100 Counsellors, 212 Campers and a Big Black Bear

A few days after arriving back from our tripper training trip about 100 camp counsellors flooded through the gates of Birch Trail and camp started to amp up in anticipation of the hundreds of campers that would impede for the summer. As a Tripper thankfully I only had to endure about half of the general staff orientation and got to spend the rest of the time running rapids, playing tramp-ball and taking on the role of morning work out drill Sargent.

One morning I grabbed Casey's bike and headed out towards Bass Lake for a ride only to be stopped in my tracks as a large black bear ambled across the road in front of me, frozen and silent I waited tensely as it wandered into the road side brush and then I sprinted back towards camp, looking back once to see the bear retrace it steps back across the road behind me. That was my second encounter with a bear, I had seen one swim across the river during our tripper trip but this was a little more unnerving, it was so close and I was alone, not quite sure what to do!

D-day was rapidly approaching, we had all adjusted to camp life and had the opportunity to get to know one another but I don't think any of us were ready for the 212 campers about to invade our serene lakeside hamlet. On the last day of camp as we had come to know it we crammed into a 15 person passenger van and made our way to Minneapolis for an evening of Ethiopian chow and the plush beds of a hotel before our assault on the airport. The next morning we greeted, herded and shuttled excitable and tired campers and tons of luggage onto buses and back to camp and our quiet community erupted into masses of laughter and cheering. Returning staff knew what to expect but the first timers, myself included found it a little overwhelming to say the least! We retreated to the safety of Tripper Village not long after dinner that night scared for what the following day(s) would bring.

Thankfully after a few meals in The Lodge crammed with hundreds of screaming children you get used to it a little and my cheering and noise tolerance levels have increased somewhat.

Camp life is now in full swing, days are crammed with various activities for the girls, arts and craft, water-sports and games galore and I have received my trip schedule for the first session; I will be leading a 6 day trip to the Boundary Waters, a 3 day trip on the Namekagon River, a canoe voyagers program and an overnight trip with a group of the younger girls. I was really hoping to get the hiking trip to Isle Royale so fingers crossed for next session.

Really can't describe how much I am loving life here, summer and the outdoors. This is living!

Superb sunsets lakeside

A little Ninja fun with Cedar and Zach

Hanging in Tripper Village with Shae-dynasty and Deni

A sight...one of the girls dorms

Twilight serenity

Jamming... Cedar finally got some noise from those bags!

Hello summer and life at camp

It feels like the time between my last weekend in Melbourne, my short stint in LA and the 10 days I've been here at Birch Trail has been lost in a time warp. My life has completely changed in a short couple of weeks, 10 days have passed and melded into a black hole since my arrival here at Birch Trail and I have to check my watch to find out what day it is, not that it matters at all!

After celebrating the nuptials of the ever wonderful Wylie's and spending an intimate few hours with the people closest to me I boarded an aeroplane to sunny days. LA greeted me with warm open arms, as did my Antarctic amiga Jamie along with a surprise cameo appearance by Alex. Two glorious days ensued; filled with great food, handsome men, ping pong poolside parties, belly laughs, engaging conversation as well as a morning Hollywood Hills hike thrown in for good measure. Before I knew it I was boarding another plane, headed for the mid west and what would be my home for the next few months.

I arrived at Birch Trail the day prior to commencing my contract, I met a fellow Trip Leader (from this point forward we will be referred to affectionately as Trippers) at the airport and we drove the couple hours North to the small town of Minong (My-nong Pop. 500ish) in Wisconsin. I settled in quickly to my new digs, a rustic cabin named Zulu Longhouse which I share with fellow Trippers Hayley and Julie. The following day brought some orientation and integration into Mid-West life with a visit to Hayward, the closest large town (Pop. 2000ish) where I experienced a $6.99 buffet pizza lunch at a place called Coops which was heavily adorned in antlers and various other mounted dead animals. It was then that it really occurred to me where exactly I was….the American Mid-West. I was pleased to find a specialty popcorn store which stocked both some delicious and interestingly flavoured popcorn, a local coffee shop which I will no doubt visit often and the discovery of an interesting store named 'The Man Cave'. After procuring myself a 'Hayward' t-shirt we headed back to camp ready for our official 5pm start to the Birch Trail camp season.

It was the coming days that really disappeared into the time warp, after a brief couple of introductory and induction days and some hours paddling the Pokegama Lake, all the Trippers (there are 12 of us) headed out on the annual Tripper Training Trip, which this year was a  six day, 100 mile canoe trip, stretching the full length of the Namekogan River. To say it was a lot of fun is an understatement. I cannot remember the last time I had so many side splitting laughs and behaved so silly as well as serious and focussed at the same time. It was also a phenomenal learning experience and a great opportunity to get to know the people I will be working and spending the summer with. I also saw my first Black Bear which was pretty sweet, we were perched underneath a bridge playing cards and waiting for a storm to pass when I looked over to see a small black bear swimming accross the river. 

While I was happy to return to camp; to running water, shampoo and lettuce I felt a renewal in my love of the outdoors and enjoyed the experience of 'unplugging' from the modern world. The things I enjoy the most about wilderness trips is that modern life and the outside world matters little, there is no make up, you smell bad, you can eat as much cheese as you want and all there is to think about is reading the river in front of you, watching the weather around you, deciding where might be a good spot to stop for lunch and how to avoid the bilge pump water gun attacks of fellow Trippers! 

Return to camp brought one other highly anticipated event… a night off, which of course meant beer! After a well deserved burger and beer at the Angry Minnow we all hit up the bar across the lake, our 'local', for several pitchers of beer, dancing and more laughs which progressed onto raspberries (not the edible kind) and the breaking of a hammock.

It is going to be a very good summer.

LA days with Jamie

Sunshine and super views

Santa Monica sunset

Welcome to Birch Trail

Tripper Village

My new digs

I'm in the mid west!!

Insert joke here

Nomnomnomnom

An unlikely source of lip bliss

Hellz yeah!

Trippers enjoying a little lounge time before it all gets crazy

Waterfront on Pokegama

The glacial lake of Pokegama

Lake side views

Tripper Training - its about to get real!

My leader of the day partner, Encyclopedia of jokes (mostly shit), the super fun Casey

Preparing 'Mountain Man' for breakfast on our leadership day

Canoe take out

Namekogan paddling

Laughs aplenty aboard boat Casey 

Amphibians 

Big bird!

Camp fire = Smore = better than roasted marshmellows!

A lesson in Dutch Oven pizza... Mmmm

Catch of the day with Dan

Paddle stow away 

Before coffee with Brian

Up close and smelly with Casey

After the storm, mist and sunshine

Almost finished....95 mile mark

Why stop for the potty?

Back at the Lodge

Its that time again!

That time when all the boxes are packed, the apartment is vacated and the backpack is stuffed to the brim and ready to go... Goodbyes are creeping in and excitement is brewing (mostly just in me, M's pissed and I don't think Dads too pleased either!)


That time when my sensible 30-something life is packed into a dozen boxes and my vagabond existence takes over... 


First stop is a couple days with the ever fabulous Jamie in LA then onto Wisconsin for a couple months work... if you can call hanging out around a lake and leading hikes work... 

It's a tough gig but someone has to do it!


Tales of the mid west, bears, pre-adolescent girls and stuff and things to come... Stay tuned ;)

Homeward Bound

Well... It's been 9 months, 13 countries and 5 continents. What an incredible journey.

I don't think I could be more ready to go home. Despite loving the past month in Bolivia, honestly, all I have been able to think about has been going home, back to my beloved Melbourne, my family and my fabulous friends and the beginning of my next chapter.

As I look back, the past four years have been a whirlwind, I have loved the experience of living and working overseas; something I have always wanted to do. I have had the opportunity to travel all over the world, another dream I have had since my teens. I might have been a late starter in the travel department but I certainly made up for lost time, conquering  27 countries over the past four years. Despite seeing and experiencing many countries my appetite for travel has far from been satiated, my list of destinations keeps growing and I feel totally at ease with being constantly outside my comfort zone. So much so that I actually wonder how I will cope once the excitement of my return dies down and real life takes over....

I can't begin to explain the enormous growth I have experienced this year, I have reinvented myself and feel like I have become who I really am. I know what I want, I am full of a ideas, granted some ridiculous and crazy. I have embraced the learning curve and gained an amazing appreciation for those people who I love and bring so much happiness to my life; despite many of them being so far away.

One question I am continually asked by friends and people I have met is "what was your favourite place?". The hardest question to answer.... I have thought about it a lot and its still really difficult to choose one place, each place and time during 2011 has had something special about it, a city, a trek, a person.... it's so hard to have a favourite. 

After much consideration, I would have to say it is Antarctica. A mere 9 days out of the past 9 months, but such an incredible part of my adventure. I met some wonderful people, some of which will leave a permanent scar on my life, some who will be lifelong friends. The scenery is like nothing you have ever seen, so untouched and so awesomely beautiful. The wildlife is awe inspiring, to see a humpback whale rise up out of the water just meters away from you is breathtaking. To celebrate your birthday crossing the Polar Circle, watch hunting Orca Whales and drink champagne on the ship stern is a a once in a lifetime I wonder how it could possibly be topped.

Although Antarctica ultimately gets my vote as favourite, each country I have visited has had something that holds a special place in my heart, something overwhelmingly fabulous! Here is a little recap, from the beginning, for myself and those of you that skipped a few blogs ;)

England  - Hotel Laycock, the only way to do the UK! My first white christmas shared with people who have shaped my life and brought me much laughter and tears during my time living in UAE.

Austria - New Year. Germ Den. Snowboarding holiday - ability to snowboard essential. Church bells. Snow. Effing cold. Enough said ;)

Scotland - Wild & Sexy... where else would I be!

Holland - Rebellion...red lights, cookies and cafes.

Costa Rica - The most incredible sunsets I have EVER seen, best Australia Day ever.

Brazil - Carnival. A buffet of costumes, glamour, samba, music, bloco's and celebrations

Argentina - Wild waterfalls, new friends, wine, cycling, tango, heartbreak...

Antarctica - The wildlife, the scenery, the people, the experience

Uruguay - Guacho style, ranch side, incredible sunrise

Colombia - Trudy & Alex, The Lost City, the Casio club, mud craters and salsa

Peru - the enormity of the Amazon, the Inca Trail, Macchu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, sandboarding, trekking the Cordiellias

Thailand - a beach wedding, great friends, my past life

USA - Jamie & Alex; my fav LA peeps, Florida; throwing pots & all things Southern with the ever fabulous J-Lee, NYC; my favourite city in the world, heat waves, Queens with Howard & Aponte, biking and gluttony with the Sass. Colorado; new skills, new knowledge and the addition of the 14ers to my to do list. Seattle, bachelor pad time with Ryan & Jackson, quality time with the original Starbucks. NOLS - Trip Leader course, new skills, enduring a little adversity in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. 

Bolivia - my return to marketing, trekking the Yungas, the Salar de Uyuni, the diamond of Bolvia; Sucre... organic farming... a failed romance - ahhh you have to try to succeed ;)

This year has been the best of my life, and its not even over yet. It has brought wonderful new friends, new experiences and exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I feel that I have finally started living, that I have wandered onto my path and that I am truly blessed. I can't begin to explain how amazing it has been and how incredible the people are that have been a part of it.

The secret of happiness....Be satisfied... be grateful....

Its "The End" but really only just the beginning... stay tuned, future adventures are a certainty!

There's a baby Llama on the bus!

Since American Airlines had conspired against my aspirations to climb Huayna Potosi I spent the my last days in Bolivia baking bread, making cookies and ploughing a field. 

After Sucre, the city that made it all better; including my camera and my favourite jeans. The city that brought me back to warm days and my gave me a taste of what its like to feel the wind in my hair with my first motor bike lesson; I was bummed to be leaving so soon. I was even more bummed when I arrived at the bus terminal to discover that my "mejor, semi cama transportation" was in fact reminiscent of a 20 or 30 year old Greyhound bus. 

The bus loaded with locals, children and Llamas (ok there was one!) and we head off towards Santa Cruz, 13 hours later we arrived at my destination, a small village called Samaipata where I would spend the next couple days. Nearby to the village is UNESCO World Heritage site, El Fuerte, the biggest waste of 90 Bolivianos and most boring afternoon of my time in Bolivia! I did get a hot and sweaty 10km walk out of it and a young military boy almost fell off his motorbike as he tried to pinch my ass while riding past, so I guess the afternoon wasn't a total loss!

One of the great things about being at an altitude closer to sea level is that I was returned to my patterns of undisturbed slumber. After a blissful 12 hours I woke to fresh coffee, homemade yoghurt, muesli, marmalade, bread and fruits. A day of not much else ensued, cards with the Swiss guy volunteering at the hostel, a lazy lunch of tomatoes and tuna mayo courtesy of the local mercado, a short hike up a mountain for a view overlooking the town and dinner with a couple of new friends and my new favourite Bolivian beer of choice Paçena Negra. 

With only a few days till I headed North I edged my way closer to Santa Cruz and stopped off at a local organic farm; Gingers Paradise, where I would spend a couple days toiling for my bed and breakfast. Ploughing a field by hand was quite toil-some but the rest of my duties were mainly helping out it the kitchen and learning to cook and bake some delicious food, so honestly it was more a lark than work! 

After a couple of days of farm life it was time to head onto Santa Cruz and take to the skies again for the first leg of my homeward journey. South America is wonderful and I look forward to my next jaunt which I already have planned in some detail, but for now, honestly I could not be more ready for the southern hemisphere, my beloved Melbourne, my family and my friends... it has been over four years since I have lived in Australia and I am ready to forge ahead with a new career and in my true, do everything backward form, head to University.

As I touch down on US soil for the fourth time in as many months, endure the usual, painfully long immigration queue and then proceed to haemorrhage cash on a mexican-esque dinner that would cost me in the region of only 1 Boliviano just yesterday, South America and the adventures of the past 9 months begin to fade into the past....

The views are stunning...as always

El Fuerte...boring...

Samaipata...super cute

 

Salt, Silver and Sucre!

After an uneventful day in Uyuni scouting tour options and downing 1Lt bottles of beer in the sun filled village square I was more than ready for some local sights and sounds. In a 4WD packed with five Brazilians we headed off, bound for the attraction of the day; Salar de Uyuni. 

The worlds largest salt flat didn't disappoint, an unimaginable expanse of white... white and blue on the left and the same to the right but with a backdrop of mountains. Salar de Uyuni provides the perfect backdrop for a multitude of tricky perspective photos, limited only by your imagination and what you have in your backpack. We spent the afternoon crafting crazy pics, visiting an island filled with cacti hundreds of years old and watching the sun set beyond the white expanse; sprawling pink, orange and red across the evening sky.

Having been well warned about the extreme night time temperatures (and we all know how I love the cold!), after dinner we cocooned ourselves in layers of sleeping bags and blankets within our hostel made entirely of salt. 

As we set out the next morning I was excited; high altitude, dazzling coloured lagoons and pink flamingoes were on the itinerary. My excitement however, was thwarted like a kid whose ice cream scoop balanced precariously atop of a cone had just fallen to the ground when I approached the first lagoon and few dozen pink flamingoes only to discover that my camera had decided to bite the big one. Nine months in, ten days till I go home and it decides to die...now. I always do have issues with timing!

There was nothing to do but suck up the reality and take in every moment of the rest of the day, draw in every ounce of the majestic lagoons and statuesque flamingoes. 

As the day drew to a close I stood perched on a hill overlooking Lagoona Colorada as it sparkled fiery red and striking blue, framed by a white sodium and magnesium crusted shoreline and dotted with dozens of flamingoes. The sun sprawled its setting rays across the stoney path that led back to the dorms and lit up the large round clumps of brassy grass with a golden glow. I breathed in the crisp dusk air, letting the beauty of the day soak deep into my memory. 

After an evening of teaching my new Brazilian friends to play Shithead, then enduring an icy -12c night, I awoke feeling less than chipper... As the day and the seven hour return trip advanced, so did my stomach bug. By the time I arrived back in Uyuni I was in no condition to take another six hour bus journey to Potosi as planned. I holed up in a comfy hostel where Pamela the owner cooked my up her grandmothers home remedy and miraculously within hours I was on the mend!

The next morning I awoke hungry for a big breakfast and ready to get on the road to Potosi. Arriving mid afternoon with my new Spaniard amigo, we hit up the city's star attraction Casa Nacional de Moneda - the National Mint, a gorgeous colonial building dating back to the mid 1700's that was used to mint handmade silver coins called Potosis. The other tourism drawcard for Potosi, other than its pretty colonial architecture are the cooperative silver mines. 

Cerro Rico rises up to the East of the city; it is unknown how much silver has been extracted from the mountain but it is said that the Spanish could have built a bridge made entirely of silver and still had enough silver to carry across it! These days the silver has more or less dried up but there are still over forty operational mines on the mountain. 

After donning very attractive protective clothing, helmet and headlamp we set off for a tour of one of the mines. The word tour however in this case is a complete misnomer and for once the Lonely Planet actually got it right. The mine, the one I visited anyway was hell on earth, a dusty, windy, trash ridden mountain side, fumes of burning plastic filled the air and in the side of the mountain a small, carbon monoxide stained hole marked the entrance. The miners habitually drink themselves into a trance with 96% proof alcohol and chew on wads of coco leaves in order to tolerate the nightmarish conditions of working inside the mines.  Dynamite (which can be bought for about $3.50 a stick) is used to blast out new sections in search of silver and rubble is loaded into heavy metal trolleys, then lifted and pushed through the mine to the outside where it is dumped around the mountain side. After running through the mine corridors, jumping off to the side to avoid being trampled by rubbled filled trolleys and crouching in a "safe" archway while 25 sticks of dynamite were detonated I was ready to get the hell out of there. It was certainly an experience, and most definitely the most unsafe I have felt during my time in South America.

After safely arriving back to town and stuffing myself silly I boarded another bus set for Sucre. The sun set in the cloud smeared sky and three hours later I arrived in the whitewashed city, greeted by fireworks and a flurry of activity. Sucre is by far the diamond of Bolivia (in my opinion), it is filled with charming colonial architecture, warm winter sunshine and gentle cool breezes that waft through the air. As I sit on the terrace of my less than $6 a night private room which overlooks the city's terracotta rooftops I wonder whether I really do have to leave... Definitely a place in the world to look for me if I ever go missing!

With just a week of Bolivia left there are still a few adventures to be had, markets to be frequented, trails to be trudged and of course cerveza's to be guzzled... 

Me and the Brazilian crew

White and blue for as far as the eye can see...

Salt Hotel anyone!

Mmm Brazilians

I should sell this pic to Kraft for their next ad

Aaahhhhhh giant Brazilian...run

An island of Cacti

What a view!

Salt and more salt

Salar sunset

Cerro Rico

Miner for a day....no thanks

Just one of the many churches/cathedrals of Sucre

Sucre's plaza delights

Sucre...whitewash beauty

Mandarin anyone?

Tomato maybe?

Love South American markets

Feather duster...or 50?