The Lovely South of Thailand

Greetings from the Southern Islands of Thailand!

The warm weather is everything I dreamed it would be, and it feels overdue by a long shot. Since hitting Northern Vietnam in December I have barely broken a weather-induced sweat once. Was I crazy to think that my 6 months in SE Asia would all be warm and sunny? Apparently.

However, now everything is as it should be.

I bussed down to Bangkok on February 8 to meet my dear friend Rishelle, who was flying in to spend 2 weeks of her vacation with me! We made our way South to Hua Hin, a nice seaside town, intent upon visiting The Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand, an animal rescue sanctuary reccommended to me by some fellow travelers who had spent some time volunteering there.

It was very cool to visit and see all the different animals there, from lizards, to birds, to monkeys, to bears...and elephants! The animals have each been rescued from different sad scenarios within Thailand. Exotic animals are an effective money-making strategy here. Tourists dont think twice about going to the tiger temple for a selfie with a drugged up wildcat, or riding an elephant that has been abused its whole life. It is really sad, and hearing the stories of the individual rescued aniamls is pretty heartbreaking. It was encouraging that WFFT is really working hard to educate locals and tourists on how damaging this industry is to the wildlife of Thailand (and other imported creatures). Often it is just a matter of not realizing how much the animals suffer.

WFFT works to rehabilitiate and release every animal for whom this is realistic possibility, but others are very human dependent and/or incapable of living in the wild. These animals will spend the rest of their lives in enclosures at the sanctuary, as close to a "normal" life as possible.

Our full-day tour of the center was very enjoyable and a highlight of our to weeks together. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, especially those wanting to get up close to the amazing creatures of Thailand without supporting the sketchy, abusive animal tourism industry.

After Hua Hin, we jetted our way to Koh Phangan for some serious beach time. We stayed on the North end of the island for the first few days in an amazing jungle bungalow just on the end of Thong Nai Pan Yai- super peaceful and quiet, and at a surprisingly reasonable price!


We spent one night in Haad Rin to get a teensy taste of what the Full Moon Party might be like, and then quickly scooted over to Sanctuary; a super hippie resort on a remote stretch of beach along the East coast of the island. The breezy establishment was wreathed in a haze of incense, and populated by tanned, toned, and tattooed waifs either meditating or detoxing (or both), bright green fresh veggie juices in hand. The dress code followed something like, "wear as little as possible, but if you must wear something, make sure it floats in the breeze, and throw some flowers in your hair".  The cheapest accommodation available to us was in the dorm room located above the restraunt, where we camped out on thin mattresses and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the short just outside our window. Naturally I loved it there, and we both enjoyed some yoga, vegetarian food, and of course some top-notch people watching!

After a few days we felt sufficiently zen to move on to face the big island of Koh Samui, staying in the center close to the Chaweng beach. Here we took a moto taxi to see a waterfall (3 of us on one tiny moped!), rented paddleboards (so fun!), and were intiiated into our first Thai massage! I am now addicted. Paying less than $15/hr for a massage is such a good deal, and they really dont go easy on you. It is almost half chiropractic adjustment haha!

Unfortuantely, that was the end of our vacation together, and Rishelle had to head back to Bangkok from Samui. I stuck around another day or two to see Ang Thong National park, and then had a very long day of travel to the other side of the mainland, arrving at Koh Lanta.

Now I am enjoying the soft sandy beaches and roasting hot sunshine for a few more days before I head south again, and enter Malaysia! Im not sure what I will find there, but Im excited to find out! I can feel the end of my journey creepiing up on me. I'm working on a few things for when I return "home", and Im trying to wrap my mind around not being on the road anymore. I still have a little over a month though, so it might be a bit early to mourn the end ;-) 

Life in Vietnam

Hard to believe I've been in Vietnam for a week already!
There was almost immediate culture shock going from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City...the contrasts in wealth and modernity are stark. Vietnam's southern metropolis is a vibrant, buzzing city with some sleek skypscrapers and a fashionably-dressed younger population.
The French colonial influence is easilly spotted in the city center, where the architecture is extremely European, and Chanel and Dior shops line the immaculate streets.
Scooters are the transit option of choice here in Vietnam, and at all times of day they zip along the streets, weaving wildly...they literally never have a red light. Only cars have to stop at red lights. To cross the street is to take your life in your hands.

I spent 2 nights in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, since I was already all city-ed out after Phnom Penh. My main stops were the War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels- both worthwhile! To be honest, I knew next to nothing about the Vietnam War (they call it the American War here) before I arrived, and it was quite eye-opening. I'm told the museum information is quite biased in favor of the Vietnamese, but nevertheless it was an interesting (and disturbing) visit.

After the big city, I spent 3 nights at a beautiful, relaxed hostel in Mui Ne, soaking up the surf, sand, and sun...that is, I got very sunburnt. But it was really nice.

Then I moved on to the cool mountain clime in Dalat. It was a beautiful relief to feel a brisk breeze on my skin, and to actually have the desire to put more clothes on, and curl up under a warm blanket at night!!! While in Dalat, I visited the famous Crazy House, went Canyoning (photos to come), climbed Liang Biang Mountain, and visited a Monastery. The last two events were only made possible by inviting myself to join a group that are motorbiking down Vietnam (I am actually so jealous). I absolutely love riding on the back of the bike through the small village streets- you see SO much more of the country, and you have so much more freedom. The only thing really stopping me from joining their number is the amount of backpackers I've met with motorbike "war wounds". I'll leave the driving to others...for now.

I stayed at a hostel reccommended to me by a friend from Kamloops that visited Vietnam a few years back. Its called The Dalat Family Hostel, and it was SUCH an experience! The vietnamese family that runs the hostel are absolutely nuts- "Mama" sings, claps, hugs, and kisses you when you arrive, you are fed immediately, the "brothers" and "sisters" (are they actually family? I will never know) randomly hug you and pinch your cheek, or throw their arms over your shoulders while you are sitting around...everyone eats a huge dinner around the family table at 5 every night...its the best food...the BEST. I slept in the attic, where there are all different levels, and about 15 mattersses around the floor. It looks like the ultimate slumber party of your dreams! It was so much fun, and also just ridiculous!

Anyway, today I am in transit to the small village of Tuy Hoa, and I've had a couple hours to get some internet time in. This evening I will take a train for the first time- it was an early start this morning, so I'm already tired and can't wait to just arrive and get settled in.

I will get more photos up soon, but until then...instagram. :)

Only One Week Left in Peru...

Greetings, friends!
Despite the lack of blog updates, I am in fact still alive! Since I started volunteering after my Inca Trail trek my days have been very full of activity and time to write has been limited, to say the least.
Now I find myself once more at the end of a full and delightful day, with an early start awaiting me tomorrow...so I will keep this brief.

What have I been up to?
Well, I finally completed my Spanish lessons...I clocked approx. 100 hours, though that might be a bit of a stretch if you only count classtime...there were many "field trips" which was usually practicing conversation in a cafe, or browsing a market. Overall, I really enjoyed my classes at Proyecto Peru, and I know I learned a lot! Now I just need to do some studying to solidify what I've learned into my brain! The irregular verbs are the bane of my existence!

As previously mentioned, I've also been volunteering at an orphanage for girls. This was definitely a placement that was outside my comfort zone, but it has been a neat experience. I think it probably deserves a Blog post if it's own, so I won't say too much right now. This week is my last with them...In fact I leave Cusco a week from Tuesday! So crazy how fast time flies!

Last weekend I went with 3 other girls from the school to do a tour of Lake Titticaca, which was really alot of fun! We left late Friday night on a sleeper bus, complete with big comfortable reclining chairs, and arrived in the lakeside town of Puno at about 5am. From there we joined the rest of the tour group and hopped on a boat to visit the Uros' man-made "floating islands" (really incredible!), as well as a much largeer regular sort of island where we climbed some mountains/big hills, dressed in traditional clothing for a fiesta, and lodged with a local family for the night. The next day we visited another island after a bumpy ride on the  choppy early-morning water, climbed another hill, ate fried trout for lunch, and then clambered down over 500 stairs to reach the Harbour to get back on the boat.

It took a couple hours to get back into Puno where we browsed some shops and bummed around in a cafe for a while. At an appropriate hour we visited a delightful restaurant in the Plaza which served me a delicious ceviche (fresh fish marinaded in lime juice, and slathered in some kind of cool, herby sauce...not cooked, btw! I'm getting more adventurous with seafood), and then back to the cafe for hot drinks. I had the opportunity there to Skype my family for the first time since I left at the end of December, which was really nice.

We departed Puno on another night bus, arriving back in Cusco in the week hours of the morning on The Monday.  We tried to sleep once back at home with limited success! That was a rough day for Spanish lessons!

This weekend was much more chill. Yesterday my friend and I slept in after a late (fun) Friday night, and then spent the afternoon haggling in the markets, trying to get some souvenir shopping out of the way. A mouthwatering meal at "Korma Sutra" curry house, and a fruity pisco cocktail at the Pisco Museum with some friends completed the day.

Today we visited some little-known, untouristed ruins about an hours walk from our homestay. It was a gorgeous sunny day, a steep climb, and a refreshing break from the bustling busy city and tourist crowds. Afterwards we made ourselves some lunch (avocados here are just infinity x better than at home....it's not fair), chilled out, and went to the "cine" to watch "unbreakable"...In English, with Spanish subtitles :)

Tomorrow the plan includes volunteering, getting my mullet cut off, (yes, one of the many perils of the pixie cut is growing it out often results in a horrific mullet), doing laundry, and visiting the Inka Museum! Not sure what the rest of the week will hold, but I'm organizing a group to visit some sights in the sacred valley next Saturday! Hopefully I'll have time to put up another post soon!

Adios for now!

Adventura de Domingo

I had big plans to pack in 2 bus tours this weekend...however, after last week's "city tour" I was reminded that in fact I loathe bus tours. The cramming of many tourists into many tiny seats, the herding of many tourists through sites of interest, and the pressuring to purchase overpriced touristy souvenirs is exhausting and actually not very enjoyable. It is a cheap and convenient way to cover a lot of ground in a short time, though. 

After trekking the Inca Trail, beginning my volunteer placement, and a wild and fun birthday last week, I just wasn't up to putting myself through the tourist mill all weekend. 

Instead, Saturday was spent making up for a few hours of Spanish lessons missed while I was away, and then enjoying a delicious lunch with the school secretary and my new friend/roommate from Holland. 
In Cusco (and maybe all of South America, I'm not sure), the waiter will never bring your bill unless you ask for it. This is one of the things I love about South American culture...they are never in a rush (unless they're driving). You can spend hours in a restaurant ( and we did), and you will never feel like they are waiting for you to leave. Lingering and having long conversations over a meal is perfectly acceptable. 

Sunday morning I woke up early and decided to go on an adventure. Rather than tour bus the destination in mind, I was going to self-guide! I roped in my new friend, and did a quick search for some details in my travel book. We walked to a certain street, haggled with a couple drivers, and were soon headed to the little riverside town of Pisac in a 12-passenger "colectivo" minibus (basically a taxi that doesn´t leave til it full). 

I had heard that Pisac is best known for it's Sunday market, but I also knew that there were some Inca ruins too, which I personally find more interesting. Once we arrived we had to haggle again to get a taxi to take us to the ruins. Since only tourists go that way, the taxi drivers try to get away with absolute robbery. For instance, it cost us S/.6 for a 45 minutes drive to Pisac, but the taxi driver wanted S/.25 for a 15 min drive up the hill. We walked away from him three times, but he kept following us and lowering the price and eventually we gave in!
We shared the taxi with a Peruvian couple and their little girl, who was absolutely adorable! She sang us a little song in Spanish as we drove. 

The Pisac ruins were much bigger and more elaborate than I expected! The main entrance area was packed with tourists on bus tours, and we even ran into a couple friends from Proyecto Peru who admitted they felt like they were being rushed from place to place. I tried not to feel smug about my decision to explore on my own.

Apparently there are park wardens that will give information about the sites for free, but we missed out on that. It was okay though because it was fun to just poke around on our own and take photos at our leisure without feeling like we were taking up someone's time, or feeling pressured to move on. 

The ruins were very beautiful! At the entrance you overlook a huge terraced semi-circle built into the mountainside. The Incas used these terraces to grow different types of crops, because the difference in elevation could be quite extreme. For instance, they grew corn and quinoa on the lower levels, and potatoes higher up. 

There were many structures that could've been homes, but there was also a military fortress and a temple. It was like a whole city on these mountains! 

We were able to enjoy all of it because we didn't have to rush back to a bus! After about an hour the tourist hordes dispersed and we followed the trail around the mountain, up some steep stairs (my legs screamed in terror...they remember the Inca Trail all too well), through a tunnel, and emerged on the other side, with even more ruins to enjoy! It was perfectly quiet and peaceful, with only a handful of other visitors around. We had incredibly hot sunny weather, and I was so happy that we had as long as we wanted to take it all in. 

If you follow the trail, it takes you through all the ruins, and then down the mountainside right into the center of Pisac, where the famous marketplace is. We browsed the stalls on our way to lunch. It was typical tourist stuff for the most part...alpaca goods, some little carved musical instruments, and jewellery. Eventually I will have to buy some stuff, but at that time food was priority!

We went to a tourist hot spot called Ulrike's, and enjoyed pumpkin cream soup, chickpea curry with mint chutney, and a slice of lemon cheesecake! Delicioso! 

We caught another colectivo back to Cusco, and I really enjoyed catching a glimpse of non-touristy Peru as we drove. Because it is Sunday many places are closed, and because it was sunny out there were many families outside playing futbol or picnicking in the fields beside the road. 

Cusco is a big, busy, noisy city, so it was really enjoyable to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. I'm really glad I visted Pisac the way I did.

Though I can't lie...I may brave another bus tour to see Lake Titticaca next weekend...

The long awaited update

Hola! 
I'm sorry to have kept you faithful readers in suspense for so long...it's been crazy busy since I last wrote, I literally have not had time to write anything. 

Yesterday (my birthday!) I got a few unexpected hours off in the afternoon, so after a much-needed siesta (which as everyone knows is probably the best birthday present I could receive), I decided to try to tap out a few thoughts and memories of my latest adventure: a four-day trek through the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu!

Where to begin??
I have done hiking and I have done camping, but I have never combined the two before, and to say I was nervous about embarking on this trek would be a serious understatement. I am not a hardcore outdoorswoman and I feared to the weight of my backpack (which ended up at approx. 11 kilos...which is a lot for me!) combined with the difficulty of the trail would be too much for me. 
However...this is a challenge I have been thinking about for quite a while, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. It is another fear that I needed to overcome. 

There is so much to say...and I can't seem to find the words...

I know it sounds cheesy, but this was not just a hike, it was also a journey on many different levels. There is a lot of time for reflection and I was challenged and confronted with things about myself that I wasn't expecting. If I had to sum up the whole experience in one word it would be "Humbling". 

It was humbling to be surrounded by jagged mountain ranges, in absolute peace and quiet, just taking in the stunning natural beauty and incredible Inca ruins staggered along the trail. It made me feel transported to a different world, like I was sneaking a peek at "the big picture", which also made me feel completely tiny and insignificant.

It was humbling to be served by the porters, like the unjustly privileged white girl that I am. While I struggle to carry a 30 L padded, brandname backpack of my personal "necessities" up a hill, sweating and breathing hard, they scamper past with probably over twice as much weight on their backs in nothing more than glorified nylon bags, so that they can arrive at our campsite hours before us to set up our tents and cook us a gourmet meal. Some wear worn-out sandals, or sneakers, and they bring nothing for themselves but the clothes on their backs. They get up before us, and go to bed after us. They do our cooking and cleaning. They pack in everything from propane tanks to the dining table. Their lives are very difficult, and the work is the only way they can provide for their families.
And so they clap and thank us for our business. Humbling.

On the third day we got into a bit of a time crunch because we wanted to visit a certain historical sight which would close at 4:30pm, and we were running late. Due to the unrelenting evil stairs of the previous day followed by MORE hours of stairs that afternoon, we had to pick up the pace and my knees and quads literally gave out with about a half hour of walking left to go. 
It is a difficult thing to face when your body refuses to do what you tell it to. 
I am a proud woman and I do NOT like to admit defeat, or to accept help. That day, I had to do both. It was extremely Humbling, and I have a hard time admitting it even here where only friends will read it. 

Neverthless, the trek was an amazing experience, and I loved almost every minute. I was with a really fun group, and our guide was funny, and very knowledgable and passionate about Inca history, which really enriched the whole trip. As a huge bonus, we had PERFECT weather the whole time. It basically only rained at night after we had gone to bed. Amazing. Especially since we are in the middle of the rainy season!

I´m sorry I am not able to to put up any photos at this time. I don´t have the cable to connect the camera, and there is no spot for the memory chip...I might be able to figure something out eventually, but for now you´ll just have to imagine it :) 

Newfie Land

From North Sydney, Nova Scotia, we drove the trusty Grand Prix onto the ferry for a very expensive 5 hour crossing to Port Au Basques, Newfoundland. 

In Corner Brook we stopped at the Crown & Moose pub for dinner. Though I've always been resistant to seafood, I decided that it was important to try the local cuisine: Classic fish n chips made gluten free without the battering of the fish..haha. But it was delicious! I was impressed with everything but the mushy discolored veggies. We learned that fresh veggies are really not all that fresh in Newfoundland, and they can be pretty expensive too!

Gros Morne National Park promised an epic hike, but delivered an easy boardwalk. 

It was still beautiful!

We had a beautiful day for photos and exploring the outdoors!

For a hefty price (we were not willing to pay) you can ride the ferry out to the cliffs for an amazing view. 

We passed a teensy tiny community quaintly named "Sally's Cove" on our way back from the park.
It was the picture-perfect Newfoundland site, so we were really embarrassingly touristy and jumped out of the car from some photo ops.

Next stop was a pull-out on our way to Rocky Harbour. We walked down to the beach to explore and dip our toes in the Atlantic!

These red chairs were everywhere!

We stopped in Rocky Harbour for a bite to eat. It was a little more touristy, but still cute.

We headed in the direction of Gander that evening, stopping along the highway at sunset.
Fly fishers were out enjoying the beautiful weather. 

Katharina and Mal both had fancy schmancy cameras and a good eye for photography. 

This beautiful beach was so calm and peaceful in the morning. 

A community dock.

Rugged Newfoundland scenery along the highway on the way to St. John's. 

It was so fun to see the "Jellybean Houses" downtown St. John's! 

They really reminded me of Ireland, though you'd never see an SUV there ;)

This house was unreal ugly...but awesome!

We spent quite a lot of time in the downtown center, browsing the shops, eating, and sight-seeing.

In the evening we decided to hit up the (in)famous George Street...a tiny section tucked away in a far corner of the city dedicated entirely to bars and clubs! 

We decided it was imperative to our Canadian experience to be officially "Screeched In", so we popped into O' Reilly's Irish pub for a couple of drinks and asked one of the servers to perform the ceremony for us! What is involved, you ask? In order for it to be official you need a Newfie to preside over the following: you must kiss a cod fish, recite the Newfie's creed, and take a shot of Screech rum. The order of events may vary.

This horrifying specimen had been frozen specifically to render this service to ridiculous tourists such as myself. I had flashbacks to the revolting tradition of kissing the Blarney stone.

The Newfie's Creed goes something like this...you are asked, "Are ye a Screecher?" and you must answer,

"'Deed I is, me ol' cock! And long may yer big jib draw!" 

Simple, right? WRONG. At the time it was quite difficult to remember and say. Hmmm...

However, three of us completed the ceremony and I have the certificate to prove it!
We're honorary Newfies!

To celebrate our accomplishments we wandered to the Karaoke Kops, where Mal impressed the staff with her rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", and we all enjoyed a few duets from Kat and Mal. I almost, almost considered busting out some Backstreet Boys "I Want it That Way", but even Screech rum has its limits. 

The best part of the evening definitely came in the form of gluten-free pulled pork poutine from Smoke's Poutinerie. Ever since I missed out on the Montreal Poutine experience, I had been craving some good ol' fries, gravy, and cheese curds. Smoke's Triple Pork Poutine was even better than I could ever have imagined! I unabashedly admit to devouring the entire portion. 

Hawaii Highlights

Some memorable moments from my February family vacation to Oahu...

First turtle sighting! It was huge! I thought it was a boulder.

Our first sunny morning was beautiful and so, so welcome!

Snorkeling & swimming with a sea turtle at Turtle Bay!

Locally produced coconut ice cream...the best thing I ate all week!
And that is saying something, because there was a lot of good food around.

Showing some Canadian pride when our women's hockey team
won gold at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics!

Boogie boarding...a.k.a watching my brothers get trashed by the brutal waves.

Hiking through a jungle-y rainforest! 

Non-highlight: I should also make a confession...please try to understand.
I...I forgot Regis at home. Trust me, I realize that is practically heresy. After all, the blog is named after him. He has been on practically every trip I've taken in the last 4 years. I don't have a good defense, just the fact that I was in the middle of mid-terms when we left and my brain was elsewhere! Please forgive me, Regis...

Hawaii Snapshots

Apologies for vanishing from the internet these last few weeks. What can I say except I am trying to keep on top of schoolwork, as well as look into my options for the Fall, and prepare for my quickly-approaching spring/summer job! Time management is not really my strong point, so I decided to scratch out a couple things that I know distract me, like Facebook and blogging :)

View from the top of the Hauula Loop Trail

Right now, however I needed a quick break from studying State Repression of Labour and the Left in Canada from 1914-1920, so I thought I would share a couple snapshots from my family vacation to Hawaii!

The boys loved boogie boarding at Pounders Beach!

We stayed at a great beach house in Hauula, the North point of Oahu. We had a fair amount of windy/rainy weather for the first couple of days, but it was still warm and wonderful to wear shorts and t-shirts, and go swimming in the ocean in February! Once the sun came out, we appreciated it even more!

The beach house lanai...right on the water!

The neighborhood we stayed in had that weather-worn look and laid-back feel that was totally different from the touristy South, in Waikiki or Honolulu.  We loved it because we really felt like we were in a totally different (non-North American) country, but it was still so convenient because we already knew the language, currency, etc. 

Family swim time!

 Another advantage to the north end was uncrowded beaches! We were basically the only people at this particular spot. Of course, that might be because of the waves and rocks...but it was still awesome!

I really enjoyed seeing some wildlife, including lizards hanging around outside. They were pretty cool, and super quick! At one beach we saw a huge 50 year old sea turtle (photo to come), and when we went snorkeling at Turtle Bay Resort we spotted another turtle and followed it around for a while! That was really fantastic...I even touched its' shell quickly...it was a little slimy :P

But that is all I have time for right now! Maybe I will be able to post more after exams, before I leave for PG. So soon! AHH!

The Tegelberg Hike

Dear readers, I am sorry I have not been updating at the promised time! I had a looming deadline, and the final week of classes, and no mental energy to spare. Please forgive.

Please accept this charming and ethereal photo as a token of my humble apologies. Yes, it is a real photo, and yes I took it. Yes, its not really very clear and in focus but...that's totally what I was going for.

Now. Where were we?
Ah, yes.
Things were going swimmingly after our picture perfect photo op of Neuschwanstein Castle from the Marienbrücke bridge. Most sensible tourists would then turn back and head on down to the castle or the quaint town to see what there is to see.

Not us. We crossed the bridge and saw a small trail heading off into the trees. We thought, I bet there is an even better view just beyond that corner. Let's check it out!

So young. So innocent.
We began to climb. And climb. The further we climbed, the quieter it got. We hadn't really seen anyone for quite a while.

Overlooking the town.

Nothing can be confirmed, but see that distant peak to the right? Just keep that in mind.

Who knows if the Grimm brothers hiked this very trail?

I was only mildly concerned we would get lost in the mountains and never find our way back to the town. At least not in time for the bus. It seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere.

The sun went away. It began to rain. Then it rained harder. And harder. Then we ran into some tourists, who did not speak English. They looked far more hardcore than us.

I was not in very good shape (things haven't changed all that much), but Brit managed to convince me to keep going/I started feeling competitive and didn't want to admit I was dying.

What does this mean? We would never find out if we didn't keep going.

 But having come this far, we couldn't turn back. There were signs that maybe there was a destination ahead. Adventure called.

We had to cross sketchy slippery log bridges, climb steep hills, and endure periods of drenching rain.

At last! A real sign! 40 minutes to Tegelberg didn't sound too bad compared to the alternatives. We didn't know what the heck Tegelberg was, but we were going to get there!

Unfortunately, that meant tackling these stairs to nowhere. Did I mention that I was dying?

With trembling legs, and rapidly thumping heart, I did indeed conquer the Stairs of Doom. We reached the top! The sun made a brief appearance to celebrate the victory!

Best of all, we spotted a building of some kind. Civilization! As we got closer we realized there was a restaurant and everything...

The punch line? We had climbed to the top of A FRICKIN SKI MOUNTAIN! 

Neuschwanstein to the Right, Tegelberg top and center-ish.

I don't know about you, but I think that is ridiculous.

We treated ourselves to a plate of crispy fries and hot drinks in the restaurant. Our poor waitress was so distressed that she did not know English, and apologized again and again. We comforted her by telling her that her English was much better than our German, and we were in her country after all. We all had a good laugh trying to place our order. 

Rejuvenated by some hot food, Brit decided to tackle the very tippy-top of the mountain because she is a champ! Climbing a ski mountain was good enough for me, and I knew my limits (literally could not do it even if I had wanted to), so I stayed behind in the warmth of the ski house.

Way to go, Brit!

As we were trying to come up with a plan for the return trip, we noticed a couple guys outside.

Turns out that for a small fee, you can hitch a ride to the bottom via parachute!

I won't lie, I wanted to do it. Luckily for my bank account (the fee wasn't actually that small), the weather turned sour and the guy decided he didn't want to take anyone down after all.

I kind of regret that missed opportunity. Imagine how awesome it would have been to float over that castle! Instead we payed a small (very worth it) fee to take the lift down. Figuring out how to get back to Füssen was another adventure, but not very exciting, so suffice it to say we got there in time for the last bus, and we slept well that night.

It was actually a really fantastic hike, if you have a couple hours day to spare. It was a nice break from the tourist crowds, the scenery was stunning, and it gave me a real sense of accomplishment...just when I thought I couldn't go on any longer, I pushed myself that extra mile (literally).
My legs were also sore forever afterwards. Good times!