Distantpeak

Sinulog Festival in Maasin

2012-01-15T22:33:00.000+01:00

The annual Sinulog Festival in Cebu City is one of the biggest events in Philippines. But how would it be to celebrate it in Maasin City?
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Hanginan Trail

2012-01-08T20:51:00.000+01:00

The Hanginan Trail is a popular hike in the green hills behind Maasin City. Emily has done this hike several times before, while this was the first time for me.
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Osmena Peak

2011-12-30T21:04:00.000+01:00

Osmena Peak (1015m) is the highest mountain on Cebu Island, the highest in the province of Cebu, and the highest in Central Visayas (Region VII). So obviously, this is a very important peak for Filipino mountaineers.
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Alto Coloane

2011-12-14T22:00:00.000+01:00

After a very short visit to Tai Mo Shan in Hong Kong, my next objective was Alto de Coloane, the highest peak in the gambling mecca Macau.
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Tai Mo Shan

2011-12-13T21:12:00.000+01:00

Some say Tai Mo Shan (957m) is a country high point while some say not. It's all about how one classify Hong Kong and its level of independence from mainland China.
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Yushan and 9 days in Taiwan

2011-11-29T04:43:00.000+01:00

Yushan (Jade Mountain) at 3952 meters is the highest mountain in Taiwan. I started the paperwork barely 3 weeks before I landed in Taiwan, and by a slim margin, I received the permits (park permit + mountain permit) by e-mail just a couple of days before my cheap flight from Manila to Taipei. The permit is free of charge, but one must expect some small expenses to send the original and signed application with DHL, FedEx, LBC Express or if one has a plenty of time, the local post office. I sent my application with LBC Express from Manila, it took 4 days and cost 17 USD.
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Malapascua Island

2011-10-29T20:21:00.000+02:00

Malapascua, a tiny island north of Cebu, is said to be the next Boracay (whitest sand beach in Philippines), so we decided to check it out.
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Alto Peak

2011-10-21T20:00:00.000+02:00

Before we arrived Ormoc City in the Philippines, we had done some research about Alto Peak (1330m), which is the highest peak in the Eastern Visayas region. Locally this peak is more correctly known as Mt. Mindieun, Amendiuen or Amindiwin (yes, a lot of variations over the same name).
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Canigao Island

2011-10-17T20:35:00.000+02:00

Canigao Island is the hidden paradise of Leyte, and it has quite surely the best white sand beach in the entire Eastern Visayas. By hidden I mean it's spared from western tourism and development, but beware, the local "tourists" can be of much nuisance as well.
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Theft in Manila

2011-10-05T19:48:00.000+02:00

I missed my flight to Tacloban and my camera was stolen. Shit happened twice on this unlucky day of October 4.
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Qatar High Point

2011-10-02T20:02:00.000+02:00

We are a bit confused regarding the name of Qatar High Point, whether it is Al Galail or Qurayn Abu al Bawl. The latter one is located another place in Qatar according to Google Maps. However, we are pretty sure that we have scaled the highest point in Qatar and we measured it to 103m. You can read the entire trip report written by Lars Holme (in Norwegian language) on World Wide Vikings.
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Jabal Dukhan

2011-10-02T08:42:00.000+02:00

We were caught by the military in a highly restricted area, but that was after we had summited. You can read our trip report written by Lars Holme (in Norwegian language) on World Wide Vikings.
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Jabal Shams

2011-09-30T20:00:00.000+02:00

Jabal Shams (3012m) is the highest mountain in Oman. We knew that this would be a great challenge, even impossible because of restricted areas. But we had to give it a try. This is what adventures is all about.
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Jabal Bil Ays

2011-09-29T13:31:00.000+02:00

As I was going to the far east anyway, I found out that a stop in Dubai with Emirates Airlines was a good opportunity to gather more country high points. Actually I had planned to do only United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman, but things changed a bit when the experienced country high point collector Lars Holme decided to join me. Quantity rather than quality was now the major focus, so we agreed to visit Bahrain and Qatar during our 4 days trip as well. It was a great idea, but that plan had small margins if something unexpected would happen.
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Ben Nevis

2011-09-27T20:00:00.000+02:00

After a hectic weekend on Carrauntoohil, the highest mountain in Ireland, I went on with Ryan Air from Dublin to Glasgow. Here my plan was to climb UK's highest mountain, Ben Nevis (1344) in Scotland. Ryan Air's Prestwick Airport is quite far outside of Glasgow, but because the train was out of operation, buses went all the way to Glasgow Central Station free of charge. From there it was just a few blocks to walk to the Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow, where I almost immidiately jumped on a Citylink bus to Fort William (3 hours).
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Carrauntoohil

2011-09-24T07:57:00.000+02:00

I and my good friend Håvar traveled to Ireland by a cheap flight from Oslo/Rygge to Dublin (Ryan Air). At Dublin Airport we picked up a rental car for the last 300 km drive to Killarney (approx 4-5 hours). In the evening we checked into Sugan Hostel, a friendly and cheap place to stay centrally in Killarney town. We ate Irish food and went bar hopping to test out the local Guinness beer, before we eventually went to bed.
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Kyrkjenibba and Steindalsegga

2011-09-18T20:00:00.000+02:00

The topographic prominence of Steindalsegga (1356m) had been set to less than 100 meters in a Norwegian database of peaks (peakbook.org), so I decided to go up and check it myself.
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Machu Picchu

2011-09-10T20:00:00.000+02:00

Finally there, standing on top of a small hill and watching the sun rise from the horizon, I was overwhelmed with feelings. Machu Picchu, its sheer beauty and spectacular setting, is really something out of this world.
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Aguas Calientes

2011-09-09T20:00:00.000+02:00

Aguas Calientes is the entry-town of Machu Picchu, and that means a lot of tourists going by. Souvenir stalls, expensive restaurants and upscale hotels are booming in this little town. I simply had to get away from this madness.
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Lake Titicaca

2011-09-07T20:00:00.000+02:00

Leaving La Paz (Bolivia) and heading back to Lima (Peru) overland, I decided to spend one night at Lake Titicaca, the highest big lake in the world, 3811 meters above sea level.
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Ancohuma

2011-08-31T17:00:00.000+02:00

Together with Nicolas and Kevin, l set out on an adventurous journey to climb the third and fourth highest mountain in Bolivia, namely Ancohuma (6427m) and Illampu (6368m). Everything didn't go as planned though.
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Revenge on Illimani

2011-08-22T19:30:00.000+02:00

Our first attempt to climb Illimani (6438m) a couple of weeks ago, came to a sudden halt when two of our ice axes disappeared in High Camp. But with two brand new ice axes bought in La Paz, Nicolas and I were now back to get our revenge!
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Sajama

2011-08-14T20:27:00.008+02:00

Nevado Sajama (6542m) is an extinct stratovolcano and the highest peak in Bolivia. Nicolas and myself climbed it by fair means (entirely selfsupported) on a 4 days adventure towards the border of Chile.
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The mystery on Illimani

2011-08-08T20:37:00.095+02:00

We are ready to climb Illimani (6438m) in the middle of the night but something important is missing, which puts the entire climb at stake. The worst anti-climax imaginable. What really happened that night?
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Huayna Potosi

2011-08-02T15:16:00.035+02:00

Huayna Potosi (6088m) is the closest high mountain to La Paz in Bolivia, so me and Nicolas decided to do this as a one day climb from the city. But that actually turned out to be a fairly long night and day with 1500 meters gain of elevation in thin air.
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Laguna Llanganuco

2011-07-22T22:40:00.020+02:00

Just in case I'll never return to Peru, I decided that I at least had to see the Laguna Llanganuco, a stunning turquoise lake between the Huascaran and Huandoy mountains in the Cordillera Blanca.
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Huascaran 2nd attempt

2011-07-22T22:04:00.006+02:00

On my second attempt on Huascaran Sur (6768m) I finally reached the summit of this giant, the highest mountain in the Cordillera Blanca and the entire Peru.
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Huascaran 1st attempt

2011-07-14T02:31:00.048+02:00

Huascaran Sur (6768m) is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Blanca and the entire Peru. Because of this it can have its own evil weather, something we were about to experience.
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Chimborazo

2011-06-28T20:03:00.189+02:00

Chimborazo (6268m) is an inactive stratovolcano, and the highest summit in Ecuador. Its summit is generally regarded as the spot on the surface farthest away from the center of the Earth.
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Cotopaxi

2011-06-22T22:21:00.489+02:00

Cotopaxi (5896m) is a perfect shaped volcano, extremely active and the most famous in Ecuador. My attempt to do it solo, unsupported and very cheaply from the bottom of the mountain, unfortunately ended in a stormy weather at the refuge.

I've heard that Cotopaxi is a very busy mountain, both seasoned mountaineers and a lot of tourists who have never seen crampons or ice axe in their life, aim for this popular volcano. I've also read that reservation is recommended in the high season when available accommodation in the park is limited. Thus I just decided to bring my own tent, to avoid all the hassles. I also planned to do Cotopaxi solo and unsupported from a lower point at the foot of the mountain, unlike the majority who just arrive by vehicle at the end of the road very high on the mountain.

The good thing about a crowded mountain and a glacier route like Cotopaxi, is that it's fairly safe to travel solo and unroped on the glacier. The snow trail will be solid as ice and the risk of falling into a crevasse or getting lost in a whiteout is substantially reduced, assuming there is no snowstorm approaching which will bury the track after short time.

I decided that Tambopaxi (3750m) at the foot of the mountain would be a good place to start. So I got Antonio to drive me from Quito to Tambopaxi for 70 USD. He also brought his brother, who's normally living in New York but now was on holiday in Ecuador to visit his old and dying mother. There was one issue however, Antonio is not a licensed tour operator, he's just an independent guy who has been driving around on mountaineers for the last 20 years in Ecuador. Because he's not part of Ecuador's "tourism mafia", he is not allowed to drive foreigners into Cotopaxi National Park. This was not a big deal though, because Tambopaxi is just a couple of kilometers inside the national park, so if the rangers didn't admit Antonio and his vehicle into the park, I could easily walk from the checkpoint to Tambopaxi in less than half an hour.

As we were getting closer to the checkpoint, Antonio suggested that I could drive his Toyota pickup while he would hide under a blanket in the back of the pickup. There would be no problem for a foreign guy like me to drive into the park with a rented vehicle. His brother Alex speaks perfect American, so he would act as a tourist as well. This way the rangers would not assume that Alex is another local Ecuadorian guy who drives me.

We arrived at the checkpoint and I was behind the wheel. Alex went out of the car and started to take photos of the surroundings (e.g. acting like a tourist). One of the rangers started to talk with Alex in Spanish, but Alex acted like he didn't understand and continued to take photos. The rangers asked me for the registration card of the vehicle and I handed it over to them in addition to the entrance fee for two people (4 USD). The rangers then walked inside their office (to check it!) and after a few minutes they returned with the two entrance tickets and the registration card of the vehicle. Everything seemed perfectly right, and Alex jumped into the car again and we were finally off to Tambopaxi. As soon as we were out of view, we stopped the car to let Antonio out of the "cage". We were happy to be inside the park, and especially Alex was smiling because this was his first time in the park. He left Ecuador when he was 21 years old, and has been staying in America ever since then.

We arrived Tambopaxi just a few minutes later. Antonio and Alex helped me checking in at Hosteria Tambopaxi, before they left on their own journey inside the park. I was really surprised to be the only customer at Tambopaxi. Because of this I decided to stay in the dormitory (20 USD). No need to pitch a tent, when I can have the entire dormitory for myself for a few bucks extra. Tambopaxi is a really nice place with a great view of Cotopaxi. The buildings are quite new and you get a feeling of being in a much more exclusive place than the fairly cheap charge would indicate. The dining hall looks like a luxury resort in the mountains. I was even offered to use their modern kitchen free of charge, if I needed to make any food for myself. Thus I decided to make my own lunch there in order to save some money. But in the evening I ordered the excellent dinner set for 15 USD. This was a delicious meal starting with a soup, then a main dish (chicken) and finally a dessert.

I spent some time walking around at Tambopaxi, then I spent rest of the day inside the dining hall to watch the ever changing lights of Cotopaxi from the window. They even had free Wifi in this remote place, so I could catch up on my e-mail, facebook and news on my iPhone.

I woke up early next morning and ate some bread I brought with me from Quito. I started to walk from Tambopaxi 7:40am. It was mostly flat and easy walking on the road, but higher up I started to feel the lack of oxygen as the uphills got steeper. That I carried more than 20 kg on my back didn't ease the breathing. I was tempted to hitch hike with some of the cars that passed me, but I decided to stick with the schedule and my plan to do Cotopaxi by fair means.

It took me 3:45 hours to reach the parking and then another 45 minutes in a very slow pace to reach Refugio José Ribas at 4800m. Except from some day trippers, I was the only one at the refuge. It was very surprising to find out that there were no other mountaineers hanging around. So again I started to wonder why I should sleep in the tent when I can have the refuge for myself. Besides it was starting to rain outside, so I decided to pay the 20 USD and got a first selection of bed. I even got a locker in the dormitory.

I used the common kitchen (which has gas stoves free of charge) to cook myself a lunch. After a while some small groups with local guides started to arrive the refuge. Most of them had no experience at all with a few exceptions. One of the groups even walked up to the glacier in the afternoon to get some lessons on ice. I however got myself a short rest on the bed before dinner time. As I were standing in the kitchen starting to prepare my dinner, one of the local guides offered me their surplus of pasta (their clients didn't eat very much). I accepted their kind offer which saved me the hassle of making dinner. Instead I started to boil plenty of water for the upcoming climb. I was in bed around 7pm, so were most of the other guys (10-15).

Around midnight most of the guys were up for breakfast. I went out to pee and soon figured out that the weather was awful. It was a snowstorm outside and not wearing my goretex, my thermal underwear were covered in wet snow after a few steps over to the toilet. This was not the ideal conditions to solo Cotopaxi. I could of course sneak behind one of the guided parties in order to keep to the route, but that was not at all my wish. I wanted to do it solo, not be a freebie behind a guided group. I reckoned it would not be safe to go alone on the heavily crevassed glacier in whiteout conditions like this, so I went back to bed and hoped it would clear up after a couple of hours. But it didn't. A few guys started to return to the refuge in the middle of the night, heavily iced up and wet to the bones. I just continued my sleep which was not a good one. I kept on waking up every 20 minutes or so and had a minor headache as well. I bet that increasing the sleeping elevation from 2800m to 4800m in just a couple of days was probably the reason.

I was up at daylight shortly after 6am, and the conditions were still the same. I didn't want to hang out at this refuge for another night just to find out that the weather still was bad. So instead of wasting more time here I decided to pack up my stuff and descend to Tambopaxi.

Walking down was a bit depressing, but I were quite confident it was the right decision to do. Back at Tambopaxi I got them to order a car back to Quito. I was surprised he only wanted 40 USD for this long ride. Back in Quito the weather did not improve the couple of next days (good I did not stay in the refuge). Now I only had one goal on my mind, Chimborazo, that one I was not going to fail.

Cotopaxi at EveryTrail

Photo Album

Guagua Pichincha

2011-06-19T17:43:00.108+02:00

Pichincha is an active stratovolcano just outside of Quito in Ecuador. The mountain's two highest peaks are the Guagua (4784m) and the Rucu (4698m). The active caldera is in the Guagua, on the western side of the mountain and erupted last time in 1999.
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Pasochoa

2011-06-18T18:46:00.037+02:00

Pasochoa (4.200 meters) is an extinct volcano located outside of Quito in the Ecuadorean Andes. This hike is both perfect for acclimatization and to get a good view of multiple volcanoes in the vicinity, including Cotopaxi.
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Gosainkund Trek

2011-05-09T10:21:00.003+02:00

Gosainkund is a holy body of water, located so high up in the mountains (4400m) of Langtang that the lake is frozen almost year round. I've been trekking to that scenic lake 10 years ago, but never from the south side, through the cultural interesting Helambu area.
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Chitwan National Park

2011-04-18T16:00:00.335+02:00

This is not a zoo, this is the real thing! We encountered rhinos, crocodiles, wild boars and a plenty of other wildlife.
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Annapurna Sanctuary

2011-04-11T12:49:00.005+02:00

I've been trekking and climbing a couple of times before in the Annapurna Himal of Nepal, but I've never done the Ghorepani trekking loop (including Poon Hill) and the Annapurna Sanctuary. So we decided to combine those two spectacular treks in a single 10-12 days trek.
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Pokhara revisited

2011-03-27T14:10:00.002+02:00

I have not visited Pokhara in Nepal since the autumn of 2000, so it was about time to return to this tranquil lakeside town, before we go trekking in the Annapurna mountains.
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Colors of Comilla

2011-03-13T21:06:00.001+01:00

Ronnie, Hasan and myself visited Comilla today, mainly to see the Mainamati Ruins, one of the most important Buddhist archaeological sites in Bangladesh.
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Mowdok Mual

2011-02-07T16:00:00.009+01:00

Mowdok Mual (Saka Haphong) in the remote border region of Bangladesh and Myanmar is one of my most challenging country high points so far. Just the simple fact that I most likely would be the second foreigner on top, describes the nature of this adventure.
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Cambodia: Phnom Aural

2011-01-12T16:00:00.052+01:00

Mount Aural (Aoral) is the tallest peak in Cambodia with it's 1813 meters. The information is scarce about this mountain so I hope my detailed trip report will be of great help for other hikers and peakbaggers.
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Philippines: Mount Pulag

2010-12-30T16:00:00.012+01:00

Mount Pulag is the third highest mountain in the Philippines (2922m) and Luzon’s highest peak. The landscapes of Pulag and the Cordilleras are truly amazing, but the hike to this mountain is way too overcrowded....
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Philippines: Mount Kanlaon

2010-12-22T16:00:00.006+01:00

Kanlaon (2435m) is the highest active volcano in the Philippines, and since we were not far away, we decided to go for it. Better than a beach holiday for sure, especially at xmas time when all the beaches are overcrowded....
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Indonesia: Yogyakarta

2010-11-03T16:00:00.021+01:00

A short train journey from Solo brought us to Yogyakarta, the number one tourist destination on Java. World class sights, excellent food and a cultural interesting city.
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Indonesia: Gunung Lawu

2010-10-30T16:00:00.041+02:00

Towering Gunung Lawu (3265m), lying on the border of Central and East Java, is one of the holiest mountains in Java.
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Jordan: Jabal Umm ad Dami

2010-10-10T16:00:00.046+02:00

The highest peak in Jordan is not Jabal Ram, but the far more remote Jabal Umm ad Dami (1854m) on the border with Saudi Arabia. Fortunately I was aware of that controversy before I arrived in Jordan.
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Tverrådalskyrkja

2010-08-07T22:10:00.045+02:00

Tverrådalskyrkja (2088m) is the highest "church mountain" in Norway. The long approach from Sota Sæter makes it a fairly long day-hike, especially if one include all three 2000m peaks along the ridge.
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The Trilogy of Lægdekulen

2010-08-05T20:11:00.049+02:00

Lægdekulen (1433m) is a fairly straightforward mountain above Flo in Stryn. Still it took me 3 attempts to finally reach the summit.
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Singapore: Bukit Timah

2009-12-23T16:00:00.011+01:00

Bukit Timah was definitely not the main reason for visiting Singapore, but of course I could not help but climb the highest hill, a 164 meters jungle-top, when I was in Singapore anyway.
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Doi Inthanon

2009-12-13T16:00:00.026+01:00

This was my second visit to the romantic city of Chiang Mai. First time, back in 2005, I wasted a trip to Doi Inthanon, because the taxi driver misled me and my ex-girlfriend up the wrong mountain, namely Doi Suthep. But truth to be told, I was more into romance than my country high point collection back then.
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Halla-san

2009-12-02T16:00:00.035+01:00

I got a flight from Osaka to Jeju (350 USD return) aiming to hike up Halla-san (1950m), the highest mountain of South Korea, when I was in the "neighborhood" anyway after the climb of Fuji.
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Japan: Mount Fuji

2009-11-24T16:00:00.340+01:00

I decided for a side trip from Thailand to Japan in order to bag a couple of new country high points (Japan and South-Korea) at the end of the year. The winter snow had already covered the slopes of Fuji, and the mountain was officially closed. Perfect timing for being entirely alone on Mount Fuji, and a quite more adventurous climb than competing with the huge crowds of Japanese hikers during summer time.

I flew with Nippon Airlines for a relatively cheap price. At Narita Int Airport I jumped on the airport bus to Shinjuku Station in the heart of Tokyo. This station has plenty of connections to other places in Japan, like Kawaguchiko at the foot of Mount Fuji. It took no more than 3-4 hours after I landed at Narita until I found myself in the nice little village of Kawaguchiko.

When arriving in Kawaguchiko I found a nice hostel (K's House) where I checked in. Then I went to a couple of visitor centers, but both advised strongly against a climb of Mount Fuji at this time of year. The first office even told it was illegal without a special police permit. They also told me that all mountain huts were closed for time being, giving me no other option than to do Fuji as a day trip, since I didn't bring any tent to Japan. But how about an early start then? No, that seemed rather hopeless because the bus from Kawaguchiko to the 5th Station does not arrive there before 10:40 am, fairly late to start such a big climb when the days also are short.

Another option would be to hire a taxi, but 10.000 yen is way too expensive, especially since I did not have anyone to share the costs with. More importantly, one will not arrive the trailhead very much earlier with taxi than with the bus, due to the fact that the toll road from Kawaguchiko don't open before 9:00am anyway at this time of the year.

Next morning I jumped on the bus (600 yen if I remember correctly), actually the first departure in several days after a heavy snowfall some few days ago, which caused the road to close.

The bus arrived 5th station at 10:35am, and shortly after I started to walk at an elevation of 2300m. It was snowy conditions even at the start of the hike. It took me 3.5 hours from 5th Station to the crater rim, at times in knee deep snow and higher up on steep icy slopes which made me put on my crampons. I was not entirely alone. An american guy who started ahead of me, had to turn around at the crater rim after I had helped him up the last hump of blue ice. He had no crampons or ice axes, and even more worrying, he had no warm clothing, thus it would be hazardous for him to continue the walk on the icy and snowy crater rim. His hands were already frostbitten and he would soon go into a state of hypothermia if he continued to expose himself to the icy cold wind on the rim. I was really glad that he turned around at the rim, so he would not cause any further delays for me, or more importantly, cause any emergency situation up here. Ice gear and warm winter clothing is a real must at this time of the year.

After advising the american guy to turn around and also giving him my ice-axe, I continued for another 30 minutes to the highest point, Kengamine Peak (3776m), on the other side of the crater. I was the only guy reaching the top that day. I did not spend any long time up there, because I knew that in less than two hours it would be pitch dark.

The snow conditions made the descent fairly time consuming too. At the end of the steep slopes, I found my ice-axe, and the kind message attached to it from the american guy made me smile. On the final leg to the 5th station I walked in complete darkness. But I had already calculated to be late, so I had brought a headlamp. When arriving 5th station the last bus had departed long time ago. Great luck struck when I got a ride with the very last car standing in the parking lot (an owner of a souvenir shop at 5th Station). So fortunately I did not have to walk the 32 km from 5th station back to Kawaguchiko. If this strike of luck had not happened, I either would have to roll out the sleeping bag and spent a cold night under the open sky at the 5th station, or simply started to walk down again, but this would probably have taken 5 hours or more. Calling for a taxi was as I mentioned earlier, completely out of question because of the high prices in Japan.

He dropped me off K's House and happy to be back I gave him a couple of thousand Yen.
Now as Fuji was done, I could start on my travel in Japan, at the height of the autumn foliage season, with leaves in beautiful colors. The next few days (especially in Kyoto) was a beauty nature of colors that I've never seen before......

Photo Album

Nepal: Baruntse

2009-11-10T16:00:00.005+01:00

Baruntse (7220m) is a mountain in eastern Nepal, in the very remote Hunku Valley. A nice adventure away from the crowds. The corniced ridged proved to be a challenge, but we summited October 30.
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Mera Peak

2009-10-21T16:00:00.048+02:00

Mera Peak (6476m) is one of the most crowded peaks in Nepal. We did this as an acclimatization climb before Baruntse (7220m), but I'm quite surprised and disappointed that we only aimed for the central summit (6461m), which in fact is the false summit. But so do everybody else, being fooled by Sherpas and other locals to believe that this is the highest point of Mera.
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Kathmandu

2009-10-09T16:00:00.019+02:00

After having spent 10 lazy days in Kathmandu, we will now fly into Lukla to climb Mera Peak (6500m) and Baruntse (7220m). This wonderful trek and climb will take about one month. Watch the progress here: www.summitclimbnews.com
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Turkey: Mount Ararat

2009-08-30T16:00:00.026+02:00

Mount Ararat (5137m), locally known as Agri Dagi, is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. Ararat is said to be the final resting place of Noah's Ark, but truth to be said, I did not expect to see any boats on the summit.
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Mount Erciyes

2009-08-21T16:00:00.026+02:00

Mount Erciyes (3916m) is a volcano in Turkey, revealing itself as a gigantic snowclad pyramid from most places in Cappadocia, and creating a nice backdrop to the city of Kayseri. It looks easy from below, but to get to its highest point requires climbing (III/IV) in dangerously loose rocks.
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Cappadocia

2009-08-19T16:00:00.031+02:00

Who have heard about Cappadocia in Turkey? I admit, quite embarrassed, that this wonderful place has never caught my attention before. In my search for the ultimate destination, I usually end up travelling far away from Europe to a completely different land and culture. But now I realize there are some hidden gems and interesting cultures within or close to Europe too, and Turkey contains many of them.
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NPL: Nordkapp to Vardø

2009-08-05T16:00:00.024+02:00

The final leg has come, 382 km to Vardø, the most eastern town in Norway. The first part of the journey, so remote that I have to dig deep into my luggage to find a package of emergency meal. The last part of it, so windy that I'm hardly able to keep more than 10-12 km/h on flat roads.
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NPL: Tromsø to Nordkapp

2009-07-28T16:00:00.025+02:00

The road continues with great mountain scenery around Lyngen, then further to the green city of Alta, before heading into a weather battered no-mans-land, where rein deer is a more common sight than human beings.
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NPL: Moskenes to Tromsø

2009-07-22T16:00:00.021+02:00

This leg covers maybe the most beautiful part of Norway, from Lofoten and then further to Vesterålen, Andøya and Senja. Fjords, steep mountains popping out of the ocean everywhere, but still remarkable flat and easy for cycling. I had high expectations for this stretch of road, and was not disappointed (except for the headwind).
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NPL: Namsos to Moskenes

2009-07-18T16:00:00.021+02:00

Kystriksveien (The Coastal Route) from Namsos to Bodø, also known as Helgelandskysten, contains some of the loveliest scenery on the Norwegian coastline. It is surprisingly few tourists here because most of the cars stick to E6 heading directly to Lofoten and/or Finnmark. They don't know what they are missing out, but for cyclists I hope this stretch of coast will continue to be a hidden gem with few cars.
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NPL: Stryn to Namsos

2009-07-13T16:00:00.019+02:00

I had not chosen an easy start on my NPL, preferring mountains and fjords in west instead of the flat but boring E6 in east. From Stryn it would continue in the same way, a lot of high mountain passes to cross in Møre og Romsdal, but eventually it would be much easier cycling when I joined the normal NPL route from Oppdal to Namsos.
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NPL: Lindesnes to Stryn

2009-07-06T16:00:00.006+02:00

The lighthouse manager at Lindesnes told me that the good weather would continue for at least one week. That promised good for the first leg on this NPL, crossing some awesome mountains and fjords on the west coast of Norway.
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NPL: Oslo to Lindesnes

2009-06-29T16:00:00.024+02:00

The starting (or ending) point for the NPL (Norway Cape to Cape) is Lindesnes. I could have taken a bus/train from Oslo, but I had never seen much of the south coastline before, so why not cycle this part too!
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NPL: Stryn to Oslo

2009-06-21T16:00:00.048+02:00

The main reason for cycling from Stryn to Oslo was to buy a good bike map of Norway before I started on my long cycling tour from cape to cape in Norway (locally just known as NPL). Oslo was also a far better place than Stryn for getting essential spare parts for this tour. I could have done it more easy by taking a bus, instead I chose the hard way, to cycle the 470 km to Oslo, a good warm up for cape to cape.
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Negros Island

2009-05-29T16:00:00.012+02:00

My last week in the Philippines was spent roaming around Negros, the third largest island in the country and prime producer of sugar. From Dumaguete and Sipalay in south to Bacolod and Silay City in the north.
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Siquijor Island

2009-05-22T16:00:00.012+02:00

Siquijor is a tiny island in the Philippines, and holds a reputation for being a place of sorcery, black magic, and generally strange people and rituals. But instead of hunting witches, we spent the entire time on Solangon beach.
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Bohol

2009-05-19T16:00:00.010+02:00

Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines, but still large enough to offer a lot. We enjoyed the famous Chocolate Hills, a river cruise, spotting tarsiers (commonly dubbed the world's smallest "monkey") and finally a couple of days rest on Alona Beach.
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Palawan

2009-05-14T16:00:00.068+02:00

The island of Palawan, also dubbed "The last frontier in Philippines", is where Alex Garland found inspiration to write his book "The Beach". We spent 10 days exploring white beaches, hidden lagoons, razor-sharp limestone cliffs, spooky underground rivers....and horrible roads.
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Northern Luzon

2009-05-03T16:00:00.078+02:00

Just few hours by bus north of Manila, the Cordillera rises to almost 3000 meters above sea level. The deeper we penetrated the mountains and valleys of Northern Luzon, the more it reminded me of Nepal.

The fruit market in Baguio

► See a slideshow of the Baguio album
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Leyte to Manila overland

2009-04-21T16:00:00.021+02:00

After having traveled two months in Philippines in the end of 2008, I promised myself to return as soon as possible to this lovely country in the far east. Early April I was back in Maasin City (Leyte), where the first leg of our backpacking started 8 days ago.
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Teide

2009-03-26T16:00:00.014+01:00

Mount Teide, rising 3718 metres above the Atlantic ocean, is an active though dormant volcano off the coast of Africa. The island of Tenerife is Spanish territory and Teide is thus considered the highest mountain in this European country; my main reason for visiting charter tourist hell in Tenerife.
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Fansipan

2009-02-08T16:00:00.019+01:00

Yet another jungle peak and national highpoint has been ticked off my list, Fansipan (3143m), the highest mountain in Indochina and Vietnam. As a friend of me told me recently, we can probably consider Fansipan the last Himalayan peak before the Ocean. I so much agree with him.
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Far north in Vietnam

2009-02-05T16:00:00.047+01:00

The further north in Vietnam I travel, the more beautiful it gets, with green rice fields in a mountainous landscape. But it also gets substantial colder in the far north (brrr).
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Into Vietnam

2009-01-30T16:00:00.028+01:00

Entering Vietnam overland from Cambodia is fairly easy with the new visa-waiver program for Scandinavians, which automatically grants you a 2 weeks stay. But Vietnam is a far stretched country from south to north, and I regret only having 2 weeks to spend in Vietnam.
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Incredible Cambodia

2009-01-25T16:00:00.028+01:00

From beautiful beaches in the south, to sad history of Pol Pot in Phnom Penh, to the wonders of Angkor. Cambodia has much more to offer than most people know about.
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Into Cambodia

2009-01-17T16:00:00.027+01:00

After Koh Chang i continued to the border to Cambodia. before I crossed the border into Cambodia. The border crossing went rather smoth, and I eventually ended up in Koh Kong.
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Trat and Koh Chang

2009-01-14T16:00:00.005+01:00

On my way to Cambodia I decided to drop by this famous island of Thailand. I rented a motorbike in Trat so I could drive around the entire island of Koh Chang.
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Beach bum in Philippines

2009-01-02T16:00:00.003+01:00

Happy new year to everybody! I am still in Southeast-Asia, escaping the cold nights of Northern Europe. Here is a short update of what I've been doing lately, and where I'm heading next.
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Mount Apo

2008-12-14T10:10:00.032+01:00

Towering at 2954 meters above sea level, Mount Apo is the highest mountain and volcano in the Philippines. It is located in Mindanao, a province which has been troubled by Muslim separatists in recent years. So would it really be worth going there?
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A short update from Leyte

2008-12-04T16:00:00.016+01:00

It's a long time since last update now. I have been traveling around Philippenes for the last few weeks and become a little bit addicted to this country.
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Mount Kinabalu

2008-11-02T16:00:00.020+01:00

In all my stupidity I thought I could just fly into Kota Kinabalu and climb the mountain without bookings of any kind. But the limitation of accommodation on the mountain (mainly at Laban Rata), makes it necessary to book well in advance. And the park rules is pretty simple; no bed, no climbing permit will be issued.
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In the jungle of Borneo

2008-10-27T16:00:00.028+01:00

Most of Borneo is jungle and mountains, but there are some big and modern cities as well. I arrived one of them today, Kota Kinabalu, largest city in the province of Malaysian Borneo, and surprisingly modern. But why am I here?
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Cho Oyu 2008 - failure and tragedy

2008-10-20T16:00:00.015+02:00

I was not very keen on returning to Cho Oyu this autumn, but Erik finally convinced me to give it one more try. While the weather kept me from summiting last year, a bad troath and chest-infection stopped me effectively at 7500 metres this year. But failing to summit is nothing compared to the fate of Guy. He never got down again.
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In Kathmandu again

2008-09-05T16:00:00.024+02:00

Erik and myself arrived Kathmandu a couple of days ago. Tomorrow we will leave to Tibet together with the other members on Cho Oyu 2008 expedition. You can follow the dispatches at Fieldtouring.

Boudhanath in Kathmandu

Kyrgyzstan

2008-08-15T16:00:00.016+02:00

When we crossed the border from Tajikistan to Kyrgyzstan, it was like coming to a different world. From the dry plateau of Tajikistan to a green lush valley below Pik Lenin (7134m) in Kyrgyzstan. But what happened to our original plan?
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Tajikistan: We climbed a 6000m peak

2008-07-26T16:00:00.010+02:00

A lot of unexpected things have happened during this Pamir expedition. First the Tajik police claimed that we had no permit to travel into the northside of Pik Karl Marx. So we had to travel all the way south into the Wakhan corridor on the border to Afganistan and Hindu Kush, to reach Pik Karl Marx from the southside.
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Soon going to Pamir

2008-06-12T16:00:00.010+02:00

Pamir and Central Asia has been on my wish-list for a long time, and June 29 I'm going to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan together with two other people to climb two big peaks.
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Atlas Mountains

2008-04-14T16:00:00.049+02:00

Morocco is a wonderful destination, and I combined it with a hike in the Atlas Mountains and the highest summit Jebel Toubkal (4167m). This trip report is in Norwegian language only.
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Marrakech

2008-04-14T16:00:00.047+02:00

Marrakech is the most interesting (and touristed) city of Morocco. An evening wandering around the lively square of Djemaa el-Fna is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. A must for all backpackers. I enjoyed every minute in Marrakech before and after my hike in the Atlas mountains.
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Valdivia

2008-02-18T16:00:00.026+01:00

My travel in Chile is almost at its end. Last night was spent in Valdivia, where I told my budget to go straight to hell....
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Camping in Ensenada

2008-02-16T16:00:00.020+01:00

This is Ensenada, said the busdriver, as he kindly tried to get me off the bus. At first glance it felt like I was in the middle of no-where. Only a couple of buildings, a long black beach and dense forest beyond.
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Lazy life in Puerto Varas

2008-02-13T16:00:00.009+01:00

This small city in Lake District (Chile) has everything I need for a comfortable life. Plenty of nice hostels, good restaurants, internet-cafes on every corner, and last but not least, Lieder Supermarket. What more can I ask for......
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Volcan Villarrica

2008-02-10T16:00:00.021+01:00

Villarrica (2840m) is a beautiful, cone-shaped, and very active volcano located at the northern end of Chile's Lakes District. The weather was perfect, but the dense sulphur smoke flowing down the normal route, could cause problems.
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Where is the volcano?

2008-02-09T16:00:00.006+01:00

I was about to climb Volcan Villarrica (2840m) in Lake District of Chile today, but it was unfortunately hidden in clouds this morning, and even worse, it was raining heavily up there.
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Stuck in Santiago

2008-02-06T16:00:00.013+01:00

My stomach has not been very reliable the last few days. In such circumstances it is best to stay a safe place, where toilet can be reached in very short time. But tomorrow (Feb 7) I have to move on for Lake District in Chile.
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Vina del Mar

2008-02-05T16:00:00.009+01:00

After having attempted 4 different 6000-meter peaks in Andes and had great success on 3 of them, it was time to go to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, simply to enjoy the beaches, food and nightlife.
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Monte Pissis

2008-01-27T16:00:00.016+01:00

Pissis (6795m) is the third highest peak in South America and the world´s second highest volcano. This last obstacle to claim Andes Top 3 Peaks, turned out to be the finest and most adventureous of them all.
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Ojos del Salado

2008-01-21T16:00:00.011+01:00

Ojos del Salado (6893m) is the highest volcano on earth and also the highest point in Chile and second in South America. I went there together with the Norwegian 3 Summits Marathon team, shortly after the success on Aconcagua.
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Aconcagua on my own

2008-01-17T16:00:00.018+01:00

Straight from a high altitude stay on Mercedario I hoped to reach the summit of Aconcagua (6962m) in just a few days, solo and unsupported. Well, success at last, things didn´t go as smooth as planned on the highest mountain in South-America.
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Mercedario

2008-01-01T16:00:00.039+01:00

The 8th highest mountain in South-America (6700m) rarely sees any climbers. We were the 4th team this season, and none of the previous teams had summited. Would we be the first one? See the photos and find out !!
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