6 Feet of Snow in 48 Hours - Avalanches Galore!

Just in case any of you have monitoring the news with a fine tooth comb, we wanted to give you a personal update to let you know that we are alive and well here in Nepal. We just got back from 10 days on the trail on the Anapurna Circuit, a loop that takes you through some of the highest peaks in the world. The highpoint of the trek is a 17,000 ft pass about half way into the journey. But, before we could make it to the pass, and after 5 days of trekking, we were hit with a 100-year storm that came from China. It snowed as much as 6 feet in 48 hours in the high Himilayas. We sat inside our cabin and watched the views disappear in the clouds and the ground, trees, and everything else drown in heavy wet snow. Finally when the snow stopped falling, we headed to the next town up, called Manang, at 12,000 ft. We didn't make it any further... news had reached us from the last town before the pass, called Throng Pedi; avalanches had swept across the trail and cut off our route. Nobody could pass. We were so dissapointed, but there was nothing we could do and we didn't have the time to wait for the snow to melt. So, we decided to turn around and make the 5 day journey back down. The day we turned back we must have seen 30 avalanches firsthand. They were coming down from the 14,000ft peaks on the other side of the river in the valley we were in. It was a bit scary, but also completely incredible. Later that day we realized the severity of the storm when we learned that two groups of camping trekkers, totalling 40 people, had been killed by avalanches in Throng Pedi, the next town up from where we had been. However, we just discovered 10 minutes ago online that this was not completely true. 400 trekkers had indeed been stranded there, but nobody was killed. An expedition group of 18 people climbing a nearby mountain had actually been killed. Nonetheless, the situation is tragic and we feel very blessed to be safe and healthy. The storm has moved on and the snow is melting quickly. We are heading by car to what would have been the end of our trek to hike 2 days into the mountains to a viewpoint called Poon Hill where we will hopefully catch a view of the Anapurna Range that has been up to this point, completely blocked by clouds for us. After that, we off to the Everest Region for 12 days. Wheh, that turned out a bit long and detailed (can you tell Lee is writing this one?). We just wanted you all to know that we are safe and sound. We have very limited internet access in Nepal, but we'll update the blog again in a few weeks when we get done trekking. See you all soon for Thanksgiving!

To read an article about this in Kathmandu Post, go to:
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=55429

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Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice

Everyone get ready for a big dinner party when we get home because I (Betsy, that is. Lee decided to forego the class.) am now a master of Thai cuisine. After a full-day of hands-on training in the kitchen, I can now successfully prepare pad thai, spring rolls, chicken with garlic and basil, chicken and ginger stir fry, green curry, and bananas in coconut cream. A few things I learned today: 1) Thai food has a ridiculous amount of garlic in it. 2) You can’t use olive oil in a wok. 3) When you flambee something- stand WAY back, 4) There are about a zillion kinds of basil in Thailand. Too bad we only have one at home. The only thing we’re lacking now (ok, besides the fact that we’re homeless and don’t even have a kitchen) is a good wok. It’s on my Christmas list already.

PICTURES OF PHUKET

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Phuket, Thailand - Tsunami update

If you were somewhere in a black hole last winter, and didn’t see any sort of news coverage of the tsunami, and you came to Phuket today, you honestly would have no idea that such destruction ever took place. Currently, there is a fair amount of construction and reconstruction going on along the western coast (where we are staying, and where the tsunami had the biggest effects). However, in a touristy area like there, there is generally always a lot of construction as new resorts are built or upgraded. We’ve gotten several different accounts of the damage from locals. According to some, CNN blew the whole thing way out of proportion and the island was back in business within two weeks. According to others, the situation was much worse. Regardless of how extensive the damage was, thousands of people lost friends, family members, or their business and surely each and every person here was affected. Nearly every coastline road was washed away (and since rebuilt) and every business directly on the beach was flooded. But, everyone here is in agreement that the worst result of the tsunami was that it scared tourists, the most important revenue source, from coming to the island. So, by spending a week in Phuket, we are probably doing more for the “tsunami relief effort” than we ever did by donating money to the Red Cross last year.

PICTURES OF PHUKET

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A paradise on the Andaman sea

If you are planning a tropical vacation anytime soon, we could go on and on about why Phuket is probably the best place you could come. Here are a few reasons: 1) The beaches. There are several stunning beaches along the west coast of the island. You can take your pick between total isolation, tourist-mania, and anything in between. 2) The price. Things are dirt cheap here in Phuket. Case in point….two poor backpackers (Lee and Betsy) can afford to stay in a brand new, beachfront resort for six full days. 3) The food. Becoming obese would be no difficult task here. The food is incredible, it’s cheap, and if you like seafood, it couldn’t be fresher. 4) The sunset. It’s the best we’ve ever seen and the vivid colors last for nearly an hour. 5) The locals. People here are so nice, and incredibly friendly. Everyone greets you with a smile, and truly wants you to enjoy your time here. It’s been arguably the best, and most relaxing beach getaway we’ve ever had.

PICTURES OF PHUKET

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Underwater Adventures

Betsy is now officially SCUBA certified! The three-day course consisted of classroom time, training time in a swimming pool, and four real dives in the ocean. Lee joined in on the first two dives as a “refresher course” in his scuba training (it was also his birthday – not a bad way to celebrate!). We split up for the second day of diving, with Betsy continuing her training with the instructor and her fellow student (the village idiot from Hong Kong) and Lee checking out a shipwreck on another island. Our dive company, South Siam Divers, owns a fleet of gorgeous boats, complete with showers, a sun deck, and a full buffet lunch served each day.

PICTURES OF PHUKET

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The Ugliest Duckling

Phuket officially wins the award for the mangiest, ugliest, nastiest stray dogs we’ve seen so far. There’s one beach dog in particular that we’ve seen each day (his “turf” is our hotel vicinity). He’s a little stalky dog who’s been so inbred that his legs are only about 3 inches long and his front feet point straight out to the sides. He’s got black and white fur, but the skin underneath is a strange red color all the time. We’ve named him Ducky because he waddles along like a duck trying to keep up with the other mangy beasts around here.

PICTURES OF PHUKET

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Jeepin’ around

In an effort to save time and numerous headaches taking taxis and tuk tuks around Phuket, we decided to rent a car for our week here. Although it’s been nice to have our own transportation, allowing us to explore the island a bit, it hasn’t exactly made life easier. The car itself is a total piece of junk. It chugs along up and down the hills, the gears stick, the windows barely roll down…..the list goes on. Nonetheless, it runs. We discovered that gas along the beach is purchased at little huts, not unlike a lemonade stand, where the station attendant pumps the gas from a small barrel, into a measuring container at the top, and then into your car. Navigating here has been no simple task either and has contributed to a few squabbles in the heat of frustration. But, Lee’s successfully mastered driving on the left side of the road, and sharing the lane with the billions of motor bikes.

PICTURES OF PHUKET

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Beware of ‘Lady Men’

Transvestites abound in Phuket, and all over Thailand for that matter. Our new friend and local bartender aptly described them as “lady men”. Some make it to the big time – on stage in one of the famed cabaret shows. Many others lurk around the bars and streets of Patong, Phuket’s busiest beach town, waiting for an unsuspecting traveler to take them home. To us, they seem VERY easy to spot by their short skirts, very high heels, and buckets of makeup on their faces. Lee’s convinced that they start this at an early age. He even took a picture of a kid we saw on a train – he swears it’s a boy dressed as a girl……Betsy’s not so sure.

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Welcome to the jungle

The time finally came where we had to leave our beach haven and return to the madness of Bangkok. We initiated ourselves back into city life by heading to Khoa San Road – the center of the backpackers universe. By dusk, the place is already crawling with people, and the pubs and bars are gearing up for the night’s festivities. Some even set up right on the street, offering deals like “60B for a really strong cocktail” (that’s $1.50). At one point we noticed a commotion going on and a crowd beginning to gather around one particular woman. Was she a Thai celebrity, we wondered? We quickly learned that she was Miss Canada – the current Miss Universe – making her way around the city with her entourage closely following.

PICTURES OF OUR SECOND STAY IN BANGKOK

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An elephant’s life

As a tourist in Thailand, you can sign up for any number of different tours. City tours, countryside tours, hill tribe tours, market tours, temple tours…..you get the picture. Many of the tours include a trip to an elephant camp where the animals take you for a short tour of the area. Sadly, many of these elephant camps are nothing more than a group of poor, uneducated villagers, who mistreat their elephants, and abandon them when they find a better job. It’s very sad, and very cruel. Even in the heart of Bangkok, we’ve seen men walking elephants down the street in the peak of rush hour, just to sell a ride. We were lucky, however, to visit probably the best elephant camp in Thailand. Rather than being chained to a fence each night and taken on countless tours all day long, these elephants are brought home to the jungle every evening, where they roam free and live like they are still wild. During they day, they do no more than one or two tours, and are treated very lovingly by their trainers. Sadly, we learned from an employee of this camp, the elephant camps in the north (like the one we went to in Chiang Mai) are notorious for the mistreatment of elephants. It makes us both very, very sad that we unknowingly contributed to the cruelty by paying for our elephant tour in the north.

PICTURES OF TIGER TEMPLE DAY (AND ELEPHANT RIDE)

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Cuddling with tigers!!!

It’s truly a one-in-a-lifetime experience when you get to ride an elephant, and hug a tiger in the same day. We lived that day today! Today’s tour took us our to Ketchanaburi, to see a myriad of things, including the wonderful elephant camp, the bridge over the River Kwai (Betsy’s been singing ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ ever since), the World War II Museum, a spectacular waterfall, AND…..tigers!!!! Years ago, at a particular Buddhist temple, a monk residing there took in an abandoned tiger cub. Ever since, the monastery has been rescuing abandoned tigers, and several cubs have been born under their supervision. At the temple, you can actually touch the tigers! One at a time, we were able to walk into the tiger area, where nine tigers were lounging in the afternoon sun. We were the lucky few who were selected to have the tiger’s head placed in our lap for a photo. It’s hard to describe the feelings running through you as one of the world’s strongest creatures is looking up at you. They were so gentle and peaceful, and we both felt that our time with them was too short. Lee, the cat lover that he is, went in three separate times to see them up close again.

PICTURES OF TIGER TEMPLE DAY TOUR

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Floating Market

Imagine doing your grocery shopping from a paddle boat, as you floated by the produce section. That’s what the floating market, just outside Bangkok is like. Ok, not exactly. While the farmers still sell as many varieties of fruits and veggies as you could ever need, the markets has evolved into one of the area’s main tourist attractions as well, with the vendors also selling the typical t-shirts, handicrafts and knickknacks from their little boats. To get around, you hop in a little wooden paddle boat with a guide and make your way through the canals. As you float by, the vendors reel you in by grabbing your boat with a cane, and making sure you look at EVERY single thing their selling. While we were there, we saw yet another movie/tv show being filmed!

PICTURES OF FLOATING MARKET TOUR DAY

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Does this tour ever end?

When we signed up for the floating market, we thought we were going to the floating market…..only. Little did we know that in Bangkok, if you sign up for a tour, they cram as much into your day as is humanly possible. In other words, on a half-day tour we were taken about 15 different (and rather uninteresting) places. Each stop was approximately 15 minutes before we were rushed back on a crowded mini bus and driven to the next tourist trap. So, although we did get to see the floating market like we planned, we also saw a gem factory, as snake farm, an orchid farm, a woodcarving shop, and place where the make coconut sugar. Yes, that was the HALF-DAY tour. Doesn’t a full-day sound fun?

PICTURES OF FLOATING MARKET TOUR DAY

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Lee got a hickey from another girl!!!

Ok.. so it happened about 5 minutes ago out on the street in front of a bar. We are in a beach town called Kata in Phuket. We were walking by after dinner when we saw this really gorgeous, really young girl. I just had to stop and pet her and then we decided to buy her a couple bunches of bannanas; she loved them! Next thing I know she was giving me a hickey on the neck.... and I mean my WHOLE neck! Well, by now you've guessed that I cheated on Betsy with an elephant :)

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