Austria - Klettersteig Heaven

In Nepal I fell in love with the mountains. Once back in Europe, I realized that there are some big and scary ones just around the doorstep - in Austria. So I got my introduction of the so called 'Klettersteig'. I have to admit - don't laugh please - I have never heard nor seen of such thing. In principle it is a fixed steel cable on a steep mountain wall which you can take as a safety line while climbing up in order to avoid taking the much longer (and less scary) hiking path up to the summit. Austria's mountains are filled with these extended lightening protection cables and they are available in all kinds of grades ranging from A = easy to E = professional. For ease of access there some fixed metal rods and the safety net is a double karabiner on a piece of rope around your hip.

My ambitious Austrian friend thought that Nepal would have been training enough so I ended up on my first attempt on a grade D which kept me busy for more than 4 hours locked to the cable and my muscles sore for the following days. Once convinced that I am not scared of heights the mountains around the Dachstein - one of Austria's highest - were the next destination. In heights of just under 3000m the cold and wind are not forgotten but are made up by views onto the ski fields and the glacier. Another vertical face of Klettersteig 'Irg' going hundreds of height meters up in the air kept my heartbeat up, my thoughts of the 'what if...' spinning in my head, my body sore for days after and my fellow Austrian smiling. This country is Klettersteig Heaven.

 

Shortcut with view of Lake Atter...

...the only way is up...

...hold by a steel cable.

Be god with you... shortcut fnished.

Another shortcut towards the summit...

...but some work has to be done up the rock face...

...down via the glacier...

...across the wall...

...and up the rock to the...

...summit with view of the Dachstein (2995m) from
the 'Grosser Koppenkarstein' (2865m). Bergheil.

 

 

Weymouth - Olympic Spirit

There is hope that there is still some Olympic spirit left in the world. After a lot of complaining over the ticket buying disaster I was sitting in Weymouth besides the Olympic ticketed area and was preparing myself for a long day of not seeing a lot. Then suddenly I hear a friendly voice behind me asking me if I wanted a ticket. To my question about how much he simply answered 'Nothing, it is Olympic spirit'. Thank you so much Steve, very much appreciated.
It was a good start of the day which only got better and better. In front of a huge crowd - lots of Australians as well - Nathan Outerridge and Iain Jensen won the 49er sailing event for Australia. The event was followed by a decent celebration at the local pub invaded by basically all Australian television stations I could think of: Channel 7, Nine, Ten, ABC... Not sure if the young boys were super keen on the cameras after the first couple of drinks which broadcasted straight to the morning shows at 9pm local time...
more pictures here

Today is not France's day

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie



Big entry for the winners while the media goes crazy.

Channel 7 and Ten reporter: what does the competitor reporter say about the boys?

No end of the media frenzy, from the bar straight...

...and live on breakfast television.

Shoulder rubbing with gold

London - New Olympic Dicipline

I am at the Olympic Games in London. After almost 6 months in 3rd world countries it could not be more different.

This Olympic Games there seem to be a new dicipline: Buying Tickets. To win Gold you only have to get one. It would be nice to have one. Any ticket would do, any event - just one.

Before you can even check which tickets are available you have to register on the 1990ies looking website which is the easy part. Once you have done that you search for a ticket, unfortunately one dicipline after the other - the marathon starts. If you are lucky and found one then click on the link and wait. If you are lucky again that you got further, select the category and the price.  Most times only the 450+ pound  tickets are available. Then log in and the go though the identification check where you have to re-type some words. Usually once you are at the next step - to pay the tix - the tix which were available before , are gone. Go back to start and repeat the steps described above.

After you have repeated the step above a couple of times (in my case for hours) you might are a lucky one (I haven't so far) and you reach the payment page. Put in your Visa card number. Excuse me? What's about Amex? Mastercard? Paypal?...No no no. The box office exclusively only accepts Visa card as they are a 'partner' of the Games - not a sponsor of course. And believe me, by the time you find somebody with a visa card or even obtained one (which is pretty hard if you travel in places like Mongolia), the tickets you wanted so desperately are gone - again. Go back to start...

Olympic Spirit in London - just not at the ticket box office...

Foodsafari Mongolia - Mutton, Goat or Horse?

If you are vegan, do not go to Mongolia as you will starve to death.

If you are a vego, consider not to go to Mongolia as you will slim down or consider catering for yourself.

If you love fatty meat, no vegos and some fermented and blend and deep fried food, this is your country.

Fact is, Mongolia is not Masterchef's destination of choice. Bottom line is, the land is not very fertile and as the winters are very harsh (-40 degree), everything will die including. The only chicken you will be able to eat is in the capital Ulaanbaatar, otherwise it is your choice of mutton, mutton, goat, goat and if you are lucky horse, beef, marmot or camel meat. Be aware that every part of the animal is being eaten, the skin is used and there is no waste. For the beginner buuz (steamed dumplings filled with meat - either mutton, goat or the better one are with horse meat), huushuur (deep fried flat dumplings filled with mutton or goat) or tsuivan (stir fried noodles with mutton or goat meat) are the way to go. The standard meal is a mutton soup with noodles, no vegos of course, and made from dried meat. The only available veggies are potatoes and if you are lucky a carot.  You get it, it is either meat with noodles, noodles with meat or noodle dough in dumpling form filled with meat. So it will look very different but the taste is consistent. For the more advanced experience go for a boiled sheep head which I could not win any takers over as I wanted to try bits like sheep lips, cheeks, eyes, ears, tongue or brain. The other more advanced meal is called khorhog of a marmot. For that the stomach of the marmot is being removed and the fellow is filled with heating stones and then burned from outside with a torch. As soon as tender it is being sliced and served.

The Mongolians are always concerned about fattining up the animals (and I believe themselves) up for winter so that they can survive the extreme temperatures. The love the real fatty bits which are a little bit hard to chew.

Good Appetite and Welcome to Mongolia. Believe me, after a while you are getting use to the smell of mutton if though you don't believe it.

Ah there is hope, at Khovsgol Lake we had some smoked fish, don't ask me the name, but it was probably the best Mongolian food we had...



buuz - dumplings filled with meat (photo: internet)



huushuur - Flat deep fried 'dumplings' filled with meat (photo: internet)

tsuivan - noodles with meat (mutton)

tsuivan - the fatty bits are the best (say the Mongols) as it will
fatten you up for Winter so you survive

Gourmet tsuivan - noodles with mutton and as a treat
potatoes and carots



Only available in gourmet restaurants in bigger cities:
noodles, rice, carots, cabbage, sausages (from can and
deep fried) and topped with an egg - what a feast



Horse meat is really good, similar to beef.



This one came as a veggie soup. Well it turned out
that the soup had meat (mutton) in and the veggies were
pretty standard: potatoes and carots



Our own feast prepared by our guide Sarah: goat meat with
veggies: potatoes and carots

Desert as a present from the nomads family: fermented chees
and something we were not sure of.



khorhog of a marmot - filled with hot stones and then burned
with a gas burner until it is cooked - yummie

Boiled sheep head - The best bits are the lips and cheeks, maybe the eyeballs...
(photo: internet as I couldn't photograph it...)

Our favorite meal: local smoked fish from Lake Khovsgol