TMB Day 0 - Chamonix

Our first destination on this trip is Chamonix.  We started at 6am on Sunday, September 1, to catch a Southwest Airlines flight to Los Angeles, then a noon flight direct to Paris.  The day before I received a call from Delta Airlines asking if I would like to switch our flight with a stopover in Salt Lake City to a direct flight from LAX to Paris.  Of course I would!

So we arrived in Paris at 7am after a 9 1/2 hour flight.  It's not exactly very long but long enough to watch a movie, a couple of documentaries, listen to some classical music, and manage to doze off a couple of times for very short naps.  At the Immigration checkpoint at Paris' CDG airport, it was mayhem.  Apparently, several flights landed at about the same time and the line was insanely long and confusing.  It took us almost two hours to get through Immigration, then claimed our luggage.

Our flight to Geneva was at 3pm so I went to check with Air France if we could change it to an earlier noon flight.  Yes, you can but it'd costs €270, or almost $300!  No thanks, I said.  We'll wait another 3 hours.  So it was a tough 5-hour wait for our flight to Geneva.  The only nice part of it was we found a Marks & Spencer mini-mart and bought two fresh tasty genuine Parisian croissants.  We finally arrived at about 4:30pm and called our driver from Mountain Drop-offs.  He gave us directions on how to find him.  Well, the confusing part about Geneva airport is that there is a French side and a Swiss side.  We thought we were supposed to go to the French side.  Finally, after some back and forth we found Patrick, our driver.  He said, don't feel bad; this happens every day.  It took about an hour to get to our hotel, Auberge du Manor in Chamonix.

Knowing that we'd need to make phone calls and download some information while on this trip, we bought a SIM card from a company called travSIM through Amazon for about $20.  The card gives us 3,000 minutes talk, 3,000 texts and 12GB data for 30 days.  It fits us well because our TMB hike is only about 2 weeks.  We may need to call Alpine Exploratory, our tour company, for help when we need to, and the hotels and mountain huts if we are late.  Here is the SIM card information on Amazon.  However, it may not be available by the time you read this blog.

SIM card from travSIM

We arrived in Chamonix at about 7pm to a beautiful hotel.  It's a 5-minute walk to the city center with views of the mountains all around.  Chamonix is in a valley.  After a quick shower we took a walk through the main street.  The town definitely has the feel of a mountain resort town, just like Telluride in Colorado.  Lots of activities in the summer and winter sports in the winter months.

Signs pointing to different locations on the trail

The old starting point in Les Houches

Main Street in Chamonix

Auberge du Manor with views of the mountain

Statue of the first climbers of Mont Blanc

View of mountains from Main Street in Chamonix

Start of the TMB - Le Fouilly in Les Houches

Fondue dinner

We start our hike tomorrow in Les Houches, about a 30-minute bus ride from Chamonix.  We looked for the trail head today because we don't want to be lost while carrying our backpacks.  It was not easy to find but with the notes from Alpine, we were able to locate it.

Over the next 12 days we'll be in the mountains.  I won't be carrying my laptop with me so I will wait until I finish the hike to update this blog.

Preparing for the Tour du Mont Blanc

The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) is one of the most popular long-distance walks in Europe.  It covers a distance of about 170 km or 110 miles around the Mont Blanc massif.  The trail, usually walked in a counter-clockwise (or anti-clockwise as the Europeans call it), covers three countries:  France, Italy and Switzerland.  A normal schedule takes about 11 days.  Some fitness freaks choose to take as little as 7 days.  Keep in mind that this is not to be confused with a climb up Mont Blanc.  From a lot of material that I've read about the TMB, this is not as tough as the Inca Trail or the hike to Everest Base Camp; both hikes that I did in 2018.  We shall see.

Tour du Mont Blanc

I have been thinking of hiking the TMB for a while.  With no travel plans this fall I decided this is a good time to do it.  Like any travel the challenge is scheduling.  I want to go to Oktoberfest in Munich as well.  My friend Tobias has a table reservation in one of the beer tents for October 5.  Most of the hikes around Mont Blanc end in mid-September.  Later than that the weather is unpredictable.  I decided to bridge the two weeks with a trip to Italy, follow by the Oktoberfest trip.

The first website I found was Chamonix.net.  The Chamonix valley is where most TMB hike start.  (I call this a hike, whereas most Europeans call this a trek or even a walk).  This website has information about all the activities in this area, including skiing, paragliding, tennis, horse riding, etc. Chamonix is also the start of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, an ultra-marathon race that follows closely the TMB route.  The best runners finish the race in a little over 20 hours, an incredible time for running more than 100 miles over mountain trails.

There are many ways to complete the TMB:

1.  Hiking on your own, using information from books, social media, maps, etc.  Surprisingly, many hikers do it on their own, camping along the way and sleeping in huts only when necessary.

2.  Self-guided Tour:  you sign up with a company that provides you with all the relevant information about the TMB, including maps, notes, latest conditions, phone number to call when help is needed, and even booking lodging for you.  Those who are confident of their navigating and hiking abilities, like to set their own schedule and not be "baby-sat" would prefer this type of trip.  It typically costs less than a fully guided trip.

3.  Guided Tour:  You can have a private or group tour.  In a private group, you or a group of your friends engage a tour guide to take you around the TMB.  On the Chamonix.net website there are many experienced guides offering their services for this type of private tour.  They call themselves Independent Mountain Leaders, and as expected, their rates are quite high, as much as 300 euros a day.  Many companies also offer guided tours.  Group size may range from 8 to 16.  This type of hike can cost as much as US$3,000.  It can be less if you choose a less "comfortable" style.

In my research into the TMB I found some tour companies' information a little deceiving.  They advertise the TMB as a 7- or 9-day hike.  What is not disclosed is that you are not hiking the complete circuit.  Part of the trip involves vehicular transportation from one town/village to another.  For some who are not in the best physical condition, but want to experience the TMB, this may be a good option.  However, prices are not lower but often higher than the full-circuit hike.  Which makes sense because you have support vehicles and personnel taking care of you on the hike and between hikes.  I was astounded to be quoted almost US$5,000 for a 9-day trip, with only 7 days of hiking part of the trail.  "Baby-sitting" can be very expensive in the mountains.

The easiest way to get to Chamonix is to fly from any US city to Geneva, Switzerland.  From Geneva, you can take a one and a half-hour shuttle bus ride to Chamonix.  You can also take a train but it is a little more complicated.  Although Geneva is a well-known international city, it's not one of the major airline hubs in Europe.  Very likely you will have to take 1 or more transfers before getting there.  In our case, we are flying from Phoenix to Los Angeles on Southwest Airlines, then Delta from Los Angeles to Paris, with a stopover in Salt Lake City.  Finally, we fly from Paris to Geneva, followed by a shuttle to Chamonix.  Why such a convoluted itinerary?  It has to do with airfare.  A direct flight from Phoenix to Paris would have costs around $1,500.  Taking advantage of some Fall airfare pricing, I was able to get from Phoenix to Paris round-trip for around $1,000.

I decided to sign up with Alpine Exploratory, a British company based in Edinburgh, Scotland.  They have both guided and self-guided trips.  I feel their self-guided trips fit our style and schedule.  Although one may be concerned that you might get lost, I read that the TMB is very well marked and the information that Alpine provided is very detail.  That includes actual topographical maps of the trail.  Below is the pricing that Alpine provided on their website in 2019:

Alpine Exploratory
TMBsg Tour du Mont Blanc (Self-guided) 7 July to 15 September 2019
Prices in GBP per person	Hutty	Classic	Comfy
Popular schedules
12 stages 2 rest days (15 nights)	1,300 Singles 180	1,520 Singles 275	1,670 Singles 330
11 stages 2 rest days (14 nights)	1,240 Singles 160	1,450 Singles 250 Our main TMB	1,590 Singles 300
10 stages 1 rest day (12 nights)	1,120 Singles 120	1,330 Singles 200	1,420 Singles 260
Specialised schedules
13 stages 2 rest days (16 nights)	1,360 Singles 220	1,590 Singles 300	1,750 Singles 360
9 stages (10 nights)	990 Singles 125	1,210 Singles 175	1,260 Singles 210
Options
Baggage transfer	Please ask us

Prices above are in British Pounds.  "Hutty" is the very basic accommodation, mostly in mountain huts, "Classic" is a mix of mountain huts and hotels, and "Comfy" is 3-star hotels wherever available.  I picked the Comfy style with 11 stages + 1 day rest, totalling 12 days.  We also opted for the baggage transfer (£90 each), which means we'll have a company transport our luggage between towns where we'll be staying for the night.  On two nights where we'll be staying in mountain huts and there are no roads, we'll not have any baggage transfer.  This makes our backpacks lighter so we can enjoy the hike and scenery.  With a self-guided hike we can follow our own schedule, as below:

Day 1: Tue 3 Sep 19 Arrive in Chamonix. Stay at Auberge du Manoir (3*)

Day 2: Wed 4 Sep 19 Bus to Les Houches. Walk to Les Contamines. Stay at Hotel Gai Soleil (3*)

Day 3: Thu 5 Sep 19 Walk to les Chapieux. Stay at Les Chambres du Soleil (auberge)

Day 4: Fri 6 Sep 19         Walk to Rifugio Elisabetta. Stay at Rifugio Elisabetta (hut)

Day 5: Sat 7 Sep 19 Walk to Courmayeur. Stay at Hotel Bouton d'Or (3*)

Day 6: Sun 8 Sep 19 Rest day in Courmayeur. Stay at Hotel Bouton d'Or (3*)

Day 7: Mon 9 Sep 19 Walk to Rifugio Elena. Stay at Rifugio Elena (hut)

Day 8: Tue 10 Sep 19 Walk to La Fouly. Stay at Hotel l'Edelweiss (3*)

Day 9: Wed 11 Sep 19 Walk to Champex. Bus to Orsière.

Day 10: Thu 12 Sep 19 Bus to Champex. Walk to Trient. Stay at L'Auberge du Mont Blanc(auberge)

Day 11: Fri 13 Sep 19 Walk to Argentiere. Stay at Hotel les Grands Montets (4*)

Day 12: Sat 14 Sep 19 Walk to Planpraz. Cable car to Chamonix. Stay at Auberge du Manoir (3*)

Day 13: Sun 15 Sep 19   Cable car to Planpraz. Walk to Les Houches. Bus to Chamonix 

                                        Note: from     Les Houches high street, buses are every 30 minutes into                       

                                        Chamonix centre and depart from outside the tourist information office.
                                        Arrive in Chamonix. Stay at Auberge du Manoir (3*)

Day 14: Mon 16 Sep 19 Depart from Chamonix after breakfast

Each day's hike range from 10km to 21km, about 5 to 8 hours, without accounting for stops.  There are a lot of ascents and descents, rewarding hikers with some of the most beautiful sceneries of the Alps.  If you are able, this is one you should not miss.

Japan - Ashikaga, Hachioji, Kawagouchi, Kamakura

In the process of planning this year's Asia trip I was invited to go hiking on the Nakasendō Trail.  I did this hike in March 2017 so I decided to join my friends after their hike to travel around the outskirts of Tokyo.  This includes Ashikaga, Kawaguchiko and Hachioji.

We flew from Singapore and arrived at Tokyo Narita Airport in the late afternoon.  Our plan was to store our heavy luggages at the airport and bring only what we need for a week in Japan.  We quickly found the luggage storage window as we exited the baggage claim area into the arrivals floor.  There are several luggage storage locations at Terminal 1 and we were lucky we found the one that was perfect for us, for arrival and departure. I think the cost was ￥1,000 (slightly less than $10) per piece of luggage per day.  It was worth the money not having to lug our luggage all over Tokyo.

Our next stop was to buy a bus ticket and take the bus to Ashikaga, about 2 hours away.  Again, we were lucky to find the bus ticket counter right across the luggage storage window.  Each ticket costs about ￥40 (less than $4).  It was dark we couldn't see anything outside.  We arrived at the Ashikaga train station and showed the taxi driver a picture of the Toyoko Inn Ashikaga.  The taxi ride costs ￥700 and took about 5 minutes.  We tried to find something to eat but everything was closed.  We found a convenience store and bought some surprisingly tasty snacks.

We met our friends for breakfast the next morning in the hotel lobby and then took a train to the world-renowned Ashikaga Flower Park.  This is where 150-year old wisteria trees are displayed.  Every spring the wisteria flowers bloomed and tourists from all over the world come and see this beautiful flowers.  Here is a link to their website:  Ashikaga Flower Park  Unfortunately, it got warm early in the season and much of the wisteria were already fading.  However, the garden has many other beautiful flowers that we enjoyed.  We also walked around the small town and enjoy some very tasty Japanese meals.

Withered purple wisteria hanging on trellis

My 5 female traveling companions in Japan at the Ashikaga train station

Map of the Ashikaga Region

Ashikaga Flower Park

A wonderful lunch of soba noodles and tempura

A visit to one of the local temples

A "fast-food" budget restaurant that serves delicious meals

At the Ashikaga hotel we sent our heavy luggage to the Toyoko Inn at Kawaguchiko.  This is the nice thing about traveling in Japan.  You can send your luggage to any of your forward destinations, at a reasonable fee.  I don't know of this service being available in any other country.

I showed my Japanese friend Akemi my itinerary.  She saw that we had a free day the next day and suggested that we go to Nikko to see the Toshogu Shrine, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This was an excellent suggestion because we not only saw the shrine but there was a parade of "1,000 Samurais" as well that day.  It was a Saturday and it was very crowded.  We lined up on the route of the parade and had an excellent view of some of the traditionally dressed samurais.

Young Samurais

Old Samurais

Inside the Toshogu Shrine.  See more pictures at the link above

Japanese women dressed in traditional kimonos

Following Nikko we took a train to Hachioji and stayed at the Toyoko Inn there.  On the 9th and 10th floor of the Hachioji train station are many restaurants.  We had a nice Japanese dinner at one of the restaurants.  The next morning we walked to the car rental agency and picked up a rental car.  Our trip leader decided that it is more practical for us to drive to the places we'll be visiting the next couple of days than depend on public transportation.  Our first stop was to the Chureito Pagoda where, on a clear day, you get a beautiful view of Mount Fuji.  This is my second trip to this Pagoda, and like the first, it was a cloudy day.  It was quite a hike up to the top where the Pagoda is but nevertheless, you get a good view of the area.

The Chureito Pagoda with Mount Fuji covered by clouds

On the way to the Shibazakura Festival we tried to find a decent Japanese restaurant.  It was a Sunday and many of the restaurants were closed.  Eventually we stumbled upon a restaurant that serves Japanese pancake.  The flower festival is a big event, with many tour buses coming from all over Japan to see the display of flowers.

All types of flowers blanket the area

More flowers at the Shibazakura Flower Festival

We checked in to the Toyoko Inn at Kawaguchiko that evening.  This is a new Toyoko Inn and we got a break on the room rates - about $50 for a double room.  Why stay at Toyoko Inn?  It's a big chain of budget no-frills hotel with clean rooms and a simple breakfast in the morning.  Their rooms and amenities are quite standard at every hotel.  That evening we picked up our extra luggage that we shipped from the Ashikaga Toyoko Inn.  In the morning we had a better than average breakfast, maybe because this is a new hotel or because there were many guests.  

We drove to the Oshino onsen (Japanese spa) by the lake.  It was a very reasonable sum of about $10.  We had a nice soaking in the hot bath.  After that we walked around the beautiful lake. 

View of the lake

A view of Mount Fuji from the hotel in Kawaguchiko

Fishermen by the lake

Map of the area

The next day we drove to the port city of Numazu.  We stopped at a popular restaurant that is famous for its seafood.  Raw seafood is as common as cooked seafood in Japan.  Of the 5 of us, four of us ordered the same bowl of mixed raw seafood.  Only 10 bowls of that dish is served a day, probably constrained by fresh supplies.  However, just as we started eating, someone in the group started feeling sick and ask us to call an ambulance.  Apparently, she is allergic to raw shrimp.  An ambulance came and took her to a local hospital about a couple of miles away.  She was given some medicine to counter the allergy and release a couple of hours later.  With all the medical care that she received her bill was about $35!  And the ambulance ride was free.  In the US this would have cost at least a $1,000.  That is the sad state of the medical care in the US compared to other countries.

Seafood restaurant where we ate in Numazu

Four of us ate this bowl of raw seafood.  One had an allergic reaction to the raw shrimp

Hospital Bill for treating my friend's food allergy - ￥3,880 or US$35

On the way back to the Hachioji we stopped at the Gotemba Outlet Mall.  Apparently, this American shopping concept has spread to Japan as well, with tourists from China the predominant customers.

Our group split up after Hachioji.  We took a train to Tokyo, specifically to the Shimbashi station where we'll be staying at the karaksa Premier Hotel.  We were to spend the last 3 days of our trip in Tokyo, meeting friends and going to Kamakura, the ancient capital of Japan.  The Shimbashi area is known for its bars and restaurants where office workers hang out after work.  It is next to the Ginza area, known for its high-end shopping.  On the first evening we had dinner with my friend Takashi at the Ore no Kappou Ginza Honten, a popular Japanese restaurant.  The restaurant served traditional Japanese food and was crowded with after-hours office workers.

Ore no Kappou Restaurant in Ginza

One of the many busy streets in Ginza

A delicious unagi (eel) rice bowl

On the second day, my friend Akemi and her friend, Miyako took us to Kamakura.  We spent an entire day visiting the different temples and shrines in the area.  This is my second visit to Kamakura, a very popular tourist attraction, even among the Japanese.

Delicious Japanese pancake at bills Shichirigahama near Kamakura

One of the many temples

A poster on Kamakura

Japanese girls in traditional kimonos

Schoolchildren we met at the train station.  They are classmates of Akemi's grandson

Big Buddha

3 praying monks

A shrine

Our final stop on the third day before we leave for the airport for our flight back to the US is the Tokyo Fish Market.  This is a 20-minute walk from our hotel.  This is the old Tsukiji Fish Market.  The fish market itself has moved to a new location about 1.5 miles and it is now called the Toyosu Market.  However, all the shops and restaurants surrounding the old Tsukiji market are still there and there are throngs of tourists visiting the area.  They sell not just fish-related food items but all kinds of food items.

Busy street in the Tsukiji Fish Market

Wholesale fish market has moved. Retail is still here

Though short - one week, it was a wonderful trip to Japan.  The people are very nice, the food delicious, and every place was clean.

A Slow Start to 2019

Normally by this time of the year I'd have been to several places and written several posts.  But this year has been different.  I was expecting two new grandchildren - one in January and one in March.  Because of that I stayed in the US and did not make my first international trip until late April.

Even then I made several trips within the US, before that first international trip:

1. 3 ski trips - Purgatory, Telluride and Flagstaff
2. 2 camping trips - Tucson and San Diego
3. 1 trip to New York City to visit the family

Below are some pictures of the trips above:

Ticket to the Stephen Colbert Show in NYC

Camping in San Diego

Skiing in Telluride

My first international trip for 2019 was a month-long visit to Singapore, Bangkok and Japan.  If you've been following my blog, you will probably know that I visit Singapore, my native country, almost every year.  This time I am bringing my girlfriend, Doris, with me, on her first visit to Singapore, Thailand and Japan.  I've written about Singapore and Bangkok several times in this blog so I will not repeat myself.  However, I want to include some pictures from the trip:

A "Pretty Boys" Show in Bangkok

Iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino in Singapore

Mango sticky rice in Bangkok

Needless to say, we ate a lot and put up with the relentless heat and humidity.  We saw a lot of friends and relatives, always sharing a delicious local meal or beverage.  We showered in the morning, in the afternoon and at night.  The humidity is persistent.  We spent two nights at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, relishing its food and amenities and the neighborhood.  The highlight, of course, is swimming in its rooftop infinity pool, overlooking the neon-lit skyscrapers in the central business district of Singapore.  We visited the world-renowned Gardens by the Bay and hiked the Treetop Walk at MacRitchie Reservoir.

A 4-day visit to Bangkok was full of eating and shopping.  The highlight was seeing a "pretty boy" cabaret show.  These transvestites are so realistic that you can't tell that they are actually men even when you are up close.  We had excellent breakfasts at the Novatel Siam Center Hotel.  Across the street at the Paragon Center is a food court serving authentic Thai street food.  We ate twice at the nearby Ban Khun Mae, a popular local restaurant.  We ate and shopped at Chinatown.  The shops there are a reminder of what some of the local shops looked like in early Singapore.  They even speak my native Chinese dialect.  Our visit coincided with the coronation of the new Thai king.  On our visit to the popular Chatuchak Weekend Market we ran into traffic blockades around the city.

We also made a 1-day side trip to Johor Bahru in Malaysia.  JB, as its popularly called, is at the southern tip of the Malayan peninsula, separated from Singapore by a causeway.  In order to go from Singapore to JB (and back), you will have to go through the respective Immigration on each side.  Taking the bus or train is easiest.  You alight from the bus, go through Immigration, get on the bus again, then go through Immigration on the other side, then take the bus again.  Even on a weekday, it was crowded and took about an hour to cross.  Driving is even more challenging because you have to contend with traffic jams and picky custom officials.  It was not an especially memorable trip.

On the way back to the US, we planned on a week long visit to Japan.  That trip is described in the next post.