Breaking out of NZ

Gallery: Kicking Hoarse/Goats Eye Mountain

mattjarvis — Tue, 1 Apr 2008 06:55:00 GMT

Banff

mattjarvis — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:36:00 GMT

After a week of job hunting/skiing we have both landed jobs + staff accomadation on the mountain which is cool, I can usually get a few runs in before work starts.

Gallery: Canada

mattjarvis — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:28:00 GMT

Vancouver/Banff

Canada

mattjarvis — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:18:00 GMT

I arrived in vancouver canada on the 22nd of janurary which averaged 3 degrees during the day which was a bit of a change from bangkok. After spending 2 weeks catching up with Hana we moved on to Banff which was -20 degrees on the days we arrived todays its a balmy -4 and yesterdays was a searing 0 degrees.

It snowed for 5 days straight which made for some excellent powder skiing waist deep in places nothing like the sheet ice on ruapehu. After 3 days riding its no time to nuckle down and find work. The pay is pretty crap but the snow makes up for it.

Banff town is beautiful and suronded by huge mountains

Thailand

mattjarvis — Mon, 7 Jan 2008 16:42:00 GMT

Back in Bangkok and happy to be in and area which is relatively clean, caters well for foreigners, where everything works, they sell things other than usless crapp (shawls carpets etc) and you dont get pesteredwalking down the street.

Burger king was a big highlight after a night drinking

Met up with another guy I met at everst to here his bag was lost in transit. Probably with go to Kown Chang - a thai island next to the cambodian border or Laos.

Looking forward to getting to canada

India-Srinagar-Gulmarg

mattjarvis — Wed, 2 Jan 2008 16:26:00 GMT

Delhi

Arived in Delhi to stay for 3 nights and meet up with a guy from the verest trek which I was unable to do due to the local food and unfortunatley saw lattle other than the main backpakers are which you feel more so like a walking $ sign then Nepal or Thailand.

Srinagar

Arrived in Srinagar on the mend and stayed in a house boat which was interesting, Srinagar soes not live up to the "Paradaise on earth slogan" stated on the welcome sign in fact quiet the opposite although apparently its all different in the spring when they clean the river and all the rubbish. There is a big millatary presence here with soldiers on nearly every corner

Gulmarg

It was nice to finally arrive in gulmarg, during the ride we rose up through the cloud to find blue ski and snow everywhere. Unfortunatly not enough to ride on so I met up with an Aussie, american and 1 iclandes and made a good effort to entertain ourselves while waiting cross country skiing was first, then sledding down a road to another town great fun, Snow golf (hitting plastic flouro balls round with the numerous rubbish bins as holes, Hiking we hiked to the top to the mountain which was 4500m and we could see into Pakistan and alot of the himalayas and apparently K2 and drinking smuggled beer which was labeled defense force issue only. After 8 days of this with no snow and little prospect of it coming it really to where thin so I headed back to Delhi to sort my ticket to Bangkok.

Delhi

Spent NYE in Delhi had mcdonalds and wnet to the only bar on the main backpackers strip where there was a few foreigners so had an ok time. Sorted out my ticket painlessly and was looking forward to leaving.

Gallery: Gulmarg-Srinagar

mattjarvis — Wed, 2 Jan 2008 02:06:00 GMT

Photots

Nepal then onto India

mattjarvis — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 01:49:00 GMT

After arriving back from the Everest Base camp trek i spent a week in Kathmandu sorting out my indian Visa, once this was granted I travelled to Pohkara the base town for Annapurna treks at the base of the annapurna range then with the aid of a 4 hour taxi ride ($50 USD split 4 ways), a few local buses (interesting but uncomfortable), a night in Butwal (not a tourist town)and a 7km rickshaw ride we got to Chitwan where I took a Elephant safari and saw half a dozen Rhiinos and corcs.

Tomorrows its back to dirty old kathmandu before a fly out to Delhi for 2 nights to meet up with a trekking partner from everst then on to Srinagar (Kashmir-India) and onto Gulmarg (bout 50km away) to do some himalayan skiing (check www.skihimalaya.com) on the 20th. which Im excited about

Unfortunatley photos are painfully slow to load so these migh have to wait to Im back in Thailand or Canada

Everest Base camp trek

mattjarvis — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 17:32:00 GMT

Just got back into Kathmandu this morning, meet up with a couple of poms and did most of the trekking with them went to everest base camp 5300m and Kala Pathar which overlooks everest climbing route and base camp at 5600m which was a hard climb. scenery was amazing and the whole area was really nice they like NZ's because of the work sir eds done.

I went well at altitude and carried all my own gear (most people hired porters)

May do some rafting so will probably be in Kathmandu for another 5 days or so and then back to Bangkok.

Ill try and post some pics but the internet speed here is slow but at only 40 rupees per hour cant complain.

Gallery: Nepal

mattjarvis — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:18:00 GMT

From the planes exist window

Kathmandu

mattjarvis — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:09:00 GMT

Well booked a flight to Lukla to do the everest base camp trek so you wont be hearing from me for at least 15 days maybe more due to lukla be notorious for cancelling flights

Anyyway Kathmadu is a dirty chaotic mess horns are used continously traffic is mad with no footpath, makes Bangkok look perfectly organised.

So im looking forward to getting into the khumbu region and seeing everest.

Hopeflly the pic from the plane turns out ok

Nepal

mattjarvis — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:28:00 GMT

Just got into Kathmandu, had an amazing view of the himalaya's when flying in well from the exit door anyway as the right hand window seats get booked early. Posting photos may have to wait as the nets a bit slow here

Plan for tomorrow is to buy so gear and hook up with a trekking agency/fellow trekker to do the Annaopurna circuit

On route to Nepal

mattjarvis — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:46:00 GMT

After an excellent few days in penang Im set to head back to Bangkok on wed/thur and fly into Nepal on Saturday for so trekking and white water rafting.

Gallery: Koh Phangan

mattjarvis — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:25:00 GMT

Koh Phangan

Penang

mattjarvis — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 12:40:00 GMT

After a rough couple of days in Kophangan - non stop rain flooding and power outages I decided to head for Penang to see my Uncle and after 14 hours in either a boat or mini bus and late buses and border debarcles i finally arrived and got picked up from where I was dropped. Im very happy to be here

Kohphangan

mattjarvis — Wed, 7 Nov 2007 15:58:00 GMT

Been in Kohphangan for 4 days now and this place is great apart from the rain and will probaby do some scuba diving and treking when it clears hired a scooter and rode around the whole island in half a day might stay here for another week and then go to Penang in malaysia. Have been haging out with a Scotish couple and 3 canadians which is fun. Have not got my camera here but will post photos next time

Gallery: Bangkok

mattjarvis — Fri, 2 Nov 2007 21:06:00 GMT

Bangkok

mattjarvis — Fri, 2 Nov 2007 20:54:00 GMT

Arrived in Bangkok after a comfortable flight at 10:00pm thai time 29C outside got a nice room with air-con, toilet and shower. The travel books recommed against the tuk-tuks but they are the most fun and if you hard on them you get taken all over the place for 10 baht about less than 50c and yes they drive loose but they are damn good at it! Ive had enough of Bangkok and have booked a bus for Kopanyang island tomorrow so hope to do some scuba diving

Gallery: Home in NZ

mattjarvis — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 17:53:00 GMT

Photos from home

Counting down

mattjarvis — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 17:47:00 GMT

Ah with flights booked and all other issues sorted I now just have to wait until 1st of november when I fly out of auckland for Bangkok to start what maybe a long time overseas. I'll be in south east asia for 6 weeks before heading to south america - venezuela for 3 and peru to 2 weeks before getting to Canada.