Climbing Travel Life

Chillin in Chile

2008-02-27T06:27:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh, just how I wanted to spend my last bit of time in South America. Sitting on the beach with a good book watching the cute Chileno lifeguards run around.
Chile surly has the most confusing conversion rate, at 474pesos/$CAN. It makes me feel like im spending heaps more than I really am, with surfing lessons costing $10,000, a night at the hostel $5,500, and a bottle of water $500.
I was quite confused walking along the beach, seeing sign after sign with a picture of the beach, and an arrow pointing away from the beach. I thought, ´why, some hooligan has gone and turned all the signs around!¨ On closer inspection... the photo was not of a wave, but a tsunami and read: Evacuation route. I find myself subconsiously glancing toward the sea every now and then... just to be sure.
Im soon off to see if I can still stand up on a surfboard.

"lifes adventures are the verses adn choruses of your unique sone, and when its over, you are dead" -Jimmy Buffett

2008-02-23T05:24:00.000-08:00

After the worst case of the 24hr flu that I have ever had... I decided that a 4hr hike to Frey for a competition was perhaps not on the top of my list of things to do. Instead, Jonathan, the Frenchie I have been traveling with, and I teamed up with 3 more Frenchies to head to another climbing area close to Bariloche. The cliff was a 30second walk from the tents, and we were right beside a beautiful lake with a view of the mountains.
We didnt do to much climbing, other than flailing on the hardest 7a I have ever laid a hand on. The camping was nice tho, and we perfected back-coutry bread and Pizza making.
After returning to Barioche, we packed up and headed to El Bolson. (Two hours south... even though I really should have been heading north, as I have over 60hrs of bus to Lima, where I fly home from... oh well). El Bolson is a huge hippie town, where we did a quick hike to some waterfalls, and rocked out to a local band playing Bob Marley and Jimmi Hendrics!! Sweet.
Im in Mendoza now, feeling fairly unmotivated to do much of anything... so Im off to Chile to chill on the beach... and do nothing. Its about a 24hr bus ride, but I have gotten used to these marathon busses.. and they go by in no time.

See everyone in two weeks!!! I cant believe its almost been 7months already! Phew.

excited for...

2008-02-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

New things, a good bed, good food, good kharma, ice cream, and a bit of partying!

After a month in Valle Encantado, I feel it is time to move on. I will miss the lazy, easy going Valle, but am psyched for new things.
I plan on relaxing in Bariloche for a few days as my shoulder is acting up a bit, and then heading to Frey to try and convince someone to take me trad climbing. (As I have no gear). I might even compete in a fun little top rope comp they are hosting... mostly because I hear there is free beer...
Im excited to have a good bed after a month on a 5$ sleeping pad. There is even a little bouldering wall at the hostel! (And a big slide... woooooooo)
I can´t wait to get some good Argentine beef, and wine in my belly. Im a little tired of instant rice and fake flavour. (I know, poor me)
Too pass on some good kharma, the little blow up boat (nesesary for getting to Valle) that was given to me has been handed off to some other climbers here at the hostel.

suerte

esta es la vida

2008-02-06T06:36:00.000-08:00

This is the life
Eat, Climb, Swim, Siesta, Eat, Climb, Eat, Sleep.

Its so good to be climbing again. Its been over two years since I have climbed this much and it feels great. My strength is comming back, and I remember why I love this sport so much.
The forest is a little lonely without Liz, but it is full of wonderful people.
Now much else is new. It has gotten too hot to climb all day, so we take a nice siesta between 3 and 7 to cool off in the river, read, or sleep.
I have been adopted by various people in the campground, and so am doing alright without a stove. I have replaced my sketchy 20$ tent with an actual tent, and am much happier at night. Although it hasnt really rained since I have been here... I can sleep better at night knowing that if it does, Ill stay dry. The old tent (which looks like a childs circus tent) had been donated to another climber who has been sleeping in the dirt.

I have another two weeks in Valle Encantado before I head up to Mendoza to climb with a girl that I met here.

beso (kiss)

stace

Photos

2008-02-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Valle Encantado!!!!
Climbing

Deep water solo

Stacey playing medic for broken footed liz.

(All Photos from Liz Allen´s Facebook!!!)

Back to the Forest

2008-01-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

After a final visit to the hospital, for a second opinion and an old school cast, everything has gone off without a hitch.

Liz´s father offered to pay for a taxi to take me out to gather up all of Liz´s things, however the manager at the hotel decided he would be a huge help and drive me out for a lower price. I arrived at camp and within about 5min, I had 6 or 7 people helping me gather all of Liz´s things up. I was then swiftly shuttled across the river and driven back into town.

Liz and I enjoyed a lovely mexican dinner last night (although my stomach is not so used to such food, and is quite angry at me this morning... too used to granola and quinua is guess), and rose early to get to the airport.

Already having a flight from BsAs to NYC, Liz was a little worried about not getting a flight out of Bariloche. She put on the water works, and got on the first flight out.

Im currently wasting time in Bariloche... yet again... waiting for my bus back out to the forest. I decided to skip out on hitch hiking. I plan on staying here for about another two weeks, and then heading north to Mendosa were I hear there is also some good climbing!

AMOR!!

Town Day(s)...?

2008-01-26T04:06:00.001-08:00

Well, after a few very relaxing, enjoyable climbing days in the enchanted Valley Liz and I are stuck in town.
Yeasterday we had a nice thunder storm while we were climibng and hid in a cave while it blew over. It was actually nice for things to cool off a little. Sweating on warmups is not so much fun. Liz lead her first 11a, which she claimed was her life goal... woot woot!! (I think she´ll have to aim a little higher since she hasnt been climbing that long) Anyways, after a good send she was feeling awesome and jumped on another 5.11. She took about a 5m fall and landed funky on her foot. I was sure I heard a crack, but didnt want to scare her, and wasnt sure if it was just gear hitting the rock. We rounded up a few boys to piggy back Liz down to the water so she could stick her foot in the freezing water.
One of the climbers in camp is a Dr. but unfotunatly he was on a town day. I used my two years of HKIN to determine that something was seriously wrong, and was finally able to convince Liz we needed to go to Bailoche to get it checked out. We ran into some luck when some Brasilians offered us a ride because they were headed in anyways.
I have always considered Argentina to be very developed... untill we stepped into the waiting room at the hospital. The walls were all falling apart and everything looked very old and dirty. We waited about two hours without talking to anyone. All of a sudden all the moms started getting angry (Liz was obviously in tons of pain, writhering around in her seat trying to get comfortable), and banging on the door telling the doctors to take her it. It worked and they wheeled Liz away.
I was called in about 30min later, and arrived into a room with a very druggen Liz who smiled up at me with her eyes half open and sheepisly said, ¨two fractures... they say i need surgery, but I sure as hell gettin it here¨. Must have been some good drugs!!!
Our climbing Dr. friend ran into the Brasilians in town, and came to talk to the Drs, and explain in english what was going on. Liz speaks spanish, but I dont think the drugs were helping.
We returned to the hospital this morning to get Liz all casted up, and are just waiting for the pharmacy to open so I can go pick up some crutches and drugs for her.
Then, I have a mission back to camp (which is quite frustrating to get to without a car... usually involving hitchhiking) to pack up all of Liz´s stuff and get back to help her get to the airport to fly home where she has insurance.

SO.... thats my news for now!! Its all every exciting dont you think? Liz and I had made huge plans to go down south for some bouldering and to watch (and maybe compete) in a big bouldering comp. Im sad that our time together has been cut short, but glad that Liz is not having any problems getting home.

Hope everyone is doing well!!!

LOVE

Loving Life!!

2008-01-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

Valle Encantado is... well just might be one of the best places on earth!

I wake up in the morning, take a few steps to the river to spash my face with some fresh mountain water. The climbing is a 5min walk from my tent. The only way to get to the camping and the climbing is by floating across the river in little inflatable boats (which is really funny to watch... there is usually one big boat full with people, draging a few little boats full of gear).

I have been hanging out with a really cool girl from New York. We are both here solita (by our little selves) and have since bonded and climb together all the time. There are about 35 people camped by the river. Our little international village consists of brazilians, frenchies, Agrentinans, Liz and Me.

Argentinas party hard, so we usually get up just before noon (and still have about 11hrs of sun) eat breakfast, climb untill 2, chill for a bit, then climb untill 8. Liz and I eat right away, but the Argentinians start thinking about eating and cooking close to midnight. Then the wine comes out, and its not uncommon for more cooking to start at 3 in the morning. Its gunna be hard to get out of this routine!

I have managed to muck up my neck nicely. I wont spill all the details, but it involved Lix and I in a hammok, a few bottle of wine, someone stealing my sandles and getting tackled by a huge dude from brasil. Might need a few rest days for this on.

The climbing here is a bit sharp, but amazing. There are about 100 routes, all sport, and a few multi pitch routes. The views are also amazing. Basically you should all be here right now!!

To the wilderness!!!

2008-01-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

Alright! If all goes well, Ill be out in Valle Encontado for a few weeks and you wont hear from me for awhile!

I spent yeasterday in seach of food that does not require cooking, and wont go bad. Its going to be lots of tuna and crackers for me, a few energy bars, and more crackers... yum. I just hope I run into some friendly people that wont mind cooking me up some hot water once and while!

Ciao for now!!

Kharma

2008-01-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

It got me!

Just for trying to make you all so jealous, I arrived to lots of cold rain, and not a single hostel open in town (trust me, I tried all of them). About two hours later I settled for a hotel that is way out of my price range, and decided to spoil myself and stay a few nights before I head off to live in the woods. I even have a bathtub!! Luxury.

Bariloche is Banff, but the size of Canmore. The difference in temperature is a little shocking. I went from 40degrees, to being able to see my breath in less than 24hrs.

I might need to get a better sleeping bag... :)

Off to Bariloche

2008-01-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

Just to make you all a little jealous, this is where Im headed tonight. (You dont have to be jealous of the 22hr bus ride).

I spent yeasterday in search of dirt cheep camping gear, since this place is 70km outside of Bariloche and I plan to stay for awhile. I managed to find a tent, and sleeping bag, and a sleeping pad for less than 50$ (total). I just hope there is no rain... I dont think my 20$ tent is very waterproof !!! :)

(Photo from www.andescross.com )

Hope all is well!!

Suerte!! (Luck)

TOO HOT

2008-01-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

Well, we never did get much sun in Uruguay... but Im sure getting my fair share now. Its been over 35 the past week. Im luckey if it gets down to 20... then you can get some sleep.

Buenoes Aires is a magical city! I walked out of a restaurant one night to find over a hundred people dancing to the mesmarizing rythem of 60 drummers. The city is just alive with music! Tango dancers dance to random string bands on the side of the road and in parks. Brings a smile to my face.

I am currently in the University city of Cordoba. I have been spending my time with some other travelers on little day trips hiking and such. Today however, I am content to be sitting in the airconditioned TV room at the hostel doing nothing at all. It feels good.

In a few days I am headed south to cooler Bariloche to meet up with some people I have met along my travles to do some climbing. I have a bit of "work" to do though, finding some camping gear, as there is not much close to the clifs, and everyone just camps in the forest.

If all goes well I will stay there for about a month, and the start on a grewling journy back north to lima to fly home in March. (Moms happy about that one)

hows everyone enjoying the cold up north... I have to say Im a little jealous!

love!!!

(sorry, the spell check is not working... and my english seems to get worse as my spanish gets better... too much spanglish!!!)

Feliz Navidad!!!

2007-12-23T06:42:00.000-08:00

Thought I would leave a quick note to wish everyone a happy holidays! I am currently in La Paloma Uruguay, traveling with a good friend from Vancouver. With the heat it does not quite feel like Christmas, but there is no shortage of decorations to keep the spirit alive.
La Paloma is a cute little surf town, but quite dead right now. There is a constant wind that keeps things cool (sometimes a little too cool), and everyone seems to be in constant preparation for the high season in January.
Tomorrow we will try to get our hands on some surf boards (and by the feel of the water, some wet suites as well).
As always, Im having a blast... but I am itching to get some climbing done. After wasting some time googling the climbing in Bariloche, Im planning on trying to find an appt. there to stay for a month or two (or three... it looks really good).

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

love

Leavin The Rest to You Sis

2007-12-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!
Well, I am officially finished my travels. Yesterday I arrived back to chilly Canada, leaving behind the wonderful places that I had the pleasure to visit in the past four and a half months.
After parting with Stacey, I made my way back to the wonderful little town of Copacabana, Bolivia where I chilled out by Lake Titicaca for a few days. One day I managed to go kayaking, which was a blast, except I went way to far and had noodle arms by the time I made it back. Good fun.
After leaving Bolivia, I bused back to Peru and then flew from the town of Juliaca to Lima for my last 2 days. I stayed at the Loki Hostel in Miraflores, which is great, I definitely recommend it for the youngen's that go travelling. Miraflores is very nice and clean, I had a much better experience here than when Stacey and I were stuck in central Lima for a day. That place is just plain dirty. I went down to the beach on my last day and watched the surfing.
Nothing too exciting, but I figured I would just say bye to everyone! If I have any other exciting trips, I'll let you know!
Miss you Stacey!

Love,

Vikki

Tango City

2007-12-17T06:19:00.000-08:00

First of all, I have to say that the climbing community is amazing. After one visit to a local gym in Bueones Aires, I already have a group of friends to road trip with in January. We will head to the lake district which boarders Chile, and is full of amazing sport and trad climbng. Can´t wait.

For now, I am relaxing in Buenoes Aires, where the streets are full of music, and people are always dancing. Its hot hot hot at 30 degrees, and only getting hotter.

Hope everyone is enjoying the snow back home. I miss it.

love

Ahora, estamos solitas!!

2007-12-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

Potosi was a delightful city with bustling pedestiran streets overlooked by the giant Cerro Rico (rich hill), righfully named for its silver mines that made Potosi rich in Colonial times. While the hill is running low on siver, many a miner (15000 a day) haul thousands of tons of minerals out 24/7, 356 days a year. While mining burdens most all miners with bad lungs and shorter life expectancies, it is a very well paid profession (for Bolivia, about 2000Bs a month... 7bs=1$). Of the 14 Hummers in Bolivia, 12 are in Potosi. There are no main companies in the mines, and the miners work for themselves.

While we had heard that the mines were a crazy place to visit, we unsuspectantly took a full day tour. First stop was to the miners market where we purchased presants for the miners (as they do not stop work for tours)... mostly dynamite and pop. Next stop was a processing plant where the minerals are separated from waste in a bubbly mixture. Here we also properly learned how to chew coca leaves, which left our mouths numb.

Now, into the mines, dressed in our miners outfits with gigantic headlamps that must be as old as the mines themselves.

Only in Bolivia... what else can I say? The main tunnel shaft was lined with pipes that hissed and dipped who know what, while we were constantly jumping to the sides as workers hauled huge loads of rock out. We walked into the mountin for about 20 min, and then headed down a small shaft that started out to be 1m round. We ended up on hands and knees wheezing, most likely due to a lack of xoygen (well over 4000m) and a mixture of strange chemicals from recent explosives (the bandans around our noses and mouths didn´t help much). Continuing down the tunnel we were told to stay to the left (for there was a huge gaping hole to the right where loads of minerals were being hauled to the upper levels). Crawling down the shottiest ladders I have ever encountered, with the odd surprise of a swiveling step, we decended a level further. Here we gave our presents of dynamite to the workers (some of whom were a mear 14 years old).

The scramble back out was farily nerve wracking, gasping for breath in the thin air, combied with the closed in quarters left everyone feeling fairly uneasy. Vikki made it very well known that she never wished to enter a mine again.

Glad to be back in the open air, our guides gadly lit some left over dynamite and let er rip on the side of the hill. Good times.

After the not so pleasent mines, we decided the next day would be spent with a relaxing bike tour to some nearby hotsprings. All the biking, they told us, would be down hill, and we could enjoy a taxi ride back. "There is just a little bit of up at the end... no problem." Yes, there was a little bit of up at the end... but at 4000m, it left my lungs burning.

While relaxing in the large hot spring, a friendly German couple informed us that they had read in their guidebook that many a person had dissapeared in the hotspring, reappearing 24hrs later boiled... um... fun. After being reassured by our guide that everything was fine (even though we could now see bubbles in the middle of the pool) we enjoyed the water, and left unboiled.

After a wonderful few days in Potiso, Vikki and I have sadly parted ways. As she heads back to Peru to catch a flight to the great white north, I head further south to meet a dear friend in Buenos Aires for Christmas.

Traveling with Vikki has been amazing, and I am going to miss her dearly!!!

Hope that everyone is well, and having fun preparing for the holiday season!!!

ciao ciao

Salar de Uyuni

2007-12-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks!

Stace and I are now in Potosi, the highest city in the world at 4070m. We´ll be walking slowly here!
The last three days we were on a 4x4 tour of the Bolivian backcountry. It had to be some of the most incredible landscape I have ever seen in my life. It was a three day tour so I´ll give you all a nice recap on what we saw and how it went!
DAY 1
We were told to meet at the tour agency at 10am. Keeping true to South American timekeeping, our guides drove up in the necessary Toyota Land Cruisers around quarter to 11. After sorting out the gringos into the 2 vehicles we drove to pick up our cook and the food (the eggs were shoved under the front seat in front of my feet), we soon headed out of town and onto the gravel, pocketed roads that were to keep us company for the next 3 days.
Our guide introduced himself as Obed, and began talking to us in Spanish. I was perfectly fine with that as I understood him for the most part but we were told that we would have an English speaking guide. When asked if he spoke English he said ¨un pocito¨ (A little bit). Great.
Our first stop was a train cemetary where we were told (by Obed who suddenly began speaking perfect English...sneaky) that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid had killed the trains. Crazy!
After a quick bathroom break we drove onto the incredible salt flats. These flats stretched for more than 40km and with the bright sun overhead, the reflected glare was really strong. More than a few people ended up with tomato faces at the end of the day. Stacey and I felt almost right at home as the vast white land reminded us of good ol´ snowy Canada!
That night we stayed in a salt hotel! It was really cool until in the middle of the night it started raining. Although the roof itself wasn´t made of salt, it wasn´t made well and I woke up to hear the drip-drop of water in our room. I figured it was just on the floor and decided to ignore it until I heard Stacey yelp ¨Oh crap!¨ and realized she was getting a nice little shower in bed. After trying to stuff toilet paper in the leak and holding a water bottle underneath it, Stacey just shuffled against the wall and went back to bed.
DAY 2
After a nice 5am wakeup call, we all grumbled our way out of bed and shoved back into the Land Cruisers for a nice bumpy ride to wake us up more fully. We drove until 5pm, visiting a lagun filled with hundreds of amazing flamingos, as well as the train tracks that connect Bolivia and Chile. We also visited 2 incredible groupings of boulders, both with so much potential for climbing that Stacey and I were running and bouldering everywhere, always the last ones back in the car. The only and very devestating drawback to these areas are their isolation. They are more than a days drive over very rough terrain from any main town or city. One place was very famous for having a giant boulder that looked like a tree. It was really impressive and my fingers were itching to climb it!
After a flat tire which was fixed with incredibly speed by our guides, we arrived at our hostel. It was so cold that snow was flowing around us, which excited both Stacey and I but no one else. Crazy Canadians..live in igloos!
That night, the cold and a promise for a 4am wakeup drove us to be around 9pm.
DAY 3
Yes we woke up at 4am. I was not a happy camper, yet our first destination brightened my moods immensley! We got to see a huge group of geysers set in a Mars-like landscape. It was pretty incredibly, with these geysers reaching heights of almost 30 metres and temperatures of more than 85 degrees C. There were pools of water where the steam poured out of, which were the colour of clay and bubbling up. Apparently people have died in them, so we stayed away from the edges!
After that we drove to a point of 5060m, where Stace and I hopped out of the car and went for a little jog that made my head spin and my lungs heave.
Breakfast was served near hot springs. Everyone lounged around warming their bodies in the toasty water!
After that we visted Laguna Verde..Green Lagun, which was extremely beautiful with a volcano in the background giving a perfect reflection in the water. Then most of our tour group was dropped off at the border of Chile and we began the labourous drive back to Uyuni, the town where we began our journey. Along the way we stopped at another incredible group of boulders with solid rock and great potential. And once again it is far too isolated for any development.
We arrived back in Uyuni at dinner time and after a much needed shower we ate the most amazing pizza at Minuteman Pizza, and then dragged our very sour behinds into bed.
All in all it was a fantastic tour, and I had alot of fun!

Stacey and I are now in our last city together before we part ways, with Stacey heading into Argentina to meet her friend Jay for Christmas and New Years in Buenos Aires. I am going to retrace my steps back to Lake Titicaca where I will fly back to Lima, Peru for a few days before I head back home to Canada!!!

I hope you´re all enjoying yourselves and are excited for the holidays!

All my love,

Vikki

New Places, New People

2007-11-24T11:34:00.000-08:00

After leaving the rather depressing city of Nasca, we arrived in beautiful Arequipa. It is said that when the Moon separated from the Earth it left Arequipa behind. The startelingy white buildings made of rock from the nearby volcanos are rarley higher than two stories as the city is ravaged by frequent earthquakes. The second story is ususally a slightly differnt coloured stone so that in the event that it comes tumbling down, they have a better idea of where things go.
After a few weeks of minimal activity we decided to sign up for a 3 day trek to nearby Colca Canyon (which is really a valley).
Day 1: 5 hr bus ride to Cobanconda, lunch, 3 knee crushing hours into the Canyon, and 1 hour uphill to a small village of 100 people where we ate and slept in a local families house. The mixture of a light rain and the setting sun gave us the pleasure of an amazing rainbow and a sunset at the same time. Beautiful!
Day 2: Wake up early, hike another knee crushing hour back down into the cayon were there just happens to be a beautiful little oasis. Here we were allowed a few hours to laze in the sun and swim in a pool boardered by two massive boulders. Next was the exausting 3 hrs hike back out of the canyon. Poor Hyme (Amy) from Korea couldnt hack the hike, and rented a donkey.
Day 3: Bus to Cruz del Condor to view the amazing flight of the massive Condor, measuring up to 3m in wingspan. Too bad we didnt see any... just a whole lot of tourists. However, the next stop was the hotsprings, where we sat in the sweatering hot water to sooth our aching muscles.
All in all this was an amazing experiance, and we met some really cool people. Vincent from Montreal is traveling with us still, and while he is un poco loco, its been lots of fun.

From Arequipa the three of us, along with a french guy we met on the bus, headed to Puno which is on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. Here we did a full day boat tour on the lake stopping to visit the incredible floating islands. The islands are made completely out of reeds that grow in the lake. When there is a fiesta, the people will drag 3-4 islands together to make a larger dance floor! Our second day in Puno was spend visiting a large ruin site, and then once again, we hopped on a bus and headed for Bolivia.

Vikki and I have been keeping track of our bus time. So far we have been on 33 busses... adding up to well over 150hrs.

Bolivia is beautiful... and cheap!! Where else in the world does your accomodation cost the same as a beer? (Both= 10 Bolivianos... about 1.25$) We are currently rexaling in the small town of Copacabana, which is also on Lake Titicaca. While it is quite cold at night (hats, mits, down jackets), when the sun shines its nice and hot (t-shirts and lots of sun screen).

Today we took out a ghetto little sail boat to cruise around the lake for an hour. It was quite a sight... the mast and boom made out of tree branches, and a big purple sail that looked like it was stolen off someones bed.

Tomorrow Vikki and I are headed off on another little trek... this time sin guide! We will hike 4hrs north to a small port town where we can catch a boat to the nearby Isla del Sol. We plan on staying a night or two on the island for some hiking and relaxing (something we are getting really good at)

I hope that everyone is doing well and smiling!!!

Here are some photos for you!!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19749&l=5df6c&id=510641175

Take Care!!!

Love

Mancora, Huacachina and Nasca

2007-11-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

Hi All!

Let`s get right into the thick of things...
Mancora was a blast. We sat in the sun and dabbled in some surfing for 5 days. Stacey managed to get 2 men calling her ¨mi amor¨ without moving a muscle. The boys there seemed to hook themselves to you if you so much as smiled at them. It got fairly annoying very quickly.
I have to say that one of the guys who took a liking to Stacey was a complete creep. In South America it is polite to give a cheek to cheek greeting, but every time Stacey did this with Mr. Creep, he would turn his head and try to sneak in a lip to lip greeting. Stacey reacted by twisting her face more away. It was fairly humurous to watch, but altogether distrubing. I just glared at him, thinking that if he tried that on me he wouldn`t have such a deep voice after I was done with him. Aren`t I just a peach? Then there was the time where we were on the beach and he came up while Stacey was dozing. They did the whole awkward head twisting away from nasty lips greeting, and then Stacey went back to sleeping. A normal person would take this as a hint and leave, but Mr. Creep just sat there for over half an hour and watched her sleep. OH MY CREEP! Needless to say we did our best to avoid him after that, which is a fairly difficult task considering Mancora is made up of one road. The rest of our time in Mancora was much more pleasant, and we both left with more colour on our faces and our packs full of sand.
After a 16 hour overnight bus ride to Lima sitting across from the loudest snorer I have ever born witness to, and another 5 hour bus ride, we arrived in the city of Ica. After paying 15 soles each for a lunch that should have been 5 soles each, we grumpily caught a cab to the little oasis that is Huacachina. Sand dunes rise up proudly around the little resort town, blocking out the loud, dirty noises that all large cities seem to produce. We spent 2 full days lounging by our hotel pool, and exploring the sand dunes (which are immensely difficult to walk up by the way, but a blast to run down!). We also visited a winery and had a free tour of the facilities, while being enlightened on how wine is made. Then at the end we got to do some wine tasting. I know there is supposed to be some proper technique to it all, but Stace and I just sniffed and sipped, trying not to look too clueless.
We also tried sandboarding, which was a huge letdown for us. We rented to most godawful boards. They were basically just long hungs of wood with velcro strips to strap your feet into. We were so excited to zoom down the hill, but when we tilted our boards downhill nothing happened. After a few side shuffles, the boards slid a few feet and then stopped. ¨whooo hooo....¨ was our response. Apparently you need copious amounts of wax for anything to happen..something we were not told until afterwards. Oh well, at least we can say we tried.
This morning we left Huacachina and took a 2 hour bus to Nasca, a city famous for the Nasca Lines. These are huge animal and trapezoid shapes drawn in the earth on the Pampa in Peru that are only truly appreciated from the air. I booked my ticket in Huacachina, while Stacey decided to save her money for her travels. The ticket included a very interesting movie on the lines, as well as a day at the hotel across the street from the airport, which was handy for Stacey. So after we stored our bags, I raced off to catch my flight and Stacey lathered up on the sun screen for a tanning session by the pool. I don`t understand how she can stand the heat, she`s like our Mum!
It was an incredible experience being up in a little 4 person plane and seeing these formations with my own eyes. They were much smaller than I pictured in my mind`s eye, but just as marvelous. Unfortunately, the lady in the seat beside me was unable to enjoy these human works of art, as the bumping and jostling of the little aircraft was distracting her stomach. Everytime I glanced over, she was sitting with her eyes closed and the barf bag pressed up against her mouth. Whenever the pilot pointed out another figure, she would quickly open her eyes, point her camera in the figure`s general direction, click, and then back to the barf bag. Fortuantely the bag remained clean, that would be been just a lovely experience for us all.
So that is my update for you all. Next stop is Arequipa, which we are leaving for tonight on a night bus.
I hope everyone is smiling!
All my love,
Vikki

Missing Ecuador Already

2007-11-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

We were warned about the border crossing near Tumbes a few times. Its dangerous, lots of robbers, and its very confusing.
We arrived fully alert, ready for anything, but this sweet old guy took it upon himself to help us through the whole process. We should have known. He even told us to watch out for people trying to scam us. He took us though Ecuadorian customs (which is a 5 min cab ride from the boarder) and then to Peruvian customs (also 5 min from the border). When we first asked he said he was going to charge us 1$ each. Great!! right?? Then all of a sudden were driving away... were in the car for a bit and Vikki asked where we were going. Tumbes!! Ok, great, how much now?? 30$. Vikki and I were so mad. We stopped talking to him, and then I called him a liar. We were able to talk him down to 20$, and thankfully he was bad at math because he settled for 50 soles (20$ is 60soles)

We got to Mancora just as the sun was going down and found the hostel Sol y Mar, which is just up from the water and very clean. It seemed like the perfect place, pool and all, until we tried to interact with the people who worked there... they were the most unwelcoming bunch of people I have come across so far in my travels. Not to mention the bad 40 hits pumping until 3 in the morning, and the shotty roof that squeaked its way into my fit full sleep.

We didn't last long there, and just moved into a beautiful place on the main drive in town. There is no pool, but the owner is actually capable of smiling and making us feel welcome.

Mancora does not have the most beautiful landscape, but there is surf and sun. We plan to stay a few days soaking up some rays!

Our Soggy Week on the Beach

2007-11-04T12:24:00.002-08:00

Hola Chicas and Chicos,

A quick update for you all! After our lovely rainstorm adventure in Cuenca, we figured we well deserved a treat, and headed for the crazy town that is Montanita. About 7 hours from Cuenca, Montanita is a tiny surfing town on the coast. It is basically just one street lined with hostels and restaurants, each one blaring their own selection of music. If you walk about 100 steps from the main street, you are on the beach with the roar of the waves crowding over your senses.
After a particularly nasty bus ride, we arrived in Montanita eager to chill out and enjoy both the surf and the sun. Unfortunately you can`t have everything in life and we were only able to enjoy the surf. The only hint of sun we saw the whole week was a brilliant sunset on the horizon that lasted all of 30 seconds. It rained the entire time, though just a slight misty rain, ensuring that we were both in a permantely soggy state. It also ensured that the main road was one big mud bath. I still have dirt in my toenails.
Stacey and I both discovered our love for surfing in Montanita, as they have the best surf in Ecuador. I am sure future travel plans will include trips to the beach for more than sunshine!
After a week of little sleep (Montanita is a party town!), we decided we needed to escape lest we permanently damage our livers with the copious amounts of alcohol we found ourself consuming.
We are currently back in Cuenca, for the city`s birthday. Last night there were huge celebrations, but Stacey and I were both too tired from our ¨relaxing¨ week at the beach that we slept through it all.
Tomorrow we are heading back down south into Peru. Our next destination is another beach town called Mancora. After that, it`s way south down to Ica, Nazca, Arequipa and Lake Titicaca!
We`ll be moving around alot, so keep checkin the blog for more updates!!
I hope all is well and everyone is enjoying their November!

All my love,

Vikki

Montanita

2007-11-04T12:24:00.001-08:00

Stuck on a Ledge

2007-10-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

The day started off well enough. Sunshine, sitting on the stairs by the river waiting for our friends (who are always on Ecuadorian time... add 30mins) to pick us up for a day of climbing. Sitting in the back of Dan Durans pickup up the bumpy roads to our final destination was a little hard on Vikki´s sore tailbone, but fun nonetheless.

Arriving at the crag we donned our gear and repelled down to a small ledge where there are about 10 sport routes. After Vikki and I tried our hand at a slabby (and a little wet) 12a it started to rain... and not just a little spitting, but really really raining... and then hail. When the lighting started, and it was real close, we decided it would be a good idea to get the heck out of there. Exposed on a ledge covered in metal gear+lightning=bad!
By this time we were all soaked to the bone. Four of us repelled down, having to leave all our gear and our rope hanging on the ledge, while Bagre and Dan climbed back up the rope to get the truck.

Luckily a friend from town came to pick us up so we wouldn't have to sit in the truck bed in the pouring rain.

After our little adventure, we decided it was time for some chilling, and made our way to the small beach town of Montanita. (after going back to get our gear of course)

We have found paradise. Unfortunately its low season, so there is no sun, but the surfing is awesome, and the streets are nice and quiet.

Happy Birthday to Vikki!!! 19!!! woot woot.
Im going to get her drunk off 3$ box wine!!!

Hope everyone is doing well!!!

Love

Cuenca Photos

2007-10-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Hey All!
Here are some photos from our current location - Cuenca, Ecuador
Hope you enjoy them!

ENJOY!
Cheers,

Vikki

Photos

2007-10-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

For some reason this site does not like to upload photos, so here are some links to photos on an upload friendly site.
Hatun Mache
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=15922&l=316d8&id=510641175
and Cusco, Lima
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=15920&l=8aabd&id=510641175
¨
Vikki and I are in Cuenca Ecuador, doing lots of climbing in the many amazing surrounding areas. This place is a climbers dream! Awesome limestone routes at all grades, bouldering, trekking not to far away, hot springs, good nightlife, and cheep food and accommodation. Not to mention the amazing people that live here.
The climbers that we met at the Youth World Cup have been so good to us! Always taking us climbing, and showing us the cool places to hang out around town.

Cuenca comes highly recommended!!

Back in Ecuador

2007-10-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hola!
Stace and I are back in Ecuador now, and are having a blast. After about 30 hours of travelling on buses and stopovers we eventually made it to the little town of Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador. We took a taxi to Hosteria Izcayluma, a beautiful paradise hidden in the hills outside of Vilcabamba. Exhausted from our travelling, we rolled into hammocks hanging in the common area and slept for the better part of the day. The German owner then showed us to our dormitory room, leading us down a cobblestone path lined with beautiful plants and flowers of all different shapes, colours and sizes. The dorms were clean and comfortable with 2 levels and a massive stone bathroom. Hammocks lined the deck outside the rooms. It was just complete paradise! We spent 3 nights here, stuffing ourselves with the restaurant´s wonderful food and relaxing in the chilled out atmosphere. They had a pool and a massive chessboard (We had fun playing with that). I was perfectly content to sit in a hammock for hours and read my book. It was AWESOME!

Here is Stacey kicking my royal bum at chess...

One thing I really wanted to do was go horseback riding and I conned Stacey into coming with me. It was a drizzly day, so we opted for the half day tour instead of the full day. Our guide picked us up a the hostel and lead us into town where we were equiped with rubber boots and cowboy hats and shown our horses. In no time we viewing the world from a different height, and on our way. Now it´s been a good 5 or 6 years since I´ve ridden a horse and I was just getting my bearings when they started trotting...bouncy bouncy. Stacey rides past me on her horse "Vikki, what do I do??" Pretty funny. Once we got outside of town and into the country side, the path narrowed and we slowed down, enjoying the views and calmness of the area. Our guide took us to a beautiful secluded waterfall and gave us fresh fruit from an orange tree, which we gobbled down before heading back. Once we entered the town again, the horses took off, eager to be home. This would have been fine if I didn´t have to badly go to the bathroom. Not a good combination when you´re bouncing up and down in a saddle. All in all it was a great experience (I´m not sure Stacey would agree with me), and we both had extremely sore bottoms the next day.

Doesn`t she look like a pro??

After Vilcabamba, we took a six hour bus up to the beautiful city of Cuenca. After staying one night in a fairly unsettling hostel, where the rooms were tucked in between doctors offices (Weird!) we moved to a cute little hostel by the river. It´s a beautiful area, and you can see families washing their clothes in the river and letting them dry on the grassy banks. Today we took a fairly long bus ride to the Inca ruins called Ingapirca. Not as brilliant as Machupicchu, but they were still incredible!
Ok, I have more to say but the computer cafe is closing.
Hopefully soon we will meet up with our climbing friends and do some climbing in the surrounding mountains.
I miss you all and hope you´re smilin and enjoying life!

Much Love,

Vikki

Hatun Mache

2007-10-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

After finally getting to the right bus station, and 8 hours of bad bus sleeping we arrived in Huaraz to hoards of eager taxi drivers awaiting us tired gringas. We hopped into a taxi that agreed to take us to the hostel of our choice, only to conveniently remember, once we arrived, that it is no longer a hostel. He would of course take us to another... for double the price. We were tired... so whatever, lets go.
Finally arriving at a hostel, and ensuring the taxi driver that we did not want to go trekking, or buy a climbing trip from him we slumped into our cozy beds and slept away the morning.

Huaraz is a cute little town nestled in the mountains with endless trekking, climbing and biking adventures all around. After a little searching we found a company with transportation to Hatun Mache, a new climbing area about two hours away. (It ended up being a bit more than that since every 20 min we had to stop and throw water on the overheating engine).

After one day at Hatun Mache we knew we had to return to stay in the newly opened refuge for at least a few days. There is so much rock out there, it would take a few lifetimes to explore it all. As of right now there are about 70 routes bolted, and a few cleaned boulders... but there is the potential for hundreds and hundreds of routes and boulders. The only catch is that the rock is a little sharp... and it is at 4200m.

Back in Huaraz we wandered the markets picking out food for our 4 day stay at Hatun Mache. Trying not to be distracted by all the 30cent earrings, we ended up with pasta for every night, and avocado sandwiches for lunch. Much to our good luck, a group of girls were taking a walking tour our first day out, which included pachamanka (which, from what i understand, means earth pot).
This lovely meal is prepared by digging a hole in the ground and building a fire on which to heat rocks. The meat of a freshly slain lamb is lain atop the rocks, along with sweet potatoes. More hot rocks are added on top, which are covered in a tarp, and then buried. The fire is extinguished by a lack of oxygen, but the heat from the rocks is trapped by the earth, and is left for a few hours. If you ever get a chance to try this... do it! It is amazing.

We did lots of easy climbing, and drank copious amounts of tea at our small mountain getaway. We also had the chance to practise a little Spanish (which we are still hopeless at) because Oscar and Tito, the two guys that live in the refuge, don't speak a word of English.

We are back in Huaraz now... once again waiting for a bus. Tonight we are traveling to Trujillo where we will find another bus to a town two hours north, where we will catch another bus to Piura. After a night in Piura we will catch another bus (doesn't this sound fun???) to cross the boarder into Ecuador. From here its only one more bus to Vilcabomba, which is known for its people who live to be over 100 years old. Here we plan to recover from our bus journey by relaxing in a cute little hostel, hiking and horseback riding. After that is north to Cuenca to meet up with friends from the competition and do some more climbing!!

Alright, only 4 more hours to wait for our bus!!!

Hope everyone is doing well!!
Our interview is up in the new gripped e-mag... check it out at http://www.gripped.com/grippedemag/landing.html

much love, stace

The Lima Predicament

2007-09-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

You know how, when something happens that you´re not too happy about, the events that follow just seem to snowball on top of eachother? Yeah you do. And now, so do Stacey and I. Yesterday, Stacey and I woke up at 5:30 (after going to bed at 3:30 after one last night out on the town), and had our last breakfast from Manchi, the wonderful grandmother of Fair Play. We were joined by Ernest and Patty, our homestay roommates, for breakfast. They were such a kind and fun couple, and were so eager to have fun and share experiences with us. One of those experiences was the Chicha incident, so we are pretty much bonded for life because of that! After saying our goodbyes (I will never get used to goodbyes), we crammed all of our stuff into a taxi and headed to the airport. Upon arriving, we found out that our plane was delayed for 4 hours (the snowball effect begins..). Fortunately, our practice teachers, Nayut and Lourdes, came to the airport for one last goodbye, which was amazing of them. I even got to meet Nayut´s son, who had so much energy that if he stood in one spot it seemed as if he was vibrating. They gave both me and Stacey each a present, which I couldn´t believe, because these women do not have alot of money. I was so sad to leave them, and perhaps when I am more fluent in Spanish I can go back to Cusco and visit them!

Alright so, we finally get on our plane, and arrive in Lima. First impressions...not so good. Out of all the taxi drivers in Lima (thousands) we had the most obnoxiously terrible driver. He honked far more than was necessary, even here in Peru, and almost got us killed when he kept trying to pass a small combi bus. As we sat in this little deathtrap, streets upon streets of desolate houses, garbage and throngs of people stared at us through the windows. It was far worse than despressing, with the grey, soggy weather completing the picture.

Our first hotel that we tried to get to, it turned out, was not in existence. Gotta tell Lonely Planet about that one. We finally found a decent hotel run by a Peruvian family, paid for one night, then set out to find the bus station to book a ticket for Huaraz, our next destination. Finding the station was an adventure in itself, and eventually, with the help of a friendly police officer, found it and bought our tickets for a 9:30 departure the next morning. The rest of the day was filled up with sleeping, sleeping, eating some pizza, then sleeping until morning.
Now comes the real kicker. We arrived to the bus station at 8:30, plenty of time to ensure we didn´t miss our bus. When 9:30 came around, our bus had not yet arrived, so I went to question the ticket counter if our bus was delayed. The lady at the counter looked at me in suprise and told me (in Spanish) that we were at the wrong station. After a phone call, she then informed me that we had missed the bus, and we had to purchase a ticket for 10pm tonight. This meant that we had to shell out more money for another ticket, and that we would have to spend another day here.
So now here I am, in a dreary little internet cafe, waiting for 10pm to come around!!
Oh the joys of travelling!

Vikki

One More Story

2007-09-24T12:01:00.001-07:00

Sorry friends, I forgot the exciting story!
Stacey and I experienced our very first earthquake last night! It was very small, lasting for only 10 seconds. Our room is up on the 3rd floor of the house though, so we felt the entire building sway back and forth, and the windows shuddering. It was WICKED! I most definitely wouldn`t have been saying that if it was anything serious, but it wasn`t so I`m psyched!!
Now I can say without lying that I survived an earthquake!
Psyched!!!

The Peru Stories

2007-09-24T11:14:00.001-07:00

Hello!!!!
Well, I figured time has gone on long enough without writing a blog, so here I am again. I have a few interesting stories for your personal reading pleasure. Some are hilarious, some are sad and some a pretty darn exciting. So here goes....

Stacey and the Bede
This particular incedent occurred before embarking on the Inca Trail to Machupicchu. Our travel company had booked us into this ridiculously fancy hotel in Lima, even though we would barely be spending a night there (our flight for Cusco was at 5 or 6am). Upon entering our bathroom, Stacey and I found a bede. I hope you all know what a bede is...some big toilet looking thing for washing your parts after you poo or whatever. Something I imagine must be fairly uncomfortable. I soon left the bathroom to explore the rest of the room, when all of a sudden I hear the rush of water and ¨AHH!¨ a scream coming from the bathroom. Only imaging what Stacey could have done, I rush in and see her screaming with laughter, her face and the front of her shirt soaked with water. Yup, Stacey squirted her face with the bede. We were rolling around laughing, unable to control ourselves for a good 5 or 10 minutes. The kicker was when the bellhop brought our luggage in, and upon seeing us laughing in the bathroom and Stacey`s shirt front soaked, gave us the strangest look and left laughing, probably just a little confused.

A Strange Spot to Pop A Squat
After having our lovely encounter with Chicha (as Stacey explained in the previous blog), we were wandering back to the main Plaza de Armas in Cusco, when we encountered a fairly strange sight. We were crossing the street, when there on the street corner for the entire city of Cusco to see, was a little girl of no more than 4 or 5 years, taking the most ginormous poo. I don`t mean to sound crude, but that girl must have a diet of bran muffins because that was a poo to be proud of. The best part was the mother in the background, not scolding her daughter, but instead yelling at her to hurry up. Ah....to be so free.

Dancing or Aerobics Class??
Stacey and I had been in Cusco for about a week taking Spanish classes with a company called Fair Play. We were getting a little stir crazy, so we decided to go out dancing. We went to the Plaza de Armas and embarked on our search for a club by the name of Mama Africa. First off, people here are more than glad to give you directions, but they are terrible at it. We must have walked back and forth across the plaza 3 or 4 times, all the while being handed flyers by different people wanting you to go to their club. Finally, a man with a flyer for Mama Africa came our way and we gladly took it. Then, all of a sudden we were surrounded by about 10 guys all from different clubs, and we got separated, with Stacey heading towards Mama Africa and me heading off in the opposite direction. Realizing this, I broke free and caught up with Stace where we were promptly shoved into the club and up the stairs.
After a while of dancing, Stace and I started dancing with a pair of brothers from Chile. It was all fun and games until my dance partner seemed to have the need to do a bit of aerobics, and started to do squats, dragging me down with him. I don`t know what he was trying to do, but after about 5 or 6 squats I gave Stacey ¨the eye¨, and we escaped to the bar. I spent the rest of the night avoiding the Squatter. I mean I`m a terrible dancer...but I believe I finally found someone worse. Yahoo!
I saw him the next day near a museum, wearing a BRIGHT yellow rain poncho. Poor boy.

Fair Play
On a more serious note, I want to explain the workings of Fair Play (our language school) and how great it is for the women who work there.
Developed a little more than a year ago, Fair Play is an NGO that employs single mothers to teach Spanish to foreigners. John, the man who runs the organization with his wife Fanny, explained to us that before they were teachers, these women were in extreme poverty, suffering from depression, barely able to scrape by and feed their children. They earned around 200 soles a month, which is roughly about 65 dollars. If they needed to buy something, they would have to borrow money. When they went to pay it back at the end of the month, they would have to pay almost 60% interest. Needless to say, they were in a rough place. With Fair Play, they now earn a decent amount of money, and I have to say whenever I see any of the teachers, there is always a beaming smile present on their faces.
We have learned that many other Spanish schools pay their teachers terrible wages, and charge their students much more for classes.
We definitely found a great school to learn Spanish, and even though I personally still am terrible at it, I have learned a ton!

My practise teacher, Nayut, is second from the left in the back row, and my grammer teacher, Carmen, is second from the left in the front row. Stacey`s practice teacher, Lourdes, is third from the left in the back row, and her grammar teacher, Gioviana, is the last one of the right in the front row!!
Teachers Know How to Party
I never thought it was possible, but our teachers party way harder than we do. A few days ago, all the teachers at Fair Play planned a suprise birthday party for John, their employer. When Stacey and I got to the office where the party was to be held, all the lights were out and the women were all giggling like little girls, unable to contain their excitement. Anytime anyone spoke above a whisper, they were loudly hushed, a round of giggles following. When John finally arrived, and everyone finished laughing, the music was turned on full blast and dancing ensued. The only time we stopped dancing was to give John his gifts and to sing him Happy Birthday, and stuff his face into a cake. They danced until 4 in the morning. I spent the last hour and a half sleeping on the couch, completly worn out from dancing and more than a little drunk from the Cuba Libre (rum and coke) that was constantly being shoved down my throat by an extremely intoxicated woman. You seriously had to run away from her if you didn`t want anything more to drink. She would not take no for an answer! On the way home, 5 of us shoved into the back of a taxi (tiny tiny taxi!) and then stumbled up to bed. I have to say that during grammar classes the next morning, both Carmen (my teacher) and I could barely hide our yawns.

Well... that´s all for now. Stacey and I are leaving Cusco on September 26th, where we are flying to Lima, then hopping on a bus up north to Huaraz. We`ll then make our way back up to Cuenca, Ecuador for some climbing!!!

I miss you all, and hope you`re smilin!!

Much love,

Vikki

Chicha

2007-09-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

The Spanish lessons are going well, however we are both a little bored of Cuzco. Moving into a home stay was a good move as we are now living right above the school, and are being fed wonderful home cooked meals. Our home stay family (who are also the owners of the fairplay school) took Vikki and I, along with two other students to a fiesta a half hour out of Cuzco. We joined this small town for the afternoon to celebrate a religious Holiday (not sure which one), and to enjoy drinks and a pig roast.

After our meal a squat old Quechuen (the native peoples here) was offering around a yellowish drink. She would pour a cup full (the same cup for everyone) hand it to you, and you would pour a bit on the ground and chug er down. I had the privilege of watching Vikki drink it, and by the look on her face I thought see was going to hurl. This stuff was the most foul tasting thing you can imagine. It was not much of a surprise to find out that it was fermented corn juice. We did however get a nice surprise the next night.

The two other students in the homestay happened upon the preparation method in their guidebook. Chicha has been made same way for many generations... the Quechuen people chew, and then spit corn into a vat, which is sealed and let sit for several weeks to allow for fermentation. Yum yum yum.... rotten corn and Quechuen saliva!!!

Wont be drinking that again.

2007-09-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Subscribe to Gripped´s e-mag (their free email newsletter) to check out an interview Vikki and I did. It should be send out next week!!

Vikki and I have decided to stay in Cuzco for two weeks for some Spanish classes. We have four hours of classes every day. Two for grammar and two for practise. Tomorrow we are moving into the school, which should be a nice change from the raunchy place we are staying in now.

Galapagoes and Machu Picchu

2007-09-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Hello hello hello.
My apologies for the long wait between posts. There was not an abundance of Internet access in the Galapagos or on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
We had an amazing time on our cruise around the Galapagos, swimming with sea lions and walking though hoards of huge iguana's. The trip was very structured because the area is so protected. Lots of nature walks...
Next we were off to Peru to trek four days along the Inka trail up to the ancient city of Machu Picchu (which means old mountain). For the 9 people in our group, we had 10 porters to carry our crap... along with a meal tent, a cooking tent, tables and chairs, food for 4 days of amazing meals, and huge propane tanks. These tiny old men would throw all their stuff onto a tarp, wrap it all up and make a makeshift bag out of rope and cloth. They always left after us, and would run past us to set up for lunch, and our campsite for that night. Amazing little guys those porters.
After running like a mad women on a huge downhill section with Chris and Mike on the 3rd day I managed to twist my ankle.... walking on flat ground about 2min from the campsite. Luckily a Doc was in our group and he had some nice friendly pain killers for me. I managed to hobble my way through the last 6 k to the breathtaking Machu Picchu.

Ill leave it at that for now, because I know that Vikki's head is probably bursting with things she wants to say about Galapagos and Peru.

The rest of the fam is leaving in a few days. Vikki and I plan on heading up north back into Ecuador to do some climbing with some friends we met at the comp.

Cant wait to get on some rock!!!! (I should be able to cram my huge cankle into a shoe by then)

ciao ciao

stace

World Youth Climbing Championships Recap

2007-08-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Team,

Well, another World's has come and gone and I am once again left with great memories and friendships. Over the four days of competition, there were great ups and downs and unexpected downpours (literally).

As Stacey previously wrote, the first qualifiers were great. Both Mike and I flashed our respective routes, as well as seven other Canadians. The next day, the second qualifiers took place and although we both did not send, Mike and I made it high enough to go through to the semifinal round. Semifinals the next day were slightly ridiculous. The routes were extremely hard, with the older boy's routes rating around 5.14, which to those nonclimbers, is very very hard to do in one go.

I was pretty unhappy with my performance for semi's, as I fell at this crazy hard bottleneck where 10 other competitors fell as well. I didn't make it to finals, and with countbacks I finished in 14th place. Not terrible, but I most definitely wasn't satisfied. It was a crushing disappointment for me, as this was my last youth competition and I wanted it to end on a high note. Yet there will always be more climbing, and I am forever thankful for that.

Michael climbed extremely well and finished in 16th place, an awesome place in a tougher than tough category.

Three Canadians made it through to the final round, Matt Johnson, JJ Mah, and Eric Sethna. We were all stoked to watch them tear it up on the wall, but unfortunately Mother Nature was a little cranky. There were three routes set for finals, with 2 categories climbing on each route. The first three categories climbed, providing the crowd with a great show. Eric Sethna climbed extremely well, making it up three quarters of the way, finishing in 8th place. Just as the next wave of categories were about to begin, great threatening black clouds gathered in the sky and torrents of rain descended upon the wall. Racing undernearth nearby tarps, we watched and groaned as the rain drenched the wall. Within about twenty minutes, the rain let up, and competition officials deliberated as to whether or not to cancel the rest of the competition. It was decided to replace the wet holds with identical dry ones and continue on.

We returned to our seats, and watched as Matt, the first climber out, walked up to the wall and tied into the rope. Then, just as he was about to start, it once again began to pour. This time, the Canadian team raced to our buses and ate pizza while the rain poured down and competition officials once again gathered for a decision. After about an hour, we headed back to our hotel to wait, while Matt, JJ, Andrew and Stacey were stuck in Isolation. Around 8:00, they came back to the hotel with the news that the rest of the difficulty competition was cancelled, meaning that the results from semi finals became the official results. Disappointing for sure, but JJ finished in 4th, and Matt in 8th, both highly respectable finishes.

The next day was the speed competition. The Canadian view of this form of climbing is best summed up by Andrew Wilson "Speed is stupid". All the girls got out the hair elastics and did up eachother's hair in funky, hilarious styles. Pat Valade did a 360 dyno to the buzzer, and Marshal German and JJ Mah wore jeans underneath their team shorts. Needless to say, we didn't place too well, and only Eric Sethna made it to semi finals.

After a delayed awards ceremony, the team headed back to our now beloved hotel (the Rancho de Carolina) with our three team buses and wicked tour guide, Edison. After a great dinner, presents and heartfelt thanks were given to the staff, as well as our crazy bus drivers and Edison. Then, as team captains, Matt and I gave a speech to the coaches, thanking them for all their hard work and love. Our gift to Andrew was a bag filled with rocks that we had each written on and signed. This was a reminder of when, before the competition, he had us each write our fears and thoughts that we didn't want with us while we climbed on rocks. We took these rocks to a lake, and threw them in. It was pretty cool. There were a great deal of tears from many parents (go Mom), kids and coaches. After that, we were suprised with a great band and bonfire. A great ending to a great trip!

After dinner, a few of us went to a competition afterparty at Club Tsunami in Ibarra. It was a gong show to say the least. Though I must say it was pretty hilarious to see Adam Ondra strut his stuff on the dance floor. And Michael made friends..ahem..with a cute little Czech girl...go Mikey go. Stacey and I were fairly concerned for our little brother, but we also found it pretty hilarious as well.

World's was a great experience once again, and although I am terribly sad that I am now an old fart, I am excited for great climbing experiences in the future, as I am positive that there will be more!

Currently, we are back in Quito after some more tearful goodbyes this morning. Tomorrow, we are flying to the Galapagos for an 8 day boat tour. I'm psyched for the gigantic turtles!!

Love you all,

Vikki

Andrew Wilson, great head coach!!

Mike cruising his first qualifier.. (tilt head sideways for proper viewing)

Cheering on the climbers!

Cheeky smiles with the boys (Matt left, JJ right)

Our after dinner suprise...great band!

Pictures

2007-08-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure. I´m sorry there´s not more, but it takes forever and I have no patience! There will be more don´t worry! Hope you like these!
Love,
Vikki

Flowers..

Hanging Around...

Fruit and Vegetable Market...

Playing around with Team Ecuador...

Mike gettin ready to train...

Youth World Cup: Day 1

2007-08-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

An awesome first day for Canada with 9/22 of our kids topping out! A country record!
Vikki and Mike were two of the nine... making their routes look easy. Way to go sibs!

Today was super hot, so everyone is back at the hotel for the afternoon chilling in the shade while the new routes get put up for the second quali´s tomorrow.

Go Canada Go!!!

I would also like to point out that I no longer have a cankle... thank you very much!

Team Canada

2007-08-21T12:40:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone!

On the 16th we were joined by the rest of our Northern counterparts in Quito. We stayed at an amazing hotel called the Veija Cuba, which was a great change from our cheap $5.00 a night hostels that we´ve been staying at. The rest of our family, Mum, Dad and Chris joined us as well. Mum and Dad took off the next day for their jungle tour, which I was immensely jealous of. The next few days, we chilled out and explored Quito. The Basilica was one of the most amazing churches I have ever been to, mainly because you could climb all the way to the top of the towers and stand out on this tiny, crumbly ledge totally exposed and view all of Quito. Mum and Dad weren´t too psyched on that. It was pretty intense. We also took a tram up one of the mountains, and embarked on a 3 hour hike that involved Chris and I soloing up a 5.2 cliff to get to what we thought was the top of the mountain. Unfortunately we were surrounded by fog, and when we descended, the clouds cleared and showed us that we weren´t even close. Rather disappointing, but what can you do?
The Canadian team trained for a few days at the wall in Quito, which is quite a bit higher than the one in Ibarra. It was great to climb with the team again, it´s always so much fun. There are a ton of newbies this year, and everyone was pulling hard at the wall. It´s going to be a wicked competition, I think everyone is going to do really well. Of course we have the best coaches anyone could ask for. It´s pretty sweet to have Stacey as a coach. Andrew Wilson and Knut Rokne are coaching as well.
We arrived back in Ibarra yesterday. We´re staying at a hotel outside of town. It´s gorgeous, with a field to play games and a pool to push eachother into (three people have gone in fully clothed so far).
Last night an impromptu game of soccer took place. It was a blast until I got booted in the toe..that was the end of that. Dinner was great, and we celebrated Zak´s 14th birthday (he´s on the team, it´s his first year competing!)
Today we went to a lake at the top of a mountain that has an active volcano at the bottom of it. It is one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. Pictures will be posted, don´t fret!
The competition starts on the 23rd. Keep checking back to see how it went!
I miss you all at home, and I hope that everyone is having a chill rest of the summer.
Remember to smile!

Much love,

Vikki

p.s. an interesting note...Stacey seems to have developed allergies to some kind of bug bite as she has developed some lovely cankles that seem to have a fever. (She´s not too happy with that description, but I think its very fitting!)

Cheers!!

I Hate Buses...

2007-08-14T08:49:00.050-07:00

Since our last post, we decided to stay in Ibarra until the 15th to continue climbing on the competition wall. We are far more comfortable here, as we have made friends with the Ecuadorian climbing team. They have proven to be a great source of laughter and entertainment in a city where the best thing to do is go and climb plastic. It is not a huge team, but what they lack in size they make up for in heart. It is very inspiring to climb with such talented and determined individuals. Most of the girls are barely 14, but are climbing with strength and technique far beyond their years. The boys are beasts, and in between practical jokes and impromptu games of whatever meets their fancy at the time, they're tearing it up on the wall. They did not distance themselves from us at all, but immediately befriended us and encouraged us to climb with them.
Alas, there have been a few downsides to this trip so far.
Number 1: I accidently erased all of my photos from the first week of our trip, which included the videos of us cliff jumping in Mindo. I was going through my camera, playing with different settings and naively reformatted my pictures, which unbenownst to me, erases all of your previous pictures! Besides getting a rare incurable disease, dying and all those other horrible things, I thought that this was the worst thing in the world that could happen to me. (Wait for Number 2 and 3!!)
Number 2: Our trip to the coast. A one day trip on Sunday with Bagre, a coach from Cuenca that is going to be the head route setter at World's. We were going to relax, spend some time in the sun. Never mind that it was a 4 hour trip, that we had to wake up at 3:30 in the morning, and when we got there the sun was nowhere to be found. Nevermind that that particular day was the day that my insides decided they wanted out, not the way they came in, they were explorers and decided that down was the best way out, and as fast as possible. Nevermind that we were all pink tomatoes at the end of the day. Nevermind that the beach was mediocre, there were no bearable toilets to be found (not too good for my condition, a hidden beach cove was converted into a toilet at one point). No, all of those things are fine, just fine. The bus ride home deserves a number all on its own.
Number 3: So, because we thought 2 more hours at the beach would be worth it, we skipped the bus that would take us straight back to Ibarra, and instead took a 4:00 bus that first took us to San Lorenzo where we would take another bus to Ibarra. No big deal right? My God, were we ever in for a horrible, horrible suprise. The first bus was already full, so we were stuck standing for almost half an hour before we could scoop a seat. A pregnant lady later got on the bus, and because it was so crowded, her ready to pop stomach was smooshed against my face. We were about to recieve our incredibly poor karma for not giving up our seat to her. After waiting for half an hour at the bus stop at San Lorenzo and running across the street multiple times to a dirty disgusting toilet where turkeys lurked around, and two young boys ran around playing with large machinery, the bus finally arrived. Relief? Not quite. If we thought the other bus was full, this one was bursting. Bagre, realizing that this was the last bus, told us we have to try and get out. We literally elbowed our way through a sea of bodies, and inserted ourselves in the last single air pockets available. "In 30 minutes we will have a seat" Bagre said hopefully. Unfortunately, he was wrong. At first it was funny, we made jokes and kept up our hopes that a seat would open up. 2 hours later, the smiles had disappeared and I sank to the floor and curled up into a ball hoping that this would convince my contorting stomach to keep all of its contents. Horrible cramps were racking my body, and all I could do was sit there and focus all my energy on keeping from exploding. We had 10 minutes of relief when the police stopped the bus and we all had to get out. Unfortunately, Michael had a bag on his back and the police armed with large rifles sternly told him to put the bag on the table to be searched. Not understanding, he stared at the blankly, and they were not happy, motioning with their guns for him to put the bag down. Stacey and I told him what they were saying, and the tension disappeared. Poor Mike, he thought they were going to shoot him. The fresh air made me feel better, but soon we were back on the bus where the air was heavy with human persipiration. I don't really remember the last hour and a half, I was in a daze. When we finally arrived in Ibarra at 10:00 at night, we were all exhausted, hungry and cranky as hell. Unfortuantely, my stomach was getting impatient, so I begged everyone that we just go back to the hotel and eat whatever was in the room. I got reproachful stares from my siblings, motivated by their empty stomaches, but I needed a bathroom. Oh god, what a day.
The only positive thing about that trip that I can think of, is a cool picture I got of Mike walking on the beach. But...I still can't decide if it was worth it.

Yesterday, I spent the entire day in bed recovering, Stacey and Mike doing much of the same. I feel much better today. Mike felt poorly last night, but is much better today. Unfortunately, Stacey is now the receptor of the stomach curse, and she's been hurling all morning. Hopefully we all feel better soon, as we have to make our way to Quito tomorrow.

I can't wait to see the rest of my family and the Canadian team.

Love to all,

Vikki

More Ibarra

2007-08-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hello all you crazy people! Today is a rest day. Yesterday was supposed to be a rest day...but then we went to the wall and got all psyched so we climbed. We've befriended a few of the climbers from the Ecuador team. They're very friendly people, and very strong too! We've been eating with them, and climbing with them as well. The routes are very hard, but they are setting new ones every couple of days, so we'll be getting great onsight practice in.
The weather here is usually cloudy, though today the sun graced us with its presence. We went for a run around town today, though the car exhaust fumes were a bit much.
We're staying in Ibarra for a few more days, and then we decided to head back to Quito around the 10th to go and train at the wall there so we can get some endurance training in. Hopefully the routes there aren't so freakin hard!
Stacey and I are psyched, as there is supposed to be lot's of climbing around Cuenca where some of the climbers are from. They are very proud of their city, as apparently nothing is as good or as beautiful or as wicked as Cuenca! So Stace and I are going to check that out!
I'm not a huge fan of Ibarra and can't wait for the Canadian team to come and make it more interesting. I think this city is going to be shocked with all the foreigners during World's, as Stacey, Michael and I get alot of stares as we walk down the street.
Right well...CIAO!!!

Vikki

2007-08-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

We miss Mindo already.

The hustle and bustle of Ibarra has us a bit overwhelmed. Our hotel is amazing tho. A huge room with french doors that open into a large central garden. The owners speak no english, but their daughter is our little translator.

We found the wall and did some climbing. Amazing wall, but only a few, very hard, routes up. We may have to return to Quito to train.

The local climbers are very friendly, and many speak english. We had the pleasure of watching the equador team train... very strong climbers!!!

Here are some photos of the wall.

Stace

(Sorry, I can't figure out how to rotate the photos... everything is in spanish!!!!!)

Fun in the sun

2007-08-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

¡Hola!
Ecuador is an amazing country!!
Emerald hills rise up around us as our bus winds through the seemingly endless twists and turns towards Mindo, a small town north of Quito. We arrive mid-day and make our way to Hotel Gypsy where we laze for hours in the soft sway of our hammocks.
After an interesting conversation (with a lot of help from our trusty phrasebook) with the hotel owner, we decide to go on a little hike to some cascada´s (waterfalls). Once there our tour guide (which we were made to pay 3$ each for) took us strait to a cliff edge, threw a rock over, and motioned for us to jump. After a few moments of "¿agua metro?" we were assured we would not hit the bottom after the 12m fall. Im proud to say I was the first to have the balls to jump off.
After making a deal with one of the locals, Vikki jumped, then the local... and Mike last, only after the locals reminded him that he had shook on it. Ill try and fingure out how to post the video.
Up the river we slid down a very sketchy looking torpedo (waterslide). öooo, chicka rapido...muy rapido" exclaimed our guide as Vikki bulleted out the bottom.
The locals we shared our jump with kindly offered (insisted) that they give us a ride down.. it was much to far to walk.... we listed to usher and bob marley on the ride down.

The local breakfast seems to be fresh juice of whatever fruit is handy in the kitchen, eegs, coffee, and a bun with cheese. YUM. (1-2$)

We plan to spend the next two weeks in Ibarra (where we arrived last night) for >Vic and Mike to train on the comp wall.

Ciao for now

Stace (and Vic)

We have arrived...

2007-07-31T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! We're here in Quito Ecuador. It's a blue sky day, no clouds in sight, and alot cooler than good ol' Calgary which is nice for a change. We stayed the night at a hostel called Hostal Jhomana. It's great, a little pricy for South America as I've gathered, but for our first night we figured we could splurge. Pretty soon Mike, Stacey, and I are headed out to explore Quito, and then we're catching a bus to Mindo, a little town recommended to us by a friend. I'm excited for that. The mountains on the edge of Quito was the first thing I saw this morning and it was awesome. Breakfast was small and simple. Hmm...yup that's about it. We woke up about an hour ago, so that's my experience of Quito so far. Hope everyone's having a blast doing what you're doing. Miss you all!

Much love,

Vikki (and Stacey, we're pretty much the same person)

Gettin ready....

2007-07-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

So...Stac and I are in agreement that packing sucks. Our bags are way too full, but we need everything that's in there. I thought I was such a light packer..until I actually put everything in my bag. Sick.
But...we're super stoked on this trip. I guess I should explain to those out of the loop what this trip is all aboot. Mike (the little bro) and I made the Canadian National Climbing Team this year, so we're headed to Ibarra, Ecuador to compete at the World Youth Climbing Championships. It's an annual event, and we're both psyched to compete. Stac is one of the assistant coaches which is wicked. Our head coach is Andrew Wilson, and the other assistant coaches include Jamie Chong and Knut Rokne. It's a sweet coaching staff, and the team is always amazing.
Mike, Stacey and I decided to head down a few weeks early to get acclimatized to the altidude, as well as to try and score some training time on the competition wall in Ibarra. We're flying into Quito, the capital of Ecuador on July 30th. After that we're headed to a little town called Mindo just north of Quito for a few days to just chill out and get some culture. Then, we'll hop on a bus and go to Ibarra until August 16th, when we have to head back to Quito to meet up with the team, as well as our parents and Chris (the big bro). We have a few days of training in Quito, and then head back to Ibarra for the competition which takes place from August 22-26. (The rents are headed on a rainforest tour while we train...lucky ones).
After the competition ends, our family is going to go on a boat tour through the Galapagos Islands, and then we're headed to Peru for a hike up the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. While the rest of the fam flies home after that, Stac and I are left on our own to do whatever we please (what that is, we have no clue at the moment).
So stay tuned friends, and we'll let you know what happens. Knowing the Weldon family, there will be many stories to tell!
Love,

Vikki