2018 - Year of the Mountains

When I embarked on my 2018 travels I had a vague idea where I was going.  I already decided that I was going to South America, first to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival, then on to Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and finally Peru.  I was still undecided about a hike in Nepal.  However, what finally unfolded in 2018 was a few memorable trips to some of the best-known mountains in the world.

My first trip of the year was a ski trip to Telluride, Colorado, in the Colorado Rockies in January.  This is one of the most beautiful ski resorts.  It is truly quite an experience skiing down those humongous mountains.

Youngsters skiing in Telluride in the Colorado Rockies

In February I was in Rio for Carnival.  As part of the trip I went up to the popular Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado Mountain, where the Christ the Redeemer statue is located.

Sugarloaf Mountain

Christ the Redeemer Statue, built on top of Corcovado Mountain

We were in the high mountain desert of San Pedro de Atacama of Chile, then the Altiplano, followed by the Salt Flats of Bolivia.  These are all places that are above 10,000 feet

Mountains in San Pedro de Atacama of Chile

The Altiplano in Bolivia

The Salt Flats in Uyuni, Bolivia

In March I did a 4-day hike on the Inca Trail over several mountains in Peru.  Final destination?  Machu Picchu, a town or city built high up in the mountains.  It was exciting to finally see Machu Picchu first-hand.

Sacred Valley of the Incas, near Cusco

Urubamba River in the mountains

Machu Picchu

I was on an Asian tour of Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong in May.  In Taiwan I went to Hualien, then took a bus through Taroko Gorge, which was surrounded by some of the tallest mountains in Taiwan.  Not as famous as Ali Shan but a must visit place if you go to Taiwan.  On the same trip my friends and I took a tram up Victoria Peak in Hong Kong.  No visit to Hong Kong is complete without relishing the views of Hong Kong harbor and Kowloon.  At night the the skyscrapers are lit up in multi-color lights that is a sight to be cherished

Temple in the Taroko Gorge outside Hualien, Taiwan

View of downtown Hong Kong and Kowloon, across the waters

In June I took delivery of my new Casita Travel Trailer and bought a new Toyota truck.  One of our first trips was to the Grand Canyon and the Flagstaff area in Arizona.  As preparation for our hike to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal, we hike in the mountains, near Humphreys Peak, the tallest mountain Arizona,  around Flagstaff.

Hiking on the Inner Basin Trail near Flagstaff, Arizona

The Grand Canyon

A photography workshop in September took me to the Canadian Rockies in Banff.  What a sight driving and photographing the beautiful areas around these majestic mountains.  So beautiful that tourists come from all over the world to enjoy the scenery, to hike, ski, etc.

Lake Morraine in the Canadian Rockies

Another view of Lake Morraine

Patricia Lake near Jasper in the Canadian Rockies

Then the highlight of the year was a trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal.  This was a hike to raise money for a charity group.  A 12-day hike through the Himalayas, among the tallest mountains in the world.  Views of Mount Everest and other snow-capped mountains were the rewards of a very strenuous hike.

View of Mt. Everest from Kala Pathar

Valley near Periche

Mountain Range near Everest Base Camp

Following Nepal I went on a tour of Bhutan, a mountainous country in the foothills of the Himalayas.  Traversing the country means driving through mountain passes and beautiful views of valleys dotted with farms.  Then, of course, the famed Tiger's Nest, a monastery built on the side of a mountain.

Tiger's Nest on the side of the mountain in Bhutan

Terraced rice-fields near Punakha in Bhutan

The final trip of the year was a trip to Europe.  On a 4-day train tour of Switzerland, one of our stops was the town of Zermatt.  On the Gornergrat train up the mountains, you are rewarded with an unobstructed view of the Matterhorn, one of the most recognizable mountains in Europe.

The Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland

What a year it was, seeing all these tall and beautiful mountains.  I could not have planned it any better.