About Me
Well for those of you who don’t know me, I’m David Young from Ontario, Canada!
I just quit my job as a construction labourer. I’d been there for a bit over a year but the bad pay, my love of travel, and the cold weather finally pushed me to leave and spend all my hard-earned money. I’d been wanting to do a little trip to Asia with one of my friends, but after realizing everyone was either at school or work, I decided to set off on my own and booked a one-way ticket to New Delhi. My plan is to travel from India to Japan in roughly four months, with about $9000 to spend (slowly going down with the cost of travel ins/vaccinations 🙁 ). I’ve travelled a lot of Europe already with my brother Pete and my friend Ben but I’ve never really travelled alone before. So this blog is basically just for this trip as a journal for me, and so I don’t have to send a million emails to my family/friends to show that im alive. There will be lots of spelling mistakes, and hopefully, I can make it interesting enough for you all to read!
Getting ready for India!
jan19, 2012
Heyyy there, ok well this is my first blog post made a week before I left. Getting my vaccination shots today, and hopefully fixing my computer so I can get important info off of it as my India Visa application number =( Anyways I’m not bringing any laptops so I won’t be able to update this very often, maybe every 2 weeks? oh well, my next post will be from India!!
I also made a map for my mom, so she could follow my trip so check that out at the side of the screen, and let me know if it is not working!
Leaving: Toronto
jan29
Well, I can’t upload any pictures so far, but words can’t describe life in Delhi. My parents drove me to the Toronto airport, and on the way, I had a nice visit with my oma and opa =) After saying goodbye, I went through a thorough airport screening (maybe because India is near Pakistan??) and then found my way to my gate. Getting on a flight filled with Ukrainian people is quite fun, I sat (on my favourite window seat) next to a 45-year-old woman and after saying hello she quickly said that she spoke no English =( As the plane was taking off I got my book/iPod out and asked her “You live Ukraine” she smiled then took out her English phrase book and suddenly the rest of the flight was amazing =D we spent the whole flight talking, laughing and telling about our lives. She was a teacher, who just came back from visiting her husband (construction foreman) and students (psychology/Spanish) in Ontario/Quebec.
We filled 3 pages back and front with drawings/numbers etc. and the hours passed quickly until I finally landed in Ukraine. Olena then told me to put on my jacket because it was freezing cold outside. We exchanged emails and I said goodbye to the quickest and least English-speaking friend I’ve made =)
After waiting for 6 and a half hours, I boarded a flight to India and arrive in Delhi at about 3:30 AM. The Ukrainian next to me wasn’t as friendly (no phrase book) but she did ask for help to fill out her landing information card, which I was glad to do. Also, I knew a few words from Olena so she smiled when I said the food was good.
Delhi
jan31
Extremely foggy landing in Delhi, and I picked a cab with a meter because I didn’t really know the taxi prices yet. Tons of honking traffic that seems to keep evolving. If there is any extra space, everyone shifts to it and a 2-lane highway is quickly turned into a 3/4 lane. My taxi driver brought me to Main Bazaar but apparently, my written directions weren’t very helpful so he got someone else to walk me to my hotel.
Unfortunately, someone else walked me into a very dark street, with the promise of a tourist agency that was set back in an even darker corner. With so many Indian homeless/sketchy people around, I decided to politely refuse and talked with 6 Tuktuk drivers who laughed with me at my predicament, especially the fact that I left my hotel addresses in the car so I didn’t know where to stay. One man brought me to a local hotel, which charged 1000 Ruppe (ouch) but since it was about 4:30 now, I decided I just wanted to sleep and deal with everything in the morning.
feb1
Woke up at 4 PM India time (soo bad for jetlag), searched the internet for the same hotels I had written down and after some insistence, got walking directions from the hotel staff. Walked the crowded streets for a bit, it is impossible to describe the smell/sound/sight of things but it is something else. Cars/bikes weave around foot traffic and there is usually half a foot between me and the cars as they pass by. A friendly off-duty officer directed me to my hotel but a tuk-tuk driver brought me to the tourist info center, which turned out to be an amazing idea!! I’m writing this in the future, so now I’m good friends with everyone at the info center, have been invited to Moonmar’s house for family supper twice, and his kids walk me back to my hotel every night. I’ve even been invited to another friend’s house in Kashmir to stay for free and hunt deer/geese/mountain goats in the Himalayans. But now in the past for day 1, it was all very intimidating to me and I felt pushed to buy itineraries and tickets/cab drivers. I ended up buying a 7-day houseboat in Srinagar including fight/pickup/drop but decided that that was the last future reservation Id be making in my travels. They booked me in a hotel that was 500 rupees, which was fortunate because everything else was full. I dropped my stuff off then Moonmar came by Tuk Tuk and brought me to his home to meet his family. We picked up a beer and then walked up to their rooftop home.
He has 3 very cute kids (pictures soon) and 4 cousins who stay with him. I coloured with the youngest one for a while and once I gave him my camera he couldn’t let go. The best way to take polite pictures in a family home is to give your camera to a kid =D We had butter chicken and rice, and of course, I washed my hands in water and ate with my fingers to be polite. Moonmar is quite a good but exhausting host and after he had hash and beer he translated for me some of what everyone was saying and his wife was not happy about him.
She thinks he should be in Amsterdam with the girls because that’s how he is acting. But besides that, I can tell that she loves him and defiantly heard a lot of laughs coming from her, the children, Moonmar, and of course me =) The pictures will explain a lot when I get them up. His kids were brought home, and I sat down for a good sleep in a very nice hotel, but then unfortunately some school kids kept me up till 12:30 and woke me up at 5:35 by having a door-slamming competition that lasted until 7:30.
ok ill just send this so I don’t lose it but that was day 0/1 and now I think I’m on day 4, heading out of Delhi tomorrow and about to have a lunch that I helped make. I could literally write this much on an everyday basis because there’s so much going on, but I don’t have the time so I might have to summarize!
Dave
Srinigar
feb3
The next day I was supposed to fly to Srinigar but after waiting at the airport I found that I had missed my flight so it was scheduled for the next day. I waited at the tourist office all day (helped make lunch) and listened to two unhappy Chinese tourists who wanted a refund. We exchanged knowing glances but there was not much to do about it. Eventually, I set off again to the bazaar,
bought a watch, SD reader and some more scarves. Finally, they gave me a hotel room, free of charge because they had made a mistake.
Man was I disappointed! It was a 6×10 foot concrete rectangle (windowless), with a terrible smell of mold. So bad that I left my door open, until the last second before bed when I had to shut it =( I could barely breathe in the morning, but they had arranged for me to picked brought directly to the airport so not much to do about it! And unfortunately maybe because of that, I had a terrible chest infection and sinus condition that lasted for about 2 weeks =(
I boarded the plane, talked to a friendly Med student during the flight, and then landed in Srinagar.
Kashmir
feb4
Kasmir almost completely Mulsim. Every day dozens of mosques shout out prayers through their speakers, in the form of singing. While the unison sometimes sounds beautiful and almost coordinated, the first prayer is at the break of dawn so I usually wake up from my deep sleep because of it but still better than an alarm clock I guess. A lot of the women are either dressed in Burkas or colourful clothes but either way, their heads are covered. Half the men are dressed like “westerners” and the other half wear a poncho that to me is the equivalent of sweatpants. So of course I wore mine almost every day, The bonus of the poncho is you can hold a Kongra inside (clay pot of burning embers) and stay warm on electricity-free cold nights.
feb6
Kangra Valley:
feb7
I then decided to do a 3-day mountain trek, before I left. What I didn’t know was that it was extremely hard to trek in 5/6 feet of snow, with running shoes on! So I spent most of my time snowboarding with the kids of the village (who hadn’t seen a snowboard before).
Arif dropped me off with a guide name Phildos, to a small gypsy family of five, and after tea and introductions (no English), I went outside to play with the kids. It wasn’t long before I was pushing them on sleds down the hill, and drawing/playing with them in the house before supper. Of course, they loved my camera and since it’s waterproof/super tough I am more than happy to share it!
Watched Shawshank Redemption on my iPod with Phildos before bed, but unfortunately spent the night coughing as my chest infection had officially started ='(
feb8
The next day, one of the neighbour kids took me around town to find a good spot for a snowboard jump! Everyone in Kashmir is extremely friendly, and this mountain village was no exception! By the way, I forgot to mention that the foothills of the Himalayas are beautiful!!! I’ll be coming back sometime in the summer to do a 15-day trek I possible. Once we found a spot we spent a few hours snowboarding before I got tired and headed back for lunch. When I came out, I found my posse had grown and now everyone wanted to go to the same spot (we gained people on the way. I carried the youngest kid on my shoulders (picture above =) ) With this big group, everyone tried snowboarded, and took turns filming each other and me. Families came out of their homes to watch us, and their kids usually ran up to join us. We built a huge jump but I found out that I was the one expected to use it so I did some easy tricks and then after much insistence, face-planted on my 360-degree attempt and called it a day! Got back and did an hour or two of trekking with Phildos before we decided that it wasn’t possible without snowshoes + it was getting dark. Maybe because of my exercise that day, but I was sicker than ever that night and ate 4 handfuls before I politely refused (or I’d vomit!).
Not related to being sick lol but here’s the toilet
feb9
The next morning I felt too tired to snowboard so I just pushed the two kids down the path to the house on the sled, and carried it back up for them. It was a beautiful sunny day so I spent it reading until too many kids came back to snowboard so I helped build a jump close to the house and made a few bad attempts at doing grabs. Walked around town for a bit and then relaxed and watched tv until Arif came by at 3:30 to pick me up. I said goodbye to everyone and headed back through the mountains in our colourful car!
Srinagar First Half
28FEB
My initial impressions of Srinagar to be fair were bad. The tourist agent promised me that I’d live on a houseboat on the water, and every person I met insisted Kashmir was heaven on earth. But I got driven by Arif (travel agent, and owner of house) to his house. Everyone just sat watching TV for hours, and talked Kashmirian to each other, when I asked what to do he said it cost 100 dollars a day (basically have a driver/guide/me) so I told him I’d walk with their “servant” Nassam (who is my good friend). I felt thrust into a place that I didn’t want to be, only to find out that I’d have to pay to do anything!! The electricity goes off our hours every day so even though I turned my heated blanket on, I was shivering to death at 3:30 am cause it was snowy outside (-5c/-7c) and the houses are built with brick/cement, no insulation!! Plus I was coughing and sniffing as my sickness had just picked up! So that was my first impression, but 3 weeks later it changed as I became part of the family =) So after walking with Nassam the next day we talked the whole time about his life and mine, and why it was so expensive! After that, we formed a good friendship, where we talked most nights in the hall about his girl/job problems, and about my life ambitions.
They were lingering in the museum waiting for a cousin so I headed off to India gate (again) I first met a Physics teacher and then the medical student who both chatted with me on my way to the gate. After that, I tried to metro back to the tourist office but I got off at the wrong stop and after asking different people, ended up where my taxi dumped me the first night, but this time I noticed a huge bazaar! I bought scarves, shopped around and then headed onward cause it was getting dark. An hour and a half later, after getting directions from rickshaws, tourist agencies, and policemen I finally found my way and they booked me a room. I hadn’t eaten all day so I treated myself to butter chicken, roti, and a beer. Unfortunately, my room was on the roof next to the cooks so I watched Indiana jones, and the pianist until they finally slept at 1:30 AM only to get up at 6:30 to start breakfast!
There were two more weeks spent in Kasmir which I’ll update soon, now I’m In Delhi again with a train ticket booked for Agra (Taj Mahal) tomorrow at 11. Just finished a 14.5-hour cliffside jeep drive, and a freezing/crowded 15-hour train ride so today I’ve finally gotten to relax. Going to get some butter chicken/bread in the hotel because I’ve had rice for 3 weeks straight! Still not sure if I’m going to do Southern India because Thailand has cleaner and swimmable beaches, whereas Goa apparently isn’t as nice. Its a 48+ hour train ride too so that is a disadvantage as well =)
March
The gallery of pictures from my March travels in India. Please also see the map.
Welcome to Nepal
Mar28
April 1st- The Trek Begins
I have no time to write but since I won’t be on the internet in a while I’ll just send some of the pictures I took. I’m in Nepal and starting my trek to Everest tomorrow so that’s my update =)
I brought a bag of about 8-9 kilos (that holds 20 lbs.) and started my trek with a 58-year-old USA woman and a 19-year-old UK friend. Cary (USA), was quite a theatre act herself and didn’t think twice about going to the washroom on the trail in front of us, or taking the frying pan from the Nepali teahouse cooks if she thought they were making her eggs incorrectly. She made the locals stare and laugh and helped Solomon (UK) and I get free lodging and cheap food most nights because she would bargain every Nepali in sight, in order to save some rupees =) The three of us met in a Kathmandu hostel and after our plane ride to Lukla was delayed for 4 hours because of the weather, we decided to get a refund and split a taxi to Jiri (the 6-day trek leading up to Lukla).
Taking a flight from Katmandu to Luka reduces the trek to EBC by six days. The flight is 138 km and takes 25 minutes. The runway at the Lukla airport is considered to be one of the world’s most dangerous due to the sudden drop to the runway.
Driving to Jiri and then hiking to Lukla is the classic route to Everest Base Camp and is more challenging than flying and skipping the six-day hike:
“The Jiri to Everest Base Camp Trek is an amazing trail in Nepal and the ‘classic’ way to get to EBC (before flying into Lukla became an option). And while hiking from Jiri to the Everest Base Camp is challenging (frankly, it’s the toughest thing I have ever done), it is worth every step. Hiking from Jiri to EBC will not only help you acclimatize better, but the section between Jiri and Cheplung also offers beautiful scenery and is much quieter than the main EBC trail!“
Lotte: Phenomenal Global Travel Blog
April 1st Katmandu to Jiri by Cab
I started the trip with a bag of maybe four kilos but on the first day, my rain jacket failed its test and soaked me thoroughly. That was the moment when I realized that I hadn’t really prepared myself but now it was too late! So I bought a new “North Face” bag, a waterproof rain jacket, a headlamp, and some warmer clothes. On the trail, my bag was the smallest and I was constantly asked if my porter or yak was carrying a bigger bag. Most people go with a guide ($30) and a porter ($15) but for a budget traveller that simply wasn’t an option so instead, I bought a map ($4.25) and joined up with other solo travellers for the more difficult/dangerous parts of the trek. April 1st Driving to Jiri 5 hr 10 min (183.6 km) via Araniko Highway and Lamosangu-Ramechhap Highway.
What is Jiri famous for? Jiri is popularly known as the Switzerland of Nepal as it is a small town located in the Dolakha district. Known as the classic route to Mount Everest almost all the Everest expeditions in the past, including those led by famous climbers John Hunt, Edmund Hillary and others passed through Jiri.
Jiri to Everest Base Camp trek: common hiking itinerary
- Day 0: Kathmandu to Jiri
- Day 1: Jiri to Deurali
- Day 2: Deurali to Sete
- Day 3: Sete to Junbesi
- Day 4: Junbesi to Nunthala
- Day 5: Nunthala to Bupsa
- Day 6: Bupsa to Cheplung
- Day 7: Cheplung to Monjo
- Day 8: Monjo to Namche Bazaar
- Day 9: acclimatization day in Namche Bazaar
- Day 10: Namche Bazaar to Tengboche
- Day 11: Tengboche to Dingboche
- Day 12: acclimatization day in Dingboche
- Dag 13: Dingboche to Dughla
- Day 14: Dughla to Lobuche
- Day 15: Lobuche to Gorak Shep, Gorak Shep to Kala Patthar, Gorak Shep to EBC
Map of Trip to EBC
Elevation Changes Trip
The Hard Slog of April 6th
April 7th
April 8th
The days with my UK and US friends were spent slowly trudging up huge mountains, walking through jungle and winter snow, and falling into a familiar routine of early mornings and packed lunches. At night time we played cards, hung out with locals, ate Dal Bhat (Nepali Dal Bhat or Dahl Bhat, a dish made of lentils and rice. It is considered to be the national dish of Nepal.), and drank the local beer. When we reached Namche Baazar, we decided to separate because they wanted to go to Gokyo (the best view of Everest) and I wanted to go to the Everest base camp first and then Gokyo after.
Namche Baazar-April 10th
I did a 6-day hike from Jiri to Namche and tomorrow am going to start a 3-day hike to Everest base camp, then go to Gokyo valley and fly back to Kathmandu. Had to buy lots of warm clothes and gear in Kathmandu and now have the altitude to worry about =) So I have another 10 days of hiking ahead and then ill debate whether to do the Annapurna Circut (20-day hike) or just head straight to Thailand and rock climb/snorkel/relax
Hike to Lobuche-April 11th
After spending a fun acclimatization day of relaxing and eating, I set out alone the next cloudy morning and unfortunately walked farther than I should have. I ended up near 4000M and defiantly felt AMS (acute mountain sickness) and had a headache, dizziness, feeling like vomiting, exhaustion etc. So the next day I only walked two hours in the early morning to the next town and spent the day reading, eating, and adjusting to the altitude.
10APR
Most people spend even another day adjusting but I was bored so the next morning I left and walked uphill to Labuche. My head was pounding and I was breathless a lot of the way but it was such a beautiful walk that I didn’t mind =) I had to start wearing my sunglasses from here on out because the reflection of the snow was way too bright and people warned me of “snow blindness”.
I saw many helicopters going overhead, some ferrying altitude sick passengers back to the hospitals, others bringing wealthy climbers up the mountain with a charge from 3-7000 dollars!! It’s hard to describe a day-to-day walking adventure but basically, you keep walking until you reach the top of a huge hill and then a new and amazing view/terrain greets you and gives you another energy boost to keep walking till the next amazing mountain ridge. The pictures I have here were quickly uploaded so I might be missing some, but the videos I took will probably be able to help explain how small you feel in a valley of 6-8000m mountains that surround you~!
I then arrived in Lobuche and got a free room because I let a Dutch guy share it with me (we are still travelling together). I drank lots of ginger tea, ate a big meal and talked to other hikers about plans and travel until I finally went to bed with the knowledge that tomorrow I’d be at Everest base camp!!
Lobuche (or Lobuje) is a small settlement near Mount Everest in the Khumbu region of Nepal. It is one of the last overnight stops with lodging on the “trail to base camp”, a hike that climbers make on their way to Everest Base Camp (South) when attempting an ascent of Everest via the standard southeast route. It is also a popular stop among trekkers in the area.
Gorakshep Village-April 13th
The next day was a gruelling walk that proved I still wasn’t used to the altitude. I had to rest constantly and for the first time was passed by other trekkers (all older than me). It was an amazing walk and my first good view of an ice glacier but by the time I arrived in Gorakshep, I was dead tired and quickly booked a room to sleep in (it was only 8:30 am).
Out of the entire trip, this was my worst moment for altitude but the bonus was after this, I never had a problem with it. I took some Diamox for the first time and after sleeping I was still worried about my health so I debated descending. Luckily I met some friends I made days before and we talked for a couple of hours over hot chocolate, which must’ve allowed the Diamox to kick in a little.
EBC- 13APR- 17,598 ft South Side
At about 12ish my desire to go to base camp was too strong so I said farewell, packed lightly and headed off!! It was an easier climb than expected and the terrible sickness I felt in the early morning had almost disappeared so two hours later I finally made it =D I went through the enormous camp (big mistake) and when I finally arrived back in Gorak Shep I stumbled into my room, fell asleep, woke up to eat quickly, and dropped into bed again.
Gokyo-one of the best views of Everest
Kala Pattar
The next morning I felt 100 percent better and climbed Kala Pattar (5643m) and while this was an extremely hard climb, the view on top was amazing. It was a little too cold and soon my fingers couldn’t press the button on my camera so rushed down because I felt the obvious oncoming feeling of frostbite and finally got a feeling in my fingers by rubbing them together for 45 minutes.
and there are glimpses of the northern flank and summit of Lhotse. The world’s highest webcam, the Mount Everest webcam, was located here.
Heading back-Cho La Pass
As I headed back towards Katmandu we initially followed beside the Khumba Glacier. 30 minutes or so past Lobuche, you will reach an intersection. To the right is towards Dzongla, while to the left is back to Dingboche or Pheriche. The trail to the right leads to the Cho La Pass, and then to Gokya.
After breakfast, I headed all the way down to a town near Chola Pass, where I met a funny Korean girl who was about 5″6 and had a bag that weighed 15 kilos!! We got a free dorm room, had supper and then early the next morning set out to cross the infamous Chola pass. She spoke Nepali and was a big hit with the porters because she was resting with them from big rock to big rock due to the weight of her massive backpack. We eventually made it up the icy mountain and through the snow-covered pass until we reached the highest point where my fellow exhausted hikers stopped to have food/water and enjoy their personal victory! Asha (the girl) got us free yak cheese and cookies from the Nepalis and then we made the crazy climb down to Gokyo. The steep verticle drop was covered with snow and often I’d be falling/sliding for 5-10 seconds with no way to stop myself except the ragged rocks that I hit. We passed a crying older lady being helped up by two Sherpas because the climb was extremely difficult with the amount of snow. Eventually, we made it to the bottom and walked through a huge empty valley where there was not a house/wildlife in sight as far as the eye could see.
My dutch friend and a swiss friend caught up to us and we all continued another 4 hours together to Gokyo.
Arrival at Goyko
We passed through a huge stone glacier that reminded me of the Hobbits when they saw Mordor. Somehow we navigated through it and arrived at 5:45 PM at a yak burger and a free (but cold) room.
17APR- Holy Lakes Goyko
Jimmy and I (dutch) went to the 3 holy lakes but found out after that the third one was too far for a day trek 8 hours later we stumbled into the lodge dehydrated and starving because we only brought 1 L of water and no food for the day. I can see how people get lost out here because if one of us were any weaker then I’m not sure we would’ve made it back! The next morning I woke up with Armad (swiss) and we brought boiling water/cups/biscuits/teabags with us on the two-and-a-half-hour hike up to Gokyo Ri.
17APR Gokyo Ri
Amazing views of Everest and surrounding mountains and we sat up there comfortably for hours with our Tibetan tea and cookies. There was a Llama from Thailand that had apparently slept on the mountain, and his 13 followers listened to him preach into a tape recorder. I have seen this Llama everywhere (Everest base camp to Gokyo) and even the previous night we spotted him in the middle of the frozen lake with his 13 faithful Thai followers crowded around him!
Spent the day playing cards with new friends from France, and the US, and introduced them to the local beer Chang. After settling my $65 dollar bill of amazing food, we left our warm lodge for Renjo Valley (easiest pass) at 7 am and were treated to some amazing last views of the Everest Himalayan Range. The rest of the day (till 5:45?) was spent walking downhill down to Namache through some amazing valleys. We didn’t eat all day and our swiss friend stayed at an earlier town, while Jimmy and I pressed on to Namache in hopes of cheap momo, coca cola, and a warm place to sleep. It feels like an end of a 15-day journey for me and now I could finally take a shower (gross I know) and treat my feet that look a little worse for wear. I’m gonna relax for a day or two more and then take a flight back to Khatmandu.
Maybe a week more and I’m going to leave for Thailand because I’m in need of rest and don’t think I’m for another trek. Hoping to get my scuba diving certificate in Thailand and April/May is whale shark season so there’s a chance I’ll be able to see one! Hope to be back to enjoy the summer in Canada thou =)
20APR
Well, I finished my 16-day journey from Jiri to Everest base camp, then I crossed Chola Pass (5400m) to Gokyo, and then Renjo pass (5300M) back to Namche. It took 11 days to get to base camp doing approx 300km with ups and downs of 10 000m, (or so a website just told me) but the hardest part by far was the 4000m+ climbs because of the altitude and lack of oxygen.
Thailand Month of May
Maybe a week more and I’m going to leave for Thailand because I’m in need of rest and don’t think I’m for another trek. Hoping to get my scuba diving certificate in Thailand and April/May is whale shark season so there’s a chance I’ll be able to see one! Hope to be back to enjoy the summer in Canada thou =)
Back Home June 5th
Well, my trip is over. I feel so ill that I will post all my pics on Facebook when I get my SD card from the mail. in total 2 month in India, 1 in Nepal, and 1 in Thailand =) maybe I will update this blog for my next trip but that won’t be for a while =(
