Bondi Beach and Icebergs?

At the moment I’m sitting inside the concourse of Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne awaiting the finish of the Ash Barty/ Sofia Kenin semifinal match. I suspect it’s going to go to a third set. Kenin won the first in a tie break and Ash Barty is up two games in the second set. Who knows? Kenin could say she’s sick of the heat and wrap it up in two. (Note: I didn't finish this blog post sitting the lobby because Kenin did just that and knocked out Barty in straight sets.) I’m inside for two reasons: 1) I’m going to the Garbine Muguruza/ Simona Halep semifinal that won’t start until this finishes, and 2) it’s 100 degrees outside. Literally.  The Australian Open is known for its scorching temperatures, but this year it’s been pretty mild, even chilly a couple of days.  This heatwave is quite a switch. Everyone that is walking out of the arena during the breaks has sweated through their clothes - men, women, everyone.  This match could be over in 15 minutes, or it could take at least another hour so I’m going to take advantage of the time I have and try to publish a blog post on my phone.

On my second to last day in Sydney I went out to Bondi Beach.  When looking at a map I thought Bondi would take quite a while to get to, but it really only took 15 minutes from Sydney’s CBD. Because I stayed about 30 minutes outside of the CBD it took me closer to an hour to get there, but it didn't feel that long because most of my trip was on the train. 

I left my Airbnb by 9:00 AM because I wanted to make sure I could get access to a place called Bondi Icebergs Club.  On my first night in Sydney I Googled  “things to do in Sydney” and found a couple different websites to build my list of what I wanted to do while in town. Both lists has Bondi on them, but also had the Icebergs Club. You can read more about the Icebergs if you're interested; they have a pretty cool history.  I wasn't interested so much in becoming a member as taking a dip in their famous open ocean pool.

I had never really heard of one before. The Icebergs Club bills theirs as the most Instagramable, and it really is just that. The views are amazing and the crashing waves make for outstanding photos.  I paid a small fee to get into the Icebergs and for a locker and towel service. I didn’t realize that the locker was a one-time use locker, so that was probably a waste of money because I wanted to be able to pull out my phone to take pictures then put it back so I didn't have to worry about it while I used the pool. However, I was happy to use a nice plush towel while I was there instead of my quick dry backpacking towel. There are some other free options in the Bondi area for open ocean pools, but this was one most convenient and I felt like my possessions were more secure than they would have been at those other pools. After I left the Icebergs I walked along the famous coastal walk and spotted one of the other open ocean pools at Bronte Beach.  It looked pretty great, but there was practically no deck along side the pool so there was no place to put your stuff close to the pool without it getting soaked by the waves or actually falling in.  I stand by my choice to pay to get in to the Icebergs. 

The day that I visited the ocean waves were pretty fierce, so it made for some great photos. It also made for some pretty great shocks when I got hit by the waves. Despite it being the Australian summer, the water was quite crisp. When I checked in the woman at the register asked if I planned to swim and I said yes. For some reason I got real nervous all of a sudden and asked, “it’s not that cold right??” I mean, it IS called the Icebergs Club for a reason! She laughed a little and said, “no, it’s quite refreshing!” When she said quite refreshing she meant it in the way your dad tells you something is refreshing and makes fun of you for being a wuss while flirting with hypothermia. It was also a bit overcast in the morning, although the sun came out more later in the day and it was quite warm throughout the day. 

I was going to go take a picture on the far side of the pool, but the lifeguard stopped me because the waves were getting so high and crashing so hard. In this picture the wave is probably mid crest. They were HUGE.  Not five minutes after this picture was taken the guards closed off this end of the pool because it was too turbulent.  You can see in the photo below that there are stairs located right about where this picture is being taken from and you can go straight down to the ocean from there. There's a really clear sign that hangs on the gate to the stairs that declares the Icebergs' lack of responsibility if something happens to you. Throughout my couple hours at the pool I saw several people go back and forth from the ocean to the complex - even a kid once! The waves pound and crash so hard against the rocks there.  I cannot imagine feeling confident enough to enter the ocean there. The picture below really doesn't do it justice because the water looks somewhat calm in this moment.  The lower edge of the photo as looks there's sand there, but it's actually a tarp that covers a patio of sorts located on a low cliff. That bottom edge is all rocks, no nice soft sand there at all.

I got permission from the lifeguards to go to the far side to take a few photos. One thing that sucks about traveling alone is that your options generally are to take a selfie or a picture of something without you in it. I was lucky enough to meet two women who were super sweet and one volunteered to take some photos of me. Both of the women used to live together in Bondi, but had each had moved away for separate reasons. They were reuniting after a long period of time apart.  I chatted with them for maybe 20 or 30 minutes while we all braved the chilly water of the pool/ocean and bucked up the courage to ask for help taking a photo while I had the chance. The woman who took the photos was a dream come true because she just kept clicking away knowing that I'd want to select from a series of shots instead of hoping one super posed photo came out good. I was happy with a few of the photos she took that I didn't even know to expect. 

After I chilled at the Icebergs (see what I did there?) I took the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk of about 1.5 miles and back. The views were stunning.  My pictures do not do them justice at all. I also didn't take too many photos because I felt like they were all the same and not showing the natural relief very well.

While I took my walk this crazy car accident happened. I was happy to have missed seeing it, although it did cause quite the hullabaloo. I had to reroute my walk at the end and all in all I probably walked up and down the hills of the coastal walk for about 3 to 3.5 miles. I was happy to get into the water to cool off.  

As it's a surfer's paradise I couldn't help but take time to appreciate the surfing culture and mentality - and form ;) LOL.  It's amazing that the waves are so consistent that you can pretty much surf all day if you wanted to. I think surfers still prefer the morning to some degree, but that's just because there are fewer people in the water. (Side note: This morning while eating breakfast I watched a reality television show about the lifeguards at Bondi and the beginning credits mention that 40,000 people a day can visit Bondi!) There was one point when I decided to spend some time jumping waves in the ocean that I actually got a little scared.  From the moment my feet hit the water I could feel how strong its pull was. The water moves in and out so dramatically that you can be standing 20 feet into the ocean and be thigh-deep in water, but two minutes later you can be in ankle deep water because of how much the water moved back out.  The waves were so powerful and rapid that I knew I had to be really careful.  There was one moment when I got knocked down and violently pushed back toward the sand.  I was in stomach deep water and then a few seconds later I was in six-inch deep water. When I got up I saw the same thing happened to a surfer next to me.  I think he was coming in to the shore anyway, but washed out on the wave I was attempting to body surf.  He gave me a look I don't know exactly how to describe except to say it was a knowing look that he paired with a gesture that clearly said, "Nah, mate. It's time to get out."  Which I immediately did.  Later in the day I moved spots and picked an area with less dramatic waves so I could jump in just long enough to cool off. A minute dip was enough for me and I was done in the water for the day.   

All in all it was an amazing day and I was in heaven! It was one party of Sydney that I whole-heartedly enjoyed. 

Pictures from Day 4 on the W

 

 

 

I'm not fooling anyone. I want to go home.

Day 4 on the W: From Camp Frances to Camp Torres

 Today was a disaster for me, a straight up disaster. I slept awful again, despite setting up camp in a fairly serene setting. Camp Frances was a series of wooden platforms nestled into the woods across the side of the mountain. It was really quite quaint. The trees were tall and straight and seemed to bear most of the brunt from the wind. I initially said that the wind sounded like a train running through, but I later amended my statement because it's more accurate to liken the sound of the wind to water rushing out of a dam. I wish I could have captured the sound. I cell phone recording didn't come close to doing it justice. If I closed my eyes I could picture the wind as swirling and gathering in the distance before it rushed out up above our tent. If I wasn't so miserable it would have been magical.

Because of the wind I was freezing most of the night. I really struggled with my sleeping bag. Before the trip I bought a Big Agnes 20 degree plus sleeping bag. I should have been golden. I found myself oscillating between being chilly and being sweaty, which I don't think helped me get warm in the long run. I tried sleeping in just a shirt and gave it the good old college try for about 30 to 45 minutes, but was FREEZING and had to eventually put more clothing on. Ultimately, when I could stay directly on my sleeping pad sleeping on my back I did alright, but if I flipped to my side and slept in a spoon position a bit of my body would hang off the side of the pad. Because our tent was positioned on a wooden platform every time the wind would gust we'd get air pushing through the floor of our tent and then through the part of my sleeping bag that was hanging off the sleeping pad. All in all I think the temperature rating of my sleeping bag was fine, but it wasn't wind proof. The noise of the wind and the cold made for an awful night for me with practically no sleep at all. 

Fatigue would have been one thing, but after getting just a little sleep in the early morning I woke up sick. I had a sore through and could feel congestion settling into my nose and my chest. I was not happy to be feeing this way, but at the same time thankful that I didn't start feeling poorly until day four.  Despite all my hopes of avoiding her, Aunt Flo came to visit right before we started the trail. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just consider yourself lucky and keep on reading. What sucks is that I had very low energy, felt like someone was sitting on my chest all day, and had been feeling particularly positive. Oh, I completely forgot to mention that while we have been blessed with pretty amazing weather, even with the wind, today it started to rain. We oscillated between a fine mist and downright right all day and never managed to catch a truly sunny moment. This did very little to help me feel better.

I set my intention at the start of the day to be focused on the positive aspects of my day and it was quite the challenge. I like to think that it's mind over matter and that I can make any day a positive day, but it just did not happen for me at all today. 

Today was our longest hike - about 5.5 hours total. It doesn't sound like all that much, but when you consider it included elevation changed on the side of a mountain in the wind and the rain while carrying an extra 40 pounds or so... yeah, it's a bit of a longer hike. I was miserable through 95% of it. The trail map showed the changes in elevation and showed a big inclined within our first hour of hiking, but then was supposed to be a gradual decrease in elevation with some oscillating elevation changes. I maintain the map lied. It felt like a near constant uphill climb to me. Every bit of my body screamed at me for those 5.5 hours. My head pounded and my chest hurt. My positivity mantra changed to a chant of survival. My internal dialogue was a constant stream of reminders that it was impossible to give up, that the only way off the mountain was to walk there myself. The wind was the strongest we had experienced yet - 45 mph! There were gusts that literally pushed me from my stance. I joked that I managed not to fall off the mountain, but if it was going to happen it would have happened today. I wish I could have gotten a picture to show the line of hikers digging it and bracing ourselves against the wind on the side of the mountain. It's something that as I think about now is a bit more scary to me than it was in the moment. 

We finally arrived at Camp Torres and I felt absolutely miserable. I was barely dragging my feet and trying to dig as deep as possible for motivation to continue to our specific campsite and help set up our tent. As soon as we did I forced myself to change out of my sweaty clothes and to down some water. I then crashed and slept for a little more than an hour. When I woke I felt some of my energy restored, but unfortunately I felt like the cold set into my head and chest even more. 

While I slept Melissa hung out in the Refugio and mulled over our plans for tomorrow with a hot chocolate.  I was relieved when she suggested that we catch the last bus "home" to Puerto Natales instead of hiking our fifth day as originally planned. The weather report called for more rain and obstructed views, which meant it was pretty pointless to hang around and for me to push through another cold night and another day of hard hiking in the rain. So, we packed up as fast as we could and caught the last bus. Our time on the W has come to an end. 

Day 3 on the W: From Paine Grande to Camp Frances

Last night was awful. Absolutely awful. The wind screamed all night and even though great efforts were made to keep our tent tied down it, several ties came apart as the wind whipped at everything. My sleep with fitful at best even with earplugs. The fabric of our tent and rain fly smacked and rattled to no end. The temperature also dropped as the sun set and while I didn't have a thermometer I would bet that it made it down into the mid thirties. Pair that with the wind and on again off again rain it did not create the best sleeping conditions. We were advised to place our tent as close to the foot of the mountain as possible to avoid the worst of the wind, but the best spots were already taken, so instead we chose the quite side of a building. It helped, but it also meant that our parcel of land was slightly sloping. Aside from being restless and cold, I spent most of the night trying not to slide into Melissa. (Side note: My sleeping pad is awesome so far, except for the fact that it's slippery. Putting a slippery sleeping bag on top means that I slide off when trying to get settled. Once I'm set I'm ok and I love the pad, but jeez is it a game when I initially get into my sleeping bag! I'm not even going to comment about my clumsiness and my ridiculousness when trying to get fully into my mummy bag!)

Once we got up and moving things were better despite to being cooler and overcast today. We made a relatively short hike (about 2.5 hours) to Camp Italiano where we took a bathroom break. We were initially going to pause and eat lunch there, drop our packs, and hike further to a lookout point. If you imagine the W again, today we hiked from the bottom of the first line up to the middle of the second line. We decided to continue on for about 30 minutes to our campsite for the night, Camp Frances. It was like skipping over to the third line of the W, but pretty much only moving laterally. Camp Frances is a bit different than what we've already experienced because it's basically a swath of semi-cleared land that travels up the side of the mountain. Platforms were build for tents, so we're a whole group of tents that are nestled into groups along the mountain. It's pretty quaint.  

Because the weather seemed a bit unpredictable today we opted to continue to Camp Frances so that we could pick a good spot, set up our tent, and get our bags protected in case it rained. We had the option of grabbing a few necessities and hiking back to Camp Italiano and then the view point that is about an hour north of Italiano. After we made some satisfying ramen for lunch Melissa and I both recognized that we were hitting a wall as a result of a stressful night and from the stress of traveling so much in general. We agreed that we could take a nap for about 45-60 minutes and still wake up in time to get the lookout hike in. Yeah... we slept for about two hours. Our plans were forfeit. 

It worked out great through because we hung out, listened to some audiobooks for a bit, made dinner, chatted some more, and here we are back in our sleeping bags for the night. It's still windy and chilly, but we're more protected from the wind so we're hoping for a much more restful and cozy night in our tent. 

To be honest today was just a pretty ok day. The hike was the easiest for me, but there were few good views because most of everything was obscured by the clouds and mist. Although, I would like to publicly offer some praise and thanks to God. We have been so incredibly blessed with the weather on this trip. Except for last night we really have had amazing weather. The weather report initially said it was going to be cool to cold and raining our entire time in South America. We have had sunshine and blue skies almost every day and even though today was overcast and misty, most of the concentrated clouds and rain were in the distance. It was almost if the sun walked with us across the mountain. It never fully cleared, but it could have poured on us all day and it has yet to happen. Fingers crossed that this blessing continues!

In summary, today We did some hiking, moved our housing, and here we are going to bed again. It was a simple day and I'm ok with that. 

Pictures From Day 1 on the W

I can only post a few because it's so hard to get pictures to upload on the wifi we have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 1 on the W: From the Park Entrance to Refugio Grey

Melissa and I arrived back in Puerto Natales late last night, which means we're back on wifi at times. I wrote blog posts for each day we were on the trail and I'll post as I can.

------------------------------------------

21,964 steps. 21,964 steps with a 40 pound (or a little more, I'm not quite sure) pack on. I did alright, despite being a slow hiker. That being said, I think my body is in shock. Melissa is currently in line getting our camp site reservation stuff in order, and I'm sitting on the steps on the Refugio trying not to think about how much my feet hurt. Pretty much everything from my waist down is talking to me right now. I know it'll all be fine, but right now it's screaming at me.

We started today with an early wake up take catch the bus from Puerto Natales to Torres Del Paine. Ironically, when we were in Peru and could sleep in most of the places we stayed in had enough noise around us to cause us to wake up before we wanted. But once we made it to Chile we needed our alarms to get us going. The 6 AM blast of my cell phone alarm was not exactly welcomed by me today. Something also not to be forgotten is the influence of the sun. Because Patagonia is so far south and because it's summer we have sunlight from about 5:15 AM to 11:00 PM. It's unreal. 

After the bus ride to the Park entrance we bought our park tickets, got everything officially stamped, watched a safety video and then were on our way. And by on our way I mean we took another bus for about an hour to a boat that we took across a lake for about 30 minutes. If you know me and my tendency to get motion sick you can imagine how excited I was to get to hiking. Now that I'm sitting on the far side of four hours I'm wondering what the hell I was thinking.

There's no doubt that this is an amazing experience, but I'm glad no one is here to ask me how it's going. I have faith that I'll get to the end and say how much I loved it, but right now in this very moment I can't believe I have at least one day in which I'll be hiking twice as long. 

The weather reports from previous trekkers is spot on - you can see the four seasons in one day. We we hopped off the boat at the first Refugio it was insanely windy and down right frigid. To imagine the winds consider your initial thought if I said, "What does a substantial gust of wind feel like?" Then, imagine it not to be a gust, but actually sustained winds. At a couple points I had to spread my legs wider for a stronger base and just hold tight because the wind almost blew me over, especially with the weight of the pack!  Then, within an hour and a half, Mel and I had both stripped down to our base layer. At one point in the midst of a valley the air was so calm and the sun was so hot that I wished for a tank top. I haven't looked yet, but I'm pretty sure my nose is burned quite a bit. I forgot my sunscreen today, but you can get I won't tomorrow!

Machu Picchu: Part 2

I don't have as many pictures of Machu Picchu to post right now as I'd like because I took a lot of photos on my camera instead of my phone. My iPhone takes pretty great photos, but I think I got some better shots on my camera, even though it's nothing really fancy. When I travel I like to try to take pictures to capture some memories, but I'm also very realistic that my pictures of the sites I visit will never compare to those of professional photographers. On this trip I've felt a little caught between my inclination to really work on being present and the compulsion to take photos and videos. I've posted to my Instagram and Snapchat accounts, and in some regard I've regretted the fact that I've been online at all. I'm really looking forward to not have as much internet access on the last third of our trip.

When we arrived at Machu Picchu I didn't know what to expect, despite having seen photos of the site before. I was breathless when I first saw it. To explain its massive span across the horizon is the same as trying to convey the height of a mountain. It's nearly impossible. After our long wait in line and a busride that had me fraught with nerves Melissa and I entered the site around 7:30/8:00 AM. We were so thankful because the sky was almost completely obstructed, but we got a few pictures in when the sky cleared for about 10 minutes. Here are a few pictures that are a combination between some I took and some Melissa took.

 

The Sabres came to Machu Picchu with me. 

 

Melissa brought the Pens with her too.

 

 

I'm pretty sure this was one of our early 8:00 AMish photos because we have jackets and another layer on. You can tell the later in the day photos because we lose layers along the way.

 

Llama, llama, llama, sheep. (Family joke.) 

Aguas Calientes

Even though I'm just a little over a week into my trip I can tell that with this iteration of my blog I'm apt to start each entry with, "I can't find the words to describe..." and today is no different.  I'm writing from Aguas Calientes, a small town that is a 30-minute bus ride from Machu Picchu. 

Aguas Calientes feels like ski town to me. Even though the train line from Ollantaytambo ends in this town if feels secluded and contained. What's striking to me even more is that it's also been the noisiest city in Peru so far. Cusco and Puno have city noise, mostly cars, but the people are pretty quiet. No one yells at each other. I even witnessed a fight between two men and all it involved was scathing statements and a swift kick to the rear for one the participants. Aguas Calientes feels like it's hoppin' at all hours. On that note, our hostel has also been the noisiest and actually fits a more stereotypical picture for me than any other hostel we've stayed in. I'm not super impressed, but you can't always tell from the internet and even hotels are a crapshoot. I also think that what we got was pretty on par with accommodations in the area and at a fair price.

The main benefit of Aguas Calientes is that there are natural hot springs. The public can access pools where the spring water is piped. For about US$7 we hopped into the springs after our long day at Machu Picchu to relax our muscles. None of us have a clear memory of how long we were there, but we were definitely there at least an hour, if not two. So, you know, it was quite the value. 

I like Aguas Calientes because of the resort town feeling.  Because it's Peru, it's also nestled right at the base of mountains around all sides of the town. I guess it fits the definition of a valley. What's striking about Peru is how all of a sudden mountains shoot up. There's not really any foothills. There's a valley (large or small) and then BOOM - mountain. Because we're here in the rainy season this morning was completely overcast. So, picture being in a valley, surrounded by mountains that are swarmed by clouds. It's creates such a close feeling without somehow being claustrophobic. I fear that my words are failing me and I won't adequately be able to describe what it feels like here. Simply said: it's just magical. 

Unfortunately, I can't post any pictures because apparently they are all on my camera instead of my phone. 

The Floating Islands: Part 2

Our altitude readings told us that Lake Titicaca was anywhere from 12,500 to 12,800 feet. I've already commented about the potent sun, but it was at the point of getting out onto the lake that Melissa and I recognized our need for copious amounts of sunblock and long sleeves. I had a harder time adhering to the long sleeves because even with my dry fit type material shirts, I was overheating constantly. I kept pushing the water and tried to stay as covered up as possible. From the photos though you can obviously see how absolutely gorgeous it was for us. We were so blessed with the weather because every day there was a prediction for rain, but we actually didn't see any until we returned to Cusco (and only for an hour or so at that). 

 

Here is Melissa on our first boat to Uros. She was trying to stay as covered as possible to protect her fair skin, but also because we're pretty sure one of the side effects of our altitude medicine is photo sensitivity.

 

Here is me while on the boat and crossing Lake Titicaca. 

 

Melissa and I did our best celebrity-avoiding-the-paparazzi impressions while trying to avoid murdering all of our skin cells.

After some hemming and hawing, as well as a super helpful boat captain, Melissa and I were picked up by Juan, one of the family members of our home stay. 

 

Juan took up by power boat to Uros Aruma Uro. 

Stay tuned... 

The Weather

What is most striking to me about Peru so far is the weather. The weather report for our entire stay in Peru has been highs in the 50s and 60s with the potential for rain all day, every day. What that weather prediction really means is that it's going to be sunny and few like the high 70s. Standing directly in the sun it feels even hotter. I regret not bringing a pair of shorts, but I'm doing ok with just rolling my pants to make them capris. The altitude makes the sun so much more potent, but it also means that as the sun goes down the breeze is quite chilly/ refreshing. More than any place I've ever been, this is an area designed for dressing in layers.

 

Lies! All lies!! 😃

 You can see how blue the skies in Tambomachay were.

 

Today we went to a street market in Puno, and this picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice. The market was so vast and so busy! Melissa and I both noticed that we were the only to white faces our entire time in that area. We were sort of surprised not to see any other tourists. 

 

Chicken feet, anyone?

Images from Hanoi

Here are some images from Hanoi that I haven't found fit to include on any other blog post. 

This was the first place I ate in Vietnam. It was pretty great. It was the perfect place to eat because the staff was really sweet, they helped me out a lot, and the food was good. It was like starting off with my best foot forward. 

My first meal in Vietnam.

My first meal in Vietnam. I ordered entirely too much food and ended up mixing Vietnamese and Western food in a delightful meal. 

I met this little girl on the street my first night in Vietnam. She was great and tried to teach me some Vietnamese words.

This is from The Note Coffee Shop. I loved it there. Quirkiest decor and great smoothies!

The only rainy day I experienced in Hanoi. 

Taking a break from the rain and sitting on the steps of a HSBC branch.

This is not even a crazy electrical line juncture. They're like nests of wires. It's amazing the lines don't fall and start fires every day. 

To be honest, I can't remember what this building was, but I do remember that I wasn't allowed inside. 

Vuvuzela is apparently the Vietnamese Hooters. 

I'm pretty sure this was the public library. 

This is NOT one of the charming aspects of Vietnam.  

The opera house. 

It is not uncommon for breakfast to look pretty much like dinner.  

I lost 13 pounds in Hong Kong without trying. I am pretty sure I put it all back on in Vietnam, no joke, and this is one of the reasons why. Atom ice cream is sooo good.

This banana pancake was great and it cost me US$1.00.  

Sure, take your kid outside to go to the bathroom in the street. No problem!

My favorite food in all of Asia so far has been the personalBBQ.