Allison A Janssen

Tag: crazy adventure

  • Singapore: a squeaky clean whirlwind

    Singapore: a squeaky clean whirlwind

    As we always do, we began our adventure to the next country by first searching from the hostel in our current location for a place to crash after the long days. Of course, as travelers, we heard many times how expensive Singapore is and how a travelers’ few spare dollars cruise a unequaled, rather short distance, in this high-tech, glamorous, squeaky-clean city. We looked in every section of the tinsy tiny country for a decent hostel at a decent price. At the time, the price selection was much higher than what it currently is today on Hostel World. We ended up settling for a place for $17 Singaporian dollars a night for the both of us, in a dormitory room. These prices seemed crazy to us, because in all the other countries we had traveled, $17 between the both of us, normally got us private accommodation with breakfast included. Rob is all about the breakfast included. Anyways, one lazy afternoon, we headed out of KL, by train, for Singapore. We arrived rather late at night to our hostel, which took us a good while to get to and cost us about $14 using the underground. To sleep, to move about, to eat, to drink, to breathe.. well, is expensive in Singapore. But, maybe all this is why the country stays so beautiful? So squeaky-clean. Other than the cost to live, Singapore is actually pretty cool. It boasts cuisines from all of its neighbors (in addition to its own), it has a great nightlife, interesting museums, a really enthusiastic athletic community, beautiful parks and great transit systems. I’d like to think of it as the Asian New York, although I am sure other big Asian cities like Tokyo would disagree. But, its a thought.

    My most memorable experience in Singapore would be the evening that Rob and I snuck into a hoity toity hotel, pretended that we were guests and spent the evening gallivanting around all the hotels’ amenities, such as the hot tub and the pool. Little did they know, we bought cheap liquor and 7-11 cokes and downed them right before we entered. Such is the life of a broke traveling spontaneous couple. It was fun, huh honey?

  • Insight to Malaysia: from Penang to Kuala Lumpur

    Insight to Malaysia: from Penang to Kuala Lumpur

    Malaysia. Sounds like the name of an interesting bird, right? Well, she is. Malaysia an evolved collision of old world traditions, escalating religion, and new world fast paced desires. Our journey by train from Surat Thani, Thailand took us first to Butterworth, an industrial city with seemingly nothing in it, located in North Malaysia. Why stop there? Well, it is the gateway to Penang. From Butterworth train station, we walked to the ferry point and 15 minutes later, we were on our way to Penang. Penang is where this whole “interesting bird” shenanigans began. As we came into port, we walked outside the transit area to find what looked like an old version of London; London-esque architecture with Mandarin shop and hotel signs and red buses (too bad they were not doubly stacked). Not what we expected. And then, as we always do, we began to look for our hostel. Our hostel of choice this time was Kimberly House on Kimberly Street (go figure). This was the first time that Rob and I booked dormitory rooms, simply because the cost of traveling in Penang (hostel wise) was a lot more expensive than what we had been paying previously. It worked out splendidly. The location was great and we only had one other female staying in our room, all for half the costs of competing hostels in town. But, in any event, back to the “interesting bird” part of this story. Penang has a long turbulent history. The short version is, trade began with the Ming dynasty back in the 15th century, it was colonized by the British in the late 1700s, played a role in both world wars, eventually gained independence and today, is an amusing mix for the curious traveler. A backpacker in Penang will first set their sights on visiting Georgetown, situated on the Northeast corner of the island. Georgetown draws in us backpackers for its British architecture, Chinese shophouses, street art, street food, and numerous places of worship of various religions. This appeal is also why UNESCO deemed it a World Heritage Site. I can’t even count the number of selfies I saw taking place.

    Our first few days in Penang, we mostly ventured around Georgetown and since renting a motorbike is impossible in Malaysia, we settled for long transit buses. Georgetown is spread out quite a bit, but by bus, you can pretty much see everything of interest, from Buddhist temples, to stunning landscapes to Chinese temples and Mosques. Only the final couple of days did we discover that the busses also ran to the opposite side of the island, offering beautiful beaches, cliffs and street drinking.

    After our 6 day stay in Penang, we headed further south, by train, to Kuala Lumpur. I was really excited to adventure around KL, for friends of mine from my graduate study days raved over the city. After a few days in KL, I’d have to say that their raving was overcooked. It is really just a big city, and if you are not into shopping and expensive activities, it is not for you. The one thing I did love above KL is previewed in the photo featured on this post. The red diner, on the corner of the China town. Rob and I stayed at a hotel in China town and every morning, passing the array of fluorescent lights and ridiculously bright home decor, we came to eat at our local diner. These moments, I loved. Watching locals read their papers in various languages, drink their coffee, eat their morning soup and be off for their day. Leaving our morning coffee and breakfast, feeling like a true local.

    We only got to see a small flash of her beauty, but she remains a beautiful bird.

  • Day 10: Soaring on life at Everest Base Camp

    Day 10: Soaring on life at Everest Base Camp

    The day that we had been working towards had finally arrived. Excitement filled the air. A 7 am wake up call, a quick breakfast of oats and …who the hell cares… “We are about to trek to our final UPWARD destination- Everest Base Camp! With a deep inhalation of brisk Himilayan air, we set foot outside the tea house at Gorak Shep. Even the smallest of noises are crushingly clear at 16,942 feet. Shrills of chisels against rock, think tink tink, as 15 men build new rock dwellings at a painstaking rate, tink tink tink. The sips and slurps of tea drinkers. The crunch of our feet over rock and snow, the slide of small pebbles as we push them behind. The whistle of the wind over the dreamy peaks that surround the desolate roof of Gorak Shep. The sounds of Everest are a beautiful symphony. And when you add such music behind a sense of impending accomplishment, your whole body beams with light. Atleast, that is how it was for me as we set off for the last ascent.

    From what we have heard, most people who trek to EBC experience crowded trails and muddled views. For us, the moment we arrived to base camp was anything but crowded. Anything but muddled. We were honestly THE ONLY PEOPLE THERE. The time we spent in silence and in awe is unforgettable. We felt proud. We felt as one. One with each other and every atom of our incredible universe. Thinking of all the trails we had traveled, all the blisters and pains the trails gave, the scent of pine and glacier water, all the kind souls we had met and the stunning beauty of mother nature that encompassed us. It was truly hypnagogic. As we stared into the eyes of Everest, trying to grab a hold of the beauty of this moment, placing it in our memory, we heard her roar. The end to Everest’s private symphony.  Luckily it was only a warning roar. As Everest raised her voice and sent an avalanche down, we stood in caution, suddenly becoming even more aware that with beauty sometimes lies danger, for large boulders the size of small cars and SUVs lied behind us. Fortunate for us, Everest’s movements were only strong enough to spew snow. So, no boulders came our way. But, moving quietly, we could feel the deepening of surface cracks over the glacier we were standing on. I felt quite timid to be honest. Questioning which way to move: forward on into Base Camp or retracting a bit to look over Base Camp. An impossible decision, which Rob made for us. Forward of course. Despite the danger that lurked with every footstep. And then a second avalanche came down. Now, we not only heard, but listened to Mother Nature’s message. Once we were in a safe zone again, I realized I had not been breathing for a while down there. But now, we were all three safe, and for that, I felt grateful. Grateful for safety in the moment, for the incredible life I have lived thus far, the man I love standing next to me, for kind souls in the world such as our guide Rakesh and our porter Saroj, for my family, for my friends, for the earth which provides us life and for the universe- which reminds us that we are all ONE.

    Before heading back to Gorak Shep, we took the picture you see above. We made it. All, 17,598 ft. Life is a beautiful adventure.

  • Day 8: Periche to Lobuche

    Day 8: Periche to Lobuche

    After a day and a half of rest and relaxation in the soft valley of Periche, we picked the trail head back up early morning on Day 8. According to estimations, Lobuche our next destination, would take us about 4-5 hours to get to, even though it was only 700m away. The reason for the lengthened time, lied solely in the fact that half of the trail that leads to Lobuche resembles the old Agro Clag from Nikolodeon’s game show GUTS, only it is longer. No kidding. The climb has to be at an 80% grade and took us at least an hour to climb. It was tough. But after the steep climb, a surreal moment awaited. A moment that took our mental breath away.

    At the top of the steep climb lies a small, shallow trough that overlooks the valley of Periche, previews the mist towards Louche and is home to the truthful Everest Memorial. I am not sure if it is official, but in this small glen lies the grave stones of all those who lost the epic battle against mother nature, the gravestones of those who lost the battle of Everest.

    From small piles to big piles of stone, lie the memories of courageous people. People from all over the world. People who had the same dream as many others, but were actually brave and determined enough to seek it, even if it meant their end.

    This was a truly captivating moment. A moment that was very hard to remove myself from. But, our destination was calling us onward. So, we rightly left behind the memory filled stones, keeping the recognition of their bravery with us and headed towards our own kismet.

  • Hello World

    Hello World

    Okay, this is the beginning. Life is a crazy adventure and its my mission to fill it with as much beauty, excitement, extreme thrills, peace, kindness and love as I possibly can. As Maya Angelou once said, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” So this blog is to showcase these moments. I hope you all enjoy it!