Hey All,
You know how, when something happens that you´re not too happy about, the events that follow just seem to snowball on top of eachother? Yeah you do. And now, so do Stacey and I. Yesterday, Stacey and I woke up at 5:30 (after going to bed at 3:30 after one last night out on the town), and had our last breakfast from Manchi, the wonderful grandmother of Fair Play. We were joined by Ernest and Patty, our homestay roommates, for breakfast. They were such a kind and fun couple, and were so eager to have fun and share experiences with us. One of those experiences was the Chicha incident, so we are pretty much bonded for life because of that! After saying our goodbyes (I will never get used to goodbyes), we crammed all of our stuff into a taxi and headed to the airport. Upon arriving, we found out that our plane was delayed for 4 hours (the snowball effect begins..). Fortunately, our practice teachers, Nayut and Lourdes, came to the airport for one last goodbye, which was amazing of them. I even got to meet Nayut´s son, who had so much energy that if he stood in one spot it seemed as if he was vibrating. They gave both me and Stacey each a present, which I couldn´t believe, because these women do not have alot of money. I was so sad to leave them, and perhaps when I am more fluent in Spanish I can go back to Cusco and visit them!
Alright so, we finally get on our plane, and arrive in Lima. First impressions...not so good. Out of all the taxi drivers in Lima (thousands) we had the most obnoxiously terrible driver. He honked far more than was necessary, even here in Peru, and almost got us killed when he kept trying to pass a small combi bus. As we sat in this little deathtrap, streets upon streets of desolate houses, garbage and throngs of people stared at us through the windows. It was far worse than despressing, with the grey, soggy weather completing the picture.
Our first hotel that we tried to get to, it turned out, was not in existence. Gotta tell Lonely Planet about that one. We finally found a decent hotel run by a Peruvian family, paid for one night, then set out to find the bus station to book a ticket for Huaraz, our next destination. Finding the station was an adventure in itself, and eventually, with the help of a friendly police officer, found it and bought our tickets for a 9:30 departure the next morning. The rest of the day was filled up with sleeping, sleeping, eating some pizza, then sleeping until morning.
Now comes the real kicker. We arrived to the bus station at 8:30, plenty of time to ensure we didn´t miss our bus. When 9:30 came around, our bus had not yet arrived, so I went to question the ticket counter if our bus was delayed. The lady at the counter looked at me in suprise and told me (in Spanish) that we were at the wrong station. After a phone call, she then informed me that we had missed the bus, and we had to purchase a ticket for 10pm tonight. This meant that we had to shell out more money for another ticket, and that we would have to spend another day here.
So now here I am, in a dreary little internet cafe, waiting for 10pm to come around!!
Oh the joys of travelling!
Vikki
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
One More Story
Sorry friends, I forgot the exciting story!
Stacey and I experienced our very first earthquake last night! It was very small, lasting for only 10 seconds. Our room is up on the 3rd floor of the house though, so we felt the entire building sway back and forth, and the windows shuddering. It was WICKED! I most definitely wouldn`t have been saying that if it was anything serious, but it wasn`t so I`m psyched!!
Now I can say without lying that I survived an earthquake!
Psyched!!!
Stacey and I experienced our very first earthquake last night! It was very small, lasting for only 10 seconds. Our room is up on the 3rd floor of the house though, so we felt the entire building sway back and forth, and the windows shuddering. It was WICKED! I most definitely wouldn`t have been saying that if it was anything serious, but it wasn`t so I`m psyched!!
Now I can say without lying that I survived an earthquake!
Psyched!!!
The Peru Stories
Hello!!!!
Well, I figured time has gone on long enough without writing a blog, so here I am again. I have a few interesting stories for your personal reading pleasure. Some are hilarious, some are sad and some a pretty darn exciting. So here goes....
Stacey and the Bede
This particular incedent occurred before embarking on the Inca Trail to Machupicchu. Our travel company had booked us into this ridiculously fancy hotel in Lima, even though we would barely be spending a night there (our flight for Cusco was at 5 or 6am). Upon entering our bathroom, Stacey and I found a bede. I hope you all know what a bede is...some big toilet looking thing for washing your parts after you poo or whatever. Something I imagine must be fairly uncomfortable. I soon left the bathroom to explore the rest of the room, when all of a sudden I hear the rush of water and ¨AHH!¨ a scream coming from the bathroom. Only imaging what Stacey could have done, I rush in and see her screaming with laughter, her face and the front of her shirt soaked with water. Yup, Stacey squirted her face with the bede. We were rolling around laughing, unable to control ourselves for a good 5 or 10 minutes. The kicker was when the bellhop brought our luggage in, and upon seeing us laughing in the bathroom and Stacey`s shirt front soaked, gave us the strangest look and left laughing, probably just a little confused.
A Strange Spot to Pop A Squat
After having our lovely encounter with Chicha (as Stacey explained in the previous blog), we were wandering back to the main Plaza de Armas in Cusco, when we encountered a fairly strange sight. We were crossing the street, when there on the street corner for the entire city of Cusco to see, was a little girl of no more than 4 or 5 years, taking the most ginormous poo. I don`t mean to sound crude, but that girl must have a diet of bran muffins because that was a poo to be proud of. The best part was the mother in the background, not scolding her daughter, but instead yelling at her to hurry up. Ah....to be so free.
Dancing or Aerobics Class??
Stacey and I had been in Cusco for about a week taking Spanish classes with a company called Fair Play. We were getting a little stir crazy, so we decided to go out dancing. We went to the Plaza de Armas and embarked on our search for a club by the name of Mama Africa. First off, people here are more than glad to give you directions, but they are terrible at it. We must have walked back and forth across the plaza 3 or 4 times, all the while being handed flyers by different people wanting you to go to their club. Finally, a man with a flyer for Mama Africa came our way and we gladly took it. Then, all of a sudden we were surrounded by about 10 guys all from different clubs, and we got separated, with Stacey heading towards Mama Africa and me heading off in the opposite direction. Realizing this, I broke free and caught up with Stace where we were promptly shoved into the club and up the stairs.
After a while of dancing, Stace and I started dancing with a pair of brothers from Chile. It was all fun and games until my dance partner seemed to have the need to do a bit of aerobics, and started to do squats, dragging me down with him. I don`t know what he was trying to do, but after about 5 or 6 squats I gave Stacey ¨the eye¨, and we escaped to the bar. I spent the rest of the night avoiding the Squatter. I mean I`m a terrible dancer...but I believe I finally found someone worse. Yahoo!
I saw him the next day near a museum, wearing a BRIGHT yellow rain poncho. Poor boy.
Fair Play
On a more serious note, I want to explain the workings of Fair Play (our language school) and how great it is for the women who work there.
Developed a little more than a year ago, Fair Play is an NGO that employs single mothers to teach Spanish to foreigners. John, the man who runs the organization with his wife Fanny, explained to us that before they were teachers, these women were in extreme poverty, suffering from depression, barely able to scrape by and feed their children. They earned around 200 soles a month, which is roughly about 65 dollars. If they needed to buy something, they would have to borrow money. When they went to pay it back at the end of the month, they would have to pay almost 60% interest. Needless to say, they were in a rough place. With Fair Play, they now earn a decent amount of money, and I have to say whenever I see any of the teachers, there is always a beaming smile present on their faces.
We have learned that many other Spanish schools pay their teachers terrible wages, and charge their students much more for classes.
We definitely found a great school to learn Spanish, and even though I personally still am terrible at it, I have learned a ton!
Well, I figured time has gone on long enough without writing a blog, so here I am again. I have a few interesting stories for your personal reading pleasure. Some are hilarious, some are sad and some a pretty darn exciting. So here goes....
Stacey and the Bede
This particular incedent occurred before embarking on the Inca Trail to Machupicchu. Our travel company had booked us into this ridiculously fancy hotel in Lima, even though we would barely be spending a night there (our flight for Cusco was at 5 or 6am). Upon entering our bathroom, Stacey and I found a bede. I hope you all know what a bede is...some big toilet looking thing for washing your parts after you poo or whatever. Something I imagine must be fairly uncomfortable. I soon left the bathroom to explore the rest of the room, when all of a sudden I hear the rush of water and ¨AHH!¨ a scream coming from the bathroom. Only imaging what Stacey could have done, I rush in and see her screaming with laughter, her face and the front of her shirt soaked with water. Yup, Stacey squirted her face with the bede. We were rolling around laughing, unable to control ourselves for a good 5 or 10 minutes. The kicker was when the bellhop brought our luggage in, and upon seeing us laughing in the bathroom and Stacey`s shirt front soaked, gave us the strangest look and left laughing, probably just a little confused.
A Strange Spot to Pop A Squat
After having our lovely encounter with Chicha (as Stacey explained in the previous blog), we were wandering back to the main Plaza de Armas in Cusco, when we encountered a fairly strange sight. We were crossing the street, when there on the street corner for the entire city of Cusco to see, was a little girl of no more than 4 or 5 years, taking the most ginormous poo. I don`t mean to sound crude, but that girl must have a diet of bran muffins because that was a poo to be proud of. The best part was the mother in the background, not scolding her daughter, but instead yelling at her to hurry up. Ah....to be so free.
Dancing or Aerobics Class??
Stacey and I had been in Cusco for about a week taking Spanish classes with a company called Fair Play. We were getting a little stir crazy, so we decided to go out dancing. We went to the Plaza de Armas and embarked on our search for a club by the name of Mama Africa. First off, people here are more than glad to give you directions, but they are terrible at it. We must have walked back and forth across the plaza 3 or 4 times, all the while being handed flyers by different people wanting you to go to their club. Finally, a man with a flyer for Mama Africa came our way and we gladly took it. Then, all of a sudden we were surrounded by about 10 guys all from different clubs, and we got separated, with Stacey heading towards Mama Africa and me heading off in the opposite direction. Realizing this, I broke free and caught up with Stace where we were promptly shoved into the club and up the stairs.
After a while of dancing, Stace and I started dancing with a pair of brothers from Chile. It was all fun and games until my dance partner seemed to have the need to do a bit of aerobics, and started to do squats, dragging me down with him. I don`t know what he was trying to do, but after about 5 or 6 squats I gave Stacey ¨the eye¨, and we escaped to the bar. I spent the rest of the night avoiding the Squatter. I mean I`m a terrible dancer...but I believe I finally found someone worse. Yahoo!
I saw him the next day near a museum, wearing a BRIGHT yellow rain poncho. Poor boy.
Fair Play
On a more serious note, I want to explain the workings of Fair Play (our language school) and how great it is for the women who work there.
Developed a little more than a year ago, Fair Play is an NGO that employs single mothers to teach Spanish to foreigners. John, the man who runs the organization with his wife Fanny, explained to us that before they were teachers, these women were in extreme poverty, suffering from depression, barely able to scrape by and feed their children. They earned around 200 soles a month, which is roughly about 65 dollars. If they needed to buy something, they would have to borrow money. When they went to pay it back at the end of the month, they would have to pay almost 60% interest. Needless to say, they were in a rough place. With Fair Play, they now earn a decent amount of money, and I have to say whenever I see any of the teachers, there is always a beaming smile present on their faces.
We have learned that many other Spanish schools pay their teachers terrible wages, and charge their students much more for classes.
We definitely found a great school to learn Spanish, and even though I personally still am terrible at it, I have learned a ton!
My practise teacher, Nayut, is second from the left in the back row, and my grammer teacher, Carmen, is second from the left in the front row. Stacey`s practice teacher, Lourdes, is third from the left in the back row, and her grammar teacher, Gioviana, is the last one of the right in the front row!!
Teachers Know How to Party
I never thought it was possible, but our teachers party way harder than we do. A few days ago, all the teachers at Fair Play planned a suprise birthday party for John, their employer. When Stacey and I got to the office where the party was to be held, all the lights were out and the women were all giggling like little girls, unable to contain their excitement. Anytime anyone spoke above a whisper, they were loudly hushed, a round of giggles following. When John finally arrived, and everyone finished laughing, the music was turned on full blast and dancing ensued. The only time we stopped dancing was to give John his gifts and to sing him Happy Birthday, and stuff his face into a cake. They danced until 4 in the morning. I spent the last hour and a half sleeping on the couch, completly worn out from dancing and more than a little drunk from the Cuba Libre (rum and coke) that was constantly being shoved down my throat by an extremely intoxicated woman. You seriously had to run away from her if you didn`t want anything more to drink. She would not take no for an answer! On the way home, 5 of us shoved into the back of a taxi (tiny tiny taxi!) and then stumbled up to bed. I have to say that during grammar classes the next morning, both Carmen (my teacher) and I could barely hide our yawns.
Well... that´s all for now. Stacey and I are leaving Cusco on September 26th, where we are flying to Lima, then hopping on a bus up north to Huaraz. We`ll then make our way back up to Cuenca, Ecuador for some climbing!!!
I miss you all, and hope you`re smilin!!
Much love,
Vikki
Teachers Know How to Party
I never thought it was possible, but our teachers party way harder than we do. A few days ago, all the teachers at Fair Play planned a suprise birthday party for John, their employer. When Stacey and I got to the office where the party was to be held, all the lights were out and the women were all giggling like little girls, unable to contain their excitement. Anytime anyone spoke above a whisper, they were loudly hushed, a round of giggles following. When John finally arrived, and everyone finished laughing, the music was turned on full blast and dancing ensued. The only time we stopped dancing was to give John his gifts and to sing him Happy Birthday, and stuff his face into a cake. They danced until 4 in the morning. I spent the last hour and a half sleeping on the couch, completly worn out from dancing and more than a little drunk from the Cuba Libre (rum and coke) that was constantly being shoved down my throat by an extremely intoxicated woman. You seriously had to run away from her if you didn`t want anything more to drink. She would not take no for an answer! On the way home, 5 of us shoved into the back of a taxi (tiny tiny taxi!) and then stumbled up to bed. I have to say that during grammar classes the next morning, both Carmen (my teacher) and I could barely hide our yawns.
Well... that´s all for now. Stacey and I are leaving Cusco on September 26th, where we are flying to Lima, then hopping on a bus up north to Huaraz. We`ll then make our way back up to Cuenca, Ecuador for some climbing!!!
I miss you all, and hope you`re smilin!!
Much love,
Vikki
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Chicha
The Spanish lessons are going well, however we are both a little bored of Cuzco. Moving into a home stay was a good move as we are now living right above the school, and are being fed wonderful home cooked meals. Our home stay family (who are also the owners of the fairplay school) took Vikki and I, along with two other students to a fiesta a half hour out of Cuzco. We joined this small town for the afternoon to celebrate a religious Holiday (not sure which one), and to enjoy drinks and a pig roast.
After our meal a squat old Quechuen (the native peoples here) was offering around a yellowish drink. She would pour a cup full (the same cup for everyone) hand it to you, and you would pour a bit on the ground and chug er down. I had the privilege of watching Vikki drink it, and by the look on her face I thought see was going to hurl. This stuff was the most foul tasting thing you can imagine. It was not much of a surprise to find out that it was fermented corn juice. We did however get a nice surprise the next night.
The two other students in the homestay happened upon the preparation method in their guidebook. Chicha has been made same way for many generations... the Quechuen people chew, and then spit corn into a vat, which is sealed and let sit for several weeks to allow for fermentation. Yum yum yum.... rotten corn and Quechuen saliva!!!
Wont be drinking that again.
After our meal a squat old Quechuen (the native peoples here) was offering around a yellowish drink. She would pour a cup full (the same cup for everyone) hand it to you, and you would pour a bit on the ground and chug er down. I had the privilege of watching Vikki drink it, and by the look on her face I thought see was going to hurl. This stuff was the most foul tasting thing you can imagine. It was not much of a surprise to find out that it was fermented corn juice. We did however get a nice surprise the next night.
The two other students in the homestay happened upon the preparation method in their guidebook. Chicha has been made same way for many generations... the Quechuen people chew, and then spit corn into a vat, which is sealed and let sit for several weeks to allow for fermentation. Yum yum yum.... rotten corn and Quechuen saliva!!!
Wont be drinking that again.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Subscribe to Gripped´s e-mag (their free email newsletter) to check out an interview Vikki and I did. It should be send out next week!!
Vikki and I have decided to stay in Cuzco for two weeks for some Spanish classes. We have four hours of classes every day. Two for grammar and two for practise. Tomorrow we are moving into the school, which should be a nice change from the raunchy place we are staying in now.
Vikki and I have decided to stay in Cuzco for two weeks for some Spanish classes. We have four hours of classes every day. Two for grammar and two for practise. Tomorrow we are moving into the school, which should be a nice change from the raunchy place we are staying in now.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Galapagoes and Machu Picchu
Hello hello hello.
My apologies for the long wait between posts. There was not an abundance of Internet access in the Galapagos or on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
We had an amazing time on our cruise around the Galapagos, swimming with sea lions and walking though hoards of huge iguana's. The trip was very structured because the area is so protected. Lots of nature walks...
Next we were off to Peru to trek four days along the Inka trail up to the ancient city of Machu Picchu (which means old mountain). For the 9 people in our group, we had 10 porters to carry our crap... along with a meal tent, a cooking tent, tables and chairs, food for 4 days of amazing meals, and huge propane tanks. These tiny old men would throw all their stuff onto a tarp, wrap it all up and make a makeshift bag out of rope and cloth. They always left after us, and would run past us to set up for lunch, and our campsite for that night. Amazing little guys those porters.
After running like a mad women on a huge downhill section with Chris and Mike on the 3rd day I managed to twist my ankle.... walking on flat ground about 2min from the campsite. Luckily a Doc was in our group and he had some nice friendly pain killers for me. I managed to hobble my way through the last 6 k to the breathtaking Machu Picchu.
Ill leave it at that for now, because I know that Vikki's head is probably bursting with things she wants to say about Galapagos and Peru.
The rest of the fam is leaving in a few days. Vikki and I plan on heading up north back into Ecuador to do some climbing with some friends we met at the comp.
Cant wait to get on some rock!!!! (I should be able to cram my huge cankle into a shoe by then)
ciao ciao
stace
My apologies for the long wait between posts. There was not an abundance of Internet access in the Galapagos or on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
We had an amazing time on our cruise around the Galapagos, swimming with sea lions and walking though hoards of huge iguana's. The trip was very structured because the area is so protected. Lots of nature walks...
Next we were off to Peru to trek four days along the Inka trail up to the ancient city of Machu Picchu (which means old mountain). For the 9 people in our group, we had 10 porters to carry our crap... along with a meal tent, a cooking tent, tables and chairs, food for 4 days of amazing meals, and huge propane tanks. These tiny old men would throw all their stuff onto a tarp, wrap it all up and make a makeshift bag out of rope and cloth. They always left after us, and would run past us to set up for lunch, and our campsite for that night. Amazing little guys those porters.
After running like a mad women on a huge downhill section with Chris and Mike on the 3rd day I managed to twist my ankle.... walking on flat ground about 2min from the campsite. Luckily a Doc was in our group and he had some nice friendly pain killers for me. I managed to hobble my way through the last 6 k to the breathtaking Machu Picchu.
Ill leave it at that for now, because I know that Vikki's head is probably bursting with things she wants to say about Galapagos and Peru.
The rest of the fam is leaving in a few days. Vikki and I plan on heading up north back into Ecuador to do some climbing with some friends we met at the comp.
Cant wait to get on some rock!!!! (I should be able to cram my huge cankle into a shoe by then)
ciao ciao
stace
Monday, August 27, 2007
World Youth Climbing Championships Recap
Hey Team,
Well, another World's has come and gone and I am once again left with great memories and friendships. Over the four days of competition, there were great ups and downs and unexpected downpours (literally).
As Stacey previously wrote, the first qualifiers were great. Both Mike and I flashed our respective routes, as well as seven other Canadians. The next day, the second qualifiers took place and although we both did not send, Mike and I made it high enough to go through to the semifinal round. Semifinals the next day were slightly ridiculous. The routes were extremely hard, with the older boy's routes rating around 5.14, which to those nonclimbers, is very very hard to do in one go.
I was pretty unhappy with my performance for semi's, as I fell at this crazy hard bottleneck where 10 other competitors fell as well. I didn't make it to finals, and with countbacks I finished in 14th place. Not terrible, but I most definitely wasn't satisfied. It was a crushing disappointment for me, as this was my last youth competition and I wanted it to end on a high note. Yet there will always be more climbing, and I am forever thankful for that.
Michael climbed extremely well and finished in 16th place, an awesome place in a tougher than tough category.
Three Canadians made it through to the final round, Matt Johnson, JJ Mah, and Eric Sethna. We were all stoked to watch them tear it up on the wall, but unfortunately Mother Nature was a little cranky. There were three routes set for finals, with 2 categories climbing on each route. The first three categories climbed, providing the crowd with a great show. Eric Sethna climbed extremely well, making it up three quarters of the way, finishing in 8th place. Just as the next wave of categories were about to begin, great threatening black clouds gathered in the sky and torrents of rain descended upon the wall. Racing undernearth nearby tarps, we watched and groaned as the rain drenched the wall. Within about twenty minutes, the rain let up, and competition officials deliberated as to whether or not to cancel the rest of the competition. It was decided to replace the wet holds with identical dry ones and continue on.
We returned to our seats, and watched as Matt, the first climber out, walked up to the wall and tied into the rope. Then, just as he was about to start, it once again began to pour. This time, the Canadian team raced to our buses and ate pizza while the rain poured down and competition officials once again gathered for a decision. After about an hour, we headed back to our hotel to wait, while Matt, JJ, Andrew and Stacey were stuck in Isolation. Around 8:00, they came back to the hotel with the news that the rest of the difficulty competition was cancelled, meaning that the results from semi finals became the official results. Disappointing for sure, but JJ finished in 4th, and Matt in 8th, both highly respectable finishes.
The next day was the speed competition. The Canadian view of this form of climbing is best summed up by Andrew Wilson "Speed is stupid". All the girls got out the hair elastics and did up eachother's hair in funky, hilarious styles. Pat Valade did a 360 dyno to the buzzer, and Marshal German and JJ Mah wore jeans underneath their team shorts. Needless to say, we didn't place too well, and only Eric Sethna made it to semi finals.
After a delayed awards ceremony, the team headed back to our now beloved hotel (the Rancho de Carolina) with our three team buses and wicked tour guide, Edison. After a great dinner, presents and heartfelt thanks were given to the staff, as well as our crazy bus drivers and Edison. Then, as team captains, Matt and I gave a speech to the coaches, thanking them for all their hard work and love. Our gift to Andrew was a bag filled with rocks that we had each written on and signed. This was a reminder of when, before the competition, he had us each write our fears and thoughts that we didn't want with us while we climbed on rocks. We took these rocks to a lake, and threw them in. It was pretty cool. There were a great deal of tears from many parents (go Mom), kids and coaches. After that, we were suprised with a great band and bonfire. A great ending to a great trip!
After dinner, a few of us went to a competition afterparty at Club Tsunami in Ibarra. It was a gong show to say the least. Though I must say it was pretty hilarious to see Adam Ondra strut his stuff on the dance floor. And Michael made friends..ahem..with a cute little Czech girl...go Mikey go. Stacey and I were fairly concerned for our little brother, but we also found it pretty hilarious as well.
World's was a great experience once again, and although I am terribly sad that I am now an old fart, I am excited for great climbing experiences in the future, as I am positive that there will be more!
Currently, we are back in Quito after some more tearful goodbyes this morning. Tomorrow, we are flying to the Galapagos for an 8 day boat tour. I'm psyched for the gigantic turtles!!
Love you all,
Vikki
Andrew Wilson, great head coach!!
Mike cruising his first qualifier.. (tilt head sideways for proper viewing)
Cheering on the climbers!
Cheeky smiles with the boys (Matt left, JJ right)
Our after dinner suprise...great band!
Well, another World's has come and gone and I am once again left with great memories and friendships. Over the four days of competition, there were great ups and downs and unexpected downpours (literally).
As Stacey previously wrote, the first qualifiers were great. Both Mike and I flashed our respective routes, as well as seven other Canadians. The next day, the second qualifiers took place and although we both did not send, Mike and I made it high enough to go through to the semifinal round. Semifinals the next day were slightly ridiculous. The routes were extremely hard, with the older boy's routes rating around 5.14, which to those nonclimbers, is very very hard to do in one go.
I was pretty unhappy with my performance for semi's, as I fell at this crazy hard bottleneck where 10 other competitors fell as well. I didn't make it to finals, and with countbacks I finished in 14th place. Not terrible, but I most definitely wasn't satisfied. It was a crushing disappointment for me, as this was my last youth competition and I wanted it to end on a high note. Yet there will always be more climbing, and I am forever thankful for that.
Michael climbed extremely well and finished in 16th place, an awesome place in a tougher than tough category.
Three Canadians made it through to the final round, Matt Johnson, JJ Mah, and Eric Sethna. We were all stoked to watch them tear it up on the wall, but unfortunately Mother Nature was a little cranky. There were three routes set for finals, with 2 categories climbing on each route. The first three categories climbed, providing the crowd with a great show. Eric Sethna climbed extremely well, making it up three quarters of the way, finishing in 8th place. Just as the next wave of categories were about to begin, great threatening black clouds gathered in the sky and torrents of rain descended upon the wall. Racing undernearth nearby tarps, we watched and groaned as the rain drenched the wall. Within about twenty minutes, the rain let up, and competition officials deliberated as to whether or not to cancel the rest of the competition. It was decided to replace the wet holds with identical dry ones and continue on.
We returned to our seats, and watched as Matt, the first climber out, walked up to the wall and tied into the rope. Then, just as he was about to start, it once again began to pour. This time, the Canadian team raced to our buses and ate pizza while the rain poured down and competition officials once again gathered for a decision. After about an hour, we headed back to our hotel to wait, while Matt, JJ, Andrew and Stacey were stuck in Isolation. Around 8:00, they came back to the hotel with the news that the rest of the difficulty competition was cancelled, meaning that the results from semi finals became the official results. Disappointing for sure, but JJ finished in 4th, and Matt in 8th, both highly respectable finishes.
The next day was the speed competition. The Canadian view of this form of climbing is best summed up by Andrew Wilson "Speed is stupid". All the girls got out the hair elastics and did up eachother's hair in funky, hilarious styles. Pat Valade did a 360 dyno to the buzzer, and Marshal German and JJ Mah wore jeans underneath their team shorts. Needless to say, we didn't place too well, and only Eric Sethna made it to semi finals.
After a delayed awards ceremony, the team headed back to our now beloved hotel (the Rancho de Carolina) with our three team buses and wicked tour guide, Edison. After a great dinner, presents and heartfelt thanks were given to the staff, as well as our crazy bus drivers and Edison. Then, as team captains, Matt and I gave a speech to the coaches, thanking them for all their hard work and love. Our gift to Andrew was a bag filled with rocks that we had each written on and signed. This was a reminder of when, before the competition, he had us each write our fears and thoughts that we didn't want with us while we climbed on rocks. We took these rocks to a lake, and threw them in. It was pretty cool. There were a great deal of tears from many parents (go Mom), kids and coaches. After that, we were suprised with a great band and bonfire. A great ending to a great trip!
After dinner, a few of us went to a competition afterparty at Club Tsunami in Ibarra. It was a gong show to say the least. Though I must say it was pretty hilarious to see Adam Ondra strut his stuff on the dance floor. And Michael made friends..ahem..with a cute little Czech girl...go Mikey go. Stacey and I were fairly concerned for our little brother, but we also found it pretty hilarious as well.
World's was a great experience once again, and although I am terribly sad that I am now an old fart, I am excited for great climbing experiences in the future, as I am positive that there will be more!
Currently, we are back in Quito after some more tearful goodbyes this morning. Tomorrow, we are flying to the Galapagos for an 8 day boat tour. I'm psyched for the gigantic turtles!!
Love you all,
Vikki
Andrew Wilson, great head coach!!
Mike cruising his first qualifier.. (tilt head sideways for proper viewing)
Cheering on the climbers!
Cheeky smiles with the boys (Matt left, JJ right)
Our after dinner suprise...great band!
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