Hammoblog

Hello to one and all...... this is the first group email in 4 months....

Some of you have been wondering where I am and if all is well.... I am well and still enjoying the adventure.

I have had had some good feed back about my emails from a number of you. Some of you like the stories, others find it very hard to know where I am because I am telling you about things out of sequence and some find it hard to understand the emotions I am trying to convey. Other mates think I'v gone madd, arty farty and will be wearing frilly shirts and smelling the daphodils when I finally return... thats what trying to do creative writing gets you.

To help all of you I will be summarising my trip giving current location and plans. And I will still be sending the stories and thoughts as well so watch out for them, I will mark them as a STORY or QUICK UPDATE, so you can decide whether to read now save or delete...

My Last 5 months in South America after the Antarctic were spent in Chile touring the Torros Del Paine then onto El Chalten in Argentina to go Ice climbing on new years Eve.

Then started a road, air and sea trip to Mendoza in the far north of Argentine Patagonia. It took me to Porta Mont, Baralochi, St Martin Del Los Andes, Pucon and Santiago. I climbed active Volcanos, did whitewater rafting and hydrospeed. I learnt how to not Kayak in white water rapids, quad-biked along old lava flows on an active volcano and trained with an argentine Eco Challenge athlete...

Climbing Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas was a big undertaking and I failed to reach the summit by 200 meters. But what an amazing experience and a great 4 weeks in the Andes mountains...

It was then onto Brazil for Carnival, Salta and Iguazu Falls in Argentina, then Bolivia, touring the 12 000 KM Salt flats of Iyuni and climbing Volcanos and mountain biking in La Paz, and finaly in Peru trekked to Machu Pichuu.

I left South America in April and spent 2 weeks in the UK, before going on to Nepal to climb more mountains, do some Rafting and Mountain biking.

After Nepal and Katmandu I flew to Thialand into Bangkok and then onto Koh Toa for 8 days diving then back to Bangkok and onto Cambodia to see Seim Reap to see Angkor wat the ancient capital. It was built 1100 years ago and is straight out of Tomb Raider and Raiders of the Lost Ark... an amazing place.

I am now in Malaysia and among other things have seen Newcastle play in the Asia CUP will be going to the final tonight... Have also visited Melaka an old Dutch and Portugues trading town...

While in Asia I have been able to each lots of chicken noodle soup my favorite... along with spiders, scorpions, locusts and big bugs like roaches... well I could have tried them if I wanted all on sale cooked in garlic butter / Oil and chilli... Maybe later...!

OK done for now

Cheers
Steve

Hammoblog
		~ Monday, July 28, 2003 Hello to one and all...... this is the first group email in 4 months.... Some of you have been wondering where I am and if all is well.... I am well and still enjoying the adventure. I have had had some good feed back about my emails from a number of you. Some of you like the stories, others find it very hard to know where I am because I am telling you about things out of sequence and some find it hard to understand the emotions I am trying to convey. Other mates think I'v gone madd, arty farty and will be wearing frilly shirts and smelling the daphodils when I finally return... thats what trying to do creative writing gets you. To help all of you I will be summarising my trip giving current location and plans. And I will still be sending the stories and thoughts as well so watch out for them, I will mark them as a STORY or QUICK UPDATE, so you can decide whether to read now save or delete... My Last 5 months in South America after the Antarctic were spent in Chile touring the Torros Del Paine then onto El Chalten in Argentina to go Ice climbing on new years Eve. Then started a road, air and sea trip to Mendoza in the far north of Argentine Patagonia. It took me to Porta Mont, Baralochi, St Martin Del Los Andes, Pucon and Santiago. I climbed active Volcanos, did whitewater rafting and hydrospeed. I learnt how to not Kayak in white water rapids, quad-biked along old lava flows on an active volcano and trained with an argentine Eco Challenge athlete... Climbing Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas was a big undertaking and I failed to reach the summit by 200 meters. But what an amazing experience and a great 4 weeks in the Andes mountains... It was then onto Brazil for Carnival, Salta and Iguazu Falls in Argentina, then Bolivia, touring the 12 000 KM Salt flats of Iyuni and climbing Volcanos and mountain biking in La Paz, and finaly in Peru trekked to Machu Pichuu. I left South America in April and spent 2 weeks in the UK, before going on to Nepal to climb more mountains, do some Rafting and Mountain biking. After Nepal and Katmandu I flew to Thialand into Bangkok and then onto Koh Toa for 8 days diving then back to Bangkok and onto Cambodia to see Seim Reap to see Angkor wat the ancient capital. It was built 1100 years ago and is straight out of Tomb Raider and Raiders of the Lost Ark... an amazing place. I am now in Malaysia and among other things have seen Newcastle play in the Asia CUP will be going to the final tonight... Have also visited Melaka an old Dutch and Portugues trading town... While in Asia I have been able to each lots of chicken noodle soup my favorite... along with spiders, scorpions, locusts and big bugs like roaches... well I could have tried them if I wanted all on sale cooked in garlic butter / Oil and chilli... Maybe later...! OK done for now Cheers Steve posted by TheOakBloke at 9:40 am