Britta Came to Visit!

My lovely sister Britta came to visit me here in Nepal. We have been moving all over the country and meeting lots of old friends and some new people (all new to Britta). First we went rafting on the Kali Gandaki River. I had rafted it before but this time I got to kayak, with good results. With lower water levels we were able to run "Big Brother", a class 4 with an undercut at higher water, which we had to portage last time. Two days after that the timing worked out for us to paddle the Marsyangdi which is right next to Besisahar and an awesome river with lots of class 3+ and one class 4+. Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of the river trip. You can trust that both rivers were a fantastic time. 

Off the river we went trekking on the beginning of the Annapurna circuit, and there I had my camera out, so I will let the pictures do the talking. 

It snowed on us one night, and we woke up to this view from our room in the morning. 

Some Himalayan mountain ponies at 3,630 meters high.

The village of Lower Pisang in the late morning light.

Another mountain born beauty.

We needed to put our legs up after our first day. Roughly 15 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain. 

Britta struggling up the trail on one of the steepest parts of the trail. 

A very cool slot canyon. It was hard to get a good angle but 

the crevice extended all the way up. 

Getting Salty in The South China Sea

I have spent more time in salt water in the last few weeks than I have ... maybe ever.

For 5 days 124 12 and 13 year olds descended on Juara Bay, and turned the sleepy little beach into a zoo. No pictures of the kids but a couple from the staff and plenty from the ocean.

Not sure what kind of fish that is, but if someone wants too look it up that would be cool.

Gary Goldfinger do not grab that puffer fish. He won't be cute anymore.

Bringing the sit on top kayaks back turned into a surfing session. After worrying about my skull I decided to get my go pro and get some footage.

Near the end of a sweet afternoon paddle to another village on Tioman. There is epic rock climbing there and the other went for a hike, I opted for a 3 hour snorkel with no shirt on. My back and particularly the top half of my backside (newly exposed due to lost weight), are still feeling the effects. 

Ben has his rare serious face on, because recurring clutch problems are preventing a cash grabbing trip across the island. 

With reefs like these, no wonder I decided to expose my skinny white backside to the sun for so long. Next time I'll remember some sort of belt.

Now I'm at an Outback Steakhouse in Singapore. It took me an hour and a half to find a place with beer that would let me plug in my I pod. I am completely lost in a vast complex of seemingly unending malls and posh hotels. Wish me luck.

My Short Term Gig in Malaysia

In November, while at the Himalayan Whitewater Festival, I met a man who owns an outdoor school in Malaysia, on Tioman Island, the site of a sea turtle preserve and conservation effort. After a short chat he told me that he would "hire me in a second," and that he had a big group coming in March, and that I should come work. Long story short, here I am. To paint a picture in your mind of the place, close your eyes and picture a tropical island paradise. Got it? That's where I am. 

There is surely more to come but here are a couple pictures just to set the stage. 

My hut for now is on the far right.

The view the other way down the beach from the same spot.

In 3 days time 135 students from the German European School in Singapore will descend on Juara Bay, where the camp is, but for now the instructors have the place for themselves.

Classes, Kayaking, and Rain

Things have been pretty slow around camp. I have settled in and am now teaching 5 guys for 1-2 hours per day, on days that there are no trips. They learn fast and it is a little hard for me to fill the whole time but I am working on a plan for a longer project. So far we have just worked on a few common, but distracting, grammar mistakes they make. 

The kayaking has slowed the last few days because it has been cold and rainy. We'll be back on the water soon though. Hopefully tomorrow. 

This is me and Sushan working on his "welcome to camp speech" he has the most basic English now but is very enthusiastic and picks up vocab quickly. 

Birthday fun

Kristen and Sapana joined me for my birthday at raft camp, along wish Jay Gresiedick and we had an awesome raft trip. The highlight was the last rapid, jay guided it but I stayed in. 

I'll post the video on Facebook. Enjoy!

At Rafting Camp

I have not posted for a while now. Mostly because I haven't had internet access. I've started lessons with Akaash and Sushan. Akaash has good English and we are working on making his safety speech smoother. Sushan is just starting with the company and his English is about like my Nepali. This is exciting because we spend a lot of time together and for us to communicate one of us has to learn something. My kayaking is also improving rapidly. I made it through "Upset" without turning over, a heavy class 4 rapid that has given me many problems before. Mostly, I just feel more confident in my boat than ever before. 

I know I promised more pictures, but for now here is a sunset from camp. Coming soon birthday party photos.

Ohh and Thomas Christian Gentry took this picture using my go pro. Thank you Thomas and thank you dad for my birthday present.

Morning Bike Ride and An Anchorman Reference

As a result of my jet lag I woke up at 6 AM this morning and rather than pestering Kristen I took a bike ride and looked at the river. 

A hazy morning in Besishahar.

A sort of sad and strange welcome to Nepal moment happened. As I rounded a corner cruising along enjoying the cool morning breeze, I spotted a man carrying something. As I got closer it became clear that it was medium sized dead white dog dangling by a rear leg. Just before I passed him he neared the steep edge of the road and gave it a toss. As it twirled in the air, it made me think of a tale involving Jack Black, a burrito, and a dog named Baxter.