Thursday, December 27, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Okavango Delta
A place like no other I've seen on earth. Its tranquillity, beauty, and abundance of flora and fauna can surely be matched by few other places. We had packed all of our provisions for 3 days into our two backpacks and headed into the delta on a motor boat. We traveled for about two hours with motor until the channels became too narrow. At this point we met our guide Benny who was going to show us the many wonders of the Delta over the next few days from a wooden dugout mekoro (canoe like boat). Benny was our poler which means he stood in the back of the mekoro with a ten foot pole to propel us forward at a relaxing pace.
As we traveled deeper and deeper into the Okavango Delta the only sounds were the mekoro slicing through the water and the tropical birds swooping overhead. After three hours, with the sun hot and high overhead, we glided through the reeds onto shore to set up camp for the night. We had a bight to eat, through up the hammock, and swung in the wind waiting for the intensity of the sun to abate. For the previous 6 weeks Caroline and I had done very little sitting. We were always on the move trying to balance seeing as much as we could while still being able to soak it in. The forced relaxation of the Delta was a nice change.
With 2 hours of sunlight remaining we headed out on foot for a walking safari to find animals and watch the sun set from the bush over the Delta. Benny seemed to know everything about the Delta. Every bush , tree, bird, animal, and noise we saw or heard he told us all about it origin and uses. We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, and many other animals. More than once I was nervous by our proximity to these wild animals. Benny would spot packs of animals from a distance and we would thne stalk them using trees and bushes to mask our advance. When we would emerge from our cover to have a closer look the animals would be quit anxious. They would sometimes run to safety of the thick bush. Other times however they would advance towards us making warning noises. During one of these such times I looked around and realized that we were utterly defenseless. There was no place we could run, no place we could hide, and there sure was not anything with which we could fight off a heard of wild animals with. This provided just a glimpse into the life that people have been living on this continent for thousands of years. I could not help to make the comparison to how millions of people In Africa and throughout the world must feel living in a war zone (obviously the feelings of living in a war zone are drastically more intense). The whole incident with the animals provided a wonderful glimpse into the behavior of the animals.
On the morning of the third day we awoke early and watched the sun rise over the delta. We headed out on our last walking safari and we saw similiar things to the previous times with one exception. We came across a long track about 8 inches wide in the sand. It was the track of a 12-14 foot boa constrictor which had just passed by minutes before. We followed the track for a few minutes until we found the hole the snake had slithered in to. It was a peculiar feeling standing above the hole knowing that a few inches bellow my feet there was a massive snake which could feel the vibrations of our footsteps.
The snake never emerged which was just fine with me. My only other run in with a boa was a few years before. I was living in the jungles of Central America and I found a 6 foot boa behind my fridge. That run in was enough to last me a lifetime.
We had planned on spending the rest of the day swimming in the delta and relaxing at camp before we headed back to civilization. Instead of this however we asked Benny if we could leave early so he could show us his village. Benny lived just inside the Delta in a village of 500 people. the Village was there to provide polers for people desirering to go into the delta. We wanted to see how Benny lived and to meet some of the poeple with whom he lived. Benny was pleased we watned to see where he lived and around mid day we packed up camp, loaded the mekoro, and slowly made our way down the delta.
As we traveled deeper and deeper into the Okavango Delta the only sounds were the mekoro slicing through the water and the tropical birds swooping overhead. After three hours, with the sun hot and high overhead, we glided through the reeds onto shore to set up camp for the night. We had a bight to eat, through up the hammock, and swung in the wind waiting for the intensity of the sun to abate. For the previous 6 weeks Caroline and I had done very little sitting. We were always on the move trying to balance seeing as much as we could while still being able to soak it in. The forced relaxation of the Delta was a nice change.
With 2 hours of sunlight remaining we headed out on foot for a walking safari to find animals and watch the sun set from the bush over the Delta. Benny seemed to know everything about the Delta. Every bush , tree, bird, animal, and noise we saw or heard he told us all about it origin and uses. We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, and many other animals. More than once I was nervous by our proximity to these wild animals. Benny would spot packs of animals from a distance and we would thne stalk them using trees and bushes to mask our advance. When we would emerge from our cover to have a closer look the animals would be quit anxious. They would sometimes run to safety of the thick bush. Other times however they would advance towards us making warning noises. During one of these such times I looked around and realized that we were utterly defenseless. There was no place we could run, no place we could hide, and there sure was not anything with which we could fight off a heard of wild animals with. This provided just a glimpse into the life that people have been living on this continent for thousands of years. I could not help to make the comparison to how millions of people In Africa and throughout the world must feel living in a war zone (obviously the feelings of living in a war zone are drastically more intense). The whole incident with the animals provided a wonderful glimpse into the behavior of the animals.
On the morning of the third day we awoke early and watched the sun rise over the delta. We headed out on our last walking safari and we saw similiar things to the previous times with one exception. We came across a long track about 8 inches wide in the sand. It was the track of a 12-14 foot boa constrictor which had just passed by minutes before. We followed the track for a few minutes until we found the hole the snake had slithered in to. It was a peculiar feeling standing above the hole knowing that a few inches bellow my feet there was a massive snake which could feel the vibrations of our footsteps.
The snake never emerged which was just fine with me. My only other run in with a boa was a few years before. I was living in the jungles of Central America and I found a 6 foot boa behind my fridge. That run in was enough to last me a lifetime.
We had planned on spending the rest of the day swimming in the delta and relaxing at camp before we headed back to civilization. Instead of this however we asked Benny if we could leave early so he could show us his village. Benny lived just inside the Delta in a village of 500 people. the Village was there to provide polers for people desirering to go into the delta. We wanted to see how Benny lived and to meet some of the poeple with whom he lived. Benny was pleased we watned to see where he lived and around mid day we packed up camp, loaded the mekoro, and slowly made our way down the delta.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Etosha day 3 and Botswana
The last two days (day 3 and 4) we continued to see amazing things. I would love to write about them all now but I leave for the morning on a makuro (small wooden boat) to go deep into the Okavango delta in Northern Botswana for 3 days. I still need to finish the food shoping and prepare our camping equipment. One of the highlights I can't keep out though was our last nigh. We set up camp about 8pm after the sun had already set. I started to make a fire but for the first time on this trip had trouble. It was not due to me neccesarily but an outside force. While I was starting the fire I kept having to throw the logs at jackals that were trying to come and steel our food. At night time we were awoken by lions roaring from what seemed like 50 feet away. IN the morning time we saw many wart hogs running around eating the grass close to our tent. it was very cool to be so close to all the animals but I was a little annoyed with the jackals.
The drive from Etosha to Maun in Botswana took two days to complete and our scenery has changed drasticaly. The first day we got to within 14 kilometers of the border. We stayed at a small place 4 kilometers down a dirt road right on the rver. We fell asleep to the sound of hippos splashing in the river below us. We awoke in the morning and headed south to the Okavango Delta. The largest inland delta in all of Africa. It is just north of the Kalahari desert in Norther Botswana. When we first entered the country we saw something that could have been taken directly from the movie "birds" by Alfred Hitchcock. For the first 20 miles we drove there were thousands upon thousands of eagels soaring in the sky. They went on for as far as the eye could see. There could have been over a quarter of a million of these birds. Most of them were flying low and many times I got scared they were going to fly into our car. It was bizarre to say the least. We got a good video of it and when I get back to the US I will upload it.
That is it for now. As I mentioned I am heading deep into the delta in the morning. I am sure I will have plenty of stories once I reamerge. Until then...
The drive from Etosha to Maun in Botswana took two days to complete and our scenery has changed drasticaly. The first day we got to within 14 kilometers of the border. We stayed at a small place 4 kilometers down a dirt road right on the rver. We fell asleep to the sound of hippos splashing in the river below us. We awoke in the morning and headed south to the Okavango Delta. The largest inland delta in all of Africa. It is just north of the Kalahari desert in Norther Botswana. When we first entered the country we saw something that could have been taken directly from the movie "birds" by Alfred Hitchcock. For the first 20 miles we drove there were thousands upon thousands of eagels soaring in the sky. They went on for as far as the eye could see. There could have been over a quarter of a million of these birds. Most of them were flying low and many times I got scared they were going to fly into our car. It was bizarre to say the least. We got a good video of it and when I get back to the US I will upload it.
That is it for now. As I mentioned I am heading deep into the delta in the morning. I am sure I will have plenty of stories once I reamerge. Until then...
Etosh day 2
We woke up at sunrise to head to a watering hole named Salvadora. We had heard there had been a lot of lion sightings there early in the morning. The lions often go to the water holes in thmorning to drink after their hunt in the night. We stayed there fo two hours and saw lots of zebras but no lions.
We decided to move on and went to a water hole named rietfontein. Here we saw 80 impala or so and we saw 7 giraffes. We stayed here for about 45 minues and watched a very interesting interaction among two giraffe. They were evidently two mals showing each other who was more masculine. They were leaning against each other very hard and taking turns swinging their necks and wacking the other one. We were about 50 feet away and we could hear the sound when they would hit. It was truly amazing. We got tired of watching however after 45 minutes and drove around in search of anything else we could find. Everywhere you go there are animals of different sizes and shapes. If I were to talk about everything I would be writing for days.
We went back to our camp in mid afternoon, relaxed, read, and got ready for the sunset animal viewing. The sun sets around 7 so at 5 we headed back to Salvadora in hopes of seeing some lions up close and in the light. When we arrived there were about 40 springbuck and over 200 zebras. Some so close I oculd reach out and touch them. It is amazing how they just pay no attention to you. All of the animals were much more sketish than usual. It was very clear they were quite nervous. After about 45 mintues of watching them all the Zebras ran about 20 feet away and were watching the woodline infront of them. At this point we knew a predator was comingbut neither of us wanted to say anything. I think I held my breath in anticipation for 5 minutes. All of a sudden about 25 feet from us a full grown male lion came sauntering from behind a small hill full of confidence. It was the most amazing thing I have seen in my life. He was absolutely gorgeous. He strutted up to the water hole with not a care in the world. As he did so all the other animals ran for cover. The lion bent down ten feet from us and started to drink, I could almost count the whiskers on his face. With out a doubt he was the most beautiful animal I have ever seen.
He drank for a while and then headed to the other side of the watering hole to rest up for the night. No other animals came within sight of us for the next hour that we stayed there. We shared an amazing African sky sunset with the king of the jungle.
We decided to move on and went to a water hole named rietfontein. Here we saw 80 impala or so and we saw 7 giraffes. We stayed here for about 45 minues and watched a very interesting interaction among two giraffe. They were evidently two mals showing each other who was more masculine. They were leaning against each other very hard and taking turns swinging their necks and wacking the other one. We were about 50 feet away and we could hear the sound when they would hit. It was truly amazing. We got tired of watching however after 45 minutes and drove around in search of anything else we could find. Everywhere you go there are animals of different sizes and shapes. If I were to talk about everything I would be writing for days.
We went back to our camp in mid afternoon, relaxed, read, and got ready for the sunset animal viewing. The sun sets around 7 so at 5 we headed back to Salvadora in hopes of seeing some lions up close and in the light. When we arrived there were about 40 springbuck and over 200 zebras. Some so close I oculd reach out and touch them. It is amazing how they just pay no attention to you. All of the animals were much more sketish than usual. It was very clear they were quite nervous. After about 45 mintues of watching them all the Zebras ran about 20 feet away and were watching the woodline infront of them. At this point we knew a predator was comingbut neither of us wanted to say anything. I think I held my breath in anticipation for 5 minutes. All of a sudden about 25 feet from us a full grown male lion came sauntering from behind a small hill full of confidence. It was the most amazing thing I have seen in my life. He was absolutely gorgeous. He strutted up to the water hole with not a care in the world. As he did so all the other animals ran for cover. The lion bent down ten feet from us and started to drink, I could almost count the whiskers on his face. With out a doubt he was the most beautiful animal I have ever seen.
He drank for a while and then headed to the other side of the watering hole to rest up for the night. No other animals came within sight of us for the next hour that we stayed there. We shared an amazing African sky sunset with the king of the jungle.
Etosha national park
My entire life my number one dream for a place to see has been an African Safari. Since we have been in Africa we have gone on a few safaris but this most recent one has topped them all. It was everything I have ever hoped and dreamed of. I will attempt to put it into words in this entry but I know I will not be able to encompass the true amazement, beauty, and magnifecence of Etosha National park. Nevertheless I will attempt.
Etosha Natioanal Park is in Northern Namibia. It is 22,000 kilometers square (cut down from its original size of 88,000). The park is in the desert and the temperatures during the late afternoon reach of 115 degrees farenheit. Unlike Kruger national park in South Africa which has rivers running through it Etosha is very dry. There are watering holes through out the park where the animals congegate. In the following few paragraphs I will talk about my experiences at the different wateringholes. December is the very end of the dry season which means there are fewer waterholes. This results in the animals being more concentrated around teh few waterholes that are left. There are three camps within Etosha where people can camp and they are all 75 kilometers from eachother. Each camp is set up at a watering hole that is lit by a floodlight at night. All the roads are dirt roads which you cannot drive more than 30 MPH on due to their conditions.
On the night of the 27th we slept just outside of the park. We had a BBQ, or as they call it a brie in south African. After we ate and the fire died down we looked up and the sky seemed to glow from all of the stars. We we amazed at the absolute beauty of it. I had heard Namibia had amazing stars but nothing could have prepared me for what we saw. A few shooting stars flew through the sky for what seemed like minutes at a time. We eventually tore ourselves from star gazing because we ha d abig day ahead of us. We were going into Etosha, one of the best places in all of Africa to see what I have always dreamt of, LIONS!!!
We awoke at sunrise, packed the tent, and headed into the park. Within minutes of being in the park we saw thousands of animals migrating to and from someplace in the distance. We assumed it was a watering hole and so we drove as close as we could. This watering hole was at the first camp and so we coul dget out of the car and get within 25 feet of it. There was one elephant, hundreds of zebra, springbuck, oryx and a myriad of other buck. New animals were in a constant line coming and going to drink their full.
We stayed here for an hour or so and then headed out to explore the park. We soon learned that from about 12-5 in the afternoon there is not much to see. It is just too hot for the animals to move around. We took this opportunity in the height of the heat to go to the camp to read and relax (I just finished Nelson Mandela's autobigraphy... probably the best book I have ever read).
That night we went to the watering hole at our camp around 9:30 and it was like a play. In the first act we saw 3 elephants drinking and spraying themselves with water. the elephant left and shortly thereafter a rhino came to drink. After about 15 minutes the Rhino left. The watering hole was abandoned for 30 minutes or so and then we saw movement. I instantly recognized the animal as the animal I have dreamt about seeing for so long. Six female lions stroled confidently out of the shadows to have a drink. We were so close that we could hear their tongues lapping up the water. After they drank their full they lied down to rest up before the night time hunt. The lighting was not great but nonetheless it was amazing to see the lions.
As a young boy I used to think I was a lion in my previous life. I slept with a picture of a lion over my bed and we used to exchange roars. Byt the age of 6 I had perfected my lions roar and in my mind it was as life like as it could be.
The next day we awoke at sunrise to head out and see as much as we could. we spent a total of 4 days in the park and each day seemed to get better than the previous.
I will hopefully be able to write about the next three days later today but I need to get going for the time being. I am in Botswana which borders Namibia but seems like a different world.
Etosha Natioanal Park is in Northern Namibia. It is 22,000 kilometers square (cut down from its original size of 88,000). The park is in the desert and the temperatures during the late afternoon reach of 115 degrees farenheit. Unlike Kruger national park in South Africa which has rivers running through it Etosha is very dry. There are watering holes through out the park where the animals congegate. In the following few paragraphs I will talk about my experiences at the different wateringholes. December is the very end of the dry season which means there are fewer waterholes. This results in the animals being more concentrated around teh few waterholes that are left. There are three camps within Etosha where people can camp and they are all 75 kilometers from eachother. Each camp is set up at a watering hole that is lit by a floodlight at night. All the roads are dirt roads which you cannot drive more than 30 MPH on due to their conditions.
On the night of the 27th we slept just outside of the park. We had a BBQ, or as they call it a brie in south African. After we ate and the fire died down we looked up and the sky seemed to glow from all of the stars. We we amazed at the absolute beauty of it. I had heard Namibia had amazing stars but nothing could have prepared me for what we saw. A few shooting stars flew through the sky for what seemed like minutes at a time. We eventually tore ourselves from star gazing because we ha d abig day ahead of us. We were going into Etosha, one of the best places in all of Africa to see what I have always dreamt of, LIONS!!!
We awoke at sunrise, packed the tent, and headed into the park. Within minutes of being in the park we saw thousands of animals migrating to and from someplace in the distance. We assumed it was a watering hole and so we drove as close as we could. This watering hole was at the first camp and so we coul dget out of the car and get within 25 feet of it. There was one elephant, hundreds of zebra, springbuck, oryx and a myriad of other buck. New animals were in a constant line coming and going to drink their full.
We stayed here for an hour or so and then headed out to explore the park. We soon learned that from about 12-5 in the afternoon there is not much to see. It is just too hot for the animals to move around. We took this opportunity in the height of the heat to go to the camp to read and relax (I just finished Nelson Mandela's autobigraphy... probably the best book I have ever read).
That night we went to the watering hole at our camp around 9:30 and it was like a play. In the first act we saw 3 elephants drinking and spraying themselves with water. the elephant left and shortly thereafter a rhino came to drink. After about 15 minutes the Rhino left. The watering hole was abandoned for 30 minutes or so and then we saw movement. I instantly recognized the animal as the animal I have dreamt about seeing for so long. Six female lions stroled confidently out of the shadows to have a drink. We were so close that we could hear their tongues lapping up the water. After they drank their full they lied down to rest up before the night time hunt. The lighting was not great but nonetheless it was amazing to see the lions.
As a young boy I used to think I was a lion in my previous life. I slept with a picture of a lion over my bed and we used to exchange roars. Byt the age of 6 I had perfected my lions roar and in my mind it was as life like as it could be.
The next day we awoke at sunrise to head out and see as much as we could. we spent a total of 4 days in the park and each day seemed to get better than the previous.
I will hopefully be able to write about the next three days later today but I need to get going for the time being. I am in Botswana which borders Namibia but seems like a different world.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Great couple of days
Well as the title might suggest we have had a fantastic few days packed with fun, gorgeous mountains, and massive sand dunes. Since the start of our trip we have gone through 2 cars and have travelled a total of 4,500 miles. We have just under 4 weeks left and have already scene things I have dreamt about my entire life.
Saturday morning we left Windoak early and headed south west to Sousuvle near the coast. That is where the worlds highest sand dunes are. The drive was only 300 kilometers but we were driving through mountain passes and on dirt roads the whole way so it took a little over 8 hours. As we traversed the mountain passes heading deep into the Namibian desert we were accompanied by gorgeous views of the African Veld.
The roads in Namibia are very interesting indeed. There are 4 or 5 main roads in the country and they are pretty much the only tarred roads. All the other roads are a mixture of dirt, gravel, rocks, and sand. Some are decent others are horrendous. The quality often changes in the blink of an eye. It is a big country with a small population. For the majority of our drive yesterday we were the only car we saw.
We arrived to the place we were going to camp around 4 o-clock with a thick film of dust all over our bodies. I was too tired to shower so I lied down and read my book ina hammock looking up at the mountains. The sun started to set around 715 and so we headed up into the mountains to get a better view. The sun melted in open veld in front of us turning the entire sky orange. We headed back to our camp and started a fire. As we sat back with our feet up we just happened to be facing east the dirrectino the moon was to rise. the sky was completely black and then we watched as a full moon,as bright as I have ever seen in my life, seemed to rise from inside the moutnains we were looking at. It was by far one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life. Without trying to sound corny it literally took my breath away with how beautiful it was.
We went to bed early that night because the following morning we were going to get up at 430 to drive to the highest sand dunes int he world to watch the sunrise. We awoke and started driving west. We could have driven without our lights and only with the light from the moon (I would have done this if I was not nervous about hitting one of the many animals along the way).
If you have ever seen a picture of Namibia it is sure to have a shot of the sussuvle sand dunes in it. They are bright red and over 300 meters high (about 1000 feet). When the sun rose over the dunes the colors changed hughs before our eyes (I will put pictures up when I get back to the US the Internet is too slow here). We hiked to the top of the dunes and ran down, or rather ran/tumbled down. We then went to a place called dead vle. it was nearby and as we walked over the dunes to see what they call dead vle. This was a place of erie beauty. It is a dried up pond which is an off white. The trees have all been dead for thousands of years and they are still standing. It is completely surrounded with towering red sand dunes and that led into the cloudless blue sky. the entire place reminded me of a children's book. None of it seemed real, it was just too massive, too gorgeous, too amazing.
Yesterday we drove to sacomond in the north west. The drive only took about 5 hours and when we arrived we went in search of the flamencos we had heard about. Well, we did not have to search far. as soon as we got to the coast we could see them. In fact it was hard to see the water. There were thousands upon thousands of flamencos all various sizes and colors. We hung out with them for a little while and then found the place where we were going to camp. This morning we woke up for a day I have been waiting for for a long time. The day of sand dune surfing!!! We got picked up at 930 and headed out to the dunes. The city is surrounded by miles and miles of sand. The sand looks similar to the ocean except frozen and yellow. We were issued our sand boards and we hiked to the top of the dunes. I strapped in and point my board south. It was amazing flying down the sand trapped a board. My next run I thought I was professional enough to launch myself off the huge jump built into the sand. Well I launched myself for sure but there was nothing professional about it. I landed on my face to the shouts and cheers of everyone watching. I got it caught on video so that helped take some of the sting away.
We sand boarded the rest of the day but I kept clear of the suicidal jump. They also had sand sleds which I think I liked even better. It is a piece of thick card board and you down and slide face first. My first run I made it up to 61 kph but my second run I blew that speed away when I clocked in at 70 KPH. I was sweet indeed. We are headed off to Etsosha national park tomorrow to find the elusive cheetah, leopard, and LIONS!!! Not sure if I am going to have internet for the next few weeks but we will see...
Saturday morning we left Windoak early and headed south west to Sousuvle near the coast. That is where the worlds highest sand dunes are. The drive was only 300 kilometers but we were driving through mountain passes and on dirt roads the whole way so it took a little over 8 hours. As we traversed the mountain passes heading deep into the Namibian desert we were accompanied by gorgeous views of the African Veld.
The roads in Namibia are very interesting indeed. There are 4 or 5 main roads in the country and they are pretty much the only tarred roads. All the other roads are a mixture of dirt, gravel, rocks, and sand. Some are decent others are horrendous. The quality often changes in the blink of an eye. It is a big country with a small population. For the majority of our drive yesterday we were the only car we saw.
We arrived to the place we were going to camp around 4 o-clock with a thick film of dust all over our bodies. I was too tired to shower so I lied down and read my book ina hammock looking up at the mountains. The sun started to set around 715 and so we headed up into the mountains to get a better view. The sun melted in open veld in front of us turning the entire sky orange. We headed back to our camp and started a fire. As we sat back with our feet up we just happened to be facing east the dirrectino the moon was to rise. the sky was completely black and then we watched as a full moon,as bright as I have ever seen in my life, seemed to rise from inside the moutnains we were looking at. It was by far one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life. Without trying to sound corny it literally took my breath away with how beautiful it was.
We went to bed early that night because the following morning we were going to get up at 430 to drive to the highest sand dunes int he world to watch the sunrise. We awoke and started driving west. We could have driven without our lights and only with the light from the moon (I would have done this if I was not nervous about hitting one of the many animals along the way).
If you have ever seen a picture of Namibia it is sure to have a shot of the sussuvle sand dunes in it. They are bright red and over 300 meters high (about 1000 feet). When the sun rose over the dunes the colors changed hughs before our eyes (I will put pictures up when I get back to the US the Internet is too slow here). We hiked to the top of the dunes and ran down, or rather ran/tumbled down. We then went to a place called dead vle. it was nearby and as we walked over the dunes to see what they call dead vle. This was a place of erie beauty. It is a dried up pond which is an off white. The trees have all been dead for thousands of years and they are still standing. It is completely surrounded with towering red sand dunes and that led into the cloudless blue sky. the entire place reminded me of a children's book. None of it seemed real, it was just too massive, too gorgeous, too amazing.
Yesterday we drove to sacomond in the north west. The drive only took about 5 hours and when we arrived we went in search of the flamencos we had heard about. Well, we did not have to search far. as soon as we got to the coast we could see them. In fact it was hard to see the water. There were thousands upon thousands of flamencos all various sizes and colors. We hung out with them for a little while and then found the place where we were going to camp. This morning we woke up for a day I have been waiting for for a long time. The day of sand dune surfing!!! We got picked up at 930 and headed out to the dunes. The city is surrounded by miles and miles of sand. The sand looks similar to the ocean except frozen and yellow. We were issued our sand boards and we hiked to the top of the dunes. I strapped in and point my board south. It was amazing flying down the sand trapped a board. My next run I thought I was professional enough to launch myself off the huge jump built into the sand. Well I launched myself for sure but there was nothing professional about it. I landed on my face to the shouts and cheers of everyone watching. I got it caught on video so that helped take some of the sting away.
We sand boarded the rest of the day but I kept clear of the suicidal jump. They also had sand sleds which I think I liked even better. It is a piece of thick card board and you down and slide face first. My first run I made it up to 61 kph but my second run I blew that speed away when I clocked in at 70 KPH. I was sweet indeed. We are headed off to Etsosha national park tomorrow to find the elusive cheetah, leopard, and LIONS!!! Not sure if I am going to have internet for the next few weeks but we will see...
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Cape town to Namibia
So shortly after my last entry we hit the road and headed north. We are now in Windhoek which is the capital of Namibia (about in the center of the country). Windhoek is approximately 1700 kilometers from Cape Town. The road between these two places is straight and there is absolutely nothing. except for to gorgeous canyons there is nothing but open flat land. The road goes straight and flat. It is impossible to know where the land ends and the sky begins. Even out there in the middle of nowhere we saw a pack of ostriches running across the road and drove through a group of baboons.
It took us about two and half days to get to where we are now. Yesterday morning we were in Springbock which is in northern South Africa. When I woke up I had a minor sore throat. I did not think too much of it but nonetheless I took good care of it. After driving all day and finding all the places we wanted to go either closed or abandoned we went to a small town and found a place to set up our tent. At night I only slept about 15 minutes at a time. I could feel my throat getting worse be the minute. When I woke up I took my temperature, saw that I had a fever, and realized I needed to go to the hospital. Now one thing I was hoping to avoid while in Africa was an African hospital. I however had no choice. We looked at our map and saw there was a hospital about 10 minutes away. When we were pulling up to it I was relived because it was a rather large building. As we got closer however my feelings and perceptions changed. The security gates to the hospital were closed and it was apparent someone had tired to force them open. I could see the windows of the hospital broken and there were bullet holes in the guard tower. It was pretty easy to surmise the hospital was no longer functioning and I needed to find another one.
The closest hospital or medical treatment was a 5 hour drive to the north. For me that was no problem at all because I had the transportation, the time and the money to make the trip. If I was one of the people living here there would have been nothing I could have done.
We are going to plan out our next couple of weeks tomorrow as I rest up an give the antibiotics time to kick in (I have tonsillitis) and then we are off exploring again.
It took us about two and half days to get to where we are now. Yesterday morning we were in Springbock which is in northern South Africa. When I woke up I had a minor sore throat. I did not think too much of it but nonetheless I took good care of it. After driving all day and finding all the places we wanted to go either closed or abandoned we went to a small town and found a place to set up our tent. At night I only slept about 15 minutes at a time. I could feel my throat getting worse be the minute. When I woke up I took my temperature, saw that I had a fever, and realized I needed to go to the hospital. Now one thing I was hoping to avoid while in Africa was an African hospital. I however had no choice. We looked at our map and saw there was a hospital about 10 minutes away. When we were pulling up to it I was relived because it was a rather large building. As we got closer however my feelings and perceptions changed. The security gates to the hospital were closed and it was apparent someone had tired to force them open. I could see the windows of the hospital broken and there were bullet holes in the guard tower. It was pretty easy to surmise the hospital was no longer functioning and I needed to find another one.
The closest hospital or medical treatment was a 5 hour drive to the north. For me that was no problem at all because I had the transportation, the time and the money to make the trip. If I was one of the people living here there would have been nothing I could have done.
We are going to plan out our next couple of weeks tomorrow as I rest up an give the antibiotics time to kick in (I have tonsillitis) and then we are off exploring again.
Monday, November 19, 2007
cape town
We have been in Cape Town now for about 3 days and it is a very cool place. The best way I can describe it is a mix between Madrid and Bourbon street in New Orleans. It has a very European and cosmopolitan feel to it. Our first night here we went to a flaminco show which was quite good. We drove along the coast which looks very tropical and hung out at the beach for a while. Yesterday we went to a day spa which was amazing. I got an hour swedish massage and then we hung out and used all of their facilities. There was a salt pool that was fashioned after the black sea. You lie on your back and you float without any trouble. The whole spa was on a bluff overlooking the ocean.
Cape Town is definetly a city that I could live in however, I am ready to get out of here. I did not come to Africa to see the cities but rather to see the wilds. I am ready to get back out in nature and listen to the birds instead of the cars. We are taking off in a few minutes for Namibia which everyone we talk to says is amazing. In Namibia they have the highest sand dunes in the world and I can't wait to get there and sand surf down them. THey also say you have to wear your sunglasses at night because the stars are so bright!!!
Cape Town is definetly a city that I could live in however, I am ready to get out of here. I did not come to Africa to see the cities but rather to see the wilds. I am ready to get back out in nature and listen to the birds instead of the cars. We are taking off in a few minutes for Namibia which everyone we talk to says is amazing. In Namibia they have the highest sand dunes in the world and I can't wait to get there and sand surf down them. THey also say you have to wear your sunglasses at night because the stars are so bright!!!
Friday, November 16, 2007
hair don't
guest author today .... luke
our mom was complaining about zak's new hair and beard style, so i decided the brotherly thing to do was take some heat off him .... zak, make sure to let me know when you get a new tattoo. just don't get that one on your nectk, not sure i can one-up that ...
our mom was complaining about zak's new hair and beard style, so i decided the brotherly thing to do was take some heat off him .... zak, make sure to let me know when you get a new tattoo. just don't get that one on your nectk, not sure i can one-up that ...
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Losutho, the mountain kingdom
A few days ago we went to the mighty Drakensburgh mountains that border Losutho. Losutho is one of the smallest countries in the world and it is completely surrounded by South Africa. It is truly a mountain kingdom and their #1 export is Marijuana. On the eastern border of Losutho is the fore mentioned Drakensburgh mountains. It literally means Dragon mountains. The whole region is dirt roads and many of these roads you need a 4X4 to traverse. We went to the Sani Pass in the Lower Berg. Our goal was to cross the pass into Losutho early in the morning and return before the border closes at 4pm. On the day we were supposed to embark on our trip a massive thunderstorm blocked our way. This ended up being an omen because we spent the day lieing in hammocks, reading, relaxing, and watching the storm. It was a well needed rest as we have not stopped moving since we flew into the country.
The following day the weather behaved much better. We set out a little after daybreak to attempt the pass. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. The jagged mountains were covered in mist high on the horizon. We had been camping at 4,500 feet and the border crossing was at 6,000 feet. The road twisted through the mountains and was probably one of the scariest roads I have ever been on. When we reached the top the weather must have dropped to about 35 degrees. We went to a local village and ate some fresh made bread. The views had changed dramatically and the mountains gave way to open valleys with grazing sheep.
We headed back down to our camp site and passed through the border with South Africa with 10 minutes to spare. The next day we woke up early and headed back to the shore to get the chill out of our bones.
The following day the weather behaved much better. We set out a little after daybreak to attempt the pass. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. The jagged mountains were covered in mist high on the horizon. We had been camping at 4,500 feet and the border crossing was at 6,000 feet. The road twisted through the mountains and was probably one of the scariest roads I have ever been on. When we reached the top the weather must have dropped to about 35 degrees. We went to a local village and ate some fresh made bread. The views had changed dramatically and the mountains gave way to open valleys with grazing sheep.
We headed back down to our camp site and passed through the border with South Africa with 10 minutes to spare. The next day we woke up early and headed back to the shore to get the chill out of our bones.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Poverty
the coutnry has a facade of being in good shape but it is really a complete disaster. today after almost three weeks of being here I saw the first affluent house. I have seen medium sized homes and they are always surrounded by shanty towns, cow dung houses, houses constructed out of metal tins or anything the poeple could find. The HIV rate of the people ages 15-30 is something like 60%. Parents are dieing off from AIDS and the country is raising a generation of children without parents. Many people do not believe that the anti retral drugs work at all; they instead prefer to go to their local healers. The man who is most likely to be the next president is notorious for having sex with HIV infected women because he believes that if you shower afterwards you can't become infected. If a man of education, money, and fame thinks this way the millions of people who have zero education must believe it as well.
About five years ago there was a rumor going around in this country that if you had sex with a virgin you would be cured of HIV. This led to thousands of men raping girls as young as 5 years old.
I went hiking with a guy I met the other day to a water fall out in the jungle. When we got there we went straight to the top and jumped the 30 feet or so into the pool underneath. When he took his shirt off I noticed a massive scar on his side. It was 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. I asked him what happened and he told a story that I am sure is an everyday occurance here. Seven years ago he was in his township and got into a fight with another guy over a girl. He won the fight but the guy he was fighting had been circumsized whereas he had not been. In the xhosa tradition (same tribe as Nelson Mandela) you are not a man until you have been circumsized. The guy then went to get a knife and stabbed my buddy to try to save some face. I asked him why he did not go a hospital and he said he had already lost so much blood he did not want to lose his money as well. It would have been too expensive for him to take transportation to the hospital to get treatment. He then went on to say that he wanted to press charges but it would have cost him too much money as well. He would have had to pay to get to town, pay for court fees, and pay for lunch while he was in town. He did not have the money so the guy did not get into trouble.
Driving along the highway you pass through villages of postage stamp sized houses. I have been in bathrooms bigger than these houses where 10 people could be living. Many people seem happy despite the poverty but sometimes you can see the desperation in peoples faces. A look of helplessness, misery, and fear. Some people look as if they reached the end of their limit and have given up.
I have seen poverty before traveling but it has never had this type of effect on me. It could be that it has been building inside of me or it could be that here it is just everywhere.
I would not change the privelages I have had my entire life. Having said that it does not seem fair that one person can have so much and millions of others have nothing. There are millions of people living with no electricity, water, food, work, safety, or education. Without education these people will have no weapon to better themselves.
These are just some of my thoughts that have been going through my head on my travels. My next entry will have some of the adventrues I have been going on.
About five years ago there was a rumor going around in this country that if you had sex with a virgin you would be cured of HIV. This led to thousands of men raping girls as young as 5 years old.
I went hiking with a guy I met the other day to a water fall out in the jungle. When we got there we went straight to the top and jumped the 30 feet or so into the pool underneath. When he took his shirt off I noticed a massive scar on his side. It was 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. I asked him what happened and he told a story that I am sure is an everyday occurance here. Seven years ago he was in his township and got into a fight with another guy over a girl. He won the fight but the guy he was fighting had been circumsized whereas he had not been. In the xhosa tradition (same tribe as Nelson Mandela) you are not a man until you have been circumsized. The guy then went to get a knife and stabbed my buddy to try to save some face. I asked him why he did not go a hospital and he said he had already lost so much blood he did not want to lose his money as well. It would have been too expensive for him to take transportation to the hospital to get treatment. He then went on to say that he wanted to press charges but it would have cost him too much money as well. He would have had to pay to get to town, pay for court fees, and pay for lunch while he was in town. He did not have the money so the guy did not get into trouble.
Driving along the highway you pass through villages of postage stamp sized houses. I have been in bathrooms bigger than these houses where 10 people could be living. Many people seem happy despite the poverty but sometimes you can see the desperation in peoples faces. A look of helplessness, misery, and fear. Some people look as if they reached the end of their limit and have given up.
I have seen poverty before traveling but it has never had this type of effect on me. It could be that it has been building inside of me or it could be that here it is just everywhere.
I would not change the privelages I have had my entire life. Having said that it does not seem fair that one person can have so much and millions of others have nothing. There are millions of people living with no electricity, water, food, work, safety, or education. Without education these people will have no weapon to better themselves.
These are just some of my thoughts that have been going through my head on my travels. My next entry will have some of the adventrues I have been going on.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Zulu Land
So we decided not to go scuba diving. Too much money and too many other things to see. We went to Zululand 3 days ago. When we first got there we set up camp in a small town called eshawe. After we pitched our tent we went to the local brewery to plan out our time there and see who we could meet. We were having a beer and a local guy came up and sat down next to us. I started talking to him and asking questions about the area. We hit it off and he invited us to go to a coming of age ceremony (similar to an engagement party) the next day. The following day we went for a walk in the forest and then around 12 headed out into the village. It was about 30 miles on dirt mountain roads to get to where we were going. Our car barely made it up some passes and we bottomed out many times. We Finlay arrived and the scenery was amazing. I know understand why Hemingway always talked about the green hills of Africa; The mountains were dramatically green spotted with mud house villages. When we first got there (we were the only white people) they brought us Zulu beer in black pottery for us to drink. It did not taste like any other beer I have ever had. you had to kneel down and blow off the top before drinking. After that they brought us a delicacy. I knew exactly what it was but I did not want to ask (plus there was an enormous language barrier; they spoke a few words of English but mainly just Zulu which is a clicking language). They cut us up some meet and we took a few bites. they then cut up the testicle and liquid spurted everywhere. What we ate was the scrotum. I can't really say that it was tasty but it was interesting.
After we ate the ceremony started and we went outside and sat down on a hill. Below us were all the women aged 8-22 dancing, chanting and singing. The available women danced bare breasted and the taken women (or the women that were too young) had tops on. The men and women were in separate groups and there was almost no interaction between the two groups. the men had spears and shields and they were chanting and singing. There were a lot of rituals going on that we did not understand but it was fascinating nonetheless. Groups of men, sometimes 100-200 at a time, would come out of no where chanting and banging their shields with their spears. They would then donate money to the wife to be. She would get on her hands and knees and they would pin it to her head. This money would then be given to her husband to be so he could pay her dowry. The dowry is 11 cows which costs about $6,600.
The whole experience was amazing. The houses these people lived in were made out of mud with dirt floors. Children had to walk to the one school for sometimes 2 hours. There were no pens, no paper, no materials for these kids to do any work with. Seeing the way people live here and other places I have been really makes me realize how blessed I have been in my life to have all the things that I have.
I am in Durban now which is a beach town and am headed up to drakensbugh tomorrow to do some hiking. That could all change in the morning but I think the plan will stay in place. I have taken a lot of photos and will put them up online as soon as I can. I shaved a Mohawk into my head the other day and a fu-man-chew into my beard. It looks hilarious and I love it.
I need to get going but a quick note on a driving hear.
We have done about 1700 miles at this point and it is very interesting indeed. I have to drive on the left side of the road and on the left side of the car. While driving down the highway there will sometimes be 12 inch deep pot holes that take up the entire lane. I have to dodge all sorts of animals, everything from cows, goats, to zebras, and giraffes all while driving sometimes 50 miles an hour. The people also walk down the side of the highway. This next bit is going to sound a little scary but keep in mind that I am in another part of the world. and am driving how they drive here. With that said... the other day I was driving down the highway and passing a vehicle with oncoming traffic over a double yellow line speeding into a military road block. I got pulled over and the soldier (or cop or whatever he was wielding his ak-47) told me that I should not be doing that and sent me on my way. Then 3 days later I got pulled over in Swaziland and the cop came over to me and talked for about 5 minutes about where I was from and how to have as much fun as possible while in Africa. He then told me I had been speeding and gave me the maximum fine of $8.
More stories to come soon.
By the way it is too expensive for me to proof read these entries so I am sure there are plenty of mistakes.
After we ate the ceremony started and we went outside and sat down on a hill. Below us were all the women aged 8-22 dancing, chanting and singing. The available women danced bare breasted and the taken women (or the women that were too young) had tops on. The men and women were in separate groups and there was almost no interaction between the two groups. the men had spears and shields and they were chanting and singing. There were a lot of rituals going on that we did not understand but it was fascinating nonetheless. Groups of men, sometimes 100-200 at a time, would come out of no where chanting and banging their shields with their spears. They would then donate money to the wife to be. She would get on her hands and knees and they would pin it to her head. This money would then be given to her husband to be so he could pay her dowry. The dowry is 11 cows which costs about $6,600.
The whole experience was amazing. The houses these people lived in were made out of mud with dirt floors. Children had to walk to the one school for sometimes 2 hours. There were no pens, no paper, no materials for these kids to do any work with. Seeing the way people live here and other places I have been really makes me realize how blessed I have been in my life to have all the things that I have.
I am in Durban now which is a beach town and am headed up to drakensbugh tomorrow to do some hiking. That could all change in the morning but I think the plan will stay in place. I have taken a lot of photos and will put them up online as soon as I can. I shaved a Mohawk into my head the other day and a fu-man-chew into my beard. It looks hilarious and I love it.
I need to get going but a quick note on a driving hear.
We have done about 1700 miles at this point and it is very interesting indeed. I have to drive on the left side of the road and on the left side of the car. While driving down the highway there will sometimes be 12 inch deep pot holes that take up the entire lane. I have to dodge all sorts of animals, everything from cows, goats, to zebras, and giraffes all while driving sometimes 50 miles an hour. The people also walk down the side of the highway. This next bit is going to sound a little scary but keep in mind that I am in another part of the world. and am driving how they drive here. With that said... the other day I was driving down the highway and passing a vehicle with oncoming traffic over a double yellow line speeding into a military road block. I got pulled over and the soldier (or cop or whatever he was wielding his ak-47) told me that I should not be doing that and sent me on my way. Then 3 days later I got pulled over in Swaziland and the cop came over to me and talked for about 5 minutes about where I was from and how to have as much fun as possible while in Africa. He then told me I had been speeding and gave me the maximum fine of $8.
More stories to come soon.
By the way it is too expensive for me to proof read these entries so I am sure there are plenty of mistakes.
Sorry this is the right number
send text messages if you want or call. finally this is the right number 011 27 76 739 5211
Friday, November 2, 2007
Swaziland, a Mountain Kingdom
We have been on a few different safaris in a few different places. There is an absolute plethora of animals on this continent. Here is a list of some of the things we have seen:
monkeys
impalas fighting
baboons mating (10 ft from us)
herds of elephants
herds of giraffes
herds of Zebras
huge herd of African wild dogs (5 ft from us)
Dung beadle rolling a ball of dung
water buck
wildebeest
warthog
white rhinos
hyenas and babies
Guinea fowl
sable
hippos
crocs
We have not seen any cats yet but we will be on many more safaris before this trip is out. We are headed up to Namibia in about 3 weeks where they have the largest concentration of cheetahs.
Three days ago we were in Swaziland camping in the mwilani wild life sanctuary. When we woke we saw Zebras grazing in the valley. IN the morning we went on a 3 hour self guided safari around the park. It was probably one of the most amazing walks I have ever done. The scenery was stunning and we were surround by everything from Zebras to Warthogs to wildebeest. At one point we had to pick up sticks to fend off a bird that was dive bombing us.
We are now in St lucia south africa. Two nights ago when we were walking back to our tent we herd a noise on the other side of the tree line. We went over to investigate and there was a pod of hippos walking no more than 15 ft away. This and everything else has been surreal.
South Africa has amazing scenery. The crazy thing about it is that it can change within a couple miles into something completely different from what you had been seeing. We have rented a car for 2 months and have already put 1500 miles on it. It is not the cheapest way to travel but it gives us the flexibility to see and do what we want to. Today we are headed to sodwana bay where we will be scuba diving for 5 days. They supposedly have some of the best diving in the world. We'll see....
I'll write more soon
monkeys
impalas fighting
baboons mating (10 ft from us)
herds of elephants
herds of giraffes
herds of Zebras
huge herd of African wild dogs (5 ft from us)
Dung beadle rolling a ball of dung
water buck
wildebeest
warthog
white rhinos
hyenas and babies
Guinea fowl
sable
hippos
crocs
We have not seen any cats yet but we will be on many more safaris before this trip is out. We are headed up to Namibia in about 3 weeks where they have the largest concentration of cheetahs.
Three days ago we were in Swaziland camping in the mwilani wild life sanctuary. When we woke we saw Zebras grazing in the valley. IN the morning we went on a 3 hour self guided safari around the park. It was probably one of the most amazing walks I have ever done. The scenery was stunning and we were surround by everything from Zebras to Warthogs to wildebeest. At one point we had to pick up sticks to fend off a bird that was dive bombing us.
We are now in St lucia south africa. Two nights ago when we were walking back to our tent we herd a noise on the other side of the tree line. We went over to investigate and there was a pod of hippos walking no more than 15 ft away. This and everything else has been surreal.
South Africa has amazing scenery. The crazy thing about it is that it can change within a couple miles into something completely different from what you had been seeing. We have rented a car for 2 months and have already put 1500 miles on it. It is not the cheapest way to travel but it gives us the flexibility to see and do what we want to. Today we are headed to sodwana bay where we will be scuba diving for 5 days. They supposedly have some of the best diving in the world. We'll see....
I'll write more soon
Monday, October 29, 2007
Phone number in South Africa
Well we have been in South Africa for about 7 days and it is an amazing country. We are actually in Swaziland now but will be returning to south africa tomorrow night. We have already gone on a couple of safaris and seen some amazing animals. The most amazing so far has been in Kruger national park. We were going along the trail and all of a sudden we were surounded by a herd of giraffes and a herd of Zebras. they were no farther than ten feet away. Absolutely magical. The internet is really expensive here in Swaziland but hopefully in St. Lucia (or next destination back in South Africa) it will be cheaper. If anyone would like to call our number is (0027) 76 739 5211.
Back out to look for Zebras
Back out to look for Zebras
Monday, October 22, 2007
Africa bound
Well I just finished 4 months in Nantucket and I am now off on a new adventure. Tomorrow morning I head off to jo-berg South Africa. I am going to be traveling in southern and eastern Africa for 2 months. My only itinerary is no itinerary. That is my favorite type of travel. I am going with a good friend of mine Caroline. She is from Australia and likes to do the same type of travel. When we land in Jo-berg we are going to go to the bus station and pick out a city to go to. The countries we are planning on hitting are as follows: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, The Seychelles, and Madagascar. We want to go on a couple safaris and see how many animals we can see. Kruger national park in South Africa has 2,500 lions and 30,000 Zebra. We're hoping we can see some of those lions eat some of those Zebras!!!
We are also planning on going sand surfing in Namibia. Namibia has the highest sand dunes in the world. Sand surfing is where you are taken to the top of a sand dune put on a surfboard/snowboard and surf down.
We are also planning on spending a few weeks on the coast and on the islands scuba diving. Zanzibar and The Seychelles have some of the best scuba diving in the world (so I hear). We are going to see if we can get on a boat of some sort and travel from the mainland of Africa to Madagascar.
It should be pretty wild indeed.
I have always wanted to go to Africa and this trip is going to be fantastic. I plan on being excited, scared, astounded, amazed, and many other things. I am going to have the opportunity to learn a great deal about many different cultures and see some amazing things.
I hope that I can be updating my blog often from Africa but I have no idea how the internet access is going to be. I assume that in the cities it should be ok but when we are out playing with the giraffes and chetahs it might not be the best.
We are also planning on going sand surfing in Namibia. Namibia has the highest sand dunes in the world. Sand surfing is where you are taken to the top of a sand dune put on a surfboard/snowboard and surf down.
We are also planning on spending a few weeks on the coast and on the islands scuba diving. Zanzibar and The Seychelles have some of the best scuba diving in the world (so I hear). We are going to see if we can get on a boat of some sort and travel from the mainland of Africa to Madagascar.
It should be pretty wild indeed.
I have always wanted to go to Africa and this trip is going to be fantastic. I plan on being excited, scared, astounded, amazed, and many other things. I am going to have the opportunity to learn a great deal about many different cultures and see some amazing things.
I hope that I can be updating my blog often from Africa but I have no idea how the internet access is going to be. I assume that in the cities it should be ok but when we are out playing with the giraffes and chetahs it might not be the best.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Day 3, Sat February 24 2007
Day 3 of sailing trip
We woke at first light and started preparing the boat for departure. We had one more stop in Maui'i, one more dose of civilization, and then we set off for 2-3 weeks of the open ocean. I climbed to the top of the boat, dove in, and un-tied the mooring ball. The cool water knocked any sleep quickly from my body. I was starting to fall in love living on the boat and with the sailing life style. It had only been a couple of days but there is a freedom in living aboard a sail boat. I have always loved the ocean for the absolute freedom that it represents. You can get on a boat, go into the ocean, and literally go anywhere you want. The ocean is so massive that if you don't want to be found no one can find you. You do what you like when you like. There is something liberating about living aboard the Nomad (I'll talk more about this later).
We waved goodbye to the Molokai locals, raised our sail and pulled out of the channel. As we headed out an endangered Hawaiian monk seal jumped out of the water directly in front of us. It came to the side of the boat and seemed to escort us out of the channel. As soon as we reached the open water in dove down and disappeared.
The water was relatively smooth (3-4 foot waves) and I went to the very front of the boat. Only our main sail was up so I grabbed onto the head sail mast and bounced up and down with the boat. It was a gorgeous Hawaiian morning (almost all mornings are in Hawaii) and we were sailing directly into the path where the sun was rising. It seemed as if the sun was lighting a path for us to follow. While I was standing at the front of the boat all I could hear was the sound of the boat slicing through the waves.
Directly from my journal
"This is it man, this is the life. Complete freedom sailing the great blue sea going wherever the wind takes us. Life is truly wonderful. We go where we want when we want and we arrive when Mother Nature allows us."
I stayed at the bow of the boat for an hour or so but as we got farther out from Molokai and closer to the Maui'i Channel the waves and wind started to pick up. Before we knew it we were in the same nasty weather we had been dealing with for the last few days. The waves were not quite as big but they were coming from all directions. The wind was having gusts up to 40 knots (about 40 MPHs). As we slammed into waves the water would fly up into the air, get caught by the wind and slice into our skin. The temperature must have been 85 degrees or so but I was wearing my ski equipment that has kept me warm in negative 15 degrees. The closer we were to the channel the rougher the weather grew. The channel is narrow so the wind and waves pick up as you enter it. I was trying to shield myself from the weather and track our course from points on land. After a few hours of doing this I could not tell if we had gained ground or lost ground. Not knowing what else to do with myself at this point I headed below deck scrounge something to eat.
I am always hungry and the fight against nature was making me even more so. I decided to make some PB & J sandwiches for everyone. This however was much easier in thought than in deed (I have not spent anytime talking about what it is like below deck in 25 foot waves yet so I will spend sometime on that now.) When you are on deck you have to hold on to something at all times. You never know where the waves are coming from and can be caught off guard and thrown overboard at anytime. Below deck it is even worse. There were objects flying all around the cabin. When you walk you have to take 2 steps at a time and grab onto something with both your arms to wait until the boat rights itself again. Using the head is an experience all in itself. Both hands need to be used to hold yourself up and your head needs to be used to keep the towel cabinet from flying open and knocking you down. It is a constant struggle to keep yourself on foot and safe from flying objects.
So, my decision to make sandwiches in this weather might not have been the best choice. A few times through out the preparation the jars of jelly and peanut butter went flying across the cabin. A task that would have normally taken me 2 minutes took well over 20 minutes to complete: they sure did taste good though.
After I made the sandwiches I decided to try to read. I was below deck and sat down on one of the bunks. I put my feet against the wall to keep my body from flying across the cabin (the boat is constantly tilted). I read a few pages and then gave up. It was too difficult to stay on the same line with you eyes. Not wanting to go above deck and freeze anymore I decided to try and sleep. Amazingly I fell into a deep sleep (filled with bizarre dreams). I slept for a few hours only waking from time to time when I would be launched off of my bunk onto the ground.
When I finally awoke I made my way topside to see that we had actually made some ground. We were in between Molokai and Lanai'i and making our way closer to Maui'i. We could see up ahead that the weather was taming some. As we approached Maui'i we could see the coastal city lights on a back drop of large green mountains. We were surrounded by whales and were inching our way closer to land.
Sometime around this time Kevin went below deck to discover a rather large problem. Our computer (which is our main navigational system and contact for weather and email) was attached to a desk. Sometime throughout the voyage the board the computer was attached to had ripped off and flew across the cabin. It had smashed into a wall and landed on the floor. It was beyond salvage. We were not sure if it was the flight of the computer in the air which ruined it or the pool of salt water it landed in that finished it off (the hatches of the boat had been leaking all day long leaving pools of water in various places). This was a big problem; without an electronic navigational system it would be hard to make the journey.
As we approached Maui'i we called the harbor master and requested a slip to dock at. Lucky for us there was one slip left, slip #99. As we were approaching the harbor our engine died. We got the engine started again but this posed yet another problem. The engine was brand new and should not be dieing out on us. We were about to head into an unknown marina filled with boats. If the engine died while we were making port it was possible that we would float into another boat or worse yet, float onto the reef and slice open the bottom of the boat. The captain ordered Rocky and me to the bow of the boat: "stand by on the anchor. If the engine dies drop it at once."
Luckily for us the engine held out and we docked up safely. We docked up, cleaned down the boat, and head into Lahina to have a cold drink and some warm food. With the new problem of the navigational system being down and not knowing what was going on with the engine the length of our stay was unknown. We had made it safe to Maui'i and that was good news. Also we had been blessed in a way. If we would have had good weather our first few days and then had bad weather once we were 1000 miles from land in any direction it could have been much more disastrous. We would be able to get everything fixed here and head out to LA shortly. For the meantime I was going to enjoy Maui'i.
We woke at first light and started preparing the boat for departure. We had one more stop in Maui'i, one more dose of civilization, and then we set off for 2-3 weeks of the open ocean. I climbed to the top of the boat, dove in, and un-tied the mooring ball. The cool water knocked any sleep quickly from my body. I was starting to fall in love living on the boat and with the sailing life style. It had only been a couple of days but there is a freedom in living aboard a sail boat. I have always loved the ocean for the absolute freedom that it represents. You can get on a boat, go into the ocean, and literally go anywhere you want. The ocean is so massive that if you don't want to be found no one can find you. You do what you like when you like. There is something liberating about living aboard the Nomad (I'll talk more about this later).
We waved goodbye to the Molokai locals, raised our sail and pulled out of the channel. As we headed out an endangered Hawaiian monk seal jumped out of the water directly in front of us. It came to the side of the boat and seemed to escort us out of the channel. As soon as we reached the open water in dove down and disappeared.
The water was relatively smooth (3-4 foot waves) and I went to the very front of the boat. Only our main sail was up so I grabbed onto the head sail mast and bounced up and down with the boat. It was a gorgeous Hawaiian morning (almost all mornings are in Hawaii) and we were sailing directly into the path where the sun was rising. It seemed as if the sun was lighting a path for us to follow. While I was standing at the front of the boat all I could hear was the sound of the boat slicing through the waves.
Directly from my journal
"This is it man, this is the life. Complete freedom sailing the great blue sea going wherever the wind takes us. Life is truly wonderful. We go where we want when we want and we arrive when Mother Nature allows us."
I stayed at the bow of the boat for an hour or so but as we got farther out from Molokai and closer to the Maui'i Channel the waves and wind started to pick up. Before we knew it we were in the same nasty weather we had been dealing with for the last few days. The waves were not quite as big but they were coming from all directions. The wind was having gusts up to 40 knots (about 40 MPHs). As we slammed into waves the water would fly up into the air, get caught by the wind and slice into our skin. The temperature must have been 85 degrees or so but I was wearing my ski equipment that has kept me warm in negative 15 degrees. The closer we were to the channel the rougher the weather grew. The channel is narrow so the wind and waves pick up as you enter it. I was trying to shield myself from the weather and track our course from points on land. After a few hours of doing this I could not tell if we had gained ground or lost ground. Not knowing what else to do with myself at this point I headed below deck scrounge something to eat.
I am always hungry and the fight against nature was making me even more so. I decided to make some PB & J sandwiches for everyone. This however was much easier in thought than in deed (I have not spent anytime talking about what it is like below deck in 25 foot waves yet so I will spend sometime on that now.) When you are on deck you have to hold on to something at all times. You never know where the waves are coming from and can be caught off guard and thrown overboard at anytime. Below deck it is even worse. There were objects flying all around the cabin. When you walk you have to take 2 steps at a time and grab onto something with both your arms to wait until the boat rights itself again. Using the head is an experience all in itself. Both hands need to be used to hold yourself up and your head needs to be used to keep the towel cabinet from flying open and knocking you down. It is a constant struggle to keep yourself on foot and safe from flying objects.
So, my decision to make sandwiches in this weather might not have been the best choice. A few times through out the preparation the jars of jelly and peanut butter went flying across the cabin. A task that would have normally taken me 2 minutes took well over 20 minutes to complete: they sure did taste good though.
After I made the sandwiches I decided to try to read. I was below deck and sat down on one of the bunks. I put my feet against the wall to keep my body from flying across the cabin (the boat is constantly tilted). I read a few pages and then gave up. It was too difficult to stay on the same line with you eyes. Not wanting to go above deck and freeze anymore I decided to try and sleep. Amazingly I fell into a deep sleep (filled with bizarre dreams). I slept for a few hours only waking from time to time when I would be launched off of my bunk onto the ground.
When I finally awoke I made my way topside to see that we had actually made some ground. We were in between Molokai and Lanai'i and making our way closer to Maui'i. We could see up ahead that the weather was taming some. As we approached Maui'i we could see the coastal city lights on a back drop of large green mountains. We were surrounded by whales and were inching our way closer to land.
Sometime around this time Kevin went below deck to discover a rather large problem. Our computer (which is our main navigational system and contact for weather and email) was attached to a desk. Sometime throughout the voyage the board the computer was attached to had ripped off and flew across the cabin. It had smashed into a wall and landed on the floor. It was beyond salvage. We were not sure if it was the flight of the computer in the air which ruined it or the pool of salt water it landed in that finished it off (the hatches of the boat had been leaking all day long leaving pools of water in various places). This was a big problem; without an electronic navigational system it would be hard to make the journey.
As we approached Maui'i we called the harbor master and requested a slip to dock at. Lucky for us there was one slip left, slip #99. As we were approaching the harbor our engine died. We got the engine started again but this posed yet another problem. The engine was brand new and should not be dieing out on us. We were about to head into an unknown marina filled with boats. If the engine died while we were making port it was possible that we would float into another boat or worse yet, float onto the reef and slice open the bottom of the boat. The captain ordered Rocky and me to the bow of the boat: "stand by on the anchor. If the engine dies drop it at once."
Luckily for us the engine held out and we docked up safely. We docked up, cleaned down the boat, and head into Lahina to have a cold drink and some warm food. With the new problem of the navigational system being down and not knowing what was going on with the engine the length of our stay was unknown. We had made it safe to Maui'i and that was good news. Also we had been blessed in a way. If we would have had good weather our first few days and then had bad weather once we were 1000 miles from land in any direction it could have been much more disastrous. We would be able to get everything fixed here and head out to LA shortly. For the meantime I was going to enjoy Maui'i.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Day 2 of sailing
I am sorry for those of you who were waiting for the finish of my boat trip. I got distracted by Thailand. I will finish it now.
This is day 2 of the sail from Hawaii to California This next entry is taken directly from my journal. It was a little hard to read because I wrote it while we were under way and sailing through 20-25 foot waves.
‘We headed out early in the morning and set sail for LA. Once again we had big seas like yesterday. We were going 6 knots (MPHs) but between 11 and 1 we noticed we actually lost ground. We were stuck in a current that was moving faster than us. The wind and waves were coming from the northeast which is the exact direction that we need to be going in order to get to LA. We decided it best to change course and head to Molokai for the night. We would get another good night of rest and hopefully the weather would clear up for a smooth sail out of the Hawaiian waters tomorrow.’
Now that we are heading to Molokai we were getting excited for dinner. We have to cross over a submerged island (actually part of the Molokai island which never rose out of the water) where there is always an abundance of fish. As we are approaching the island about 15 miles out the seas pick up a bit. The swell is 20 ft with rouge 25 footers and we sail into a rain storm. I am at the helm of the boat and it is an exhausting job to keep a 40 ton boat on course in the type of weather we are dealing with. Already today we had buried the bow of the boat 2-3 times into the ocean. The 97 foot mass had almost been dipped into the water a handful of times as well. Needless to say every muscle in our bodies had been tensed for the last 10 hours. This made any movement more difficult to complete.
“FISH ON” yells the captain as a wave hits us from the side. I turn and see one of the fishing poles dipping into the water. Kevin reacts first and grabs the pole and starts to real in our dinner. Rocky runs over and unleashes the gaff. Twenty minutes later the fish was close by the side of the boat. It was a gorgeous Ahi (yellow fin tuna). I could almost taste its soft meat in my mouth. I took the gaff, handing the controls of the boat to the captain, and as the boat rolled left and down to the water I reached in and grabbed our dinner on the end of the hook and pulled it in. Rocky passed the rod to Kevin and finished off the fish once it was aboard. It was a gorgeous fish and we were all excited to slice it up and start feasting.
After bring in the Ahi the sky clears some and we have a gorgeous view of the approach to Molokai. Molokai has the world’s largest sea walls. They extend from the ocean straight up 4,000 feet into the sky. Only about 2,000 people live on the island and half of Molokai’s population has never stepped foot off of it. As we are getting close to land I start reeling in the fishing lines to prepare to dock up in the harbor. As I am reeling in the line the end of the pole dips down “FISH ON” I yell and start to bring in the fish. At about 40 yards out it surfaces. The fish is a long skinny fish and is riding on top of the water as I reel it in. Rocky has the gaff and pulls in our second catch of the day (we later found out it is a blue bone fish).
We sailed into Manalua Bay on Molokai surrounded by breaching humpbacks and giant sea turtles. As we pulled into the Harbor we see a group of locals standing around their pickup trucks listening to music and drinking Heinekens. Two stroll over and grab our ropes as we sail in. We tie up to the pier but due to the waves we need to tie off to a floating mooring ball. Being covered in sweat and salt water I quickly volunteer for the job. I climb on top of the boat with rope in hand and dive in. Swimming out to tie us up I marvel in how good the Hawaiian water feels. It is going to be one of the things I miss most about Hawaii.
We clean up the boat and the captain and Rocky start cleaning the fish. As the meat is sliced off the Ahi our fingers quickly slide it into our mouths. Ahi does not get fresher than that and it tasted marvelous. After a small snack of sashimi Rocky and I walk off to go body surfing at a nearby beach with the last rays of sunlight. We stroll back to the boat as the sun is melting into the ocean. The locals have started BBQing some Molokai venison from earlier in the week. They bring us over a plate and we trade fresh Ahi sashimi and sautéed blue bone fish. With a bottle of Spanish red we dined like kings.
After dinner we pulled up the weather report and it did not look too good. We had, at the least, one more day of 20 foot waves and 35 knot winds (40 knots is a gale force storm). The good news was that we were slowly making our way towards LA. By island hopping through Hawaii we were inching our way to our final destination. The next island over was Lanai’i and after that was Maui’i. All we needed from the weather was a window of 3-4 days so we could get away from the Hawaiian waters. That would be the toughest part of the journey and after that the ocean should calm down some and be more predictable. We decided to sail to Maui’i the following day at sunrise. It was going to be a 10-12 hour sail and would inch our way closer to LA. I was excited to see Maui’i but at the same time I was getting anxious to get to LA. I was going to be visiting my Uncle and a couple of good friends there. I was excited to see them all. My last trip to LA was only a 24 hour stay over near the Christmas holiday. It was a fun trip but I hoped to spend some more time there now. Also, after LA I was flying to Thailand for a few months. Another adventure I was excited for.
I was learning however that when you are living on a sail boat you leave all expectations for what is going to happen on land. Mother Nature has complete control over your destiny and all you can do is put your sail up and hope for the best. A good friend of mine had moved to Maui’i and I had not seen him for sometime. This visit would give me the chance to say hello to him before I sailed off.
As we got ready for bed we cut holes in paper plates and put them on the ropes from the boat to the dock. They were supposed to keep any unwanted creatures (rats) from entering the boat during the night. I grabbed a blanket and made my bed on the main deck under the Hawaiian sky. As I closed my eyes I could not think of any place on earth that I would rather be. Tomorrow we were headed to Maui’i. The roughest channel in the Hawaiian waters is the channel between Molokai and Maui’i (this is also the largest breeding ground in the world for humpback whales). After all we had already been through however I believed we were prepared for anything; with that thought I slipped into a deep sleep.
This is day 2 of the sail from Hawaii to California This next entry is taken directly from my journal. It was a little hard to read because I wrote it while we were under way and sailing through 20-25 foot waves.
‘We headed out early in the morning and set sail for LA. Once again we had big seas like yesterday. We were going 6 knots (MPHs) but between 11 and 1 we noticed we actually lost ground. We were stuck in a current that was moving faster than us. The wind and waves were coming from the northeast which is the exact direction that we need to be going in order to get to LA. We decided it best to change course and head to Molokai for the night. We would get another good night of rest and hopefully the weather would clear up for a smooth sail out of the Hawaiian waters tomorrow.’
Now that we are heading to Molokai we were getting excited for dinner. We have to cross over a submerged island (actually part of the Molokai island which never rose out of the water) where there is always an abundance of fish. As we are approaching the island about 15 miles out the seas pick up a bit. The swell is 20 ft with rouge 25 footers and we sail into a rain storm. I am at the helm of the boat and it is an exhausting job to keep a 40 ton boat on course in the type of weather we are dealing with. Already today we had buried the bow of the boat 2-3 times into the ocean. The 97 foot mass had almost been dipped into the water a handful of times as well. Needless to say every muscle in our bodies had been tensed for the last 10 hours. This made any movement more difficult to complete.
“FISH ON” yells the captain as a wave hits us from the side. I turn and see one of the fishing poles dipping into the water. Kevin reacts first and grabs the pole and starts to real in our dinner. Rocky runs over and unleashes the gaff. Twenty minutes later the fish was close by the side of the boat. It was a gorgeous Ahi (yellow fin tuna). I could almost taste its soft meat in my mouth. I took the gaff, handing the controls of the boat to the captain, and as the boat rolled left and down to the water I reached in and grabbed our dinner on the end of the hook and pulled it in. Rocky passed the rod to Kevin and finished off the fish once it was aboard. It was a gorgeous fish and we were all excited to slice it up and start feasting.
After bring in the Ahi the sky clears some and we have a gorgeous view of the approach to Molokai. Molokai has the world’s largest sea walls. They extend from the ocean straight up 4,000 feet into the sky. Only about 2,000 people live on the island and half of Molokai’s population has never stepped foot off of it. As we are getting close to land I start reeling in the fishing lines to prepare to dock up in the harbor. As I am reeling in the line the end of the pole dips down “FISH ON” I yell and start to bring in the fish. At about 40 yards out it surfaces. The fish is a long skinny fish and is riding on top of the water as I reel it in. Rocky has the gaff and pulls in our second catch of the day (we later found out it is a blue bone fish).
We sailed into Manalua Bay on Molokai surrounded by breaching humpbacks and giant sea turtles. As we pulled into the Harbor we see a group of locals standing around their pickup trucks listening to music and drinking Heinekens. Two stroll over and grab our ropes as we sail in. We tie up to the pier but due to the waves we need to tie off to a floating mooring ball. Being covered in sweat and salt water I quickly volunteer for the job. I climb on top of the boat with rope in hand and dive in. Swimming out to tie us up I marvel in how good the Hawaiian water feels. It is going to be one of the things I miss most about Hawaii.
We clean up the boat and the captain and Rocky start cleaning the fish. As the meat is sliced off the Ahi our fingers quickly slide it into our mouths. Ahi does not get fresher than that and it tasted marvelous. After a small snack of sashimi Rocky and I walk off to go body surfing at a nearby beach with the last rays of sunlight. We stroll back to the boat as the sun is melting into the ocean. The locals have started BBQing some Molokai venison from earlier in the week. They bring us over a plate and we trade fresh Ahi sashimi and sautéed blue bone fish. With a bottle of Spanish red we dined like kings.
After dinner we pulled up the weather report and it did not look too good. We had, at the least, one more day of 20 foot waves and 35 knot winds (40 knots is a gale force storm). The good news was that we were slowly making our way towards LA. By island hopping through Hawaii we were inching our way to our final destination. The next island over was Lanai’i and after that was Maui’i. All we needed from the weather was a window of 3-4 days so we could get away from the Hawaiian waters. That would be the toughest part of the journey and after that the ocean should calm down some and be more predictable. We decided to sail to Maui’i the following day at sunrise. It was going to be a 10-12 hour sail and would inch our way closer to LA. I was excited to see Maui’i but at the same time I was getting anxious to get to LA. I was going to be visiting my Uncle and a couple of good friends there. I was excited to see them all. My last trip to LA was only a 24 hour stay over near the Christmas holiday. It was a fun trip but I hoped to spend some more time there now. Also, after LA I was flying to Thailand for a few months. Another adventure I was excited for.
I was learning however that when you are living on a sail boat you leave all expectations for what is going to happen on land. Mother Nature has complete control over your destiny and all you can do is put your sail up and hope for the best. A good friend of mine had moved to Maui’i and I had not seen him for sometime. This visit would give me the chance to say hello to him before I sailed off.
As we got ready for bed we cut holes in paper plates and put them on the ropes from the boat to the dock. They were supposed to keep any unwanted creatures (rats) from entering the boat during the night. I grabbed a blanket and made my bed on the main deck under the Hawaiian sky. As I closed my eyes I could not think of any place on earth that I would rather be. Tomorrow we were headed to Maui’i. The roughest channel in the Hawaiian waters is the channel between Molokai and Maui’i (this is also the largest breeding ground in the world for humpback whales). After all we had already been through however I believed we were prepared for anything; with that thought I slipped into a deep sleep.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
We arrived in Kathmandu about 10 days ago and I fell instantly in love. The city has a great vibe to it. The streets are narrow and hectic with a 100 things going on at any one time. Walking down the streets at night time you can here music playing from the windows of many different bars. The first night here my brother and I walked around looking for some good tunes. We heard Jazz playing from an upstairs window and decided to check it out. We walked down and long dark alley and up a narrow staircase hoping we were going in the right direction. The staircase led to the music. The bar was painted in pastels and people were sitting on the floor jamming to a local jazz band. The scene could have been taken out of a Kathmandu bar from the '60s. Long haired expats and locals mingling together to enjoy a night in the infamous Himalayan city.
Luke and I grabbed a seat on some cushions and fell under the trance of Kathmandu. When the music ended we tried to make our way back home. We knew we were not more than 5 minutes from our guest house yet the confusion of the streets turned it into a 45 minute trip. When the city was built there was no such thing as city planning. The streets were laid in every which way and everything looks the same. Needless to say our first night in the city was a little confusing.
At night time the city took on a different feel. The vibe seemed to change. The Maoist from the country side have recently all come down into the city (not all but a lot). Once everything closed down for the night the city had a not so safe feeling. Nepal has been in relative peace for the last 2 weeks but the tensions lie just under the surface. At night time this was much more apparent.
After my first night here I decided 10 days was not near enough time to experience this amazing place. I have some good friends with whom I worked with in Nantucket who are from Nepal. With a little prodding from them ('zak why don't you stay longer, we'll show you around our country?' "OK") I have extended my ticket 7-14 days. I am not sure when I am going back to Thailand because there were no available seats. I was put on the waiting list however and I'm sure I'll get back sometime. In the meantime I am going to experience Nepal. I kept a journal from my tr eking in the mountains which I will post soon. Once I get back to Thailand I will upload some pictures. Until then...
Luke and I grabbed a seat on some cushions and fell under the trance of Kathmandu. When the music ended we tried to make our way back home. We knew we were not more than 5 minutes from our guest house yet the confusion of the streets turned it into a 45 minute trip. When the city was built there was no such thing as city planning. The streets were laid in every which way and everything looks the same. Needless to say our first night in the city was a little confusing.
At night time the city took on a different feel. The vibe seemed to change. The Maoist from the country side have recently all come down into the city (not all but a lot). Once everything closed down for the night the city had a not so safe feeling. Nepal has been in relative peace for the last 2 weeks but the tensions lie just under the surface. At night time this was much more apparent.
After my first night here I decided 10 days was not near enough time to experience this amazing place. I have some good friends with whom I worked with in Nantucket who are from Nepal. With a little prodding from them ('zak why don't you stay longer, we'll show you around our country?' "OK") I have extended my ticket 7-14 days. I am not sure when I am going back to Thailand because there were no available seats. I was put on the waiting list however and I'm sure I'll get back sometime. In the meantime I am going to experience Nepal. I kept a journal from my tr eking in the mountains which I will post soon. Once I get back to Thailand I will upload some pictures. Until then...
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Day 5
Thirty minutes after we left yesterday the guides stop. They are pointing up to a bees nest in the crack of a tree 15 feet up. The older guide (not quite sure of his name) starts to make a bundle of sliced bamboo. He then lashes it to a long bamboo pole. A torch. They tell me we have found lunch. Naturally I think of the honey. They torch the bees nest and take it down. They open it up and point to the bee larva: “lunch”.
For the 1st time on this trip I found something I did not want to eat. I spent the rest of the morning trying to put it out of my mind with varied success. Luckily when lunch came around there was another plate of food. I got lucky
We camped at a water fall and swam with all the kinds playing in the river. I have been thinking a lot about when I go back to NY. I am getting excited to be there for the summer and fall. I have missed the change of seasons living in the tropics. I have lots of ideas for what I’m going to do for work. After this 3-4 month vacation traveling around I will be ready to work hard until at the least January when the cold weather comes. At that point I’ll probably head to Latin America for a few months. I miss speaking Spanish and the Latin culture.
Well that’s about it. We are going to trek out today and then I fly back to Bangkok tonight. I have 1 day to get ready and then it is off to Nepal for 10 days. I should be able to take some amazing pictures there.
Waiting for the truck to take me back to Chiang Mai. All I can think about is how good it is going to feel to sink into my bathtub and soak. One of my favorite things about hiking or working out is getting clean, watching the mud and dirt run off me and down the drain.
2:40 PM
It is the beginning of the Thai New Year. This week they have a huge festival everywhere in Thailand. Usually it is the hottest week of the year and because of that water is very popular. So popular that they throw it by the bucket loads on everyone and there is nothing you can do about it. Riding in the back of the pick up truck we were doused all along the highway. No napping on that trip.
Thirty minutes after we left yesterday the guides stop. They are pointing up to a bees nest in the crack of a tree 15 feet up. The older guide (not quite sure of his name) starts to make a bundle of sliced bamboo. He then lashes it to a long bamboo pole. A torch. They tell me we have found lunch. Naturally I think of the honey. They torch the bees nest and take it down. They open it up and point to the bee larva: “lunch”.
For the 1st time on this trip I found something I did not want to eat. I spent the rest of the morning trying to put it out of my mind with varied success. Luckily when lunch came around there was another plate of food. I got lucky
We camped at a water fall and swam with all the kinds playing in the river. I have been thinking a lot about when I go back to NY. I am getting excited to be there for the summer and fall. I have missed the change of seasons living in the tropics. I have lots of ideas for what I’m going to do for work. After this 3-4 month vacation traveling around I will be ready to work hard until at the least January when the cold weather comes. At that point I’ll probably head to Latin America for a few months. I miss speaking Spanish and the Latin culture.
Well that’s about it. We are going to trek out today and then I fly back to Bangkok tonight. I have 1 day to get ready and then it is off to Nepal for 10 days. I should be able to take some amazing pictures there.
Waiting for the truck to take me back to Chiang Mai. All I can think about is how good it is going to feel to sink into my bathtub and soak. One of my favorite things about hiking or working out is getting clean, watching the mud and dirt run off me and down the drain.
2:40 PM
It is the beginning of the Thai New Year. This week they have a huge festival everywhere in Thailand. Usually it is the hottest week of the year and because of that water is very popular. So popular that they throw it by the bucket loads on everyone and there is nothing you can do about it. Riding in the back of the pick up truck we were doused all along the highway. No napping on that trip.
Day 4
Sunrise (see pic)
We went frog hunting last night after dark. We caught about 20-25 frogs and this morning we are making frog, pumpkin, and bird soup for breakfast. We went looking for frogs in the rice fields and along the river. I could not help but be a little nervous about stepping on a cobra. Living in Hawaii you never have to think about snakes or any poisonous animal, insect, or reptile. It gives an extra sense of safety in the woods. You never have to think about what you are going to step on.
I do remember many close encounters with fur-de-lance (terciopelo) snakes (Central and South America’s most deadly snake). Living in the rainforest of Costa Rica it would be a rare sight if my clothing was anything more than a pair of board shorts and sunglasses. Walking barefoot in the rainforest I came within inches of stepping on the fur-de-lance while hiking along the water. This is an experience that puts your heart into your throat.
As I hunted frogs I hoped we would not come along any snakes. Snakes however love frogs as much as the Carway people. They also know where to find them.
Other than my toothpaste and brush I have not seen any other type of cleaning product. At meals they grab food with their and hands and serve it. When we are done we dump our plates on the floor (inside their home) and the dogs come to eat the scraps. Before coming on this trek I wanted to experience something as different from what I am used to as possible. Doing this gives me a better perspective on everything. I wanted to really challenge myself. Having no idea what to expect I open myself up to whatever comes. Also I have an uncanny ability to shut things out of my thoughts. It comes in handy when I find myself thinking about things I can do nothing about. When holding a bird brain in my fingers getting ready to bite I can either think about how mushy and slimy it looks or I can just shut my mind off and enjoy it. I’ve been good at the latter on this trip.
One of the guides has brought his 10 year old son along on the hike. It is nice having him along. He has a constant smile on his face and his laughter is filled with absolute joy. Even though we do not have any verbal communication we are having a lot of fun together.
I think we can learn a lot from little kids. They don’t worry about the future, they don’t have regret, they don’t have past heartache. They have not been let down so they allow themselves to soar. Everything is new to them and their brains are sponges soaking it all in. They live in the present moment and try to fit as much fun, joy and laughter in to each minute of each day. As far as I can tell there is nothing more important than that.
It’s nice being on this trek alone. I feel I can experience much more this way. If I could talk with someone, share this experience with them it would make it different; somehow less foreign. Combined my guides speak less than 50 words of English. Those fifty words they use sparingly. Having someone else there would give me an escape option and take me away from where I am.
Last night for dessert we ate BBQ’d cow skin. It was strange. No real flavor and about as tough as a thick piece of leather.
I can think much better as I walk. When I am just sitting my brain jumps around a lot. When I am hiking it is much easier for me to stay on one topic. It is the same when I go running. It gives my restless energy an outlet.
One of my favorite things to do is make plans for the future. When I am on one adventure I like to scheme about the next. All of these plans don’t need to come to fruition, in fact most do not. I just like to play with many different adventures in my head. What I’ve found happens is when the time comes for me to go on a new adventure the idea I had been playing with the most recently is the one I do.
Sunrise (see pic)
We went frog hunting last night after dark. We caught about 20-25 frogs and this morning we are making frog, pumpkin, and bird soup for breakfast. We went looking for frogs in the rice fields and along the river. I could not help but be a little nervous about stepping on a cobra. Living in Hawaii you never have to think about snakes or any poisonous animal, insect, or reptile. It gives an extra sense of safety in the woods. You never have to think about what you are going to step on.
I do remember many close encounters with fur-de-lance (terciopelo) snakes (Central and South America’s most deadly snake). Living in the rainforest of Costa Rica it would be a rare sight if my clothing was anything more than a pair of board shorts and sunglasses. Walking barefoot in the rainforest I came within inches of stepping on the fur-de-lance while hiking along the water. This is an experience that puts your heart into your throat.
As I hunted frogs I hoped we would not come along any snakes. Snakes however love frogs as much as the Carway people. They also know where to find them.
Other than my toothpaste and brush I have not seen any other type of cleaning product. At meals they grab food with their and hands and serve it. When we are done we dump our plates on the floor (inside their home) and the dogs come to eat the scraps. Before coming on this trek I wanted to experience something as different from what I am used to as possible. Doing this gives me a better perspective on everything. I wanted to really challenge myself. Having no idea what to expect I open myself up to whatever comes. Also I have an uncanny ability to shut things out of my thoughts. It comes in handy when I find myself thinking about things I can do nothing about. When holding a bird brain in my fingers getting ready to bite I can either think about how mushy and slimy it looks or I can just shut my mind off and enjoy it. I’ve been good at the latter on this trip.
One of the guides has brought his 10 year old son along on the hike. It is nice having him along. He has a constant smile on his face and his laughter is filled with absolute joy. Even though we do not have any verbal communication we are having a lot of fun together.
I think we can learn a lot from little kids. They don’t worry about the future, they don’t have regret, they don’t have past heartache. They have not been let down so they allow themselves to soar. Everything is new to them and their brains are sponges soaking it all in. They live in the present moment and try to fit as much fun, joy and laughter in to each minute of each day. As far as I can tell there is nothing more important than that.
It’s nice being on this trek alone. I feel I can experience much more this way. If I could talk with someone, share this experience with them it would make it different; somehow less foreign. Combined my guides speak less than 50 words of English. Those fifty words they use sparingly. Having someone else there would give me an escape option and take me away from where I am.
Last night for dessert we ate BBQ’d cow skin. It was strange. No real flavor and about as tough as a thick piece of leather.
I can think much better as I walk. When I am just sitting my brain jumps around a lot. When I am hiking it is much easier for me to stay on one topic. It is the same when I go running. It gives my restless energy an outlet.
One of my favorite things to do is make plans for the future. When I am on one adventure I like to scheme about the next. All of these plans don’t need to come to fruition, in fact most do not. I just like to play with many different adventures in my head. What I’ve found happens is when the time comes for me to go on a new adventure the idea I had been playing with the most recently is the one I do.
Day 3
7:30 AM
Last night we stayed in another village of the Carway people (no idea at all if I am spelling that correctly. I found out that the government gives all the hill tribe people solar panels for free. During the hot season they have electricity all day long. During the rainy season they only have it for an hour or so per day. This makes it easy for the government to control what the people see/hear. They also control much of the television channels.
The houses are normally 2 different buildings with 1 room each. The first building is for the kitchen: where the stove is. The second is for everything else. There is no furniture what so ever. You sit, eat, and sleep on the floor.
My guides told me I was the first tourist to go to the village where we slept last night. If that is true it’s pretty wild!!
I found out today that the leaf roofs on all the houses last only two years. That means that ever two years they need to completely change their roofs… interesting.
The people all seem to be very allusive. I never get a clear answer on anything. Sometimes they tell me things which I later find out were not true at all. It’s like they told me something because they did not want me to be upset even though I would find out the truth eventually.
-I love learning about different cultures. This is one of the reasons I love traveling so much!!!
1:30 PM
Today we went hunting early in the morning. We got 4 birds, two frogs, a chipmunk and a crab. It was a tasty lunch.
For the 1st few days I would always have left over bones, heads, intestines, etc on the side of my bowl when I finished my meal. Everyone else would have clean plates. I thought I was missing seeing them throw them on the ground. I realized at lunch today that was not the case at all. They eat everything. I was a little embarrassed at first because they must have seen me throw away good food.
As if Nook, my guide, could read my mind he puts a bird head, beak and all, onto my plate; “aroy mak” which means ‘very good’. He was right after I got past being stared at by my food. My first time eating bird brain… “I wonder what’s next.”
Growing up my father used to always tease my brother and I about frog legs. If we were miss-behaving he would threaten to feed us frog legs and nothing else. Twenty years later in the jungle of northern Thailand I have eaten frog for the first time. Surprisingly it is pretty tasty. The meat is the consistency of fish and has a similar taste. The brain is similar to a bird’s brain just smaller.
While eating the frog my mind drifted to the hallucinogenic frogs they had in Costa Rica. “I wonder if the poison is killed when it’s cooked?” I guess there is only one way to find out. Normally I would say that if I started seeing elephants something is funny with what I ate. Being where I am I think it would be more appropriate to say that if I start seeing skyscrapers I should stay away from the frogs next time.
As I write this entry I am sitting in the woods and we are hunting birds for dinner. The guns we are using are from a different world. Except for the barrel, trigger, and spring everything comes from the forest. They are bamboo muzzle loaders. Guns more primitive than we had during the American Revolutionary War. The gun powder is ignited by a cap. The same exact type of cap I had in my cap guns as a kid. These guns however are much more powerful than my old cap guns. I have not hit anything yet but Chai and Nook have gotten a hand full of birds each.
I’ve noticed a similar tattoo on many of the men above 40 years old. I thought it was a religious tattoo. Apparently it is much more than that. The Carway people believe these tattoos, given in special ways with bamboo, give them great powers. Some keep you safe from tigers Nook explains to me, “and this one here, if a cobra bites me I will be OK. It cannot hurt me.”
Fifteen years ago bandits from Laos or Cambodia (I’m not sure which one) came into the area we are now trekking through. The Carway people got tattoos to protect them from knives and guns:
“See Zak, I’ll show you” Nook says making the farmer, whose land we are passing over, lift up his shirt.
“This scar is from knife and this is from gun. Because he had tattoo they did not hurt him. Good tattoos better than bad bandit.”
I am getting an amazing view into the life of these people. It is absolutely fascinating. They have shown or taught me how to make many things. Most tools and food comes from the jungle. One interesting thing was the making of rice whisky or ‘special water’ as they like to call it. Whiskey made from rice in a big barrel. They bottle it in left over water bottles. It is the same color as water but the taste is much different. In Spain it would be called agua adiente de arroz. Here in the jungle of Thailand it is called a good time.
7:30 AM
Last night we stayed in another village of the Carway people (no idea at all if I am spelling that correctly. I found out that the government gives all the hill tribe people solar panels for free. During the hot season they have electricity all day long. During the rainy season they only have it for an hour or so per day. This makes it easy for the government to control what the people see/hear. They also control much of the television channels.
The houses are normally 2 different buildings with 1 room each. The first building is for the kitchen: where the stove is. The second is for everything else. There is no furniture what so ever. You sit, eat, and sleep on the floor.
My guides told me I was the first tourist to go to the village where we slept last night. If that is true it’s pretty wild!!
I found out today that the leaf roofs on all the houses last only two years. That means that ever two years they need to completely change their roofs… interesting.
The people all seem to be very allusive. I never get a clear answer on anything. Sometimes they tell me things which I later find out were not true at all. It’s like they told me something because they did not want me to be upset even though I would find out the truth eventually.
-I love learning about different cultures. This is one of the reasons I love traveling so much!!!
1:30 PM
Today we went hunting early in the morning. We got 4 birds, two frogs, a chipmunk and a crab. It was a tasty lunch.
For the 1st few days I would always have left over bones, heads, intestines, etc on the side of my bowl when I finished my meal. Everyone else would have clean plates. I thought I was missing seeing them throw them on the ground. I realized at lunch today that was not the case at all. They eat everything. I was a little embarrassed at first because they must have seen me throw away good food.
As if Nook, my guide, could read my mind he puts a bird head, beak and all, onto my plate; “aroy mak” which means ‘very good’. He was right after I got past being stared at by my food. My first time eating bird brain… “I wonder what’s next.”
Growing up my father used to always tease my brother and I about frog legs. If we were miss-behaving he would threaten to feed us frog legs and nothing else. Twenty years later in the jungle of northern Thailand I have eaten frog for the first time. Surprisingly it is pretty tasty. The meat is the consistency of fish and has a similar taste. The brain is similar to a bird’s brain just smaller.
While eating the frog my mind drifted to the hallucinogenic frogs they had in Costa Rica. “I wonder if the poison is killed when it’s cooked?” I guess there is only one way to find out. Normally I would say that if I started seeing elephants something is funny with what I ate. Being where I am I think it would be more appropriate to say that if I start seeing skyscrapers I should stay away from the frogs next time.
As I write this entry I am sitting in the woods and we are hunting birds for dinner. The guns we are using are from a different world. Except for the barrel, trigger, and spring everything comes from the forest. They are bamboo muzzle loaders. Guns more primitive than we had during the American Revolutionary War. The gun powder is ignited by a cap. The same exact type of cap I had in my cap guns as a kid. These guns however are much more powerful than my old cap guns. I have not hit anything yet but Chai and Nook have gotten a hand full of birds each.
I’ve noticed a similar tattoo on many of the men above 40 years old. I thought it was a religious tattoo. Apparently it is much more than that. The Carway people believe these tattoos, given in special ways with bamboo, give them great powers. Some keep you safe from tigers Nook explains to me, “and this one here, if a cobra bites me I will be OK. It cannot hurt me.”
Fifteen years ago bandits from Laos or Cambodia (I’m not sure which one) came into the area we are now trekking through. The Carway people got tattoos to protect them from knives and guns:
“See Zak, I’ll show you” Nook says making the farmer, whose land we are passing over, lift up his shirt.
“This scar is from knife and this is from gun. Because he had tattoo they did not hurt him. Good tattoos better than bad bandit.”
I am getting an amazing view into the life of these people. It is absolutely fascinating. They have shown or taught me how to make many things. Most tools and food comes from the jungle. One interesting thing was the making of rice whisky or ‘special water’ as they like to call it. Whiskey made from rice in a big barrel. They bottle it in left over water bottles. It is the same color as water but the taste is much different. In Spain it would be called agua adiente de arroz. Here in the jungle of Thailand it is called a good time.
Day 2 of trek
Date: Still unknown
7:00 AM
Great day yesterday. We hiked only about 4 hours but we passed by some amazing waterfalls. Hiking in 100 degree heat you sweat a little bit. The cool mountain water feels amazing when you bathe underneath its falls.
We hiked through rice fields, by buffalo & cows. We camped at a small village with about 8 guys living there. There was a river running by the village with a small waterfall that we swam in at sunset. When we arrived the men were building a tin roof on one of the shelters. All the other roofs were made out of leaves and bamboo.
I napped by the river while my 2 guides went off to get dinner. It is funny here in Thailand, I never know what is going on. It has a big part to do with the language (that I don’t speak yet) but it is more than just that. I never get a straight answer on anything. Also they will say one thing and then another thing happens. For instance today before I napped here is what happened:
“stay here we’ll be back in 30 minutes” and then 1 minute later “stay here we will be back in 10 minutes.” The guides disappeared for 1.5 hours and showed back up with chickens in hand.
I played a sort of volleyball with the men who lived in the village and it was a lot of fun. The ball was made of bamboo and it was the size of a softball. Unlike volleyball you could not use your hands or arms, only your head and legs. I did pretty well for my first time.
At night time I walked down the rice fields with one of my guides and then we hiked back up the river in the dark. We were hunting for frogs. You can see the frog’s reflection with the flashlight at night time. We caught a few and BBQ'd them up. My first time eating frog but they were tasty.
We are leaving around 9am and hiking for 3 hours. We will have lunch and hike for 3 more hours. They said it is going to be a tough hike… we will see
LUNCH TIME
This is pretty cool. We are hiking along paths that have been used for centuries by the Thai people for trading and traveling between villages. We are in the middle of the jungle yet there are villages and small farms all over the place. I have done a fair amount of hiking all over the world and this is far different that anything I have ever done before.
At one point during the morning we stopped to take a break. I had a splinter in my foot from the night before so I sat to dig it out with my pocket knife and one of the guides walked off into the woods (I have given up asking what is going on. I either do not understand or get told something that is not true. More fun this way anyhow). Ten minutes later he calls for us. He has a thin bamboo stick and is jamming it into the crack of a tree talking frantically. The other guide gets excited and grabs a stick himself. I think to myself, “oh boy they are digging out some kind of insect for us to eat.” A couple minutes later, after seeing many many different insects run out of the crack I realize that it is not insects they are after. “Flying Rat” my guide tells me as he pulls a rodent out of the tree by its hind legs. We caught two ‘flying rats’ from the tree in total (after looking at the creatures I was grateful to realize they were flying squirrel not rats).
At lunch time we passed a small village of maybe 15 people. They cooked the squirrels up for us with noodles and rice. They tasted quite good.
Life is much different here (obviously) than I am used to. In the villages people are always napping. At first I thought this was weird: “Shouldn’t they be working??? Doing chores??? Etc???” I realize however that there probably is not too much to do. They have the things that must get done and other than that they can fill their day how they like.
It seems like they put more emphasis on just being in the moment. There is no rushing around, no deadlines, no real rules or laws at all.
********************************
I wonder how people see me as I walk through their villages, what their thoughts are. We live in two entirely different worlds. I can go to theirs or any other place in this world I want to whenever I want. Less than 99.9% of the people I encounter on this trek will never be able to come to my world. It doesn’t seem fair. I’m not assuming they would want to come to my world but I’m sure they would like the option. I know I don’t like it when someone tells me I cannot do something.
The houses are made out of bamboo walls and the floors are elevated 3-7 feet. So the wind cools the inside. The roofs are made out of dried leafs lashed to bamboo rods. One village we passed through had a large satellite and solar panel outside. It was funny to see: they have the same exact house their ancestors lived in thousands of years ago and then they had a slice of technology out of the 21st century.
Date: Still unknown
7:00 AM
Great day yesterday. We hiked only about 4 hours but we passed by some amazing waterfalls. Hiking in 100 degree heat you sweat a little bit. The cool mountain water feels amazing when you bathe underneath its falls.
We hiked through rice fields, by buffalo & cows. We camped at a small village with about 8 guys living there. There was a river running by the village with a small waterfall that we swam in at sunset. When we arrived the men were building a tin roof on one of the shelters. All the other roofs were made out of leaves and bamboo.
I napped by the river while my 2 guides went off to get dinner. It is funny here in Thailand, I never know what is going on. It has a big part to do with the language (that I don’t speak yet) but it is more than just that. I never get a straight answer on anything. Also they will say one thing and then another thing happens. For instance today before I napped here is what happened:
“stay here we’ll be back in 30 minutes” and then 1 minute later “stay here we will be back in 10 minutes.” The guides disappeared for 1.5 hours and showed back up with chickens in hand.
I played a sort of volleyball with the men who lived in the village and it was a lot of fun. The ball was made of bamboo and it was the size of a softball. Unlike volleyball you could not use your hands or arms, only your head and legs. I did pretty well for my first time.
At night time I walked down the rice fields with one of my guides and then we hiked back up the river in the dark. We were hunting for frogs. You can see the frog’s reflection with the flashlight at night time. We caught a few and BBQ'd them up. My first time eating frog but they were tasty.
We are leaving around 9am and hiking for 3 hours. We will have lunch and hike for 3 more hours. They said it is going to be a tough hike… we will see
LUNCH TIME
This is pretty cool. We are hiking along paths that have been used for centuries by the Thai people for trading and traveling between villages. We are in the middle of the jungle yet there are villages and small farms all over the place. I have done a fair amount of hiking all over the world and this is far different that anything I have ever done before.
At one point during the morning we stopped to take a break. I had a splinter in my foot from the night before so I sat to dig it out with my pocket knife and one of the guides walked off into the woods (I have given up asking what is going on. I either do not understand or get told something that is not true. More fun this way anyhow). Ten minutes later he calls for us. He has a thin bamboo stick and is jamming it into the crack of a tree talking frantically. The other guide gets excited and grabs a stick himself. I think to myself, “oh boy they are digging out some kind of insect for us to eat.” A couple minutes later, after seeing many many different insects run out of the crack I realize that it is not insects they are after. “Flying Rat” my guide tells me as he pulls a rodent out of the tree by its hind legs. We caught two ‘flying rats’ from the tree in total (after looking at the creatures I was grateful to realize they were flying squirrel not rats).
At lunch time we passed a small village of maybe 15 people. They cooked the squirrels up for us with noodles and rice. They tasted quite good.
Life is much different here (obviously) than I am used to. In the villages people are always napping. At first I thought this was weird: “Shouldn’t they be working??? Doing chores??? Etc???” I realize however that there probably is not too much to do. They have the things that must get done and other than that they can fill their day how they like.
It seems like they put more emphasis on just being in the moment. There is no rushing around, no deadlines, no real rules or laws at all.
********************************
I wonder how people see me as I walk through their villages, what their thoughts are. We live in two entirely different worlds. I can go to theirs or any other place in this world I want to whenever I want. Less than 99.9% of the people I encounter on this trek will never be able to come to my world. It doesn’t seem fair. I’m not assuming they would want to come to my world but I’m sure they would like the option. I know I don’t like it when someone tells me I cannot do something.
The houses are made out of bamboo walls and the floors are elevated 3-7 feet. So the wind cools the inside. The roofs are made out of dried leafs lashed to bamboo rods. One village we passed through had a large satellite and solar panel outside. It was funny to see: they have the same exact house their ancestors lived in thousands of years ago and then they had a slice of technology out of the 21st century.
So, I went to Chiang Mai, which is in northern Thailand, with my brother for a wedding. A friend of ours was getting married up there. I have been in Thailand now for about a month and am spending most of my time in Bangkok. I was ready to get out of the big city and go see some different parts of the country. The girl’s dad who was getting married owns a tour company. I decided one night when we were at dinner that I wanted to go treking with a guide from his company. I did not want to do the normal treking that most people do but rather something completely out there. I told her dad I wanted to go on an intense trek for 5 days through the jungle. One thing led to another and the next day he told me he had arranged a special trek for me that had never been done before. He asked me such questions as “are you OK eating only rice for breakfast? Are you OK with eating snakes? Are you OK with only taking clothes, rice, and a gun into the jungle for 5 days?” The answer to all of those questions was obviously a big YES!! I wanted to experience the jungle of Thailand and in my mind you can’t do that with western comforts such as running water and clean clothes.
I kept a journal for the 5 day trek and I am going to transcribe it here in the blog. I would spend more time on editing it but I need to get on a plane for Nepal in 24 hours. If it is too ‘rough’ for you or if it jumps around too much feel free to stop reading at anytime. If you make it through it I hope you enjoy it.
Here are my unedited thoughts and experiences (some of them) of five days in the south east Asian jungle:
Day 1 of Trek
Location: somewhere in the Northern Thailand Jungle
Date: Unknown
1:30 pm
I’m headed out to an unknown adventure. I just had my last meal in civilization for about 5 days. I am way up in the mountains a few hours outside of Chiang Mai. I am heading into the jungle with 2 guides and one of their sons age 10.
I am sitting at a small café outside at a bench. There is a gas station of sorts across the way. Just 2 50 gallon drums with a hand pump in a cylinder block shed. Pretty wild indeed (see pic).
All we are taking on the trip is clothes, a sleeping bag, and a gun made out of bamboo.
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