TravelStream™ news feed for member jwmoles on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/jwmoles en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:48:08 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233335520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233335520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233335520/tpod.html Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:48:08 -0400 Ecuador - Climbing Volcanoes and Galapagos

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Cotopaxi, Ecuador

Before tackling Cotopaxi, we rested for a few days at my favorite hostel, Chilcabamba. Chilcabamba is a small hostel near the base of Cotopaxi at about 12,000 feet. It was very clean and the food was UNBELIEVABLE. Example, pineapple picante soup. Delicious. I also got the chance to go on a small hike with the cook to a local fish farm (pond), where I fished for my dinner with a wooden pole. A unique experience. I luckily caught some dinner.

After resting for two days here (I know all this rest seems ridiculous, but it's necessary at these altitudes when exerting the energy it takes to climb), we headed in 4x4 up to the Cotopaxi hut. The hut is a short, one hour hike from the parking lot, and many tourists make the trek to the hut as their Cotopaxi experience. The hut sits just below 16,000 feet and just below the beginning of the glaciers, so for many people, this an opportunity to see glaciers up close and personal without doing much work (hour hike). The formal name of the hut is Jose Ribas Refuge (Jose Ribas was a famous Catholic priest). It is, without a doubt, the biggest and cleanest mountain hut in which I have ever slept. The bunks even have small mattresses, unlike wooden slats in places like Mexico and Mt. Rainier. Jose Ribas also has a full kitchen. Diego cooked up some delicious soup and pasta, and we rested our heads around six at night for our 11:00 p.m. wake up. We wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to make it to the top. Cotopaxi has a strict 8:00 a.m. turnaround rule. If you don't make it to the top by then, you turnaround. When the Ecuadorian sun hits the glaciers and snow in the morning, they get very dangerous and slippery (think potential avalanche). So, if you're up near the top after 8:00 a.m., you've got a dangerous trek down.

I actually slept a little (which is unusual for me before a big climb), but when I woke at 11:00 a.m., I had a sick stomach. First sign of altitude. I guess that happens if you sleep at almost 16,000 feet. I felt a little better after some granola, and we were off at midnight, headlamps on full power. The night was completely clear, and there was little wind. I was layered up but not too heavy. It took us about an hour to get to the glacier, where we donned the crampons and roped up, Diego in front, Howard in middle, and me in back. The glaciers on Cotopaxi were wicked looking, even at night, but they were mixed with packed snow and therefore much easier to climb than the ice of Orizaba in Mexico.

There's only one path to the top, and everyone takes it. There were three other groups on the mountain that night, a total of about twelve people. It's amazing how slow we had to climb to conserve energy and make it to the top. Of course, all the groups were climbing slow. It's necessary. We were on something like a step every two seconds pace. This ended up being funny though when we got passed by the one group that started after us. As we stepped aside to let them pass, I thought to myself, "OMG, they are moving slow. I can't believe they are passing us." And when I looked up an hour later to see how much progress they had made in front of us, they were about 50 feet ahead. Just right in front of us despite passing an hour ago. It's a different world up on a glacier. At around 4:00 a.m., Howard started to lose steam and wanted to find a place to post up while Diego and I went to the top, but again, being the experienced guide that we was, Diego didn't let him quit. We slowed down a little more for Howard but were still on pace to hit the top around 6:30, well before the 8:00 a.m. turnaround.

At around 5:30, we hit the last steep section, a fifty to a hundred foot section that seemed like it was 60 plus degrees steep in the middle of the night. Diego climbed up first and set a belay for Howard and me. This was the only belayed section of the climb, meaning Diego stopped, positioned himself, and prepared to catch us if we fell. This section was difficult. We were basically front-pointing the crampons into the glacier and climbing with ice axe in front. Fun though. After tackling that section, it was a short jaunt to the top. The air was getting pretty thin, but my stomach and head were still okay because we had moved pretty slow. That's the key.

The top of Cotopaxi is the most amazing mountaintop I have ever seen. We climbed right up to the edge of the crater, which is almost a half mile wide at its widest point. The crater is covered in glaciers and sinks down several hundred feet, but we could see steam rising around the glaciers. The morning was also perfectly clear. We saw Chimborazo (hundreds of miles away), Antisana, Cayambe, and Iliniza Norte (some of the other 5,000 meter peaks in Ecuador). And there was no one up there. The other groups had already headed down. I don't have the words for this one. One of those mountaintops that makes all the blood, sweat, and tears worth it. I've never felt literally more on top of the world. Mountaintops usually feel high, but this one felt like I was nearing space. It was also super cold. I had all my clothes on, including my 800 fill down coat. Howard said I looked like the Michelin Man. Hey, I'm from Texas. I was friggin' cold. Hands stayed in the gloves. No one to propose to this time. Do not miss the pics on this one.

A new altitude record for me too (19,347 feet), a few feet higher than Kilimanjaro.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/8/1236973140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/8/1236973140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/8/1236973140/tpod.html Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:58:08 -0400 Central Texas BBQ Crawl

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Llano, Texas, United States

After finishing the Belize entry in this blog, a fellow BBQ crawler pointed out that I forgot to mention "the Crawl." Yes, it's what you think. Seven guys in a rental church bus traveling around Central Texas and eating as much BBQ as they possibly can at some of the finest BBQ establishments in the world. After renting the fifteen passenger van early on Friday the Thirteenth, I headed to Wal-Mart to stock up on some drinks. From there, it was off to the Austin airport to pick up my six compadres (Rubenstein, Pinson, Pittman, Bristow, Davis, and Johnston) who flew in from Dallas for the day. All are my former co-workers at Baker Botts and avid BBQ fans.

Before discussing the journey, I must mention that we only visited "real" BBQ stops. "Real" refers to places that cook the meat properly, and the meat stands on its own without sauce (although sometimes sauce can be good too, Cadwell). That being said, we began this epic journey just east of Austin in Elgin, Texas. Southside Market in Elgin is famous for its sausage, and it was no letdown. It also provided some fine brisket. After the 10:00 a.m. warm-up in Elgin, we headed about twenty minutes north to Taylor and Louie Mueller's. Great atmosphere and fantastic food all around. Feeling pretty full, we hopped back in the car for our two hour ride west of Austin to Llano, Texas. In case you don't know, Llano houses the finest all around BBQ stop in the world, Cooper's. Cooper's is BBQ heaven. I can't properly describe it. If you haven't had it, you should make the trip.

Due to Cooper's greatness, everyone overate. Three joints down, one to go. Luckily, we had another two hour ride from an hour west of Austin to an hour east of San Antonio to visit Luling City Market. We dropped Pittman off at the Austin airport on our way because his wife has a sunset curfew for him. I was most excited about Luling since it gets big hype, and I had never been there. I must say, it's a close second to Cooper's for me. It's really simple there - your choices are ribs, brisket, and sausage. Notice that I said "and," not "or." Not sampling all three was not an option. I think everyone on the trip enjoyed Luling. All four stops on the day were big hits. The only thing missing was Craig Stokley amazing us with Tom Leykis stories.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/7/1236107880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/7/1236107880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/7/1236107880/tpod.html Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:29:10 -0400 Belize - It's Not Spanish

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Ambergris Caye, Belize Cayes, Belize

Angela and I decided to spend a few days in Belize before moving to Austin. It was a quick flight from Dallas (a little over two hours). When we arrived at the Belize City airport, we noticed that no one was Latin, and no one was speaking Spanish. We thought this was odd but passed it off because we were in the airport. From the airport, we took an exciting fifteen minute flight on a six person plane over to the Ambergris Caye, an island just of the coast. When we landed in San Pedro town, I discovered two important pieces of information:

1. Ambergris Caye is also known as "La Isla Bonita." Yes, it's the island Madonna referred to in her song. Awesome!!!!!

2. Belize is not Spanish. It was a British colony, and the official language is English. Go figure.

We spent two days biking, kayaking, and playing outside near the water.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1234031280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1234031280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1234031280/tpod.html Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:08:49 -0400 Ecuador - Climbing Volcanoes and Galapagos

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Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

My good friend from Oklahoma, Joe Kennedy, agreed to meet me in Ecuador for a week. Our plan was to visit the Galapagos islands. We already knew Galapagos was an expensive venture, so we waited until Joe arrived in Ecuador to book a visit. We were able to get a steal of a last minute deal on a four day cruise (a cruise is the only way to really see the islands).

The islands are several hundred miles off the coast, and flying is required if you want to get there in respectable time. When we landed, I felt great. I hadn't been that warm in weeks. The islands are amazing. Only three are inhabited by humans, and we planned to get away from those quickly. After a short bus rode from the airport, we hit the dock and took a little boat to our small, 16 passenger cruise ship. Our group consisted of seven couples, Joe, and me. Ha ha. This trip is best summed up by the pics, but here are a few highlights:

1. Within five minutes of being on the boat, Joe and I snuck into the control room and took pictures at the helm before we could get caught. Later we found out that all we had to do was ask.

2. We asked one of the crew members, Fernando, if we could jump off the boat from the top. Fernando didn't speak much English, so I asked in Spanish. Fernando simply gave us two thumbs up, and we learned right there to ask Fernando about any questionable decisions. We continued to get two thumbs up from him for all four days.

3. (THE GREATEST FRENCH STORY OF ALL TIME) After getting Fernando's permission, Joe, Ivan (an Englishman), a Frenchman, and I climbed up to the top of the boat. It was about 25-30 up. We are all planning to jump on the count of three when the Frenchman suddenly said, "I cannot do it. It is too high for me." He then went back down to the bottom level. So there we were. Two Americans, an Englishman, and a Frenchman, and the Frenchman wussed out. It couldn't have been more perfect. Joe and I were rolled over laughing. Then, we jumped off the boat. It was awesome.

4. The Frenchman later got sun poisoning and spent the entire day inside, while his girlfriend hung out with all of us (and I know she thought he was being a baby). Again, fitting.

5. Our naturalist guide, Esteban, was a funny guy. On one island, we stood watching a female bird deciding whether to mate with several males. She landed between two of them and then flew away, deciding against it. Esteban (who had been pretty dry and quiet up to this point) said, "It's the same with all the species. You take her to dinner and a movie, and then when you try to call her, the number doesn't work. You are out of luck unless you have a red ferrari." Funny, coming from broken Ecuadorian English.

6. I messed around with a sea lion a little too much (getting in its face and making noises), and it chased me around a beach for about ten minutes, ignoring every single one of the other fifteen people near me.

7. Most of the islands we visited were uninhabited by people. We saw all kind of strange animals. I now understand the draw for Darwin. AND...

8. Yes, Joe and I took the "Titanic Picture" at the front of the boat. I volunteered to be Kate Winslet. It's better than being DiCaprio (take that Joe).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233510960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233510960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233510960/tpod.html Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:30:13 -0400 Ecuador - Climbing Volcanoes and Galapagos

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Baños, Ecuador

After teaching Cotopaxi a lesson, we headed to an awesome mountain town near Chimborazo called Baños (yes, it means baths in Spanish). Baños is at the base of another super active volcano called Tungurahua. Tungu's last eruption was about nine years ago, and it destroyed much of the town. Baños is on a full time active volcano alert, and there are evacuation route signs everywhere. Nevertheless, it's a beautiful town sitting in a valley at the volcano's base. At the end of the valley, you can see where the mountains began to slope down and the Amazon basin begins.

We stayed at a quaint little hostel owned by a very friendly veteran climber, Willy. Willy took us rock climbing at local rock gym on the hardest rock wall I have ever seen. Diego and some other local guides took Howard and me into town later that day to sample "sanduches" (sandwich in Spanish). These are not sandwiches. They are pure liquor from sugar cane. There were six of us, and we passed around about ten of these things sipping on them for a couple of hours. Also, they cost only fifty cents. Not good. Not good at all.

All in all, Baños was great. There are many things to do there - hot springs (from the volcano), waterfall repelling, white water rafting, etc. I would love to get back at some point.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233684480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233684480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233684480/tpod.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:27:50 -0400 Ecuador - Climbing Volcanoes and Galapagos

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Riobamba, Ecuador

After resting in Baños, we headed to our final climb, Chimborazo. Chimborazo is the highest point in Ecuador and due to the bulge at the Equator, it is the farthest point from the center of the Earth/closest point to the sun (yes, even farther than Everest). We got some beautiful and clear views of the mountain on the way to the parking lot. This thing is big. Kilimanjaro is the only "thing" in the world I have ever seen that is bigger. We had another short hour trek to the hut from the parking lot. Again, this hut was nice and included mattresses on the bunks. There was only one other climber at the hut that day, a young American girl. There were also two backpackers from Poland who were spending a few days at the hut but not climbing. The Chimborazo hut was set to be a new sleeping record for me at over 16,000 feet. I was a little worried given my stomachache on Cotopaxi.

That concern was relieved, unfortunately, when we learned that afternoon that we would not be able to make the climb the next morning. Apparently, several groups had tried over the past few days, but avalanche conditions were awful. We could see several thousand foot avalanches from the hut. So, Diego said no way. He said our chances of dying if we climbed were over 50%. Fun. That's part of climbing though. You are deling with very unpredictable and dangerous situations, and you have to play it safe. As a consolation, Diego agreed to take us up to about 18,000 feet on a safe, avalanche free section. So, we set off around 5:00 a.m. for a short climb, and it was a perfect consolation. After the sun rose, the morning was clear. We could see all the way to the top and down the back of the mountain to the coastal plain that eventually runs to the Pacific. I got some beautiful pics on this morning. Didn't make the top, but as I later found, very few Chimborazo climbers do make it due to weather conditions.

After the climb, we headed to Ambato, where I dined on cuy (guinea pig). Delicious.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233075060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233075060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1233075060/tpod.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:12:25 -0400 Ecuador - Climbing Volcanoes and Galapagos

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Cotopaxi, Ecuador

The day after Rucu Pichincha, we headed to Chaupi, a small town at the base of Iliniza Norte. This was the first of our many experiences staying in what I call Ecuadorian hacienda hostels. Ecuador is one of the few places where families and locals still run very clean and quaint bed and breakfast type hostels. Most of these places have private rooms and bathrooms and community dining. All in all, a very comfortable experience before and after climbing. The best part - most of them cost about ten to fifteen bucks a night. Amazing!!!!

After a delicious dinner of soup, steak, and dessert, we hit the sack early for out 4:00 a.m. wake up. And morning came quickly. After breakfast and gear check, we hopped in the 4x4 for the hour drive to the trailhead. The morning shaped up nicely. As the sun broke, we could tell it was going to be a clear day. We got some beautiful views of the mountain on the drive and at the trailhead. Iliniza consists of two peaks joined by a saddle at about 14,000 feet. We planned to climb the north peak (at 16,818 feet, a few hundred feet lower than the south peak and technically easier). I must say that Iliniza Norte may be the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen. Just look at the pics. The first half of the hike meandered through various types of vegetation before we finally hit some snow just below the saddle. Howard had some difficulty this day on the lower section of the mountain. When we finally reached the saddle, the crux of the climb lay ahead. Howard made the decision to head back down (which was disappointing to everyone because we had two bigger and more difficult climbs in the future). Diego convinced Howard to push on, and he miraculously got his second wind when we got up on the rock and glacier. I was still feeling fine at this point. No altitude problems yet.

The upper half of the climb was so much fun. It was a combination of steep snow and rock. So, we alternated between ice axe use and rock scrambling. The final push to the top was a steep, snowy, and somewhat dangerous section of mixed snow and rock. The summit was so small that only one person could stand on it at a time. This is probably the most enjoyable climb I have ever done. It was a mix of so many things from hiking to technical climbing. A complete blast!

We also got our first clear views of Cotopaxi from the slopes of Iliniza.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1232814720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1232814720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/6/1232814720/tpod.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:50:43 -0400 Ecuador - Climbing Volcanoes and Galapagos

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Quito, Ecuador

The goal of my trip was to climb Cotopaxi (19,347 feet - a few feet high than Kilimanjaro). Cotopaxi is the world's highest active volcano. Secondary goals were Iliniza Norte (16,818 feet) and Chimborazo (20,702 - the farthest point from the center of the Earth due to the equatorial bulge).

To conquer these beasts, I had to warm up on some "babies," Pasochoa (13,780 feet) and Rucu Pichincha (15,413 feet). I met my climbing partner (Howard) and our guide (Diego) the day before we tackled Pasochoa. Howard is an older fellow from Montreal, but he is an experienced climber who has a lot of guiding and mountaineering experience in the Northern Appalachians. It goes without saying that the Appalachians are a littler lower than Ecuadorian volcanoes, so Howard ventured to Ecuador to test himself on some higher peaks (as did I). Our guide Diego was a fun-living Ecuadorian (as most are). At about 6'3", he was definitely out of place in a land formerly ruled by the Incas. I soon realized that his long legs would also make it an adventure to keep pace on the mountain.

Pasochoa was a great warm-up. It's extinct and below the vegetation/tree-line, so it was green pretty much all the way to the top (amazing at that altitude). The day was cloudy (as are many Ecuadorian days), but it was a beautiful hike nevertheless and a good, taxing warm-up. Everyone made it with no problem.

Pichincha was a different story. We got more sunshine and some beautiful views of the city. Howard had a little trouble on this day but managed to power through to the top. We also got a fun bit of slightly dangerous rock scrambling up to the summit. On the way down, we got pelted with rain for two hours. FUN!!!!!

Acclimatization - check.
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Quito, Ecuador

My Ecuadorian journey began with a few days of acclimatization in Quito, Ecuador's capital. Quito sits above 9,000 feet, so flying from near sea level at Dallas to 9,000 feet is a task in and of itself. Quito is by far my favorite Latin American urban area. The population is only two million, relatively small compared to its counterparts - Lima, Mexico City, etc. Quito is also very middle/upper middle class, an anomaly for Latin America. Most large Latin American cities have a small upper class and a very large, dirt poor lower class. Quito's differences make it a very enjoyable and safe city. Of course, the U.S. State Department will tell you a different story. I felt safer in Quito than I have felt in some U.S. cities. Quito is a beautiful city as well. It sits in the Ecuadorian highlands, surrounded by volcanoes, most notably Pichincha, which rises to over 15,000 feet above the city. Quito also is littered with Spanish colonial architecture...and delicious food. And it's cheap. I ate delicious steak dinners for six bucks (high end U.S. steakhouse quality stuff).

Overall, Quito is a winner, a fascinating and unusually trendy Latin American city. I would also recommend it as a good first time Latin American visit, due to safety and friendliness of the people. Pictures below. Don't miss the pics of the cathedral (where Joe and I climbed outside ladders and stairs to the top - would never be allowed in the U.S.).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/5/1230501480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/5/1230501480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jwmoles/5/1230501480/tpod.html Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:33:38 -0400 Africa - Mt. Kilimanjaro and Safari

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Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

On the way to Africa, Angela and I had a 24 hour stopover in Amsterdam. So, we hit up the Anne Frank House (or Huis as they say in Amsterdam), the Van Gogh Museum, and Rembrandt's House. Other than that, here's my interesting story from Amsterdam:

I decided it would be a great idea to take a picture of some professional women sitting in their little windows in the Red Light District. Before taking the picture, I failed to see the giant NO PICTURES sign above the women. Apparently, one of the women saw me take the picture, and as we walked by, she came out of her booth. I saw her and thought, "Man, she looks mad. Her customer must be refusing to pay or something." Nope. She was mad at me. As she walked toward me screaming profanities in Dutch, I soon realized that I had made a stupid tourist move. She came within about ten feet of me and tossed a cup full of "liquid" (who knows what it was) at me. Luckily, she missed. Then, some nearby construction workers began to yell at me too. I got a short lecture from Angela about tourist safety and smart decision making. Good times.
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