ThinkGreen

Patagonia - Bolivia - Peru

2009-08-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

Afater a slim working season in Patagonia I took of towards Bolivia, where I was intended to take my UIAGM certification as an aspirant (first step), but my old injured right knee, speak up again! so I had to quit, they (Directors of the Bolivian UIAGM certification) told me that it was better not to do it, and evacuation up in the mountains at high altitud in case of an accident, would it be really a pain in the neck! So the smart desision of let it go was wise and sad! I spend few more days in La Paz, took a bike trip for the day, and then decided to head towards Peru, to recover my knee and strenght next to my friends in Huaraz. A 26 hour bus ride, La Paz - Lima with some caothic borderline issues, let me exhausted, I met Zarela, my great friend of Huaraz, who holds the famous worlwide La Casa de Zarela, at another bus station, ready to go to Huaraz, another 8 hours!, first we had lunch somewhere.
Huaraz, the great city next to the mountains, the Cordillera Blanca, the big treasure of the Andes. I was ready to spend at least one month back there, finally I stayed 2 months!
My high altitude climbs didn´t wnet very well,within the last two years I´ve been rock climbing more than anything, but anyway I climbed:
Pisco, and a secondary summit of Cashan, next to Shaqsha. Both peaks of 5000 metres and a little more, no 6.000 this year. Alpamayo through the Fench direct, was infront of my sad eyes, two days of back pain, after an accident I had while rock climbing! so I had to quite that beautiful peak, after a big effort to approach it.
My accident:
While warming up on a easy route 6a, but long, maybe 28 metres, in Hatun Machay, part of the Cordillera Negra, at 4.200 metres above sea level, me and my friend Quito. he was lowering me down, and before I reached the 4th quickdraw I fell like a potato sack. Fell into my feet and then lean backwards and smash my sacrum bone,auch! I stayed there few seconds without moving my legs or neck or anything, Quito was pale! then I stood up and sat down on a rock, my lower back was in pain. What happened? the rope was shorter, no knot at the running end of my belayer´s rope. It is both fault, that was a borrowed rope that we never checked it out, the day before we where climbing on shorter routes so no problem. But the belayer needs to do it´s own job.
After this impass, I started climbing again after 1 week, went to Alpamayo, couldn´t make it because of lower back pain, but went to rock and roll again, felt much better, but after being sitted long time, it sore.
I climbed also with Hugo Robin,a french guide who lives in Huaraz, Mision Lunatica, nice climbing on granite, all protected with bolts, 6c is the crux, 3rd pitch. 5 pitches in total, nice route! Also with Hugo we climbed in Antacocha a 5 picth route graded 6a all bolted and the I had reapeted with Tadeo, my colegue from Patagonia,I led all the route, he was on an acclimatization process!
I went to hatun Machay 5 different times staying few days each time to do rock climbing as much as I could, was really nice, climbing hard routes in high altitude, makes you stronger!
Four days before I left,i was looking for a partner to climb the Sphinx, a 750 metre wall at 5300 metres of altitude, through the standard route 1985, 7a (A1). Diego, my other argentinian friend said YES! lets go,Quito left few days before.
The approach to the wall is long and steep, a porter is necessary if you want to go fast and light. We spend the night at a bivuoc rock. But the same day we arrived at the base, we climbed 2 pitches and fix 80 metres, so next day we would start fast.

THE FIRST 10 PITCHES

Technically where the hardest pitches and more aesthetic ones,with all the anchors mounted with one bolt and maybe in piton, was luxurius! Once we get to the big ledge, the route started to be a labyrinth, despite we had 3 different topo references of the route. To many dihedrals, and faces, blind cracks, runouts like hell, we slowed down the pace, on pitch 15 we decide to stop. Diego fix that pitch and came down, we found a nice ledge, not to comfy. but good enough to spend one night It was already 530pm getting dark, by 7pm it was already night! was good call, we where exhausted, almost no H2O, no food, few candy bars, I had enough of them.

THE LONGEST NIGHT!

12 hours of Insomnia and cold! Inside our bivy sacks and with our down and primaloft jkts, we tried to sleep, was really a bloody torture! any way I think I slpet maybe 2 hours, just before we woke up. We started at 7 am, Diego went first, jugging on the rope, thenmyself, then we alternate the leading, I led the last two pitches,Diego was really tired, I was feeling very good despite the night and almost no food and water, strange reactions of the body, I think it was mental do. My motivation was so high!

SUMMIT

After 3 or 4 more hours of trying to solve the puzzle of cracks, and faces, etc... I reached the summit, the joy of being there was amazing, We made it Diego come on!
We give a hug and then organize the ropes and gear, sat down and enjoy the views, get somewater, the last drops and eat couple of bits of Kiwicha (local sweet bar) my stomachdidn´t want to eat that stuff anymore!
After taking few pics. we satrted to head towards te rappel section which is down to the right of the big wall, which is part of the same structure but lower, it is only 3 rappels! very nice.
The rest is history!

A sad decision

2008-06-21T07:47:00.001-07:00

After doing a trekking, the hampta Pass trekking in 4 days, we decide that we wanted to go to Tailand as soon as we can, we want climbing!
The Hampta Pass is 4 127 metres, we hiked on two beautiful valleys, always acompained by sheperds, amazing how these people move from one valley to another, many times on steep snow patches, crossing rivers on top of humungus snow bridges, with goats and sheeps. Definetly nice experience. What need to be improved is the way to do the things here, the company we hired was ok, but they definetly need to improved service, food, logistics and transportation.
Finally I decided to sell my bicycle, the decision of ending our cycling trip was taken, so I found a buyer, yesterday I sold my beautiful bicycle to an Indian guy, who, I assume will apreciate that bicycle. So my bicycle will stay in India, in this beautiful location call Manali.
Thanks to my two wheel lady for the nice moments on the road and be with me all the time. Definetly a sad decision.

Leh - Manali road

2008-06-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

After the bad night we had at Korzak, camping area, at Tso Moriri, we decided to take off from that area next morning as early as we can, trying to get a lift from somebody. A group of indian tourist, very nicley, offer us to take us back to Leh.
On our arrival to Leh we decide to go to a nice Guest House call, Oriental Guest House, excellent place to chill out, but we decided to "fly away" from Leh ASAP,to manali, 480kms away, went to the agency of friends, Discovery ladakh, the good energy was with us, we'd got a jeep with three canadians, super cheap. The trip? 18 hours my friends, crossing 5 passes, one with more than 5000 metres, was nice and spectacular at the beggining, but when as we reached the Rhotang la (Pass) near Manali, big traffic of trucks, fog, bad road codition and very danegrous, with part of the road almost falling apart, so I can imagine how bicycling this road would be, We calculate, 10 to 12 days to climb all 5 passes, but no guaranty that we can complete all of the road because of the conditions of the road. More than one time the road was under a river.
So basically that was the end of our bicycle trip. As we reached Manali we decide to take it easy, do some trekking, climbing etc... we are doing that right now!

2008-06-12T07:23:00.000-07:00

This picture my friends it's from one of the many Boat Houses on Dal Lake in Srinagar, where we started our cycling journey.

2008-06-11T01:17:00.000-07:00

WE WILL PUBLISHED PICTS. SOON

2008-06-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

The adventure Continued

2008-06-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

We said goodbye to Kargil at 730am, our next destination would be Mulbek, a small village, like many. That day we cycled like 54 kms. we decide to get a good place to pitch our tent, after looking for 30 minutes without success, we decide to ask at the police station if we could set our tent nearby. After 15 minutes they decide that we could pitch the tent infront of their main office. So it be. Marijke that day started to be ill on her stomach very badly, next day se was in bad shape, we spend all day at that location waiting for her to be recovered. On the third day we hired a Jeep to take us to Lamayuru, 60k aprox. away from Mulbek, Marijke was'nt in good shape to cycle 60kms that day.
Lamayuru it's a small village, beautiful, with one of the most beautiful and well conserved Monasteries in Ladakh. We decide to spend two days there visiting the place, talking to the people, resting and eating well. Marijke was ready to cycle again...
We left Lamayuru at 7am that day, I forgot to tell that the day after we met 5 polish cycling on the opposite direction, that means towards Kargil, but they where cycling very light, spending nights at guest houses and hotels and eating at restaurants, they didn't have much time. So our next destination would be Alchi, another nice old town, with beautiful Monasteries, but honestly, the poeple there it wasn't as friendly as in other places, don't missunderstand me, they are nice in general, but we felt that we where the foreigners came from Mars, etc.. strange feeling, our bycicles recall more the people attention, so after lunch we decide to camp out of town, next to the exit road (Alchi is located 4 kms out of the main road to Leh).
Alchi - Leh, very nice trip, but really long, beautiful canyons,peaks everywhere, like almost all the trip so far. The arrival at Leh was not that good, uphill full of smoking trucks, people, dirty place, so we where desperately looking for the "nice"down town, no info at any place.... we were tired and really wanted toget a place to stay. Finally we reached a place owned by muslims, was OK, we spend in Leh 4 days, trying to combine something, like rock climbing and mountaineering, but really, sometimes this people don't have any sense of good service or just service, so we decide to quit to our attempt to do something through an aganecy, we took our bikes and cycled to the Tso Moriri lake, 220 kms away from Leh.
We started biking from Upshi, a small village 60 kms away from Leh, on that way we avoid the trucks and crowds on the road. By the way, 19 kms from Leh there is very nice village call Tikse, with its monastery and old town, really worth it to visited.
Upshi - nowhere Near Kiari. 56kms
Kiari - Sumdo, few kms, after this beautiful small village, on which Tibetan refugges lived. Since we haven't had enough food that morning, our stomachs, at least mine, needed food, so we take the dirty road to Sumdo, looking for a small store or something, after buying some biscuits and noodles, we ask where we could have some chai, "At school" the woman said, so we went there... sorprise! the teachers, specially two of them recieved us in very good english, offered us chai, wheat, then ask for a donation, for the school on which there ar 63 tibetan refugee kids, we geve them some money and then they invite us to see some handicraft stuff, we spend like 1 hour at their room watching nice things, and be offered tibetan tea, butter, milk and salt, we drank like 1 liter each, at least we felt that, we eat tibetan homemade bread, was nice and of course we boughtb few things... we said goodbye and thanks for everything. Our next destination Tso Moriri. This day we cycled 60 or more kms. reaching 4900 metres, the altitude level of the lake.
Marijke had headache for the last 3 -4 hours, we had a regular night.
The lake is amazing, along the way we photographed marmots, yaks, hinalayan horses, wild ass, etc... beautiful and quite place.

WE ARE TIRED...BUT HAPPY

2008-06-08T05:08:00.000-07:00

Well my friends, after our last camping, our good friend, Joel from Switzerland. left early in the morning, Marijke and I were just take it easy that morning. Went through many different thoughts, ghosts, etc... finally we started, 1030am, a little late. Next destination would be Kargil, an almost 100% muslim town, and very famous because on 1999 Kargil was involved in a war with Pakistan "The Kargil War". Actually this busy comercial town its very close to the check point or border line with Pakistan, there are military bases everywhere! On our arrivel to Kargil we went to have lunch, my desire to have noodle and not Dal and Chapati, was very big, a chinese rest. was infront of where we "parked" our bicycles. To plates of noodles!!! yupi I was happy.
We went to a hotel call Caravan, on top a hill, was ok, we spend two days there, cleaning bikes and resting. Kargil it's a very important city, it's in between Srinagar and Leh, commerce here it;s amazing.

On the road

2008-06-01T00:55:00.000-07:00

On may 15th we take off to Srinagar in Kashmir to start our bicycle trip from there. We stayed at Dal lake on one of the House Boats, two days very nice place, but we had moved two times from one of the inside boat rooms to the owners bedroom and then to a small "shack" next to the common bathroom. We said " it's ok, no problem" but the old man wanted to charge us as if we where sleeping in one of the boats, "No Way Jose", so for 700 rupees we stayed two nights and three days, not bad. Plus few more rupees for meals.
On may 17th we started our peddaling journey, for, literally dragging the trailer was a "tough" experience, unstable and heavy, the firts up hill I mean, serious up hill, my legs exploted and I almost had a heart attach, super heavy, the front of my bicycle just lifted up, all the waight was behind. Marijke took the climbing rope and I was lighter. Many more things will come after I learnd the leasson on how load the B. This day by 3pm the rain started to fall very baddly, so we reached a Military Police station on the road, the offered us their small hut and gave us food and one of them talked to the comander in charge of the whole division that if we could stay that night there. guess what, not only , after an interview with some officers about safety, we where accepted, they gave us a big bedroom with bathroom and gave us food, thye commander in charge said that tourist like us where Gods for them, so we where treated like that, we where impressed. Next morning, 630 am coffee and tea. After farewell and thanks protocols, we started our second day on our vehicles.
18th May we got to a small location call Sonamarg, was a climb uphill, we where happy. The town is nice except for the all the noise, and amount of people around offering adventure and the amount of people buyin it!
When we get to the main bazaar, only one street, we where deciding where to eat, etc... logistics for the moment, and a guy approach us very happy, another cyclist, solo cyclist from Switzerland, his name is Joel and it's been on the road for 15 months! he left Sw. with his bycicle! incredible, he has time and has no worries in life, he said. That night we slept inside the shop of a very nice man, Joel slept at the backside of the store
and Marijke and I on the front, on top of thebig table - chair this man used to show his products (T-shirts, Lunghi, etc..) Bathroom? no way, outside where ever you can. We say good by to our nice friend and everybody there and we started cycling for the first time with a thrid person towards the infamous Zoji- La (3529 mts Pass), very steep. Honestly this day was so far the worse for me, every 50 metres I had to stop take breath and started again, I had very bad time doing it. I think was my second day dragging my trailer and my breakfast was only a small portion of rice, I felt extremly weak! marijke and joel where doing ok, they waited for me everytime, I felt very frustrated! Once we got to the summit, a big militar camp recieved us, we had to registerd, the officers and soldiers, etc.. where gattered around us, taking pictures of Marijke with bycicles. They offered tea , Coffee as a big avalanche of questions. We where tired. We asked for a plece where we can pitched the tents. After 1.5 hours the reply , "NO POSSIBLE" so we had to cycled 10 k more until we found a friendly place, that would be our small paradise for that night. Marijke and I didn't carry fuel for cooking so we had cold stuff for food. Joel was cooking his noodles. That night we slept like "rocks". Next morning, we saw at the other side of the river beautiful marmots, we were happy. That road was wet. cold and muddy, with big walls of snow on each side, the militar and civilean trucks crossed us like crazy. This day we reached a small town call Drass, where we had lunch, but camping few kms. after this town.

The Bangalore -Jaipur - Delhi flight odissee

2008-06-01T00:33:00.000-07:00

Julley (yule) my friends, finally we make it to sitdown with some calm to send you news on our trip.
After few days in Bangalore hanging out with friends, here there, we went for a climbing trip on a location call Ramanagra, it is a sacred place with temples. It is a 3 hour drive trip from Bangalore, our great friend Sachin, went with us, so we arrived by night at the base of the area, we pitched the tent. I was in between Sachin and Marijke, withou sleeping Bag and matress, just like this, slept with shorts, facing up, can't barely move. At 545pm wake up, had some bananas and biscuits, and go to the base of the rock, perfect granite. 630 am we were climbing. The day was relatevly short, by 11am the high temperatures literally kick us out of the place. So by 1pm we where on the route having lunch. The traffic jam to get into Bangalore.... no comments!
Few days later, we take our flight to Delhi with my dear friend Ravi, so taking off at 945am, on flight the pilot make an announsment: " No possible land at Delhi airport. big sand storm in process, we are going to divers towards Jaipur airport"! Bla, bla, bla. By the time we had reached Jaipur City (airport) the sand storm arrived there too. 15 minutes of fuel left, so the pilot had to land in Jaipur, under "Emergency land"!!! People pukin, feeling bad, etc... we were at the very tail of the plane, the three of us where wondering whats going on here! finally we had take off from Jaipur after 2 hours sitting there (you have to remember that 1 day before our emergency landing 7 bombs where blasts in Pink City, Jaipur) we where a little nervous!
Finally Delhi , good meal and back to our small place to rest.

La casa increible de Nishwath

2008-05-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

A nuestra llegada a Bangalore, Nishwath, instructora para Youreka, la cual conoci en Yercaud, trabajando como Campus Chief, nos pregunto si queriamos ir a su casa a pasar la noche ahi, felizmente aceptamos. La sorpresa estaba por llegar, una casa 100% ecologica (Ecofriendly house). Comprometida conla ecologia y el reciclaje de agua, hech'o a andar este increible e innovador proyecto.
LA CASA
Ladrillos de adobe, techos en arco para facilitar irculacion del aire, distintas camaras de deposito de solidos y liquidos de los banos, una parte de esta agua se va al regadio de plantas y la otra a los WC. Se colecta el agua de lluvia. Para calentar e agua usa unos paneles especiales. L mas fantastico de todo es su mini REVA, auto electrico! recorrimos casi todo Bangalore en el!
Nishwath es algo asi como un angel de la guarda, atenta con todos, amable, generosa. Ayer le dijimos adios porque viajo al norte a trabajar, ahora estamos en casa de Sarchin, amigo de Ravi, un escalador. La vamos a extranar mucho, los 5 dias en su casa fueron lo mejor hasta ahora, incluido mi cumple!
Hasta la vista. Van fotos pronto de la casa y nuestro vestuario el dia de mi cumpleanos.

Youreka, the experience beyond patience

2008-05-08T02:00:00.000-07:00

On april 16th Marijke and I, where taking the flight from Delhi towards the south of India, Bangalore, a busy city, heart of the development in south India. We where hired by a company to work on summer camps in the backcountry. Marijke went to Coorg (kurg) and I went to Yercaud.

Marijke worked as a Skill leader on a mountain bike program. She worked two programs 8 days each, back to back. She went through all kind of situations, dealing with 12 - 15 year old kids to fixing bikes and fight with snakes!
Myself, I had to lead a whole campus, my title was, Campus Chief, I supposed to manage my kingdom, I don't know if I succeeded. I think I do.
Marijke and I feel very satisfied and happy, we learned a bunch of stuff. We will publish some photos soon.
Basically the camps or programs last 8 days, o which 2 days are only travel, in and out, 6 days of work with children. Youreka runs programs for kids from 9 to 11 years old and 12 to 15 years old in the south (coorg and yercaud) in the North the people are elder, I think up to 17th years old.
The daily activities are based on a curriculum created by IDiscovery, the holding, experts on education, phsicologist,outdoor educators, technicall skill instructors with excellent background, work as instructors, CC or at the board, running this company.
The day is divided by two main activities, Majors and Minors, the first are focuse on phisycally and mental challenges such as Rock Climbing, rappeling, tree climbing, tyrolean traverse, Up stream hike, back packing, Survival techniques, slac line, jumaring, Mountain biking, Rafting and other games at campus, the afternoon is dedicated to developed skill on manual arts, such as tie and Dye, painting, skills with hands, juggling and POI, among others. At 4:30 pm the students have S and S, Solo and Sharing moment, on which they will fill they Cool Books and then will share with other students and instructors their feelings, experience of the day, etc...
Marijke job as Skill leader was a little bit more stresfull but way far more active, mine was very relaxed, but at times boring. Anyway the experience of doing this type of work in a foreign country with such a different culture was challenging. I think we succeeded because we both feel happy and satisfied!

GANDHI, a sublime failure (excellent book)

2008-05-08T01:47:00.000-07:00

Who was MK Gandhi?

One of the greatest leaders of mankind. His message is perennially relevant. Few could attain his moral stature. As a masscomunicator, he reached and influenced more people in his life time than any other person in history. And he was an organisational genius.

Yet, practically none of his major projects succeeded. He led two great satyagrahas, and neither could achieve any of its declare objectives.

He gave Hindu-Muslim unity the highest priority. But the Muslims never recognised him as their leader. He strove all of his life to remove untouchability, but untouchables did not accept him as their wellwisher.

I highly recomend this book written by SS.Gill

Published by RUPA.Co

Happy birthday

2008-05-08T01:41:00.000-07:00

Today is Sergios birthday!!!!