Hamburg, Copenhagen, Good Weather, and I Pass Another Test

Looking good at 31km

Viking Man recently tucked another marathon under his belt. We took a quick two day trip down to Hamburg at the end of April so he could run, and while we didn't have a lot of time to look around, it was still fun to leave the Monkey with the in-laws for the night and visit a new city--and country, for that matter, because we all know that airports don't count.

De Kongelige Repræsentationslokaler

Nyhavn

I also took a field trip to Copenhagen with Sprogcentret last week. Copenhagen is a nice city, so even though I had seen some of what was on the itinerary, I enjoyed the day's program, especially De Kongelige Repræsentationslokaler. We had to slog through rain for a good part of the day, but by the time we took our canal tour, the weather had cleared, and our parting photos at Nyhavn had us squinting into the setting sun. Home just past midnight, it was a long but good day.

I could complain more about the weather and temperature here, as I am wont to do, but instead I will make note of some very nice, albeit brisk, weather we had on Mother's Day. Our little street of seven houses voted to build a zip line in the forest opposite the houses, and Mother's Day was the work day for that project. VM's mother came and brought Monkey's cousin. Someone pulled a garden table and chairs into the street. There were cinnamon rolls and tea and coffee. At one point, a grill appeared. By the end of the day, the kids were zipping happily down the line. Monkey didn't hesitate for a second and surprised everyone by sailing fearlessly down the line by herself. 'Zip line' is now part of her vocabulary.

Speaking of vocabulary, I suppose my Danish is progressing. VM and I are taking our summer vacation early this year, and as a result, I will miss taking the next module test with the rest of my class. Not wanting to fall behind, I asked if I could take the test a month early, which I did just this past Wednesday.

There were four reading comprehension elements and two writing tasks. The reading comprehension was pretty straightforward. I either understood or I didn't. The writing felt more ambiguous. Did I write to a high enough standard? Was I too ambitious? Did I even make any sense whatsoever? Anyway, I passed, so now I have to look forward to the Module 4 test which comprises reading, writing, listening, and oral components. Three down, three to go.

We leave for the US on Tuesday. It's been two years, and I am really looking forward to seeing family, driving our Corvair, celebrating birthdays, camping, and hopefully some warm weather!

We go to Cambodia: Catchup #2

Late in the day at Angkor Wat

Viking Man and I had talked for a long time about going to Vietnam, and in March 2012 we finally had a chance to go. I spent months meticulously researching the trip. I came up with a grand scheme that consisted of going from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi and all the stops in between by boat, bus, and rail. It was a dream trip that would take at least two weeks.

Then we changed our minds and went to Cambodia. I didn't do any meticulous research, I made no reservations, there was no grand scheme. We flew to Phnom Penh with backpacks and a Lonely Planet.

'Can you take us here?' we asked a taxi driver at the airport, pointing to a hotel from the guide book. He took us there.

It was fully booked. Another place had one night available, and one night available at a sister hotel. So we stayed two nights in Phnom Penh. We spent our time at the National Museum, the S21 Genocide Museum, and some local markets. We skipped the Royal Palace for lack of appropriate attire.

'Can you get us bus tickets to Siem Reap?' we asked our hotel. They got us bus tickets, so we went to Siem Reap.

'Can you take us here?' we asked a tuk tuk driver, pointing to a hotel from the guide book. The hotel had availability for two nights. So we stayed two nights in Siem Reap and went to Angkor Wat, of course.

'Maybe we should go to the beach now,' we said to each other. So we booked a local flight to Sihanoukville and took a very bumpy tuk tuk ride out to the end of Otres Beach where we stayed for two nights in a bungalow.

'Can you get us bus tickets to Phnom Penh?' we asked our hotel. They got us bus tickets, and we returned to Phnom Penh. We stayed one more night before our return flight to Singapore.

I have nothing but good things to say about Cambodia. The people were gracious and friendly, the food was fantastic, the sights were remarkable. I loved this trip.

Tips for traveling in Cambodia:

• In Phnom Penh, stay at the Blue Lime or one of it's sister properties.
• The Genocide Museum is absolutely chilling but worth the visit.
• Unless you really love temples, one day at Angkor Wat is suitably mind-blowing.
• Do not charge excitedly into Bayon Temple and lose track of your partner's whereabouts! 
• When traveling by bus, do not put your backpack in the baggage hold next to a moped and an ancient styrofoam cooler box full of fish on ice. 
• Go with the flow and travel around--Cambodia has a lot to offer.

Borneo and Brain-eating Monkeys

It has been more than a year since I've written anything. I am pretty sure it is because Monkey Baby has eaten my brain. I had no idea that monkeys even liked brains, but the more I've checked around, the more it seems that brain is standard fare for the wily creatures.

Anyway, earlier today I found part of my brain in a corner of the dining room next to a dried broccoli floret. It appeared still to be usable, so I brushed it off and put it where Monkey Baby couldn't reach it. In order to protect its future usability, I have to use this remaining piece of brain sparingly. Hence, this will be short and make use of many pictures.

We went to Malaysian Borneo with Viking Man's parents in October 2011. The bit of rainforest that is left in Borneo is full of the most spectacular wildlife imaginable. From insects to elephants, Borneo has it all, including more than 1,000 species of ants. Ants! Large and lumbering, small and industrious, they were everywhere. We also saw proboscis and red leaf monkeys, a crocodile, regal birds of all kinds, deer, lizards, a marble cat, and a bunch of other things that I made note of somewhere.

My brain fragment is starting to overheat, so I will finish by making a list of recollections from this trip followed by a slideshow.

• I had to deal with Air Asia which is like being stabbed in the eye with a hot poker. 
• I really liked watching wildlife from a boat. 
• The orangutan sanctuary was good, but seeing a man of the forest in the wild gave me goosebumps.
• The drive to Borneo Rainforest Lodge was long and jarring and totally worth it. 
• One of our guides saw an animal he had only previously seen in a zoo. 
• Leech socks may have been overkill, but they kept out the leeches. 
• Getting up early to hear the rainforest wake up was also worth it (it almost killed me to just admit that). 
• Viking Man can totally pull off wearing a sarong. 

Inspiration at Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run 2012 and Borneo on hold

It was my intention for this post to be on Borneo, but as I am now in the US for several weeks without the computer that has all the pictures, it will be on hold for awhile because Borneo needs pictures, obviously.

Note for this post: 100 = 100 miles. 

I came to the US at this same time last year, and as I also did last year, I accompanied my sister and some other local Idaho runners to the Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run shortly after I arrived. I'm not kidding about the 'shortly' either. Due to a flight delay and the consequent domino effect, I arrived in Idaho a full hour before Sister Em picked me up for a fourteen hour road trip to Wyoming.

Last year's Bighorn run was epic in several ways. It was my first time ultra spectating/crewing, and it was Sister Em's first Bighorn 100. The nearly thirty-five hour haul ended with a furious five mile bike ride on my part, ten minutes to spare on Sister's part, and nail-biting by all.

Bighorn 2012: all smiles before the race

This year was also epic, but for very different reasons, listed following:

Sister Em had her first 100 DNF. That means Did Not Finish. Not finishing an ultra run is nothing to be embarrassed about, however. Ultra runners wear their DNFs with pride. Stories of DNFing are told with just as much passion as stories of crossing the finish line. DNFs are full of pain and struggle and usually incredible fortitude. Sister stubbornly completed sixty-six miles before she conceded that this race was not hers to finish.

Mile 13; Sister ran for 12 more hours
before throwing in the towel

Amy King took on the Bighorn 100 and ran like a mad dog not only to attempt her first 100, but to finish it in style. You rock, Amy King.

Amy 'Mad Dog' King powering into mile 82

Sam Collier, aged 59 3/4, brought out his alter ego Gregory to properly spank the Bighorn 100 in the behind on his first Bighorn 100 attempt.

Sam the Man at mile 13

My dad, who wished he could have been running himself, crewed with me and continued to inspire everyone around him by pacing Sam and Amy for a total of ten miles in spite of considerable pain. He is a mountain goat and all around rock star.

Dad and Sam heading out of mile 82

Other local runners Dennis Ahern, Lynette McDougal, and Christie Ebenroth respectively knocked out a 10th 100 like it was a walk in the park, put away the 100 with shredded feet, and had the courage to try again.

Zen Dennis

Lynette happy to be finished

Christie refuses a ride into Dry Fork

And as if all that wasn't epic enough, I once again got to spend several nights with my dear grandparents who always inspire with their quiet strength.

More good times in the US to come.

Corvair road trip - Final Chapter: Yellowstone and my favorite Idaho scenic routes

‘Yeah, I thought ya might have a problem with that,’ said Rick in his easygoing Idahoan way.

We had been back in Idaho for a couple of days after our road trip, and the series of circumstances that led us to be standing once again in Rick’s shop were frustrating at best. We had just finished pushing our Corvair fifty yards up the road to the shop, and it was not the first time we had pushed it that day. It wasn’t even the second.

‘Yep, once it gets to this point, there’s no startin’ it unless you’ve got an ice pack. Probably shoulda just put a new pump in for ya in the first place.’

Awesome.

Several days later the Corvair had a brand new electric fuel pump. This meant that no matter how hot it became, no matter how stubborn it felt, the car would have to start. I did not have a problem with that.

Soon after the upgrade, we decided a test was in order--another road trip perhaps? Yellowstone National Park was an obvious choice, and as we had just driven nearly 2,000 miles without the electric pump, a little jaunt to Yellowstone seemed like a piece of cake. The Yellow Bomb purred like a happy cat as we zipped east on I-84. 

Random fact: U. S. Route 30 is the third longest route in the United States. It runs from Astoria, OR to Atlantic City, NJ. Just out of Glenns Ferry, we abandoned I-84 for a section of US 30 known as Thousand Springs Scenic Byway.

Thousand Springs

The Thousand Springs Scenic Byway is a great way to see some of Southern Idaho’s ancient volcanic terrain. From Bliss to Buhl, it winds through the best of small town Idaho as well as part of the Snake River Canyon. Especially stunning in a wet spring, the Snake River Aquifer seems to gush magically from the canyon wall in numerous (maybe a thousand?) locations. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile byway. We reconnected with I-84 at Twin Falls then stopped for the night in Pocatello where it just so happened that a longtime friend of MHH's from Denmark was working on a wind farm.

The next day we continued on I-84 out of Pocatello to Idaho Falls, a rather dull stretch of road, but things picked up as we turned east on US 26 toward Wyoming. I had not been on this particular highway segment in more than ten years, and I was excited to show MHH this spectacular part of the American West.

But forget MHH, I was excited for myself. I knew what was coming and how worthy it was of the delicious anticipation that was building with the elevation gain, that was increasing as the air cooled, and that was singing at the appearance of pine trees. Pine trees! Then there was that first glimpse of the Tetons, those towering peaks of grandeur whose soaring pinnacles bring to mind ‘purple mountain majesties.’ All of this, and we had not even reached our destination.

Ah yes, our destination. I remember back in 1988 when Yellowstone burned. It seemed so devastating and permanent, but when we visited the area with family in June 1989, I stood among the charred trees and photographed little yellow flowers growing out of the blackened earth. They were little yellow beacons of hope for a nine year old who thought that fire meant only destruction. If only there had been hope for my fashion sense.

Grand Tetons, 1989

Jackson, WY, 1989

Grand Tetons, 2011

Yellowstone, I think, needs to be told in pictures. Any words I have will certainly not do it justice, though my pictures might not either. We saw quite a few animals but sadly no bears, moose, or bighorn sheep.

Camping at Grant Village

Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb

Idaho Potato

Water levels throughout the park were extremely high

Beautiful bull elk in velvet

Nice photo, MHH. Next time, though,
could you get a little closer? 

It's not a visit to Yellowstone without Old Faithful

Just as I remember it from 1989

Old Faithful Inn and original tour bus

Little calf elk

Mammoth Springs

Hotdogs and chili 

Random fact: U. S. Route 20 is the longest route in the United States. It runs from Newport, OR to Boston, MA. On the way, it just happens to pass through both Yellowstone National Park and Nampa, ID, providing a convenient and scenic route for us to get home. As with US 30, US 20 cuts through some amazing scenery, notably the Craters of the Moon National Monument. Also visible are the mountains in the south of Sawtooth National Forest. US 20 was the perfect finish to a breathtaking tour of the Northwest. 

A few short days later we were tucking the Corvair in for winter hibernation and bidding my family farewell. 

Coming up: MHH's parents visit Singapore, and we all visit Borneo.