Geraingerfiord beautiful!

Out to sea - out to lunch

We are on our first day at sea out of Copenhagen,  Sailed up between Sweden and Denmark and are now alongside the Norwegian coast.  Cooler, much cooler than the hot days in Copenhagen.  We have already started eating - tea with scones yesterday and veal chops and creme brulee (Cindy) and grilled chicken salad and peanut butter chocolate dessert (me) for dinner last night.  This morning we had a very light breakfast delivered to the cabin at 645am (!!) and then walked the deck for an hour and worked out with weights at the gym.  We'll just see how long this routine lasts.  Then a great lecture about the formation of fjords and now on to lunch.  Then team trivia and then another lecture, reading time, tea and our first formal night,

We can both hardly wait to see Gerainger.  As the lecturer said today, it's a town so cute you could just pinch it's cheecks!

We've been told that we will have no internet, cell, or satellite reception for the next seven to ten days.  Beginning tomorrow, we will be too far north to receive any satellite feed, so the techies on board are already experiencing withdrawals symptoms.  The DTs will be well evident in about four days, I'm sure.   Some will probably just take out their Huckleberries and stare plaintively; the iPad users will rue the day they spent all that money.

More as I'm able to reach out to you via the magic that is technology....

Live is good out on the waves!

Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen!

So you come to Copenhagen to see The Little Mermaid, right? Well, she's not here right now - she's visiting Shanghai for a 6 month World Expo. A big thank you to technology, however, allows you to see her anyway. A huge flat screen monitor has been erected in the water above her little rock and the screen shows live streaming video of her in China! Unbelieveable!

So we walked CPH old town for several hours, ate Italian, and visited a local department store. Lots of Danish modern stuff!

Back in our hotel palace now, overlooking the water and all the boats. Life is good! Love being here with Cindy!

Copenhagen

Seats in coach are cramped, you're charged for a piece of TP and the food tastes bad, but airplanes sure do take you to some great places! Cindy and I are in Copenhagen where the first thing we did on arrival this morning was find a busy bakery and get a Danish...get it? Danish? Then did a tour of viking boats that had been pulled out of the sea and partially refurbished. Long, flat, shallow boats -
no wonder folks got seasick!

Happy 4th of July!

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the Rockets' red glare, the Bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our Flag was still there;

O! say does that star-spangled Banner yet wave,

O'er the Land of the free, and the home of the brave?

From the top of the world (Everest) to the top of the world (The North Cape)

Much to Muffin's dismay, the suitcases are out yet once again, this time for 18 days in the Arctic Ocean.  My one and only favorite sister will join me for this cruise from Copenhagen, north around Norway all the way up to the North Cape, then across to Spitzbergen and the Polar Ice Cap, then back to Stockholm. 

I'm excited to see -----

 Geraingerfjord -

the North Cape (the most northern point of land on the European continent) -

and Polar Bears in Spitzbergen,

See why I can hardly wait to get there?

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times

I have been home from a magical trip to Nepal and Bhutan for well over a month now, but the words required to describe the experience continue to escape me. April 2010 was so incredibly physically, emotionally and visually exhausting that I am still regrouping. I look back at the pictures I took and I reread my journal entries from those four weeks and I still cannot believe I did it. I DID IT!!

I’ve long been fascinated by the really high mountains. High school and college in Colorado initially fueled the interest, but a trip to the Tetons, Yellowstone and Banff/Lake Louise several summers ago really rekindled the love. Now I knew I had to see Mt. Everest with my own eyes, without an airplane window between me and her. Small detail that I was a 60 year old overweight Krispy Kreme loving coach potato who’s major physical activity was bidding one spade at bridge or changing the channel on her remote control. I was also just rejoining the real world after having lost my husband of 28 years in an airplane crash a few years ago. In a nutshell, I was a total mess with a heavy heart.

After two years sitting of in my house, waiting to magically feel better about my personal tragedy (but secretly knowing full well that it would take me kicking my own butt), I finally took just a bit of control, lost 75 pounds (goodbye Krispy Kremes, hello Greek yogurt) and I reconnected with adventure -- I swam with dolphins in Acapulco, rode a camel in Morocco, petted llama at Machu Picchu and zip-lined in Belize.

Then came that trip to the Rockies. While in Banff, I happened to meet an Elderhostel/Exploritas/Road Scholar group who were coincidentally staying at our hotel. A casual chat with one happy camper gave me the resolve to try a short, domestic US trip with them to see if I’d like their program style. But I never seem to do things the normal way. Instead, the resulting 17 day (!) Exploritas /Above The Clouds program to Nepal (!) with a personal 11 day extension (!) in Nepal and to Bhutan seemed absolutely the right thing to do. Crazy.

I called, I booked, I paid. Then I crossed the do-or-die threshold by telling friends and family what I was going to do, so now I actually had to go through with it.

Kathmandu

Two of my initial journal entries --

".....March 29 -- We are finally here! Beautiful weather, although very hazy. The mountains are all hiding. We’re exhausted. We have no idea if its 3am or 3pm or if it’s Tuesday or August.

.....Impressions of Kathmandu so far – chaotic, welcoming, poor, friendly, noisy, aromatic with incenses, non-existent traffic lanes, cows in the street. Off to unpack and drink bottled water.

.....April 1 -- Exhausted, exhilarated, everything hurts…but a joyous heart at the personal accomplishment yesterday. It was our “shakedown” trek – 8 miles uphill from 4800’ to 7000’ in 90 degree heat and took from 11am to 430pm, including the 30 minutes break for lunchbox sandwiches. There were times I thought I was gonna die, but the pleasure at finishing was tremendous. Tomorrow we fly to 9000’ and begin 5 days of trekking in Kagbeni.

......So far – abject poverty, an incomprehensibly difficult day to day existence, tons of garbage everywhere, dead (and living) rats, a very large military presence carrying very large guns, more small cars and motorcycles and trucks and honking than you can imagine, so much smog that you can’t breathe and your eyes itch….but I have yet to meet any Nepali who wasn’t gracious, gentle, kind, calm and smiling."

For 17 days I thoroughly enjoyed western Nepal with the most interesting and interested group of world travelers, ages 65 – 82, who climbed everything, ate everything and took part in everything to the hilt! We enjoyed informative instructors and guides, wonderfully cozy lodges, and absolutely delicious food.

Lukla to Monju

When the group left to return home, I was suddenly on my own…..to climb up to where I could see Mt Everest, with my own eyes, without an airplane window between me and her. I woke up at 4am that first morning alone, grabbed my bag, and met up with my guide, Chitra. The domestic airport in KTM was swamped with all sorts of folks waiting on that infamous Lukla flight – serious summiters with serious gear, intrepid trekkers with heavy high topped mountain boots and lightweight walking poles, and me, in jeans and tennis shoes with my bogus North Face duffel bag. Geez.

The flight was much easier than I had expected, we had a cup of tea, and we were off. I cannot come up with the right words to explain my joy at being on THAT trail, the one that every south face summiter walks. It almost made me feel as one with them --- for about the first 20 minutes (which was all downhill!). Chitra and I fell into a fairly steady pace, chatting every now and then, me mostly constantly worrying about those dreaded steps, from the Hilary Bridge to Namche, that I’d have to face the next day. I kept my head down and kept worrying. I made it to Monju in seven hours, had some of the best chicken soup in the world and fell into bed, still worrying about what tomorrow would bring.



Monju to Namche Bazaar

Nepali flat versus American flat – I woke up worried. As we trudged along toward the Hilary Bridge, I’d keep asking Chitra to describe the next part of the trail. “Is it uphill or flat?” “Oh, it’s pretty flat, Jane”, would be his reply, just as I saw a steep hill in front of me. There must be a big difference between his definition of flat and my definition of flat! And there was – if the trail starts and finishes at approximately the same altitude, the Nepali call it a flat trail. The fact that you climb a steep 1,000’ and then descend a steep 1,500’ and then climb another impossible 500’ (not my American definition of flat) has absolutely no bearing!

Goodbye to Bob – we reached the Hilary Bridge and Chitra helped me hang a Prayer Flag along this incredible span. I loved the fact that it was really high up in the mountains, high above the river and that the tradition is that prayer flags are never taken down. This was the best place in the world to say Rest In Peace to Bob – he’ll always be flying high!

You can do it, Jane – we finally began those infamous steps. This part of the trail’s reputation is well earned. I’d climb 40 paces and stop, climb 25 steps and sit, climb 10 paces and wonder how in the world I’d ever make it to Namche. Chitra was more than patient and more than encouraging. He’d quietly stop ahead of me, turn around to see me struggling, and would, in the most uplifiting tone imaginable, say “You can do it, Jane.”

Enjoy the downhill – the final hours of this part of the trail stretched on, but thanks to Chitra’s constant encouragement, my mood began to lift. Even though the trail continued up, up, always up, there were portions that were indeed (American) flat, and some parts, albeit very short parts, were even downhill. At this point in the climb, I was so tired, so exhausted, so consumed by the task of climbing, but it dawned on me that I didn’t even have the energy to worry about the what if’s or tomorrows any more – all I could do was be actively engaged in what I was doing that very minute. I was actually living in the now! What an emotional change of direction! With Chitra’s steady, quiet assistance, those five intense hours on the trail that day served to wonderfully, positively and permanently change me. Even after being home for many weeks, I’m different, my mood and outlook have been raised forever!

Never give up; no matter what is going on around you, never give up (The Dalai Lama) - I met my personal goal of reaching Namche Bazaar, I spoke with many, surprisingly humble, Everest summiters, I enjoyed the most amazingly warm camaraderie of other similarly minding nature lovers who were just as appreciative as I was of the incredible personal sacrifice it takes to reach 29,000’, I saw Mt. Everest with my own eyes, without an airplane window between me and her, and I absolutely loved every minute of the overwhelming emotion, incredible exhaustion and life-altering personal change that this adventure brought me.

Go! Try! Never give up! You can do it!

A time to remember

While my sleep patterns are now slowly returning to Eastern Daylight Time, I have had much opportunity to revisit all the wonderful memories created over the last month while in Nepal and Bhutan.  This picture above seems to really capture the very best of my recollections - those very high mountains and the glorious freedom of pushing past my own fears and insecurities.  Those of you who know me well will certainly be surprised to see me in this teeny-tiny ultra light!

Then there were the mountains!  They were gorgeous, but getting up there was excrutiatingly difficult for me.  Here are some views of the trail from Lukla to Namche Bazaar -- a total of 21 hours of climbing and descending and climbing again over a five day period.

What was I thinking?

Yaks and trekkers on the trail............

My gosh, that trail was very steep every now and then!

Just deciding where to put your foot required every brain cell!

And it kept going up and up (I spent a lot of time turning around to see how far I'd come!).

This is me, having climbed up to just about 12,500', with Mt. Everest just to the left of my head, Lhotse just behind my head and Ama Dablun to the right of me.  All I can say is I really, truly appreciate the effort it takes for summiters to slog another six days from this location just to get to Everest Base Camp and the additional thirty days or so after that that it takes acclimatizing in preparation for attempting the Everest summit at over 29,000'. 


 

My second goal was seeing beautiful Bhutan and the incredible Taksang Monastery. 

Here is a view of the monastery from halfway up the mountain.

Don't look out or around....just look down at your feet, place one foot in front of the other and try to keep your balance!

Almost there.....

A chance to rest......

Finally ---- I'm there.  I just haven't thought about the trip back down and up and down again yet!

Again and again I realize just how lucky I am to be able to travel like this!  I'll be sharing more of my pictures as recollections as my pea-sized brain recaptures normal function.  Get ready for the complete travelogue!

Nepal and Bhutan Preparations

Yes, this would be the fabulous Mt. Everest!  I will finally get to see her with my very own eyes (why is she a she?)  I have been hiking up and down Kennesaw Mountain (it's only about 1,200' elevation), but I somehow think that just won't be enough.  I have my trekking poles, my broken-in shoes, my waterproof jacket, my bandaids and all my meds.

This would be part of the trail.

 

And this is the Taksang Monastery in Bhutan.

It's just a short hike up a shear cliff!

You may start saying your prayers for me at any time!

Yak.  Yak.  Yak.

I am so excited to have the chance to see all this, up close and personal.  It will definitely be a big, grand adventure!  And I get to spend most of it with my one and only usually favorite son!  Hooray!

The cats are glad I'm home for a while

Muffin was very unhappy when I left home.



Lucy, spending time helping me recover the dining room chairs



Muffin, making certain I don't pack again any time soon!









I have been back in Georgia since Valentine's Day, but was home for only four days when I packed to go to Lake Lanier for the weekend. I had a great time with all the bridge ladies at Sheryl's lake house. Bridge is usually one of the only times during the month that I feel compelled to act like an adult, but our twice a year bridge weekends are a lot like a slumber party....eight gals, lots of chatter and lots of food and wine. A fabulous group!

Well I went hiking alone Tuesday morning. I now carry a picture of Everest and of the Taksang Monastery in Bhutan, just so I have a constant reminder of why I continue exercising, even when I really hate it. So....I drove to the Visitors Center at Kennesaw Battlefield and then hiked the wood trail up the mountain, a 657' elevation climb about a mile in distance. (Certainly nothing equaling what I'll be up against in Nepal!) I then climbed down the steeper back slope, caught the main road and walked the 1.5 miles back down. I met one young gal who made that hike twice a day, four times a week. Good grief! I should send her to Nepal instead of going myself. I was truly huffing and puffing all the way up that climb. I cannot begin to imagine what April 12th will be like for me. That's the day I make the steep climb from Monjo to Namche (various blogs say that hike takes anywhere from two to nine hours --- shoot me now and say a prayer for me on that date!

Yesterday Marcia and Sheryl took me to Mimi's Cafe for a birthday lunch - delish. Then we walked through Perimeter Mall, just like all the other "ladies who lunch." How "Real Housewives of Atlanta" can you get?

Today is tax prep day. I have to get it all done and sent in to the accountant tomorrow so that they can do their magic and I can get the whole thing done by the time I leave on March 23. I fly to LAX that day to spend three days there with Steve, then we begin the slog to Kathmandu....18 hours non-stop LAX-Bangkok, 3 hour layover, then another 5 hours to Kathmandu. (Sounds like a three ambien kind of day!) Steve flies back on April 11, I stay on in the mountains until April 22, have one day to regroup in LAX and then home to ATL on April 24. Consider me sleeping for the next week after that!

Again and again I say how lucky I am to be able to live like this. I am so appreciative of all the emotional support my friends and family give me. I feel I am indeed finally able to be regret-free happy again - and as you often hear me say, I think I have finally grown into the person Bob thought he had married! I'm pleased to have made such strides in my physical and emotional health. He took great care of me when he was alive, and took great care of me when he died. And now I have a full 17 days to spend with my one and only usually favorite son. I am so looking foward to spending that time with him, as we both push ourselves past our usual boundaries.

The 1099s are calling.

S