Amy's Travels

Nepal Rivers - Kali Gandaki

2011-10-23T14:09:00.001+02:00

October 21st – 23rd – Kali Gandaki River: I went with Paddle Nepal again for the Kali Gandaki river. I have previously done this river with NOC back in 1997. However, at that time it was a 5 day trip, and since then a dam has been built, shortening the trip to 3 days. This is a class III river with a good amount of water, making for great wave trains! This was a great warm-up river to get

Nepal Rivers - Lower Seti

2011-10-19T14:09:00.001+02:00

October 18th - 19th Lower Seti River: I headed to Pokhara to begin my river portion of the trip. I had planned to run the Trisuli River, however after taking a look at it during the bus ride from Kathmandu, it did not look like that much fun (lots of flat water). So I decided to skip it and move onto the next warm-up river, the Lower Seti. I was able to rent my boating gear from Charly at

Nepal Trek: Day 17

2011-10-10T07:40:00.040+02:00

October 10th – Namche Bazaar to Lukla to Kathmandu: We made our way back to Lukla in one day, as opposed to the 2 days it took in the opposite direction. Along the way we passed many trekking groups and porters loaded with their gear. I was amazed at the amount of people (many of them were of the retired folks age) that were making the trip to Everest Base Camp. Hats off to them and hope that I

Nepal Trek: Day 16

2011-10-09T07:37:00.028+02:00

October 9th – Thanygboche to Namche Bazaar:Started the day at the monesatry for the monk's morning prayers, an apple pancake at the guest house and then the hike down to Namche. One last view of the Himalayas: The vendors in Namche now sell outdoor gear in case you forgot to bring anything from home. There is even a Mountain Hardware store and a Sherpa store…with Western prices. (No Nepal

Nepal Trek: Day 15

2011-10-08T07:30:00.003+02:00

October 9th –Chhuchung to Thayngboche:15,518ft/4730m to 12,687ft/3867mI woke early and started up Chhukhung Ri. It was a tough climb up today…reaching that 15,000ft threshold. Ama Dablam ice fall: Ama Dablam Peak: The village of Chhukung: After the climb up Chhukhung Ri, I headed down to Thayngboche.

Nepal Trek: Day 14

2011-10-07T06:48:00.000+02:00

October 7th – Dingboche to Chhukhung: 14,272ft/4350m to 15,518ft/4730m (2 hours hiking) Short day hiking up to Chhukung. The clouds are back today, so I will wait for tomorrow to hike up Chhukhung Ri. Instead I took the afternoon to hike up to Island Peak basecamp. Or I went just until I reached the basecamp and then headed up the morraine. From there I enjoyed the amazing views of the mountains

Nepal Trek: Day 13

2011-10-06T05:04:00.000+02:00

October 6th – Gorak Shep to Dingboche: 17,008ft/5184m to 14,272ft/4350m (6 1/2 hrs hiking) Started the day watching the sun rising behind Nuptse and shining on Pumo Ri. I decided to spend the night in Gorek Shep for the morning mountains and was so happy that I did!! This was an easy day hike down the Khumbu valley to Dingboche. Clear skies again, I think the monsoon season is finally finished.

Nepal Trek: Day 12

2011-10-05T15:49:00.004+02:00

Oct 5th – Lobuche to Gorak Shep: 16,175ft/4930m – 17,008ft/5184m Had a short 2 hr hike to Gorak Shep, which is the last village before Everest Base Camp. We had clear skies all day. The idea was to hike to Gorak Shep and if the views were good of Everest, I would climb up Kala Pattar and then return to Lobuche. If the clouds were obstructing Everest, then I would stay the night in Gorak

Nepal Trek: Day 11

2011-10-04T09:58:00.001+02:00

October 4th - Cho La Pass Thangnak - Cho La Pass - Lobuche (9 hours hike) 15,387ft/4690m - 17,782ft/5420m - 16,175ft/4930m This was a long day! Woke early to clear skies and got started on the trail and make the pass before the clouds arrive. We left about 6:15 and had clear skies and great views all morning. We hit the first the snow at the base of Cho La on the rocks approaching the climb

Nepal Trek: Day 10

2011-10-03T09:55:00.002+02:00

October 3rd - Gokyo - Thangnok 15,584ft/4750m - 15,387ft/4690m - 2 This morning woke to a very cloudy day. The day is to start with a 2 hour hike up Gokyo Ri for acclimatization for preperation to go over the Cho La pass...and of course the amazing views of Everest from the top. However, it looks like no views today. I considered holding off for a day for better weather, however I am a few days

Nepal Trek: Day 9

2011-10-02T09:45:00.001+02:00

October 2nd - Gokyo rest day Used the layover day in Gokyo to hike up to the 5th lake and gain views of the Ngozumpa glacier, Nepal’s longest glacier, and get closer to the Himalayas. The weather was perfect today and had amazing clear skies offering great views of mountians Cho Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Chakung, Chumbu, Changri, Kangchung and Chola. Impressive!! Trail up to the 5th lake with Cho Oyu

Nepal Trek: Day 8

2011-10-01T06:57:00.002+02:00

October 1st – Luza to Gokyo: 14,403ft/4390m - 15,584ft/4750m - 6 hrs hiking Had to say my goodbyes to Katelyn and Rubin this morning. Neither are feeling well and are uncertain if they will continue or stay a day to regain strength, so they are taking the morning to decide. As we get above treeline, the fuel source shifts from wood to yak dung. The locals will collect the dung, flatten

Nepal Trek: Day 7

2011-09-30T14:44:00.001+02:00

September 30th – Dole to Luza: 13,399ft/4084m - 14,403ft/4390m - 4 1/2 hrs hike Had a great weather day...lots of sunshine! Today was another short trekking day. With the quick altitude gains, we will only trek half days to reach our next village where we will sleep. If you go too high too quickly, then the possibility for altitude sickness increases. So we are taking our time to make sure

Nepal Trek: Day 6

2011-09-29T14:17:00.001+02:00

Sept 29th - Khumjung to Dole: 12,402ft/3780m – 13,399ft/4084m - 6 1/2 hrs hike Woke to the sound of yak bells and enjoying the fact that I am waking up in the mountains of Nepal. On the way out of Khumjung, we stopped by the monastery because we heard that the monks have a yeti head… and if you provide a donation, you can view the ‘yeti head’. So what to do?…well we paid up to see the yeti

Nepal Trek: Day 5

2011-09-28T12:47:00.003+02:00

Sept 28th - Namche Bazaar to Khumjung: 11,306ft/3446m – 12,402ft/3780m – 5 hrs hikeAfter the days in Namche, I was ready to hit the trail and get moving towards Gokyo and into the Himalayas. The weather was improving day by day and we had a great morning’s hike to Khumjung, about 1000ft higher than Namche, but only a few hours hike up. Of course along the way, we stopped for a morning tea

Nepal Trek: Days 3 & 4

2011-09-27T12:06:00.002+02:00

Sept 26th – 27th Acclimatization Days in Namche: It rained a lot while we were in Namche for the required days acclimatizing. In fact, there were streams now running through the cobblestone passageways of Namche. So we enjoyed exploring this mountain village, comparing treats from several bakeries and a hike up to a higher village - Mende, a higher village for tea. I even caught an Everest

Nepal Trek: Day 2

2011-09-25T11:56:00.001+02:00

Sept 25th – Phakding to Namche Bazaar: To 11,306ft/3446m - 8 hrs hikingIt continues to rain, but we enjoyed a wonderful pre-birthday celebration for Rubin in Phakding the night before. However, we were unable to locate a birthday cake from the local bakery, so we look forward to a 2nd celebration with birthday cake in Namche! The trail went through beautiful forests with moss hanging from

Nepal Trek: Day 1

2011-09-24T12:19:00.051+02:00

Sept 24th - Lukla to Phakding: Woke to the 1st view of the Himalayas from just outside my tea house room. On today's trek we hiked to Phakding. Along the way, I passed the first of many monestaries Typical store offerings along the trail (Pringles, candy bars, cookies and the occasional vegetable): Along the tail there are many local toilet options: We passed many Mani

Nepal Trek: Gokyo Valley - Cho La Pass - Khumbu Valley

2011-09-23T12:03:00.002+02:00

On Sept 23rd I flew to Lukla to begin with a trek through the Himalayas of Nepal. I will trek up the Gokyo Valley and cross over Cho La Pass to enter the Khumbu Valley to hike up Kalla Pattar - which hopefully will provide wonderful views of Everest...if the clouds ever clear! Then onto Chhukung to Island Peak Base Camp and return back down to Lukla. The trip began with meeting up in Lukla with

Fall in Nepal

2011-09-22T23:40:00.002+02:00

Back in Nepal! I decided I needed to take a bit of time to recharge my soul and could not think of a better place for this time than Nepal. Having traveled here before, twice in the 90's, I have been waiting to return since. So my plan is to trek in the mountains and kayak on the rivers of Nepal, trek in the mountains of India, and then relax on the beaches of southern India and the Maldives.

Road Trip in Tanzania - Part 7

2007-09-29T20:06:00.000+02:00

Zanzibar -It was difficult to leave the beautiful views from the Irente Campground the following morning, but we had folks to see in Dar Es Salaam and a boat to catch to Zanzibar. The drive into Dar was an experience we had not had in quite a while - we were stuck in rush hour traffic!! Kinda strange after a year without it.We meet up with our hiking buddies Cathy and Matthew from our Mt. Meru

Road Trip in Tanzania - Part 6

2007-04-06T07:25:00.001+02:00

Cultural Hike through the Usambara Mountains:After I finished my Mt Kilimanjaro hike, I met Gabie in Moshi where we camped for one night. And the next day we were off to the Usambara Mts... just enough time to do laundry, shower, and get a bowl of ice cream in town :)We were off to do a cultural tour in the Usambara Mts that included a 3 day hike from the town of Lushoto to Mtae with our 1st

Road Trip in Tanzania - Part 5

2007-04-06T07:24:00.000+02:00

Mt. Kilimanjaro -(Highest mountain in Tanzania) Who says you can't celebrate your birthday all year long. As most of you know, I turned 40 this year. And as a present to myself I decided to hike to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I took the Machame route, also known as the "Whiskey route", and the hike took 6 days. I decided on the Machame route as I have read that it

Road Trip in Tanzania - Part 4

2007-04-06T07:22:00.000+02:00

Ngorogoro Crater Highlands Trek:The next part of our exploration of Northern Tanzania (aka - the outragously expensive part of Tanzania) was a 4 day trek through the Crater Highlands. We started out driving from Arusha with the tour company and went through the Ngoragora Crater the afternoon of our first day. This was one of many highlights on this trip. We dropped down into this enormous crater

Road Trip in Tanzania - Part 3

2007-03-25T15:01:00.000+02:00

Hike up Mt. Meru (2nd highest mountain in Tanzania)Feb 16th we started our 4 day trek to the peak of Mt. Meru (4,566m, 14,976 ft). We drove from Arusha and as soon as we ventered into the Arusha National Park we saw a giraffe at the main gate into the park. After a quick lunch at the park’s office at the Momela Gate and sorted out the porters we started our hike to the first hut with our guides

Road Trip in Tanzania - Part 2

2007-03-21T18:35:00.000+02:00

Tarangeri Park:After we hiked Mt. Hanang we continued on towards Arusha via Tarangeri Park via Babati. We experienced more fun roads that tested our driving skills learned on the road from Dodoma the previous week :)We camped just outside of the Tarangeri Park entrance and were able to get an early start into the park the following day. This park is slightly out of the way from the main tourist

Road Trip in Tanzania - Part 1

2007-03-18T11:44:00.000+02:00

Tanzania - The 1st week:After a successful completion of my VSO placement at Mzuzu University (I built a database for the University), I was ready to unwind and enjoy a “stress-free” holiday in Tanzania. However, with the long list of things to do and see in this fabulous country, there was not much time for relaxation.I started off on Sun. Feb 4th from Mzuzu with a fellow volunteer Gabie in her

Going to the Market

2007-02-11T12:18:00.000+02:00

Going to the Market: Going to the market is always a fun way to spend a morning or afternoon. This is were you find the best selection of vegetables and fruit and beans and nuts and clothes and shoes and anything else you may desire. The produce is from local farmers and is always fresh. The larger towns have the best variety of produce where the smaller villages are

Transportation in Africa

2007-02-10T17:55:00.000+02:00

Transportation in Malawi/Africa:So how does one get around in Malawi?? There are a number of options…Bike taxi:Minibus: The minibuses are the main mode of transportation. The vehicles in Lilongwe and Blantyre are in pretty good condition, but the ones in the outer areas have seen better days and are on their 3rd or 4th life. These are the small vans and have 5 rows of benches inside. The most

Mozambique

2007-02-01T08:56:00.000+02:00

Mozambique – New YearsHappy New Years! I spent 2 wonderful weeks in northern Mozambique over the holidays. I went with a group of volunteers (1 honorary member) and we first headed to Mozambique Island( Ilha de Mocambique). This is an old Portuguese settlement and was once a very prosperous shipping port in its hey-day during the 16th to the 19th centuries. It was also the capital of Portuguese

Luwawa Bike Race

2006-12-01T08:15:00.000+02:00

Luwawa Bike Marathon RaceMy biking friends in Colorado will be happy to know that I entered a bike race and actually finished. And not only that, but I was the 2nd woman to cross the finish line!The Luwawa Lodge has put on a mountain bike race every year for the past 3 years. The course goes through the beautiful Luwawa Forest Reserve and is 42km/26 miles in length. This forest is actually a tree

Commerce and Advertising in Africa

2006-11-16T09:54:00.000+02:00

Businesses and Advertising in MalawiAs I have traveled through Malawi I have seen some very interesting store fronts and business signs. Below is a collection of the photos that best represent this part of life here in Malawi. I hope to be adding more photos as I come across new ones, so visit this post again.Highway sign on the road to Mzuzu:Highway sign on the road to Zomba:Competition is tough

The Zambezi River and Victoria Falls, Zambia

2006-11-05T12:24:00.001+02:00

The Zambezi & Victoria Falls – Sept. 28th – Oct. 4thI have wanted to go to the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls in Zambia ever since I started kayaking. The mighty Zambezi just beckons any and all whitewater enthusiasts. And for various reasons, I have had to cancel this trip twice since I arrived here in Africa – which turned out to be good because the time of year I went was the best time for

Gule Wankulu

2006-11-01T16:43:00.000+02:00

Nyua Dances by the Gule Wankulus or ‘Supreme Dancers’– September 10th, 2006I finally had an opportunity to experience a slice of local culture. Mrs Juma, a colleague of mine from the Nurses and Midwives Council, invited me to her home village Kamadzu (meaning Small Water) to view a special ceremony. The day was to commemorate the unveiling of a tombstone for a villager that had recently passed

Bike Ride from Nkhoma to Dedza

2006-10-07T11:49:00.000+02:00

Bike Ride from Nkhoma to Dedza – Sept. 2nd, 2006The bike ride from Nkhoma to Dedza was awesome! It was so nice to slow down and travel at the same pace as life here in Malawi. So many times as I have traveled to and from in the car, I felt as if I was just whizzing through this world here and missing a big part of it. Not only did the glass window act as a barrier, but so did this new fangled

Vwaza Marsh Wilderness Reserve

2006-09-24T14:05:00.000+02:00

Vwaza Marsh Wilderness Reserve – August 26th-27th, 2006I went up to the northern region on VSO business for this last weekend in August. I had a meeting at the Mzuzu University to meet the IT Dept to determine if I will take on a 2nd short-term placement here in Malawi through VSO. The visit went well enough that I have decided to accept this placement and will be here an additional 3 months! So

Cape Maclear

2006-09-09T13:31:00.000+02:00

Cape MaclearCape Maclear is a situated on the Nankumba Peninsula at the far southern part of Lake Malawi. I was meeting another volunteer, Yvonne, who arrived in country at the same time as myself and is living in Blantyre. During that first week in Malawi, we decided that we would meet up at Cape Maclear and kayak around the 2 islands Thumbi and Domwe just off the coast.As we headed out of

Turnin' 40!

2006-08-19T11:58:00.000+02:00

Turnin’ 40 in AfricaAs many of you know, I was hoping to spend my birthday on the peak of Kilimanjaro - however it didn’t happen. I just could not justify the cost of flying up to Tanzania for one week to do this short trip, and the other alternative -taking off 1 month from my project to do everything I want to do while in Tanzania, was not possible. So, I have decided to postpone my Tanzania

Dzalanyama Part 2

2006-08-03T10:03:00.000+02:00

Dazalanyama Part 2-Two weeks after my first visit to Dazalanyama Lodge a friend from the UK was in town working on a forestry project and wanted to go hiking. “I have the perfect place” I tell him. So off we go back to the Dazalanyama Mountains. The roads here in Malawi are mainly used by people on foot or bike. I have yet to drive a car here, but it seems to be a bit stressful with all this

Dzalanyama

2006-07-29T16:39:00.000+02:00

DazalanyamaPart 1-Another weekend comes along and I am off to explore a different part of Malawi. This time I headed just south of Lilongwe to the border with Mozambique where the Dazalanyama Mountains are located. It is a perfect distance from Lilongwe for a quick weekend trip. The lodge is a nice little place located next to a creek and is very quite and peaceful. Lucius is the guide/cook here

Kasungu National Park

2006-07-22T10:59:00.000+02:00

Kasungu National Park – May 27th and 28th, 2006I went to Kasungu National Park with my friend Jill and another VSO ‘full timer’ from the Tanzania office. We drove up from Lilongwe on the M1 to Kasungu and then headed west to the Lifupa Lodge on a long dirt road. The lodge is on the far end of the park and located close to the border with Zambia. This was my first ‘safari lodge’ in Malawi so I was

Luwawa Forest Reserve

2006-06-28T13:08:00.000+02:00

Luwawa Forest Reserve May 13th and 14th, 2006Another VSO meeting? But we just had one in Mua….3 months ago. But since it these meetings are held 4 times throughout the year, it was time for another one. At these meetings we discuss some VSO business, but we also have the chance to get together and meet one another. And they give us the opportunity to see another part of Malawi, as they take place

Lake Malawi – Nkhotakota

2006-06-10T09:01:00.000+02:00

Lake Malawi – Nkhotakota May 6th and 7th, 2006For this weekend, I went to Lake Malawi again…thanks to my friend Roger who took pity on me. I say this because the previous weekend was a holiday 3 day weekend and one that I had planned to go to Cape Maclear with 2 other volunteers, however all did not go as planned… (Plan 1) - The initial plan was for the 3 of us to drive down with another

Mt. Mulanje Hike

2006-05-25T17:44:00.000+02:00

Mt. Mulanje Hike - April 14th -17thAhhhh Mulanje! What a treasure Mt. Mulanje is! The hiking here is SUPER, the hard part is just getting to the top :)Mt. Mulanje is actually made up of several mountains, the highest being Mt. Sapitwa (9843 ft or 3001 meters). I went hiking over the long Easter weekend with 3 others, Jill, Paul, Emma and our trusty guide – Edwin. A guide ended up being a

Bembeke to Mua Hike

2006-05-01T13:39:00.000+02:00

Bembeke to Mua Hike - March 10thMy first hike in Malawi was through the Dedza-Salima Forest Reserve from the town of Bembeke to Mua. VSO held a meeting in Mua, a small town southwest of Lilongwe. So instead of just driving there, a few of us opted to hike part of the way. I was lucky enough to be invited along with some other hiking enthusiasts for a hike from Bembeke, up and over mountains, and

Lake Malawi - Senga Bay

2006-04-23T10:31:00.000+02:00

Lake Malawi - Senga Bay: March 4th, 2006I finally made it out of the city!! My first trip out was to ‘The Lake’. I had been going a little stir crazy and feeling a bit restless because I had not left Lilongwe since I arrived in Malawi, which has been a month now. Malawi has an enormous lake, aptly named Lake Malawi, and takes up almost 1/5 of the country’s territory. It is definitely a must see

First Impressions

2006-04-09T16:25:00.000+02:00

First Impressions:As the plane flew in towards the Lilongwe airport, and was dropping lower, I was able to get my first glimpse of Malawi. As I was looking out the window I saw a vast expansion of bush. There were not a lot of trees or mountains out my window, just lots of grassland, scrubs and a few scattered hills in the distance. Then as we dropped even lower, I was able to make out small

Getting Here

2006-04-02T14:03:00.000+02:00

Getting Here:So I finally made it! I look back on my last weeks in the US and can not believe that I did make it here. There were many moments when I thought that it was not going to be possible to get every thing done. I had many ‘To Do’ lists, and as soon as I completed one task, I would think of three more to add to the bottom of the list. I was a bit stressed to say the least. But with the

River Photos

2006-01-10T21:59:00.000+02:00

Yampa River 2005

Colorado Photos

2006-01-10T21:56:00.000+02:00

Snowshoe with Michelle in Eldora, Colorado May 2005