Unwind our 'Dosti', 'Samajhdari' with 'Bachpan' and 'Masti' with learning bhi !!

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[The post is a submission towards the entry for 'Khuljayee Bachpan' contest through coordination of   Kellogg's Chocos (https://www.facebook.com/mychocos/) and Indiblogger.] 

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My son began showing some withdrawal symptoms, then I realized that a great bonding could work as effective for him, as it did it for me !!

Usual celebrations of the day, through toons, games and friends had their way,

Remote and the keypad, these days lay rested, plates left full and the spirits devastated,

The prod of my scholar, as he looked for shared times and fun no smaller,

A realization that did then break, that it was the 'Time',not the icing not the cake,

That coupled with Freedom to spare, did bring his best, for something to share,

As I learned to share to care, it was his grasp I found so rare

Time for us to together learn, his endless curiosity sprinkled with innocence to yearn,

And if my experience as it was banal, did vent his restless energy to get some channel,

And while learning through his joy, I finally did realize what I enjoy,

Together to just be, moments of my son just with me,

Those moments that made me happy, for they let him and let me be,

Happiness to exchange what we knew the best, the bonding, participation took care of the rest

While reclaimed my joy of learning, dreams I was spending not earning,

He was truly my reflection of within, child-like zeal that so keen,

He saw me a symbol of application, hard work and knowledge gelled with no traction,

Where his dreams found their wings, beyond his triangles, squares and rings,

Our distances saw their dust, with bowls of hearty Chocos for breakfast,

He learned through my learnings, that I bridged through his yearnings,

With Indian values still intact, relationship status be no distract,

Let the balance of nature flow, let the bonding make us go Gung-Ho!,

'Khul gaya bachpan, mil gaye pal', life was happiness, no place for anything dull,

'Yaadein jo thi anoothi', had fun while father did his duty!!

Book Review: Two Climbing Books For Your Collection

Okay, I'm incredibly far behind on writing some book reviews, and I'm going to try to do some catching up as soon as I can. I'll take a couple of books with me when I head out of the country at the end of the week, but I wanted to post a couple of reviews before hand, and these two books go together very well for a number of reasons. Both books come from the same author, Clyde Soles, and both are part of the Mountaineers Outdoor Expert Series from The Mountaineers Books.

Climbing: Training for Peak Performance by Clude Soles
Let me start off by saying unequivocally that this is the best book I've seen in regards to fitness for climbers. The book covers everything you could ever want to know about training for climbing, including diet, aerobic workout, resistance training, flexibility and so much more, and the chapters are filled with so much good information, that you'll constantly be finding new things to add to your preparation for the mountains.

The book begins with a great introduction on the fundamentals of exercise in the general sense, and it's application to climbing specifically. It also touches on a number of other topics, such as how important conditioning can be to the aging climber and the importance of getting everything to work together for you for higher performance on the mountain. The intro sets up a number of themes that run throughout the book, not the least of which is to always have fun in both your training and your climbing. Something we probably all agree with.

The chapters on the workout routines are comprehensive, to say the least, and geared toward climbers of all styles and skill levels. Whether you're a weekend warrior or heading to the Himalaya, you'll find some things in this book that will be of help. Clyde does an excellent job of breaking down the things that work and don't work, and streamlining it for the rest of us. For instance, in the chapter on aerobic exercise, he looks at all the options available to us, including trail running, road running, cycling, and so on, and quickly and easily lays out the pros and cons of each of them. It's a great reference even if you're a non-climber.

While the exercise focused chapters are excellent, there were two others that really caught my attention. The second chapter of the book is focused on nutrition and it's importance to your over all conditioning, and it has some incredibly helpful information on planning for your dietary needs. Many climbers don't make a plan when it comes to their diet, as conventional wisdom has always said that it's important to have plenty of calories, but Clyde notes that it's not just how much you eat, but what you eat as well, and paying attention to those needs can improve performance in a lot of ways. This is a chapter that I highly recommend for anyone who is already a climber, but is looking for ways to improve endurance and performance. Of particular interest would be the section on "fueling the climb".

The other chapter that I found particularly interesting was the third, which focuses on the mental aspects of preparing for a climb. By focusing on mental conditioning, you see the holistic approach that the author is a proponent of, bringing all aspects of body and mind together to make us better prepared for all of our athletic endeavors. Clyde mentions that some of these mental conditioning techniques come from martial arts and yoga, and perhaps that's why I related so well to this chapter. My years of martial arts training made it easy for me to understand what he was trying to achieve. It's another chapter that will likely have something to offer even those that are already in terrific shape.

Other valuable information in the book include the chapter on climbing at altitude, which offers some great advice on helping to improve the acclimatization process, and the chapter on rest and recovery is excellent as well, reminding us why we need to take some time off on occasion as well. The final chapter brings everything together, building synergy on everything we've learned in the previous chapters.

In case you couldn't tell, I was very impressed with this book. Exercise manuals don't tend to be highly interesting to me, but this one is so much more than that. I really enjoyed the whole approach to preparing for climbing, and found valuable information on nearly every page. If you're a climber, and haven't read this book, then I suggest you order it. NOW! Here, I'll even make it simple for you. Click here to go to the Amazon page.

Climbing: Expedition PLanning by Clyde Soles and Phil Powers
Clyde teams up with Phil Powers on this second book that I personally found simply fascinating in so many ways. This book takes a look at every aspect of preparing for an expedition, from the early stages when it is just a dream, to planning and preparing, putting the right team together, researching the mountain, and so much more. No part of an expedition is left undiscussed, and once again we get invaluable information that for many of us, we'd only have considered after years of experience.

Of course, the book doesn't just focus on the preparation for the climb and all the aspects that go into planning the expedition. Several of the most valuable chapters also look at what it's like once you depart on the trip, taking a nicely detailed look at the logistics that go into getting all your gear to the country of your destination, and then on to base camp. The authors look at all manner of important topics, including trekking to BC, communications in the field, and even how to set up the latrine.

As if that wasn't enough, the book then takes a look at the last stage of the expedition, namely getting to the summit, and even what comes afterwards, with some insights on giving post climb speeches and slide shows, ending it all with thoughts of starting it all over again for that next expedition.

Much like Climbing: Training for Peak Performance, this book is also packed cover to cover with really great information, but unlike that book, I think this one will appeal to an even larger audience. There are so many wonderful sidebars and charts that offer up great insights, that even the arm chair mountaineer will be fascinated by the wealth of knowledge contained in the book. And for those planning an expedition of their own, this guide serves as a great resource, whether you're planning your first expedition or your tenth.

Once again, if you read and enjoy mountaineering books, than you should have this one in your collection. While it might not be as action packed as something like Into Thin Air, it will give you a behind the scenes look at what happens before, during, and after a major expedition. Clyde and Phil make the book and its subject matter very interesting, and you'll learn more than you ever thought you would about the logistics of high altitude mountaineering.

Grab this book by clicking here.

On a final note, thanks to Clyde for being patient and understanding with how long it took to get these books read and reviewed. I appreciate you sending these my way and learned a ton from both of them. Great work!

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Acclimatizing in Namche Bazaar

By now you're probably already getting tired of hearing me reference the First Ascent Team, the all-star mountaineering group with Ed Viesturs, Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot, and a host of others. Yesterday I mentioned that they had their own YouTube channel, which already has some great footage of the approach to base camp, and today I came across their Born Out There Blog, which is being updated as they travel as well. The best part about this expedition is that they have plenty of resources at their disposal, as you can already tell, and we're getting to follow along like never before. Daily video dispatches from the region and blog posts promise to give us a behind the scenes look at an Everest climb that we've possibly never had before. It'll be interesting to see if they can keep it up when they get to the hard stuff. For now, they're in Namche Bazaar, and acclimatizing before they continue their trek. Namche is traditionally a place where trekkers and climbers rest for a day enroute to Everest. Check out their video from the place below.

The Eco Everest Team is now reportedly preparing to set off for the mountain as well, with the legendary mountaineer Apa Sherpa now in Nepal. Apa makes his home in the U.S., but travels back on yearly basis to guide a team up the mountain. He'll be seeking his 19th successful summit this year, hopefully breaking his own record. Alan Arnette is reporting on his Everest 2009 page that Apa won't be alone this year though, as his wife will be on hand to witness his new milestone. Alan is also reporting that David Tait is currently en route to the mountain, and from his latest dispatch, it seems he's also in Namche Bazaar.

Bill Burke is still hopeful that he can take a shot at at his planned traverse of Everest, but everyone is still waiting to see if the Chinese will begin issuing permits to climb the mountain, along with Shisha Pangma and Cho Oyu as well. Bill is currently on his way to Nepal, but with the announcement that the borders of Tibet will reopen on April 5th, I think there is a cautiously optimistic feeling amongst those who are hoping to climb in Tibet this spring.

Across the Himalaya, teams are now making their way to various mountains. Joao Garcia's team is already on Manaslu and making gear drops, while Carlos Pauner and his partners are still making their way to that mountain. A number of teams are already establishing base camp on Annapurna as well, which looks to have its fair share of traffic this spring as well.

For the teams, it's an interesting time. They've arrived back in the Himalaya, which has become common place for many of them this time of year, and they are trekking or otherwise finding ways to get to their destination. Everything is rather hectic right now, but it'll calm down quite a bit once they reach base camp and get settled there. Then the waiting will start, with occasional hikes up the mountain to establish their camps and acclimatize. Soon we'll here talk of weather windows and summit days, and more, but in between, there will be an awful lot of waiting. Such is the spring climbing season in the Himalaya.

The Rest of Everest Episode 104: A Room With A View

The latest episode of The Rest of Everest is out, and now available for all of us to enjoy, continuing our virtual expedition up Annapurna IV with climbers Ben Clark, Josh Butson, and Tim Clarke, who hope to not only summit the 24,688 foot peak, but also make the first ski descent of the mountain as well.

In this episode, labeled A Room With A View, we really start getting down to business in the Himalaya. The past few weeks have had the guys stuck in base camp, where they made the most of their time preparing their gear and mentally getting ready for the climb as well, but this week kicks off with the team already working their way up the mountain, as the climb gets underway in earnest.

Once again, there are some great shots of the mountain, and the video of the team working an incredibly steep portion will give you an idea of how challenging it is to climb in the Himalaya. They plan to go up in alpine style, which means they'll be climbing with all of their gear on their backs, rather than siege style that is common on the big peaks, which makes it all the more impressive as you watch them go up.

One of the more interesting aspects of this episode is that we get to watch the team establish their first camp on the mountain. That's not something that we get to see often, and the process begins by digging a snow ledge to set up their tents, and then making the area as comfortable of a campsite as possible. When done, you kick back and enjoy the view, and in this case, it's quite a view.

Checkout this episode directly from the Rest of Everest website by clicking here or grab it from iTunes here.

Rachel Carbonell | Moroccan Medinas

Photo © Rachel Carbonell-All Rights Reserved

One of the most difficult countries for people photography is -in my experience, at least- Morocco. This is caused by the local combination of traditional beliefs and the Islamic distaste for the reproduction of the human form. The latter is known as aniconism, which is the practice of or belief in the avoiding or shunning of images of divine beings, prophets or other respected religious figures...and in the case of some Islamic countries, is also misinterpreted as images of all human beings.

Notwithstanding that difficulty, talented travel photographer Rachel Carbonell has just featured Moroccan Medinas: The Colors And Shadows of Life; a photo gallery of more than 40 photographs of the medinas from the blues of Chefchaouen, Larache, Essaouira to the ochres of Meknes and Fez, and from the pinks of Marrakech and Tiznit to the whites of Azemmour, Moulay Idriss, Tetuan and Asilah.

This is a project that took more than two years to complete, over many voyages to Morocco. It's also how Rachel tells us how the atmosphere of its bustling streets and alleys hopelessly caught and seduced her.

The word medina is the Arabic for city or town, and are generally found in many North African cities. They are typically surrounded by a wall, and contain many narrow and maze-like streets, and can also contain historical fountains, small palaces (or riads), and mosques. Some medinas were also used to confuse and slow down invaders because of how narrow and winding their alleys were.

Rachel has also published a book Moroccan Medinas which is available on Blurb.

Rachel Carbonell is a Spanish photographer who graduated from the University of Deusto, and studied Photography at IDEP (Barcelona). She is a Getty Images Contributing Photographer, and her images have been published in press, books, magazines, websites etc. such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, MC Ediciones, Random House Mondadori S.A, Glamour France, Iberia, Nulle Parts Ailleurs Productions and others.

Top 2 day trip from Ho Chi Minh City to CanGio

We as of late set up together for you a schedule for investigating Ho Chi Minh City as a major aspect of our Custom Itineraries for Vietnam arrangement. After you have investigated Ho Chi Minh City and on the off chance that you have an additional day in your travel schedule, short day outings are an incredible alternative. Luckily, outside of the city, there are a few spots where you can go to escape and experience a the earth. Hours far from Ho Chi Minh City, you can discover shorelines, wildernesses, bogs, islands, waterways, towns, and that's just the beginning. Whether you are voyaging alone, with children, or in a gathering, there is a novel encounter close HCMC for everybody!

1. MeKong

The Mekong Delta is the rich area south of Ho Chi Minh City where ranchers develop the dominant part of Vietnam's supply of rice, durian, and different leafy foods. The Mekong River, which begins at the Tibetan level, streams into an arrangement of 9 little tributaries which at last vacant into the ocean. The delta area is home to ranchers and little entrepreneurs who carry on with a loose pace of life.

See more: Vietnam travel packages

This area is amazingly unfathomable, yet luckily it doesn't take an excess of time to truly get a feel for the zone. The conduits and trenches in the delta are what overwhelmingly associate one zone to the following, such a large amount of the investigation in the delta is revolved around the conduits. A few exercises you can join in are angling, paddling down the channels, and consuming new apples and oranges from skimming markets. An excursion on a sampan vessel (a kind of kayak) down the backwaters is particularly fun on the grounds that the surroundings are amazingly quiet and otherworldly. Numerous visits will likewise take you to durian plantations, rice paper manufacturing plants, apples and oranges treat industrial facilities, rice fields, and neighborhood markets. An alternate sight that you may need to visit in the Mekong Delta is the 'fish can'. In this novel sample of the 'ring of life', the fish latrine is a particular outside alternative can where people go to the washroom in the waterway, and afterward the feces eater fish process the fertilizer. Incidentally, waterway fish are a crucial piece of the human eating regimen in this district…  :)

The Details:  The Mekong Delta has a lot of people residential areas where travelers can visit to get a feel for the district. For example, Cai Be is one of the areas where you can do the greater part of the Mekong Delta exercises and is extensively less touristy than My Tho or Can Tho. In the event that you take a visit to the Delta, they will orchestrate a transport or auto transport for you. The most ideal approach to investigate  this range is through a visit so you can encounter all the extraordinary exercises there, and you can without much of a stretch do a significant number of the exercises in one day. Examine our proposed remarkable visit organizations that will take you out to the Mekong Delta.

2. CanGio

Otherwise called Monkey Island, Can Gio Island is really an arrangement of little islands simply bulging out from the terrain close HCMC. This nature store includes 80,000 hectares of mangroves and water coconut backwoods. Amid the Vietnam-American war, this territory was extremely deforested by napalm, bringing about a limitless decrease of local vegetation. Today, an UNESCO perceived biosphere, this swampy mangrove woodland is home to many monkeys and crocodiles. Despite the fact that this territory is fenced so that the crocodiles can't get away from, the obstructions don't keep the monkeys out. The collaboration between the local crocodiles and monkeys can be very one of a kind; commonly, these animals are this current territory's principle fascination too.

The monkeys here are amusing on occasion, however truly naughty. They take anything from anybody on the off chance that they can, and they delight in insulting the nearby salt-water crocodiles. In the woodland hold, you can nourish the crocodiles with eels or little snakes which may sound unpleasant yet winds up being an intriguing knowledge. You can likewise angle for crabs, watch bats, and food monkeys. Can Gio island is likewise a chronicled site, as the mangrove woods was a critical guerrilla base. Numerous life-size models are scattered all through that demonstrate to you a percentage of the exercises that were performed there amid the war. At long last, however there are shorelines and a couple of shoreline resorts there, they are not particularly paramount. They may be worth a visit on the off chance that you need to unwind and make tracks in an opposite direction from the hotness, yet they are scarcely the best shorelines that Vietnam brings to the table. Make sure to take a lot of bug repellent and sunscreen, and be mindful so as not to have nourishment or beverages as the monkeys may be enticed to grab them far from you.

Subtle elements:  Can Gio island is possible as a visit, however it is reasonably clear so it can be effectively gone to all alone, the length of you are agreeable with the thought of open transportation in Vietnam. To get there by open transportation, you have to take transport #20 at the Ben Thanh transport station (before Ben Thanh Market) to Nha Be region. After around 45-50 minutes, you will land at the Binh Khanh ship terminal. This ship ride over the Nha Be stream will bring you to Can Gio locale. From that point, with a specific end goal to enter Monkey Island and the mangrove woodland, you have to take transport #90 to Can Thanh. This is the door for the primary attractions. The extra charge is 30-35,000 VND for every individual. Keeping in mind the end goal to visit the guerilla base, you can take a kayak ride which goes down the mangrove backwoods waterways and takes around 10 minute

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Up and Down the Cwm

Lots of action on Everest, and around the Himalaya, as teams acclimatize, build camps, and get to know their mountains.

Starting off on Everest, teams have now gone as high as C3, caching gear as they go, and getting all too familiar with the Western Cwm. They'll make that journey a number of times before they head up to the summit in a few weeks. According to the Peak Freaks Blog, their whole team is in Base Camp right now, with the exception of one climber in C1. Tomorrow they'll begin their climb up to C2, where they'll spend the night acclimatizing. THe PF team also notes that the remarkably calm weather thus far this season has made it easy for teams to spend time at C1 and C2 this early in the season. Whether or not this calm weather holds is yet to be seen.

The Adventure Consultants are already up in C1, where they are comfortably resting. The team were up at 1 AM and off at 2 AM, and after a successful scramble through the Icefall, they were up the hill and in C1 before the crowd, beating the heat of the day.

The Himex team takes a different approach to the acclimatization process. Russell Brice likes to have the team scale other peaks in the area to gain experience and acclimatize. And to that end, both David Tait and Billi Bierling are reporting that they have been climbing Lobuje Peak the past few days. After a successful summit, they are back in Gorak Shep, and will be proceeding to BC from there.

Speaking of Russell Brice, Alan Arnette is reporting that he crashed the Cricket Game held in Gorak Shep, and being billed as the highest ever played, to announce that he'll hold his own match at C2, beating the "old" record by 1235 meters. Of course it was all one big joke and Russell was just having a little fun with the teams playing in Gorak Shep. Who says this guy doesn't have a sense of humor?

ExWeb is reporting in one of their Himalaya wrap-ups that the Lhotse-Everest Traverse team is off and running at a good pace, having already stashed their tents at C2 and moved further up the mountain to scout not only Everest's West Ridge, but also the Lhotse Wall as well.

On the North Side of Everest, teams finally reached Base Camp over the weekend, and they were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the yaks to help them carry their gear up to ABC. They'll soon be joined by Norwegian Jarle Traa, who told ExWeb he would be climbing from the North completely independently, without using oxygen or Sherpa support.

Moving away from Everest now, the report is that a team of Czechs reached the Eastern Summit of Annapurna, which stands at 8021 meters. Harsh winds prevented them from reaching the main summit however, and they are now returning to BC. Bad weather has been a problem on Annapurna so far this year, and has prevented most teams from making any kind of headway at all.

Teams are also locked in at C1 on Manaslu thanks to poor weather conditions. Heavy winds and snow fall has prevented them from going up the mountain to establish Camp 2, but the weather report indicates that things may be improving. The snows are expected to stop, although the winds may continue for a few more days.

Our friends on the Ski The Himalayas team, which includes Ben Clark and Josh Butson of Rest of Everest fame, are still trekking to their mountain of choice, the 23,390 foot Baruntse, where they intend to make an alpine style climb, and then ski off the summit. They are joined by a third climber, named Jonathan Miller, who is not to be confused with the other Jonathan Miller, also from the Rest of Everest, who prefers to make films about the mountains.

Finally, the latest update from the team climbing Lunag Ri, a 6907m peak in Nepal, is that they are now on the mountain, and have scouted a line that they think will work for them. Described as hard, but safe, the route will have them going up some 6777 meters before making a traverse along a narrow ridge to the summit proper.

Good luck to all the climbers at the various stages of their climb. Climb safe everyone, and enjoy the view!

North Pole 2009: Navigating By The Seat of Your Pants

It's been a few days since I posted an update on the arctic teams, but they continue to make progress and receive attention from a variety of outlets, especially the Catlin Arctic Survey Team, which made headlines when they announced they use a pair of lacy underwear to help navigate. Apparently, when the compass doesn't work, thanks to the close proximity to the magnetic North Pole, they'll navigate by the sun, and when that fails, due to clouds or darkness, they'll break out a tiny thong and use it to catch the wind. Thank goodness someone thought ahead enough to bring sexy underwear on the trip! This unconventional navigation system seems to working though, as the team passed a milestone today, reaching 83º N.

The Victorinox North Pole Team continues to move ahead, crossing 85º N a few days back, and averaging more than 8 nautical miles per day this past week. For the most part, the ice continues to be smooth and easily navigable for them, but in their last dispatch they reported large blocks of rubble once again, with some pieces the size of cars. This impeded their progress dramatically and has been a source of frustration at times, but hasn't seemed to impacted John or Tyler's demeanor at this point.

The Peary Centennial Expedition is also past 85º N and is making even better time than Victorinox, notching closer to 10 nautical miles per day in their recent activity. The team feels that they are about half done, in terms of time, although they still have a long way to go. They do expect their speed to continue to increase in speed as they get closer to the Pole. In the latest audio dispatch, Lonnie Dupre talks about the hardships of crawling out of a warm sleeping bag in the morning when it is -30º outside. He also notes that the bags have doubled in weight since they set off thanks to the fact that they have frozen. They do their best to try to thaw them, but such is the life of an arctic explorer.

Finally, the Baffin Babes haven't put out a lot of dispatches on their journey, but they continue to press ahead on their exploration of Baffin Island. They did mention awhile back that they had met an Austrian hunter who had come to Canada to hunt polar bears, and the girls found that to be very odd, since the bears are protected pretty much everywhere else, except in Canada. The threesome will become a foursome soon as well, as Ingebjoerg Tollefsen reports that she'll be off to Clyde River to join her friends in ten days. You may recall that Ingebjoerg was forced to stay behind due to illness, but she is now healthy and ready to go, and will be soon out on the ice too.

That's all for now. Remember, if you ever get lost, you've always got your underwear to help you navigate! ;)

Jon Bowermaster's Dispatches From The Maldives

The man who never stays home (at least not for long), Jon Bowermaster is off once again, this time to the Maldives, where he is investigating the impact of rising sea levels on the tiny island nation which consists of more than 1200 islands spread out across the Indian Ocean south-west of India itself.

Yesterday Jon made his first dispatch from the Maldives, where the President has announced that he intends to make the country carbon neutral by 2010. The islands are a tourist paradise, and the place gets much of it's revenue from the tourism business, so the emphasis will shift now to ecotourism and a move away from fossil fuels and toward wind energy and solar power.

Predictions for the future of the Maldives are dire. With global climate change causing the polar ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise, the entire nation could be underwater by 2100. Because of that outlook, I put the country on my list of five places to see before they're changed forever, which I wrote at Gadling a few weeks back. If things continue as they are now, 80% of the islands could disappear before the end of this century, meaning that many of the 400,000 people who currently live there will be forced to find new homes.

Jon will be touring the area by boat and float plane over the next two weeks. Look for more dispatches on what is happening there right now in the days ahead. And be sure to checkout Jon's newly re-launched website, which has a great design, access to an amazing amount of information, and a simple to navigate layout. My favorite new feature? The "Where is Jon?" tab in the upper right corner of the home page. It tells me where he's off to in his ongoing adventures.