Yosemite Bound - Lee Vining to Yosemite Valley

August 2, 2014

There are three shuttles that run to Yosemite every day; however only one of them go all the way to Yosemite Valley. The remaining two terminate at Tuolumne Meadows. So in reality we could have slept at least an hour longer but since we decided to stop at Tuolumne first, we were up at 6:20 a.m. and ready to check out just before 7:00 a.m. We grabbed coffee and chai latte and some pumpkin bread at the Latte da Coffee Cafe, which was adjacent to the El Moo Motel and headed to the YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) shuttle stop about a block away.

Shuttle to Yosemite Valley

The shuttle ride was pleasant, offering great views of the mountainous terrain. After 40 minutes we arrived at Tuolumne Meadows. We had just enough time to visit the Grill and walk a mile to the visitor center to buy and mail some postcards before we had to return to the shuttle stop.

The air was not too hazy but we could smell smoke in the air. Normally I would associate this scent with a pleasant bonfire and roasted sausages. This bonfire however was burning on 3400 acres and 1400 firefighters were tending to it. We were saddened by the loss of such a vast area of beautiful forest but we were also happy that the fire did not mean any change in our plan as it was burning in an area not directly affecting the JMT.

Half Dome

The next YARTS bus was supposed to arrive at 10:15 a.m. When there was no sign of it at 10:25 we started to worry that we might have missed it somehow. Luckily for us it was just running late. Once again the ride was smooth and the views were getting even better. Behind us was a couple returning to their vehicle parked in the Valley. They got stuck in a stormy weather and after several days of heavy rain they gave up and left the trail about 70 miles short of Whitney. It was sunny and close to 100 degrees. It was hard to imagine any prolonged period of rain.

Once we got our permits, which was an easy task involving a fifteen minute chat with a friendly ranger at the Yosemite Valley Ranger Station, we hurried to secure our spot at the backpackers camp. There was plenty of space when we arrived. There is no potable water at the backpacker camp but nearest source is only about 5 minutes away at the Pines Campground.

Backpackers Campground

Yosemite Valley has a great shuttle system. Not only you can take YARTS to the Valley, you can then take the smaller shuttle buses to get around the Valley. These shuttles run a one hour loop, hop on and off at your leisure, and they are completely free. When our headquarters was set up for the night, we took advantage of this shuttle system and returned to the village for lunch and sight seeing.

Then we took the shuttle all around the Valley and then yet continued back to stop # 6 which was perfect for sunset photos. A view of Half Dome across an open meadow that lured us for a pre-dusk stroll. We made a few step on a bridge over a peacefully flowing Merced River when Dave pointed across the water.

"Bear."

Finally a bear. Yosemite Valley is known for its bears and I was looking to catch a sight of one ever since we arrived. The bear made it to the bridge but when he saw us, he continued further downstream where he crossed over. I'm positive he would have used the bridge if it wasn't for us standing on it.

Our first Yosemite bear sighting

Washington has a healthy population of black bears but most of times you see them stationed in a berry field far away from the trail. This one we saw from up close and it was active, walking around and swimming. It was a neat experience.

The evening brought pinking color to the sky as the sun set behind the curtain of smoke. The air quality in the Valley was good, I hardly could detect any smoke in the air. I was happy about it. Even though the fire did not directly threatened the trail, the smoke could easily make our hike unpleasant.

Smoky Sunset

Speaking of a hike, we were so excited, we found it hard to fall asleep that night. I'm sure the hot humid evening did not help either. We were ready for some fresh mountain air.


Tomorrow we set out for our journey and I will face one of my biggest fears.

Chitwan NP - October 2012

How long does it take to drive 90 km (60 miles)? By bus approximately six hours we are told at the Katmandu office of Hotel Park Side. Round ticket would cost little less than $10.00. We accept the offer. Just two hours earlier rep from another agency told us that all buses were full due to national holiday and the only way to get to Sauhara was to hire a private driver for $170.00.

The next morning we set out for the bus station. According to the directions it’s merely 15 minutes walk along the main road. I don’t remember seeing a bus station in that direction, neither does Dave but our hotels staff reassures us that we won’t miss it.

And it indeed would be hard to miss. The buses line both sides of the road. They are long lines without any indication when each bus leaves or where is it going. The on site helper keeps busy seeing people into the correct one. Thankful for his service, we follow him  to a bus nearby where the driver checks our tickets and leads us to appointed seats. The bus is old but seats seem quite comfortable. Air Conditioning is provided by a fan mounted on each window. No other luxuries.

The bus fills quickly. Some people are even placed on a bench in the drivers cabin. We conclude the uncomfortably looking wood bench with no personal space must be for those who could not afford full price tickets.

A whistle sets the buses in motion. They take off at once and float down the street heading out of Kathmandu. Before we bid farewell to the city, we make a stop at a gas station. Long line of busses means a long wait. Local kids run among the busses trying to sell water and snacks to the bored passengers.

In about half hour we are in motion once again. The road is in poor condition and gets worse once we are past Kathmandu’s city limits. It snakes, too narrowly and too close to a treacherous cliff, down a steep valley.

The lowlands are words apart from the cold inhospitable mountain regions Nepal is also home to. Agriculture thrives here. Slopes of the valley shine green, every space is utilized for crops of various kinds. Large banana trees line the road.

The air is hot and humid, weighted with dust of our crumbling surroundings. The road, a highway running between two major cities, is in worse shape than many forest roads in US. As we cover the distance we are searching for a single building that would not be in desperate need of repair. Our search yields no results. The luckier people own a shabby, unfinished house, for the poor home is often nothing more than a straw roof supported by 4 sticks.

Sauhara, the entrance to Chitwan NP is in better shape. It’s a tourist village and with tourists come money. We are picked up at the bus stop by a rep from our hotel and in a terrain vehicle transported to the premises where we will spend the following 3 days. Parksite Hotel. The rooms are spacious and clean. Stuff friendly as far as we can tell. Awaiting our first adventure, we strike a friendly conversation with a couple from Holland with whom we share the next 3 days. There is also a family from Canada, husband and wife with their 2 children, who relocated to Kathmandu for a year so that the husband can help local hospital. Hearing about the little victories they celebrated along their now 3-month journey gives us an unique look on the challenges life in third world countries like Nepal can rise.

Chitwan NP is known for it’s healthy population of hippo’s, deer, crocodiles, and monkeys, sightings of tigers and sloth bears were also reported. We spend the following three days trying to catch our own sight of these animals, in canoe, jeep, and on foot. Fall when the grass is tall and strong, is not the ideal time for a visit, and excursions deep into the jungle are not permitted for safety, however we are still lucky to see several hippos, deer, family of monkeys, a crocodile, and a wild boar. The opportunity to visit elephant breeding center and pet baby elephants is another highlight of this trip.

Onto Lukla - October 2012

Trekking to Everest Base Camp starts with an adventurous flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. Hundreds of passengers take the flight daily during the high season in October and November. The planes are small and noisy, they rattle, and on average two of them crash every season.

Getting to the plane is experience on its own. As we bulldoze our way through the overcrowded domestic section of Kathmandu airport I try to imagine doing this without an assistance. There are no signs to point travelers to any directions, save the right one, and the sporadic personnel speak very limited English.

Closely following our guide we arrive at an unmanned scale and drop off our entire luggage. An officer appears and briefly scans our over-the-limit belongings. Few handshakes and a nod later, we proceed through the door and take a short bus ride to our plane.

The scene is lively. Previous passengers are exiting the plane; their luggage is loaded onto a cart, and a re-fuel crew is making sure there is enough juice for another round trip. Inside there are two rows of seats, separated by a narrow corridor. Sign stating “Emergency Axe” catches my attention. Hopefully we won’t be in a need of using it. The flight day is short, and passengers plentiful. We don’t waste time idling around. As soon as the last seat is taken, the door close, and shortly afterwards we are airborne en route to Lukla.

The flight is just about 45 minutes. We soon leave the crumbling city behind and our windows offer views of much more pleasing nature. Farmlands open below us with their fields cascading on hillsides. Various shades of green neatly stacked one below the other. Deeper in the mountains, settlement became less frequent.  We are flying through a valley, surrounded by forested slopes. The dense growth surprises me in this altitude.

One last turn and Lukla appears in view; small town scrunched in a valley in the elevation of 2,860 metres (9,383 ft). Lukla contains an airport, several tea houses catering to visitors during the trekking season, and a variety of stores offering last minute trail supplies for those starting their journey, and souvenirs for those returning. There are also couple of coffee shops claiming to provide free wi-fi; however the service is not reliable and the connection is often painfully slow.

Lukla is served by the Tenzin-Hillary Airposr, one of the most extreme and most dangerous airposrts in the world. Its single runway is 460 m x 20 m (1,510 ft x 66ft) with 12% gradient. Due to the terrain - there are high slopes immediately after the northern end of the runway and a steep angled drop of about 2,000 m (6,600 ft) at the southern end, there is no prospect of a succesfull go around. You either land, or you crash. 

Exiting the aircraft, I take a deep breath of the fresh mountain air. It is crisp, its chilliness brings a soft pinch to my sinuses but at this time I hardly notice. The moment we’ve been waiting for is here. Curiously looking around, we take our first steps in the Himalayas, excited for the adventure ahead. 

Arrival to Kathmandu - October 2012

The bus drops us off at the airport hall which is about 100 feet from where the plane unloaded us. I estimate that we could have walked the distance faster.

There is the typical airport buzz present here, casual conversations take place between travelers as they are waiting to go through customs. The line is not moving fast.

Around us is a room in a need of modernization. The only furniture is an old table on which custom forms are scattered and few metal chairs. The emptiness has a cold, nearly unfriendly feel. More of an interrogation room than an airport hall it reminds me, and that feeling gets even stronger once our turn comes up.

We face 4 immigration officers. They sit in a row on the same metal chairs the rest of the room is furnished with, their faces show no emotion.

The first officer takes our money. $40.00 each for a 30-day visa. We step towards the second one who scans our passport and hands it down the line. Now we are in front of the third officer. His job is to check our visa forms. Once he approves them, all our paperwork makes one last move. The last officer places a visa sticker to our passport and we are free to go.

Outside we find a beehive of people, each pushing their way through the crowds with a specific task in their mind. Hundreds of luggage helpers. Taxi drivers on their hunt for clients. On the other side of the street there is a very long line of reps from variety of travel agencies. After 28 hours of travelling I’m thankful for finding our rep in the beginning of that line. We receive our first friendly welcome and in the next five minutes we are leaving the chaos behind.

It’s completely dark, street lamps are non existing. Not much can be seen outside except for loosely lying bricks and piles of sand. It’s like driving through a never ending construction site which is a sight as we learn later common not only to this particular part of town but to the whole country. The road gets from bad to worse, the bumps feel bigger and they are more frequent the further we get from the airport but eventually this mostly primitive road drops us off in front hotel Shankar. During its prime it must had been a stunning structure. Now the siding is peeling and its white color has long been spoiled by mossy mildew but the architecture itself still impresses us.

The interior is preserved better, a large hall decorated with mandalas, plenty of light and has welcoming feel. Same goes for the room. Everything is clean, there is plenty of space, and soon after our arrival a basket full of fruit is delivered.

It’s about 2:00 a.m. now, time to get some rest before our Nepal adventure begins tomorrow.

Hong Kong - October 2012

The flight seems never-ending, but finally breakfast is served and shortly afterwards we start descending. Underneath us lies Hong Kong. The city is just awakening and in the mist of this hazy morning we start recognizing shapes of the islands. As we get closer a skyline rises and finally we are low enough to distinguish individual buildings.  Our adventure is about to begin!

After a short wait at the customs we get our visa. We follow the crowd of travelers into a large airport hall. Hotel booths with their bright advertisements compete for our attention, a line of taxis awaits outside. At the information desk where we learn the fastest and most comfortable way of getting to the downtown of Hong Kong Island is the Airport Express. We make our way through the pond of people rushing to their gates or aiming for the shops and then onboard the train we leave the airport scene behind. 

Star Ferry is the first attraction we decide to experience. The ferry, running since 1880, was named as one of 50 places of a lifetime by The National Geographic Traveler and is known as one of the world’s best value-for-money sightseeing trips. The design we see today is from 1950’s, wooden construction 2 decks high. The bottom is painted green, top part is white and along both sides hangs life wheels in matching colors. The interior is simple, open floor with several rows of benches. Surprisingly we find out the front is air conditioned. 

It is a short sweet ride, and on the other side we step out onto Kawloon located North of Hong Kong Island. We don’t have enough time to explore the whole peninsula but several hours are plenty to get a feel for Tsim Sha Tsui district. That is if shopping is not on your “must do in Kawloon” list. In that case reserve several days as the streets are lined with stores, any brand name you can think of seems to be represented here. 

We are leaving the expensive luxuries behind headed for the waterfront. Avenue of Stars offers a stunning panoramic view across Victoria Harbor. It’s grey and blue colors compliment the skyline of Hong Kong Island. Set into the promenade are plaques honoring celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry.

Our next stop is Kawloon Park. Contrary to the bustling streets of Kawlooon here in the park one can find a moment of peace and solitude. Many locals come here to practice Tai Chi. We take a walk in the gardens, admiring the great variety of plants. Attractive blooms, leafy water plants, bamboo forest, that all keeps the camera busy. The trees especially catch our interest with long aerial roots hanging from the branches, some nearly touching the ground. More aerial roots grow near the bottom of their trunks, a complex net of them, clinging to walls for support.

The time is pressing us to return back to Hong Kong Island. Again we take the Star Ferry. Our eyes are on Hong Kong’s skyline, a dense forest of skyscrapers. Later we try to get a bird’s view of it from the 55^th Floor of 2IFC tower (International Financial Centre), the second tallest building in Hong Kong but it is Saturday, a holiday as we are told, and we are not granted permission to enter the building.

Instead we head for the Mid-Level Escalators, the longest series of outdoor covered escalators in the world. There is a total of 20 separate escalators with streets that bi-sect the system. The ride is about 800 meters long and takes approximately 20 minutes. Along its course we get a peek at the district of SOHO, an entertainment district with many bars, restaurants, night clubs, and art galleries. 

Shortly afterwards  our time here is up. So long Hong Kong!  Our vacation is just starting and many more adventures await!