From the start Nepal was amazing.  We sorted out the bus from the border to Kathmandu fairly easily then headed to the bus stop.  Immediately I had an idea.  I wanted to ride on top of the bus.  I ask the driver and with out hesitation he said yes.  Ben, Vanessa, and myself road on top of the bus the entire 8+ hours.  We probably had the best seats on the bus….snuggled down on crashpads with sleeping bags when it got dark.  We had an amazing 360 degree view as we road into the Himalayas.  A dream come true…..I saw the Himalayas!

Kathmandu was great.  We scored a really nice flat for almost nothing a night.  Two bedrooms, full kitchen, and cable TV!  This was a blessing after our initial run in with shady taxi drivers.  The story ends with the Nepali Police being called at 2 am.  Howver, we came through victoriously.

Our flat was in the heart of Thamel, which is the nicest part of town.  IT has all the best food and shopping.  I feel like we ate and shopped enough for the rest of our trip.  We did manage to get outside a bit on our last weekend.

We decided to go bungy jumping and rafting.  Our Spanish friends we met in Hampi joined us for the adventure.  It was amazing to see Ruben and Luis again!  Plus they brought along two other great guys, Alberto and Jesus.  With our lack of Spanish and their ok English we managed to have an incredible time with the help of Spanglish.  We stayed at the Last Resort.  On our first day, all the guys Bungy jumped (except Alberto) and Vanessa did the swing.  By the way, I have almost lost 8 kg since I left South Africa….I’m shrinking!!  Bungy has a 3+ sec freefall and the swing has a 7+ second freefall.  Needless to say, it was intense.  The launch point is off this wobbly bridge hanging over a gorge in the Himalayas.  It was unbelievable.  I think we were all scared but we all went through with it.  We spent the remainder of the day chillin at the resort getting ready for the next day of Rafting.  The river was great.  Not as big as I hoped for but I still managed to have a great time.  It was really beautiful and made me really miss all my family at Ocoee Inn.  I have only missed one season but am filling the withdrawl from not guiding.  It was such an amazing time in Nepal.  And seeing Ruben and Luis and meeting Alberto and Jesus made it unforgettable.  I really hated saying goodbye to those guys but we have plans to meet again in South Africa.

We left Nepal some 50+ hours ago and arrived in Delhi about 4 hours ago.  It was an epic bus ride.  We had huge problems at the border.  They wouldn’t let us through and said the border was closed.  After about 3-4 hours, walking 5kms, and pleading with many police officers, we finally got through.  We thought it was all good until they started going through our baggage and taking things…..mainly my things….presents for my family.  I guess you can’t argue with a drunk militant Indian police officer……I could write a book on that night.  I’ll safe you from my rambling and tell you all about it in person.  But, we finally made it to Delhi.  I managed to puke out the window of the bus for the last two hours of the ride…..India has a way to really kick you when you are down.  We all good now though and after a short flight to Mumbia, we’ll be back in the swing of things.  Only a little time left in India.  We’ll see where my life takes me next.

Hope you enjoyed the short update.  Sorry for not going into much detail about the many happenings but I’m a bit short on time.

To all my Spanish friends (and Basque):  Miss you tons….I’m sure we’ll cross paths soon enough.

Much love from India,

-Matt

Basically, I got royally screwed by a travel agent.  I used a travel agent in Hampi just to make it easier…..he booked my train tickets and arranged everything.  All I had to do was be at the station at the right times and change trains at the right times.  My goal was to meet back up with Ben and Vanessa in Varanasi.  We would spend some time there and then cruise up to Nepal.  After about 16 hours on one train, at about 5 am, I was awoken by a guy who told me I was on the wrong train.  I woke with a startle because I realized two other India guys had been sleeping on the other half of my sleeper with me, while I was curled up in a fetal position.  The guy had remembered where I said I was changing trains and realized the train I was on never went through that city.  He checked my ticket and said I got on the right train just not the train I needed.  The train I needed didn’t exist.  The Travel agent just made it up.  I got a little worried but even more mad at the travel agent.  The guy saw the fury in my eyes and told me he would sort it out and for me to just go back to sleep.  I didn’t go back to sleep…..partly because of the two other guys on the other end of my sleeper and the fact that I was freaking out.  Finally, around 6:40 am we had it sorted.  I had to immediately leave this train and get on another train going back the way I came from.  This could possibly get me to my original connection.  I got off around 6:45, bought a ticket around 6:55, and the train came through at 7:00 am sharp.  I barely made.  After another 14+ hours in the somewhat right direction, I made it to my connection.  Boarded the train and hunkered down for the 34hour Express to Varanasi.   I got to Varanasi around 6:45 am and had to have looked haggard.  Ben and Vanessa got in that same afternoon, and before we knew it, we were settled in at the Shanti Guest house having dinner and talking of our epic adventures.

Varanasi has been a nice place though.  My immediate impression was not so great, but once you dive into the city and get lost in all the side streets and Ghats, you really start to enjoy it.  We’ve taken some Ganges River tours and have done some exploring.  After a couple days, we realized we needed more time.  Our train is already booked though.  So we’ll head North to Nepal, leaving another place we will want to come back too.

I feel like I’ve lost 10 pounds.  It is probably due to the lack of hunger, intense stomach pains, and the periodical all-night vomiting sessions.  I’m hanging in there though and smiling through most of it.  I have been lucky and have not been sick since I’ve left over a year ago.  I guess I can’t complain about being sick in India…..who doesn’t get sick here?  I’m just getting down to “sending weight.”

Thanks for all the Birthday wishes here and on Facebook.  I really needed them.  No climbing for this leg of the journey but I’m psyched to be back with Ben and Vanessa for some more Indian/Nepal adventures.   I’ll give an update from Nepal with stories of Rafting, bungee, and Elephant safaris!!

The Journey is almost at an end….

-Matt

The patient waiting has payed off. I was able to start climbing this week. I’ve only gone out 3 times but have managed to do a couple hard problems and heaps of classic moderates. I’m eating a lot of painkillers and going through rolls of tape but at least I’m climbing. We’ve had a lot of solid sessions with a good group of people: Yan and Isabella (Germany), Florence and Nicola (France), Jaione, Mikel, Luis, and Ruben (Spain).

The climbing has been nice but this week I had one of the best days of my trip. Ruben and Luis had two proper motorcycles….big and loud. Three days ago the offered to let me ride one with them. Jaione and I rode one with Ruben and Luis on the other. We took off after breakfast and road through many villages. We past endless boulders. I had to keep my focus on the road so I didn’t kill Jaione but often caught myself looking for possible lines up these amazing blocks. The next mission was to cross the river. The area where we wanted to cross had a nice bridge that spanned a really beautiful river cutting through the granite boulder formations. The only problem was the monsoon took out about 40ft of the middle. Instead of the bridge, we had to drive a little bit offroad down to the riverside. Then we had to put the fairly large motorcycles in a basket and get paddled across the river. One basket, two motorcycles, and at least 15+ people….it was hectic!! We had the camera’s rolling though. As the water was getting deeper in the basket I started to worry, then an Indian guy looked at me and said: “No problem, anything is possible in India.” This seems to be there motto.

After the amazing river crossing we had some problems starting our bikes but after a little push start, we were off and running. We rode all through Hampi proper, stopping a temples and various places to take photos. We grabbed some food at a bakery in town, then head to Hospit to take the long way back to Hampi Island to avoid the river crossing.

Hospit was crazy. Not as bad as I’d seen it, but it was different when you are riding a motorcycle with someone on the back. I wasn’t sure if I was getting all the smiles and waves because of my beard and aviators or the beautiful girl on the back. Needless to say it was wild. Not having a helmet made weaving through all the cars, trucks, motorcycles, bikes, and people everywhere a little scary. No rules and no lanes I guess makes anything possible.

We made it through Hospit with no problem and managed to get to a nice spot on the side of the road to watch the sunset. It was so beautiful. As it started getting darker, we headed back. The nice cool breeze was a bit chilly on the bike but I think all the flies I drove through was worse. We parked at the Laughing Budha for dinner meeting all our friends with lots of stories and huge smiles. Thank you again Ruben and Luis for letting me borrow the motorcycle….it was amazing.

I have many pics and videos of most my time here so far…..I’ll see if it is possible to get them online. If not, you’ll have to wait until I return home.

Ben and Vanessa left last week for the North and I will be joining them soon. I think we’ll travel for a bit in India then head into Nepal for safari, rafting, bunge jumping, and a glimpse of Everest!! I hope this post finds you well. Until next time….much love from India.

-Matt

Hampi is actually really nice.  There are cool temples and monuments to check out when you are not climbing.  The atmosphere is really chill and it is just a beautiful place to be.  Climbing is difficult.  You can get an hour or two around sun rise and again at sun set.  The rest of the day, you just hide away in your hammock to escape the sun.  I think we came at the wrong time b/c it is definitely extremely hot.  I’m sure around December it will get better. 

I haven’t done too much climbing because of a finger injury but I’ve consumed my time with my camera and hammock.  Life is not so bad……boring at times b/c I can’t climb, but I’m still in India.

We took an unexpected epic trip to Goa after about 4 days in Hampi.  I can’t go into details of that adventure but I got through it.  I made some new friends, learned some valuable lessons, and got see some beautiful things.  We only stayed 3 days and were back to Hampi after a truely epic departure.  Long story short:  no bus or train back to Hampi for at least 3-5 days.  We found this out after checking out of our room and heading to the bus stop.  We ended up taking a taxi at 11pm all the way back via dirt roads with speedbumps and potholes for about 12 hours.  Miserable doesn’t explain the ride at all.

India has been the best and worst experience of my life.  It’s like taking everything you love and everything you hate and cramming together for a beautiful experience leaving you smiling and crying.  It has only been 2 weeks but it has felt like 4.  I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing. 

As of now, I will be staying in Hampi for a while.  There is talk of some traveling to some northern parts…..we’ll see what happens.  I do want to thank Glen and Gina for the amazing recommendation to come here.  It is just as you said…..

I’ll try and update again very soon.  Much love from India.

-Matt

My time at Rocklands can not truely be put into words.  All the amazing new and old friends I’ve met here will always have a special place in heart.  To make it even better, the climbing is really all it is hyped up to be.  Bouldering and friends aside, without the partnership with Thys and Mark at De Pakhuys in Rocklands, my experience would not have been the same.  Thys and Mark truely took care of us.  Not only did they provide for almost all our needs , they took us into their family and made us feel at home.  Over the last 3 months we have gained everything from funny nicknames to proper South African cooking skills, but most importantly, an amazing friendship with two unbelievable families.  Thys, Mark, and families:  I will never forget you and can not wait to see you next season. Most of all, thank you.  You are missed.

For all the friends I’ve met here, I hope to see ya soon….bouldering somewhere around the world.  There are so many amazing people I would love to mention but it’s getting late and I still have to pack…..so, I gotta stop babbling.  Thanks to all for making South Africa unforgettable.  Much love,

-Matt

I have exactly one week left!!!  I don’t want to leave.  I truly love it here.  The life in Rocklands has been an amazing experience.  So much so, that I am already making arrangements to come back next year.

The last few weeks here have been unbelievable.  We were invited by Thys (farm owner we work for here) to take part in the annual Cederberg Farmers Meeting.  We helped with the set up and were the featured presenters for the conference.  Eric made an amazing video that you can watch in the video gallary.  It was made to help explain to all the farmers in the area what bouldering is and how they can get involved with the tourist aspect of climbing.  After the video, I gave a small talk about climbing, traveling, and my experience here in Rocklands.  The Q and A at the end of the talk went really well.  We also got amazing responses from locals after the meeting.  In short, the climbing/traveling to Rocklands seems to be going in a good direction with many local farmers support.  A few days after the meeting, Karin (Thys’ wife) invited us to an assembly at the local school.  We were asked to give a short motivational type speech, which went pretty well.  I think the kids performances were much better though.  They were very talented kids.  We got to enjoy watching them sing and dance to new and traditions songs.  It was a blessing to be there.  Thinking it couldn’t get any better, we were given the chance to take 7 kids from the local farms climbing.  I didn’t climb at all but it was the best climbing day I’ve had. The kids seemed to have had the time of their life.  This was all made even sweeter the following few days…..3 different boulder project went down.  I was really happy to finish up these amazing climbs before I left.  I don’t think I could have waited another year or more to finally climb them.

Like always, upon leaving an area or arriving at the new destination, something epic has to happen.  Trying to go to India is no exception.  To make a long story short, I am in South Africa waiting on my passport to return from the Indian Embassy in Johannesburg, with only a  week before my flight.  Hopefully it will come accompanied with a 6 month tourist visa to India.  If anything goes slightly wrong, I could be rejected from India, miss my flight out of SA, overstay my visa in SA (having to pay huge fine), and/or get stuck in some random place.  Lets just pray it all goes well.  Being the end of the trip, funds are low and I don’t think they could handle any mess up.  Besides that, the Deed abides…..

Because Eric has left, there will probably not be anymore videos or pics uploaded on the site, being that he was the one who brought the computer.  I figured that if I make it to India it is not worth having my computer shipped to me.  I will continue to write post periodically even though it won’t be accompanied with new pics or videos.  Eric has some more footage from SA that he may make a few short videos with.  If so, maybe he’ll up load them to the site……

 Hopefully the next post will be from India!!  Until then,

There are so many experiences that we’ve had together that I could draw on to capture the emotions I feel on this momentous day, but there is just one that seems to stand out. Maybe it’s my short term memory or perhaps this event stands out because of the current state of affairs. In either case, it was just the other day when Matt and I were on a mission of what could only be recounted as one of self discovery. I was moved … rocked to the core. A scouting group had gone out a couple days prior and found a hidden cave somewhere here. For all we know it had never been seen by human eyes before. They found a cave slash boulder that offered two inspiring climbs that had never before been climbed. Note two, and only two lines had been found. With the rush of the day the scouting group had marked the location of the boulder slash cave and moved on. In a twist of fate Matt, Live (pronounced Lee-va), and I set out to go to this place not soon after. With a treacherous approach and much sweating, we arrived at this cave armed with some elbow grease and a hammer. Matt, Live, and I cleaned, moved obtrusive rocks, and scrubbed these potential lines until they were ready for climbing. With a group effort, move by move, the sequences were solved by each of our own creative and intuitive efforts. The energy was uncanny. The ambient excitement was a poignant reflection of Matt and my motivation throughout our entire traveling experience. Together we worked, and worked, pouring our hearts out and trying as hard as we could to climb these lines, all the while laughing and sharing this experience with each other. Matt sent the line that he cleaned first with a gut wrenching effort. Next up was the line that I had cleaned. As the air was hot, and the amount of climbing on previous days had dwindled my energetic state, I was feeling quite weak. It was time for me to test my mettle. I remember vividly how tired I felt. It was though a weight had been tied about my waist. I remember the smell of chalk in the air and the inner voice that pushed “try … try as hard as you might!” With sheer determination and screams of support from the patron gang, I literally willed myself over the lip of this climb. The fight was emotional. To reach so deep within was something I hadn’t felt in a long time. It shook me to my core. With each yell from my friends I felt as though I was pushed skyward. Success!!! I climbed that climb. And Matt followed suit. It was truly unique. Everything had come together for us that day.

Later, as we all sat under that boulder talking I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. The two first ascents and the friends that had shared this experience was perfect. It was everything to be there at that time on that day with them. Matt and I had discovered the unknown … we had tested ourselves and shared a beautiful adventure. That day will forever stand out in my memory as the epitome of what travel and people mean to me -a moment that is compressed into one intense archetypal manifestation of love, adventure, and courage.

With everything that has transpired over the past year I’ve realized so much about myself. It is to that end that I have decided that I will be leaving Matt early on our worldly travels. My heart has found love and so I will be heading to Portland, Oregon in September to be with Sophie Connolly. The decision did not come easily. Ultimately I feel as though I have accomplished what I set out to do. For me it’s time to head back -to join the ranks of society and to build a life for myself. For Matt he will continue on to India with Ben and Vanessa, his mind and body strong. I have much respect and admiration for him and I am sad to leave him. I am going to miss you buddy. I wish him luck in his future adventures and I cannot wait for our reunion (hopefully with Matt P. and Isa!!!)!

So Jung Comme Nimme Samme!!!

Eric Klimt

First off, if you have taken the time to watch the newest video, you would know that Eric and Sophie had some trouble on the road.  What was not shown in the video is Eric making multiple phone calls in a phone booth.  This is only important because as he was arranging for someone to pick them up,  Hanna Montana (not the real HM, but our German HM) busted through the phone booth and totally scared Eric to death.  In his frantic state, he managed to leave his passport in the phone booth.  I might add this is a week before we were suppose to fly out to South Africa.    Before this turned really epic, Richard Hill from Flock Hill Station, helped us sort it out.  It turns out that some kind soul turned it into the police and we got it sent to us before we had to leave.

It seems that everytime we go to a new place, something happens that could totally turn into a horrible situation.  We thought the passport situation was it for this time…..we were wrong.  Two days before we were suppose to fly out, the snow came.  Not an extraordinary amount, but a lot.  We figured after a couple days, the roads would be cleared and we would leave bright and early Sunday morning.  This turned out to be very wrong.  Apparently, the roads are not maintained the best, or at least the most efficient way in New Zealand.  This caused an immediate exit plan.  About midnight on Saturday, the car was loaded, chains put on the tires, and we prepared for the long, slow, and dangerous drive through the mountains.  Having to leave so quick and expectantly, it hadn’t really sunk in that I was leaving.  Before we left, we had a line of amazing friends standing in the cold to say goodbye.  At this point, I think Eric and I truly understood what, and more importantly, who we were leaving behind.  It was definitely an amazing yet very sad farewell.  Working and living at the Flock Hill Lodge was one of the most memorable events of this trip.  I will never forget the people and good times we all shared.  I will always miss you guys.

As we drove away, reality set in.  We still had to drive through the pass on sheets of ice and snow to make it to ChristChurch for our flight.  After the first hill, the chains were too much to bear and we took them off.  That could have been a terrible decision but at least we didn’t have to listen to the noise.  With a few scary moments on big hills or curves, we made it safely.  At one point, I remember seeing Eric and Felix on the edge of their seats, with the doors open, ready to jump out if the car went over the edge.  We had a few other clincher moments but I managed to get us to town safely.  Like always, it could have turned very epic, but everything seemed to work out.

So that brings us to the Rocklands, SA.  Because I have rambled so much already, I will be brief.  We are living/working at the campsite on the DePakhuys Farm.  We act as camp managers and do a few other things.  It is a pretty good set up we have here.  Thys, the owner of the farm, has been extremely generous and has taken good care of us and all our needs.  There is heaps of climbing just minutes from camp and endless areas just a few minutes drive in both directions.  We all loaded up on projects and have been slowly ticking them away ever since.  Besides a new amazing place to boulder, the Rocklands brought us something else….The Portland crew from Squamish.   Amazingly enough, after such a brief encounter at the beginning of our trip, we are now blessed with three more travelers to share in our adventure.  It has been a nice reunion for all of us, and in a place like the Rocklands, we couldn’t be happier.

Hopefully we will be able to continue to upload our photos from New Zealand (we have 100s) and the Rocklands.  The connection is a bit finicky.  We will also try to be more proactive with our posts.  Until then, Taker Easy,

-Matt

 Eric left for Christchurch last night to pick up Miss Sophie.  He is really excited to say the least.  I’m pretty psyched too.  It will be nice to have another friend around.  Because it was a surprise for Sophie, I couldn’t let anyone know until now….Eric bought a sweet red van.  It is really cool.  Huge red van with a bed in the back and a licence plate cover that says “Women love me, Fish fear Me.”  It is pretty rad to say the least.

New Zealand is still treating us great.  We’ve met heaps of people and have really enjoyed the climbing.  With less than a month left, we are excited about South Africa, but will definitely really miss it here.  Hopefully we’ll get most our projects done before we leave….if not, I’ll just have to come back….

Now that Eric is back from Wanaka, we’ll get some pics online soon so you can see how amazing it is here. 

By the way, apparently we got our days of travel extremely confused….we somehow left out a whole month….this is why the huge skip to 320.  We’re on the right mark now.  Two months until our 1 year anneversary.

Taker Easy,

-Matt