Climbing a 6000 metre mountain is definitely one of those things I could never have predicted doing. I think it cost us about 50 pounds to hire the guide and equipment (water proof overcoat and over-pants, hard snow boots, crampons, ice picks, rope...) as well as food and use of 2 refuges on the mountain to sleep in for the 3 days we were there. It was ridiculously difficult as well. In La Paz the altitude meant you got tired just walking up a flight of stairs, so even the base of the mountain was very tiring. Upon reaching the high camp on the second day, we slept through the evening, then woke up at 2.00am so we could start our climb to the summit. Hours and hours of climbing up in the dark was one of the strangest things I've ever done, I had all these random thoughts looping around my head the whole time. At one point we could see the whole of La Paz, all lit up, way off in the distance, surrounded by darkness. The most terrifying thing for me were the numerous caverns and ravines in the ice. You'd be walking in the pitch black with just your head torch to light the way, and this huge gaping hole would just appear and you'd have to jump over it. Nearer the top, things were a bit more tricky, with huge drops on one side and an extremely uneven surface, and I'd be so tired I would keep falling over at random. On the way down, too, Steve and I would just deck it every few minutes, tripping over our ropes, our icepicks or sometimes just slipping, we were so tired. When we got back to the high camp Steve spent a good 5 minutes vomiting. It really wasnt an easy thing to do, and honestly, until we were nearing the top, I had never entertained the fact that I would be able to do it.
As for being mugged in Rio, well, that's just annoying. I was walking along Ipanema beach, probably a little later than I should've been, but everything seemed ok. These 2 guys came over to me and asked me for some a couple of Reais, I didn't actually have any money on me so in my best (worst) Portuguese I told them sorry I didn't have anything. One of the guys then kind of punches me in the leg, which was weird. So after that exchange I wasn't feeling so comfortable, so I began to head back up to the road. Looking over my shoulder, I noticed the 2 guys were doubling back, and before I knew it one of them was right in front of me. He stood on my foot and began talking quietly and quickly (I didn't understand what he was saying) and then his hand went through my pockets. I was about to push him or hit him or something when I noticed the knife pointed at my stomach. All I had was my camera, so off that went. I didn't feel scared or threatened really, just completely pathetic. I asked if I could have my SD card from my camera back (the answer was "no", by the way), and then off they went, and I was instructed not to follow them. This was 2 days before I flew home, and after 5 months of moving around the continent, this ranked as the time I felt most like a helpless, clueless tourist.
Your Pussy's Glued to a Building on Fire
"We're gonna live like kings! Damn hell assed kings!"
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