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His and Her Seats

Sure Sweden is known for tall blonde people, the Nobel Prize and H&M, but those are not the most fun to take pictures of….well ok maybe a tall blonde man, but you get my point.

What I could not miss was this store in Stockholm! I couldn’t resist this one. I was wandering back to my friend’s apartment and just happened to look in the window. It actually made me giggle out loud and I’m happy I didn’t know anyone on the street.

One guy gave me a strange look, but who cares when you can take a picture of someone’s chiseled…..bum? And not one, but two? Well I couldn’t resist.

And here you have it – his and hers seats located on a random street in Stockholm, Sweden. Need a gift for the couple who has everything?

Yeah I couldn’t think of anything better either. So the wedding gift sorted tomorrow it’s off to the oldest town in Sweden. You’ll have to wait for the Rock Fever Column for that one!

Culture shock in Vietnam

It might say Bermuda, but our island girl, Carmen Gracey was in another world: Vietnam

Bermudian Carmen Gracey had only heard about Vietnam via war stories. She decided to meet some friends there for a three-week vacation. What she found was an incredibly rich culture and fantastic food that everyone should enjoy. This is one island girl’s postcard from Vietnam:

Friends of mine decided to take a year off and travel the world.  “Come and meet us someplace” they said.  That was all we needed, immediately the maps were out and it was decided – we were going to take 3 weeks off and head to Hong Kong and then Vietnam.  We only spent 3 nights in Hong Kong as we really wanted to focus on Vietnam so as a result  I feel I got less of a feel for it than I did Vietnam so that’s what I’ll write about for you.

Like most Westerners all I had ever heard of Vietnam was the War with America.  It never even crossed my mind as being a vacation destination but after a few Google searches I figured it looked like a place I needed to see and soon.

Carmen is comfy on her long-haul flight

The flights were effortless even though one took 15.5 hours.  With movies, good wine and port we were able to get some shut eye so don’t let that deter you from long haul flights.  After 3 nights in Hong Kong we were on to Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam and then immediately flying up north to Hanoi via Vietnam Airlines (which are amazing by the way).

In all honesty it took me 2 days to get over the culture shock of being in Vietnam.  In retrospect I think it was the “constantness” of everything – people, cars, motorbikes, noises, smells; all foreign, amazing and intense at the same time.

Walking along the streets is in itself part of the adventure as the sidewalks seem to be used for everything but walking – cooking, eating, drinking, selling various textiles, family gatherings,  you name it – but don’t try to walk down them. As a tourist eager to see all of what Vietnam had to offer you are left hugging the small bit of roadside that is used for walking.  Eventually this just seems normal and you don’t even notice it anymore.

The food in Vietnam is fresh and delicious but you have to get past the Westerner’s idea of food safety and handling.  One can never be guaranteed a clean kitchen or a kitchen at all in Vietnam so just go with the flow, eat what looks or sounds good and try everything because guaranteed it’s delicious.  Lucky for us most menus were in English and Vietnamese so we felt comfortable with our choices. Fresh herbs are the key ingredient to most dishes and will be something I’ll miss dearly now that I have returned home.  I wish I could go back tomorrow just to eat all of my new found favorites.

A Vietnamese Market/Carmen Gracey

The Vietnamese people are incredibly kind which is astonishing for a people who seem to have so little by way of material possessions and wealth but I’m guessing deep down they actually have so much more than we do with all of our material, shallow possessions.   Hotel staff, restaurant staff and most people on the street were pleasant to deal with.

Our adventure covered so much ground and we kept our selves really busy so its’ hard to mention everything.

Here are a few highlights: We spent 5 nights in Hanoi, took an over night train to and from Sapa (a northern mountain region covered in terraced rice patties), and then had a boat cruise along Halong Bay.

We then flew to Hue where we spent 3 nights and enjoyed a motorbike tour with Hue Riders, the citadel and some down time in the markets.   The adventure continued to Hoi An which was a personal favorite.  3 magical nights at a 5 start beach resort, custom clothes made at Yaly Couture, market shopping for pearl necklaces, chopsticks and all the essential souveniers.

Then another flight took us back to Hoi Chi Min for more shopping and relaxing before our journey back home to Bermuda.

Vietnam is definitely a place worth visiting.  The mix of old and new is blended perfectly.  The people, food and sights make it truly unique.  It’s a very inexpensive vacation spot once you’ve gotten over the ticket shock of the air fare to get there!

If you can – make this a place to visit soon before it becomes too westernized.

How to climb a mountain

It’s not easy. It’s not a walk in the park, but Martin Williamson can’t quite stop climbing. His next attempt? Mont Blanc! The Bermudian resident has been trying to find ways to train on an Island that just does not have mountains….how does he do it? How does he climb a mountain?

Martin:

I thought it was a near death experience, but the tunnel of kaleidoscopic light was the afternoon sun reflecting on the poser mirrors in the gym, refracted by the sweat dripping into my eyes. I vaguely remember when I was a lot younger that running up the down escalator seemed like fun but this torturous stair machine (which is a mini down escalator) is about as much fun as being beaten with a cactus.

However in the absence of any local mountains it appeared to be the best preparatory training for climbing Mont Blanc available in Bermuda. Perhaps South Shore to Gibbs Hill lighthouse would be a close second but you can’t watch the ‘Food Network’ there.

Planning to arrive in France on the 17^th of September and going to 3,500mts altitude on the 19^th wasn’t one of my better decisions. I have climbed Mont Blanc before but never with such little local preparation.

A previous ascent of Mont Blanc

At 4,810 Meters above sea level Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the European Union, although Russia’s Mount Elbrus at 5,642mts is now acknowledged as the highest in Europe. Two routes on Mont Blanc are not ‘technical’ meaning they don’t require any real climbing ability. However it’s better if you don’t suffer from vertigo and can trudge uphill for 6hrs without much of a break.

In the area of Haute Savoie surrounding Mont Blanc there are plenty of smaller peaks in the area that offer safe training routes, thought to experience the thin air over 3000mts you really need to get above the summer snow line. Unfortunately my schedule this year won’t allow for that so going up the down escalator is the answer.

The altitude is the real challenge on Mont Blanc trudging up 2,000mts of vertical ascent over 10km is relatively easy if you start at sea level, but at 3,000mts the thin air provides only 71% of the oxygen available at sea level and at 4800mts that falls to 57%.

Interestingly the cabin pressure of a commercial airliner is about the same as 2000mts above sea level which provides only 80% of the normal oxygen level and explains why you feel so bad after a long flight, or perhaps it’s the alcohol!

There are two ‘tourist’ routes up Mont Blanc, so called because they are relatively easy, but there are serious ‘technical routes too. The tourist routes involve some cheating either by taking the ‘Tramway de Mont Blanc’ from St Gervais  which takes you to the Nid d’aigle (the eagles nest) at 2,500mts and walking from there via the Gouter route (the west face of the mountain).  Or by taking the cable car from Chamonix to the Aguille du Midi at 3,800mts. As you will have calculated the second route provides more cheating (in terms of altitude) than the first. Fortunately our trip in September is up via the Aguille du Midi, (although this route does present more technical challenges) and down via the Gouter.

A few years ago you could pick up your guide in either town hop on your chosen method of transport to base

Martin (on the left) is training to be back in this position...on a Mountain.

camp and have a shot at the summit early the next morning. Usually with an attempt at sleep in a refuge from 2pm to 2am the next day. These days under guise of acclimatization the guides are insisting on 2 days (above 3000mts) before the attempt on the summit. It all smacks of a money spinning ruse to me. However they do call the shots, because I wouldn’t want to be up there without a guide.

The mountain refuges are quite remarkable with the highest (Refuge du Gouter) supplied only by helicopter. The idea of refuges arose in the 19^th century when wealthy Victorians became addicted to Alpine activities. The Alpine clubs that formed in the major villages started to construct refuges as base camps for summit attempts and as a bolt hole in the event of bad weather.

The refuges vary in comfort level usually depending on height or proximity to a cable car. In general the lower the refuge the more comfortable and the better the food, with the exception of high refuges like ‘Le Cosmiques’ which despite being at 3,600mts it is comfortable and has good food because it’s about 15minutes walk from the top of the Aguille de Midi cable car.

So our plan is to take the Aguille de Midi cable car from Chamonix in the morning of Sunday the 19^th of September, from the top of the cable car we will walk across the Glacier du Geant (the Giant’s glacier) to the ‘Torino’ refuge just over the Italian border. This is only 5 or 6 km but all on glacier at about 3,500mts altitude so we will all be roped together to make sure no one disappears down a crevasse. We stay a night at the ‘Torino’ refuge then walk back to the ‘Cosmiques’ for the second night, then off to the summit at 2am the next morning.

Glaciers are rivers of ice and snow and they ‘flow’ downhill very slowly (speeds vary from 1 metre per day up to 30mts per day). Crevasses form due to differing speeds of ice flow and variations in the underlying topography. They are often covered with a snow bridge that can sometimes give way, so preventing members of the party going down the hole is a major consideration when walking on glaciers.

The equipment check list is another important part of tackling any mountain however modest; you don’t want to have to go back down because you forgot your sunglasses!

The clothing doesn’t have to be expensive but it does have to be layered and synthetic. Temperatures can vary from well below freezing to 60 to 70^oF in the sun and trudging uphill always means sweating, all the clothes have wick moisture away from your body and stay dry.

I have a mish mash of gear that I have put together which I find works for me, it doesn’t look very fashionable but it is comfortable.

How to get here!

Of course the most important part of the kit list is footwear, including socks, boots and crampons. It’s amazing how painful one tiny blister can be. I even apply preventative band aids (plasters) to my heels to stop the blisters before they start. Proper climbing boots have a rigid sole to take a non flexible crampon, which is crucial for climbing sheer faces or ice walls. However I find rigid soled boots very uncomfortable. Fortunately there is a hybrid solution which involves a semi rigid sole and a flexible crampon. This combination wouldn’t work for ice climbing but our route doesn’t involve any sheer faces (thank goodness)

Other unusual items of kit include a harness to tie the rope to, an ice axe which has a multitude of uses, including walking stick, step cutting tool and braking system in the event of a slide. The helmet provides protection against falling rocks or ice and toping it off a flashlight on the helmet enables you to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The flashlight does have another job which is lighting your way at 3am in the morning. In the summer months conditions become more dangerous as the day progresses and the snow starts to melt so most guides start the climb to the summit at 2 or 3am to maximize the amount of time spent on frozen snow. This also means that you reach the summit around dawn which is spectacular.

Well that’s about all for now on the preparation side of things, I’d better get back to the treadmill, I wonder how many steps there are in 1500metres?

To be continued………………………………………………..