Travel Tales 3
China - Bangkok 1/10/1997 to 30/10/1997
In Tangchong we met a lady called Bin, who became a great friend & we're still in touch to this very day.
The street up to the main market was lined with all sorts of stalls, there were - batik work, embroidery, silver trinkets & old coins, etc. the noodle sellers, seem to club together.
We moved on, the next thing we came upon was a dentist!
His surgery was on some waste ground. The drill was operated by foot, on a table was a good collection of replacement teeth, all of which had been donated by other patients! The dentist was busy at work, without the aid of anesthetic! however the patient did not seem in too much pain.
We were given a map of the gorge showing two ferry crossings.
We set off on the trail ,the sun began to warm us, we passed numerous groups of local people going about their daily chores. Arrived at ferry crossing about 11.15hrs. & snaked our way down the mountain side through trees on a small path. Two boatmen were waiting to ferry us across the fast flowing Yangtze.
Our captain had to point the boat upstream to counteract the fast flowing river, however the crossing was very quick & uneventful.
On the far side we rested & watched the boatman return.
We climbed the track towards the village of Daju, many birds and butterflies were seen.
In time we reached a point where we could see below where we crossed the river was massive rapids, with huge rocks, we would have not survived if the ferry boat had broke down!
We continued on route we passed a large cave cut into the hillside, it was fenced with cut bamboo & resembled a bear pit.
The bus to Lijang was filled with eager passengers, mostly Chinese, there were four Europeans.
We bumped our way out of town & climbed steadily for 2hrs., the road/track was very uneven, the driver was very skilled to avoid tipping us all into deep ravines.
The roughness of the trail sometimes lurched us towards 500 foot drops - Caroline found this quite disconcerting. Eventually we started the descent with the road getting increasingly more clogged, it wasn't long before the bus ground to halt, stuck in deep mud. A mechanical digger was parked nearby, its driver sleeping in the cab, he was unconcerned as to our predicament. Our driver tried in vain to get free, until at last the digger driver showed some compassion & tried to start his machine, it had run out of fuel. A good while was spent priming the diggers engine until it spluttered into action. Pulling our bus free was then just a formality.
Mallorca 27/4/1996 to 11/5/1996
We hopped on a local bus for a ride to the city centre, where we planned to catch the small train to Soller in the north of the island. We both enjoyed the journey immensely. To take full advantage of the ride Ian chose to sit on the balcony, at the front of the first carriage which was constructed from tongue & grooved hard wood, adorned with brass fittings, it was like stepping back in time.
The train is powered by electricity fed by overhead wires.
Our journey lasted an hour but the time seemed to pass so quickly.
The track was blocked at one point, we tried to get through but an irate farmer advised us in no uncertain terms not to try, we backtracked to find an alternative route.
We rejoined the track to find we were no longer alone, some walkers were ahead of us.
We made our way to a refuge between two huge rock outcrops known as the “horns”. We rested here awhile & had a quick bite to eat, before we set off to climb up the Mirador Es Cornador.
Turkey 4/6/1995 to 19/6/1995
Down the hill now passing an old Haman (Turkish bath) then up river a little way before crossing the rushing muddy water. Here we were accosted by a group of young lads – some asking for money, with the boys in tow we visited a local street market. Ian bought some fresh cherries, Caroline a banana. We weaved our way through the streets, which were very busy
Saklikent Canyon is the second-largest gorge in Europe, the longest & deepest gorge in Turkey, & one of the deepest canyons in the world.
The walk up the canyon saw us us following the river up stream, we were amazed at how high the canyon was, the water was cold!
We zig zagged from one side of the gorge to the other, we felt we would have coped better if we had our shoes on.
Eventually we reached a point where it would have been very difficult to continue, so we started back.
We passed quite a few people coming the other way.
We had to cross the fast-flowing river once again via the rope.
We sat a while at the entrance to the gorge watching visitors setting off on their walk, some were being led by local children who knew the exact steps to take at a price.
At 4:30pm we caught the slow bus back.
Turkey 4/6/1993 to 14/6/1993
The plan for today was to climb Hasan Dagi' 10,069', the highest volcano in central Anatolia.
During the climb we met two camps of shepherds, they bring their animals to the mountain to let them graze in the summer, we were to meet them again on the way down.
During the descent we once again arrived at the shepherds camp, they made us very welcome.
Pamukkale Hot Springs
Pamukkale hot springs has a blinding white appearance. It’s the water that hasn’t yet solidified that gives off the brightest blue shade as it cascades over the top of the the many pools on the hillside.
Pamukkale is astonishing. there’s no other word for it, the bright blue colour is a stark comparison to the rest of the green landscape.
The ascent of Hasan Dagi'
We climbed the south east col.
crossing more snow fields, a stream of melt water was issuing below, we tried a little it was crystal clear, so we tried a little it tasted sweet as a nut.
We eventually arrived at the start of the final ascent, it looked forbidding very high & very steep.
The last 300-400' was to prove very tiring indeed, because of the altitude we needed to stop frequently to rest, the climb seemed endless, legs a bit wobbly we reached the top at 12:30pm. some seven hours after setting off.
We were able to site a letterbox here - woud it ever be visited!
Views were fantastic!
Morocco 27/9/1992 to 11/10/1992
As we made our way through the village, we met a Berber who kindly offered us some tea. We followed him through the narrow streets.
We eventually arrived at the gent's house & was invited in to meet his wife & six children. Our host arrived carrying a gas bottle & a kettle, he also brought a nice warm blanket to sit on. In a short while the water had boiled & in came a silver tray with a teapot, he put handful of dried mint in the teapot & poured on the boiling water, he then added a large lump of sugar, the tea was almost ready! A half a glass of tea was poured quickly & it was discarded, next he put a handful of fresh mint in the pot & brewed it over the stove then he poured a glass & poured it back into the teapot, this was done three or four times. Eventually the tea was ready to drink. We sipped the tea eagerly. He also offered to cook eggs for us accompanied with bread, very nice, Caroline gave it a mis.
Arrived Asni at 10:00 am., had a coffee & some cheese in the company of a fare few the local flies!
In time we journeyed on, our mode of transport next was in the back of a cattle truck.
Eventually the 17km. ride was over, arriving at our destination at 1:30pm. with sore asses!
Big day today, the accent of Toubkal, 4,167m (13,671ft), it’s the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains
Caroline was still feeling crook so elected to stay back.
I was the first to leave for the climb.
I made my way up a worn path which ended crossing a steep scree slope. About 300m below I spotted three people setting off with a guide. I seemed to have taken the wrong path, which saw me struggling making my way up slippery loose scree. By this time the three walkers were gaining on me! Eventually I managed to intersect the track they were on & stayed in front all the way to the top. The climb however, was very challenging & exhausting. I reached the summit at 9am. alone & it was to stay that way the entire time I was there.
The views were a little hazy but nevertheless the all-round panoramic view was magnificent. To the south was the Sahara Desert & to the north the lowlands of Morocco.
Spain Nevada 8/6/1989 to 22/6/1989
We continued the climb coming to rest at a small shelter where we had lunch, we left our packs here before the ascent of Valeta.
The climb started by negotiating huge snow drifts, at the summit we never saw a soul but the views were fantastic. We spent a couple of hours on top before our descent to the shelter & our packs. We decided to spend the night in the shelter which turned out to be an abandoned ski lift station.
The day was still very warm so we were able to sit out for a while.
Ian didn't feel too good, perhaps a combination of the heat, the height & the tin of meat balls in sauce with vegetables we had for dinner.
After our meal we made up our beds, Ian sat out a while whilst Caroline amused herself with some needlework. From our vantage point we were able to see the lights of Granada & Sol ne ieuf. Heads down at 9:30pm the night was a bit restless!
We put aside the decision to climb Spain's highest mountain (Mulhacén) from a westerly direction, we chose the south side. We scanned the area for another refuge to leave our packs for the ascent, but no luck.
With packs on we set off passing a multitude of alpine flowers in bloom, some however were not yet open due to a layer of snow.
We found a shaded spot for lunch at 1:10pm., after we started the ascent proper. A hard long slog followed which didn’t appear to affect Ian too much - ever the mountain goat! Eventually we summited, here we met an English couple & struck up conversation during which they offered us a lift back to where they were staying - Capileira. The road back was hair raising, along narrow winding roads.
El Chorro gorge was famous for a scary walkway called Caminito del Rey (King's Pathway) which hangs 100m above the base of the gorge. The path provided access to a hydro-electric plant. Official access to the path was removed in 2000 on grounds of safety.
To reach the walkway we had to climb. The walkway itself was about a metre wide, one side of which sported a 100 metre sheer drop. Gingerly we made our way along it, we had gone a good way before the path was starting to crumble, a little further on & the track had completely disintegrated. In order to pass this point a rope was needed in order to attach oneself to a steel rope secured to the rock face, we continued knees trembling. In time we reluctantly had to retreat, the other couple had long since started back!
We returned to where the car was parked & drove to the nearest village for a beer & a bite to eat.