I

Me, Charlie and Chris with some of the Nepali guides at the end of the canyon

Canyoning!

Well, the monsoon has arrived properly here in Nepal now! MAssive lighning storms in the evenings with loads of rain. BUT, its still really nice! AND it means that conditions are perfect for one or two sports that have taken off here in recent years... namely White Water Rafting and Canyoning.
I headed out Canyoning yesterday with my mate Charlie from the UN and a work friend of his Chris and we had a blast!
We drove out with the guys from Paddle Nepal to a spot about halfway between Pokhara and Kathmandu (about a 3 hour drive), hiked about 45 minutes up into a steep gorge and then headed off down the river wearing wetsuits, lifejackets and helmets.
The Canyon started at the base of a huge waterfall that feeds the canyon and straight away it was loads of fun.
Jumping off waterfalls into deep pools, sliding down waterfalls, abseiling down waterfalls, swimming, sliding, jumping and laughing like big kids... sooo much fun. And in a beautiful place too!
I will get some photos from Charlie soon and post them up :)

Robbed... again...

I don't really have the patience to write much right now, but long story short I have been robbed... again... out of a secure, locked hotel room... again... but this time it was while I was in the friggin room asleep... they reach into hotel rooms through the bars in the windows with long bamboo poles and reach your stuff... apparently they are good at what they do and I slept through it... and lost my new laptop, some cash and my little digital camera.
I feel pretty violated and very angry. But C'est la vie I guess... move on.
So again, no photo's and fewer updates for a while until I sort shit out again.

16.06.09

Hmmmm... what to say.
Camille and I talked about this just the other day. How to describe what is going on at the moment. Its impossible.
So on a day to day basis I go to the Moondance cafe, study for 5 or 6 hours (I am studying my TESOL course - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - so I can teach English abroad), hang out with Camille, have dinner, maybe a beer, maybe watch the band at the Busy Bee bar, go to bed... seems pretty boring, right?
BUT, every day is full of suprises. IT's the people here that make the place so amazing. We have friends all over town (all Nepali), from the shops to the resteraunts, the bars to the parks, soooo many people know us and all have become our friends and this brings round some amazing experiences with the local people. It would be futile for me to try and expalin most of the experiences as without being here you cant really understand, which frustrates me as I keep having amazing experiences that I cant really share with people without them coming here first. But in short, lets say that the friendship, hard work, resilence, openness, love, passion and genuineness of the Nepali people blows me away on a daily basis. For people in a Third World country that have seen a recent civil war and ongoing political turmoil to be this wonderful is a testament to just how amazing humankind can be.
I will be here until the middle of July and then I am off to London and into Europe to climb... Psyched! Lots more time to enjoy Nepal then off on the next leg... Life is great :)

Phewa Tal at sunset (Fewa Lake)

One of my great Nepali friends

A dog in Phewa Park


Another of our Nepali friends


Barbed Wire & Beauty at Phewa Park

Annapurna Base Camp trek...

05.06.09

So I'm back from the annapurna Base Camp trek, tired, and with sore legs, but very satisfied. Below is a small diary I kept on the walk :)


Day 1 - 31.05.09

I woke up at 4am this morning finding it hard to sleep with the excitment of the day ahead. I said goodbye to Camille and jumped in my cab at 6am. 6.30am saw my taxi arrive at Phedi and I took off up the trail. I wandered on up the steep staircase that begins the trek and was soon in Dhamphus where I stopped for a nice breakfast of corn bread and scrambled eggs. I set off again and in no time was through Pothana, over the mountain at Pitam Deaurali and down by the river at Tolka by lunchtime. I stoppedin Tolka for some tea then headed off to Landruk to spend the night there at the Maya Guesthouse where I sat around in the warm afternoon sun drinking a beer and reading my book. One of the guys that works there, Kamal, sat with me for about an hour helping me practice my Nepali and spelling out handy words for me. It never ceases to amaze me how generous and friendly the people here are. As the light faded I sat transfixed on the mountains as the cloud cover that had been around all day started to disperse to give me spectacular views of the snow capped peaks that loomed overhead. This place is magic.

Day 2 - 01.06.09

I woke up today to a clearing and increasingly sunny morning. after some teas with Kamal I headed off again. I almost forgot until looking at my photos from yesterday about the 3 young children that stopped me on my way to Landruk yesterday to give me bunches of flowers. It was so cute to see them come up to me flowers hidden behind their backs, smiles on their faces. I walked to Jhinu this morning then stopped for tea before continuing up to Chomrong. The stairs from Jhinu to Chomrong were merciless. Steep winding stone stairs that never seem to end. But I got to Chomrong in about an hour rather than the 2 it is supposed to take and had some tea and a chocolate pancake then a rest before heading on. I headed off aand after a long afternoon I got to Dovan and I am well tired. Met a nice group of people on the way and walked with them for a while. Will be haeding up to ABC tommorow, but I am too tired to write more now haha.

Day 3 - 02.06.09

Yesterday was great, tiring but lots of fun. I met some nice people in Sinuwa and walked with them to Dovan where we spent the night. I slept like a log and woke up at 5.30am, had breakfast and headed off at 7am. Ash, Erin, Allie, Nicole and Cedrick were planning to take it easy and only go to Machupuchchere Base Camp while I want to go all the way to ABC today. I stopped for tea at the Himalaya Lodge then headed to Deurali where I stopped to soak up the sun and relax for a while before heading up to MBC and ABC. Sitting here drinking tea, perched on a ledge holding a few small stone buildings, surrounded by snow capped peaks above and the never ending valley dropping away below it really makes you appreciate the little things in life. Like good health to be able to do these sorts of things. Sitting here up near the roof of the world I cant help but feel content and at peace, both with the world and with myself.
ABC... its easy as 123! haha
Walking into Annapurna Base Camp this afternoon definitely ranks as one of my best achievments. I pushed on all the way fromDovan to ABC with a few short stops and while I was exhausted from 3 full days effort and feeling the altitude a bit (ABC is at 4130m) I put one foor in front of the other across the last glacier and pulled into ABC with a smile on my face. I feel proud of myself for doing this on my own. While coming up here makes no difference to anyone else my sense of personal achievment is at an all time high. Having always been drawn towards the Himaslaya's even before I started climbing, to finally be up here among her peaks in all their snow crowned glory is more fulfilling, satisfying and amazing than I can explain. The Himal are magic. I love my life!

Day 4 - 03.06.09

I woke up at about 1am this mornig and went and sat on the boulders and just stared. The clouds had cleared and the moon was shining off all the peaks around me giving me an amazing night time view of Annapurna 1, Tent Peak, Machupuchchere, Annapurna South and all the other peaks. Breathtaking.
I woke again this morning at 5.30am and went out to one of the nearby shrines to hang my Prayer Flags that I had brought with me from Australia. I hung them, took some photos and soaked up the view before having some tea and heading off down the trail. I met my friends at MBC again and had teas with them as we watched the wild Himalayan Thar (mountain goats) coming down the mountain. I am stoked to have seen the Thar as I really wanted to see them. I have also seen Barking Deer, Himalayan Langurs and the Nepal national bird, a beautiful Pheasant. I walked non stop from MBC to Bamboo where I stopped for some hot chocolate before pushing on.
Argh!!! So sore and tired. I walked all the way to Jhinu today and I am wasted! My legs are tired and my knees are sooo sore, argh!
I wnet down to the hot springs here in Jhinu before dinner... so nice. Hot springs right beside a freezing glacial river. Beautiful. Tommorow will be all the way home. I think I will be pretty tired but I am psyched!

Day 5 - 04.06.09

I woke up this morning with the most painfully sore legs I have ever had. All the walking up stairs makes you tired, but walking down them is painful on your knees. I could barely walk to the kitchen to have breakfast. But, after some tea and toast I headed off at a steady pace and by 10.30am was in Synauli Bazaar, only a short hour and a half walk from Nyapul and a taxi home to Pokhara.
I walked to Nyapul with a great friendly Nepali guide by the name of Shiva and we chatted, joked and laughed our way into Nyapul where I signed off at the check posts and jumped in a taxi to Pokhara feeling exhausted but truely satisfied. I will definitely be doing more trekking from now on, especially in places like the Himalayas. I am truely hooked. Magic.

Annapurna Base Camp

The view up the valley

Crossing a suspension bridge in the valley

Annapurna South

Nepali school children

Annapurna!

30.05.09

So not much has really gone on in the last few days, I have been just arranging permits, etc to head up to Annapurna Base Camp tomorrow. I head off at 6am tomorrow morning to Phedi, a little town about a half hour away from Pokhara, then start walking up the valley. I should be gone for about 8 days, give or take, so I will be out of contact and not blogging or posting pics for a while but I will relay all the banter from the hike when I get back here to Pokhara!
Have fun kids, I will!

Kasto Cha?

28.05.09

Namaste! Kasto Cha? Malai thik cha :)

Pokhara is going great. I am really enjoying relaxing here with great people. Yesterday I headed off with Saxon, Marcus, etc to the Mountaineering Museum to wander around all the great photography and paraphenalia they have there. After a few hours wandering around the museum and a nice lunch that was pretty much it for the day.
Today Camille and I headed up the the World Peace Pogoda, a big Stupa on top of a nice big hill, you catch a boat across the lake and wander on up the mountain to the top. We sat around taking in the great views and got baked with Pipi and some other nice locals. Such a relaxing day.
Tomorrow I am going to get things sorted to go and do a trek, most likely the ABC (that's Annapurna Base Camp for those not in the know haha). Psyched!

Pipi and Camille at the World Peace Pagoda

Me and my monkey

Nepali girl in Pokhara

Cheeky monkey

Machapuchare (Fish Tail Mountain) from my hotel rooftop

26.05.09

Arriving in Pokhara was one of the best moments ever. Swinging into the airport and catching a glimpse of the Annapurna Range through the clouds was a little tease of what this place has in store for me. I made my way to the Lakeside district of Pokhara and got myself a hotel room then set off to find my friend Camille who is working here. After being unsuccesful in my search I wondered around town waiting to hear from her when who should I bump into walking down the street but my old mate from home, Saxon! Beer was in order so we caught up over a nice cold Everest beer. He and his brother had just finished the Annapurna circuit and were back in town for a few days before heading back home. Talk about a one in a million chance... bumping into an old mate in a small himalayan town seems remote odds at best, but its a small world full of big suprises :)
I finally found the lovely Camille and we all had an evening of beer and tall stories before some much needed sleep some time in the small hours of the morning. It's so nice having a few old friends around, it adds to the already massive feeling I have of being at home here. A strange feeling seeing as I have just arrived but sitting here beside the beautiful Shewa Lake, the sun streaming across the water, surrounded by verdant green jungle clad hills with the imposing mass of snow capped Himalayan peaks looming through the cloud strewn sky high above us I just cant help but feel at home here... maybe I have found my place in the world... we'll see.
Today was a late coffee and croissant breakast followed by a lazy afternoon in which Camille and I hired a row boat and lazed around on a boat working on our tans while floating around the beautiful lake. A hard life I realise, but one I wont be swapping for anything in a hurry.

Camille out on the boat on Shewa Lake

Monument at the Museum of Mountaineering

Nepali women in the street in Pokhara

A sacred cow in the street in Pokhara

My old mate Saxon and his brother Marcus in Pokhara

Kathmandu, Nepal

24.05.09

What a great and crazy place Kathmandu is. I started my day yesterday with a stroll around Thamel, the main tourist district, walking around the tight maze of chaotic streets full of shops, bars and guiding companies. I stopped for some breakfast and met some nice American guys, Scott and Mark, who had a guide for the day to show them Kathmandu and invited me to join in. We jumped into Prashant's car (our guide) and headed off around town. We visited both sides of the Monkey Temple where the monkeys literally run the place and eagles soared overhead, then the Boudha Stupa which is the biggest Stupa in Kathmandu. We went into the monastary there and I got blessed by a Tibetan monk. Then we had some lunch at a small local Tibetan place and then after lunch we went to see Pashupatinath Temple, a temple for Shiva and the biggest Hindu temple in Nepal where all the bodies in Kathmandu are cremated. Seeing people play music and dance, while people watched bodies burning at the same time as children digging through the river mud that the bodies ashes are washed into looking for jewelry and coins was eye opening to say the least.
The start contrast of the huge monastaries and the slum buildings was around every corner, as was the reminder that this is a very poor place, with beggars and the infirm at every turn.
After a long day I relaxed a while, went and had some dinner while watching a traditional Nepali band and dancer, then a beer at Sam's Bar followed by much needed sleep. Today should be a relaxing day then I am off on a flight to Pokhara tomorrow!

You can see more of my photo's on facebook or at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncanbrowntravels/

Enjoy :)

A Macaque monkey overlooking Pashupatinath Temple

A cow in the streets of Kathmandu

The Boudha Stupa


Scott, Mark and Prashant in the Tibetan Buddhist Monastry at Boudha Stupa



A beggar girl at the Monkey Temple

The golden Buddha at the Monkey Temple

Prayer wheels at the Monkey Temple

The streets of Thamel, Kathmandu

Guangzhou Pic's

A few of my favourite pics from my time in Guangzhou!

Portrait of my main man in Guangzhou, Kaare Iverson

Best city pic I have taken, skyline from the appartment before a storm

Colin bouldering at the wall

Statue in Martyr's Park

Rollerblader in Martyr's Park

Statues in Martyr's Park

Colin off to find some buildering

My friends apartment block

Colin playground bouldering

And again

Namaste Bitches!

22.05.09

From my first hectic, eye opening days in Hong Kong, to my relaxing yet shenanigan filled final days in Guangzhou and the pure majestic awesomeness that was Yangshuo in the middle, China has been amazing, and it is with a content smile that I am now sitting on a plane bound for Kathmandu, Nepal.
China dealt me a few blows. Namely being robbed of my laptop, phone and money and of course my shoulder injury. But despite these set backs I have loved China and will definitely be coming back one day!
Now it is onwards and upwards, quite literally. Next week sometime I should be heading out on my first trek into the Himalayas, most likely out of Pokhara. I will spend a few days in Kathmandu, then head to Pokhara to meet up with a friend, then head out on one of the treks from there at the end of the week sometime.
Psyched!

23.05.09

11pm. Thamel, Kathmandu.
So I have landed in Nepal and after some haggling with taxi drivers and hotel goons I got myself from the airport and into Thamel, the main tourist hub of Kathmandu, and into a comfy hotel room at a good price.
Driving through late night Kathmandu was eye opening to say the least. Rough roads, dogs, traffic, rats the size of shetland ponies, drunk tourists and more lady boys than most of Thailand combined! I was expecting crazy and crazy I got. Keen as mustard to get out into the city and explore tomorrow but for tonight it is a cold beer and some sleep.

Flickr!

So I just started a Flikr page for my best photos, check out what I have put up so far at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38530300@N02/

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Guangzhuo or bust!

15.05.09

Yay! I finally have a new laptop! I just bought a nice little 'Acer AspireOne' as well as a new 35mm f/1.8 lens for my camera... bit of a splurge day today. Although a laptop and a new lens cost me less than $600 Aus... god bless Asian prices! haha
I left Yangshuo yesterday and it was a sad day as I really like the place and it was hard to say goodbye to my friends, but with an injured shoulder (minor tear in part of my rotator cuff of my left shoudler that should take a month or so to heal as I have caught it early) I couldn't hang around. I have come to see some friends on Guangzhuo for a week then head off to Nepal for a month or two of trekking in the Himalayas which will be amazing I am sure!
I caught the overnight sleeper bus down here and when I arrived at Kaare and Angie's apartment who should stick their head out the door just as I walk around the corner at 6.30am but Colin! He came here after hitch hiking here from Yangshuo which is a mighty coincidence haha, serendipity.
So, things are all go, new toys to play with, tickets for Nepal to arrange and loads of fun to be had, expect some more pics and blogging from me now for sure!!!


18.05.09

Guangzhuo. Day four. Having a ball just chillin with my friends here. Watching movies, taking photo's, eating great food, enjoying great company and generally relaxing.
I went to the photography markets with Kaare today. Was such an effort not to just go crazy and buy loads of new toys. I would really like a remote flash set up but I stayed strong and left my wallet in my pocket. But I did get a nice little soft case for my spare lenses and a cleaning brush :)
I have a ticket sorted out for a flight from Guangzhuo to Kathmandu on the 22nd of May, this friday, so I have the week to just chill here with the guys and gals before heading up the Himalayas for some sweet high altitude shenanigans. Cheddar. Ace Cheddar.


19.05.09

Not much more to say at the moment except that I have found a way to get around the "Great Firewall of China" to actually post on my blog except that it wont let me upload pics, just text. Shame, because I have some great pics with my new lens to share.. Oh well, I will get them up on facebook and get them up here when I can!

Injury... but NEPAL!!!

I am in Yangshuo in China still but about to leave cause I have hurt my shoulder and going to take a month or two off climbing. Going to catch an overnight bus to Guangzhou tomorrow night then fly to Nepal about the 20th of May to go trekking in the Himalayas for a month or two and let my shoulder heal properly before going to Europe in about August.
So yeah, still having a blast of course, loving every day despite the few set backs China has dealt me...
Life is amazing, and now it is just off and on to the next adventure :)

Can you say Gambe???

So things are still awesome here in old Yangshuo, climbing alot and trying to getting fitter and stronger, going to start guiding for China Climb on the 12th of May so psyched for that! Alot of the crew here will be leaving over the next week or so leaving only a skeleton staff of about 5 of us left here, but all will be fine, there is plenty to keep us busy and I am psyched to bolt some more routes soon so there will be alot to do!
There is also the occasional Baijiu catastrophe to entertain us all too... rice wine is a dealy thing that makes everyone lose it is a spectacular fashion whenever it is brought out to drink haha.
Been climbing alot lately, places like Moon Hill, White Mountain, Space Buttress and more are all keeping me busy and wearing my rope out with all the falling I tend to do haha, so many great routes to send I just don't know where to go on any given day!
Well nothing much new from me really, just all the usual, peace all!

The beginning of yet another Baijiu catastrophe

The end results of a Baijiu catastrophe haha (Tomaz, what a hero!)

Nina climbing at Moon Hill

Xavi, Colin, Kari and I in the back of a tractor heading to Lei Pi Shan

Walking in to the amazing White Mountain

Sleight Of Hand...

Things are a blend of sweet and sour here in Yangshuo. The other day we had an EPIC run in with the local farmers at White Mountain and, long story short, it is out of bounds for the time being and they may have chopped all the first bolts off the routes.
But other than that things are great! Yesterday I sent the project that I bolted at Lei Pi Shan finally! I have called it 'Sleight Of Hand' and it is about 7b+ (Oz grade 26). It is a cool, hard boulder problem for the first 5 metres then it links into an overhanging and pumpy 7a to the top... really fun route and I am especially psyched because this is my very first First Ascent in another country... booyah!
Also, I have scored a job guiding for the company China Climb here in Yangshuo. Doing a few days work here and there guiding climbing, kayaking, hiking, riding, etc... should be a blast... also means I can spend a few months here climbing basically for free, loving it! So I will be here till the end of May at least, but who knows, maybe June as well haha... We'll see :)
Last night ended in another Baijiu catastrophe... thats rice wine for the uninitiated... so today is a team rest day, then tomorrow it will be off climbing again... good times!