AgoLalla blogspot

San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:12:00 +0000

Oh well, it’s better late than never! I have been in San Francisco from Sept 29th until Oct 3rd, just 3 full days before flying to Maui. I’ve visited almost everything except Alcatraz and Fisherman’s Wharf. Highlights? 1) Golden Gate bridge from Fort Point and Crissy Field 2) Haights 3) Coit Tower 4) Chinatown and 5) the Mission and the Castro. If you are interested in special stores, don’t miss: American Ciclery, 858 Stanyan St., the best fixed gear store in US; City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Av., the heart of Beat movement; Green Apple Books, 506 Clement St., for discounted books; Sport Basement, 610 Old Mason Street, just behind Crissy Field, the best SF sporting goods store; Caffé Trieste, 601 Vallejo St. Also don’t miss these places: De Young Museum in the Golden Gate Park, designed by Herzog & De Meuron; Filbert Street Steps, the most scenic way down Levi’s Plaza from Coit Tower; The Mission murales; SFMOMA, designed by Mario Botta; San Francisco Art Institute, 800 Chestnut St.; Japantown.

San Francisco

VISUALIZZA PRESENTAZIONE

SCARICA TUTTO

Nice hike in Grignetta with my father

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:26:00 +0000

August 13th, the day before my father’s birthday, I decided to test his endurance and hiking ability. We went up to the Grignetta summit, a 2,177 meters peak very close to Milan. We parked at Rifugio Porta, 1,426 meters, and we went up via the well known Direttissima, trail number 8, then we turned right and up in Canalone Angelina, right in Sentiero Cecilia and we reached the top.

Trails in Grignetta:

Direttissima Trail:

Cecilia Trail:

The summit:

After the summit, we decided to reach the Rifugio (Hut) Rosalba via the most spectacular trail on the north face of the mountain. Just before the hut my father broke both shoes! Old and poor quality equipment…

13_agosto_2011 Grignetta from Agostino Lalla on Vimeo.

Down the North face:

At the end of the day:

June 2011: Saint Tropez

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:14:00 +0000

Funny days with my buddy in Saint Tropez. The video has been registered just in front of the city center with the harbour full of racing yachts waiting for the start of La Giraglia race.

And some photos from the beach:

June 2011: Corsica rulez

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:19:00 +0000

June is usually one of the windiest month in Corsica. This year I wasn’t too lucky, anyway I had 2 windy days out of 4.

The first one was a 30 knt day in Santa Giulia and the second one was a light 14 knt day in La Tonnara. Despite these sessions, I did some swimming in the open water of Palombaggia and between Petit Sperone beach and Isola Piana, in the extreme South.

Check here for some action:

Swimming in Palombaggia:

La Tonnara

Sperone beach

March 2011: Beauvallon rulez

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:46:00 +0000

The March 12th/13th, 2011 weekend has been an unforgettable one for the east wind storm hitting the South East French coast.

Here you have some picture and 3 videos showing Beauvallon windsurfing conditions. Beauvallon is a wave spot just in front of Saint Tropez, 100 km from Nice and 60 km from Hyeres, the French windsurfing mecca.

Paolo ripping:

First day was in 4.2 sqm mode with 35 knots blowing constantly and a 75 litres wave board, Ordonez:

Second day was unbelievable: 3.7 sqm overpowered (45 knots) with a 68 litres wave board, Goya.

Tasmania: Bruny Island and Maria Island

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:31:00 +0000

BRUNY ISLAND

My first adventure in the green was Bruny Island. It is accessible from the small town of Kettering (40 minutes drive from Hobart) by a vehicular ferry that takes 15 minutes to reach the Island. The ferry costs 28 AUD and the timetable is the following:

The island is renewed for its wildlife, beaches and stunning scenery. The south is also home of South Bruny National Park and the total population of the island is around 620 permanent residents. The first day I headed directly to Cape Bruny Lighthouse which is the second-oldest lighthouse in Australia. After that, I drove west to enjoy Labillariere Peninsula circuit, starting from Jetty Beach. At 6 pm I was in the fantastic Lunawanna general store, the perfect place to stop for a tasty meat pie. I finally decided to sleep in Cloudy Bay. There are four free campgrounds in Bruny Island: Jetty Beach, Neck Beach and two in Cloudy Bay, one at the beginning of the bay, on your right, and another one at the end of the bay (Cloudy Corner), accessible only by 4WD. Having a 2WD I decided to stop in the first campground in Cloudy Bay. The following morning I reached Adventure Bay via the C629, Coolangatta Road, in the middle of the forest. Adventure Bay is the most touristic place in Bruny, even if there are very few tourists. I the drove to the Neck and walked up the Truganini Memorial to enjoy broad views of both ends of the island.

Cloudy Bay

MARIA ISLAND

Maria Island is accessible by ferry from Triabunna, on the Tasmanian east coast. I tried to reach Triabunna via the Wielangta forest road but unfortunately the road was closed because of a broken bridge. The ferry from Triabunna leaves twice a day and twice a day come back from Maria Island, once in the morning at 9.30 am (10.30 am from Darlington) and once in the afternoon at 4.00 pm (5.00 pm from Darlington). The roundtrip ticket costs 50 AUD and it is better to buy it in advance in Hobart, at the visitor center. The island in rich in history and became a national park in 1972. There are no cars and few accommodation options, such as some campgrounds and Darlington’s Penitentiary Accomodation Units. The natural scenery is amazing and includes painted cliffs, white beaches, forests and blue sea. The wildlife is abundant, kangaroos, wombats and wallabies populate the island from down to dusk. I arrived at 5.00 pm from Triabunna and decided to sleep in a place wilder than Darlington campground, the French’s Farm. On the road to this place, just 20 minutes from Darlington, I admired the Painted Cliffs, just at the end of the first beach I met. It took me almost 3 hours to get to the camp, but the next morning I woke up very close to Shoal Bay and it took me just an hour to reach the awesome Riedle Bay. After a icy swim in the bay, I picked up my tent and my gear and walked back to Darlington. I left everything at the ranger station and then walked through the 1,5 hours circuit to Cape Boullanger, where I enjoyed a completely different landscape.

Darlington jetty

Bruny Island and Mariah Island

VISUALIZZA PRESENTAZIONE

SCARICA TUTTO

Australia: Sydney and Hobart

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:04:00 +0000

SYDNEY

Being in Sydney Dec 25th was fantastic! Not only because in my home country I was freezing, but especially because of the chance I had to assist at the start of one of the most famous sailboat race in the world, the Sydney-Hobart, a 628 nautical miles course crossing one of the most stormy straits in the ocean. Obviously I didn’t reach Australia directly from Milan. It took me some 23 hours and half flight time, Milan-Shangai-Melbourne-Sydney, with a 14 hours stop in China. I then found my friend Phil in Manly, at the northern end of Sydney Bay, and I rest in his nice house at Bilgola Beach. We spent the Christmas day on the sand and surfing the small but powerful waves in Bilgola. Priceless.

Bilgola Beach:

The 26th was the day of the start of the Sydey-Hobart. We first went to the Sydney Yacht club to say goodbye to Phil brother, Doug, who was racing on 70 foot boat Ichi Ban. Here I really felt the atmosphere of a huge and unique sailing event. We assisted at the start of the race, with the big 100 foot boat ahead and smaller boats behind.

Sydney-Hobart start:

There was a light breeze, some 8-10 knots, not too much but enough to make thousands people happy to be in the Bay. I spent the next day in sightseeing the city, the harbour bridge, the Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Woolloomooloo, Kings Cross, Chinatown and Bondi Beach. I guess my limited time in Sydney offered me the opportunity to understand that the city is really a pleasant place to live in. A lot of green, nice people, many beaches, cute houses and the right attitude to enjoy life.

Opera House:

HOBART

My first thought when I landed in Hobart was “shit, I’m back in winter!”. But hopefully I was not. It was just one of those Tassie summer days when clouds cover the sun and temperature temporary drop to 10 degrees. Hobart has a special charm, especially in the Christmas week. It lies on the ocean at the foothills of Mt Wellington, is has nice buildings and gorgeous neighbourhood such has lovely Battery Point and, when I was there, several special events such has Sydney-Hobart arrival and Taste Festival.

Victoria Dock:

The Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery is another attraction: free, plenty of interesting displays and relics and with a first but complete taste of Tassie wildlife. Victoria Dock, with its fishing boats, Mures, probably the best place in town to eat fish and Salamanca Place, with a special Saturday market. What I liked most was Battery Point, probably the best place to live in Hobart, with its tiny lanes, old cottages and ocean view. You can get into this area throught Kellys Steps, just behind Salamanca Place. Then take your time to roam around in Hampden Rd, Souih St, Arthur Circus and Battery Sq.

Click on it:

Sydney & Hobart

VISUALIZZA PRESENTAZIONE

SCARICA TUTTO

Dec. 28th was also the right day to assist at the arrival of the Sydney-Hobart race. The announced winner (Wild Oats XI) arrived at 8:37 pm, followed by Investec Loyal, just few hours later.

This is one of my best photo, Wild Oats XI celebrating the victory in Hobart at 9:26 pm:

The super strong Ichi Ban finished 4th, probably thanks to the Bass Strait storm (40 knots wind with big swell). Here below you have the final ranking of the first ten boats, a funny article from Tassie newspaper Mercury (Dec 29th edition) and a slideshow.

These last are not mine but from the offical race website:

Sydney - Hobart the race

VISUALIZZA PRESENTAZIONE

SCARICA TUTTO

Peru: Cusco and Machu Picchu

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 10:02:00 +0000

I spent my last 4 days in Peru visiting Cusco, Agua Calientes and Machu Picchu. The bus from Puno to Cusco was at 20 soles (5€) and took me 6 hours. I found a perfect room at Hostal Resbalosa, located in the neighborhood of San Cristobal Church, in a panoramic small pedestrian street. A single room with a perfect panorama on Plaza de Armas was at 20 soles (5€).

Cusco from Hostal Resbalosa’s room:

Despite his reputation, I confess to you that the city didn’t impress me so much. It’s a very touristic city, full of small and empty restaurant with aggressive catchers in front of the door, incredibly expensive compared to Puno or other places I visited in Bolivia. Again, as in Sucre, don’t miss the market and the fresh juices. After my first afternoon and my first day in town, I decided to move to Agua Calientes by train the third day. The train which bring you to Machu Picchu, is very expensive. A Poroy – Agua Calientes – Poroy trip costs at least 70 US$ (53€)!

A nice place to sleep in Agua Calientes is the hotel Las Bromelitas, just behind the main square. If you decide to spend at least one night here, don’t forget a valid mosquito repellent. I hadn’t one and when back in Italy I continued scratching my skin for at least 3 weeks! Having decided to spend 2 nights in Agua Calientes and arriving at 1 p.m. the first day, I asked information about the trail to the summit of Putucusi mountain, just in front of Machu Picchu. The tourist officer told me that the path was not well maintained and that was not a recommendable climb. In one hour I was at the top of the mountain, with a Swiss guy just behind me. Sure, the path was not in a perfect condition, but if you climb carefully is not so dangerous. From the top of Putucusi I enjoyed for the first time the Machu Picchu splendor.

The next day was the Machu Picchu one. Considering that the site opens at 6 am and that the first bus leaves Agua Calientes at 5.30 am I decided to walk to the site gate. It’s very important to be there with the first ones because the number of visitors allowed to enter Huayna Picchu is restricted to 400 per day, 200 at 7 am and 200 at 10 am. Huayna Picchu is the steep mountain behind Machu Picchu, the one you can see in almost every photo of the site. It is nice to climb and the summit offers a different perspective of the ancient Inca village. You can start the Huayna Picchu path if you have a special stamp on your ticket and you can get this stamp at the gate, but only if you are in the first 400. Leaving Agua Calientes at 4 am, I stopped after a couple of kilometers because the bridge over the river leading to the steep path to the gate was closed. It opens around 5 am, then in half an hour we reached the gate. I write “we” because I was not alone but with almost 100 people having my same idea… For a sum of circumstances I was the first one entering in Machu Picchu that morning. I ran at the top of the hill to get my first photo with nobody in the site. You can see it here below, not a perfect light, but no tourist! Click and enlarge it, it’s desert!

Machu Picchu at 6 am:

Unfortunately, the perfect light to take a photo is around 7.30 am. Look at this one below, Machu Picchu with the perfect light:

Anyway, I spent 8 hours in the site admiring this incredible place, visiting the ruins, climbing Huayna Picchu, walking until the Inca bridge, an impressive path few minutes from the site. If you decide to visit Machu Picchu, avoid the daily trip from Cusco and spend at least the night before in Agua Calientes. Wake up early, climb to the site gate or take the first bus and try to do everything you can when in. It’s so unique as it seems in the photos. Don’t forget to buy the entrance ticket in Agua Calientes, you can’t buy it at the gate.

Bolivia: Potosì, Sucre, Titicaca Lake–Isla del Sol > Perù: Isla Taquile

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:40:00 +0000

I reached Potosì at 1 a.m., but fortunately when I was in Uyuni I reserved a room in Hostal Maria Victoria (6,50€/night). I soon realized how challenging is sleeping in Potosì, due to the high altitude (3,976m), and the following morning I perceived the historical power of this city. Once considered the economic center of the Americas, it had a population greater than that of the biggest European city, such as Paris. Today, walking around in the city, we can breath the old glorious heritage by looking at the colonial buildings, the Casa de la Moneda and, obviously, the Cerro Rico, which looms over the city. After having breakfast at Cherry’s Salon de Té, for my first morning in town I reserved a cooperative mines tour with Andes Salt Expeditions for around 9€. The tour lasts 4 hours and include transportation to the mines entrance, mines visit for some 2,5 hours and dynamite explosion. It’s a must do tour because I had the opportunity to understand and witness working conditions that are among the most grueling imaginable. The mines were alternatively chill and hot, we walked up and down for 2/3 km, we visited the Tio, a kind of miners divinity, represented by a ceramic statue, we spoke with friendly miners and we offered them coca leaves. During the afternoon, I visited almost everything except Casa de la Moneda, closed on Monday. I had lunch in the excellent Potocchi, where I tasted typical quinoa soup and llama steak. Next day, after breakfast at Café Cultural Kaypichu, I spent the early morning walking around the pleasant city centre and then i took a bus to Sucre at 10.30 a.m. (1,60€/3 hours and 30 minutes).

Potosì, Cerro Rico:

I found Sucre less attractive than Potosì. It is located at a lower altitude (2,790m) and is considered a colonial gem, listed by UNESCO in the World Heritage Site, together with Potosì. It is peopled by many Bolivian students and foreigners for Spanish classes. I decided to spend a little bit more for accommodation because I planned to leave the next day with night bus to La Paz. The Hostal Las Torres was the right place, near the city market (14€/night). During my day and half in Sucre I visited the Templo Nuestra Senora de la Merced, where I enjoyed the splendid view from the bell tower, the Museo de la Recoleta, the Cemeterio Municipal and the Bolivar Park. If you have the time to explore the city market, don’t miss the fresh juice section and absolutely try the salteñas at El Paso de los Abulos, in calle Bustillos.

Sucre from the top of Templo Nuestra Senora de la Merced:

The night bus to La Paz (9,70€) left Sucre at 7.30 pm and arrived at 9 am, just in time to catch a taxi from the main terminal to the Plaza Ortiz small terminal. At 9.30 am I was sitting on a bus to Copacabana, Titicaca Lake (3 hours/1,60€). Perfect timing! In Copacabana bought my tickets from a travel agency: round trip to Yumani, Isla del Sol, for 2,15€ and a bus ticket to Puno for the day after. The boat to Yumani left Copacabana at 1.30 pm and took 1 hour to reach the Isla del Sol. If you have time spend at least a night in Isla del Sol. The sunset from the top of the Island is awesome. After having found the perfect Palla Khasa hotel. It is a little bit far from the harbor but it stands on its own, the views are unbelievable and the ambiance pleasant (15€ room+dinner+breakfast+lunch). At the end of this long day I explored the south of the Island, expecially the Pilko Kaina ruins complex. The day after, having my boat to Copacabana at 3.30 pm, I woke up early and I did the whole tour of the northern island section. I walked along the route that follows the ridge path that runs between Cerro Tikani and Yumani, then I turned right to visit Cha’llapampa. From there, the path follows the shoreline, then rise along the cliff edge, then drops to pass through the Challa village and then rise again to reach the main island path. This tour takes around 4 hours starting from Palla Khasa.

Path in the Isla del Sol:

Back to Copacabana:

The easiest way to reach Perù from Copacabana is the Kasani border. If you organize the trip to Puno with a travel agency in Copa, you can easily reach the border with a micro having a bus waiting for you just after that. I left Copa at 6.30 pm and reached Puno at 8.30 pm. The following day I decided to visit and sleep in Taquile. Almost every tourist take the agency tour which include a boat to Amantanì, 1 night in Amantanì and a short visit of Taquile the day after before going back to Puno. I decided to quit the tourists mass and go straight to Taquile with the community boat and spend 1 day and 1 night there. I guess my choice was the best! I found a small room in a local villagers’ house and I had dinner in the Santiago community restaurant with 7 soldiers deployed in the island for the political election. Taquile is absolutely nice. Smaller than Isla del Sol, less touristic (no hotels) and with a steeper shorelines. There is also a nice beach in the southern part of the island but forget about swimming in the lake, is just 9°C!

Taquile’s women:

Click on the slideshow below to enjoy more in a bigger size than appear:

Bolivia: the best tour ever!

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 10:42:00 +0000

What can I write on this blog? How can I let you imagine the places I visited in these 4 days? With photos, sure, but what about words? It’s hard to describe not only the beauty and the wilderness of these places but also my astonishment. I will try, and you, take a deep look at photos and close an eye on my poor English.

Our first stop was El Sillar (the Saddle), just few kilometres from Tupiza. We reached this 3,700m balcony throught a series of switchbacks. The view was spectacular and I tried to take the same picture you can find at page 5 of the latest edition of LP guidebook. Looking north, I was able to see the volcano El Chorolque, and looking south the Argentinean territory. After El Sillar we climbed up and then crossed wild and desert lands, with just a couple of jeeps and many llamas around. We had lunch in the middle of a nice canyon called Uil Uyo, then we reached San Antonio Lipez, San Pablo and in the late afternoon a strange abandoned village called Pueblo Fantasma (Ghost Village). Santos told us it was a miners village abandoned in 1974. We arrived with the dark at Quetena Chica for our first night in a typical hospedaje.

The second day was absolutely the best one. We left Quetena Chica at 8 am and our first stop was to take photos of a Quebrada. We then spot the first Laguna. The wind was blowing at around 35 knots but Andean flamingos were there. Laguna Hedionda was a beautiful appetizer of what we expected to see during the day. Actually there are two Laguna Hedionda in the circuit: the first and the last but one. After the chilly Laguna Hedionda, we visited a productive one: Kollpa Laguna. His name derives from a substance called Kollpa which is used by local people as a detergent. No water and no flamingos here. After that, we reached the Salar de Chalviri and the stunning Rocas de Dalì, which seem to be placed by the surrealist master Salvador Dalì. Passed the Rocas and the Laguna Blanca, we arrived in the most wild and rude sight I’ve seen: Laguna Verde and Licancanbur Volcano. The Laguna Verde marked the most southern point of our tour. Its elevation is around 4,400m and behind the lake rises the Licancabur Volcano (5,960m). The color of the lake is green because of the high content in minerals (lead, sulfur, arsenic and calcium). The Laguna Verde can remain liquid even at -21°, due to both the mineral content and the strong wind blowing every time. My impression was that a place like this must have been created by the Devil himself! Powerful, tempting, extreme and unique.

Laguna Verde

We left Laguna Verde and we had a fast lunch in the place just behind the Termas de Polcas, a small thermal water pool were tourist use to relax after many hours of dirty road. In the afternoon we visited the Sol de Manana, a 4,850m geyser basins, with holes full of boiling mud and a strong sulfur smell. This is the place in the circuit were your headache can be intoralable because of the altitude. I pushed Santos to reach Laguna Colorada before sunset and we finally managed to reach it at 4:30 pm. If Laguna Verde seems to be created by Devil, Laguna Colorada seems to be a creation of Good! The most incredible sight I visited during my holiday, it a peaceful red lake, not windy, full of pink Andean flamingos, still tempting but in a different meaning. I took some 100 photos in 20 minutes! I simply didn’t know were to look: flamingos everywhere, eating in the lake, flying around, resting in group. ASTONISHING!

Laguna Colorada

We slept just few kilometers from Laguna Colorada in a quite isolated hospedaje. The following morning we went again on the shore of the Laguna to see it with a different light…still the same marvelous nature creation! We continued in northern direction and stopped for a while in the Silioli Desert, to admire the Arbol de Piedra (Stone Tree) and the surrounding rocks, 18km from Laguna Colorada. Quitting that place and continuing the track in the middle of the Silioli Desert, we meet two incredible guys: Alister and Anna. They were cycling in the dust, with snow goggles and expedition equipment. I asked Santos to stop for some minutes, I ran to meet them and we had a short but unforgettable talk. They left the extreme north of Alaska in June 2008 and they plan to reach Ushuaia this winter. Huge! Check their website and support them: www.thefuegoproject.com

Anna and Alister crossing American continent

At the end of Silioli Desert we drove along the last five Lagunas of our tour: Laguna Ramadita, Laguna Honda (white colored), Laguna Charcota (brown colored), Laguna Hedionda (second one) and Laguna Canapa. If you go there, you will never be tired of lagunas and flamingos, event after so many lagunas. Everything is different. At the end I wanted one more! Continuing in the Salar de Uyuni direction, we admired the Ollague Volcano (5,865m) having lunch at the mirador, then crossed the quite boring Salar de Chiguana, a borax-producing basin. Last but not least in the day was the Esercito Perdido, a multitude of volcanic rocks surrounding the road. We decided to sleep in Puerto Chubica Hotel de Sal (Salt Hotel) instead of Atulcha Hotel, absolutely less agreeable. The salt hotel is made 100% of salt and even if it seem to be a touristic creation, it is a nice experience to have in Bolivia: you eat on salt table, you sleep on salt beds (even if with a mattress) and you walk on a salt floor!

The last day was completely dedicated to Salar de Uyuni exploration. We left the hotel at 5 a.m. to enjoy the sunrise on the salt flat. This is the main advantage of a Tupiza based tour because starting from Uyuni you cross the Salar in the late morning. With the Laguna Verde and the Laguna Colorada this was the top attraction of the 4 days. We waited for the sunrise in the middle of the salt and we enjoyed taking strange photos. We reached Isla Incahuasi, aka Isla del Pescado, at 7 am. This “island” is located in the middle of the Salar and capped with 1000-year-old cacti set against a backdrop of pure, blanched-white salt flat. Obviously we were not alone, but again the Tupiza tour strategy was crucial, let us escaping the crowds arriving from Uyuni at midday.

Playing with shadow in the Salar

These unforgettable 4 days ended up in Colchani and then in Uyuni, one of the worst place I visited in Bolivia. I said thank you to Santos, the driver, and Berardina, the cocinera. I said thank you to Wilma and Steven, my perfect and nice tourmates, and the I waited for a night bus to Potosì.

Click on the slideshow below to enjoy more in a bigger size:

Bolivia: La Paz and Tupiza

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:07:00 +0000

I landed at La Paz El Alto airport on a Sunday afternoon and I soon realized that walking wouldn’t be easy (4,000 mts)! That’s why, after reaching the city (some 300 mts below) by minibus for just 2B (0,20€), I entered in the first hotel I met asking for a room! This was clean and nice but not so cheap considering the country: Hotel Fuentes, in Linares 888, single room for 145B (16€). I spent the whole afternoon eating the typical “salteñas” and trying to sightseeing the upper central area of the city, indeed the most touristic and less business oriented: Plaza San Francisco, the Mercado de Hechieceria (Witches market) with his llama fetus, the colonial well preserved Calle Jaen and Plaza Pedro Murillo. The following day I decided to travel to Tupiza during the night, so in the early morning I went to the bus terminal to reserve a seat in a Panamericana bus heading to Villazon for a wonderful night trip to the South. The ticket was for just 100B (11€), less than the Fuentes! Then I spent the whole day to visit other La Paz attraction: Mercado Negro, downtown with his business district, Mirador Monticulo, Mirador Laikakota, Mercado Lanza and Mercado Camacho. Here you can buy tasty salade fruit for just 5B (0,50€)… Some interesting shop to visit: Irupana and El Ceibo for chocolate and other typical food products. The first one has two shops, one in Murillo and the other one in Guachalla, the second one is located on the back of the cathedral, in Calle Potosì.

It took me 17 hours to reach Tupiza by bus. Left La Paz at 7 p.m. on Monday, I arrived in Tupiza at 11 a.m.. Here I found and accomodation through Alejandro Adventure Travel for only 40B (4,40€), without bathroom! I spent the afternoon in a short walk to reach Quebrada Palmira, which lies at only 4 km from the city centre. I didn’t find anything special in this canyon, but soon I discovered why. The same evening, while I was in the Alejandro agency asking for a jeep tour in the Salar leaving 2 days after, I spotted some Quebrada Palmira photos…a completely different place compared to the one I visited… I had a perfect dinner at Sede Social Ferroviaria, with asado meat and a beer, for 53B (6 €). I also got a tasty ice cream at Heladeria Cramer, in Plaza Independencia…don’t do this! It’s very good but done with tap water. The day after, before my planned horse ride, I decided to go back to the real Quebrada Palmira, and finally I found it! I left Tupiza at 7 a.m. and I was back at 10 a.m. for the all day horse ride. We left Tupiza passing along the railway in the South direction and then we turned right to reach the Canyon del Duende. We had lunch at El Toroyoj, a wonderful place with a high rock surrounding a quite river. In the afternoon we continued along the river and then we reached again the railway. This part of the itinerary, was by far the most green. When back in Tupiza my first concern was asking if Alejandro found out some people to join on a Uyuni tour the day after. He didn’t. At that moment, I remember it was 4 p.m., I didn’t have any possibility to leave the day after. After Alejandro I tried with Tupiza Tours, El Grano de Oro, La Torre Tours…nothing! But the last agency of the city was also the right one: Valle Hermoso Tours. They had a jeep leaving the day after with just two people. So I would be the third, means perfect. 1,500B (164 €) for 4 days into the wild. My trip mate were a Dutch miss and an English guy, my driver was Santos and the “cocinera” was Bernardina.

Tupiza - Canyon del Duende:

Why I opted for Tupiza to start my tour? Because the city is better than Uyuni and offers several alternative activities before leaving for the tour. Additionally, it offers the opportunity to cross the Sud Lipez territory and the chance to arrive into the Salar de Uyuni for the last day sunrise. Having met during the tour the numerous convoy leaving Uyuni and doing the tour in the opposite sense, I would say that my choice was the best!

Ethiopia historical circuit – part 2

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:37:00 +0000

We left Axum in the early morning to make a first stop in Yeha, the capital during the pre-axumite period, some 2,800 years ago. Here we visited the 12 mt high stone temple that was built 2,500 years ago. We also spent some time with the priest of the Christian church, standing close to the old temple. He showed us some interesting ancient manuscript and crowns.

Left Yeha, we headed to rock-hewn churches, in Northeast Tigrai, probably the best place we visited in Ethiopia, Lalibela included… In this region there are many churches clusters. This first day we visited the Teka Tesfai cluster, the most accessible of all. The first church was Petros & Paolos Melehayzenghi, lying halfway up a cliff. This church is not a real rock-hewn one, since only the sanctuary lies in the rock, while the rest of the church has been built out onto a ledge. Nevertheless, it is probably the most fascinating of the cluster, or at least the one with the best view on the heart of Gheralta. The second church, reachable with a 10 minutes walk, was Mikael Melehayzenghi. This one was enterely rock-hewn. The entrance is a low door, carved in the rock, and the main room inside is some 3 mt heigh. The last church of the cluster was Medhane Alem Adi Kasho, quite impressive for the structure. It is considered as “one of the truly great churches of the Tigrai” and also the oldest rock-hewn church in Tigrai. It has a complex architecture, with an imposing exterior with four columns in front and two large doors and the interior has a cathedral-like atmosphere.

Abuna Yemata Guh priest:

We slept in Hawzien, a small village quite close to the northern tip of the Gheralta Mountains. The first rock-hewn church of the cluster we visited the day after was the impressive Abuna Yemata Guh. This church as a unique and spectacular position, being carved into the top of one tall rock pillar. Reaching the entrance of the church is not for vertigoes guys: there are some 100/200 meter below your feet! The entrance is the usual 100 birr + a minimum 10 birr tip for the priest. We then reached the second church directly by walk, asking to the driver to wait us below the cliff of the church. Debre Maryam Korkor is set in a small plateau at 2,480 meters. The priest is not so kind as the Guh one, but you can manage to enter the church. Before coming back, take 10 minutes to cross the plateau and enjoy the panorama from another church, Abba Daniel Korkor, built above a sheer precipice.

Next overnight stop was in Mekele. We slept in the convenient hotel called Atse Yohannis, in Lucy Park.

During the last day of private minibus, still with Tober and Luisa, our new friends, we headed to Lalibela via Korem and then via the road from Sekota. This is one of the several options to reach Lalibela. The easiest, fastest but longest way from Mekele is via Woldia. We preferred the less touristic option in order to discover a wild part of Ethiopia. And so we did! If you plan to do the same road, consider an early start (we left Mekele at 8 a.m.) to reach Lalibela at 4 p.m. and have time to find out accommodation here.

We found a room at the top of the village, just in front of the bus station, in a place called Aman Hotel. Is a new one but clean and quite comfortable for Ethiopia standards. In Lalibela we obviously visited the churches. They are divided into two clusters: the northern one has seven churches, the southern has five churches while Bet Giyorgis stands separately from the two main clusters. The main difference between the Northern cluster and the Southern is that the churches of the first one are mostly excavated from below the ground, while the churches of the second one are mostly excavated from a vertical rock face. Every church has a story and every church is worth a visit. My favourite was Bet Giyorgis: 15m high, excavated from the ground and carved in a shape of a cruciform tower.

Lalibela’s Bet Giyorgis:

If you want to taste the typical Ethiopian tej, a mead-like drink made from honey or sugar, just stop at the tej place in the main road, just below the North-western Cluster entrance. You will never forget. A nice restaurant serving delicious injera is the Dirb Tezera, in a corner of the main bus station.

Ethiopia historical circuit – part 1

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:12:00 +0000

Why we have chosen Ethipia for our Christmas holiday? Because is probably the African country with most historical and cultural treasures, is relatively close, in the Northern Plateau is malaria free and winter is the best period to visit the country. The historical circuit is a kind of ring among 4 cities in the Northern part of the country: Bahir Dar, Gonder, Axum, Lalibela. Between Gonder and Axum lie the impressive Siemen Mountains and between Axum and Lalibela the rock-hewn churches of Tigrai.

Unfortunately, we landed in Addis Ababa at 1:30 a.m., from Istanbul, and due to our limited amount of time we decided to take a bus directly to Bahir Dar. We slept a couple of hours at the airport and then we reached the bus station at 5 a.m. The journey to Bahir Dar was really demanding due to the lack of sleep…We left Addis Ababa by minibus at 6.00 a.m. and we reached Bahir Dar at 5.00 p.m.! The nice surprise was that the minibus don’t stop every kilometers as is typical in Africa and is illegal for passengers to stand in the aisle.

In Bahir Dar we slept in the Bahir Dar Hotel, a cheap and dirty place. I recommend you to organize the Lake Tana excursion directly with the boat people, on the shore of the lake, instead of asking to the Hotel employees. They tend to charge you the double! A good place to eat is Ethio-Espaniolito restaurant…Here you can taste a really good injera, the national dish, for just 10/15 birr (US$ 0,74). If you want only vegetables in it, ask for fasting food. After dinner, don’t miss the traditional show at Balageru Cultural Club, starting at 8 p.m. We decided to go for a morning visit to Lake Tana monasteries in the Zege Peninsula because an excursion to Dek Island and/or Gorgora Monasteries it would be too time consuming and to expensive. At the end, we paid 200 birr per person, but the normal price is around 150 birr per person. In the boat we met Tober and Luisa a Israeli/German couple living in Nairobi. We travelled with them for 1 week!!! In the slideshow below some photos of Bet Maryam monestary which was the best among the 3 we visited. Ura Kidane Mihret was nothing special and Kibran Gebrel too. The excursion to the three monasteries last 6 hours.

The trip by minibus to Gonder was quite easy. Just a couple of hours on a very good road. In Gonder we decided to stay in a “moderate” hotel with a special atmosphere: Fogera Hotel. The hotel was originally built for Graziani, one of the fascist leader in Ethiopia, so that we also had the opportunity to sleep in what is supposed to be the room of Graziani! Funny if you don’t think about Fascism cruelty… Best place in town for dinner? Habesha Kitfo. Is a small restaurant near the Gonder Castle, specialized in kitfo, a form of fried mince, served cooked to tourist and uncooked to Ethiopians (special kitfo). The day after we visited the main attraction of the city in that order: Debre Birhan Selassie church, the Fasil Ghebbi (Royal Enclosure) with his 6 castles, Kuskuam and Fasilidas’s Pool. Both Debre Birhan Selassie and Fasil Ghebbi are the most impressive. The first one is the most important church in Gonder quite impressive for his internal paintings (the photo at the top of the post represents the roof of the church), the second one is the most fascinating place to visit, with his 6 castles built by 6 different emperors.

We rented a jeep with Tober and Luisa to go to Axum without the stress of a long minibus trip. The first stop was in Debark to visit the Siemen Mountains National Park for a whole day. We stopped in Debark to hire a guide (mandatory) and pay the entrance fee. The park rules also stipulate that an armed scout must accompany all visitors. So we left Gonder in 4 in the jeep and we arrived at the gate of the park in 6! The landscape in the park was impressive, and Baboons Gelada too! We also stopped just before the sunset at the Siemen Lodge, but we were not organized to sleep here. I suggest you to consider this place for a night, it is absolutely the best place to sleep around, since Debark has nothing to offer. If you are looking for a good guide, ask for Masresha Teshagertyigzaw at the Park office.

The transfer day to Axum was long and demanding. Dust, bumps, discussions with the driver etc etc. It took us almost 8 hours to reach Axum. The hottest part was the crossing of the Tekeze river. In Axum we found a room at probably the most popular accomodation: Africa Hotel. We visited the Stelae Field, Kaleb’s Palace, Queen of Sheba’s Pool, the Trilingual Tablet, the market and Basen’s Tomb. We also found some interesting paintings in the shops between the city center and the Stelae Field.

Side trip: India

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 10:15:00 +0000

Having finished the Annapurna circuit trek 5 days before my Kathmandu-New Delhi flight, I decided to reach New Delhi by land, from Pokhara, passing through Sunauli border. It’s just a short post to show you some pictures and to give you some info.

Leaving Pokhara, I wanted to take a minibus to Bhairahawa via the Siddharta highway, which is considered the most spectacular road in Nepal. But, my big mistake has been to look for a bus to Bhairahawa and not for a bus to Bhairahawa via the Siddharta highway!!! So, while I was on the way, I discovered that the majority of minibuses follows the road to Kathmandu and then, in Mugling, turns down to Bhairahwa…It takes 10 hours to do this road and it seem to be more commercial compared to Siddartha highway. The border in Sunauli is an incredible mess! You have to look for the official to show your Visa and get the customs stamp. Or you can just go straight!

Passed the borderd, I had just the time to catch the last bus to Varanasi. I left Sunauli at 5 p.m. and reached Varanasi bus station at 4 a.m.

Then, 1 day in Varanasi, 1 daily train trip to Agra, sunrise in Agra, Taj Mahal and Red Fort (try Joney’s Place, near Taj Mahal, one of the best place to eat), then daily train to New Delhi and the last day in New Delhi (sleep in Paharganj, is a nice place to find many cheap hotels).

From Bhairahawa to Sunauli:

Varanasi:

Nepal, Annapurna Circuit trek – za lesson

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 04:44:00 +0000

A lot to learn from my first long Himalaya trek…

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE

This his a brief summary of my journey around Annapurna, just to give you an idea of a schedule to trek in this circuit:

DAY	FROM	VIA	TO	NET TIME
1	Besi Sahar	Bhulbule	Bahundanda	4 h 50 m
2	Bahundanda	Syange	Dharapani	7 h 50 m
3	Dharapani	Odar	Upper Pisang	7 h 55 m
4	Upper Pisang	Ghyaru	Manang	5 h 35 m
5	Manang (rest day)	Ice Lake	Manang	5 h 15 m
6	Manang	Letdar	Thorung Phedi	5 h 50 m
7	Thorung Phedi	Thorung La	Ranipauwa	6 h 50 m
8	Ranipawa	Lubra	Marpha	6 h 30 m
9	Marpha	Titi Lake	Ghasa	7 h 50 m
10	Ghasa	Tatopani	Ghorepani	8 h
11	Ghorepani	Poon Hill	Naya Pul	5 h 50 m

Lonely Planet says you need 10 days for the first part of the trek (Besi Sahar – Ranipauwa) and 7 days for the second one (Ranipauwa – Naya Pul). Many websites say between 16 days to 20 days to complete the trek. If you are a good trekker and if you want to enjoy the circuit with someone, I think around 13/14 days is the right duration. But you can also spend more than 14 days doing some side excursion: Ice Lake, Tilicho Lake, Dhaulagiri Ice Fall etc.

WHAT TO BRING

I left Milan with a 14 kilograms backpack. Here you have a detail of what I had with me and some lessons learned.

WHAT	LESSON
40 liters alpinism backpack	good, but maybe a trekking backpack with lateral pocket can work better
head lamp	perfect, mandatory
knife	ok
small towel	ok
clean pillowcase	mandatory
cotton long sleeve tee	ok to sleep
cotton short sleeve tee	ok to wear at the end of the day
2 running short sleeve tee	mandatory for walking
sleeveless underwear tee	good, but a long sleeve one would have been better
trekking shorts	ok
trekking pants	ok
2 pair of trekking socks	good, maybe a third one is necessary
pair of normal socks	ok
fleece	ok
softshell	ok
sleeveless primaloft jacket	ok
goretex jacket	ok
beanie	mandatory, you need it also to sleep
gloves (bought in Manang)	ok
sunglasses	mandatory, the sun is agressive
adidas Supernova Riot GTX	mandatory, the gotetex helps you a lot. You don’t necessary need trekking shoes because the trail is not steep and there are not many rocks
spring/summer sleeping bag (confort in 12° celcius)	KO. My big mistake! Before leaving I thought that the guest house would be with some heating…No way! You sleep in frozen rooms (around 0° celcius during the night) so you need at least a down sleeping bag for temps around -10° celcius. This sleeping bag has also to be light and compressible in your backpack
flip flops	ok
canon 40d camera with 2 lens	good (a 10-22 mm lens and a 28-135 mm lens) but you can save weight with just one 17-85 mm lens and avoid continous changes of lens
good legs	better to have but not mandatory!

Hope this helps

Nepal, Annapurna Circuit trek – part 2

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Thorung La Pass

In the Thorung Phedi Lodge I met some wonderful guys. A couple of French, Camille and Sarah, from the Reunion Island, and a young Swiss guy, Jonas, from Zurich. So we spent the freezing Friday evening eating and talking about the circuit and the acute mountain sickness (AMS). Camille and Sarah planned to leave earlier the day after to go slowly in the pass direction to avoid Camille AMS while me and Jonas planned to leave at 5 a.m., 1 hour after the French couple. Camille knocked at our doors at 4 a.m., me and Jonas had a small breakfast but having a strong stomachache due to the potato dinner of the day before I was unable to eat something. We left Thorung Phedi at 4.45 a.m. and in less than 1 hour we reached the High Camp settlement (4,850 meters). The hike was hard due to the cold, the altitude and the steepness of the trail. Jonas is a very strong hiker so helped me in managing my pains by leading the small group. A quick tea for Jonas and a couple of Imodium pills for me and then we started hiking from High Camp to the Thorung La Pass. The trail here was less steep than before but longer, with many false summits. It took us 2 hours and finally we did it and met Camille and Sarah again. At the Thorung La Pass (5,416 meters) there is nothing…just chorten, prayer flags and rocks. But the views are outstanding! The trail from Phedi, the trail to Muktinath, the Annapurnas, Gangapurna, Thorung peak etc etc. I did the downhill to Muktinath with Camille and Sarah and I confess that this part was harder than the climb to the Pass. It’s a 10K descent with an altitude loss of 1,600 meters. In Muktinath everybody was sleeping at the Mona Lisa lodge. We had a great time playing cards and talking during the dinner.

The trek from Muktinath to Tatopani is less crowded than the first part of the circuit. The reason is that in Jomsom there is an airport, so many people fly from there directly to Pokhara, and from Muktinath to Tatopani there is a small dirty road, so that you can find a jeep from there or a bus from Jomsom. This doesn’t mean that this part of the circuit is less interesting! I seldom decided to follow the main valley with the road. I was mainly on the alternative routes described in the Lonely Planet trekking guide and I can now say that in these alternative routes I had the best times of the whole circuit. The first day after Muktinath I passed through Lubra. Forget about Kagbeni and find out the trail to Lubra starting from Ranipauwa or from Jharkot. You climb up a little bit and the down in the Panga Khola valley. I walked along the dry river and the I reached Lubra! Lubra is a small village that preserved a pocket of Bon religion. It’s an incredible place and the trail to reach it and to leave it is astonishing. After Lubra, continuining along the river, I arrived in the Kali Gandaki valley and I turned left to sleep in Marpha, a stone paved village considered the apple capital of Nepal. From Marpha, a long and difficult trail lead to the Dhalagiri Base Camp, but you need several days and mountaneering skills. In Marpha I slept at the Neeru Guest House, a clean place with good food.

Marpha

Dhaulagiri

The next day has been a quite long one. I left Marpha heading Ghasa, so two Lonely Planet days in one! The first part of the day was along the Kali Gandaki valley. At the end of the Marpha village, I chose the east bank trail, so that I avoided the road and enjoyed a little uphill to Chimang, a small village with a great view of the Dhaulagiri. Down from Cimang, I crossed a bridge to reach Tukuche on the west side of the river. From that village, the official road makes some ups and downs, but in November, with low water in the river, it was possible to make flat short cuts. Larjung is exactly at the base of Dhaulagiri. From this village it is possible to make a day excursion to the Dhaulagiri Icefall, but you need to be independent in terms of food. After Larjung I crossed the river again, using a temporary small bridge to reach Kokhetani and start from there a very nice alternative route. This one takes about 2 hours and half and pass through Tigaon village, Titi Lake (almost a pool) and Konjo. I suggest you to do this route if you plan to trek from Larjung to Ghasa. Sure you have to climb, but you can enjoy a trail where is really hard to meet other trekkers. I arrived in Ghasa after almost 8 hours of walk! I slept in the National Guest House and for the first time during the trek, I was the only guest for the night! Many people, after crossing the Thorung La Pass decide to short cut and take a bus or flight, so that the second part of the Annapurna Circuit is absolutely less crowded.

In Ghasa I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to do, again, two days in one. But these two days were harder than the day before: Ghasa – Ghorepani. I decided to do the first part, until Tatopani, using the road. It was 6 in the morning, no light, just my head lamp, no jeeps and no buses. Perfect. In just 3 hours of fast walk I reached Tatopani for breakfast. In Tatopani I also enjoyed the hot springs below the village. Very relaxing, so remember your swimsuit! Tatopani-Ghorepani…I confess, it was unbelievable though! This is the biggest ascent in terms of altitude change of the whole circuit: 1,750 meters! The flora is completely different from the ascent to Thorung La. Here is all tropical and wet! Even during the dry season the daily temp makes you sweat a lot. When you are approaching the top of the ascent you will probably have … fog! Ghorepani is often a foggy village, especially during the afternoon and the night. It is full of lodges, maybe to many. I went to the old fashioned but friendly Annapurna View and again I was alone for the night. The women who owns and manage the lodge is very friendly, so if you are around don’t hesitate, go there.

My last day of the trek started with a early morning excursion to the Poon Hill (3,210 meters) to enjoy the well known panorama. But I was unlucky…even after the sunrise and even from the top of the hill, it was still foggy. I went back to Ghorepani, had breakfast, and then down for 4 hours and half. A long descent (1,900 meters) to Naya Pul. Then from Naya Pul, by bus, to Pokhara, the most tourist place I visited in Nepal.

Nepal, Annapurna Circuit trek – part 1

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:35:00 +0000

This trekking holiday has been one of the best in my life. Walking for days, with my backpack, in an autonomous way, through wonderful scenery was priceless. In these posts I will try to give you some highlights of my trip and some advice and useful information to enjoy the same experience.

The Annapurna Circuit Trek is, together with the Everest Base Camp Trek, the most popular trekking route in Nepal. Both treks reach a maximum altitude of 5,500 meters but are quite different. The Everest Base Camp Trek is usually done in some 40 hours (22 hours to go and 18 hours to come back on the same way) divided in 16 days in order to acclimatise properly. The Annapurna Circuit Trek is usually done in some 73 hours divided in 18 days. The last one has an important advantage: you will never do the same way back because is a circuit! And obviously, you can go faster or slower, but always in the respect of a proper acclimatisation.

The Annapurna Circuit Trek starts in … Kathmandu! When you land there, you have to purchase an entry permit for the ACAP, Annapurna Conservation Area Project. The office is located in Bhrikuti Mandap and it is open every day except Saturday afternoon. You need 2 photographs and 2,000 NPR (27 US$). After that you can catch a minibus from Kathmandu to Besi Sahar, 300 NPR (4 US$), 5 hours, where the trek starts with a mild rock staircase. Here you have to buy a TIMS card, unless the office is running out of paper (as happened to me)! While the ACAP permit is absolutely mandatory, the TIMS card is not and you won’t get a fine at the check post during the trek.

I arrived in Besi Sahar (800 mt) last November 22nd, at 12 a.m. and I decided to walk from the beginning. Some trekkers prefer to take a bus at least from Besi Sahar to Bhulbule, but is like taking a shortcut. Besi Sahar to Bhulbule took me 2 hours of walk on the dirty road. In Bhulbule I registered my permit at the ACAP check post and then I continued until Ngadi (40 minutes) a small village full of lodges. One option was to sleep here or go ahead until the next village. So I did and I reached my first night stop after 1 hours and 30 minutes: Bahundanda (1,270 meters). Best place in the village to sleep? Go for Hotel Superb View. They charge you 100 NPR (1,4 US$) for the room and then you can have dinner for 200/300 NPR.

The second day I left Bahundanda and I did the right side of the valley, in the middle of rice fields before and on an exposed trail after. At Syange, the last village reached by the dirty road, the trail continue on the left side of the valley, except for a short part on the right because of a huge landslide in the main trail. The picture in the slide.com album shows the landslide and people on the top throwing big rocks down to stabilize the landslide. Because of this, the trail here has been the most dangerous part of the circuit! Some rocks were thrown very close to the point in which the trekkers were back on the official trail. The village of Jagat (1,330 meters) lies on the trail after the Marco Polo Hotel and boost an authentic Tibetan atmosphere. But my favourite place during the first 2 days was Tal (1,700 meters). This village along the river can be seen from the top of a ridge in one of the best section of the trail. I reached Tal after a 5 hours walk from Bahundanda. I decided to go a little bit further and reach Dharapani (1,960 meters) to sleep for the second night. Here, for the first time, I slept with my hat because of the temperature in the room (no heating in Nepal).

Beyond Dharapani I climbed to the village of Odar. This is not the official route and it’s a little bit hard, but I enjoyed the first view of Annapurna peaks and the view of the Manaslu peak. After Odar I went down to Bagarchhap, a wonderful Tibetan-style village. After Bagarchhap, Danaque (2,210 meters) marks the point after which the steep climbs begin. The first one was hard. But the reward was unique: the village of Timang (2,630 meters). From there you can see again the Manaslu and in front of you the Peak 29. After a long walk in the forest there is Koto first and then Chame (2,710 meters), a popular overnight stop for trekkers. Dharapani-Chame via Odar: 4 hours and 20 minutes. From Chame to Upper Pisang, my third stop, I crossed the small village of Telekhu, then Bhratang, and it was becoming a little bit dark, then Dhukur Pokhari and finally Pisang. You can sleep here or at Upper Pisang (3,310 meters), across the river 10 minutes up. Here I found the best place to be Yak and Yeti Lodge, with the funny owner and polar temperature in the dining room until he switched on the stove. I also met a fantastic 65 years old guy from Scotland: Tim! I guess he is still in Nepal nowadays, probably in the south.

Upper Pisang – Manang via Ghyaru was fantastic! Even if I confess that the climb to Ghyaru, early in the morning, was challenging. 40 minutes of steep ascent to the high village of Ghyaru (3,670 meters)…thin air…but look at this:

A buddist windy temple in front of the Annapurna Himal! Ghyaru has been the most scenic village of the first part of the trek, before the Thorung La pass. After a black tea in Ghyaru, the trail continue almost flat without loosing altitude. Here I met a couple of Dutch who spent their last 9 month cycling from Holland to Asia and then trekking around the Annapurnas! Tough guys! After the flat section there is a downhill to Mungji and then Bragha (3,470 meters). After Bragha, in front of Annapurna III, a short 20 minutes walk lead to Manang (3,540 meters) my forth overnight stop.

Manang is the last big village before the ascent to Thorung La Pass. It gives the name to the whole valley, lies in front of Annapurna III (7,555 meters) and Gangapurna (7,454 meters) and is a place where trekkers sleep 2 nights in order to acclimatise. The day in Manang can be spent in many ways: rest in the guest house or trek again for one day around Manang. Here below you have a little guide I found in the middle of the village:

I did an excursion to the Ice Lake (4,620 meters) for two reasons: very good acclimatization and a nice view of Annapurna III and Gangapurna. The way up was pretty challenging because of the thin air. I made it in 3,5 hours. The way down was easy…1 hour and 45 minutes.

In Manang I slept in the Tilicho Lodge. Is one of the best option in the village. Try the Yak burger, excellent! As always 100 NPR to sleep and around 200/300 NPR to eat.

My sixth day I decided to head directly to Thorung Phedi, the last stop before Thorung La Pass. Usually trekkers go for a two day hike to Thorung Phedi: first day Manang-Yak Kharka or Letdar, second day Thorung Phedi. I went for a one day hike because I was well acclimatized, I was also taking Diamox since the beginning of the trek and because the distance was not too much. I left Manang at 7.30 a.m. and after 7 hours I was at the Thorung Phedi Lodge. I will write about the climb to the Pass in the last post. I just give you an important advice about Thorung Phedi Lodge: don’t eat potato there!!!

Gran Trail de la Valdigne 2009

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:45:00 +0000

What a race!!! It has been the best of my life!

The Gran Trail de la Valdigne is a trail race of 87 km through the Mont Blanc mountain range. A total ascent of 5,100 meters, including four passes over 2,300 meters, makes this race especially challenging. There is also a shorter Gran Trail, 45 km, with a total ascent of 2,400 meters. Check every detail on the official website: www.grantrailvaldigne.it

Here you have a map and the route profile:

Last year I did 51^st having completed the race in 14 hours and 57 minutes. This year I already knew the course, a good point to make a better race. As in 2008, the start of the race was in the Courmayeur city centre at 10 a.m., Saturday July 11th. My quiver was completely different from last year: adidas Supernova Riot shoes, adizero split short, adizero sleeveless tee, a jacket, a long tight and security stuff in my backpack. 2 water bottles half empty because of the first uphill. Less weight, higher speed!

The first uphill to Col Licony, a friendly 8 km with 1,446 meters ascent, is always the worst one. I have to warm up. Nevertheless this year I did it in 1 hour and 50 min, better than last year. After the Col, I started running downhill along the river of Licony Lake and then down to Licony Village and Planaval, a 10 km easy section of the race. In 2008 I was in Planaval at 1:09 p.m., this year at 12:45!!! Wow, I was going faaaaasterrr!

The second uphill has been tough even if the total ascent was less than the first uphill (900 meters). The first part of the uphill was incredibly steep and the first two women passed me. They were really fast, so that for me it was impossible to stay behind them. After Testa Fetita, the 2.623 meters peak, a long downhill (12 km) led me to La Salle. After La Salle the section that I hate the most: 5 flat km to Morgex…not easy, it seems to be endless.

At Morgex checkpoint I’m 30^th! Last year at the same checkpoint I was 45^th. It’s 4:28 p.m. vs. last year 4:49 p.m., so 21 minutes faster. Just 2 minutes at the refreshment point and then again running to Pre Saint Didier. I’m passing someone and I started the endless but not steep uphill to Colle Croce. From 1.020 meters (Pre Saint Didier) to 2,381 meter in 13 km, last year it was raining heavy. After the refreshment point of Arpy, at 1,670 meters, I started to push really hard and pass again some runners. The downhill to La Thuile has been one of the most rapid of my race. I reach La Thuile at 8.15 p.m., last year I was there at 21:20!

Arpy lake.

After La Thuile the race seems to be psychologically easy…10 km of uphill and then 10 km of downhill. I walk fast and run where I can during the uphill to Col dell’Arp (2.571 meters).

Last meters before Col dell’Arp.

From the top of the Col, I can’t see anyone behind me. I’m 16th and I can just running quiet to finish at the same place. I start the last downhill, a tricky one, full of small rocks and completely in the dark. I see far beyond me some lights. There are runners slowing down there. I accelerate and…I pass another 4 runners…The last kilometers to Dolonne, a small district of Courmayeur and I cross the finish line! A friend of mine, Phil, who did the shorter race, is there to make a short movie of my last meters. Another friend, Angela, has a cold beer for me! Perfect race, perfect end.

I did 12^th in 13 hours and 33 minutes. 1 hour and 24 minutes less than in 2008 and 39 places ahead!

Wonderful! But next year? I will do better? Not easy…

Neander Trail 2009

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:49:00 +0000

Yesterday I completed another wonderful trail race.

Originally I registered for the long race, the Cro-Magnon, but unfortunatly, due to the winter heavy snowfalls, the race was canceled.

The race comittee proposed 3 different options: total refund, postponement of the registration for the 2010 edition, partial refound and registration for the short race. Obviously I decided for the short race.

The Neander Trail is a night trail race starting from Camp D’Argent, on the Alps near Nice, France, and arriving directly on the Cap D’Ail beach, close to Montecarlo football stadium. The race length is 53 KM with 2,050 meters of altitude gain and 3,790 meters of altitude loss. The uniqueness of the race is that it starts at 8.00 p.m.

When I arrived in Camp D’Argent I soon realized that this race would have been a hard one. I was freezing: 7° Celcius, foggy and windy!

It was really chilling at the start at Camp d’Argent ski station, some 1,750 meters above the sea level on the French Alps. We started the race climbing soon a steep ski ground. I was even able to run a little bit up there, having a more solid trail training than the last year. After reaching the “Cime des Trois Communes” at 2,100 meters, we went downhill for 3 km and then again up to climb Maoune peak, at 1,930 meters. After Maoune we ran down the mountain for at least 10 km to reach the first refreshment station. Here I changed my head lamp batteries because during the downhill before I was unable to clearly see the trail…

After Sospel I experienced the worst uphill of the whole race. Boy, it was so steep, even if it lasted just 2 km. Here I started passing some runners completely burned by the uphill. After this steep side of the mountain and 10 km up and down, I arrived at Col de Banquettes refreshment aid station.

While climbing the “Cime de Baudon” peak I realised it was time to wear my jacket. It was really windy but so clear thank to the full moon night!!! After the “Cime de Baudon” I speed up downhill and then again up for a mild uphill to the “Cime de Gallian” peak. After that peak, where I almost lost the trail, a nice 13 km downhill to the arrival! Here I really did a nice run. I passed some 3 or 4 runner, always controlling head lamps behind me. I reached the Cap d’Ail beach at 3.35 a.m., finishing the race in 7 hours and 35 minutes in 12^th place!!! Probably my best trail race accomplishment so far…

Check the race website for info:

www.cromagnon-extremerace.com

Course profile

The starting line

First uphill

The winner time (red line), the last guy time (blue line)

Turin Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:08:00 +0000

Yesterday I finished another “preparation” race for my summer trail season.

The Turin Marathon is a medium size marathon, at least for Italian race tradition, held in the second biggest city of the North.

This year was the 13th edition and the finishers were 1.649. The course is not a fast one: in the second half there is a mild uphill from 22K until 28K. This is the uphill to Rivoli, one of the neighborhood of Turin, which gain some 80 meters in altitude in one of the most critical section of a marathon race.

Yesterday the weather was not good, with a persistent rain from the early morning until the end of the day. In these conditions and with this kind of course, the personal best is not a priority…

If you need more information check the organization website here:

www.turinmarathon.com/index.php/it/turin-marathon/turin-marathon.html

Considering my training program since my last serious marathon, the Milan City Marathon in November, based on speed training and any long run, I did preatty well. I finished in 2.57.16, 94^th out of 1.649 finishers. Just 1 minute slower than my PB. With a positive split in the second half basically due to the uphill to Rivoli.

Not bad! Here below some picture of the race.

Keep going strong.

Coming back for the trail running season!

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:36:00 +0000

Two weeks ago I was in Rome and I started my race preparation for summer trail challenges with … a trail race!

The 10th edition of the “Classic trail della Capitale” was held in the “Parco dei Castelli Romani” nearby Rocca di Papa, Rome.

The race was a quite fast trail race of 18K with a 500 meters altitude change. The first 5K were uphill, then an almost flat section and finally a mild downhill of some kilometer until the finish line. 46 women and 195 men successfully finished the race. For the first time in my trail running life I ran even in the uphill sections. In the downhill part of the race, I pushed really hard and I gained almost 10 places in the final ranking. At the end I was 33rd out of 195 men.

The landscape was wonderful and the race well organized, so if you have the opportunity to visit Rome in the middle of April, do this race:

www.roadrunnersclub.it

The Classic Trail della Capitale was not only my first 2009 trail race, but also my first race with one of the best trail shoes so far.

In 2008 and 2007 I ran with Nike Triax, Salomon Xt and Brooks Cascadia. This year I went for more cushioning with the same grip: Adidas Supernova Riot.

If you are bored with your trail shoes try those:

Tokyo: my last 2 days in Japan...and my first podium!

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:41:00 +0000

I arrived in Tokyo on Friday morning from Takayama. I left my big backpack in a locker at Tokyo station and went directly to Ginza for a short walk. Then again in Harajuku starting from Shibuya. In the late afternoon, I checked-in again in Taito Ryokan and then I visited Golden Gai, in Shijuku. Golden Gai is a patch of land (some 2,000 square meters) in the middle of Kabukicho, the entertainment neighbourhood in Shinjuku. While Kabukicho is full of modern bars, strip tease joints and karaoke club, Golden Gai hosts more than 150 Lilliputian bars (for 4 or 5 persons) that survived the rampant construction of Japan's bubble-economy years, thanks to the passion of its patrons.

My last day started with a wonderful event, around the Imperial Palace of Tokyo. It was a running race, a 10K, organized for charity. I decided to register in Italy before leaving to Japan just for fun. If you want to know something about 2009 edition, held in October, visit www.runforthecure.org/events/index_en.html. 10K is not my preferred distance and two days before I ascended Nishi Hotaka Dake, so I really was there just for fun…but, as every running knows, when you wear a bib on your breast, every funny plan is completely forgotten! And that’s what it happened. During the first 500 meters I was in the first 5 of the race and after 700 meters I was in the second place. I was unable to catch the first guy, so I decided to go for the second place running steadily until the finish line. This was my first podium (and probably the last one) in a race since 2006, when I started running. But it was really unbelievable! I won a North West Airlines bag and a voucher for a pair of New Balance shoes. Not that bad for a 40 US $ registration fee…

During the afternoon I first changed accommodation for the last night. Being the Taito Ryokan fully booked I decided to sleep in the capsule hotel just in front of Asakusa metro station. What a crazy place! For 3.000 yen (25 US$) you have a high level of service. The bathroom was on the top of the building with a incredible view and it was structured like a little onsen (sauna, hot pool and showers), the sheets very absolutely clean and they give you a kind of pyjama to stay in the hotel.

After the capsule hotel, I went to the New Balance flag ship store in Harajuku to change my voucher with a pair of shoes and then again in Shibuya. Here I spent 2 hours and half at Shibuya crossing, taking pictures, looking for Japanese way of life and admiring this incredible place with thousands of young people…something new for an Italian!

Enjoy slide show (click on it to see larger pictures).

Hida district, onsen and Japanese Alps.

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:49:00 +0000

I left Kyoto on October 14th, early morning, by the first train to Nagoya.

I wanted to reach Takayama, in the Hida district to visit the area and the Hida-Furukawa Kitsune-bi Matsuri festival, held on October 16th, as Lonely Planet reported.

While Kyoto-Nagoya is a shinkansen line, Nagoya Takayama is an "express line" (ordinary train). It takes 40 minutes to Nagoya and then almost 3 hours to Takayama. The JR Takayama Line is one of the most scenic in Honshu. After Gifu, the train runs along a river surrounded by mountains. The day before I decided to stop in Gero during my journey to enjoy the Onsen Japanese Capital. Gero is a small town apparently without glamour. It is the opposite for its onsen. I left my big backpack in the train station lockers and I asked info in the tourist office. I bought a Yumeguri Tegata, a little piece of wood that for just 1,200 yen allows you 3 entrances in private onsen. Well, the only drawback is that these private onsen are mainly opened to the Yumeguri Tegata owners just for 1 or 2 hours a day! It was 12.45 when I bought the pass and the first nice onsen I selected in the list opened at 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. The second one from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. and then I selected randomly the last one. I started walking fast under the rain from the tourist office to c onsen www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/gifu/yunoshimakan.htm. I arrived just in time and enjoyed one of my favorite onsen experiences in Japan. I was alone with the full availability of an indoor big hot pool and an outdoor hot rock pool. From this one I was admiring the mountains in front of me while my head was showered by a mild rain...The second private onsen I explored was Yamagataya (www.yamagata-ya.co.jp/). It was really nice and completely desert. Once again, I had the whole onsen for me! The last, unfortunately, was nothing special (Suzunami onsen). I picked it up in my choice just for the convenient opening time and because it is located on the way back to the train station. If you go to Gero and you are short in time, you can enjoy the open air public onsen. It is beside the Gero bridge, easy to find.

I reached Takayama in the mid afternoon and I checked in the Temple Inn Zenko-ji, a hostel located in a buddhist temple not far from the train station. If you want to reserve it check their website www.geocities.jp/zenkojitakayama/ and ask for Tommy, the English speaking monk. A good place to eat nearby the hostel is Origin, a wonderful izakaya to eat with few hundreds yen.

The second day in Hida, I first visited the two morning markets, Jinyamae and Miya-gawa, then the old merchant houses and the historical centre. For the lunch time I decided to use my JR pass to reach Furukawa and ask information for the 16th October festival. The tourist office in Furukawa told me that the Kitsune-bi Matsuri festival has been held in September! In another trip I would have been really disappointed. In Japan was different. I re-planned my last day in Hida region: Kamikochi. Before leaving Furukawa, I explored the city centre (Setokawa to Shirakabe-dozo) with the typical water channels full of carps and I visited the Honko-ji, a wonderful wooden temple. Back to Takayama, I adventured in the Higashiyama temple area through a trail that cross the area and then climb up the Shiroyama park.

My last day in Hida was perfect. First bus to Kamikochi at 6.40 a.m., then change in Hirayu Onsen and arrival in Kamikochi at 8.25 a.m. Not really cheap: 4,860 yen round trip! I confess that in Kamikochi, located at 4,920 feet (1,500 meters) above the see level, in the early morning I was freezing! So I started to walk up the mountain to reach Nishi Hotaka Mountain Cottage and from there the Nishi Hotaka Dake summit 9,450 feet (2,909 meters). The trail was wonderful: in 1 hour and 40 minut to the cottage I met few people and I admired the color plethora of fall season. From the cottage to the top of the mountain another hour and 20 minutes. So in 3 hours I was on the top. Special view on the Kamikochi valley and surrounding peaks! Just the time for a picture and then back to the cottage for a beer and down to the bus station.

Kyoto mon amour!

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:57:00 +0000

I left Tokyo on October 11th, early morning, with the 6:23 shinkansen bullet train. If you travel in Japan by train for at least 1 week or maybe less but moving from the north to the south or from the south to the north for many miles, it is worth considering to buy a JR PASS. This railway pass can have a 1 week, 2 weeks or 3 weeks validity and allows you to travel with normal trains and shinkansen trains, except Nozomi shinkansen. You can find the essential information on www.japanrailpass.net/. For 1 week, as I did, the price is 28,300 YEN (some 297 US$ or 237 €). It is important that you remember to buy it before leaving your country, so before your arrival in Japan. You buy an exchange order and when in Japan you change it with the JR PASS. I boarded on the Hikari shinkansen in Tokyo station at 6:23 and I arrived in Kyoto station at 9:16, after 516 K!!! And obviously on time!!! You can find train timetable here: http://japanrail.com/JR_timetableandfare.html#a2.

Here you can see the pass they give you for the exchange order when in Japan:

First thing when in Kyoto: lock my luggage at the train station in order to visit Kyoto without it and then come back before checking in at the hostel. Then I bought a 1 day bus pass, for 500 YEN and started to go around finding many temples and sanctuaries.

Here you have the right ticket to ask for:

The first one was one of the best one: Sanjusangen-do. It is well known for its 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. These statues are in the main hall, the longest wooden structure in Japan.

After Sanjusangen-do, I walked up to Kiyomizu-Dera. This temple has a unique position almost on the top of a hill and offers visitors a nice view over the city from its famous main hall wooden terrace. Kiyozumi means clear water and nowadays you can enjoy the Otawa-no-taki waterfall, where visitors drink for health, longevity and success in professional life. In the temple complex, please don't miss Tainai-meguri...it was so funny!

Then I passed through the Higashiyama area: the historical streets of Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka, the perfect Ishibei-koji where I met some geisha, the big cherry-tree in front of the Maruyama-koen (garden) and the Chion-in temple which is also home to the nation's largest bell. The last sight was Nanzen-ji, in the northern part of Higashiyama. When you are in this complex, don't try to visit Oku-no-in...it is far from the main hall and nothing special. However, you can't miss the Hojo with its zen garden, also known as "Leaping Tiger Garden".

Completely tired, I finally checked-in at my fabulous hostel. It is located in the north west part of the city and I don't want to reveal more...

The second day was even more frenetic than the first one. I left the hostel quite early to be at the golden temple (Kinkaku-ji) at 8:30 a.m.. No way! It was already completely crowded! The second temple I visited was Ryoan-ji. This temple has a wonderful garden with a lake full of watering-lilies and a quite famous zen garden built in the kare-sansui style (dry style). The third temple in this western part of Tokyo was Ninna-ji. Nothing special, you can skip it! I took a look at Arashiyama district but I didn't like it. When back in the Kyoto center, I explored the beautiful Nijo-jo castle. Here, in the Ninomaru Palace, you can see how the shogun "house" was organised: the kitchen, the ceremony rooms, the living rooms etc. After the castle, I went directly to Nishiki Market. It's a covered food market where you can enjoy almost every ingredient of the famous Kyoto cuisine. My last pleasant effort of the day was the gorgeous Ginkaku-ji temple. It is probably one of the best I have visited: an incredible zen garden with huge sand cones and a pregnant little bush around the main buildings.

I ended up this full day with a relaxing session in one of the best onsen in town. Priceless!!!

In Kyoto, don't forget to walk around in Ponto-Cho, in Gion and to see Shirakawa Minamidori, one of the most charming streets in Asia!

East east east, a challenge for the beasts! (English)

noreply@blogger.com (ago) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:01:00 +0000

ENGLISH

When a low-pressure system moves on Balearic Islands...no excuses, it's time to go. You have planned to participate to your best friend's wedding? No excuses, it's time to go. You have organised a Christmas dinner with your family? No excuses, it's time to go. You have been invited for an exciting night with one of the most charming girl you know? No excuses, it's time to go (even if I'm not that sure)!!!

That's what happened yesterday. After a strong west wind week, a rare and powerful storm from the other side was forecasted for Sunday November the 2nd: the All Souls' Day.

Featuring: The Piranha & The Taleban

The forecasts:

The pussy wagon:

The place (Bauvallon, South East France):

THE TALEBAN ATTACK:

THE PIRANHA BITES: