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Clairesj

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Clairesj's Travel Blog

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The Arc of Asia 2009-2010. Bring on the climbing!


Boulders, boulders, boulders!!!

Hampi, India

I got some more climbing done in Bangalore, and also managed to drop my phone out of my pocket so a local picked it up.
We moved onto Hampi, and found some new roads had been built, so made it in a day (13 hours of driving) but it didnt seem like a long journey as there are lots of seats in BiRT to swap and change, some with a great view, and books, games and bouldering mats in the back which make a comfy bed! it has been ridiculously hot though.
I didnt realise but Hampi is an island, and the main shopping area of hampi is across the river. we drove through ENDLESS boulders and mountains of boulders, until we reached a guesthouse that we were camping within the site. we spent one night there then found a guest house up the road that is the same price but we get rooms and showers and a real toilet! although the power and water seem to get turned off randomly here! there is also a chill out area with a great view, with mattresses on the floor, pillows and low tables. last night was great when pete and jeremy played accoustic guitar there- pretty atmospheric!
so the climbing!!!- well its even hotter here so we have been getting up at 5am to be at the boulders as soon as pos as the sun is rising. we dont have guide books, so we just walked towards some rocks and looked for problems. slopers, crimps and a few that felt pretty high! but the granite is so sharp, that fingers are suffering very quickly. We lasted about 2 hours yesterday, but got lots done, and an hour today. i already have a problem to go back to when my fingers dont hurt so much! A few from the group had a wander today and found Chris Sharmas famous problem, so will prob check that out soon!
we then went and had breakfast at the Happy Buddha Bar which actually has some western food! i had a cheese sandwich, and a nutella pancake yesterday- bliss!
the days when it gets mega hot are spent sitting around in the chill out area, and i might get the boat across to hampi central and do some shopping.
we are here for 8 days, and gaining 2 more people on the trip. the girls are getting outnumbered! it will be 11 guys to 4 girls. so we have invented 'fancy friday' as a day to do girly things like get dressed up and even put some make-up on!
sorry about the lack of photos- the computer wont accept my card so i cant upload any.

permalink written by  Clairesj on May 8, 2009 from Hampi, India
from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog
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granite, bolts and bushfires

Bangalore, India

We had a day of traveling on BiRT to get to a village near Bangalore.the humidity is better here but it is still incredibly hot, so climbing starts at 6 or 7 in the morning, with a long break in the afternoon, then sometimes there are a couple of cooler hours before it gets dark. we are camping on a locals land, with rocks 5 mins walk away.
we did some sketchy granite slabs yesterday with very spaced bolts! (we have already had a minor casaulty when ben fell off and sprained his ankle) and some vertical crimpy climbs with awesome moves (i have one climb i need to go back to because i was 2 moves away from finishing the crux!) today we found various boulders and made up some lines and traverses. i am on cook duty tomorrow, so am cooking for 13 people, so im shopping now for rice and veg! there is a great mix of people of the trip from uk, Holland, Spain, america, mexico, Sweden, etc! the evenings have been great, chatting round the fire and exploring a huge well last night- the first time i have washed in a few days!
i have my eye on some great looking pillars of rock for an early start tomorrow, multipitch sport routes. we have 2 more days here then 2 driving days until we arrive in Hampi!!!

permalink written by  Clairesj on May 4, 2009 from Bangalore, India
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tuk tuks, Chapatis and hot hot heat!

Chennai, India

Wow, so i arrived in Chennai at 6am, after various flight delays, and found some English people of the flight who i shared a taxi to the hotel with. the taxi could manage a maximum of 20mph but the roads are so crazy i was glad! it is mega hot here, going up to around 40 degrees in the day and 30 at night. it was a shock seeing so many people sleeping in the middle of pavements and tuk tuks everywhere- the drivers always hassaling for business and ripping us off a lot! there is not much for tourists here, we spent a long time going to a fort which was uninspiring (after a tuk tuk driver had taken us completely the wrong way and still charged us! the beach is really dirty, as are the streets with open sewers you often have to cross to get to restaurants! oh the food is taking some getting used to, especially when i open up a menu and have no idea what anything is! usually i ask what is not spicy and get that! I have met 3 people on the trip who are all easy to get along with- one from uk, one from Holland and one from
Sweden. Danny the trip leader is also from Holland. more people have arrived today so we are meeting them later. tomorrow we are finding out all about the trip and meeting BiRT (the big red truck) for the first time. we are heading to Bangalore on saturday which should take a long day of driving to get to. Im itching to go climbing now and get out of the crazy city!

permalink written by  Clairesj on April 29, 2009 from Chennai, India
from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog
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ready to go

Maidenhead, United Kingdom

Im almost all packed now- thank god i somehow got 46kg luggage allowance! i dont think ill ever find anything i actually need in my bags! Im flying at 9.45 from Heathrow tomorrow morning and getting to Bombay at 11pm (their time), then a connecting flight to Chennai to arrive there at 3 am on wednesday. im hopefully meeting two guys on the trip who arrive an hour after me, then we can sit it out until morning to get a tuk tuk ride to a hotel and meet the trip leader and anyone else that has already arrived.
Im very excited and nervous now. counting down the hours....!

permalink written by  Clairesj on April 27, 2009 from Maidenhead, United Kingdom
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