Expeditions
While at Cahuita, we stopped in to
see the National Park. As we were driving
in, a coatimundi (a large animal that looks kind of like a cat with a very
long tail sticking straight up into the air behind it) ran across the road.
On the trails, we saw a huge iguana, maybe four or five feet long. Later in
our trip, we discovered that was not uncommon. We saw so many hundreds of
iguana they became quite commonplace. When we made it out to the beach, we
were amazed. Here was a beach, miles long, that epitomized the "paradise"
type beaches you find in movies such as The Blue Lagoon, yet we were the
only people in view. Throughout the trip, we kept running into these
amazing, "Garden of Eden" type beaches, but they were almost always empty.
Talk about paradise! Read more...
We went up with Torger in the
lead probing with his ice ax for crevasses hidden under the snow. Since
the weather had been unusually warm there was running water in places,
pouring down into potholes three or four feet across and which fell the
entire depth of the glacier. These were holes to look, but not fall, into.
The other primary hazard is of course the crevasses, some of which are
very obvious, whereas others are camouflaged by snow. The ice of the
crevasses really is blue as is written. The surface of the glacier was
irregular and grainy or slushy in some places, hard in others. Crampons
were certainly needed. As we trudged, small dark spots littered the ice
here and there - tiny clumps of decomposing fur and bone that used to be
lemmings. A few years back the remains of a German soldier who died on
the glacier during WWII was extruded out the side by the compression of
the ice. On the way down we passed a monument to others who died up
there. Read more...
Our dining experiences were
some of the most enjoyable times we had in Germany. We decided early
in the trip to spend a while each day searching out The Place. We
defined The Place as the most authentic, most German restaurant
possible. This meant that most of the time we walked for an hour or
two far outside places normally traveled by tourists, searching
side alleys for an out-of-the-way, obscure little sign indicating
an eating establishment. This was extremely effective, and we had
some of the best food and service we have ever had. Even in
Heidelberg, a completely touristy city, we found The Place. It was a
tiny little place in the second story of a building halfway down an
alley. Its name is The Schnitzelbank. All of the other customers
were German. The service was good, and the food was awesome. Another
time, we pulled off the Autobahn (highway) in the middle of nowhere.
We drove several kilometers away from the Autobahn and found a
little, tiny town. In that town we found a small bar/restaurant.
Inside, there was a man serving drinks to his friends at the bar. It
turned out that he was the bartender, the waiter, the cook, the
busboy, and the owner all rolled into one. Even though he was
completely alone, every time a glass was empty he was there asking
us if we wanted another drink. Since this was deep in southern
Germany, his dialect was thick enough that we had trouble
understanding him, but we muddled through. The service was great
and the food was very good. After dinner, the owner came back and
asked us why we were in the area. He asked if we were working
somewhere nearby. He just couldn't quite understand why three
Americans would be sitting in his tiny restaurant in his tiny
town! Read more...
If you want to see the world but can't afford it or can't find
someone to go, you should try going with an overland group. There
are several companies that offer such trips....a few names would be
Encounter Overland, Guerba (who specialises mostly in Africa),
Encounter, or Exodus. All of the companies offer trips to various
parts of the world, mostly no frills. There's another company
called Trek America that does camping trips in the U.S. (and maybe
Canada?) too. Read more...
We set out in the back of a Chinese truck to Birithanti
(elevation ~3000') where we picked up the trail. This "trail" is
actually the major trade route between India and Tibet, and is
often paved with stone and includes stone stairs on the steeper
pitches. This makes it easier for the many porters, donkeys,
horses, bulls, and yaks that carry the cargo. After a great Dahl
Baht (Rice and Lentils) lunch, we set off for Gorepani (Horse
Water) but didn't make it that day. We stayed in a small guest
house, had a great Dahl Baht dinner, and went to sleep thinking of
our destination, Muktinath, the Buddhist/Hindu pilgrimage temple
at 13,000', which would take 9 more days to
reach. Read more...
