Prelude:

Gads- over 32,000 miles of airline travel- what was I thinking?! It’s just starting to sink in, and I haven’t even left the US yet. Of course, I picked window seats out of habit- again, what was I thinking? Well, assuming that myself and my bags make it to Bangkok in on piece, the rest of the adventure should be a piece of cake. Trekking through jungles in Laos fending off leaches and malarial mosquitoes- no problem. Climbing a 21,000ft peak in Nepal- no problem. Kayaking the rivers of New Zealand- no problem. More than three days of flight time in coach- now that’s an accomplishment! Hopefully I won’t have to shimmy around a rotund turban clad Sikh and his wife on trips to the toilet, as my mother did on her last trans-pacific flight.

It’s amazing how small the world has become. Looking out of the window down upon Narita, Japan, outside of Tokyo, I saw farms interspersed with wooded areas and residential communities with pools and golf courses. If I didn’t know any better I could have sworn we were flying into a city in the Midwest or Eastern United States. It wasn’t until just before we landed that I saw a large flat-topped warehouse with Japanese characters panted on the roof that confirmed we were indeed landing in Japan.

The rainy season seems to have been extended a bit this year. I’m looking out of a coffee shop in Chiang Mai as the rain pours down and Charoenrat street fills up. Fortunately I remembered my umbrella- the first rule of traveling in south east asia. The cabby in Bangkok warned me yesterday- “Not so much rain here, but rain all week in Chiang Mai…” Even Rodger, proprietor of the guest house that I am staying at in Chiang Mai mentioned that the rainy season has lasted longer than usual this year. So I decided to put off my trip up to the Laos border by a day as the forecast calls for better weather later in the week. Prospects for catching a boat up the Nam Tha are looking grim at this point, so I may end up taking a truck up route 3- we’ll see what the situation is when I get to Huay Xi.

Trip Overview:

After a yearlong stint behind the desk pounding out bits for a grateful client, I am once again headed off to explore the world. This trip will involve quite a bit of flying, but also a good workout for the legs with 21 days of hiking and mountaineering in Nepal, several weeks of trekking and exploring in northern Laos, and three weeks of tramping, climbing, windsurfing and kayaking on the south island of New Zealand. I will be traveling with friends Pam and Barry in Nepal as we trek into and attempt to climb Mera peak, a 21,200ft peak with great views of Mt. Everest and other Himalayan giants. In New Zealand I will join friends Mandy and Terry for many great adventures. Here are some Google maps which outline my plans; you can click on the pins or tracks for more information. First the overall map:

I will travel first to Laos via Plane, Train, Automobile and Boat:

After a quick return to Bangkok, I will fly first to Katmandu, and from there to the Khumbu region of Nepal for our trek and climb of Mera peak. Click here for the itinerary of our Mera peak trek and climb.

After Nepal I will return once again to Bangkok and then fly down to Christchurch on New Zealand’s south island for adventures with Mandy and Terry.