Year Out Blog

Travels across India

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:58:05 +0100

<William> After Jaipur we moved onto the 'blue city' of Jodphur. It's a stunning place to look at - the 500 year old houses are all painted blue, traditionally because the indigo dye was good at killing termites and repelling mosquitos. Rising out the middle of the blue city is the fort made from red sandstone, with amazingly intricate carvings made into the stone. It's all quite a sight at sunset when it's bathed in an orange glow!   View of the fort from the hills   The fort with the blue city below   After that we headed south to Udaipur, the town which has the famous 'floating palaces' (not actually floating, but just built in the middle of a lake) where much of Octopussy was filmed. It was a great place to be as it's low season there at the moment and we stayed in a really nice hotel for a quarter of their normal price.   Whilst in Udaipur we lived the 5-star lifestyle, visiting some of the most expensive hotels that had been converted from royal palaces. One afternoon we went for the traditional english afternoon tea complete with scones and (artificial) cream. The room had the biggest chandeliers I've ever seen and the walls were dotted with black & white photos of Brits on hunting parties with one leg on a dead tiger and a shotgun slung over one arm. Another day we spent the entire day sitting by the most ornate swimming pool in town, at another 5 star hotel. The pool was made from white marble with beautiful carvings all around, and was used for one of the scenes in Octopussy too. We were the only people there all day and we had about 5 turbaned guys standing around waiting for us to click our fingers and order our next drink!!   The 'floating' palaces of Udaipur (not floating any more as the lake levels are too low!)   After Udaipur the plan was to head south to Bangalore to meet up with some of the people I used to work with. We booked our tickets about a week in advance but the train was full so we had to go on a waiting list (which had been fine for previous journeys). However, this time our luck was out and the train was full - there was absolutely no way to get on. We spent about 4 or 5 hours in the booking office trying to work out another way to make it down south, but it seemed that every single train out for the next 2 or 3 days was completely booked up. In fact it later transpired (after even longer trying to book tickets) that every single train in every direction was booked up, so we ended up taking an overnight bus. We could well understand why there was such a rush to get out of the city though - the place seemed like a complete hell hole - more flies than I had ever seen in my life and choking fumes from the traffic congesting the streets. Later on when we got the bus out I think we saw the 'real' Ahmedabad which actually looked quite nice, it was just that we were stuck in the train station all day!   We had to change our route and it seemed like the best option would be to backtrack through Rajasthan and visit Jaisalmer, the desert city, right near the border with Pakistan. The bus ride out goes through about 200km of baking hot barren desert with the occasional hut or shepards hideout, then suddenly you turn a corner and the giant imposing sandstone fort rises out of the desert in the distance.   The desert fort of Jaisalmer   We've just got back from a camel trek in the Thar desert. We found out pretty quickly why no-one lives in the desert - it's a pretty inhospitable place. Gale force blustering winds whipped up a sandstorm throughout the day which meant that sand got everywhere - in our eyes, sticking to our suncream covered skin,and worst of all into our cameras. My camera is now completely ruined (motor jammed up with sand) and possibly also the film that was in it which had all of my shots of North India. Maz's camera is also sounding a bit grindy, and has sand all inside the lens.   Maz on her camel   The view from my camel   Apart from that there were a few highlights to the trip- we made it acros the barren dusty landscape to some amazing peachy-coloured sand dunes which look exactly how you'd expect a desert to look! It was a weird scene, as it was about hours before sunset and the sun was getting low, but there was so much dust and sand in the air that it was getting quite dark and the sun looked more like a pale moon.   Hygeine conditions weren't too great on the trek so we're currently waiting to see if we're going to get ill. This morning, after breakfast the guides washed up the pots & plates in dirt they'd just been spitting in. After that they put them into a bag which was once yellow but was so dirty it was grey. Then, to add insult to injury a dog wandered up, cocked it's leg and peed all over the bag & the pots! At lunchtime we just buried our dinner in the sand when they weren't looking!  </William>

Varanasi and on to the Taj Mahal

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:56:37 +0100

<William> We really enjoyed our stay in Varanasi, a city or pilgramage for many Hindus. It doesn't really have a lot of sights to see, which means that you're less likely to be disappointed from raised expectations. However, the city really has an amazing atmosphere about it and you can see some pretty weird & wonderful things from walking up & down the ghats (steps leading down to the Ganges river).   The main ghats as seen from the river  Prayer rituals performed after sunset along the ghats   At one place there is a crematorium where people are burned on open log fires then thrown into the river. However, holy people, children or pregnant women just have their dead bodies thrown directly into the river where they become exposed where the river is shallow and birds peck at the corpses and rats run up for a nibble. Just a few yards down from there, people swim in the river and drink the water untreated in an act of faith to cleanse the soul!   Today we have been visiting the Taj Mahal which is really quite a sight - lives up to all expectations though the heat is quite a problem - my brain was pretty warped after 4 hours in the midday sun (playing with the mad dogs). We were pretty unimpressed with the 'rules and regulations' surrounding the Taj though. You're not allowed to take any food or drink (except water) in and you can't buy anything in there, but your ticket (which costs a tenner) doesn't allow you to go out and come back in, which means if you want to make the most of the day you have to go hungry! Also, it was pretty annoying that they don't allow camera tripods inside, after we took a 1 hour journey back to the train station (left luggage) to get the tripod!! Still, all the hassles were soon forgotten once inside - it's amazing just how stunning it looks even though it's 400 years old. Built entirely from white marble, inlaid with black marble detail it's weathered well and all the carvings are still pristine and the colour untainted by pollution or time.   The Taj Mahal   Maz in front of the Taj Mahal   We're in Jaipur at the moment, the capital of Rajasthan - the desert state. You know it's the desert state because there are camels wandering through the streets, even in rush hour traffic jams! The pollution (3 times WHO limits) can be choking, but once out of the city there are some great sights to see - palaces and forts on hilltops around the city. Inside the city there is some excellent shopping to be done in the bazaars and arcades in the old city. Unfortunately our backpacks are full to bursting so we'll be trusting our shopping to the indian postal service - here's hoping it makes it home!   </William>

Chitwan Jungle Adventure

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:55:35 +0100

<William> We spent a few nights chilling out in Chitwan National park - a tropical jungle region in the south of Nepal. It was pretty hot & humid the whole time - the first hot place we've been in about 6 months, so all our warm clothes are now firmly packed away at the bottom of our rucksacks and we've had to dig out the t-shirts & shorts!   We started by visiting the elephant breeding centre. They keep about 4 females and 3 males chained up in a field on pretty short chains which is not very nice to see. Whilst we were there a wild male elephant came out of the jungle to hang out with the others, but got chased away by the guys at the centre. The elephant had obviously heard about the breeding centre and wanted to get in on some of the action! In fact as it turns out, the wild elephant is the father of 3 of the 4 babies there, as the females are chained up and can't run away!   Ahhh baby elephant!   We took a 1 day trek through the park, though much of the time was spent fighting our way through the 10ft high elephant grass. After a long mornings trekking in the baking heat and having seen only a wild boar & kids we were a bit miffed. We spent 45 minutes looking through the binoculars at what we were convinced was a tiger but turned out to be an orange tree (though we were all too scared to go over and have a look). In the afternoon we walked through the woodlands and were much more sucessful. We saw a huge rhino (which stopped to sniff us from a distance) and a pair of sloth bears (look like grizzly bears but with skinny stomachs). In the last coulpe of hours a storm of biblical proportions came overhead and we got soaked to the bone. Stupidly we left all our trekking gear in Kathmandu (waterproof boots et al) as we thought we wouldn't need it - forgot about it being the monsoon!   The day after we took a leisurely ride on an Elephant through a different section of the jungle. From up high you get a pretty good view, and the smell of the elephant masks your own so you can get close to the wildlife. We got to see a younger rhino up close as well as wading past a crocodile.   Startled looking rhino!   We've now arrived in India and we're enjoying it so far. It's hot, but not as humid as Chitwan so it's bearable. Have quite been enjoying the hustle-bustle here and we havent had *tooo* much trouble with people hassling us just yet. We're in Varanasi - an ancient town located on the Ganges which our hotel room overlooks. We've been on the lookout for corpses floating downstream (burial ritual) but haven't seen any yet!  </William>

Bhaktapur

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:54:10 +0100

<William> Have been hanging out in the Kathmandu valley whilst we wait for our visas for India to be processed (an unexpected delay) but we should be heading south tomorrow into the heatwave that enveloped the whole country!   We have been visiting some of the towns in the Kathmandu valley in the last few days, and just taking it easy. We took a day trip to Patan which is close by to see the architecture & crafts there. It's home to Nepals master craftsmen - the Newari who are expert in wood & brick carvings. There's an impressive square with a royal palace where you can enjoy tea in the wonderful gardens inside. The gardens are in quite a small space, but have been built up almost entirely in brick, with different sections for seating or just for ornamental purposes. There's actually only a few plants - trailing from trellises overhead or climbing the brick walls. There's lots of iron plates inset into the wall that can be filled with oil & a wick to provide candle light at night.   All around the back streets of Patan there are tiny workshops which look as if they are unchanged in hundred of years except for the electric light bulb in the ceiling. The craftsmen work in cramped conditions carving wood and selling their products on their doorsteps.   Taking a bath Nepali-style in Patan Durbar square   Bakhtapur is very similar to Patan in many ways, and was built by the same people - the Newari. However, the walled city has been incredibly well preserved (funded by the $10 entrance fee for the city) and has not been developed in the same way Patan and Kathmandu have. It's really just like walking through a medieval city with narrow streets (all pedestrianised) and the peach-red of the brick everywhere with the dark carved wood inset. It seems to be a good time to be visiting at the moment - the monsoon is almost here so the tourist season is comign to a close and there's hardly any tourists around. We've often been the only people in a restaurant or a hotel which means you get pretty snappy service!   Small temple built around a tree   Pottery square   Back streets of Bakhtapur   Anyway, tomorrow we leave for Chitwan national park to see elephants, tigers and rhinos and then we head on to India! </William>

Everest Base Camp - 50th Anniversary

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:52:53 +0100

<William> Finally back from our trek in the Everest region and we're knackered!   The flight in was quite a ride. It's just a small 18 seater propeller plane, and instead of flying over the mountains it flys through the valleys and only clears the ridges by a couple of hundred feet, frightening the cows grazing beneath. The scenery on the 25 minute flight is pretty incredible though. The hills outside of Kathmandu are all terraced for growing crops and it's difficult to tell the difference between looking out of the window and looking at the contour lines on the map!   The landing was quite scarey - the runway is very short and at a steep angle. There's no room for error; if you came in too late or too fast you'd hit the hillside, but fortunately there's been no accidents at the airstrip to date. Taking off was also an auxhillerating experience, the accelleration being as dramatic as the decelleration on the way in.   The first days walk took us through the foothills (between 2500m and 3000m). At that level it's green, lush and warm with rivers and waterfalls all around. There's also still plenty of oxygen so it's quite a comfortable stroll through the hills. There's often a lot of cloud around at that level, so you can only see the tops of the foothills, but every now and again the clouds part and you look up, and up and up and you can see huge vertical walls of rock leading up to snow capped peaks high up in the sky - you really get a feeling for the size of the mountains at the lower levels.   On the second day we reached the market town of Namche Bazaar - the main commercial hub of the region at around 3500m up. We stayed in the 'famous' Khumbu Lodge in town where Jimmy Carter stayed in the 70's and Robert Redford stayed in the 80's. However, it didn't seem that they'd changed the sheets since these visits as we got woken up in the middle of the night by bed bugs biting our arms and any exposed flesh they could find! We had to take a rest day here to let our bodies acclimatise to the altitude, so we took a walk up the hill and got our first glimpse of Everest about 30 miles down the valley.   Tengboche was the next spot, which is the site of the local monastery and the seat of the head Lama for the whole of Nepal. Tibetan Budhism is the religion of the Sherpas who live in the region as they descended from Tibetan migrants who came across the Himilayas hundreds of years ago. The town is very serene and very picturesque - all of the lodges are built & run my the monks.   The track out of Tengboche is one of the most scenic parts of the route. You walk through a Rhododendrum forest - the plants being hundreds of years old. Plants at that altitude grow about three times slower than at sea level, but still we saw plants with trunks about 2ft thick and reaching up to 15ft high. We were fortunate to be there when many of them were in bloom, along with violas, miniture irises, primulas and miniture strawberries (yum!) all blooming on the forest floor.   Yak convoy on it's way out of Tengboche   Once you climb above 4000m the scenery suddenly changes and all the trees stop growing - forests and streams are replaced by rocks and scrub. The wind whistles up the exposed valleys and the temperature is noticably colder with frosts falling most nights. We trekked up to the town of Dingboche at around 4450m, but Maz started to get nasty headaches due to the sudden gain in altitude so we trekked down 150m to the town of Pherice and thankfully the headaches ceased.   View down the valley to Pheriche   After an acclimatisation day in Pherice and a stopover in Dughla we made it up to Lobuche at almost 5000m up. This town is notorious for being the worst place on the route - every lodge is a complete hole apart from one which charges an astronomical fee for a room and is only the same standard as the other cheap lodges along the route. Books we read about everest expeditions say the town has always been a hole and many people end up getting ill there. I was no exception, and I caught some sort of stomach infection there and felt a bit ill for a few days.   Pyramid research centre near Lobuche   We left Lobuche as soon as possible and with an early (5:30am) start we headed for Everest Base Camp. We reached the camp on the 29th May (50th anniversary of the climbing of everest) around the time that Hillary & Norgay reached the summit fifty years previously. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a celebration as there had been a serious helicopter accident there the previous day where at least 2 people were killed. The twisted wreckage of the helicopter sat in a river on the edge of the temporary village to serve as a reminder. It was a shame not to see the camp in full swing - a couple of weeks previously there were 1200 people living at the camp (a little bit like Glastonbury), but the weather was fine during mid may so many groups summited and then packed up & left. This explained why there were so many yak convoys coming down the tracks carrying all the kit from the summiteers as well as helicopters buzzing overhead carrying down the climbers.   Maz & I at base camp   Helicopter crash with the Icefall an everest in the background   After the long trek to base camp I was feeling a bit ill so we took a day off, then ascended Kala Patthar. At 5550m it was the highest point we reached the whole time and we got some amazing views of everest, even though the 50% oxygen left us pretty breathless when crawling to the summit!   View from Kala Patthar down the Khumbu glacier   We had planned to carry on after this and go over a high pass to the neighbouring valley, but both of us were exhausted and wanted to get on to see other things (India) and I was also feeling less than 100% after recovering from being ill. So, we decided just to head straight back down. The journey took 3 long days of solid walking.   We met the Indian Army's successful summiteers in Tengboche on the way down. It had taken them 10 days to do a 1 1/2 day trek as they had been drinking heavily since getting down from the mountain! They were certainly in good spirits when we met them, and were still partying hard! Unfortunately we didn't (knowingly) meet any of the other famous climbers who were in the region for the anniversary, such as Reinhold Messener (First solo attempt without oxygen) and Peter Hillary (Edmunds son).   It was strange to arrive back in Kathmandu to the hustle & bustle and noise & pollution. It's only then that we realised we hadn't seen a single vehicle in the two weeks passed. The invention of the wheel seems to have completely passed the region by - there isn't a single road for 100 miles and there are no cars, bikes, or even trolleys. Everything to be transported has to be carried on the back of a sherpa or a yak. Carrying 15kg myself felt like a ton when your body is weakened by the lack of oxygen, so it's pretty impressive to see sherpas (who are small and probably weigh about 50kg) carrying piles of kit weighing up to 70kg up the mountains on their backs. Old men and children carrying these packs often overtook us without looking like they were breaking a sweat!   We're currently working out what are plans are next. The monsoon is coming, but before it does we're hoping to see some more of Nepal - the ancient city of Bakhtapur and the Chitwan national park (jungle) if it's not too hot. After that we're not sure. We were hoping to see some of Northern India but the temperature there at the moment is around 45 celcius! We'll be doing some research and coming up with a plan soon though as we want to make the most of our last few weeks on the road.  </William>

Off on a hiking expedition

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:51:59 +0100

<William> We're leaving tomorrow morning for a 23 day trekking expedition through the everest region, up to everest base camp at around 5500m up! We've planned a pretty long route, and a lot depends on how the weather goes - if the jetstreams stop in the next week (which is possible) then the monsoon will start and it will snow, so we wouldn't be able to go to the higher points. Still, this is the time of year when the majority of everest attempts are made, so generally the weather is good.   Tomorrow morning we fly into Lukla airstrip at about 2900m up. The strip is on a steep hillside so when you land gravity brings you to an abrubpt halt. We then trek alongside a river and up a hill to reach the town of Namche Bazaar - the market town for the region which is at about 3500m. We will rest there a couple of days to acclimatise to the altitude then follow the trail all the way up to Kalan Patthar (view of everest from small summit) and everest base camp (busy at this time of year). After that we'll head over the Cho La pass (weather permitting) to the next valley which is much quieter and has some spectacular views across the Himilayas. Despite the inceredible altitude there are small villages all along the tracks and tea-houses and lodges dotted all along, so doing the trek is quite easy to organise. However, there's not so many internet cafe's up that way so this will be the last posting for a little while!   We're packing pretty light for the journey - just one change of clothes (one to wear and one to wash & dry hanging off your backpack) but we have plenty of warm clothes and plenty of film for the camera!   Not too sure what we'll do after the trek (apart from a long hot shower) but hopefully will get to see some of Northern India - Varanasi, Agra (Taj Mahal) and possibly Delhi or Darjeeling if we head the other way. Anywhere to avoid the rain! </William>

Back on the road - arrived in Nepal

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:50:25 +0100

<William> Finally arrived in Nepal after a pretty long journey over. Feeling a bit jetlagged, but have been out for a wander around and really like the place. Unfortunately it seems like the monsoon season has started early (just our luck) so we'll have to be careful about where we choose to visit.   An amazing variety of beans & lentils available in a Kathmandu market   Maz in front of one of the buddhist stupas that can be found in many of Kathmandus squares   I'm hoping we'll be able to make it to the eastern region around the foothills of Mt Everest - the home of the Sherpas. May 29th is the 50th anniversary of the conquering of everest and Edmund Hillary is supposed to be visiting the region, so there should be a lot of celebrations. Have been reading about the area, and sounds pretty amazing - there are no roads anywhere, if you want to get somewhere you have to walk. This is all the more amazing when you consider that when the villages were built all of the materials were carried in by foot. Often the distances between villages is only a few kilometers but it can take days to walk as you must climb & descend thousands of feet over the mountains.   I'll write more when my brain gets into the same time zone anyway......   </William>

Goodbye to NZ!

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:48:31 +0100

<William> My time in New Zealand has finally come to an end, tomorrow I meet up with Maz in Sydney and head on to Nepal. Will be sorry to leave - just got settled in and used to all of lifes creature comforts like a decent shower, carpet, a good nights sleep, etc.   Flatmates!   I have completed my course and I've now got a piece of paper which says I can cook! My cooking skills have really come a long way even though I still make a few mistakes - just need lots of practise now.   Course Leaving Dinner   We had a party at the weekend for Michelle's 21st birthday, Nigels 29th and my leaving party. Was a really excellent party - got an ice sculpture of a frog with a hole down the middle where you could pour alcohol! There was also a keg of beer and a keg of lethal punch! Needless to say everyone had a good time and the alcohol helped to fight the cold when the sun went down.   Me taking my turn on the frog!  Ian getting the frog treatment   Anyway, that's all for now - next update when I can find an internet cafe in Kathmandu! </William>

Last trips around the South Island

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:46:36 +0100

<William> After staying in Queenstown a couple of nights we headed on through the alps to lake Manapouri where we took a boat across the lake into the heart of Fiordland. It's a really isolated spot, only accessible by boat and there's only one tour company that goes there so you're really on your own with lots of peace & quiet. We went on an overnight cruisse through Doubtful Sound, which is one of the biggest fiords in NZ. We were really lucky with the weather - it rains about 250 days a year down there and we got 2 days of sunshine. This meant we could spend a lot more time out on deck and we also got to go kayaking through one of the arms of the fiord. Whilst we paddled along some dolphins came along and swam with us for a while. Think they found the blue kayaks pretty attractive ;^)     Lake Manapouri   Doubtful sound as seen from the top of the Willis Pass   One of the arms of Doubtful Sound   After the trip to the sound we took a tour of the hydroelectric power station at lake Manapouri - 600MW is generated by the water draining from the lake into the sound - pretty impressive stuff.   We stayed in Wanaka with some friends on the way back to break up the journey. It's a really nice town with some great scenery. We took a bit of a tour of the area and visited some of the other lakes in the area like Lake Hawea which is very similar to Wanaka but much less developed - it's a small town with one pub and that's about all!    Lake Hawea   The Kingston Flyer - a steam train we passed on the drive back   Sunset over the southern alps, taken on the drive home by a lake just outside Twizel   Apart from that little tour things have been a bit quieter here as I've been preparing for the end of my course and my practical exams. Did get a chance to go and see Morcheeba in concert in Christchurch last weekend, which was a really nice gig. It's good that Christchurch is on the international tour circuit - in fact it was their last gig of an 8 month tour.   Also got a chance to go out for a few more mountain bike rides. Found some new tracks in the purpose built bike park outside town (Bottle Lake park). Some really excellent jumps and rollercoaster tracks, I'll miss my mountain bike!    The river avon, Christchurch and the Port Hills, taken on my way home from Bottle Lake   This weekend there was a food & wine conference in town and our class volunteered to help out. We were cooking with some of the worlds top chefs who'd flown in for the conference - people such as Antonio Carluccio who is a really outstanding Italian chef. Was really good experience - I spent one day making a dessert for 400 people from start to finish, working with some really talented aussie chefs.   I'm now in the last week of my course, so theoretically I should be able to cook now! Guess we'll find out when I do my exams this week anyway! </William>

Maz’s Mum & Sister visit

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:43:45 +0100

<William> Have been busy the past few weekends trying to see as much as possible of the South Island - not long now before we leave NZ. My course finishes on the 9th May and I fly out on the 17th May to Kathmandu where we'll stay until 8th July, hopefully taking in Tibet and Northern India along the way.   The trip to the glaciers was a success anyway, weather was pretty good and scenery was amazing, but it was a lot of driving (about 1000km in the weekend). We travelled across arthurs pass which weaves it's way through the southern alps across to the west coast. There's an amazing contrast in the scenery across the island, from the dry and dusty east coast through the barren rocky alps and to the lush green west coast (where it rains all the time!). We found a perfect campsite, just by a lake but with no one ese there. We went out and foraged for some firewood and got a pretty good fire going.    The Arthurs Pass road goes across the Southern Alps   Campsite - the perfect spot!   Lake edge at sunset   We got to visit both the glaciers, which were both pretty cool. We managed to walk a little way up the Franz Josef glacier as someone had carved steps into the ice! We didn't have the proper equipment (crampons & ice pick) to do a decent hike though, but it was nice to get up close and have a look. They seemed to be melting at quite a rate and this formed all sorts of twisted shapes as the rivers flow through and under the ice. They're quite a popular tourist destination though, so there's not much peace & quiet as helicopters buzz overhead!    The blue ice of the glaciers   Me sat beside Franz Josef glacier   Fox glacier   Nigel sat on one of the rocks the glacier used to cover   In the week that followed Marions mum & sister arrived to visit. After recovering from their long journey we all took a trip down to Queenstown over the long Easter weekend. We stopped at Mt Cook on the way down and stayed overnight. Was nice to get some fresh alpine air, but unfortunately the clouds obscured the summit for much of the day.    Mt Cook in autumn   After that stopover we went to Queenstown via Wanaka, which is a really pretty town set by a lake and a small range of mountains. It's a really prettty place and still quite small, probably what Queenstown was like a few years ago. To get the blood circulating again after the long drive we went 'aquabiking' on the lake, which is like a tricycle with massive tyres so it floats. It's a lot of fun for the first five minutes, but then you realise you're absolutely knackered and you're stranded in the middle of the lake!    Marions mum & sister aquabiking   Queenstown is a really pretty place, set on the hills around the lake. It's quite a party town as well and has some good pubs & clubs, though they're mostly packed with tourists like us! I took advantage of the good weather to go mountain biking round the lake. There were some really excellent rollercoaster tracks and some amazing scenery.    View from the mountain bike track round the lake in Queenstown   After Queenstown we went on for an overnight cruise in the fiords, but i'll save the details of that until I get the photos developed & uploaded.   I have most of my cooking notes online now, so check out some recipies!   Cooking pages   Probably have a few quiet days ahead as I prepare for my practical examsn, so not much else to report!   </William>

Nigel’s boat

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:42:27 +0100

<William> The last few weekends the weather hasn't been great so even though Maz took some time off work we still couldn't get out and see much.   Did get one nice day where I went out on my flatmate Nigels boat. We went to Lyttleton harbour (about 10km from the city) where the water is calmer to do a spot of fishing. Only caught baby sand shark which looked pretty scarey but weren't any good to eat.    Catch of the day - jaws junior   To make up for our lack of fishing ability we went ashore in the island in the centre of the harbour (quail island) and found an apple tree which we helped ourselves to, so at least we returned home with some food for dinner!    Moored up at quail island   We also drove through the lewis pass to the natural hot springs (Maranui) in the middle of the mountain range. It's a pretty amazing setting, high up in the mountains, nestled in a small valley. There are a few outdoor rock pools where you can sit and watch the mist float down the sides of the hill and through the valley. Unfortunately there's loads of sandflies buzzing about that give nasty bites - there's always something!    Have also been out on a few more bike rides mid week whenever we get a nice day. Got a few glorious crisp sunny days where you could see across the city all the way to the snow capped southern alps behind. In a few months time though, once everyone starts lighting their log fires all you can see is a pea-souper handing over the city, so it's quite a rare sight.    The view you get when you cycle to the top of the port hills! Lyttleton harbour, with quail island on the left   The craggy hill where my favourite bike track (the Rupaki track) starts from   The hill range that the summit road follows   Last weekend we decided to head down to Dunedin even though the weather was pretty atrocious. We got a bright spell just for sunset as we arrived, but apart from that it rained the whole time. We drove round the Otago peninsular which was pretty amazing. A windy road (called Portobello Road) weaves it's way along the craggy coastline all the way along the peninsular. At the end there's an albatross colony and a small group of yellow eyed penguins. We went on a tour of the penguin reserve and got to see a few, but they don't move much! Think I prefer the ones in London Zoo where they train them to dance around a bit ;^)    Otago peninsular with Dunedin in the background.   Penguin reserve on a cold & windy day    We're rethinking what to do after NZ - we were due to be going to Hong Kong, but looks like thats out of the picture now. Current plan is to head to Nepal instead,but will need a lot of planning, time & effort which is a bit of a pain. Getting a bit fed up of having our holiday plans changed! </William>

Mountain biking around Tekapo

Mon, 7 May 2007 12:38:10 +0100

<William> Went out exploring the South island last weekend and saw some of the surrounding regions. Car just failed it's MoT but you have 28 days to get everything fixed, so we went out and drove 1000km!   We went out for a drive and a walk through Arthurs Pass which is the mountain road that crosses the Southern Alps to the West coast. We went for a ramble through the craggy outcrops where you got some great views of the surrounding countryside. Hoping to complete the journey some weekend soon and get over to see the sparsely populated west coast where you can see lots of beaches, glaciers, sandflies and sheep!   Rambling in Arthurs Pass   The day after I went on to Mount Cook, about a four hour drive from Christchurch, with my mountain bike in the boot. Had to do my best to break up the journey so every time I saw a nice looking hill or a good view and took the bike out and went for a quick cycle. The scenery through the McKenzie basin on the way there was spectacular, if somewhat barren and desolate - nothing can be seen for miles and miles except the occasional policeman with a radar gun trying to catch people speeding.   Cycling round the Southern end of lake Tekapo   Got to Mount Cook (the tallest mountain in NZ at 3750m) and it's quite a view. It stands at the top of lake Tekapo, so you can quite easily drive up to the base of it along the flat edge of the lake. At the 'base camp' you couldn't move for busloads of Japanese tourists, but a 10 minute drive down a gravel track into the next valley and you're almost the only one there. I followed a mountain bike trail along the Tasman valley which climbed the foothills of the mountains. Once I'd got to a decent height I turned round and went thundering back down the rocky road to the car park. Went a bit too fast over some of the rocks and bent my front wheel though, but it's all good fun!   The road to Mount Cook  Mountain biking down the Tasman valley   Monday was St Patricks day ( a busy day for Maz!), and we'd warned the chef in advance that we would be going out for a few beers. When we got in he just asked what we wanted for breakfast then assigned everyone a task and we all had a massive fry up with bloody marys at 11am! Always a good start to the day!   Cooking the breakfast  Fry up on St Pat's day!   After that we hit the local pub and worked our way round to the pub where Maz is working where we stayed until late. They had a special offer for free t-shirts if you drank whiskey or guinness which was handy because it got colder as the evening wore on so we had more clothes to wear!   The scene in the pub after an afternoons hard drinking  Maz much happier after finishing work!   Anyway, forecast is great again for this wekend, so I'm plannign to ide through the hills on Saturday and go out deep sea fishing on Sunday. </William>

Exploring the South Island

Wed, 8 Nov 2006 22:24:47 +0000

<William> Have been enjoying ourselves here in NZ over the last few weeks, on occasion even venturing out & about.   A couple of weeknds ago the pub where Maz is working built a big sandpit outside and had a beach volleyball tournament. Having had a bit of practice in Fiji we decided to enter a team, and dragged our flatmates into it too. We were doing quite well at first winning 3 of our first 4 games, but then as drinking continued through the afternoon our concentration waned and we lost the remaning games without scoring a single point - the games were over before we'd realised they'd even started most of the time!    Volleyball 1  Volleyball 2  Volleyball 3  Volleyball 4   Armed with a guide to the port hills I went mountain biking again looking for a long descent. I found one, but the guide doesn't mention how technical the tracks are. Got halfway down and it was pretty steep - went over the handlebars a couple of times, but just cuts & bruises. Was fun though! Cloud was really low so was dipping in and out of cloud as I cycled along the sumit road.    Track down the hill into town  A few of my coursemates and I went camping this weekend in a remote spot in the foothills of the southern alps. Was gorgeous weather for it too which was a bonus as summer is drawing to a close now. We went for a hike through the hills and round the lakes and up a gorge to get a better view of the area. There's hardly any forestation in the region because it was burnt by Maori tribes hunting the (now extinct) Moa birds (like an emu). They were so sought after that forests were razed to the ground to drive the flightless bird out into the open.    View from the gorge  Village where we camped, as seen from the hills  View from the campsite   Me taking a rest!  We met some locals whilst camping who told us about a lord of the rings scene shot just down the valley - the scene of the village of the people of Rohan. It took them 6 months to build the film set on the top of Mount Sunday and the filming was done in about 2 weeks, after which the entire set was dismantled - you'd never know it was there now.    Mount Sunday (Rohan village)  The valley behind  On the way home we stopped off at a scenic river valley - forgotten the name of the river though! Nice piccys though:   Flat river beds and sediment in cliffs  River & hills behind  Bridge  All of this has made me think about just how much more stuff there is to see in the south island, so we will have to try harder to plan our spare time but has been difficult with me working mon-fri and Maz working weekends.   Course is going well anyway, doing much more in one day - starting to cook full three course meals now which is a bit more challenging. Burning a lot more stuff. Have been trying to publish my notes on this website but no success so far - will get another website set up soon with a bit of luck! </William>

Getting settled in

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 15:21:02 +0100

<William> Have been settling into life in Christchurch now and enjoying the summertime which has been pretty resplendant so far - about 6 days a week it's blue skies, sunshine and between 25-30 degrees.   Have bought myself a really good quality mountain bike with front suspension for getting me to school & fun afterwards. On cooler days like today I've been out for long bike ride in the Port Hills on the southern border of the city, not far from our flat. It's a steep climb up to the 400m summit but it's well worth the view from the top down into the turquiose blue water of Lytleton harbour on the other side, plus the view out across the city. There are some pretty steep mountain bike trails up the top which I tried out too, but have been (unsuccesfully) looking for one with a really long descent all the way into the city off-road.   We also found a forest on the north edge of the city which has a load of purspose built mountain bike trails with rollercoaster ups-and downs, steeply banked turns and jumps (good if you have suspension!). Had a lot of fun speeding round there and then cycled home along the beach for about 5km which was really hard work with the wet sand sticking to your tyres.  Maz has got a job working at an Irish pub in town - one of the most popular spots so it's hard work but a good atmosphere. She's already spent most of her first paypacket in the shops next door though ;)  I'm enjoying my cooking course. We finish quite early (usually around 3pm) which is great as I have loads of time and energy left in the evenings to go for a ride before dinner, head into town or just go back to the flat and have a few beers & a BBQ in the back garden with our flatmates to enjoy the sunshine (which is what usually happens). It's a very relaxed lifestyle so it's a nice break from the stresses of London.   We haven't been cooking anything too spectacular yet, just getting to grips with the basics. The chef is slowly upping the pressure, giving us more and more dishes to cook each day so we've been getting some idea of what it's like to work in a commercial kitchen. I'll be publishing my notes as soon as I get them all together & typed up.   We've also been studying wine as part of the course and today was a wine tasting day which as good fun. It's quite difficult to get your head around all the terminology but I've been learning alot. It's interesting to see how different the approach to winemaking is here in NZ and Australia compared with the traditional methods of the French. Here the vineyards use every piece of available technology to keep the grapes cold, fresh and fruity whereas the french leave them open to the elements at the initial stages of the process. As a consequence the wines here have a more consistent but much more fruity and lively flavour compared to the more subtle french wines. Think I still prefer French wines as the wines here have far too much flavour, but I have found a few I like (after lots of research) which are the Wither Hills and Cloudy Bay Marlborough Sauvingnon Blancs - really refreshing, armoatic crisp white wines.   We've had a bit of drama with one of our flatmates, which fortunately has all been resolved now as he has moved out. He seemed nice enough at first, offering lots of favours to everyone (none of which materialised). He didn't bother going to work one day (he was working as a decorator) and instead decided to stay home and strip the paint off all the woodwork in his room (door, skirting board, etc) and strip the walls. He didn't go to work again and didn't start looking for a new job either. We then found out that he hadn't paid any rent or deposit at all, plus he was eating all our food and racking up a huge phonebill. Then to add insult to injury he had his girlfriend move in with him, who also didn't pay any rent but was happy to eat the food in the house. After 3 1/2 weeks and two missed deadlines for paying the rent we finally asked him to move out within a day and he seemd quite shocked! However, he took it quite well and moved out straight away and even managed to give us half of the money owed, so drama over for now!   I've bought myself a computer too for a hobby in the evenings. Have just been getting it set up but will hopefully do some work on my website and maybe try some Java projects if I get time. I've got the soundcard set up with speakers & microphone so I have have NetMeetings with sound for free as I have unlimited internet access. I've also bought a webcam but can't seem to get it to work with this PC unfortunately, but I'll be trying once more tonight to coax it into working. </William> 
Tuesday, February 04, 2003
<William> Not much new to report, but I have got a few films developed onto CD and have put the best piccys on these web pages. I have 4 more films to get developed yet, so this doesn't cover the whole trip, but it's a start! </William>

Taking a break from the backpacking

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 15:18:15 +0100

<William> After a week of searching and looking at some real hovels, we saw a bunch of nice flats today and managed to get a place we really like.   We're staying in an old house with wooden panelled walls, wood floors, big garden with vegtable patch (and cat) and really nice bunch of Kiwis living there. Our room is massive and has a wrought iron fireplace and doors opening up onto a wooden veranda. The best part is that the rent is only ten pounds a week!   Really enjoying my course so far though have just spent the first week chopping vegtables and learning the basics. The methods used for cooking are very different to what I'm used to and it's quite difficult concentrating on all these new things all day, especially as my brain hasn't been used for a few months! The others on the course are really interesting. Some are hoping to set up restaurants, B&B's or delis and others have spent a couple of years working as chefs on million dollar yachts in the pacific and want to improve their skills to further their career. Certainly makes you think about what is possible once you have finished at the school! People have come from all over - there's only 12 of us on the course but there's people from USA, UK (Dorset!), Galapagos Islands, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Australia and even New Zealand!  Maz has been having a bit of a tough time as she's been doing most of the house hunting whilst I'm having fun cooking. The job market is also pretty limited here as it's mostly an agricultural town, and there's not many nice shops to browse either (though that's probably a good thing!) Hopefully things will be looking up now we can get settled in and she can spend more time looking for work. </William>

Road trip reaches Christcurch

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 15:15:28 +0100

<William> We've finally arrived at the end of our long journey in Christchurch.  We spent a really excellent couple of days in Wellington enjoying the culture (mostly the bars!) and sunshine. It's a really nice city - more compact than other NZ cities and so has a much more lively feel. It has the best nightlife we've found in NZ too, lots of cool bars conveniently located within a few metres of each other so you can go on a pub crawl! There's also the national museum where we spent about 3 hours in the Lord of the Rings exhibition which has the details of how all the films were made along with some of the props from the film. As we're fands of the movies the exhibition was really great detail and made us want to go back and watch them again to see if we can tell which people on film were digital dreations and which ones were real!  After a couple of nights camping in Wellington (in the back garden of a central city hostel!) & the ferry crossing we went full speed down the coast to Christchurch. First impressions are that it's a very pretty town and has a very british feel to it with the many stone buildings & bridges and weeping willows by the river but it's definitely a bit lacking in night life, or indeed any kind of life because there's doesn't seem to be much of it during the day either!   I've started my cookery course now and I'm pretty engrossed in it already. It's quite overwhelming how much there is to learn and how relatively little time I have to learn it, given that most chefs take at least 3 years training! I now have all my equipment - most importantly of all a really big, heavy and razor sharf knife! Already taken a couple of little chunks out of my fingers but haven't drawn blood yet! I've spent most of today chopping vegtables into precise sizes and making a massive vat of vegtable soup with the results! Never appreciated how cutting everything into same-sized pieces (so they cook at the same rate) really makes a difference to the flavour of the dish.   We're still staying in a hostel at the moment which is convenient for walking to college but inconvenient in every other way - no parking, sharing a dorm, lots of noise and no control over what's on tele! We've been looking for accomodation but nothing has really grabbed us just yet so we're holding out for something that will be fun as well as being a place to stay. </William>

Sun at last in Taupo

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 15:03:16 +0100

<William> We stayed in Rotorua a couple of nights and experienced some more thermal parks with boiling mud pools, geysers and various volcanic activities. We also tried the 'zorbing' (check out www.zorb.com) which is a giant inflatible plastic ball that they put you inside and then half fill with water and then push you down a grassy slope. It's a pretty bizzarre experience but absolutely hilarious!

Rainy North Island

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 14:58:31 +0100

<William> Weather has continued to be bad, and it's not been much fun touring & camping. It's rained pretty much all day every day for the past week and the forecast is for more rain for the foreseeable future.   The other night there was a big storm with 60mph winds. Our tent survived the night but at times it was blown so flat that the inner tent was touching our noses. A tree in the camping field was blown over, but missed our tent fortunately. After that night we decided to try and stay in hostels and leave the camping for a while, but it's proving difficult as one of the main holiday towns in the north was flooded out and all the holiday makers have headed south to where we are (Rotorua) and nearly every hostel & motel is fully booked. To add to our woes the car has sprung a leak (not sure where) so the car stinks of damp and all our bags and stuff got pretty wet (with no way of drying it out!).   We've been trying to find stuff to do in the rain, which has been a bit tricky, but visited some caves yesterday that were pretty spectacular. There was a large underground river that flowed through the caves that we paddled down in a boat. The conditions in the caves attract thousands of glow-worms which cling to the ceiling of the cave and dangle threads like spiders webs to catch passing insects. Lying back in the boat and looking up it looks like a starry night but with green stars!   Another thing we did whilst visiting Richard is driving along the beach. There's lots of driveable beaches in NZ, and as some are over 50 miles long and pretty wide too you can drive down them without bothering anyone. It's strange that on the entrance to the beach there's a speed limit sign of '100' - regular carrigeway rules apply (though no-one sticks to them!) It was quite a qerid experience driving down the beach skimming the incoming waves and practicing handbrake turns in the sand!  We're currently staying in Rotorua which is the town with all the geo-thermal activity. There's steam bubbling up from the drains in the streets and the whole town stinks of sulphur, which has lead to endless "(sniff sniff).... was that you?" jokes. We went to a spa today and sat in a mud bath and a variety of other hot pools which was all pretty relaxing.    I seem to have my visa application sorted now (hopefully) which buys us a few extra days touring the north island, so lets hope the weather improves - we can't take much more of this! </William>

NZ Road Trip begins

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 23:06:51 +0100

<William> We've now bought ourselves a car (Honda Integra '85) and camping kit and we're on the road touring NZ.   Unfortunately after blazing sunshine in Auckland when we were running around trying to find a car the weather has turned abismal and we're a bit lost for things to do as the visibility is so low from all the constant rain at times we can't even see the scenery! The squeky windscreen wiper and lack of car radio has driven us close to insanity too!   We did get a nice day in the Bay of Islands where we took a boat cruise and walked round and island. It's amazing how much nicer the place looks when the sun is out! When the sun is shining you have to be really careful of sunburn because of the hole in the ozone layer. Only 30 mins in the sun on a not very hot day can give you nasty burns, so we're careful to cover up even when it's cold & cloudy.   We've met up with a friend from work (Richard) and we're staying with him for a couple of days so we're not camping in the rain for the moment. It's a bit difficult to find things to do in the rain as most things worth doing are outdoor activities, so we've just been working our way through the duty-free spirits and we're cooking up a big roast dinner tonight.   NZ's a great place to do a road trip though - every few miles there's a picnic stop or lookout or walk with amazing scenery from rolling green grassy hills to thick forests with tree ferns and the massive kauri gum trees, to sand dunes like mountains hundreds of feet high which you can go dune-boarding down.   We're at the northernmost part of the north island at the moment and we'll be spending the next couple of weeks working our way south to Wellington where we catch the ferry to the south island.   </William>

Xmas in Fiji... ...New Years in New Zealand!

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 20:30:42 +0100

<William> We're currently suffering new years hangovers in Auckland after a really excellent time in Fiji.   The place we moved onto on Naviti island was the most basic accomodation we'd had to date. The room was a wooden hut about 10ft from the beautiful white sandy beach and had outdoor toilets & shower (a tin shack with no roof and dirt on the floor!). There was only water for 2 hours a day and electricity for 4 hours a day. If it had been located anywhere else it would have been a problem but the setting was so spectacular that the difficulties of getting clean and seeing what you're doing became insignificant. We took walks round the island, climbing up steep hills to see the views, swimming or walking knee deep through the sea to get around impassable headlands and eventually discovered a stunningly beautiful white sandy beach 2km long with palm trees, shallow water with coral reefs and a little island a few hundred metres out. The beach was completely untouched and miles from the nearest village.

Fabulous Fiji

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 20:20:44 +0100

<William> Bula!  We're now in Fiji and we're enjoying it so much we decided to stay for Xmas! The islands round the periphery we saw from the plane look like they're straight out of a brochure - small forested islands surrounded by white sands dotted in turquoise water. Besides these paradise islands the main island of Viti Levu had much more to offer than we expected.   The highlands are rugged rolling hills covered in dense rainforest in the east (where it rains all the time) and vividly green grass in the west (where it rains less) with rocky outcrops exposed here and there. We took a long hike through the western highlands and climbed the 1200m Mt Batilevu. The view from the top was worth the climb (on a hot sunny day!) and there's a raincloud permanently over the peak and the drizzle cools you off.

Out & about in Sydney

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 20:15:16 +0100

<William> We've been in Sydney a couple of days now and fly out to Fiji on Thursday   On our flight in we got a great panoramic view of the city and the fires burning around the outskirts. At times you could even smell the smoke coming through the ventilation system in the aircraft, or at least the captain told us it was from the fires burning below........  We've had a few days to take in the city now and it really is a lovely place. If you were shopping for a nice life then Sydney would be pretty high on the list. It has great weather, great shops, not bad transport, beaches, mountains, and you can buy a flat with a view of the harbour for peanuts!   We made a visit to the Sydney Zoo to get aquianted with some of the local species. We saw Crocs, roos, possoms, koalas (though Maz didn't get to cuddle them!)   It's actually been a little chilly here and I've been wearing a jumper most days. The only jumper I brought with me is my yellow fleece which I forgot is a really bad colour to wear if you're anywhere near insect - they think you're a giant yellow flower! The walk through the botanical gardens was an experience I wouldn't want to repeat - I had such a cloud of flies around me it looked like I hadn't had a shower in a couple of weeks or something (whereas it's only actually been a week and a half ;) )  Last night we got dressed up and treated ourselves to cocktails and a nice meal in the revolving restaurant on the 47th floor of the skyscraper in Australia Square. It's a mesmerising view, especially after a couple of Mojitos and in many ways made us long for the times when we had jobs and could afford to have nice nights out a bit more often.  Today we've been relaxing on Bondi beach and walking down to Bronte. It's like a little slice of Cornwall transported to somewhere with more reliable weather, not to mention the fact that it's only 5 miles from the city centre. Hardly any Australian people there though - just english, irish, and other tourists. There was chaos trying to find the place because of the 20 or 30 people getting off at the tube station there were no locals and no-one knew which direction to go to catch the bus!   Tomorrow we're going to be getting dressed up again to go to see a performance at the Sydney Opera house which will be a real treat. Might have to spend half the night scrubbing my white shirt though as I managed to do a load of washing without taking a biro out of my pocket - whoops!

Exploring Queensland

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:55:50 +0100

<William> We've been keeping busy up here in Cairnes and having a great time in the scorching heat (35 degrees today!!)  We took a tour of the rainforest and swam in the streams which were icy cold as they'd come down from the mountains. The jungle wasn't very lush as theres been an 18 month drought here, but was still nice to see the fig trees, vines, funny fruits and unusual wildlife. After that I went fishing for the afternoon but after 2 hours sitting on the dock of the bay with not a nibble I gave up and went home.   We went out snorkelling on the great barrier reef the next day which was really amazing. The coral reefs are just huge and go on for miles, and we were lucky enough to see a turtle grazing the coral and a small shark (about 1.5/2m) swam past too. We got some digital photos done too which I have tried to upload, so hopefully these links will work:

Arrived in Oz!

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:53:16 +0100

<William> We arrived in Oz today after a bit of a trek from Kuala Lumpur.   Though we're still a bit dazed and confused from the flight, no sleep and a few beers we're really liking Australia so far. The scenery is stunning and unlike anything we've seen yet - the flora & fauna (and even the stars in the sky) are just totally different. The landscape is amazing, everywhere you look it just seems to go on for miles without being scarred by buildings of interferance from humans, just lakes, sea, beaches, hills, forests and blue sky. Prices here are a lot more expensive than Asia, though still a lot cheaper than the Uk, so it'll take some getting used to.  The beaches look lovely - we're staying at a place called four mile beach which as the name suggests has a four mile beach. Trouble is that at this time of year you can't swim in the sea because there's too many poisonous things floating in it!   Planning some snorkeling over the Great Barrier Reef (if there's not too many killer jellyfish) and a short visit to some rainforest (if the bush fires stop!) and maybe a spot of fishing and generally chilling out.   Last couple of days in Kuala Lumpur were fun. The pub/club scene was a bit limited so we ended up hanging out in starbucks (had the best view of the petronas towers by night). Watching the news there was kind of interesting - every night there were only two stories; israel attacking palestinians and the impending war in Iraq. Interesting to see the news from the point of view of an Islamic country. The adverts inbetween the news were funny too - there was a shampoo advert and it showed the usual shot where the woman turns round to face the camera and gives a flick of the hair, except the model was wearing a head scarf so you couldn't actually see her hair at all! Advertising people must have a hard time there..... </William>

Krabi to Kuala Lumpur

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:48:46 +0100

<William> Our tour of SE Asia is almost at an end, we head from KL to Singapore tomorrow to take our flight to Oz.   We spent a few more days in Krabi exploring hidden caves and beaches by walking, swimming and kayaking. We went to one remote beach that was almost completely cut off. From the main resort you had to walk 2 or 3 miles trough dense jungle down a narrow path and up and down a really steep hill. On the other side was a collection of ramshakle wooden huts and a few beachfront bars. It was quite a different crowd to the honeymooners and rich american tourists on the other side of the hill - there were lots of people with beards, tatoos and spaced out looks! Guess they'd been there a while.....  We stopped on in Georgetown (Penang) on the way down which was a nice old colonial style town though bit limited on things to do. We're now spending a couple of nights experiencing Kuala Lumpur. It was great to arrive back in civilisation again, you don't know how much you missed it until you return! We spent today looking around the town (in expensive shops like Gucci and Prada!) and went up the Petronas Towers. It's the tallest building in the world, though it's a bit of a con because it's only 88 stories high and there's a big 20 story high metal spike on the top which makes it the tallest building. Without the spike it would be nowhere near the tallest. Still, an impressive building and a nice view.