My trip report is posted. 🙂
Category: hiking
en route to Sani Lodge
Next stop is Sani Lodge:
It’s run by the author of A Backpackers Guide to Lesotho, Russell Suchet.
Looks great.
visiting Lesotho in Africa
I’ve posted the full trip report with photos on my hiking blog.
arrived Johannesburg
My host Derick Sholtz, owner and coach at Vision Gymnastics, picked me up at the airport after 35hrs or so in transit on Turkish Airlines.
(I contacted Turkish Airlines to inform how they had bungled the code share leg out of Seattle.)
After dropping by the gym to say hello to everyone, Derick dropped me at a lovely African themed accommodation called Didiloni.
I stayed in Warthog Hut.
I’m off via Baz Bus for 2wks hiking in the Drakensberg mountains. Back to the big city (8 million) for the month of February, volunteering.
JoBurg has the best weather in the world.
My biggest worry in South Africa is not crime … but possible vitamin D overdose. 🙂
en route to South Africa
today I fly,
the reason why
I spent 3 weeks in South Africa last year. And I’m going back to southern Africa for at least 6 weeks this time. Hiking. And as a Gymnastics volunteer.
I’ll be based out of JoBurg. Visiting Lesotho and Mozambique.
Johannesburg claims the best climate in the world. 🙂
Work or Play?
Kelley Durbin-Williams linked to this great truth:
“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both.”
Pokhara, Nepal
14yrs ago I loved Pokhara.
My favourite mountain in the world is Fishtail, a stunning sight from town. If haze and pollution don’t obscure the view.
In 2013, Pokhara is bigger. Busier.
The tourist strip of Lakeside is not as ugly as Thamel in Kathmandu, but it’s still ugly. The same 14 kinds of businesses endlessly repeated.
The lake itself is pretty.
Pokhara … is the third largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu and Biratnagar respectively with … a population of 264,991 … situated about 200 km west of the capital Kathmandu.
… Three out of the ten highest mountains in the world — Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu — are situated within 30 miles (linear distance) of the city, so that the northern skyline of the city offers a very close view of the Himalayas. …
… the city is also a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit …
… There are two 5-star hotels and approximately 305 other hotels that includes five 3-star, fifteen 2-star and non-star hotels in the city. …
Adventure sports such as base jumping, paragliding, canyoning, rock climbing, etc. are targeted towards tourists. …
On the other hand, after 17 days in-a-row on the trail, it was glorious to get back to civilization.
I ate nearly every meal at Lemon Tree. Fantastic!
I stayed a Phil’s Inn for $9 / night. Hot showers. Comfortable. And quiet. Phil, a lay Christian preacher, is a terrific host.
In November 2013 flights Pokhara to Kathmandu were $106. The luxury bus $20.
That includes a terrific all-you-can-eat buffet en route at this resort.
Take the bus, if you can.
see my Pokhara pics & a few of the bus ride back to Kathmandu
Himalaya photos
Trip reports coming soon. In the meantime, here are a few of my favourite pics from 18 days trekking around 3 of the highest peaks in the world.
🙂
gone trekking …
UPDATE: All is well on the Manasulu so far. Two more days until we cross the BIG pass. Mike and I are trekking with a couple from Alaska and a couple from Colorado.
Manasulu Circuit with Mike Howarth (UK).
Mostly offline until about Nov 20th.
delayed in Nepal
We’d planned to start trekking the Manasul Circuit (11 days) on Nov. 4th at latest.
Unfortunately government offices are closed for 3 days due to National holidays in Nepal.
Even the dogs are off work.
The city is lit up like Christmas in Canada.
So … our new start date is Nov 7th.
We’re doing the lightest, fastest trek allowed under Nepali law. Two hikers, one guide. Total cost is about $500ea.
The big news in Nepal is the upcoming election:
As the country goes to the polls on November 19, tussles among contesting political parties and election candidates could pose a bigger security threat than underground outfits or poll-opposing parties in the central Tarai, police have said. …
We’ll likely still be in the mountains during the election.
Rick McCharles 