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Clairesj

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Clairesj's Travel Blog

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The Arc of Asia 2009-2010. Bring on the climbing!


I hate packing!

Manali, India

This will be my last post for 3 weeks. tomorrow we head to Chattru- the mountains, wild camping in a valley that has a village of about 3 people apparently! and it has no communications there. I have decided to stay there for the whole 3 weeks along with about half the group, instead of going to Leh where there is trekking and a 6000m peak. In Chattru there is multipitch trad (very adventurous apparently) and lots of boulders, with over 400 problems. I also recon that we will bump into Chris Sharma there becasue apparently he was in Manali a month ago..... well i can dream!!
today has been stressful as we are leaving BiRT in Manali and hiring 4x4s to take us to Chattru. the path can be a bit dodgy, so Pete isnt comfortable driving BiRT there. The bus service isnt working at the moment, but we should be able to hitch a lift back to Manali quite easily if nessecery, for more food etc. I am taking almost everything i bought to India, which seems a bit excessive, but its gonig to be cold and isolated. We also bought 3 weeks of food, or tried to anyway, because there may not be any shops there. we are cooking in groups this time, and im in a 5 with Ben, Paul, Dave, and Roscoe. we have Split peoples stoves to one each group- but our group ended up without one, so we have bought a local one- lets hope it works! Today has been a mad rush, and im feeling quite ill as Delhi belly has caught up with me. I just hope it doesnt rain or snow the whole time we are there!
Bring on the climbing!!

permalink written by  Clairesj on June 18, 2009 from Manali, India
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mountains, hippies and crossiants!

Manali, India

So the gamble paid off! After an interesting and slightly nerve-racking bus journey to Manali, we arrived a bit late at 12 midday on saturday. We caught the bus, well waited inj the hotel to be picked up, 20mins late, then followed this man to the bus station, stopping at every hotel on the way. we were ushered to the back of the bus (we found out from another English girl that they send the foreigners to the back of the bus where its most bumpy and hot, so the locals can get the best seats!) then did a huge circle round the city to arrive at the same place as we had started becasue an Indian family had been late! so what should hve been a 30min journey to change buses, was 3 hours! we then got off the bus at this point, unsure whether to change bus, only to find we stayed on the bus, but had then lost our seats! we got seats right at the front which actually paid off becasue they were away from the crying baby and loud kids! We stopped for dinner, and breakfast the next day, and a few other stops in the middle of nowhere. The night driving was scary as it was endless hairpin bends that the driver went at full speed to turn the wheel at the last minute. Sleep seemed the better option, if only so i didnt have to watch! eventually morning came, and brought nice scenery, mountains and a river, and winding roads up to Manali. When we arrived at the bus station, we then got surrounded by tuk tuk drivers asking us where we wanted to go- Old Manali, New Manali? Old Manali is where the Westerners stay and its cheaper, so we got a tuk tuk up the very steep hill (Gareth got out and pushed the tuk tuk at one point!). We went down winding lanes until we found the cheapest hotel (about 1 pound 25 a night each) and met some crazy Israli guys who were staying there.
New Manali is where Indian tourists stay, where there are modern hotels, and a busy market. Old Manali is hippy central, with lots of shops selling crazy clothes and all the typical traveller bits. There are friendly cafes, and everyone is much more laid back than anywhere else we have been in India. you can walk down the street and not be asked to look at every shop as you pass, and tuk tuk drivers go past without asking you if you want a ride! Its very refreshing. The scenery is beautiful too- there are tree covered mountains and snow capped mountains in the distance. It feels slightly like Chamonix.
Yesterday, we went and explored a local climbing area that a guide told us about. Most of the climbing is part of a guided session here that you pay for, but this area was accessible after a bit of a walk. we did 2 routes until it started raining- yes raining!! both routes looked really easy until we got on them and all the jugs were slopers!
The bakeries here are amazing too- they have proper cakes and crossiants and nice bread- its hard to keep walking past them without buying anything!
The nights have been cold here- i slept in my down sleeping bag, even though its probably about the same as england, but im so used to the heat now!
A relaxing day today, then hopefully i will go para-gliding tomorrow if the weather is good.

permalink written by  Clairesj on June 14, 2009 from Manali, India
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Bad climbing, good climbing, new adventures!

Delhi, India

I have so much to say, so i need to remember all of it, and i only havea few hours before i am catching a bus to Manali!
On arrival to Delhi, we went to a restaurant for dinner and i got what i thought wouldnt be a spicy meal for a change- chinese style ginger chicken- it was the spiciest food ive eaten for ages! but it was chicken so i ate it! Danny then broke it to me that i would be on truck duty that night with Paul. Truck duty is basically sleeping in BiRT overnight when BiRT is not next to our camp, so if anyone trys to get into the truck (its quite easy to) then we will scare them off. Well id managed to avoid this duty until now, but it was the worst place to have truck duty. BiRT is parked in the train station car park. I felt quite vulnerable going to BiRT at 9 in the evening then being surrounded by the usual locals watching you open your locker and climb into the truck. It was also very noisy, as no one slept around there- they were all loading and unloading items from trains etc. So i managed to sleep a bit, but at 4.30am when it was light we headed back to the hotel to get a few extra hours sleep! I didnt feel too bad later after a bit of sleep. A group of us then decided to search for a local climbing area that was about a 10 min tuk tuk ride away. When we arrived, we had to pay to get in, and it was soo dirty. there was glass and rubbish everywhere. there were lots of easy slab climbs but as we arrived at midday, they were all in the sun. i did a very easy trad lead with Jeremy in the sun, but i could only hold a hand-hold for about 2 seconds before it started to burn! and my feet werent any better! so we resigned to trying the only routes in the shade which were overhanging and really hard- 7a and above. i couldnt get off the ground! the day was saved by finding bottles of frozen Limca (like lemon fanta) and Sprite. Ihave developed an addiction to Limca! i am a bit worried i might not have any teeth left at the end of the trip!
In the evening, i got dinner on my own which was nice, then we watched TV at the hotel.
Wednesday we got up at 4.00am to get a bus to a climbing area that takes about 3 hours to get to. the bus didnt turn up for a further hour and the agent was really difficult, asking for more money, even though Danny had pre-organised it, and we almos walked away. Jeremy (whos an American marine) got angry but took charge and sorted it all out! After getting a bit lost, we arrived feeling unpsyched until we walked up the steps to find some really nice looking rock. I led a route with Marita which was really good, followed by a couple more. i backed off a lead after a lot of attempts to get over an awkward move with no gear to protect it. by the time we finished the route it was 12.30 and 46 degrees! it was very unpleasant! i was drinking a litre of water after each route. we went back to a place that seemed to be some kind of school camp, and found they had a hose for washing blankets and clothes so we jumped in that and felt much better. it then started to rain, so we waited it out and started climbing again in the afternoon when it was a bit cooler. We did a route in the pouring rain, but the rock was dry again 10 minutes later!
after a sucessful daywe drove back. i was starving as i didnt bring any lunch so just ate some bread and bananas as breakfast.
Thursday we went back to the same place so it was another short night sleep, but agqin some really nice climbing. i felt much better about everything after a good days climbing! we also played volleyball with the locals at the camp, which was a very good game, even though we lost! and they gave us tea. the weather was slightly cooler than the day before with a bit of a storm in the afternoon.
Today, Gareth and I are leaving thew group and going to Manali early. Its in the mountains and a nice chilled out place apparently with some hiking and possibly some climbing.Its also only 6 hours bus ride from Chattru- the next climbing destination on the trip- at over 3000m altitude and multipitch trad aswell as bouldering. We will see what to do when in Manali. We booked a bus ticket with the hotel yesterday morning- but with no proof of ticket, lets hope we get on the bus! It arrives at 4pm, so i have a couple of hours to pack everything (including fleece and down jacket!!) and buy food. I am not sure its the best thing to do leaving the group when the new people are arriving and Alberto is leaving, but i have made the decision and im here to climb rather than stay in the city. there will be plenty more parties and time to get to know the newbies. It will be really nice to be organising things independently, becasue until now i have relied completely on Danny and the trip.
Sorry for such an essay! The next blog will be from the mountains!!

permalink written by  Clairesj on June 11, 2009 from Delhi, India
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tourist attractions and fast food

Jaipur, India

We were ready to leave Mount Abu, i hate to use the word bored, but i think most of us were! it lacked anything to do. the traveling took us a day rather than the predicted 2 days which was good.
Jaipur is the pink city, but it didnt seem very pink. I slightly unenthusiastically decided to join a group of 7 of us to do a sight-seeing day. We hired 2 tuk-tuks which would take us to the places of interest. First stop was a palace (or possibly also a crematorium, translation was a bit lost!) that was built 1600 years ago. it was very beautiful, all white stone with ornate carvings. Next was a factory outlet where they made materials and printed them. we got a short demonstration before being herded into the shop. a few rupees lighter we left for a tower that gave us a view of the city. the last museum was too expensive, so we headed back to the hotel. we failed to see any snake charmers becasue apparently it has now been made illegal which was a disapointment.
Food was pizza hut!! it was very expensive compared to local food but in my opinion definately worth it! although it was worrying how we all struggled to finish our meals, and cheese was a shock to the system! will i ever be able to eat rich western food in any quantity again?!
in the evening, we found a place claiming to be an English pub, so the whole group went. it was air-conditioned and in an expensive hotel, so i felt quite scruffy! back at the hotel, we decided to put some music on on the roof of the hotel, but Peters speakers were a bit quiet, so we went down to BiRT and played music there. we saw the sun rise before going to bed! So the following day was relaxing by the swimming pool of a nearby hotel. I also had a Macdonalds- i know... but i havent had meat for longer than i can remember! although they dont do beef burgers- only chicken. my chicken goujons were as bad as i expected, and my chips were more salt than potato, but somehow it tasted good!
There has been a bit of unrest in our group, as Danny went ahead to Dehli to get our Chinese visas sorted, so Lorraine was put in charge. Our food budget has not been enough, especially when in a big city, so we have had to chip in for our evening meals which soon adds up. it has created a bit of tention, along with most people getting frustrated about the lack of climbing we are doing and being stuck in cities (me included).
We have arrivced in Dehli today, and are here for 7 days which is a long time in an Indian city. But we are getting four newbies this week, which will change the group dynamic and will be a positive thing i think. Next we are going into the mountains to do adventurous trad multipitch and bouldering at Chattru, so i cant really complain! and then Leh after that for trekking and apparently its the most beautiful place! So i am sitting out the lul (as it was bound to happen at some point) and looking ahead to the next place.

permalink written by  Clairesj on June 8, 2009 from Jaipur, India
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a long journey!

Goa, India

I should start with my last day in Goa, where i joined half of the group in crashing my scooter. my excuse is that i was following Alberto and Samora on their bike, and a goat was in the road, it was bucking so i was watching it as i went past. when i looked back at the road, i realised that the guys had braked for a speed bump (which dont have any warning or colour on them) so i braked a bit too fast and ended up spraweled across the road! i got a nice graze on the elbow and knees! but i was more embarrassed than anything! the bike was a little scraped, but luckily the owner didnt notice when i gave the bike back! i am now religiously applying savlon so my scratch doesnt get infected. i did get back on the scooter and had a nice drive to the next town for lunch at a seafood restaurant.
We then had a 3 day drive to Mount Abu which is in Rajasthan. it was a long drive but i soon discovered that the back 8 seats which face eachother are a very good bed when you put some bouldering mats on them. although there was a fight for a space on it!
I cooked with Ben for the second and third drive day. we had to eat out on the first of our cook days so had to organise a set menu for everyone at a roadside restaurant. then we had a late meal when we arrived here. we went shopping for food as soon as we arrived, whilst Danny sorted out a hotel. we ended up walking down so many alleyways, it was a miracle we found our way back, as locals kept pointing us down the next street! the food turned out well even though we didnt eat to quite late.
Mount Abu is a tourist destination for Indians and it is quite tacky like our seasides.
the climbing today was dissapointing becasue it is used my local climbers only, so its not developed. its mainly slabs that you either toprope or solo. Me and Gareth went searching for a different area and after walking up lots of steps towards a temple, then cut across lots of brambles and slabs before ending up lost and deciding that trying to solo across a steep slab to get an absail to the bottom of the routes but it was very sketchy! so we then tried to find a way out! some of the group had made it to the routes and said they werent worth it anyway!
tomorrow may be a relaxing day because im not feeling brilliant, i may go to the lake and hire a pedalow! Three days here before we head to Jaipur and the pink city.

permalink written by  Clairesj on June 2, 2009 from Goa, India
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photos!!

Anjuna, India

Its just taken me an hour to upload these photos! but hopefully they will give you a very brief idea of where i have been. Sorry its only of Badami and Hampi, but i borrowed Gareths memory stick and he only came on the trip at the end of Hampi! I will attempt to put more photos up soon!

permalink written by  Clairesj on May 28, 2009 from Anjuna, India
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sand, sea and luxury

Anjuna, India

It was sad to leave Badami with so much climbing. I did lots of sport climbing and some trad climbing. we got into a local newspaper in Badami (which we were all given a copy of), its written in the local dialect but there is a picture of us all and i found out which my name is in it! there was also a camera crew that came and videod 2 of the guys climbing, which i think was national. we are getting famous already!
but by the end of the week we were all beginning to feel a bit run down, ready for some time off climbing and some luxury in the form of a hotel room with shower, toilet, bed, fan and fridge! and restaurants on the beach. However, i picked up the bug going round camp, or from something i ate (im not sure), so have been ill for a day now, and the travelling yesterday was a bit grim when your feeling sick. luckily we arrived in Goa in one days travel rather than the expected 2 days and a lot of really bad roads. The hotel rooms are better than we expected, and right on the beach. the beach is a bit dirty, and the current is quite strong, as we discovered when we ran into the sea last night in the dark!
we have hired mopeds to go into town and buy food and use internet. there is actually a supermarket here and it has western food, although its also at western prices. perhaps once a month i can treat myself to a bit of luxury in the form of some good quality ice-cream and proper shampoo and conditioner, to name a few! im surprised im not missing more things from home, but at the moment its not too bad. the other strange thing in Goa is that there are other Westerners around. we have got used to being the only tourists, with all the locals staring at us and asking us our names and country (which i think is the only english most of them know, so it gets very tiring after a while!).
im not sure what plans we have for the next few days are apart from relaxing on the beach and going shopping- there is a market tomorrow that the 4 of us girls are going to go to and hopefully find some bargains.
oh and a new member joined this morning, hes American and called Paul. we are now up to 15 people again.

permalink written by  Clairesj on May 26, 2009 from Anjuna, India
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My Birthday with cake!

Badami, India

So my birthday was on Saturday, and we had a party on the truck, as it was a drive day. we played music and sang along from about 9 in the morning (the journey started at 5am), then all the guys decided to look through the truck fancy dress box and found womens clothes to put on (apparently this is a HotRock tradition Danny and Pete told us and which their dresses were!) it was entertaining when we stopped at a service station for some Chai! when we arrived at Badami, we went though the town, and everyone was covered in orange or pink powder- to do with local elections i think. a local through some orange powder through the window of BiRT so we got covered in orange. Dave got covered in pink in the town later and is still pink after swimming and quite a few showers! We then found a hotel close to our bush camp that has a swimming pool!! So we enjoyed a relaxed afternoon, ordering nice food and using their showers to wash our hair! i need to go back for another shower!in the evening, i found that a few of the group had found a bakery in town that actually sold birthday cakes! that was a good surprise! mum had sent me a singing candle which made it feel quite like a birthday! all in all- a good day!
The climbing- i have found some great sports routes, and have started leading again, even though im not always gertting to the top, it feels like definate progress. the routes are really nice, vertical o slightly overhanging with lots of jugs and crimps.i top roped some brilliant 6bs and 6cs but got very pumped! i also did a 2 pitch trad route close to our camp site. there is no guide book for most of the trad, so i dont know if any one has done it before. startin a route that you dont know what is like is quite unnerving. it felt a bit sketchy especially with big blocks in a crack that i wasnt sure how secure or stable they were!i think it was probably only servere or HS but it felt scarier!
the town here is very hectic, especially the market. it is a bit of a nightmare to buy food, but im getting used to what food is available. Im on cook duty with Suuz today and yesterday, and we found chicken in town-the first meat we have had in quite a while! it was a bit gross though becasue they had cut it all up, including th head and eyes, liver, heart etc! so Suuz had to go though it taking out the bones and other bits we didnt want!it was very tasty though!
Hopefully we have 4 days left here becasue we voted not to go to Mumbai for a day later on in the trip, giving us 2 extra days somewhere. Goa is next on the list- probaby go on Monday. it will be nice to have some time off climbing- let my fingers and muscles recover, and relax on a beach.
oh and Flavius has gone to Goa today to see a specialist about his knee (apparently its a torn ligament), then he will probably go home from there. but HotRock gives him the time he misses to claim on the trip at another time, so we are hoping he will come back for Thailand!

permalink written by  Clairesj on May 20, 2009 from Badami, India
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useless motorbikes, lakes, and temples

Hampi, India

I wasnt planning on writing so often, but it has been a busy few days. good and bad. ill start with the bad- most of the guys were trying this really hard boulder with a dyno at the top (i may have mentioned it before). Flavius tried it and nearly touched the top, but fell and landed awkwardly on his knee and was clearly in agony. we had to improvise a splint and Alberto and Garath carried him down to a waiting tuk tuk and took him to hospital. He is back already with a splint on, but it is a torn ligament, and has to rest for 3 weeks, then not sure after that. So im not sure what he will do as he is inly on the trip until Dehli, which is about a month away. He is so frustrated and we can all sympathise, but feel helpless. i think it has made people think about how easy it is to get injured, so we will be extra careful now.
on to a happier note- yesterday was great fun! in the morning we did some really good bouldering, then in the afternoon, Samora and I hired a motorbike and went to find a nearby lake. the bike was the last one left, and the owner said it may struggle up hills! what we didnt realise was he meant any kind of slope would reduce us to getting off and pushing the bike up! we did start to get the hang of picking up momentum on a downward hill to get up the other side, but this was a bit scary when i was sat on the back going over pot-holes and around cows! we found the lake after getting lost and going up unnecessary hills! the first sign we saw said 'no swimming, beware of crocodiles'. so we were a bit tentative to go in the water as it was very murky! but there were locals in other parts of the lake, so we had a swim, which was lovely. we then headed back via the monkey temple. this involved a LOt of steps to reach it! it is pearched on top of a hill and is inhabited by lots of monkeys, who seemed quite friendly. we were invited into the temple and given some dried fruit and red paint on our foreheads (for good luck i think), then as we were leaving, we were invited into a house that was built into a rock and sat down on the floor while the owner started making chai. he spoke little English. then other locals joined us. it was a bit strange! all in all a good day!
I am hoping to have some kind of party tonight for my birthday tomorrow. we were thinking fancy dress as there is a fancy dress box in the truck.
we move on to Badami tomorrow, for sandstone (kinder on the fingers), sports, and trad.

permalink written by  Clairesj on May 15, 2009 from Hampi, India
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Cobras, Elephants and Monkeys

Hampi, India

I have so much to write, but it feels like the days go by slowly and relaxed here! its so hot in the day that we spend most of it sitting in the shade in the chill out area, sometimes doing some pull-ups and training or Ed teaching us some yoga!
On monday, we went to the double arete problem, which is on the Pilgrimage DVD and the guys tried this problem- its cool, with a scary dyno at the top. i think Danny or Alberto will get it before we go. in the evening we went on a scramble that Pete had already discovered. Me and Lorraine found it so scary! there were steep slabs we had to go up and down with drops either side and balanced rocks in precarious positions. it was much more difficult than i was expecting! we had to resort to lots of help from the others! but i still really enjoyed it. im not going to underestimate a scramble again!
yesterday i went with 4 others to a new area of bouldering and found some hard problems that i really enjoyed. they are still works in progress, but im beginning to feel a bit more confident. although im still a long way off how confident i was at the end of last summer, which is frustrating sometimes. in the afternoon, we went across the river and wandered round some temples. an elephant was inside one, and if you gave her money, she blessed you with her trunk on the top of your head!
we also experienced some good bartering for trousers, which most of the group now have! they are already falling apart but you cant complain when it is so cheap.
Jeremy and i saw a Cobra today near where we were going to climb! we decided to climb somewhere else instead! i want to hire a scooter and go to a lake this afternoon.
ive found the people on HotRock arent as psyched as i expected, but im not either compared to normal. it may be the heat and getting to know everyone. the group seems to be relaxing though.
we are getting used to luxury here with the Laughing Buddha restaurant next door and showers when we want, or at least when the water is working! i think Badami is going to be bush camping again!

permalink written by  Clairesj on May 12, 2009 from Hampi, India
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