Starting to like Switzerland

Gordon Brown (former British PM) sat adjacent on my flight to Zurich. He was off to the World Economic Forum at Davos.

My Godfather Ashton gave me two pieces of advice regarding business travel.
1. Never take the last flight out.
2. Give an airline a reason to care about you and always use that airline.

I broke both rules and it cost me as we were diverted into Geneva where I landed at 12:30 in the morning with no hotel room and meetings at 9am in Zug! I gave Gordon Brown directions to Davos (he thanked me surprisingly graciously) and caught a 5:30am train that got me to Zug just in time.

That afternoon I headed to Liechtenstein- past the beautiful Wallensee.

No- I didn't take this picture!

I was more struck by Zurich's old world charms than I'd been on previous visits.

I had lunch with a board member of a company we own a lot of shares in. A really wonderful meal- half business half classical music, photography, and life advice. A really special 2 hours I will always cherish.

And of course... my favorite sign (the border of Zurich's Red Light District)

Squash Tour!

Several of my Union Boat Club (Boston) squash teammates flew over to London for a "lads' weekend" of squash, late nights, and sport.

My Middlesex League teammates were kind enough to host us on Friday night. Schmitty outfitted us well with the latest in UBC gear.

somehow the Brits contrived a way to claim that we had won- and our prize was fitting!

The next day we took on the Oxford & Cambridge Club- magnificently hosted by Mr Oli Jefferies

Check out those sweet tour shirts!

The match was close...

Me at full stretch...

But we pulled it out 2-1...

Oli and team hosted us for dinner in the magnificent O&C dining room...

 and we surreptitiously snapped some pictures...

After that we headed out...

And actually met some redcoats!

they didn't begrudge us our "undefeated" tour.

Happy Lhosar! (Nepal Post #9)

After a relaxed morning in Chomrong we bounced down to Jinueh

and from there to the beautifully maintained hot springs. A lovely sylvan setting.

The water was about 85 degrees- perfect for relaxing tight muscles.

I could have stayed there for a long time... but instead we started walking...

and found a party!

Lhosar is the biggest festival of the year for the Gurung people (area where we were trekking). I was quickly be-decked

Hari danced

I may or may not have... but no evidence survives

From there we just kept walking... all the way back to our starting point. However many days up and 2 days down.

As dusk fell I turned back and saw Machupuchre bidding me a golden goodbye. Hard to believe I had left ABC less than 32 hours previous .

Going Down (ABC to Chomrong) (Nepal Post #8)

Today we dropped nearly 8,000 ft of altitude down the Modi Khola valley.

Going down is harder than going up, and you notice less.

Our last big climb of the trek was 1,800 ft from the river to Chomrong.

It was a full day- 7 hours all in. I earned my shower and beer.

I just looked back through my pictures from ABC and just can't believe I was there this morning. Here is one more.

For $3,000 you can chopper up to ABC and have tea. This Nepali family stayed for about 20 minutes.

Annapurna Sanctuary (Nepal Post #7)

I started writing an account of my 20 hours at Annapurna Sanctuary but that defeats the point. There was a 15 minute span where the angle of the mountains and the setting sun turned the sky lavender but my blackberry was inadequate to capture it. Other than that- it's all in the pictures.

look for the red helicopter in the middle of the picture

Range to the East of Machupuchre

Daybreak on Annapurna South

Hari and I did Pasquaney-style "pack push-ups"

Bhuddi and I did fake karate fighting.

Leaving ABC

Annapurna South to the left and Annapurna to the right

Himalaya to ABC (Nepal Post #6)

A cold morning for the last push to Annapurna Sanctuary.

The last hour was the nicest hiking of the trip. A steady slope upward, above treeline, with the base camp in view, South Annapurna towering behind

Annapurna to the right

and Machupuchre behind us.

A meandering pace with the altitude gently constricting my chest and the views

The mountains are very much alive- I heard avalanches every few minutes and the mountains are riven by striations from falling rocks. Everest is still growing 2.5 inches a year

"Rock and Roll" (Nepal Post #5)

Hari wanted to know my version of "Chzom Chzom Pokhara" (ie invocation starting a hike). "Regulatorrrrrrrrs- mount up" was too hard to translate so I settled on "Rock and Roll." We alternate now. It sounds much better when he says it.

A good start today. Another guide had picked up my blue fleece so I was back in the old familiar (and smelly) gear.

We walked down to the river through the terraces- I'd never been so close to subsistence agriculture.

I particularly liked the rock steps cunningly built into the terrace walls.

We climbed along the left valley shoulder through Sinuwa, Dovan, and Bamboo. A forest not out of place in New Hampshire- just higher than Mt Washington's summit.

Machupuchre (Fishtail) to the right

I first heard rather than saw this frothing, glacial blue pool. Now I know why gatorade called its light blue flavor "glacial freeze."

The opposite valley wall was crossed with sinuous waterfalls.

And always the river's roar in the background.