Wooooohoooooooo!!
We just climbed Fansipan Mountain, the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143m and the highest peak in the entire Indochina Peninsula. Dad, I hope you're proud!
It's a fair feat when you compare it to Mount Cook which is 3,754m, so 611m less than that. However to be fair the conditions are a lot easier on Fanzipan, no ice, no equipment required. Hold on, I'm making it sound too easy. Rethink.
When we first met our guide he told us that 'women can't climb the mountian because they are too weak' and continued on along the lines of 'we wont make it' and will probably give up... Me and my female companion joked around, like, 'oh but we're pretty strong'... dead pan response, 'most women stay at base camp or turn around'.
Not at all what we needed to hear after a nights stressing over the stupidity to commiting to this tortutous plan of a three day tramp into the foothills of the Himalayas tackling the highest peak of the region. I was really nervous that I wouldn't make it.
To put this in more of a 'oh dear' perspective, this was on the back of our second sleepless overnight train, and a 16 hour day in Hanoi consisting of pure time absorbption till the next train in the form of 30 cent beers. I was exhaugshted and freaked at the idea of physical activity, let alo
ne this extreme challenge, but frustratingly could not think of a valid excuse apart from fear of failure. Andy was in a worse situation than me, subsitsting on less than 4 hours sleep on top of the 2 day travel exhaughstion and about four to five times the amount of hangover I suffered... go figure...
Day one was fine, an easy tramp through beautiful misty rainforest, a few river crossings and small inclines to our base camp. We made it under the predicted time - good start.
Day two however was the real test. We were up at 6am and left base at 7am. A long, gruelling, slippery, cold, wet, mud coated, knee jolting, thigh straining, back fudging yet somehow fun half day later, we were all on top of the mountain eating baguettes and drinking cold coffee. What a sight. I was soaked, with umpa loompa hair, sporting short shorts, muddy legs and a $1 poncho made from a plastic with less thickness than your average supermarket bag not to mention missing a whole arm (an earlier casualty), standing on a misty, wet, rocky, peak saluting my achievement with a Mars bar. I am so proud we did it! We knocked it off!
Other credits aside from my achievement of climbing it with lack of sleep and well, overall fitness go to Andy with his ridiculous hangover, worse lack of sleep and his terrible knees
and above that to to Jessie, one of our fellowship, who was hammered by travellers tum the night prior and had serious tummy cramps and no real nutrients at all in his system but still made it to the top! Ridiculous.
I'm super glad we conquered it particularly after the guides sexist, pessimistic, un-encouraging comments! HOH, we did it in time, and un fit! JEEZ. Sisters are doing it for themselves eh Sarah!!
Outro: the Team Fancypants theme song 'Aint no mountain high enough...'
We played this when ever we needed encouragement and, well, when we were getting hyper. Contrary though, it was totally high enough for me!
We were really l
ucky to meet and form Team Fancypants, by luck from sharing a van up to Sapa with three travellers planning to vanquish the mountian. Without them I know we wouldn't have done it, we just wouldn't have considered it! It turned out to be such a great call and perfect with such great people. Definatly a major joy of travelling is the people you meet along the way. And in this situation hopefully, we'll see these guys down the line - Sarah, maybe Portugal, Jesse, maybe Spain for the tomato mash up, and Nic... You tell us! Definately more cards, mad challenges, and red wine.
We just climbed Fansipan Mountain, the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143m and the highest peak in the entire Indochina Peninsula. Dad, I hope you're proud!
It's a fair feat when you compare it to Mount Cook which is 3,754m, so 611m less than that. However to be fair the conditions are a lot easier on Fanzipan, no ice, no equipment required. Hold on, I'm making it sound too easy. Rethink.
When we first met our guide he told us that 'women can't climb the mountian because they are too weak' and continued on along the lines of 'we wont make it' and will probably give up... Me and my female companion joked around, like, 'oh but we're pretty strong'... dead pan response, 'most women stay at base camp or turn around'.
Not at all what we needed to hear after a nights stressing over the stupidity to commiting to this tortutous plan of a three day tramp into the foothills of the Himalayas tackling the highest peak of the region. I was really nervous that I wouldn't make it.
To put this in more of a 'oh dear' perspective, this was on the back of our second sleepless overnight train, and a 16 hour day in Hanoi consisting of pure time absorbption till the next train in the form of 30 cent beers. I was exhaugshted and freaked at the idea of physical activity, let alo
ne this extreme challenge, but frustratingly could not think of a valid excuse apart from fear of failure. Andy was in a worse situation than me, subsitsting on less than 4 hours sleep on top of the 2 day travel exhaughstion and about four to five times the amount of hangover I suffered... go figure...Day one was fine, an easy tramp through beautiful misty rainforest, a few river crossings and small inclines to our base camp. We made it under the predicted time - good start.
Day two however was the real test. We were up at 6am and left base at 7am. A long, gruelling, slippery, cold, wet, mud coated, knee jolting, thigh straining, back fudging yet somehow fun half day later, we were all on top of the mountain eating baguettes and drinking cold coffee. What a sight. I was soaked, with umpa loompa hair, sporting short shorts, muddy legs and a $1 poncho made from a plastic with less thickness than your average supermarket bag not to mention missing a whole arm (an earlier casualty), standing on a misty, wet, rocky, peak saluting my achievement with a Mars bar. I am so proud we did it! We knocked it off!
Other credits aside from my achievement of climbing it with lack of sleep and well, overall fitness go to Andy with his ridiculous hangover, worse lack of sleep and his terrible knees
and above that to to Jessie, one of our fellowship, who was hammered by travellers tum the night prior and had serious tummy cramps and no real nutrients at all in his system but still made it to the top! Ridiculous.I'm super glad we conquered it particularly after the guides sexist, pessimistic, un-encouraging comments! HOH, we did it in time, and un fit! JEEZ. Sisters are doing it for themselves eh Sarah!!
We played this when ever we needed encouragement and, well, when we were getting hyper. Contrary though, it was totally high enough for me!
We were really l
ucky to meet and form Team Fancypants, by luck from sharing a van up to Sapa with three travellers planning to vanquish the mountian. Without them I know we wouldn't have done it, we just wouldn't have considered it! It turned out to be such a great call and perfect with such great people. Definatly a major joy of travelling is the people you meet along the way. And in this situation hopefully, we'll see these guys down the line - Sarah, maybe Portugal, Jesse, maybe Spain for the tomato mash up, and Nic... You tell us! Definately more cards, mad challenges, and red wine.
2 comments:
man i wish now I had resigned my job in Cambodia earlier so I could have done this trip with ya... a life experience for sure!
So proud of you guys!
xx
Yayayayayayayayayayayayayay!!! (imagine the Kermit arm wave with that) :)
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