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Exploring the Unknown

August 2019 - March 2020
A 212-day adventure by Sophie Read more
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  • Sophie And NeveExploring the Unknown
    Day 94

    Everest Base Camp - Day 6

    December 2, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ -10 °C

    Acclimization day: Dingboche

    On our rest day, we slept in until 8:30, which is sleeping in late for trekking. Usually, we have already been trekking for a half hour by this time and have been up since 6:00 a.m. When we woke up, it was below freezing in Dingboche and the windows all had ice in them.

    We stayed in Dingboche to acclimate and just relaxed for our rest day. My parents hiked up higher and figured out the trail for the next day so we wouldn't get lost, while me and Neve stayed at the lodge and read.

    In the afternoon, we read some more until 1:00. Then, we had lunch and headed over to the bakery.

    Everyday, the bakery here has a movie showing at 2:00. They have movies about helicopter rescues in the mountains, the Dawn Wall and Free Solo. Today, we got to watch Free Solo. We have seen Free Solo before, but it was really cool to watch it at an elevation of over 4,000 meters! We ordered tea and hot chocolate for the movie.

    When the movie was finished, we went back to our lodge to read and organize our stuff and start packing it up. Because our shoes are just regular running shoes and have ventilation, my parents decided to tape up the toes of our shoes with tuck tape so they will hopefully be warmer. It is supposed to be -10 tomorrow morning when we start trekking.

    Sophie    Read more

  • Sophie And NeveExploring the Unknown
    1
    Day 96

    Everest Base Camp - Day 7

    December 4, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ -10 °C

    Today we trekked from Dingboche to Dugla. The trekking was fairly straightforward after a half an hour of uphill. We stayed in Dugla overnight and spent quite a bit of time in the main dining room of the lodge. There were lots of other trekkers at the lodge. We met a couple from Nepal who taught us a new card game, so we stayed playing card games until around 8:00 pm. It was really fun!! The next morning we took our time because we were only planning on trekking to Lobuche, which was only a 2.5 hour trek away. We are getting so close to Gorek Shep and Everest Base Camp!

    When we got to Lobuche, my mom and dad decided we should continue trekking to Gorek Shep because it was still early in the day! It was another 3 hour trek to Gorak Shep, but it would mean that we would be there and could trek to EBC the following day. The trek into Gorak Shep was really challenging because we had to trek through a boulder field that kept going up and down. It was also really, really windy and there were several times when it felt like we would get blown off of the hill.

    When we arrived in Gorak Shep, we rested, as my sister was really tired and not feeling well! For the most part, we hung out in the lodge because it was warmer and other trekkers we had met along the way were also there.

    Sophie    Read more

  • Sophie And NeveExploring the Unknown
    Day 97

    EBC

    December 5, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ -18 °C

    We arrived in Gorekshep at around 3:30 but we were too tired to trek up kala patar to see views of Everest. We rested. my sister was also not feeling well. She had the chills and was really tired. It was not as cold in Gorekshep was we thought it would be. We hung out in the main dining room and chatted with people we had met along the trek. At around 8:00 my mom and I went outside to look at the stars over the mountains and took some photos. The people we had met got a really cool one of my mom and me. My sister was still not feeling well. She had about 6 people in the lodge looking after her and asking my dad what her symptoms were. We were told that she had a fever, even though she didn't but that she did not have any symptoms of altitude. We thought that maybe she wasn't feeling well because my parents had given her an adult dosage of diamox, a type of medication that helps with altitude symptoms. We all went to bed at around 9:00. We had one room with two beds, but it was pretty warm.

    During the middle of the night my dad wasn't feeling great and he decided that he was not able to hike up to EBC with me. I was really upset about that. Because the views of Everest are really good from kala patar, my parents decided that we would leave at 6:00 with all of us. My mom and I made it up to the first view point, however, my sister was not feeling really great, so my dad took her back to our room. When we got back to the lodge at 7:00 we had breakfast, but none of us was really hungry. My sister was still not feeling great.    Read more

  • Sophie And NeveExploring the Unknown
    Day 98

    EBC - Our last day

    December 6, 2019 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ -17 °C

    We arrived in Gorekshep at around 3:30 but we were too tired to trek up kala patar to see views of Everest. We rested. my sister was also not feeling well. She had the chills and was really tired. It was not as cold in Gorekshep was we thought it would be. We hung out in the main dining room and chatted with people we had met along the trek. At around 8:00 my mom and I went outside to look at the stars over the mountains and took some photos. The people we had met got a really cool one of my mom and me. My sister was still not feeling well. She had about 6 people in the lodge looking after her and asking my dad what her symptoms were. We were told that she had a fever, even though she didn't but that she did not have any symptoms of altitude. We thought that maybe she wasn't feeling well because my parents had given her an adult dosage of diamox, a type of medication that helps with altitude symptoms. We all went to bed at around 9:00. We had one room with two beds, but it was pretty warm.

    During the middle of the night my dad wasn't feeling great and he decided that he was not able to hike up to EBC with me. I was really upset about that. Because the views of Everest are really good from kala patar, my parents decided that we would leave at 6:00 with all of us. My mom and I made it up to the first view point, however, my sister was not feeling really great, so my dad took her back to our room. When we got back to the lodge at 7:00 we had breakfast, but none of us was really hungry. My sister was still not feeling great.

    We headed out at 8:00 and started our descent down. It was much faster, except for my sister who was having to rest after only walking a little bit. One of the guides who had helped her warm up last night, offered to carry her backpack. However, when he noticed that she still couldn't walk very long, he carried her on his back all the way back to Lobouche, a two hour trek!! During the trek, neve got sick and had to rest when we got to Lobouche. Because she didn't have a lot of energy and had been sick, my parents were worried. They made the decision to call the insurance company to talk to a doctor to get some advice. The doctor they spoke too advised that Neve should be helicoptered to kathmandu to be checked out by a doctor. My parents kept debating whether they had made the right decision because they knew that being helicoptered out would mean the end of our trek. I was really upset as we still had 60 km to trek before getting back to Lukla. About two hours later, my parents received an email that a helicopter would be coming soon. They let my sister and I known that we would be leaving and ending our trek.

    The lodge owner walked us to the helipad and we were flown back to Kathmandu. Once we landed in Kathmandu, an ambulance arrived to take my sister to the hospital, where the doctor told her she had signs of mountain sickness and had to stay in the hospital overnight.    Read more

  • Sophie And NeveExploring the Unknown
    Day 106

    Khao San Road - food, food & more food!

    December 14, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    In Thailand there is a road named Khao San Road. It is a road where vendors come and sell food. You can buy food like meat on a stick, fresh fruit and things like pad thai. There was a place that had smoothies which were delicious because there was so much fresh fruit in them. There were a bunch of people selling scorpions and spiders and bugs which I think is disgusting. We did not try any of this type of food. There were a lot of places where you could get your hair braided and a lot of places you could get a massage.

    I had the most delicious mango smoothie on Khao San Road. It was so fresh and refreshing because it was 33 degrees outside. One of the nights we were sampling food, I got ice cream. The ice cream was plain, butit came in a coconut and the guy who I bought it from took a carrot peeler and scraped the side of the coconut to get shavings in it. The fruit was the best I ever had.Iit was juicy and flavorful - it was sososo good. The meat on a stick was also good - my favorite was the chicken. Khao San Road used to be a road that backpackers go to eat because the food was so cheap but then the government cleaned the road up and it became more touristy.

    Neve
    _ _ _    Read more

  • Sophie And NeveExploring the Unknown
    Day 107

    Thailand International Half and 10km run

    December 15, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    A few months ago, I thought it would be a great idea for David to run a half marathon in Bangkok and for the girls and I to run a 10 km race. ha! As the date approached, the girls questioned my sanity. They made it known that they had just finished trekking EBC, and the fact that they had never run 10 km before and that the start time was at 4:15 a.m. And the heat! We are northerners through and through and the idea of running in 70% humidity and 27 degrees even made me question my decision. But it was great!

    We woke up at 2:30 a.m., grabbed a taxi and arrived at 3:00 a.m. along with 4,000+ other runners from 49 countries around the world. This is the biggest running event either David or I have participated in and the number of other runners certainly inspired the girls.

    David set our at 3:30 a.m. and finished his half in 1:45. Slow for him, but the heat was just too much. The girls, who have only ever run 7 km before, finished their 10 km in 1:28. We all ran together and did a run/walk at a 3/2. The ice water was a welcome treat, as was the watermelon. So juicy! And the rice and omelette was the best post-run food we've ever had. The jelly soup looked interested, but at 6:00 in the morning, none of us were adventurous enough to try it.

    Our next run will be in Seoul, Korea in March, 2020, which will hopefully see some milder temperatures.

    Clarinda    Read more

  • Sophie And NeveExploring the Unknown
    Day 108

    Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market

    December 16, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    After participating in Thailand's International Half Marathon, David was pretty clear that he wasn't up for much in terms of site seeing in Bangkok. I had only run a relaxed 10 km so had more energy and wanted to make the most of our two days in Bangkok. To strike a balance, I decided that leisurely strolling through a floating market might just be the perfect outing. In researching our options, I found Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, a 30 minute taxi ride just on the outskirts of Bangkok. Many of the floating markets are quite touristy and up to 90 km outside of Bangkok, which certainly didn't meet our criteria for being relaxing. The other thing that made the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market appealing is that it is mostly visited by locals, known for good food and steeped richly in Thai culture. No english was spoken, which always makes for a more interesting experience as you try to figure out food prices and risk not always knowing what you are eating.

    We began by exploring one side of the floating market by leisurely strolling through the many food stalls, while drinking our freshly made mango smoothies. The Thai people love meat, so no outing would be complete without sampling some meat on a stick, including Gai Galae (bbq grilled chicken). So good!!!

    To take a break from our strolling and food sampling, we decided to take a 1.5 hour tour on a traditional long boat. The intricate canal system is known as the Venice of the East. Our long boat tour took us through the canals to a temple that we had 20 minutes to explore as well as a beautiful orchard filled with local flowers, especially orchids. Along the way, I was lucky enough to spot a 5-6 meter long Asian Monitor lizard. A little later in our tour David and the girls were also fortunate enough to spot one of these lizards. I'm not sure how friendly these guys are, but we definitely decided that keeping our hands out of the murkey river water was a good idea.

    Visiting the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market was the perfect way to spend a relaxing day.

    Clarinda    Read more

  • Sophie And NeveExploring the Unknown
    1
    Day 109

    Climbing Like a Local in Thailand

    December 17, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We had options for outdoor activities in Thailand, but we were leaning towards somewhere with climbing. The two well known locations are Railay Beach in the peninsula, and Chang Mai in northern Thailand. Chang Mai has had some sort of land access dispute for the past year or so, and there seems to be no solutions coming anytime soon, so that was off the list as the dispute has led to the climbing spots to be closed. Railay beach is well known, but for a number of reasons, didn't end up as the winner for us. We chose a lesser known spot: a private climbing camp a 2.5 hour train ride north of Bangkok and then a further 30 minute ride in the back of a pick-up truck and the camp, called Nam Pha Pa Yai is reached. It is truly off the beaten path.

    The camp is truly a camping experience, in the sense that you can bring your own tent, or sleep in one of theirs. They also offer bamboo houses to sleep in, as well as some treehouse options. There is a restaurant at the camp, running water etc. The food is some of the best I have had in Thailand. Breakfast and lunch are from a menu, with dinner being buffet style.

    There are several crags, all offer a variety of high quality routes across a reasonable skill level. The part that excited Neve the most is that to access many of the crags, you need to take a zip line to get across a river.

    There were a handful of other folks staying at the camp. A pair of Dutch pilots that do outdoor climbing whenever they can (they had a three night stopover in Bangkok), a German couple who seemed to only climb (we learned that they've set up climbing camps in other countries and are about to do the same again). As with most climbing communities, everyone was welcoming and encouraging.

    We've climbed long routes and short routes. So far the favourite long route is called "zero energy", it's a 25m 6a, involves a long chimney, up what is essentially a bat cave. Not to worry about getting dirty hands, that particular part of the cave does not seem to be as full of batshit as other places.

    We have also climbed some short routes through some rock with lots of tunnels in it. I'm pretty sure we don't have anything like it back home, I would imagine that the tunnel structures would get water trapped in them in winter, and the ice would shatter the rocks -- but I'm not a geologist, so take my opinion on that for what it's worth.

    David    Read more

  • Sophie And NeveExploring the Unknown
    1
    Day 111

    Nam Pha Pa Yai

    December 19, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    On Monday we arrived at Nam Pha Pa Yai, a climbing camp in Thailand. We took a 2.5 hour non-air conditioned train from Bangkok to Kaeng Khoi Junction in 30+C heat, and from there we got a ride in the back of someone's pick-up truck. It was a half hour ride going pretty fast over bumpy roads filled with holes. For the last 3km, it was the road leading into the camp. The road was even more bumpy and had huge holes in it. We didn't have seat belts and had to hold on the sides of the truck so we didn't fall out the back.

    The camp is very remote and in the jungle. There are huge insects and geckos that crawl into your hut. We are staying in one bamboo hut with an attached bathroom and my sister and mom are sleeping in a tree house. There were 17 people here one day including us, but today there are only 9 people including us.

    There are lots of different climbing areas, some of which are across the river. To get across the river, you have to take the zipline across. There aren't really any platforms to land on, you just have to grab onto a tree or something or you'll go halfway back and get stuck in the middle of the zipline. If you get stuck in the middle, you have to pull yourself uphill along the line until you get to the other side. Hopfully, there will be someone on the other side to pull you up the last couple of feet. That happened to most of us at least once and it's a lot of work having to pull yourself up. Usually the first person to go across will catch the other people and hold onto them so they don't get stuck in the middle. The first time I went across, I landed on my back on the other side, but my backpack protected me so it didn't really hurt and my shoe fell off. I caught it before it fell in the water, but it almost fell in. My mom tried twice to get across the river on the zipline, but was unable to because she was too scared.

    The river under the zipline is all green and dark, and it has a fast current. I think it's filled with alligators or crocodiles.

    There's a little restaurant outside that we eat at. We order breakfast and lunch and for dinner it's a buffet.

    There's also a sitting area with lots of hammocks, a couch, a table and a few chairs. There are two slack lines and an area to do yoga with mats too.

    Normally, we climb a few routes in the morning, come back and have lunch, read for a bit, go climb a bit more, come back and play cards or read and then have dinner. This is because it gets really hot here in the afternoon; we have seen temperatures up to 35C in the afternoon, and you can't climb when the sun is directly on you.

    There are a few dogs around camp too. Every night at around 7:30, they all start howling and barking for a few minutes. When my parents went on their run Tuesday and today, three of the dogs followed them and went with them. My mom likes the dogs as she says they make good running partners and make her feel safe while running in the jungle.

    Sophie    Read more

  • Sophie And NeveExploring the Unknown
    1
    Day 121

    Snails, Biking and Christmas Eve

    December 29, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Yesterday we took a 2 hour train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh, Vietnam.
    When we got to Ninh Binh we took a taxi to our homestay. After putting our backpacks into our room, we decided to look for lunch. We biked to a restaurant that served authentic vietnamese food. The people sitting next to us at the restaurant had a yummy looking salad and chicken. We tried to ask them what they were eating, but they didn’t speak a lot of english. The lady kept on telling us “chicken.” All at once, food arrived at our table even though we hadn’t ordered anything. A huge bowl of snail arrived! I did not eat them, but my parents and sister did and quite enjoyed them or at least thought that they were pretty good. After the snails arrived, a plate of chicken arrived. We only had a few pieces because we just ate a big pot of snails so we asked for the rest of the chicken to go. When my mom was boxing up the chicken, she found the chicken head in with the rest of the chicken. After that, we biked back to our homestay and had a relaxing afternoon reading. In the evening we had western pizza at our homestay. It was really good!

    Today, we took our bikes and went on a gravel road. At the end of the road, we discovered a pen of pigs - they were very cute. We then rode about 10 km to explore all the while trying to find a grocery store. We were not able too, so biked back home again. We biked 22 km. There were many pretty mountains and hills along the way. We came across small ponds that had huge ducks and lily pads with beautiful pink flowers. We also biked along small towns with just a small groups of houses as well as banana trees. The bananas were still green so we couldn’t eat them. For lunch we went to a restaurant called the Mona Lisa and in the afternoon we relaxed and did some homeschooling. I think Ninh Binh is really pretty, with lots of farms and hills.
    Neve
    _ _ _

    Aujourd'hui on est aller a une rue. La rue avait beaucoup de petit magasins qui avait des decoration de Noel, des petit costume du père Noël et des bois sur des bandeau. Il y avait aussi des ballons de père Noël et des chose comme ça. Après qu'on est aller sur set rue on est aller a un cathedral pour ecouter des chanson de Noel. Il y avait des danseuse avec des vraiment beau vêtement. Qui ont dansé au music. Il y avait aussi des personne qui chante an Vietnamese. J'avais beaucoup de plaisir fair sesi.    Read more

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