Sunday, April 24, 2016
on decent, capitols and frogs
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
on rain fog and breathlessness
at the end of yesterday's hike, i was not feeling well and gave my pack to Amit, it was virtually empty, save water, but still felt lighter. i descended as fast as i could and that evening still felt my lungs working extra hard, i slept little at night still feeling my lungs and decided i need to get to lower elevation. Next morning I said my goodbyes to like hunter and the man with no clean clothes and took a cab to la laguna. This was my original plan for the next day. Right away i felt much better, no more pressure on the lungs and feeling the excursion of 1 flight of stairs at the hotel. i checked in to a hostel and set out quickly to the bus stop. The late bus finally arrived (After the late taxi as well) and i headed north. The taxi ride here was fogy and the bus ride was drizzly, but as soon as i reached cruz del Carmen, the rain stopped.
it was love at first sight. The trail passes through a kind of rain forest. Mossy trees, lots of ferns under a cloudy day and i felt like walking again. This trails starts at 983 meters and finishes at the cost, 12 k away. The 1st few kilometers were all steeply downhill in this lovely forest on an easy but steep path down, once i reached the textile village of El Batan, the trails became narrow and followed a creek. This is not a used path in this section and the vegetation tries to claim it back, i needed a machete for some of the parts, especially where the thorns were right on the path. The green steep hills all around are breath taking, it was a beautiful walk. All good things must end, and in the village i had to climb through it, 1-2 k of nonstop stairs, i breathed hard, but from the uphill not the elevation. The path goes through the village, this is what they use on daily basis, it passes their houses and fields. i loved it , even when i had to stop for air (frequent on this climb). from the top of the village, the ocean appeared through the creek and from here out, the path passes two more villages, goes up and down (mostly down) along the middle of the ridge, and every up point, the ocean appears. but the pretty part are these green hills with the village scattered through them.
After 4:15 hours of as much of nonstop walking as i managed , i reached point del hidalgo on the west coast. i sampled a recovery ice cream and waited for the bus while stretching.
This hike entered my top 10 list.
After 20 minutes of sitting looking at the ocean and letting the sun warm me up, the bus came and 40 minutes later i was back in laguna. now i had to slowly walk the 1.5 k to the hotel with a stop to get a water bottle and a shawarma!!!!!
Now resting at the hotel planning tomorrow's last hike of this trip, i will head north once more, these hills of anga rural park are incredible.
Photos are posted on google+ and face book, cheers from La laguna.
Monday, April 18, 2016
on likes, hikes and cairns
Saturday, April 16, 2016
on the moon, Asparagus and a dog
Friday, April 15, 2016
on Pines, angles and gas masks
Thursday, April 14, 2016
on ravines, lizards and cacti
Yesterday evening, we waited for Amit to join us. He took a bus from the airport and was told to wait in one stop for another bus that never came, (or possibly came as he was devouring something in the nearby café'. Lucky that place had wifi and we got the distress call and sent him a cab.
We all went to dinner at a local bodega which is called the bodega. The chickpeas soup had meat with lots of fat, I just dug out some chick peas and left the fat alone. I tried some local dish, the name escapes me now, it's dough and some meet and beans and all mashed together. it has the texture of refried beans, it was so so. The fish was very good, cherne fish and good potatoes. The bread was good as well. Amit had a fried vegetable plate as he eats nothing that casts a shadow and Moti took some salad with lots of avocado and some local wine.
After this very nice local meal, we headed to a local pizza place\ pub and watched the 2nd half of Barcelona v.s Atletico and watched the surprise 2:0 Atletico much to the delight of the locals.
By 10, I was back at the room, with plans for breakfast at 8. am. Since I did not sleep the night before and struggled to keep myself awake all evening, I crashed…
8:30 am, we were awoken by knocks at the door. Moti says he knocked before, and I recall nothing. Amit said birds were chirping just outside the window ad dawn. I recall nothing.
We had a simple but quality breakfast of eggs, good bread, nice cheeses, fresh squeezed orange juice and pound cake. 30 minutes after we began our walks. We left the hotel and soon left the town after a minor mistake detour and went down a ravine, up the ravine, and down the sloping trails. There are lots of cacti types and flowers here and there, I took photos of many of them. We passed through a 2nd ravine and seeing the local agricultural life , farming by terrace. The day is amazing, blue skies, Blue Ocean, the mountain behind and various volcanic hills all around. The ground is mainly basalt and all the fauna includes a few lizards, birds and 3 hikers. We didn't see any other hiker all day. Agter an hour and a half we stopped in the mirrador restaurant- for views all over the hills and we could see three other canary islands in the distance. After a healthy sandwich of goat cheese and ping goat meat strips, we continues down for another hour or so to the village of aleda blanca, recharged our water supplied, disposed of nuts, fruit and almonds into our mouths and began the climb back up. This part was not super hard, but still arduous, we stopped occasionally for water or air under the guise of taking more photos. As we entered the village, the roads became steeper, the very last one was san Francisco appropriate street and after around 4 walking hours and 6 over all we reached the hotel.
Now I am back on the roof after a reviving shower and a minor feet treatment. The hot tub is cold… so am I am sitting in my robe in the shade. It was enough sun for one day.
We will have dinner in an hour and then catch a show, more on that tomorrow, cWednesday, April 13, 2016
on 18 minutes, sun and hills
Yesterday, left Chicago to a sleepless flight, I was too awake and instead of sleep spent the time with movies, watched the classics – the Danish girl, creed and the intern. We landed before dawn and I had a glimpse of interesting peaks just north of the capital.
I landed and had to get quick to the gate, with 18 minutes per signage after passport control
18 long minutes including descending to the center of the earth, taking a 5 minute train (within the airport) and back up, I had a short connection and made it just in time for boarding, without time to get a drink (long lines). The next leg was a short 2 hours where I dosed on and off and managed to finish the 1st book I brought. "Back from touichi", I have not read this great book in years.
The fun began in Tenerife north airport. A normal person may assume that there would be a currency exchange at the airport. Well there isn't. After 18 hours on the road , and another bus ride ahead, with no sleep, I was not in the mood for no currency exchange.
The information kiosk told me that my bus would be leaving in 5 minutes, 4 minutes after I got my luggage and ran out and indeed no exchange. The bus arrived and I tried to exchange dollars at a poor rate, but no other tourist wanted it, I ran to the bank, they told me they do exchange only if I open an account, I passed on that, the bus does not take a credit card. Finally, the taxi concierge, suggested I buy something at the café in dollars and get change back. Much to the dismay of the counter person, I purchased gum for 50$ and had enough for the bus south, and even managed to get on the bus just before it departed. It took 10 minutes to load and unload and I was running back and forth trying to solve my issue. Finally on board, I could relax and enjoy the strange views of Tenerife, at first impression it is a tropical desert. The northern areas remind me of Caribbean islands, lots of green small scattered houses, massive hills and the south is just as hilly, with lots of low bushes, cacti and other's and those hills seems unfriendly to hikers. Keep on the trail or be thorned…
I reached the south airport and took a cab from there to the hotel. I assumed that if I would rest, I would not be leaving the hotel today. So I collected moti, who was there since the previous evening and we took a cab to los christianos, the start of the beach promenade. Now the day was nice and warm, and the sun was out. We walked along the promenade to caleta, passing about 12 beaches, each of them unique, some sandy, some basalt and most are a mix of the two. Lots of surfers, swimmers, bars, restaurants and many many tourists, this is a happening place, we walked for over 2 hours and covered about 9k, just a short warm up walk to start the trip.
We sampled very good ice cream and treated moti for the traditional booboo, he got a splinter in his finger and we purchased tweezers at the pharmacy. The pharmacist, was very eager to help and to put some iodine on the booboo afterwards.
I took lots of photos, of the various beaches, nearby Gomera Island and the mountains all around.
After this great walk, we took a cab back to the hotel and now after a steaming shower I am here on the roof. Amit should arrive shortly, we plan to try some local food tonight, watch the soccer game and go to sleep early, 11k tomorrow and 450 meters elevation down, then up…
Cheers from top of san Miguel.
on 18 minutes, sun and hills
Yesterday, left Chicago to a sleepless flight, I was too awake and instead of sleep spent the time with movies, watched the classics – the Danish girl, creed and the intern. We landed before dawn and I had a glimpse of interesting peaks just north of the capital.
I landed and had to get quick to the gate, with 18 minutes per signage after passport control
18 long minutes including descending to the center of the earth, taking a 5 minute train (within the airport) and back up, I had a short connection and made it just in time for boarding, without time to get a drink (long lines). The next leg was a short 2 hours where I dosed on and off and managed to finish the 1st book I brought. "Back from touichi", I have not read this great book in years.
The fun began in Tenerife north airport. A normal person may assume that there would be a currency exchange at the airport. Well there isn't. After 18 hours on the road , and another bus ride ahead, with no sleep, I was not in the mood for no currency exchange.
The information kiosk told me that my bus would be leaving in 5 minutes, 4 minutes after I got my luggage and ran out and indeed no exchange. The bus arrived and I tried to exchange dollars at a poor rate, but no other tourist wanted it, I ran to the bank, they told me they do exchange only if I open an account, I passed on that, the bus does not take a credit card. Finally, the taxi concierge, suggested I buy something at the café in dollars and get change back. Much to the dismay of the counter person, I purchased gum for 50$ and had enough for the bus south, and even managed to get on the bus just before it departed. It took 10 minutes to load and unload and I was running back and forth trying to solve my issue. Finally on board, I could relax and enjoy the strange views of Tenerife, at first impression it is a tropical desert. The northern areas remind me of Caribbean islands, lots of green small scattered houses, massive hills and the south is just as hilly, with lots of low bushes, cacti and other's and those hills seems unfriendly to hikers. Keep on the trail or be thorned…
I reached the south airport and took a cab from there to the hotel. I assumed that if I would rest, I would not be leaving the hotel today. So I collected moti, who was there since the previous evening and we took a cab to los christianos, the start of the beach promenade. Now the day was nice and warm, and the sun was out. We walked along the promenade to caleta, passing about 12 beaches, each of them unique, some sandy, some basalt and most are a mix of the two. Lots of surfers, swimmers, bars, restaurants and many many tourists, this is a happening place, we walked for over 2 hours and covered about 9k, just a short warm up walk to start the trip.
We sampled very good ice cream and treated moti for the traditional booboo, he got a splinter in his finger and we purchased tweezers at the pharmacy. The pharmacist, was very eager to help and to put some iodine on the booboo afterwards.
I took lots of photos, of the various beaches, nearby Gomera Island and the mountains all around.
After this great walk, we took a cab back to the hotel and now after a steaming shower I am here on the roof. Amit should arrive shortly, we plan to try some local food tonight, watch the soccer game and go to sleep early, 11k tomorrow and 450 meters elevation down, then up…
Cheers from top of san Miguel.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
on pigs, curry and the wind
I must say I have perfect organizational skills. Woke up on time today, cut red peppers for the road, packed oranges, bread, cheese, chicken breast, my bag and left the house by 7:30. Including a water break and outgoing break I reached Miami whitewater forest just before noon, obtained my packet, got on the bus to the start and was ready to go with 3 minutes to spare. Perfect organization skills.
Hoe perfect? Well I have about an hour + with this lap top, since I forgot the pack a charger… my phone will die soon, I do have a car charger but it's in the car… I packed some extra peppers, but didn't bring a knife, see perfect.
Well the point of this trip is orienteering. There are some places that host championship level competitions. If I want to be us champion, I should go to each of these, the trouble is that they are all over the country, and I am not good enough (minor point). Still, one of these events is in Cincinnati every year. It is called the flying pig. Don't ask me why I don't know yet, I asked the bus driver in the park but she didn't know, I will have to look it up later. I chose the green course, which is competitive, but not extreme, usually. This is a new area for me which always adds an interest. It was cold when I got there and somewhat windy, but not too bad, a few minutes in and I was warm enough. Made a mistake with the 1stcontrols and spent too much time till I found it, I did well on most points, but botched 2-3 more (out of 18) and spent time back tracking a bit. The course on this green level was much harder than the local events I go to. If one point is on some side of the hill, the next points is on the far away side of the next hill range and there is a creek in-between. Lots of up down, more up than down… and creek crossings, those were hard, and I had to find a good spot to pass multiple times to avoid proceeding with wet shoes. Speaking of shoes, I have "quality" shoes from Nam. They were kind of surviving till now, but the left shoe decided it was enough and gave up. The whole half of the sole was no longer glued to the rest of the shoe. This was manageable mostly, but on the down part it kept buckling under, stuff got stuck there and I had to clear it and one branch decided to jam itself all the way in. I somehow made it through the n2d half of the course in this condition. I lost steam around point 14-15. 16 was easy, I could see it almost from the bottom of the hill, but it was at the top… so far away, a bit exhausted I pushed myself to the top, got 16, down to the next creek, with 2 points on the other side and back to the top for the finish…. I compensated myself with a banana and 4 cookies…. Sinned a bit, but I felt I needed some sugar. From the finish, there was still a bit of a walk to the end. At the welcome center I compared my results. And though not final, I finished third my age group!!!! The problem was only three people in my age group on the green, and the 2ndwas about 40 minutes faster!! This is a good level.
I got new fancy orienteering dedicated shoes, with spikes and I think there is a jet stream in the back, will see how I do tomorrow.
I drove a bit to the town of Harrison. In the 2ndhalf of the course, the wind picked up greatly. At one point a branch fell from the tree and was plunged in the ground, straight in, I was close to that, a bit scary. As I arrived at the hotel the wind was intense. I ate some bread and chicken, a couple of oranges and felt normal after a hot shower.
The wind could be heard from the outside and power was partially out. I heard on the radio that 55 MPH winds were recorded today and many homes are out of power. My hotels is semi impacted. I have lights, but the TV is out in all rooms. With an afternoon to spare, I decided to do something I have no time for at home and got a haircut. There is a new chain for me, sports cuts, and the hotel had vouchers for free haircut. Can't say no to that. This offer is for MVP treatment, cut, warm towel with something with pepper mint on it, shampoo and neck and shoulder massage, that was perfect. I could use a full body massage now to recover, but free is free.
Hair less, I decided to visit Cincinnati itself. 20 minutes + and I reached down town. I had not researched this and randomly arrived at fountain square, the main city square, parked and did a tour of down town. I obtained a map in one of the hotels and spent the next hour and a half walking around taking photos of interesting things (not too many of those) and stopped at Huit, which is a very good rice BBQ place. A great random find. Had a bowl of rice, shrimp, and some vegetables in a rich curry sauce. Ate half. The other half will be breakfast tomorrow. The wind was real crazy, I walk in a square. Sometimes it pushed me forward and other times I had to push to move forward.
At one point I saw something of interest. A big cart type transport, where people were connected to paddles. A kind of public tour where you do the work weird public transport device, I didn't take a photo, phone was dying by then.
On the way, I looked up the hollows series. A book of modern day phantasy series that I read most of it and it takes place in Cincinnati, but I couldn't find anything. Too bad. But the main building in the city matches the one in the book, it felt authentic to me a bit.
Drove back to Harrison and now I am TV-less and half of lap top battery left to go
Tomorrow is another morning of orienteering with my fancy shoes and crampy legs followed by 4 hour drive back home, hope it does not rain….
Cheers from Miami white water forest.