In Regards to Tuesday 5/25/10

We got up early (ish...10am) to snorkel. Silas provided the gear and took us down to a beach he knew of. I've snorkled before but only in a swimming pool. The ocean is a whole different story. It was surprising to find ocean life so close to human habitation. I don't know, I expected wildlife to be scared off by tourists and cruise ships and all that crap but they were prevalent. I saw a bunch of tropical fish swimming about. I'm sure the locals see them all the time and find them pretty blase (how to type accent marks? This should be pronounced "blah-zay") but I was stoked to see them. All my life seeing fish in aquariums I thought they were boring organisms but in their natural elements they were...magnificent! I think part of the fascination was being able to witness the tidal forces interacting with things below the waters surface and seeing motile creatures deal with such forces. It was a little bit like the time when you first realize that birds are not only masters of flight but at the mercy of the wind as well.

We swam out pretty far, passing along a shipping channel and over a shipwreck (an old cargo ship or something, no treasure chests down there.) I kept thinking I was seeing whale bones, but no, more like corroded steel beams. At one point Silas anchored his diving bouey and showed us a little cave formed by the sunken vessel. I had difficulty diving to such depths, the pressure buildup freaked me out, I worked up the fortitude to descend. In the depths of the wreck cave Silas pointed out a cornet fish (weird creature, long body, bulbous eyes on the side) and at the very back, a white nose shark, maybe 5ft long.

Again I was getting exhausted. I'm out of shape. I haven't really swam in over a year and I certainly don't have divers lungs. On the return swim I saw a large box shaped fish with googly eyes on the side of it's head. I wanted to dive down and bother it but I was feeling too tired. Just as well. It turned out top be a puffer fish and almost certainly would have skewered me. We came across a shallow spot half way to shore. I put my foot down to rest, pain lanced up my leg. Blast! I pulled a spiny thing out of my heel. Just stepped on an urchin. My foot throbbed all the way back to shore. Upon inspection there appeared to be a good six spines embedded in my heel. Damn it. This unfortunate development put a gimp in my stride. What a way to start the week. Silas assured me that the urchins spines were of calcium and would absorb into my body in the matter of a day. For now I hobble about.

Little of note for the rest of the day. I changed some money at the bank without a shirt on. Now that's freedom! We drank lightly through the night and turned in early. Silas was to head back to Madison for some weddings while Chris and I were to get a ride with friends to the north shore the next morning.

In Regards to 5/23: Hawai'i Edition

Haven't written in a week. Here goes.

After passing through Incheon Honolulu Int'l was a big disappointment. I think Incheon was built sometime this past decade. It's so modern, vast, open and efficient. Everything is so convenient and intuitive, there was absolutely nothing confusing about getting to where I needed to go. I got there with 7hrs to spare mostly because I had to vacate my hotel room at 12pm and I had no other place to keep my luggage. However, with a handy internet lounge and lots of food available it was easy to kill time.

The only thing notable about the flight was the Korean style breakfast served. Rice porridge with dried nori flavor packets and a side of Kimchi flavored carrots. Always kimchi with these Koreans. I mean it's good but there are other spices on this earth. Take some lessons from the Tai. Seriously.

So as I was saying the Honolulu airport was a complete let down. The place was dark and blocky with low ceilings, looking to have been built in the 70's. They need to remodel. They packed a bunch of passengers on a shuttle bus but couldn't fit everybody so I and others were made to wait. I don't know, this just felt insulting.

It was nice to see my homey again. Chris Malkus, ThaChrizla, a dear friend from high school was waiting at the terminal to pick me up. I was to surf his couch for the week. After dropping my stuff off at his crib we took a quick tour of the area and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant. I haven't had Mexican in over a year.

So my friend lives in Waikiki beach area which is the main place that tourists come to. The thing that struck me about Waikiki was that there were tourists from all over the world who seemed to be trying to have a unique, authentic and personal piece of paradise as their vacation. There was this weird vibe as people tried to keep to themselves whilst being packed into the enormous confines of the accommodating buildings. There were chotchy motherfuckers everywhere. All the dumb fratboys from your college are drinking it up in Waikiki as we speak. Don't go there unless you have someone to visit. One thing I did like was all the open doors. Every establishment was just wide open allowing the perfect sea air to infiltrate. Air conditioning has always slightly bothered me, or maybe I should say the overwhelming abuse of it. But here in Waikiki people seemed content with the humidity, a welcome relief.

All over Waikiki are these vast malls and although I abhor consumer culture I did appreciate the layout. They were all built like massive caverns with the cave mouths able to accommodate elephants. It was a rather gaudy and probably wasteful yet ultimately satisfying use of space.

After lunch we met up with Silas, another high school buddy and hung out on the beach. We swam about the shore for a bit. I was stoked to learn that Silas was spending some of his free time volunteering as a docent at the aquarium. In high school he was so punk rock, funny as hell but just crass in a very teen aged way. I would never have expected him to participate in any kind of public service, but it was clear that he really appreciated the ocean and all the sea life around us. He could identify all sorts of creatures. We found a sea turtle swimming about the shore so I chased after it underwater. I tried to ride it for a few seconds but it clearly didn't like that. Ha! Funny dinosaur of a creature.

Later Silas showed me a part of the beach that had a massive shore break. Having barely ever been to the ocean before I had little understanding of the physics of the surf. In that short few hours I learned a great deal. Tidal forces draw masses of water towards the shore. Whenever the masses encounter a ridge on the ocean floor (such as a reef) the entire mass swells over creating what we perceive as a wave. As such waves reach shore they crash up on the beach creating what we know of as a shore break. (But you already knew that.) If you stand in the right spot and wait for the right mass of water you can swim so that the swell catches you and carries you rapidly to shore, dragging you mercilessly against gritty sand, then ripping you back again. An hour of this relentless assault left me exhausted. Thus my introduction, though rudimentary to surfing.

Afterwards we sat down to drinks which extended long into the night. Jet lag, shore break riding and alcohol combined to form extreme exhaustion. I passed out hard and was rendered completely worthless for all the next day.

Pix for 5/23

Reminds me of something...

Restaurants leave wax models of the menu outside to give you an idea of what's available. I like this.

Parks. Completely absent of underground Korean youth culture.

Public Art. Why are they rioting?

Upon further inspection it appears the people are enraged by the soldier blatantly fellating the man in public!

Good Name

Not Such a Good Name

Engrish Prease

In Regards to 5/23

Seoul walkabout proved...I dunno, inconclusive. Having made no plans and completely unfamiliar with the area I was at a loss in terms of what to do. I kept a map with me and did my best to follow the same techniques I use to guide myself in wilderness areas. The day is overcast and cooler than the day before. Humidity is high, several trees abound and the place seems quite clean. There's a mild odor of sewage everywhere but strangely fresher, less offensive than usual.

It appears the neighborhood I have landed in is a major shopping area. Boutiques abound, everything is cramped together for maximal efficiency with tall buildings everywhere. In a lot of ways this area reminds me of Seattle.

First order of business, lunch. I walk around the block to get a feel for the area and a sense of what's available. I settle on a place with live octopus swimming in tanks. Octopus are fascinating creatures, their brains are highly developed, they can solve mazes, their eyes are structurally similar to ours. They have a hydrostatic "skeleton" meaning they can fill their tentacles with water to create an erect appendage capable of puncturing soft tissues, or drain themselves until they can slip through slender crevices. One legendary octopus kept in a zoo allegedly lifted the top of it's cage, scuttled across the floor, deciphered the combination lock of the fish tank, preyed on fish and returned to it's cage on a nightly basis all under the nose of the zoo keeper. Clever beast. I'm gonna eat one.

I guess I ordered a delicacy. It's 20,000 Korean Won (about $15.) My plate comes out with hot peppers, garlic cloves and severed raw tentacles still writhing! Unbelievable! I had no idea these things could still squirm after death. Or is it even dead? And what do these strange creatures consist of? It's obviously dismembered, but no sign of blood vessels, no blood. Does this mean no muscle? Only flesh and gray matter? One way or the other the appendages continue to wriggle as I lift them to my mouth. Inside my maw the tentacles cling to my soft palette. How terribly unnerving. The bigger pieces cling tenaciously to the plate, one slips from my chop sticks suctions onto my lower lip. What a trip.

Even 20 minutes later they still have life in them. They go down well with the salty garlic sauce provided.

The rest of my day was largely uneventful. I hung out in parks, mostly populated by old people. That's one main difference between UB and Seoul. The population of 12-24yr olds in UB was extremely high. Here it seems like the majority are over 50. I suppose a steady diet of writhing severed octopus tentacle increases longevity.

Or maybe I'm just hanging out in the wrong area. I mean what kind of hip kid hangs out in the park on a Saturday? I'm turning into such a geezer.

In Regards to 5/22

It's down right humid in Seoul. I've lived in dry air for a year that felt like three, so the sensation is a welcome shock. Hard to imagine that a week ago I woke up to snow.

The day after my stay in the nice man's geir was filled with uncomfortable travel. I spent the whole night in the cozy confines intermittently between sleep and stoking the fire. When I awoke all my gear was dry. Nice. Through some more stunted communication my host assured me my driver would come directly to his property. No need to hike at all. So nice.

So when it came time to earn my keep I paid the man 10,ooo T (2,000 extra) and the remaining bags of food that I neglected to cook. If only I hadn't packed them my bag would've been so much lighter. But then no way to reward my benefactor.

Back in Khaatgal I was starving. The last thing I ate was a granola bar before reaching the man's ranch. The last meal had been a dinner of couscous on the 14th, the night before the snow. We stopped in arestaurant for plates of Khuushuur, the best I've ever had. Hunger is the best sauce.

The ride back to Muhrun was pretty fun. Battulag, my original driver returned for the trip. He's a talkative fellow, and with no one to translate I was forced to stumble blindly through communication. As we passed various grazing ruminates we made stupid animal noises which the Mongolians found incredibly entertaining. My sheep's bleat brought uproarous laughter, a sound my companions couldn't replicate. Later, at there insistence, I sang for them (from my typical tragically sparse repetoire) and after some awkward noises from my driver I intuited that some beatboxing was in order. This certainly won me some points.

About four hours of shit roads later we arrived back at Gambaa's geir in Muhrun. After a brief sit down of tea and treats I was informed that a Microbus was leaving for UB. I was ushered out and onto the bus with the quickness. All in all I'm glad. Although I really enjoyed my stay at Gambaa's geir it was in my best interests to return to UB. What's more, Boloroo was feverish so to spend the night would've been improper.

Once again, a ride from hell. I was packed into a microbus with 14 others. One guy was drinking vodka and speaking harshly. I thought, "oh shit, this is gonna be hell." Being the only pale face in the bus I was definitely the center of attention for a time, but it was a curious attention, without animosity. One young man introduced himself as Dalai (means ocean. Yes, this is the same name given to the leader of tibetan buddhism. The first Dalai Lama was named by a Mongol Khaan. It means "Ocean of Wisdom.") He spoke decent English so the ride wasn't completely scary.

At one point we had to be towed through a shallow stream. We then were obligated to tow the next vehicle, an autobus. Our little microbus couldn't handle it so we unhitched and a tractor pulled up. At first I was frustrated but I realize that all the MOngolians were looking out for each other and that's a good thing. Later on in the night our van got stuck on an incline. We all had to get out and walk as the poor thing putted up the slope. In the misty dark the climb took forever. I felt bad for the two old ladies who fell behind. "Hoyer busqui bakhwei!"

On into the night and into the next morn. It was raining everywhere and the steppe was beginning to turn green. We finally hit paved road. It stretched in a straight line all the way to the horizon, the most boring highway on earth.

We returned to a waterlogged UB at 11am on Monday 5/17, less than 24hrs after the old man's geir. I was immediately picked up by a taxi and whisked away. We had to take some back streets to avoid flooded areas, but it didn't really take much extra effort. The driver wanted to charge double for his pains but I adamantly refused. In the end I paid him an extra 2,500T and we parted ways, resenting each other.

With 2.5 days left in my apartment I spent the time cleaning. Mon. 5/17 was laundry. Tues. 5/18 was packing and cleaning. I moved things to Joe's place and Brent's crib, the two couches I'd be surfing. I made a point of visiting all of my favorite restaurants and sampling the best Mongolian beer before my departure. I found that I really appreciated seeing my friends once more. After a week of solitude, awkward communication and hellish transportation I needed the banter I'd come to know and love, and will most assuredly miss.

My last day in UB was a complete shit storm. The postman failed to site thee correct price for my package, so I had to get to the bank early and pay him the remainder. Then I took a trip to the travel agency because the lady fucked up my flight. I was given no assurance that my flight would go through. Back at the office I was told that there was no guaranteed ride to the airport for my early (6:45am) flight out. I couldn't collect my final paycheck and bonus until they settled my water bill which hadn't been paid all year. Would I ever leave this damn city?

5pm, water bill paid, final pay received, airport ride confirmed, flight guaranteed (for the time being.) Fuck it. I'm going to dinner. Order a steak at Dublin Pub, my third this week. As I'm waiting for dinner to arrive a call from the travel agency, I must speak with them. I eat and then walk over. The same incompetent harlot tells me she fucked up again. So now I have two options, leave that night at 11pm (6hrs) to arrive in Seoul at 3am, wait until 8pm that evening to fly to Hawai'i or fly out tomorrow 5/21 as planned and stay in Korea until an 8pm flight out on Sun 5/23. Fuck you! And all she can do is say "I'm sooo sorry!" No contingency plan, no retribution. She can't sacrifice anything from herself to make amends. I can't wait to leave this damn place. Poor customer service be damned!

Back at Dublin and my friend GG shows up. A fiery Indian/Canadian who listens to my rant. So often I feel that I'm in the role absorbing the woes of others, it's nice to be on the other side for a change. She's very accommodating, pays for my drinks. But she's off quickly to visit other friends. By and by others roll in. It's going to be a nice night. There's no way I'm going to take that 11pm flight. I simply can't miss my own send off.

Drunken banter, cigarettes on the roof. Bittersweet partings. Hugs. After the intense stress of the day it all shuts down so fast. I've been with these people so long, I still haven't processed the notion that I won't see much of them for a long time, if ever. Everything is so surreal. This is the strangest life I've ever known.

My transport out of UB went without a hitch. I arrived in Seoul without a clue of where to go or spend my extra time. A woman at the tourist information desk was extremely helpful in locating a hotel. Upon finding the place I plopped down for a long nap. 6hrs later I'm fully recuperated. I waste time watching TV, repacking things, preparing for a walk about the next day (5/22.) Haven't even left my room since 2pm. Didn't even go out on a Friday night in Seoul. Stupid stressed out foreigner.

Back to the Keyboard

Holla!

It's been too long. Sorry team.

I don't know what happened. That's a lie. I know exactly what happened. Being out in the wilds of north western Mongolia I had no internet access so I kept a journal which I intended to transcribe into posts for this here blog. My predicament continued as I made my way out of Mongolia. My return home trip consisted of an unintended lay over in Seoul, a pit stop in Honolulu followed by another in Seattle and finally a train trip home. Throughout this portion internet access was intermitent at best so I had no time to post. Now I've been back in Madison for about a month. I've gotten kind of carried away with enjoying life and settling back in. Unfortunately I neglected to write. I'm so sorry.

Read ahead for the missing story.

In Regards to 5/15

Holy Shit!

Today has been most wild. I woke up to the sound of pattering on my tent. I figured it was rain and just rolled over. It will finish soon enough. Much later it's still coming down. But isn't that shadows of sunlight filtering through branches overhead? My tent has a rain fly but the main body is all mesh. There's a narrow space at the bottom where I can look outside. I do so and see snow. Thick, wet, packing snow. Open the zipper and Oh Shit! Snow everywhere! It clings to all the branches in this dense wood an inch thick.

After taking pictures of this madness I pack up. Everything is wet. Everything is not better when wet. Some things are better left dry. Right glad am I to have retrieved Mom made socks. Wool continues to insulate when wet.

I head towards the way I came in, thinking I'll camp somewhere along the way so I can get to Khatgal in time. All this snow is dangerous. I can't make out landmarks from yesterdays scouting mission. I can't orientate myself to features on the horizon, snowfall continues to obscure my vision.

The passage eludes me, yet the challenge eggs me on. I find this wandering thrilling. I'm on an entirely different planet than I was yesterday. Blind luck and heedless abandon lead me onward. Perhaps histories worst escape plan.

I've wandered too far south. A slope I hadn't encountered yesterday. Head back downhill towards the lake, try to relocate previous days passage. Deer prints in the snow. I follow his path, a rocky outcropping, and the promise of a vantage point. Just what I needed.

The promise proves true, a sight of the river, my path out of here. Moving forward now, intersecting familiar ground. Past old ramshackle huts and corrals. Abandoned? A grove filled with songbirds, singing like they own the place. Return to tussocks.

Miles and miles of tussocks. Thankfully low points are frozen in this snow, no foot drenchings today. But this land is so difficult to hike. My ankles are slowly getting destroyed.

Almost out now. I can see the town across the river. A dog, menacing, chases after me barring his teeth and barking in a threatening way. Ranch children come out and chase it away with snowballs. Saved. Then the rancher calls out to me. I go to meet him and he offers his geir for the night. Double saved!

With my poor Mongolian and his poor English we manage to communicate. He will call my driver tomorrow and tell him to pick me up at the family ranch. Perfect. Now I've got everything that I need. A cozy geir to rest in and dry my wet gear. A friend to communicate my transportation needs. I am truly grateful and, after todays arduous hike, deeply in need of a rest. It's 4pm and I'm going to bed. Peace!

Pix for 5/15

In Regards to 5/14

I'm feeling lazy today. I don't know why. I just couldn't pull myself out of bed, even after having turned in early last night. I poked my head out the tent last night. Still in my sleeping bag I just stared up into the stars until it got too cold. It reminded me of a family vacation in Utah. I was sharing a tent with my brother David. Brother Mike came over and encouraged us to look out at the stars. We just laid there and stared. At the time it was the most stars I had ever seen in my life. It's a warm, happy memory.

Today after rising late I went on a scouting mission. My time here grows short so I must make my way back to Khatgal. My ride is to meet me there at 2pm on Sunday, the 16th. I don't know the guy and my phone doesn't work up here so if I miss the meet I may just be stuck. That would suck. So I should begin to head back tomorrow. On my mission today I felt clumsy, tripping over rocks and sticks alike. I hope I'm better balanced tomorrow. Clumsy like that with a full pack is just dumb.

I think I'll take another hike down to the lake to filter pump more water. Then back to camp for more sleep. It's been thinly overcast all day, not likely to get my awesome sunset, fire and stars. Damn. The night of the 11th was really the climax of this trip. Since then things have been beginning to drag. Maybe it's the food. Anyhow, I'll be back in UB soon enough for some final goodbyes and then it's fly to Hawaii. Sweet.

In Regards to 5/13

Yesterdays wind storm lasted several hours and into the night. I couldn't even read in my tent, my fingers were freezing. Later on I stepped out to piss. The wind had blown away all the clouds. The sky overhead was full of magnificent stars but the temperature had dropped well below freezing. I couldn't stay up for long so it was back to bed. The cold winds forced me to bundle up harder than ever before.

I slept late again. I just can't rise without some warmth. With nobody to motivate me I rely on the sun. Finally it heats up my tent and I roll out. Todays morning preparations include packing old clothes at the bottom of my bag. Before saddling up I gather wood and build a fire ring. If it's nice this evening I'll return and light a fire, watch the sun set, hopefully see some stars and night hike back to my camp.

Today's hike to find my current camp was weird. I had a headache the whole time, perhaps as a result of sleeping downhill. I had scouted a nice looking spot from Perfecto Ridge but today it eluded me. I eventually came across another nice ridge and called it camp.

An excursion to the lake took an hour. What's more I couldn't see my current camp from any vantage. I'm calling this place Camp Stealth because it cannot be seen.

Clouds have rolled in. I don't think I'm getting the sunset I wanted. Scratch the fire and night hike. Perhaps tomorrow night will prove more favorable.

Pix for 5/13

In Regards to 5/12

Snow last night. It pattered then slid off my tent with unusual sound. Coupled with my head down orientation made for a surreal night. I'm on only the slightest of grades but when I lie down I feel as though I'm hanging by my feet.

Anxious last night. I had my day's excursion all planned out and couldn't wait to begin. Overcast all night. I had hoped to see stars but no such luck. Morning came gray and chilly and I no longer wanted to rise. I slept in until what felt like very late, then made tea and was off.

I followed my ridge to shore according to my plan. I found it to be only 300 yards distance and easy to find so my return was clear. At shoreline I scouted for water sources. Some of the melted bits were treacherous to access. Have to be careful, falling in during this weather could prove deadly. I followed the shore to my Slope of Good Hope getting wet as I lay in snow to take pictures of miniature ice caves. I hope these pics turn out, the cyan shadows in the depths were awesome (note: in the pix below I had to alter the light levels and contrast to do these images justice.)

Back to the slope and I found my socks. Rest a bit, munch some G.O.R.P., drink some filtered lake water. Nice. Overcast day changes the tone, I'm feeling calmed today, humbled. I explore a bit more, further north than I first camp but soon turn back. Across the lake I can see storms brewing. Gusts of wind on my side alternate rapidly between chilly to mysteriously warm. Tornado weather?

Filter more water then back up to the ridge to camp. I can't tell what time it is, the sun is obscured by overcast sky. Exploring the opposite side of the ridge proves disappointing. Back to camp and I'm exhausted. Hunker down for a bit and maybe make some dinner in a while. The wind has kicked up something fierce.

5/11 Perfect Day

Perfect day. So much so that I dare call my new camp Perfecto Ridge. I love this place, I really do. Hiking around with the lumbar pack was awesome! Below the ridge on the western side the pine forest becomes boggy tussocks. Hiking this area was really nice because I got to movee from one landscape to another. The bogs are just weird to me. I looked a t few puddles but they just turned me off. The water appeared stagnant and germ infested. I was waiting for one that felt right.

I made my way to the lake. I swear if you stood still you could hear the ice melting. It sounded a bit like rain. Then it hit me...at the shores edge little areas of ice had melted to reveal cool, fresh water. Eureka! Why didn't I think of this before? Earlier when I made it to shore the lake was completely frozen. I didn't even try to break shore ice but maybe I should have. I guess that threw me off. Who knows, maybe last nights rain did the trick.

I set about the work of filter pumping the water. Such an exciting mechanism. It feels so right to gather water in this way. Up shore I could see my Slope of Good Hope. The way wasn't as treacherous as I had originally imagined. I could've walked the shoreline almost all the way, climbing only upon reaching the slope and saving myself a lot of hurt. Bogus.

Storm clouds roll in. I scurry back to my special ridge. Before long the sun breaks through triumphant. The ground in this area looks awesome in this light. Brown needle fall ignites fiery red in late afternoon light. Ahead I stumble across my ridge. I'm much farther north of my camp and nearer the lake. The land here is immaculate. Striations of sedimentary rock painted an orange ochre with lichen and turned upward by earth forces support soft, bubbly mounds of moss deeply embedded with fallen needles. In the fading light this perfect mesh of materials is absolutely sublime.

Back to camp, I set up my nights habitat as the sun sinks below distant peaks. I cook a big pot of couscous and hunker down for the night. Tomorrow I shall explore the way down from my ridge to shore. I will proceed to return to the Slope of Good Hope to retrieve lost socks. After I will return to explore the opposite expanse of this ridge at which point I will know how best to proceed to the next camp. Sounds like a promising day.

Tussock Land below my camp

Dodgy Water Source

Perfecto Ridge

Pine Needles Embedded In Soft Moss Over Lichen Encrusted Rock

Get Some!