What are you doing over the X-mas break?

On holiday in Townsville, having a bit of a looksie around as well.
Off to Cairns for a few days, will check out IP while there.
Back to work for a week then off for another couple of weeks.

 

Interesting to see how many of us are doing property related or self-development work during the holidays

We will be spending holidays preparing for our move, self-development, and setting visions for 2016, as well as the next 5 years. Looking back, we started in real estate 6 years ago - it was heads down and tails up - amazing the difference time makes. Gives me confidence on what can be achieved in the next 5.

 

I'll be in Nepal for 22 days on a Teahouse Trek on the Annapurna Circuit. I leave next weekend. I will be spending Xmas eve crossing the Thorong La Pass (5416m). That will easily work out to be the hardest day of walking I have ever done. A 1000m ascent up to the pass from Thorong Pedi followed by 1700m down to Muktinath. Hard on the Knees!






I'll have plenty of time for reflection and thinking. Will try and switch off and maybe read some fiction whilst I am away.

After Nepal I then head to Singapore to thaw out for a few days.

I've been in Hobart for a wedding and visiting family this weekend. A bit of a family reunion too with my brother's family over from the states.

I provided some investment advice to a young nephew whilst I have been here in Hobart. He is only finishing year 10, however is already saving for a deposit with 2 years of school left to go. I gave him my latest copy of API magazine which has Simon's story as an example of what can be achieved if you start young.

 

I shall be spending time with family, eating great food, opening presents together. That's the best Christmas in my opinion

 

I will be visiting the North pole, looking after the elderly relatives, who knows if it will be their last one with us? Thinking about baby Jesus, and of course eating eating eating and drinking.. to keep warm! Looking forward to it!

 

We only have the Xmas-NY week off, so no major plans. Xmas day we are going out to lunch with my in-laws, which should be very nice. Other than that, I plan to start doing data entry for our 2014-2015 tax return.... exciting stuff!! My birthday is on the 30th Dec so we'll probably go out to dinner for that, then on the 31st we always go to our closest friends' house for dinner, a couple of champagnes and the best possible start to the new year - surrounded by friends

 

Moving myself and pets to Adelaide permanently

 

Really Dave? Your leaving? You taking the huskies too...... better climate for them though. ..

 

Wow.. That's a big move! Where are you moving to? I bet it's a beach suburb.

 

Is that April fools Dave? What about your IT firm?

 

@DaveM I was hoping we could give you a shout for a few chores!!!

 

Not a joke.... my IT company is acquiring another in Adelaide and I am moving down to run the Adl office.

York been out looking at houses this weekend to rent

 

Awesome. Congrats! Who'd be running the Sydney office?

 

Are you moving in with DT at Smithfield?

 

My biz partner is still based in Syd

 

The Thorong La Pass in the middle of winter ? That will be a challenge. I did it in May (20 years ago) & it was tough but no cold or deep snow problems. Keeping the backback down under 10kg helped, plus a 500m ascent up & down the trail the day before to help acclimatize. That acclimatization hike was magical, went up on my own, watched the sunset over the Himalayas while giant vultures flew around quite close, and I think it made the next day easier (overtook a lot of people going up).

 

I wouldn't live in Smithfield lol

 

Thanks for the tips. This is a guided trek and we'll have porters which will help with keeping weight down. I did the Everest Circuit at the same time of year at the end of 2012. I fortunately know that I'll be okay at altitude. That time I did the walk from Namche Bazaar up to Gokyo Lakes, up Gokyo Ri and then over the Cho La Pass with a nasty flu. I nearly pulled out at Namche but the Nepali trek leader convinced me to suck it up and keep walking.

Conditions at the time of year are surprisingly good. The ripple affects of the monsoon on the Himalayas have usually well and truly passed by the end of November. This means generally drier weather patterns and less moisture in the air. We had clear weather for 19 days and no snowfalls.

Hopefully we'll have good conditions for the crossing of the pass. I'm taking microspikes for my boots just in case there is treacherous ice. Walking poles are also a must.

Did you have to contend with any ice for the descent down from the Thorong La Pass?

Do you have any photos to share?

This is the best photo I could find of the Thorong La. That ascent from Thorong Pedi is 1000m, which at the altitude with 50% less oxygen will be diabolical. The switchbacks up the scree look nasty.

 

I went in the days before digital cameras, so no digital images. As a dare I did have a photo taken on the pass stripped down to my undies so it wasn't too cold. The descent was very long and a lot of slushy melting snow, slid down some of it. No ice, but that was May. Technically it is easy and you should be acclimatized after the 10 day walk up to there but everyone reacts differently, I have no problems with altitude and was one of the first people to arrive at the pass, some who left at the same time arrived 2 hours later. Spent a few hours on the pass lounging around in the sun it was that nice up there but winter would be different.

I hear there is a road now to Jomsom for the last week of the trek, that didn't exist when I did it so I imagine that part of the trek is quite different now (if it exists at all, maybe people finish at Jomsom?). That was a great valley to walk through though after the pass, all sorts of different international food, hot natural springs to swim in and even a whiskey distillery run by a Scottish trained local (that place was more dangerous than the pass).

 

There is a new route that avoids the road. This is along the Kali Gandaki Gorge.