Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Puja Ceremonies and Through The Ice Falls!

Lots of stuff happening in the Himalaya while I was off the grid. So hard to get caught up when you haven't had Internet for days during one of the busiest times of the year in terms of adventure.

First up, by condolences go out to the friends and family of Piotr Morawski, the young climber from Poland who, at the age of 33, had already made quite a name for himself in the climbing community. I'm sure for most of you this is old news, considering he perished last week, but I'm still catching up, and this was sad news indeed. It seems Piotr fell while descending from Camp 2 on Dhaulagiri, and slipped into a crevasse. He had six 8000m peaks to his name, including the first winter ascent on Shisha Pangma with Simone Moro back in 2005.

In other news, it seems that the Ice Doctors have gone to work creating a path through the Khumbu Icefalls, allowing the climbers to make their first forays onto the upper portions of Everest. As you no doubt already know, the Icefall is part of the glacier that extends down the mountain, and is continually moving and shifting its position. This opens up large cracks and crevasses, and each year a new path through the region, the most deadly on the South Side, has to be built using a series of ladders, which are set down over the openings, allowing the mountaineers to pass by waking across, stepping on the rungs. Many say it is a scary portion of the climb, but it is done multiple times throughout the climb as the teams go up and down the mountain establishing their camps and acclimatizing. According to Alan Arnette's Everest 2009 page, the first teams have moved through the early portions of the Icefall to get use to the process, which can be, in Alan's words, intimidating.

ExWeb is also reporting that the Icefalls may be completely open as early as today, although some reports are indicating that the last 200 meters or so are giving them particular troubles. Once the route is finished, the teams will be free to begin establishing Camp I just on the other side of the Falls.

Alan also reports that many of the teams have now had their Puja ceremonies as well. The traditional religious ceremony is conducted for each team before they begin the climb up from base camp to show respect for the mountain and to ask for safe passage to the summit and back. For the Sherpas who are integral to any successful Himalayan climb, and for the experienced mountaineers who have climbed in the region in the past, it is a very important part of the process.

The action is heating up on some of the other peaks in the Himalaya as well, with ExWeb saying that teams have established C1 on Manaslu, where a Koren team is expected to make a summit push in just three days. I'm assuming that's from a different route, or they're going up in Alpine Style in a fast climb. Meanwhile, German Luis Stitzinger has announced that he intends to ski down Dhaulagiri from at least 8000m and possibly the entire mountain, depending on conditions. It would be the first ski descent of that mountain.

Finally, Joe Puryear and David Gottlieb have announced that hey will have a go at Lunag Ri, which they are calling “the highest unclimbed permissible and independent mountain in Nepal.” There are several mountains in the region that are higher, but are off limits, with no permits being issued, because of the religious significance of the places. It should be fun to follow their progress over the weeks ahead, as they go for the first ascent.

Tibet Closed Off on 50th Anniversary of Uprising

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule, and to mark that occasion, the Chinese have closed off the borders to foreigners. Little information about what is happening inside the country has made it's way out, although there have been some rumors of protests taking place.

The March 10th uprising in 1959 was an attempt by the Tibetan people to gain their independence following their annexation by China a few years earlier. The Chinese put down the uprising through military force, and thousands (some would say tens of thousands) were killed in the process. It was this event that caused the Dalai Lama to go into exile in Dharamsala, India, along with more than 30,000 other Tibetans.

Yesterday, as I wrote about today on Gadling, the Chinese President once again banished the already exiled spiritual leader, beyond a "Great Wall against separatism". A move that was meant to build unity and nationalism in China and Tibet.

What this all means for climbers, trekkers, and other tourists heading to Tibet, is that the borders are expected to remain closed at least until the first of April. After that, we'll have to take a wait and see attitude. Considering there are still a few expeditions scheduled for the North Side of Everest, which will be inaccessible if the borders remain closed, there will be many watching with curious eyes to see how things unfold. If the country remains peaceful, then perhaps it will reopen on schedule and those planning on visiting the Himalayan country will once again be allowed in. Lets hope that it turns out that way.

Travel MaiChau Escape - VietNam travel

Find the excellence and intriguing societies of Vietnam's good countries with an overnight visit to Mai Chau. Just a 3-hour drive from Hanoi, this wonderful area is described by karst teeth, towering mountains and rich rice paddies. Go through a night with a slope tribe family and trek through the moving field, inundating yourself in the marvels of Mai Chau valley. Venture out of the way and experience Mai Chau's loose slope tribe life and amazing landscape. This Vietnam bundle visit is made to demonstrate the best of the north's excellence. Obliging little travel time, it is the ideal break from Hanoi or expansion to a Vietnam visit

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Your driver and aide will reach you at your inn and take you along roadway 6 to Mai Chau: a residential area settled amidst a lavish valley and encompassed by emerald-green rice fields. Appreciate pleasant perspectives of the picturesque scene, sown with pagodas and provincial towns. Stop along the best approach to visit the Muong tribe and after that at Thung Khe Pass for a fabulous perspective of Mai Chau Valley. Have a valid lunch with a nearby group of the White Thai Tribe and delight in some spare time to familiarize yourself with the villagers. Toward the evening, trek through terraced rice paddies and little towns, finding the common magnificence of the valley and experiencing the society of the ethnic minority Thai individuals on our visits to the Pom Coong and Na Phon towns. Come back to our homestay for to help set up the nighttime feast. This is a chance to research the nearby food and society as you join the family to set up a customary supper. At night revel in a live move and music execution. Stay overnight in the Longhouse.

Begin the day with a straightforward breakfast with your host family then take a short drive through the encompassing wide open, before setting off on a trek through rice paddies and down slowing down to visit the "Cum" and "Xam Khoe" towns. Submerge yourself in the lively neighborhood society and revel in a legitimate lunch at one of the towns. Toward the evening, drive over to the urban clamor, touching base at your lodging in Hanoi in the late evening.

A glimpse of Vietnam - tour from HaNoi to SaiGon

You will be met upon landing in Hanoi's Noi Bai International airplane terminal and exchanged to your lodging in the city. In the wake of weighing in at your lodging, you will have spare time to appreciate Ha Noi, Vietnam's 1000 year old capital city, a slick and charitable city that has held its extraordinary old world appeal and some of Asia s most striking frontier construction modeling. Its numerous lakes and parks give a touch of nature and an unwinding air that is appreciated by local people and guests apparently equivalent. Extra time to investigate the city

After breakfast at your lodging, start your city visit at the Ho Chi Minh Complex including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum, the famous One Pillar pagoda and noteworthy Ba Dinh Square. Eat in one of Hanoi's popular restaurants and unwind before proceeding with your visit toward the evening at the Museum of Ethnology then a customary cyclo ride through the acclaimed Old Quarter to visit Dong Xuan market. Revel in the extraordinarily Vietnamese aestheticness of a water manikin execution later toward the evening. Available time to eat at one of the city's numerous restaurants and maybe walk around sentimental Hoan Kiem Lake at night alongside local people.

08:00 am get up at your inn and drive to Halong city for vessel a private pontoon voyage on the Bay, halting along the best approach to appreciate the scene and take pictures of regular Vietnamese farmland scenes. When you touch base at Halong Bay you will board your private garbage where the watercraft group will welcome you with an exceptional fish lunch. Appreciate an unwinding four hour voyage around the straight going by Dinh Huong, Ga Choi, Dog, and Sail Islands and additionally Sung Sot hole. Come back to the harbor toward the evening and drive over to Hanoi in your private vehicle, landing in the city around 6:30 pm.

Take an early morning flight to Danang where you will be welcomed at the air terminal and driven a short separation to old Hoi A town, initially a seaport in the kingdom of Champa that has been impacted throughout the hundreds of years by a heap of dealers from different societies. There is bounty to see in this quiet UNESCO World Heritage site, for example, the acclaimed Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, the 200 year old memorable Tamky House, the Chua Ong Pagoda and the clamoring business sector. We will visit all these sights on a mobile visit passing a lot of people low tiled-top houses and gathering lobbies scattered along the little roads which reflect the town's multi-social past.

The following stop on your visit will be Hue, the royal capital of Vietnam somewhere around 1802 and 1945. Amid the drive from Hoi A to Hue we will investigate the breathtaking Marble Mountains and Non Nuoc Beach before proceeding to the Cham Museum in Danang. We go along the slowing down through the stupendous Hai Van Pass, halting at the top to respect the incredible perspectives north to Lang Co and Danang in the south. Upon entry in Hue, you will register with your lodging then appreciate a pontoon outing on the Perfume River with stopovers at the clamoring Dong Ba Market and notable Thien Mu Pagoda. After the vessel excursion, visit the Imperial City and the Forbidden Purple City, which was everything except demolished amid the 1968 Tet Offensive, however it is even now intriguing to stroll among the vestiges.

Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by numerous local people today, is an element cosmopolitan city gathered with motorbikes and autos and energizing shopping ranges and walkway bistros. An evening city visit takes you to the Reunification Palace, the previous habitation of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975, and the close-by French frontier construction modeling including Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Sai Gon Post Office. We will likewise visit the Jade Emperor Pagoda and the War Remnants Museum before proceeding to the celebrated Ben Thanh Market where everything without exception is on special. Spare time to further investigate the city and feast at one of its phenomenal restaurants at night.

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After breakfast at your inn we take off of town, heading out via auto to My Tho in the Mekong Delta, the "rice dish of Vietnam," where we board a watercraft to explore the complex waterway framework. You can watch the neighborhood way of life close-up and get perspectives of the numerous islands, passing through the lavish green timberlands before landing at the acclaimed Unicorn Island. Walk around a plantation tasting the numerous regular tropical leafy foods magnificent customary music. The following stop is Ben Tre area to visit a portion of the intriguing neighborhood businesses. In the wake of devouring a luscious lunch of crisp neighborhood sustenances, we come back to Ho Chi Minh City to visit Ving Trang Pagoda and Cholon, Saigon's Chinatown, which is packed with sacrosanct sanctuaries, numerous shops and complex, slowing down paths.

Broad Peak Winter Post Mortem

Don Bowie has posted a good update to his blog today giving us all the details on his struggles to get off Broad Peak, and back to civilization following an attempt on Broad Peak in the winter.

Regular readers will remember that Don, and a team of excellent climbers, set out to the Karakorum back in December with the intent of claiming the first winter summit of an 8000m peak in that range. They struggled mightily for 70 days before bad weather, and dwindling supplies took their toll. The team decided to pack-up show, and head home. That was on the 24th of February. Don just got home last week.

In this blog post, he begins to tell the tale of the trek out from base camp. When you're on these big mountains, the climb is only part of the adventure, and when it's all done, you still have to hike your way back to civilization. That's not easy in best of conditions, as climbers tend to be exhausted and nursing a few injuries. Try doing it in the winter, with a couple of meters of snow on the ground too. On top of that, Don managed to sprain a ligament just five minutes after departing BC, and was left with days of walking, through deep snow, with a bum wheel.

He promises more of an update tomorrow to continue telling the story. Very interesting and compelling so far. Oh, and check out his video below to get an idea of what conditions were like on BP in the last few days there.


Boiler-Plate Ice Slopes from Calpinist.com on Vimeo.

Weather at VietNam

Vietnam is influenced by the storm, that is the reason the normal temperature is lower than alternate nations which are found in the same longitude in Asian. In contrasting and these nations, the temperature in winter is colder and in summer is less hot in Vietnam. The yearly normal temperatures range from 22oc to 27oc. Notwithstanding, the normal temperature is diverse in every spot. In Hanoi the normal temperature is 23oc, in Ho Chi Minh City 26oc and 25oc in Hue. A few spots like Dalat and Sapa have a greatest temperature of 20oc in the mid year.

Consistently there are 100 stormy days and the normal precipitation is 1,500 to 2,000mm. The stickiness runs around 80%. The sunny hours are 1,500 to 2,000 and the normal sun based radiation of 100 kcal/cm2 in a year.

The rainstorm atmosphere additionally impacts to the progressions of the tropical stickiness. All in all, in Vietnam there are two seasons, a hot and blustery season (from May to October), and a frosty season (from November to April the following). However the four different seasons are most obvious in the Northern territories (from Hai Van Pass to the north): spring, summer, fall, and winter.

HA NOI 

In Hanoi there are four unique seasons: spring, summer, pre-winter, and winter. Be that as it may it is conceivable to compass the atmosphere here into two fundamental seasons: the blustery season from May to September (its hot, substantial downpour), and the dry season from October to April (its frosty, little precipitation). The yearly normal temperature is 23.2oc, yet in winter the normal temperature is 17.2oc. The least temperature ever recorded was 2.7oc in 1955. The normal summer temperature is 29.2oc, with the most elevated ever recorded being 42.8oc in 1926. By and large, there are 114 stormy days a year with around 1,800 mm of precipitation.

HAI PHONG 

It's one area in the North then Hai Phong is affected by a tropical rainstorm atmosphere as well. There are 4 seasons and the yearly normal temperature is between 23 oc and 24oc. Precipitation add up to somewhere around 1,600 and 1,800 mm. The climate is warm all through thee year.

QUANG NINH 

The atmosphere is typical of the atmosphere of North Vietnam; offering every one of the four seasons. In summer (from May to September), its hot, damp and stormy, while storms prosper. In winter (from October to April), its frosty, dry, and sees little precipitation. The normal temperature is in excess of 25oc. Yearly precipitation adds up to somewhere around 1,700 and 2,400 mm.

HUE

It offers a tropical rainstorm atmosphere, emphasizing each of the four unique seasons: spring, summer, pre-winter and winter. The spring is cool and warm, the mid year is hot, the harvest time is cool and the winter is chilly. Normal temperature of 25oc. The best time for sightseers is from November to April one year from now.

DA NANG 

Its atmosphere is tropical, with two unique blustery and dry seasons. The normal yearly temperature is somewhere around 28oc and 29oc, and storms hit the region consistently in September and October.

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DA LAT 

The atmosphere here is chilly, with a normal yearly temperature of 18oc. Dalat is a city town, the atmosphere is temperature and there are the excellent characteristic scenes with the waterfalls, lakes and pine forests, and is well known as Vietnam's blossom city.

The atmosphere is traversed into two seasons, with the blustery season enduring from May to November. The normal yearly temperature is 27.5oc without winter, and yearly precipitation adds up to 1,979 mm. Tourism is advantageous for each of the 12 months of the year.

VUNG TAU

The atmosphere here is tropical storm. The normal yearly temperature is 27.0oc, once in a while stormy, rich in daylight. Vung Tau is without winter so resorts can dynamic as the year progressed.

2 day in Mai Chau - Tour Vietnam Travel

Find the magnificence and outlandish societies of Vietnam's good countries with an overnight visit to Mai Chau. Just a 3-hour drive from Hanoi, this lovely locale is portrayed by karst teeth, towering mountains and fruitful rice paddies. Go through a night with a slope tribe family and trek through the moving field, drenching yourself in the miracles of Mai Chau valley. Venture out of the way and experience Mai Chau's loose slope tribe life and stunning view. This Vietnam bundle visit is made to demonstrate the best of the north's magnificence. Obliging little travel time, it is the ideal departure from Hanoi or augmentation to a Vietnam visit.

Your driver and aide will reach you at your lodging and take you along parkway 6 to Mai Chau: a residential community settled amidst a rich valley and encompassed by emerald-green rice fields. Delight in pleasant perspectives of the grand scene, sown with pagodas and rustic towns. Stop along the best approach to visit the Muong tribe and afterward at Thung Khe Pass for an awesome perspective of Mai Chau Valley. Have a genuine lunch with a nearby group of the White Thai Tribe and revel in some extra time to familiarize yourself with the villagers. Toward the evening, trek through terraced rice paddies and little towns, finding the characteristic excellence of the valley and experiencing the society of the ethnic minority Thai individuals on our visits to the Pom Coong and Na Phon towns. Come back to our homestay for to help set up the nighttime dinner. This is a chance to research the nearby cooking and society as you join the family to set up a conventional supper. At night delight in a live move and music execution.

Related post: Vietnam travel

Begin the day with a straightforward breakfast with your host family then take a short drive through the encompassing field, before setting off on a trek through rice paddies and down slowing down to visit the "Cum" and "Xam Khoe" towns. Inundate yourself in the energetic nearby society and delight in a true lunch at one of the towns. Toward the evening, drive once again to the urban clamor, touching base at your lodging in Hanoi in the late evening.