Podcasts & Geocaching

Recently I bought a portable media player and soon got into world of podcasts. Podcasts are audio or video shows about various topics (if you are interested about something then there is a good chance that there is a podcast about it). Some podcasters make new shows every week, some more and some less frequently. At the moment I have subscribed to following podcasts:

• Amateur Travel Podcast | travel for the love of it

Good travel show where the focus is in travel stories told by all the travellers.

• Ante Up! Poker Podcast

Best poker related audio show out there: entertaining and informative.

• Sherdog.com Radio Network: “Beatdown”

This easily takes the best MMA audio show title. There are couple of other audio shows but they are not implemented as podcasts.

• The Rest of Everest Video Podcast

This is a video documentary about guys who climbed on a Mount Everest. It’s made well and it’s been shown in TV as well.

• Travel with Rick Steves

Less hardcore travel show but has some good information about places all over the world.

• Zencast

This is Zen related channel with lots of material about Zen & Buddhism.

• The Circuit - Poker Radio

Just found this one. It has lots of interviews with pro players.

• Chess Is Cool Podcast with Alexandra Kosteniuk

Haven't seen any other chess related podcast but this.

I also got GPS navigator as a Christmas present so I started a new hobby that I had already thought about some time – geocaching. It’s a game where you seek caches hidden by others from all over the world. You get coordinates to cache (or to some other place which contains a riddle, there are several variations), find it, take something from the cache and leave something to it + fill up the log book. First cache that I found was under one of the oldest building in my city :) It was also interesting to notice that I have passed close of many caches on my travels.

Also, when you combine the use of Google Earth (if you don’t have this, better download it right away) with GPS navigating then you can pick up coordinates of any place on the earth and go right there without need of any maps. I plan to use it on my next trekking trip as well as combine some geocaching to my travelling.

Next journey

Not too long after my last journey has ended, I should start thinking about the next one. I enjoyed trekking so much that most likely I will include it as part of my journey again. Here are some interesting trekking that I have come up with (in no particular order):

John Muir trail - USA, California
This is a route I read about when I was in Thailand. It is one of the more spectacular segments of the Pacific Crest Trail (which is huge trail from Mexico to Canada). John Muir trail is 340 kilometers long and it takes about 2-3 weeks to trek. Highest point, Mount Whitney (4421 meters) is highest point in the contiguous United States). Mount Whitney on the other hand is just 123 km west of the lowest point in North America, in Death Valley 86 m below sea level. Most people trek it from Mount Whitney to Yosemite National Park but I would do the trip vice-versa. This route needs a permit & bear-proof container for food. Best time to do: July to September.

Cordillera Huayhuash - Peru
Most people who want to trek in peru, go for the famous Inca trail. Huayhuash Circuit takes 10-14 days and is undoubtedly far more demanding than the Inca trail in the south of Peru. Most of the walking, and most of the campsites, are above the 4000 m treeline, so the landscape appears rugged and mountainous, affording views over very wide areas. The area is noted for its spectacular glacial lakes. Route has quite dangerous reputation because of armed bandits but situation was worse few years ago. Nowadays locals give armed escorts for some parts of the routes. Best time to do: May to September.

Snow lake - Pakistan
There's a place in remote northeastern Pakistan that is so overpowering in its visual drama that a number of qualified observers have been willing to declare that this is The Most Beautiful Place in the World. The Place is improbably remote, a week's trek from the nearest human habitation. This can be indeed called as the Ultimate Trek and not too many take the gauntlet. Its highest point is "only" at 5151 meters, but about 5 of 21-28 days will be trekked on ice. Movement will be slow & frustrating and being roped with others is essential on crevassed areas. So it requires a group of people and several porters per trekker. Best time to do: June to September.

Torres del Paine - Chile
The Paine Circuit. The highest peaks lie clustered in an area only about 16 square meters, making the 112 kilometer Paine circuit perhaps the finest trek on earth in terms of sheer visual impact. It takes about 8–10 days to trek, plus two recommended side hikes totaling over 50 kilometers. Independent trekkers won't need a guide, but national park authorities do not permit solo trekking (so basically you need to team up with someone). Best time to do: December to March.

Several treks - Nepal
Even though I just came back from there, there would be so much still to see in Nepal. For example Everest Base Camp trek that was my strong alternative when I went there would definetely be worth of doing. Also I have found out that TRC is cancelled at the moment so if it does not return it would be possible to trek there again independently. Other tempting treks in Nepal would be trekking peaks such as Island and Mera. Island Peak (Imja Tse) is 6160 meters high and takes about 20 days. Mera peak is 6476 meters high, takes about 22 days and it is highest trekking peak in the world. They are both very close to Mount Everest. Of course there are lots of other treks there too, like Dolpo and upper-Mustang trek though both are expensive ones. Best time to do: September to November or March to May.

Ruwenzori mountains - Uganda
Apart from being one of the main sources of the Nile, they are among the strangest and most mysterious mountains in the world. Finally, on top of everyting, one finds eternal snow and glaciers at an altitude of more than 5000 meters above sea level, which makes you forget, that you are in the heart of tropical Africa. Takes about 4-10 days to trek. Best time to do: All year.

Haraz mountains - Yemen
Many visitors have suggested that the majestic spirit of the mountains can be felt more intensely in Haraz Mountains than anywhere else. Most travel outside the capital will require a travel permit (tasriih), which must be applied for a number of days in advance and will be examined at checkpoints along the way. Due to tribal violence in Yemen, travel to Yemen is not recommended at this time. Best time to do: October to February.

Alpamayo Circuit - Peru
Trek round Alpamayo, known to mountaineers as one of the most beautiful peaks in the world. This trek is in the Cordillera Blanca (White Mountains), arguably the best hiking destination in the world. Alpamayo Circuit is over 140 kilometers long. You won't see many hikers there as the logistics of getting in and out are challenging. There are many passes (4600 - 4900m) and it takes 13-15 days to trek. Best time to do: June to August.

Larapinta Trail - Australia
The Larapinta trail is an extended walking track in the Northern Territory, Australia. Its total length covers 223 kilometres (about 14-15 days) from East to West, with one end at Alice Springs and the other at Mount Sonder, one of the territory's highest mountain and provides fine views of an unexpectedly dramatic, red-rock landscape. Best season to do: May to August.

Overland trail - Tasmania
The Overland Trail is an incredibly popular 80km+ hike through Tasmanian World Heritage mountains. Most Australian bushwalkers (trampers, backpackers, hikers) want to walk the overland trail from Cradle Mountain to Lake St. Clair at least once in their lives. It takes only about 5-7 days to trek. Best season to do: Unknown, it rains a lot every year.

Gila Wilderness - USA, New Mexico
Established in 1924 as the first forest wilderness preserve in the world, the Gila Wilderness Area comprises over half a million acres covering more than 1,000 square miles in southwestern New Mexico. More than 2400 kilometers of hiking trails lace the forest, ranging from a base elevation of 1300 meters in the high desert to peaks that almost touch 3350 meters. There are lots of trails so depends about the route how long it will take. Best time to do: Generally hikeable year-round, although the lower elevations will be uncomfortably hot in mid-summer

Salar de Uyuni - Bolivia
Salar de Uyuni is with its 10 582 square km the world's largest and highest (3600m) salt desert. Photograpers flock here to capture the unique landscape. Scenerly there looks like it's from other planet. It is often visited as part of a 3 or 4 day tour of South West Bolivia. This is not a trek though but it could be easily combined with some trek in Bolivia or with one of the treks in Chile. Best time to do: April to October.

Others
Some other trips that I have thought about have been K2 base camp in Pakistan (quite difficult and expensive), Cocos island in Costa Rica (impossible to get permit unless you're doing diving trip there) and coast to coast road trip in USA (I don't have valid driving license so I have to keep postponing this).

It's a tough choice, wouldn't you say so? :)

Out of subjects

My Nepal journal can now be found from my homepage. It has a new address but my old homepage has a link to it for a while. If you don’t even know the address of my old homepage you can message me somehow and request it. Do not expect literary masterpiece though - it's mostly about my actions (just like my journal about Colorado trip was).

At the moment I find it difficult to write about anything to this blog. I feel like I have covered already so many subjects that I do not know what is missing. Is there anything in life that you keep wondering about? Anything that I haven't already written about? Or perhaps something that I have already written about but it would need some clarification? Let me know if there is.