First stop - Saffranbolu
So, we rented a tiny Peugot from a rental place in Istanbul and cruised out of the city on April 21 around 2:00 pm....not bad with a city of 14 million (Nate, was that fun?) Our first stop in Saffranbolu, a small town known for its excellent restoration of Ottoman houses. We stayed in a great little old Ottoman house/pension and the first morning we were walking around, getting our fix of the local saffron Turkish delight and checking out some of the shops when we ran into two brothers, Mehmet and Ahmet. Well, we were invited to Mehmet and his wife, Semra's house for dinner. What a fun night of eating, laughing and Nate vs. Mehmet in FIFA soccer video games. The red scarf I'm wearing in the picture was actually given to me. It was part of Semra's dowry and I tried to refuse, but no use; there just can't be enough words to be said about the hospitality in Turkey.

Second stop - Amasra
We wanted to see the Black Sea so we drove from Saffranbolu to the small coast town of Amasra. The highlight was eating some mullet and enjoying the beautiful views from breakfast. Speaking of, we are currently trying to wean ourselves off the massive Turkish breakfast...

Third stop - Amasya
Some old Pontic kings decided they wanted to be buried above this old Ottoman city, so they made holes in the side of the mountain and now 5 of them are happily resting above the rest of the town. Beautiful place to wonder around the back alleys, along the brown river-side and enjoy a load of tea.

Fourth stop - Cappadocia (Goreme)
My dear friend, Ana Rosa, and her husband Jose Antonio gave us two nights at a pension in Cappadocia as our wedding gift....I don't think I've ever stayed somewhere like this before. Kelebek Pension is an amazing oasis set amongst the fairy chimneys of the unique (and Utah-esque) landscape in Cappadocia. Nate and I spent hours on the terrace drinking tea, coffee, wine, eating breakfast, reading, writing all while looking out at the impressive landscape. The highlight was staying at Kelebek and taking runs and walks through the many valleys that surround the area. It is something like a mix between Bryce Canyon and Canyonlands (Needles area), but imagine old societies and civilizations making these houses in the landscape and painting beautiful frescoes in the caves. It is truly amazing and one of the highlights of our trip. We were originally supposed to stay 2 nights, but ended up with 6 because we loved it so much. Thanks, Covarias!

Fifth stop - Sirince
A small village in the hills set amongst olive trees and orchards, we spent a few days here meandering through the cobblestone streets and taking it easy. We stayed at a small pension where we had too many cups of tea every morning along with the huge spread of cheese, olives, bread, tomatoes and cucumbers that made up our breakfast. It was also a great spot to day-trip into the old ruins of Efes (Ephesus), an old Greek/Roman city dating back almost 2,000 years. Think Rome, but this site has not had to compete with a huge city; its true vast expanse is completely incredible, especially the old library.

Sixth stop - Alacati
Old cobblestone streets lined with beautiful stone houses. Alacati used to be a Greek settlement back in the day and has now been amazingly preserved and has some amazing restaurants and cafes where you can easily while the day away. It was the perfect place to relax before heading back to Istanbul.

Road Trip around Turkey remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

- Turkish Cay (pronounced like chai in India)...they even have vendors who sell it at the parks. What a nice way to spend a spring day.
- Turkish kaveci (Turkish coffee)
- Kebaps (chicken, meatballs, beef)
- Baklava
- Pide Doner (meat sandwich, think gyro minus the sauce)
- Cheese, glorious cheese!! (from feta to cheddar to salty mozzarela)
- Olives
- Sweets (from rice pudding to keskul, which is a yummy white mush of sweetness)
- Ayran (yogurt drink)
- Stuffed veggies
- Simit (bagels sold by street vendors)
- Fresh fish (from sandwiches to squid to sole)
- Dried fruits and nuts
- Stawberries!! Everywhere...
- Turkish delight - our new favorite we found in a small village that has saffron flavored T.D.

I could go on and on, but it`s about time for another cup of tea about now...

Turkish Delights remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

We are now on a tour of Turkey with our little Peugot rental, but we spent about 10 days in Istanbul and loved every second of it. From walks through the city to exploring the wonderful markets to the sights (Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia) to dinners with new friends to beers on the Galata Bridge (cheers to Ana Rosa) to a Turkish bath....it is really hard to sum up, but after a couple months of being completely dirt bag, we found Istanbul to be a welcome contrast (staying with friends, hot showers, some new clothes - out with the hiking pants!!) to the last couple months. The best part of the city, though for us, was sitting down at the parks for picnics of cheese, bread and fresh strawberriıes and watching the world go by. It is such an interesting place to visit and the tag line `Where East Meets West´ is totally true and fascinating. And, I think the only other place that could rival in hospitality could be Japan. The Turks are truly wonderful and willing to help in any case. In fact last night we were invited to a total strangers´ house in a small town of Safranbolu to have dinner with him and his wife. Here are a few pictures to sum up the wonderful 10 days we had in Istanbul. We are excited that we get to go back for a few days before heading home to Colorado on May 16. And, after a very fun experience with a Turkish doctor, I also got a clean bill of health....here we come Baklava.

Istanbul remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

We're in Istanbul now, finally recovered from our trek (rest-wise and health-wise), and ready to write about our experience. There are a ton of pics that follow the text, so we hope you enjoy them (and watch Seven Years in Tibet if you're wondering about Erin's "Himalayas" accent)!

We arrived in Kathmandu after a good final week in India, and immediately set to preparing for our trek. We had researched the different treks in the country for some time, and the Annapurna Circuit was to be the one for a variety of reasons. For starters, it isn't an out-and-back (nice for those of us who are perpetually retracing our steps on the trail). Second, road building is drastically changing the face of the region, such that now is definitely the time to go before many of the medieval villages start to grow and develop.

The first question in our planning was whether or not to do the trek on our own; there are a myriad of trekking companies in Kathmandu, all telling you that it's "dangerous, difficult," and that "you'll get lost in the jungle." We were fortunate enough to stumble upon a slide show presentation on the trek by a British guy, who assured us that route-finding would not be a problem. Still, we weren't totally convinced. When an outfitter from whom we bought some gear told us that it's "the yellow brick road," we made up our minds - grab our packs and go. To combat the cold we bought some down pants (and gloves and mittens - think the Michelin Tire man and you'll know exactly what we looked like).

We had met a nice couple, Bryson and Megan, at the slide show (who, incidentally, are also moving back to CO), and
after a few meals and drinks decided to make it a group of four. Down jackets packed and bus tickets purchased, we were on our way. After a five-hour bus ride and then an hour-long jeep ride where Bryson and I were thrown onto the roof with about eight other Nepalis, we finally made it to the trailhead. It was around six in the evening, so we decided to spend the night in the village (Bhule Bhule) and leave the following morning.

There are a variety of ways to do treks in Nepal, but we decided to hike village-to-village and stay in small lodges and tea houses. Our reasoning was pretty simple: no tent, food, or cooking food to carry! We also hoped to meet and interact with more locals, if only by virtue of that fact that we would be staying with them along the way. This plan would have us passing several villages each day, stopping for lunch when a good looking spot presented itself. 28-days was the original estimate (we planned to do both the circuit and the Annapurna Sanctuary back-to-back), which meant starting at 2600 feet, slowly climbing up a major valley to a maximum elevation of 17,700 feet over the course of twelve days or so, climbing 3000 feet and then descending 5000 on the actual day of the pass, and then slowly working down another valley to approximately our starting elevation.

We could give descriptions of each village, but instead we'll just give some of the highlights and lasting impressions:

RELIGION:
From the lower elevations to the higher elevations, it was interesting to watch predominately Hinduism give way to Buddhism. Some of the pictures below show some of the Buddhist practices such as: Prayer wheels (to be turned in a clockwise direction), the script 'Om Mani Padmi Om' - 'Hail the Jewel in the Lotus' written over and over (also written on the prayer flags), and animism (the picture of the horns).

MOUNTAINS:
For the first few days, the valley we were walking up was quite narrow. As a result, we didn't get into the mega mountain views until 3-4 days in, when the valley opened up. The most magical part of the trip was when we got a foot of snow one night and woke up to trees, houses, swing bridges, horses, dogs, all blanketed in white. The day after this was great because it was like snowshoeing, only without snowshoes (hence, the hilarious gaiters we're wearing!). From that point the valley opened up and we had gained enough elevation to really start seeing the giants of the Annapurna Himal. We felt like we could literally touch the mountains from the terraces of the little lodges along the way, and at the same time felt smaller-than-small next to them. The most impressive mountain was Annapurna II (elevation: 26,040 ft) as its ridge lines and glaciers were unlike anything we'd seen before...plus, can you imagine how tall that is??? The feeling can best be described as follows:

"It is said that all human activities seem futile and insignificant against the backdrop of the mighty Himalayas." M.K. Limbu

ELEVATION:
We decided to carry our own packs on the trail (budget style!!), but come day 11 when we climbed from 13,000 ft to 14,000 ft we were dragging ourselves and decided if we both wanted to avoid Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) and actually enjoy hiking Thorung La Pass, we should find a porter. So, we got one for two days, but couldn't convince him to hike down the pass with us (knee breaker!!); however, it was such a great decision because we climbed the pass without getting sick (only cold).

VILLAGES AND PEOPLE:
Unlike most hikes, on which we're trying to get away from all civilization, this trail is like a highway through people's lives - as the main trade and commerce route in the mountain country, it literally is the vein that connects the entire area. Along the way we saw donkey-trains, porters carrying everything from food to metal roofing and steel pipes, yaks, children going to school, drunk old men, and lovely villages. The villages themselves range from a purpose-built cluster of trekking lodges (not as interesting), to large groupings of medieval homes that are literally clutching the mountain side. It's an odd feeling to walk along the trail and see the latter of the two, because in a very cliche way it is as if you are walking back in time, seeing places that are essentially unchanged since the stones were first stacked to build the houses and the terraces were first cut into the side of the hills.

Because there were so few trekkers this season, we were often the only group staying at the lodge. On one particular occasion we found ourselves in an incredibly rugged and old mountain village, staring across the valley at the monstrous mountains in all of their glory. It was very cold that morning, and rather than waste wood to heat the eating area we asked if we could join the family in the kitchen. Wood is the primary source of fuel for those who live outside of the population centers in Nepal (which has led to an extremely high rate of deforestation), so we joined around the stove and warmed our hands while the family prepared our breakfast. That they were generous enough to let us sit there was a true highlight, in that we could both interact with them and experience such kind, generous hospitality from those who really don't have much.

FOOD:
If you like Dal Bhat (boiled lentils over rice with a small serving of curry and pickled vegetables), then you will love Nepal. Nate dared to go the Dal Bhat route much more than me. I tended to try varieties of potatoes (boiled, fried, chopped and mashed) and eggs (boiled, fried, omelet) wanting something more, but always wishing I had gone with the staple. Vegetables and fruit are lacking. But, somehow we always found enough energy (thank you Mars bars!) to hike and then sit down with a nice cup of black tea/milk tea.

LODGING:
I think we set the record for days without hot showers on this trek (total of 15 days). We got two, I think....but most times we either used baby wipes or showered in cold/luke warm water. Again, the deforestation thing is partially fueled by trekkers wanting hot showers; however, they are making efforts to supply lodges with solar heaters. As for the beds, they are fairly simple - wooden beds with a foam mattress. We really got to loving our sleeping bags on this one!!

WATER:
Iodine, anyone? It tastes great!! And, if you're lucky, you may end up with Giardia (rotten eggs, anyone??)

We could go on and on (oh, wait! we already have...), but we hope the pictures will tell a better story than what we've written. Even though we didn't do the addition with the Annapurna Sanctuary, we felt completely lucky and amazed that we were able to do this trek. We're already talking about when to go back to Nepal.

Nepal remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Hey everyone! We arrived in Kathmandu a couple of days ago, and now are getting ready to head out on a 28-day trek on the Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary. The trek will have us staying at small lodges and tea houses in the equally tiny villages of Western Nepal. The scenery looks to be amazing and the people apparently are wonderful, so it should be an incredible experience and the perfect way to mesh culture with our favorite activity. We won't have much in the way of internet access for quite a while, but those of you who are interested in more info should check out the following site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapurna

Love you all!

We're in Nepal remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

An out-of-date blog, but one that we couldn't miss...
One of the most efficient things in India is its rail system. We took a sleeper train down south from Rajasthan (14-hour train!) and were seated with a nice family. We were able to easily talk to them without the craziness of the streets and normal noises of daily life in India. It was very comfortable with bunks, sanitized sheets, blankets and pillows. The best part was witnessing the food and drink that are available at each stop. You can buy chai or fried goodies from any number of vendors outside and inside the train. One of the memories that sticks is seeing the chai man running alongside the train (trying not to spill the tea) to get the last order in, and the customer sticking the 5 rupees out the window to claim his/her hot drink. Or, the customers who had gotten off briefly to satisfy their hunger urges and seeing the train slowly take off, running with their newspaper-wrapped goodies to hop back on the train before it picked up too much speed to leave them in the dust.

Inside the train was fairly clean and neat, but after looking at the tracks before getting on, we knew what kind of bathroom conditions there would be. No toilet paper (normal) and waste being deposited directly on the tracks; in fact a hole straight down.

But, like any train ride, it was interesting (sometimes good and sometimes sad) to watch life go by: one moment you could see beautiful rice fields and the next you would see little boys taking their shower in the local swimming hole (or open sewage).

Riding the Indian Railway remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

One of the highlights of Kerala (Southern India) are the channels, side rivers and waterways that make up the Backwaters. The "best way" (or Lonely Planet says) to see this part of the country is by getting a houseboat and moving along the water, equipped with a bedroom, chef and captain. So, Nate and I decided we would go for it and after checking out the boat before booking, we drifted off around 2:00 pm with an 8:00 am return the next day. The cruise was wonderful and what we have come to expect after being in India for a month now - bits of beauty mixed in with realities of India - garbage, sewage, floating water bottles, etc. But, the fun part was cruising by the villages on the canals, where kids were waving, riding bikes and blowing kisses, and young guys were secretly drinking Kingfisher bee. The highlight was our chef, who created some amazing dishes: red banana fritters, chickpea curry, tomato curry, and idli (steamed rice cakes). Besides seeing the reality of garbage in these backwaters mixed in with the beauty of the foliage, there was a more selfish low light of the trip - it seemed that whoever put the fan together, put the blades backwards. So, as Nate and I crawled into a not-so-well designed mosquito net (by that, I mean the net was laying on our faces and hardly tucked into the sides - can you say claustrophobic??) to find out that actually no air was moving in or out of the boat at all, even though Nate could have jumped into the water from his open window. So, with about 95 degrees F and 90% humidity, we had a hilarious/horrible night's sleep. Our creative way to cool down was to grab our cold water bottles and try to find the most strategic place on our bodies to maximize coolness. Nate ended up squeezing the water bottle under his chin the whole night; not sure how his throat was not sore after this. I think the tummy was a good place for my water bottle, but the whole night was pretty funny.

The next morning was peaceful, and the small lake where we anchored for the night slowly came to life with fishermen in their boats. We had at least 3 cups of masala chai to get the cobwebs out from the night before...thank goodness for chai! It was great to watch the surroundings come alive while sitting just above the surface of the water.

One of the most interesting/annoying parts was the argument that we overheard after sunset. There was another houseboat anchoring in the same lagoon and supposedly (according to our man, Manosh) they had been trolling after sunset, which is against the law (but not so well enforced). Well, the houseboat had ripped a fisherman's net and the fisherman had gone to the houseboat to collect for a new net; you can imagine what happened after this....I think they were arguing for 2 hours about paying for the net. And, Manosh told us that this was because we had gone with the government boat (ours) and not the private boat (the one who broke the net). Interesting.

Kerala Backwater Cruise remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Yoga for Beginners remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

We just spent a week at an ashram in southern India. One of the rules for staying is that you adhere to their guidelines and practices when you check-in. You sign a waiver that you'll maintain the atmosphere of the ashram by eating no meat, fish, or eggs, not drinking alcohol, not taking perscription drugs, or smoking.

This particular ashram had the following schedule that we followed every day exept for Fridays, which were days off (but with mandatory satsung attendance in the morning and evening):
5:20 am - wake up bell
6:00 am - satsang (group meditation, chanting and talk/message)
7:30 am - tea
8:00 am - hatha yoga class (including pranayama/breathing exercises)
10:00 am - brunch (vegetarian, silent meal)
11:00 am - karma yoga (selfless service/cleaning the ashram)
12:30 pm - coaching (optional, if you want help with certain poses)
1:30 pm - tea
2:00 pm - lecture
4:00 pm - hatha yoga class
6:00 pm - dinner (silence)
8:00 pm - satsang (group meditation, chanting and talk/message)
10:00 pm - lights out

It was a great experience for us. The best part was having two hours of yoga twice a day (4 hrs/day). In a week, we could definitely feel our bodis changing and feeling better and better (getting the kinks out from our tramping in NZ). And, since we are in 90 degree weather + loads of humidity, it was easy to warm up, but easier to sweat tons.

As you can guess, the popularity of visiting ashrams has increased and hence the number of Westerners are quite high. We met two great couples, but we also ran into other travelers who were merely there to have cheap acommodation, cheap food and meet others along the way; not necessarily wanting to have a spiritual expereience, per se. So, one of the frustrating pieces was when people would talk at meal times (even though the rule was to eat in silence). Even when staff members asked people to keep silent, they would gossip for the entire meal. Meals, on the other hand, were quite tasty - all vegetarian, but low in sodium and very healthy. We ate with our right hands, seated on the floor. The meditation piece (15-30 min x2/day) was hard, but also interesting. I think we got better, but it was a peaceful way to start and end our days.

Besides enjoying the asana yoga (physical yoga) classes, we had fun with the karma yoga as well (one hour/day). Nate got to scrape paint on the ashram wall and I got to sweep the main hall. For me, it was great to do this becuase I got some instruction from the Indian ladies, who would gracefully sweep with their home-made brooms in their beautiful saris. Being a little taller than them, I was bending over, sweating bullets so ungracefully, that I'm sure they were just laughing to themselves.

We had originally planned to stay for one week, but this ashram's worship practices and chanting were not quite in alignment with our beliefs. We're now enjoying a few beers, meat and sweets in a close-by beach town called Varkala. =) And, getting in some yoga, too, but not for 4 hours/day.

Yoga Retreat/Ashram Stay remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

From lassis (cold, refreshing yogurt drinks) to fruit to curries to chapathi to seafood to payasam, India has so many fanciful delights to offer. I think instead of getting the Delhi belly, we'll be getting the Indian belly from stuffing ourselves....can anyone say Freshman 15 part deux??

It's hard to explain and describe all of them in this one writing, so I'll try to give some highlights:
- Saffron lassi with pomegranate seeds
- Warm jalebi (like a thin donut)
- Fresh prawns and butter fish (from down south)
- Pasayam - close to rice pudding, but with vermecelli noodles, cashews, dates and milk, served warm
- Masala dosa - think pancake-like bread sometimes stuffed with vegetables and dipped in masala curry (Nate's favorite breakfast dish)
-Fresh Juices - just avoid the dark carrot juice...it will curl your toes it's so intense!
-Curries, Curries, Curries - totally different depending on the region
-Barfi - one of the many bite-sized sweets that you always have room for
-Streetside chai
-goat's meat - sounds weird, we know, but it's actually quite good

Eating Delights remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Addition to the fishing post remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

We're in India now, and the contrast to New Zealand is striking to say the least. The food is amazing (and amazingly cheap if you're not afraid to mix in with the locals), the smells are both enticing and at times putrid, the people are wonderful when you are not a commodity in their eyes and understandably annoying when you are, and the sights can inspire great wonder (we went to the Taj Mahal the other day - breathtaking) and compassion within a matter of seconds.

After spending a few days in New Delhi we set out on a short tour of Rajasthan, which included stops in Agra (site of the Taj), Jaipur (nicknamed the pink city), Pushkar (place of pilgrimage for many Hindus), Jodhpur (the blue city), Ranakpur, and now Udaipur (the self-proclaimed Venice of the East). We've been stuffing our faces with the amazing curries, sweets, juices, etc. that abound, while trying to adjust to the differences in culture, climate, pace and cleanliness.

There will be many adventures to come and more stories to tell, but for now we are enjoying ourselves and happy to be in this enriching place.

We hope you are all doing well!
P.S. The jumping at the Taj is dedicated to Michael Clara and Lisa Chiang =)

We're in India remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Day #3 ended up being our last day since the weather forecast called for rains and wind, meaning that our river crossing to get out of the hike may prevent us from getting on our plane to India. So, we had an unexpected Jet Boat ride out on the Wilkin River - like a roller coaster ride, but with glaciers and mountains everywhere!!

It was also a last mission as well for Nate's La Sportiva boots. They have officially been retired to the NZ cemetery. He will miss them greatly

More important, it was a great way to cap off our time with Cory and Camella - we will miss them so much. Thank you Cory, Camella and Bonnie for all your hospitality - we can't wait to see you in CO sometime soon

The Last NZ Mission remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

To cut to the chase, the fishing is amazing. Not in the sense of high numbers, nor can you run up a day of huge fish like you easily can in Alaska. Make no mistake - the fish are certainly big. The average fish in the rivers that I was lucky enough to cast a line ran about three pounds (22 inches or so), with a big fish being five to six. There are huge fish swimming around out there and I hooked one or two that would probably have been seven or eight pounds, but you don't see them as often. The famous rivers hold a handful of 20-pounders, but those obviously are fish of mythic proportions and didn't get that big by haphazardly eating a dry fly.

What makes the fishing so amazing, in my opinion, is that you are literally hunting for the fish. Many of the Kiwis won't blind cast over even the best looking water, so the result is that you stalk your prey and can see the entire the entire process unravel before your eyes. Imagine seeing a six-pound rainbow feeding in a river, slowly approaching as quietly as possible, picking the fly that you think will get down into his feeing lie, and then praying that your cast lands in a spot that won't spook him and might even put the fly in front of his face. It can be both amazing and agonizing, because more often than not the fish gives you the fin and darts away to deeper water or better cover.

The spookiness is interesting, in that the fish don't really have natural predators. The birds generally aren't big enough to eat them, and there also aren't water-loving mammals to chow on the little guys. I think it mostly comes from a combination of gin-clear water and a low fish count; there is typically only one or two fish in a given hole, which makes them the literal kings of their space. Anything foreign that comes in better be perfect.

Fly selection didn't seem to matter much, assuming that I made a cast that didn't spook them. Pheasant tails in a variety of sizes worked fine, although I did catch fish in dry flies, streamers, and even some large stonefly nymphs. Presentation was the key, and the size of the fly was largely determined by the depth of the water in which the fish was holding.

So now to an actual fish story, and it's about the greatest fish I ever caught - ever. It wasn't the biggest I've caught or even the largest fish that I hooked down here (though not too shabby at 25" and about six pounds), but it was the single most awesome battle that I've ever had with a trout.

Erin and I had finished a five-day backpacking trip the day before, and my heels had huge blisters on them from hiking in soaking wet socks (it has poured the third day of our trek). I had caught a nice rainbow just below the car park when we were waiting for our shuttle after the hike, and the following day I decided to try my luck again. The bank just looked too good, and it was only a 15-minute drive away from our lodge, after all.

Because of the blisters and the fact that I was pretty much wiped out from the hike - meaning that my brain was not fully functioning - it wore bright swim trunks and flip-flops to the river. Every other shoe and sandal just hurt too much!

I walked down to the same spot that I had fished the night before, which was a 10-foot high cut bank on the deep side of the river. To avoid spooking anything (remember the ugly swim trunks), stayed out of visual range of the river until I got down to the end of the run. From there, the plan was to slowly work up the bank, scanning the water as I went for any sign of movement. The bank itself was sporadically lined with chest-high bushes, so at times I was forced to get in the prickly bastards to see the river.

When I had just about gotten up the the riffly part of the run and given up hope of finding anything, I stuck my head out through the thickest part of the bushes and saw a daddy of a fish finning just below me. Game on! Now how to actually get a cast in front of him. There were far too many bushes around to get a cast at him from up on the bank, although I definitely searched for about fifteen minutes to find a suitable gap, which meant that I was going to have to get down to the water. The bank was far to high and steep for me to get down close to casting range, so I ended up walked down about 100 yards to an easy spot to reach water level.

From there I started to slowly creep up the bank. The rocks at the water's edge were extremely unstable, such that my first few steps sends miniature rock slides hammering into the water. This would not do if I actually wanted to get within a mile of the fish without spooking it. With not other option at had - and me cursing my flip-flops about ever second step - I walked/crawled my way up the bank, testing every rock that would be my foothold to make sure it wouldn't slide. Twenty minutes later I was finally up to the spot, breathing hard and sweating. And this is supposed to be a leisurely sport!

I took a minute to calm my nerves and zero in on the exactly holding spot of the big fellow, but the glare was strong enough that I couldn't actually see him in the water. After a few minutes he took something off of the surface, which to me was the green light to tie on a large dry fly and go for it. My first cast was pretty much rubbish (the nerves get me every time!), but the second looked good and he took the fly without hesitation.

If I had been cursing my flip flops before, now I was praying that they would stay on my feet. As soon as I hooked the fish, he took off downstream and put me fifty or so feet into my backing on the first run. I awkwardly ran downriver after him, trying not to fall on my face as I went. Finally I gained line on him and got to a roughly perpendicular position, and hoped that the worst was over). At that moment he ran directly across the river and then up to the very head of the riffle, taking all of my line again and about 100 feet of backing. At this point the only way to salvage the fish (and my pride, more than anything), was to cross the river and go after him.

The water was deeper than I expected, and on my way across I found myself almost chest deep struggling to keep my flip-flops from washing downstream. They were only about half on when I reached the far bank and the fish started thrashing in the shallow water, so I ended up throwing them up on the shore and continuing barefoot - mostly hoping that the majority of the fight was over.

I started to reel in the backing but couldn't pick up line fast enough, so I started stripping line as fast as possible while moving up to the fish as quickly as I could. Finally I got within about twenty feet of the fish, and by then he had calmed down to the point that i though the fight was essentially over.

I slowly edged the fish over, almost grabbing my leader to seal the deal. So here I was, shoeless, with about two hundred feet of line trailing behind me in the river . The fish decided to make another massive run, which instantly had me back into my backing and running painfully over the rocks. My line and backing got impossibly hung up in the rocks and gravel that I had just come up, to the point that I was close to breaking off the fish if I didn't give him any more line.

I had been getting my butt kicked for the previous two weeks and did not want to lose him, and so I found myself trying to bite through the backing in order to follow him down river. So now you have a shoeless fisherman in bight swim trunks looking like an epileptic while deperately trying to cut his line on purpose. Ridiculous! Finally I freed up my nippers and cut the backing, at the moment when my rod tip was literally in the water and I had nothing more to give.

I then gave chase along the grassy part of the back, pricking my feet with the weeds that grow in the grass. Damn my flip-flops and blisters! He took me about yards down to the next hole, where after about five minutes or so I was able to subdue him enough to land him.

It was a beautiful 25" male rainbow, with an awesome hooked lower jaw and serious shoulders on him. I released him almost one hour after the initial hook-up, elated but completely exhausted. It was, without any modicum of a doubt, the most incredible fish I ever hooked.

Fishing In New Zealand remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Camping with a backpacking stove makes one be creative in how to get enough protein in. Since the settings on the stove are basically boil, boil and boil, you have to avoid any meat unless you want to be scraping off the pot for the next weeks. So, Nate and I found a bargain! 30 eggs, which we could hard boil and take hiking with us. Along with canned tuna, what more could you ask for? Needless to say, we probably won't be having hard-boiled eggs for the next year, but it was a great budget idea.

Cheap Protein remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

After finishing the Tongariro crossing (see next page for that new update), we headed down to Wellington for a night and then on to the Mt. Cook village. We had been crossing our fingers for the weather to cooperate, because Cook is often shrouded in clouds for days - not ideal if you have been dreaming of hiking up to a mountain hut on a nearby ridge.

We were lucky enough to have clear weather (quite windy, though), and upon arrival decided to jet up to the hut immediately. You never know when the weather is going to change for the worse, so grab the opportunity! The hike up is only three miles, but the 3000 foot elevation gain more than makes up for the short distance. After completing the climb, hikers then follow the ridge line for a half mile or so to the hut. The wind was howling down the valley (we'll attach a video for you to hear it), but the setting is alpine heaven: a literal cathedral of glaciers and mountains, with Mt. Cook as the altar.

Some brief history about the hut. The first hut was built in 1914 and the fifth hut (the most recent) was built in 2003, opened by Sir Edmund Hillary. The most recent hut cost $400,000 NZD to build and lots of helicopter trips to bring in the materials. The second hut was actually slid away by an avalanche and when skiers came by to stay in it, they discovered it off the cliff. To make a long story short, there have been multiple huts built because of the extreme alpine weather and conditions. When we were hiking up, we were sometimes on all fours to brace the strong winds.

The picture that we didn't take, but wished we would have....at the Mueller Hut, the longdrop (aka outhouse) is situated such that urine waste is dropped down since it does not detrimental to the alpine environment. #2, however, is flown away by helicopter. What does all this mean? When you sit on the pot, you have to sit forward for #1 and back for #2...quite interesting and they had some hilarious drawings in the longdrop (a man sitting all the way back with a caption that says, "Sit back to poo."

Definitely one of our top experiences over here - the scenery was unforgettable.

The Mueller Hut remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Compared to the other mountains in New Zealand, Tongariro National Park feels somewhat like a different planet. We decided to take part in one of NZ's most beloved day walks, otherwise known as the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The ~19 km (12 miles) hike takes you across some pretty amazing scenery - volcanoes, craters, sulphuric lakes, etc. You stare at Ngurahoe (aka Mt Doom), while making the pilgrimmage with the other people on the walk.

The other pictures here are from our 5-day camp trip in the national park. Due to inclement weather, we had to wait it out to do the short day walk. Drying clothes gets creative when you're camping. Food? Well, we were creative with that as well since our backpacking stove has one setting - BOIL.

Tongariro Crossing remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Marlborough Sound remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Wine Tasting Picture remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Kaikoura Pic remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Our next stop was Christchurch, where we spent two nights in a jail that has been converted to a hostel. The city itself was an interesting mix of English and Kiwi influences, and the definite highlight was an early morning run through the botanical gardens in a sun shower. Beautiful flowers and extremely well laid-out. We also found some great cafes and other nice spots to watch the world go by. Side note to the beer drinkers out there - the Twisted Hop makes an amazing cask-conditioned IPA.

Kaikoura, a beach town about two hours to the North that is famous for whale watching, was our next stop along the way – and coincidentally the spot for my 30th b-day. Erin was kind enough (and patient enough) to go with me on a fishing mission that day, where I hooked probably the biggest brown trout of my life. Agonizing that I lost it after a long fight, but still cool. After that, we came back to town for some fish and chips and a few beers at the local pub. We also hit up a seaside BBQ cart that cooks up freshly caught fish and shellfish for appetizers, and finished the night with crème brulee at a nice restaurant on the pier. Talk about the royal treatment! The next morning we went for an amazing run around the peninsula, which offered us perfect views of the coastline. Sea transitions to fairly tall mountains in less than a mile – quite dramatic, and a great way to finish up our time there without the crowds.

At that point we were starting to get thirsty, and as such the Marlborough wine area seemed to be a natural destination. We stayed a couple of nights there, rented bikes to tour the wineries, and had a blast in general. The wineries are easily accessible and located within close proximity of eachother, which made riding between them enjoyable and quite painless. Sauvignon Blanc is the varietal for which the region is most well-known, although we did try some good Pinot Noir as well. Would have loved to buy a couple of cases, but space and budget limitations were such that we settled for a couple of bottles to accompany us on our journey. Erin’s favorite had to be the sparkling Sav. Blanc, but much to her chagrin they don’t export that one. No fair!

The Marlborough Sounds were our retreat after all of that eating and drinking, where we stayed four nights at a great little backpacker resort on the water. We basically rotated between the sea kayaks, hot tub, and hammocks, at least when we weren’t swimming in the beautiful water. The hosts there were amazing, and even provided mussel feeds every other night for the guests. Hopewell was the name of the place, and the name could not have been more fitting. It was one of the highlights of our trip so far.

There’s definitely more to write and pictures will come soon, but we hope you are all doing well!

Road Trip Update remains copyright of the author nsnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Happy 30th, Nate! remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

-Hiked 15 days
-Slept in eight huts, four campgrounds, one hostel, one jail (which is now a hostel), one B&B, one trailer, and one house
-Figured out the best backpacking food program (well, at least thus far for dinner): miso soup, cheddar cheese, rice noodles with canned chicken and peanut sauce, fresh brocolli/zuchinni (yes, Anna!), chocolate hunks, hot chocolate avec whiskey (Nate likes his straight)
-caught some big fish...more to come
-pulled our own mussels off the rocks for dinner twice (go budget travelers!)

30 Day ReCap remains copyright of the author esnodgrass, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs