Posts Tagged 'Himalayas'
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE !
From Chongqing, TotalAdventure boarded a high speed train and took the 2hour , 350 kph journey to Chengdu the Capitol of Sichuan Province.
208 mph. Most of the journey is through tunnels. I was welcomed by Miya Liu, Adventure Travel Trade Association Chief for China and her husband Yang Lei. They first took me for an amazing traditional Hotpot lunch in a local place a tourist would never find. You can view an interview with Miya IN THE VIDEO AT THE TOP.
Afterwards we toured the Volvo factory. Many of the cars for the European market are made in China and then transported by train through Russia to Europe.It is a hybrid robot/human assembly line. Photos and video were not permitted.
I stayed 2 nights at the Buddha Zen Hotel in an old section . For RMB 540 US 80 I had a 2 room suite with two balconies.
For dinner that night I had Chinese River Turtle. SEE VIDEO ABOVE. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Chairman Is Forever.
Relics of the Revolution in the Chengdu Museum.
Checkers at Nightfall.
A Peaceful Temple In A Busy City.
Another high speed train took TotalAdventure from 500 meters in Chengdu to 2780 Meters in Juizhai Valley in just over two hours. The climate changed from warm humid sprig weather to crisp late winter weather in the mountains. Snow covered the mountains and was on the roadsides in many areas. Nighttime temperature were – 10 C in mid April. Here is where the real adventure began.
Miya Liu had introduced me to China Exploration, also an ATTA member. I needed an SUV with a knowledgeable driver to explore distant areas of Sichuan, where mountains reach 6250 M 20000 ft. and also explore Tibetan communities. There is a large Tibetan culture and unlike Tibet itself, no Tibet Travel Permit is needed. China Exploration put together an excellent plan according to my input., SEE THE VIDEO AT THE TOP.
My beautiful room with balcony at Juizhaigou Valley Abluzi . 550 RMB per night. Very warm and comfortable in the frigid nights.
Like A Painting .A freshwater gull in a lake in Juizhaigou National Park.
Runoff from glaciers give the lakes their aqua color.
A Cold ShangriLa.
Spring sunshine in the Eastern Himalayas.
On The Grasslands. More Central Asia Than East Asia.
Yaks are long haired cattle who can climb easily and survive the extreme cold of the Himalayas.
Amazing Tibetan Yak Dumplings.
TotalAdventure explored many temples. Tibetan Buddhism thrives alongside modern Chinese life.
WATCH THE VIDEO AT TOP TO TOUR INSIDE.
Power From The Heavens.
Ornate Home Of Dietys.
All Seeing Itinerations.
On Sunday April 20th , TotalAdventure arrived by cable to the top of Mt.Degu . SEE THE VIDEO AT TOP. The elevation is 4860 M 15795 F.
At 32 North it is further south then Savannah,. Mt Everest is further southwest in the Himalayas.
The snow recedes enough in summer that the permanent glacier can be seen.
That’s canned oxygen in my hand. Nice to have after a raid ascent. The next day TotalAdventue departed Sichuan for Shanghai.
TotalAdventure flew from Colombo,Sri Lanka to Kathmandu, Nepal on March 14th. It was a comfortable 3 hour flight, almost entirely over smoky India – hard to see much from the air.
I was greeted at the airport by my colleague and guide Shahadev Shrestha – CEO of Everest Pioneer Trek Nepal Ltd. We met at the Adventure Travel World Summit In Anchorage, Alaska in 2016. I was planning a trip to Nepal in 2020, but of course worldwide lockdowns and border closings made that impossible. Now ,in 2023,TotalAdventure finally arrived. For the next 9 days I would explore the ancient cities of the Kathmandu Valley and climb thousands of meters on the challenging stair trails in the high hills leading to the Annapurna Range.
The first day was spent in the city. Monkeys are city dwellers also.
Nandi The Bull. Nepal is both Hindu and Buddhist.
Gods Are Omnipresent – Kathmandu is a city of lively prayer. WATCH THE VIDEO .
One of the Nepali national dishes is Momo. This special Momo, a type of dumpling, has chicken and is extra spicy. Nepali food has more meat than Indian, but cow beef is forbidden.
Monkeys Love Ice Cream ! The extreme cold causes them to eat it slowly.
In Old Bhaktapur – What lies behind these mysterious doors ?
Lord Buddha is ever calm and wise.
Ancient palaces have been restored over the past two decades.
A life of prayer and piety lead to desirable conditions for reincarnation.
A visit to the Burning Ghats sees reincarnation in action. When a Hindu departs, they are cremated within the next day, if not sooner. The ashes go into the water ,while the spirit rises into the Heavens, soon to return in a new life.
The oldest son prays before his Father.
A Holy Man reads scripture.
The price list translated from the original Nepali.
Royal Cities.
In Kathmandu TotalAdventure stayed at Kathmandu’s most iconic hotel – the Yak and Yeti. It was originally a palace.
The pool is spectacular. In addition there are clay tennis courts,a state of the art gym and sauna, as well as world class international restaurants and bars.
Manager Robinson Maharjan with Shahadev Shrestha.
Though quaint, i t’s nice to read an old fashioned local English paper, even though we can get the same news 24/7 on our electronic media.After your passport, your phone is now the most important travel item.
Now, it was time for the adventurous part of the Nepal Adventure. We boarded a 25 minute flight to Pokhara. The drive is 12 to 15 hours due to major road contraction, even though it is only a little over 100 km.
We stayed at the Mount Kailash Resort in Pokhara. One can see this beautiful Himalayan view on clear mornings.There is a great swimming pool and spa to recuperate from a strenuous trek in the nearby Himalayas.
The trails in Ghorepani Poon Hill are nearly vertical – sometimes a 60 degree grade. Instead of rods, because the grade is impossible for cars, there is an extensive network of stairs . All transport is on the backs of humans and sometimes small agile horses. SEE THE VIDEO ! There are many simple guest houses in a network of villages. Your morning eggs and coffee was carried up on someone’s back. As a result prices are higher than the lowlands, but still quite reasonable.
Mt.Fishtail 6,993 Meters 22727 feet – has never been climbed. It is extremely dangerous and the Nepali Government does not grant permits.
TotalAdventure’s Permit, secured by Everest Pioneer Trek.
TotalAdventure details and routes.
Annapurna – 10th highest mountain in the world – 8,091 Meters, 26,545 feet. Nepal has 8 of the 10 highest mountains in the world. Mt.Everest is farther Northeast and takes 2 weeks just to get to base camp – remember – cars are not an option.
The proprietress of our lodge with Shahadev and our porter Raj Kumar.
The snow lasts all year at higher elevations. It actually snows more in the summer, as that is monsoon. At our level around 3000m ,we had some light snow in the early mornings.
Mt.Fishtail In The Clouds.
The videographer at work.
After 3 days of climbing – from 2200 meters to 4000 meters , it was time to return to Pokhara. After a day of relaxation – we returned to Kathmandu – where I flew on to Qatar and the USA
We had a farewell dinner at the Yak and Yeti before I caught my 2 AM flight to Qatar. Pictured are Shahadev’s family, wife and daughter, along with an old college colleague of mine, Beth Brewster. We first met on a school trip in Mexico over 40 years ago. Beth has been in Nepal over 25 years. and is in charge of Giving Asha. The organization provides help to marginalized women and children in Nepal. Nepal has a great tourism industry, but there are still many poor. Please donate on the page.
Everest Pioneer Trek just launched three new adventures on TotalAdventure.Travel Click in the top left page of TotalAdventure Magazine or directly link to the trips from these links :
Adventure Natural Mustang Himalaya Trek 2023
Bhutan is remote and selective – like an exotic world club for the few and privileged . The entry (visa) fee is $250 and you must be on an organized tour. Numbers are limited. TV was only legalized 4 years ago – and the Web is arriving in a small trickle. Bhutan is an authentic Shangri-La – a land of True Adventure.