Personal Note from Bram

I would like to say something as well on this blog, that was Jenny's idea and creation. After all, it's about me...

First, although still feeling slighlty uncomfortable to have a blog about me, it was definetively worth the effort for those who enjoyed reading it.
Second, I'd like to mention that I'm blessed by having such an "understanding" spouse and family, who support me in my adventures and understand how important they are to me.
Third, but not least, is that climbing and travelling for me is special in the sense that it provides opportunities to meet interesting people, discover beautiful places and it gives me the possiblility to fulfill my dreams. And it enables me to reach out and touch feelings inside me, which were previously unknown to me, in short... feeling very much alive!

I don't know yet what adventure lays ahead of me (plans are in the making for Denali/McKinley 2009 and hopefully Cho Oyu) , but there will be one, that's for sure!!

Thanks for supporting me and Tim on this trip!
Bram

Day 13 & 14 - Back in Mendoza!

TJO HOO!!! Bram called last night. He'd just had a needed shower and shave... he was disgustingly dirty. No comment... but at least I didn't have to share his bodily odeurs (however, I gladly would have, should I've been in Mendoza). Mmmmmm real masculin stuff, with a 13 day beard. ;-)

I'm really happy and relieved to have him safely back. We didn't speak long, but he did tell me this:

They moved up to camp 1 on Monday, on to camp 2 on Tuesday and since the weather forecast didn't look that well, they left for the summit in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. This is rather short, approximately 2 days faster than scheduled. In hindsight, there was a window for two more days summiting... but at that time they estimated it best to give it a shot. You don't sleep up at 5800m, you just try to get as much rest as you can. Bram had a slight headache, but with a pill it was gone. But it didn't feel right at all that morning, nothing corresponded and after 5 min of walking, the guide told Bram he thought he couldn't make it. Bram thought, oh no, not that on top of everything... and decided to take some decisions of his own. He suggested that the guide would follow Bram in his footsteps (swapping places), giving it another 30 minutes to see if they could find the rhytm. Which they did... But it was very hard and so high. Bram said he was right to have prepared and trained that hard, or he wouldn't have made it (at least not with the -2 day schedule). And it was so weird up there. You kind of hallucinate, you walk in your own bubble, your own little world of thoughts, moments thinking you're at home, or in a bar... with no room for error. Kind of scary huh, but they made it to the top.. and down. But he saw some awful things up there, not dead people, but people which makes you wonder: - what the hell are they doing up here??? Bram's kept a diary, so he'll share this with you later.

Bram and Tim celebrated last night with dinner and drinks, today relaxed and actually got invited by the guide to have dinner in his home! Something he's never done before with any clients... so there must be a friendship going, and probably also out of respect for a great climber! They were picking up ingredients at the local market for cooking. Fantastic, it'll be a great night!

Tomorrow Tim's on his flight back home, Bram's in Mendoza for two more days of sightseeing and relaxing. We look forward to pick you up in Marseille on Thursday!

Brigitte, give your man a big hug from us when you pick him up on Tuesday. Hopefully with luggage this time...

Sweet dreams everybody,
xxx Jen

Day 11, 12, 13 ...

Coming down from the mountain, resting and packing up, Bram's now on his last stretch to Mendoza, arriving tonight! Tim's eagerly looking forward to meet up again, and I'm sure the Argentina steak and beer will taste like heaven. Had an sms from Tim yesterday, confirming that Bram's on his way and that he's enjoying Mendoza and its surroundings. They'll have plenty to talk about. Tomorrow they have a full day together, and if I got the dates right, they have a party evening planned with the expedition guys. Monday Tim flies back to Amsterdam and his family, Bram's still got another two days to discover Mendoza. He's visiting some crazy guy owning a wine estate, he got the address from the restaurant where Bram did the plaster work this summer, with his friend Rini, in New York. http://irvingmill.com/ Pretty cool and fancy restaurant, owned by Norma's brother (Norma is married to Rini and together they run the www.montautre.com in the Limousin, a lovely place worthwhiule visiting!!) Irving Mill serves this wine from this Mendoza vineyard and this guys' supposedly a real original well worth visiting. Hopefully Bram brings a bottle with him home to celebrate the summit, what could be better than a local wine??

I'm hoping for Bram to give me a call tonight, or at least tomorrow, it's been more than two weeks now since I had personally word from him (that was the phone call from the bank in Mendoza...).

Now time for a haircut, I have Swedish Anna-Lena (Bram's climbing pal's Tompa's wife) who I visit when I come here... At least I know what I get, the french hairdressers in the local village of Grillon and surroundings... hmmmm kind of old fashioned, you know where the ladies go to get their hair set on saturday morning. Chamonix is a real place and you get a decent haircut too!! Seb's also going under the scissors...

Thanks all of you for all the great postings...It's been heart warming to read them!
I wonder where their next adventures go? Bram's got Antarctica, Mt McKinley and Cho Oyu on his list... The latter is 8201m and the sixth highest mountain in the world.

We'll stay in touch... Over and out from Jenny and the children in Chamonix, next posting Bram will write himself!

Carpe Diem
Jenny

Day 10.....

and Bram summited the Aconcagua! Just got the fantastic news. The expedition called Tim from base camp with the news that Bram reached the top. He should be resting now on his way down.
I'm soooo proud of you Bram! Get some rest, return safely, LOVE YOU,
xx Jen

ps Thank you Tim and Brigitte for staying in touch and bringing home the good news.

Day 9 and some 10

This agonizing wait... Did Bram summit today?? Or is he still in camp 2 on 6000m waiting for tomorrow?? I don´t know. In the meantime, I'll share the news from Brigitte yesterday, quite funny, at least I had a laugh...
Tim left base camp on Monday by horse, with mules carrying his luggage and a real argentina cowboy accompanying him. No english, senor... haha, hand and feet work for communicating! They rode 30 kms towards Mendoza before camping. No tent.. that one they had to leave behind in base camp for Bram and the boys. So, beans and bacon in a tin pan cooking over the fire by the unshaved poncho cowboy with his sunburned leather face... Just like a good old western. Except for Tim... he didn´t quite fit the picture (well, for the unshaven and sunburned part, yes). He was tucked in his big sleeping bag, behind a stone, under the stars....watching a... MOVIE! Some other cowboys passing by noticed Tim behind the stone.... they must have wondered what on earth this guy was doing. Tim really laughed about the situation. Yesterday he rode the last part until he hit a dirt road where a four wheel drive took him back to the hotel Princess in Mendoza. Just riding back was a great adventure and most probably got his thoughts back on track, accepting what happened. It seems Bram and Tim always part on the mountain, doesn't it? Last time Tim ended up with some real bad city cowboys during a state coup in Bolivia, this time with a real one on a horse! Quite an experience...


Before Tim left, the plan was laid out for Bram, moving to camp 1 on monday, on to camp 2 on tuesday and if he gets an OK by the guide/doctor, try for summit today or perhaps tomorrow, because Friday the meteo forecast high winds and difficult conditions. Tim had news from the expedition company in Mendoza yesterday, so I can confirm that Bram was in camp 2 as scheduled. That's already an impressive 6000m.... I was sitting up on 2000m yesterday, skiing with the kids, and enjoying the majestetique shape of the Mt Blanc under a crispy blue sky... thinking, Bram's even sitting at this point on + 1000m higher than the Mt Blanc! Unbelievable. At least to me.


Tim´s hanging out in Mendoza, not too bad at all actually... great summer weather, pool at the hotel, margeritas and cervezas, plus the expedition company organise other activities in and around Mendoza, well worth visiting. It is the wine centre of Argentina, I'm sure very pretty with the vineyards growing up along the sunny hills and valleys of the Andes. Brigitte, tired of trying to find a solution to get Tim home earlier, had the bright idea to get on a plane, with handluggage only consisting of some sexy underwear and a bikini, and give Tim a surprise visit in his room at the Princess.... But all the flights were fully booked. I admire your creative thinking Brigitte!!! Too bad it didn't work. I can see you hidden under his blanket when he arrives in his room at night.... Hola Gringo!!!!!


If Bram summits today or tomorrow, he´ll be back in Mendoza before Tim travels back to Holland, so time to catch up and have a great night out with the expedition boys!! Something to look forward t o, Tim! Btw, you might actually be reading this blog, I'm sure there are internet cafes around!!! H O L A T I M!!!!!


I had another super day today with the kids skiing, the weather is fantastic and not crowdy at all (it is winter break in France at the moment!!). Ben makes progress and skis by himself as long as it doesn't get too steep. Seb, Alex and Gab go around by themselves, meeting up for the traditional steak hache´frites. How come they taste soooooo good on the mountain???? ;-)


Hopefully Tim, who's in contact with the expedition company in Mendoza, will have news about Bram soon. I have to admit that even if my mind is never worried about Bram's doings, and I always say that I'm completely cool, my stomach gives me away. I have a huge lump or worries that cramps up when I go to bed. The reason for my last 10 days of sleepless nights. I got some pills, based on plants, yesterday in the pharmacy, and I did indeed sleep better. Ridiculous me. Can't convince my own stomach to quit the crap.


Gotta go help Ben swimming, he's un unpatient little fellow! If I know more later, I'll be putting it on the blog immediately! Bram, I hope you were up there today and now resting in one of the camps on your way home. Miss you.

xx Jen

Day 8 - Mixed feelings

Good evening! Comfortably seated in front of the screen in Chamonix, a few words before going to bed. It was a sad day for Tim and I suppose he's camping somewhere in the valleys on his way back to Mendoza on horseback (or isn't it a mule??). Bram's probably settling in up in camp 1 with the guide, with cooking probably somewhat simpler, but it might taste even better after a day of climbing. Brigitte spend most of her day trying to find out how to transport Tim back to Holland. Easier said than done... I'm not even going to go into details, but it boils done to that she cannot rely on any help from the insurance company and all Iberia flights from Santiago are full until Tim's prebooked flight on the 18th. Looks like he's going to hang out in Mendoza until that day, unless Brigitte knows any magic tricks or buy a completely new ticket with some other airline. They'll figure it out.

I wonder what Bram thinks? Plenty of space in the tent... you know, burps and other gases can now freely be disposed off!!! ;-) I hate the fact that I will not have any word back in the next three-four days. Not that Bram really think that's a problem, that goes with the job. Mountains equal to radio silence. We've just been so spoiled this last week with this fantastic base camp and Tim's satellite phone. There's actually a helicopter flying in twice a day, morning and evening, bringing fresh supplies and drops the doctor on and off. Slightly different from the Dutch way of commuting to work in the never ending traffic jams. And with a great view too! There are about 50p in base camp using the facilities, so I imagine quite an athmosphere in the cooking tent with all the stories. I had another picture in front of me... some sherpa cooking up something dry in a bag on a small gas fire... I seem to get it all wrong here.

Anyhow, I'll have to do with this radio silence for a while, but since Tim's still hanging around somewhere, I'll see what I can provide on this blog on a daily basis. I feel better being in Chamonix with the kids, visiting my dad and Anette, we're so spoiled here, the weather is just fantastic, so we'll spend a couple of great days in this awesome surrounding. Of mountains.

So, I'm hitting the couch and a movie, the kids are sleeping, tomorrow maybe a possibility to sleep out a bit! Take care out there....

xxx Jen and Bok

Day 7 - bad news

Was it too good to be true?? I don't think so. But Tim's heel string/tendon is not holding up. Since it was still painful this morning, he decided to have the doctor take a look at it. And according to his medical advice, the string is about to burst. No more climbing, no more hiking at all on this trip. Over and out. A harsh conclusion.
Yeah, I had to swallow a couple of times getting the bad news. Tim's fuming, so mad, so.... what can I say. You know. F-g mad! But it's not an advice you go against. The doctor has put him on heavy medication, antibiotics etc. And another visit is due tonight at 7pm, that's when the final verdict falls. But no more climbing, that's a given. But perhaps he can stay in base camp, because as it looks at the moment, he cannot even walk back to Mendoza, but would have to get on one of the mules and fly home probably on wednesday.

Bram has tried to give Tim some comfort... but I suppose it'll take some time for Tim to accept. You're in bloody top shape, everything just works so smoothly, and then this.... S-T.

I'll leave it by this for the moment, more news tonight, hopefully with a little hope for at least being able to stay put.
*******

Ok... the final verdict is there. The doctor had another look at Tim's heel tendon, and no way..; adventure is definetively over. Even the ride back towards Mendoza has to been split up in two days, already the impact of the stirrups is enough to hurt the heel even more. So tomorrow he leaves by noon, rides with the assistants for 30 kms, make camp for the night, then on Tuesday another 30 kms until you hit the road to Mendoza, where he'll be met by a 4-wheel drive to take him to his hotel. Brigitte is trying to change his ticket so that he can fly home on Wednesday. With those good damn idiots at Iberia... This is of course bad enough, but with Tim also goes the satellite phone, meaning radio silence for the coming days following Bram up the mountain! That is shit. Tim's rented the phone at Schiphol, so it has to come back, but perhaps Tim could extend the rental, let Bram keep the phone, and I'll have UPS sending it by courier upon his return??? It's worth the extra money. But I don't know how much I'm talking about of course, but I give a damn. I'll see what Brigitte can organise with Tim.

I'm back tomorrow, hopefully with some good news. Tim, my heart goes out to you!

xx Jen & Bok

Day 6 - First push to camp 1

Tim called from base camp at 21.30 our time last night, (I believe 18:30 local time), they were just back from the climb up to camp 1, on 5000M altitude. After another movie and a very good night of sleep, they started the climb in cold and windy conditions. Tim estimates the temperature between -10°C and -15°C, but with the windfactor it is actually much colder. But they've were "dressed for the occasion", well prepared and not cold! Unfortunately an old wound in Tim's heel (the tendon), the "achilles pees" in dutch, started to hurt due to the rented hard boots, which hampers the possibility to roll your feet back and fourth while walking. The pain was finally so bad that he ended up swapping shoes with the guide and borrowed his soft shoes, and that helped. They did the climb in 5 hrs, which is really fast, normally they estimate 6-8 hrs.... wow, the Uuden-Mul couple is moving fast! They consumed between 3-4l of water on their way but on the last part they had to stop after every 10 steps to catch their breath. One guy from Chile actually took the time and brewed some tea on 5000m, that's a laugh... talking about High Tea!!!!! I bet that cup of tea felt really good...
It was a tough but fantastic climb, crossing the glacier, "breathtaking" in it's very sense! Pant, pant, pant... with their tongues out drooling over the ice. hahahaha

Back home in base camp, multo bene mama mia papa pia "spagetti" time!! Bram and Tim are extremely satisfied and impressed with the logistics and organisation of this expedition, so well recommended should any of you feel tempted to "conquer" the Aconcagua.

I was totally under the impression there were one guide and one assistant guide, but in Tim's phonecalls he's always been referring to "the guide". So Brigitte asked, and there is indeed only one guide!! That means that if anything goes wrong, well then they'll have to descend together. Sounds like a bummer to me. But I suppose they're not alone on the mountain, God knows there might be other possibilities to hook up with another group, maybe making a second attempt if the first one fails etc... Well find out, won't we???

Today is another restday, Tim's tending to his tendon (Brigitte put half her cupboard of homeopathic drugs in his rugsack). Maybe Tim should try Bram's "survival package". No homeopathic drugs there... only the "real" stuff!! Anti inflammatories, antibiotics, painkillers etc. We have a very good friend who works at a pharmacy, and her boss got so enthusiastic about this trip to Aconcagua, that he put together a kit without prescription. But don't worry... he didn't include any morfine or other "illegal" drugs. Thank you Patricia!!
So I hope that Tim's heel will heal... on soft boots you'll not make it to the top. Too cold. But actually during the phone conversation one of the assistants showed up with another pair of hard boots, only 2 sizes too big. But with extra socks, this might just work! Good luck.
Tim will call a little bit earlier today, hopefully with a better connection, yesterday the phone call was cut off 4 times. Those are costly calls... (I wonder what the €/min rate is.. i know from experience that those satellite phonecalls are awfully expensive. When Bram sailed from Corsica to the Cap Verde islands, I called him once in a while on the oats satellite phone. I'll never forget that bill.)

Bram had a strong day of climbing, no troubles with the shoes, no headaches and he feels in great shape. The athmosphere in the group is super, apparently really nice guys. They have a lot of fun, and that can only add to the succes of this expedition. Well camp 2 is on 6000m, so it'll be very exciting to see how they perform on higher altitude. Maybe climbing higher with only a light pack on your back will put less strain on Tim's heel.

Sorry for being late with yesterday's story! We came home late last night, and I actually fell asleep. Woke up at night with a bad conscious for not posting... but thought: - to hell with it, I'll keep the suspension up until tomorrow morning. And then I fell asleep again. Sorry guys!! ;-)

Tim & Bram, keep it up!
lot's of love, Jenny & Bok

Day 5 - Rest Day

Tim called today at 13h local time. After watching a movie last night, they had a good night of sleep. Tim had a light headache, but it was gone this morning. Bram has not felt any headaches so far. A stunning sight opened up when they peaked out of their tent this morning, a fresh layer of snow had turned the surroundings into a beautiful white world. Magic! (this photo was taken in chamonix on a hike)

After breakfast - time for a doctor's check-up! Bloodpressure, heartbeat and level of oxygen in their bloodstream. Top scores for the boys, they're in great shape (well, we knew that already...)! I had no idea there was this doctor check-up thing. It turns out that in their expedition deal, there's a helicopter rescue included, should you have serious trouble on the mountain. So in order to prevent accidents (and expensive helicopter rescues), caused by obvious health problems, they provide this service. Not too bad! This base camp seems to me as quite a holiday park. Toilets, pizzas, doctors, movies... I had a rougher idea in mind! I suppose this will radically change as they move up. And up they go.

A strategic plan has been made be the guide for moving up and maximize succes for summiting. The schedule looks a little bit like this:

Tomorrow saturday they move up to camp 1, then back to base camp again. Sunday, another restday in base camp. Monday up to camp 1 and rest. Tuesday onto camp 2 and hopefully no return to camp 1. In camp 2 they get another medical check-up. Wednesday or thursday are preliminary days scheduled for the summit push. So the lazy pizza days are over! The hard work will now begin, meaning also carrying your logistics/rugsack up to the higher camps. Tomorrow nights phonecall will be interesting...

After today's lunchbreak, a "stroll" in the environment, but the motto remained "take a break today".

If you've followed the comments on yesterday's posting (links provided), well then you know that solar cells keep the movie theatre open.... And there's a pretty heavy extra battery, should the sunny spells be over. Brigitte went through quite a hazzle buying the stuff online. Ended up with an english version, no adapter... you name it! But she sorted it out, so technology goes up the mountain. I wonder how Hillary and his sherpa managed... poker? My bet it was not the dress version...

With this I end today's story and wish you a good night. I can use one.

Thank you Bok for todays correspondance... you should know that hotmail technology is better than you think... I got the (first) draft that you thought was accidently deleted!

A demain... xxx Jen & Bok

Day 4 - In Base Camp

Good evening ladies and gentlemen... It's snowing and Bram and Tim are resting in their tent. Today a 7-hour hike and they've arrived safe and sound in base camp. The camp is huge and there are plenty of toilets! Lucky for Bram, because he really had to go... Had to squeeze his butt together for the last 3 hours. You're not allowed to do it behind a stone or a bush. Hahahaha. It's a nature park and you better keep it nice and clean, meaning not leaving anything behind. My god... just the thought. What if you have to go? I mean r e a l l y have to... You do it in a bag, or what??? These are the moments I really appreciate a clean and lavender smelling bathroom. I don't think the back to basic life on the mountain is something for me ;-)

And Tim had his butt sticking out as well today... but slightly different. His pants completely burst open after walking only for 15 minutes this morning (Bram laughed HIS ass off..). They had to cross a river, so when Tim took his shoes out..... RIIIIITTTTCHHHHHHH, the whole thing opened up!!!! Luckily Tim's wearing cute red Bjorn Borg boxers, so it fit rather well with the rest of his clothes! hahahaha. Now I understand why Bram won't wear the pink Bjorn Borg boxers he got for X-mas.... That would have been soooooooo funny. By the way.. did the boys bring a sewing kit?

Bram had a super day today, he'd been completely fit for summiting... top shape! The guide had a hard time getting closer to base camp, he was panting heavily! Well, don't get to sure about yourselves now guys... you're only on 4200m !!!!!
Temperature in the evening is 0°C and it's snowing. And what's up for dinner tonight? -Pizza!
Yesterday a disgusting hamburger with bread (McDonalds suddenly got top ratings!!), so they were starving today.
Tomorrow is rest day, sleeping out, movietime, games, just being very lazy and gathering strengh to move up higher for Camp 1 the next day. Pretty tough circumstances (ie the day AFTER tomorrow...). I suppose that's when they're put to the test for the first time. Let me see what the weather forecast says... light snowfall for tonight, then sunny weather for the next coming days with increasing winds for saturday and sunday, decreasing as of monday to calm conditions on tuesday. Sounds pretty promising for going slowly higher!

Well... time to tuck in Grillon as well. Hopefully I don't hear any imaginative burglars tonight. I'll put the dogs on the soft carpet right away... Sweet dreams boys, it's only uphill from now on! Miss you... sniff sniff,
xx Jen wth the help of her dutch correspondante Bok (what would I do with out you??)

Day 3

Good old Tim called his wife last night with the latest news! This satellite phone was not such a bad idea, huh!! The connection was very bad, but Brigitte got the message..

In the evening of day 2, the dinner was barbeque with the guide and carriers. Great athmosphere, great fun... Gezellig!! Yesterday they walked for another 6 hours in hot conditions, but with a pleasant wind to cool them off. At 17h they arrived in the next valley, this one very narrow, to set camp for the night, with a view on... Aconcagua! Tim says - IT'S A MONSTER!!! Huge. Intimidating. The guys still hungry for climbing it, though!

And hungry they were... but dinner was only "served" at 22h, so plenty of time for reading and watching a movie. Yes, you heard me... a movie! Tim has the latest superthin/light Ipod with 26 movies loaded. Guys... what kind of holiday is this??? Copacabana, here they come....

Anyhow, they guys have an awesome time, and today they reach base camp. There the connection is better, so hopefully some more news.

In Grillon things are busy and I'm joggling between schools, activites, shopping, household, work, horses, dogs (they had to go to the vet.. nothing serious though) and other appointments! Try to get some sleep at night... At 1 am I heard noice, so I got the dogs out of their standard sleeping quarters (wash machine room) and let them sleep on the soft carpet in front of the door... I'm such a dork! But I fell asleep.
Tomorrow is last day at school before the winter break... Cool. We'll drive up to Servoz for some skiing, hot chocolate, crepes, games, dinners and movies with Bo and Anette. Super!

Brigitte, hang in there!
A toute a l'heure,
Bisous, Supermamas

Trip Day 2

Good evening everybody!
Mars calling earth, mars calling earth... yes, the satellite phone rang tonight with news from the Aconcagua aliens Bram and Tim: - It's awesome!
(Tim calls Brigitte who feeds me the info for the blog... Thank you Bok!!)


They've walked 25kms today in very hot conditions, Tim's burned his head and hands (of course..), Bram apparently only his hands. Will they ever learn...

Around 17H the stopped and made camp/put up their tent and it's almost time for dinner. The guides are super nice and the surroundings just amazing. Tim's memorizing it on photos...
All in all they've lost one day, so what was originally planned for Wednesday is now due for Thursday etc. Not too bad under the circumstances, and it should not have any negative influence on the schedule!
They're both very impressed of what they see. The campsite is set next to a beautiful valley, so pretty that it cannot be described in words!!

Tomorrow another 25kms to hike and hopefully another phonecall...

Sounds pretty good to me... I'm so happy that the beginning of the trip had a lucky ending! The rest is all bonus.

Btw.. the route they're climbing for the summit is the Polar Glacier http://www.inka.com.ar/en/mapas_rutas.htm, (scroll down and read, click on east face for view), not the normal route. A more straight approach for the top and somewhat technically more difficult. But time, weather and strength will finally tell how, where and when. Keep it up! And enjoy.

xx Jen & Bok

Roxana - The Miracle

Champagne.... there's been a miracle. Tim is at the airport with Roxana and the bag is arriving. At this very moment. And Bram decided to wait for this flight, to give it a last shot to leave together... and YES!!!! They're off immediately after checking the bag's content. It was standing in Santiago. Amsterdam never checked it further. Bloody amateurs.
Our phone calls paid off. Another proof of -never give up! Roxana, you're a star.
Boys, what could possibly now go wrong??? Aconcagua, here they come.

Speechless

Talked to Brigitte this morning... no news about the lost bag. She worked the phones last night, either the numbers didn't work or she'd get no support. She phoned Iberia this morning but got hung up by the bitch. Yeah, you heard me: B I T C H
So, Brigitte gave up, said she had to get out of the house for a while and cool off. So I gave it another shot. Called the Iberia Luggage Claim Bitch... she said as long as it is a LAN matter she has no wish what so ever to talk to me, and hung up. I could strangle her with my hands. So I got hold of Iberia luggage claim at Madrid airport. At least this guy was helpful and spoke decent english (he was scottish!!!), opened the claim file but only to confirm that he cannot access any further research without LAN giving it an IB filenumber too. So, if I pls could call LAN in Santiago... again..
But I was a little luckier today. Found the LAN central phone number in Chile where a spanish lady who spoke fluent english gave me the phone numbers to the luggage claim at santiago airport and the supervisor of LAN luggage claim in Mendoza. I even got his name: Pablo DiMurro. Hola Pablo... here I come. On the Santiago numbers no luck - I think too early in the morning. But the Pablo number worked just fine. By Roxana picking up the phone. And she knew exactly why I was calling. She gave me some interesting piece of information. 1. The bag was only checked to Santiago, where it probably never arrived. 2. The fact that Tim held two reservations, one AMS-MAD and the other MAD-SAN-MZA, probably added to the confusion. Then Roxana found a bag in Vienna that resembled the description, but it was wrapped in plastic and the dutch adress on it didn't correspond to Tim's.. another poor soul's bag...
I've supplied Roxana with some more descriptive details of the bag, in the file it looked more like a pink/red sport bag, rather than the actual orange/brown travel duffel (like a sailor sac) with shoulders strips in black.
At least it seems she's very professional and most cooperative. I'll leave the matter here.
The consequences are that Bram left without Tim this morning and that Tim most probably will return to Holland. I'd love to have some more information, but I haven't heard from Bram since saturday morning. Could Tim not purchase new equipment, finally Iberia will have to reimburse? Can Tim catch up with Bram when the bag shows up, but not go to the top but rather go for a lower target, adn therefore skip one or two rest/acclimatisation days?? I assume they've gone through all the options. I'll let you knwo when I know all the details. It is a sad beginning of the trip, I cannot even imagine Tim's deception.
Take care out there,
xx Jen

This is not good !

Still no sign of Tim's luggage. It's 6:30 pm in Mendoza, tomorrow morning is departure time, already postponed with a day. Brigitte, Tim's wife cries.. desesperation... where is the goddamn bag!! That the connection time in Santiago was too short for the luggage, that's now a given, but how come they got hold of Bram's bag and not Tim's?? Brigitte is working the phones, so is her mother who speaks fluent spanish. They have all the ref nrs that they need, hopefully Lan Airlines and Iberia in Santiago can help, they're at least a few hours behind. I'll pray for that bag to show up. Because if not... you might have figured it out already, it's probably too late for Tim to go on. He'll loose the acclimatisation days he needs to go to that altitude. I think Tim and Bram has come to some sort of agreement. Bram leaves tomorrow morning. With or without Tim.

I hope I have good news for you tomorrow. I feel for Tim, and for Bram. Some tough decisions. Love you all, Jen

Luggage still missing..

Sunday morning in Mendoza brought Bram back his luggage.... but not Tim!!! Me and Brigittis have tried going through Iberias luggage claim service, but without the refnr and bagage tag numbers, there's not much they can do for us here. Tim didn't pass on these numbers to Brigitte, so I assume that LAN/Iberia in Mendoza take all the necessary actions to trace the bag. It's no rocket science anymore, but if the bag was left behind in Madrid, well then it'll at least take an extra 24 hrs to get it on the next flight via Santiago to Mendoza.
No bag = no mountain.... there's not room for hanging out a few extra days in Mendoza, so I hope Tim will have his bag today. I'm sure the fact that it's Sunday, doesn't help... domingo, domingo, a day for siesta and muchos vinos, los valisos manana.

xx Jen

Mendoza here we come!!

Bram and Tim arrived safe and sound in Mendoza early this afternoon... without luggage!! BUGGER... Most probably got left behind in Santiago, the transfer time was very short, so hopefully the luggage is found quickly! Because literally everything is in there... no mountain without your gear, right!!
Mendoza is hot and humid, and they were met by the Aconcagua Expeditions guys at the airport and got checked into the hotel. Next worry.. I got a short phonecall from Bram mentioning he missed a lot of his dollars. Then the line went dead... Waited anxiously to hear more, but no phone call. Hmmmm... what has he done now? An hour later, finally another call, from the a bank. He wonders if he left money at home. Only 500 I told him... - s-t, he says, then I must have lost it somewhere. Got to take out money to pay the rest of the mountain trip... - But I prepared a whole envelope especially for the expedition cost, I said! How can you loose all that money????
-Oh no..... now I remember.... I completely forgot about the envelope..... sorry, sorry, it's in the hotel.

Hasta la vista... manana manana boys.... goddam amateurs... ;-) And viva los linos telefonias des americas de sudos..! Or is it perhaps my swedish TELE2 provider... my bet is it is!!

So, un cerveza por favor, amigos,
xx Jen

The adventure has started...

Well, that's that then... Bram's finally off. The last couple of weeks went by very quickly. Bram worked long days and weeks, of course the orginally well planned work schedule changed and everything had to be done at the same time. Murphy's law.. But in the end, it worked out. Goodbye hugs and kisses with the kids yesterday morning before they're off to school, then a final trim of his hair, paperwork, money, phonenumbers, checking the gear... and ready to go. We drove down to Marseille and had lunch the two of us at IKEA, maybe the last decent meal in a few weeks! Bram's had a little bit of a stomach bug the last two days before leaving, but everything seemed fina today. Gravlax and köttbullar & lingonsylt went down smoothly... as it always does ;-) After the obligatory tour of the shop, another 300 euros poorer (you cannot come out emptyhandied from IKEA!!!), I dropped him off at the airport nearby. An emotional farewell...

Many thoughts go through your head. I know it's pretty safe, but the mountains get higher and more complicated and there's less room for error. That is of course what it is all about. To see how far you can get. Train harder and aim for another, more challenging goal. And to experience something unique and beautiful with your best friends. I'm confident they're well prepared for this trip, both physically and mentally and they've included extra time for unextepted obstacles (weather etc). Time will tell...

First night alone... I hate it! I hear every good damn sound inside and outside and cannot sleep. I stress myself and on top of that... Alex sat straight up in bed at midnight puking all over. Ahhhh.. what a great start. Luckily I think he ate something he couldn't handle, because that was the beginning and the end of it too. But before I finished running washing machines, cleaning the bed, my son, myself and desinfacting all the bathrooms (just in case) it was 2 am and Alex sound asleep. Not me... I'm awake listening to the nightly sounds and wondering "is he going to puke again"?? At 4 am, I must have passed out beacuse when I woke up it was 8:30! Not too bad...
All the kids at home, Seb's back for the weekend and it's cosy. We'll play some games, watch a movie, cook a nice dinner and relax. It's cold outside today, windy but sunny. We'll take the dogs for a long stroll.

In two hours Bram and Tim arrive in Santiago, that's a long flight!! 13+ hrs... Hope they got some sleep. Then there's a short flight over the Andes to Mendoza in Argentina, where the www.aconcaguaexpeditions.com guys will meet them at the airport and take them to their hotel and get the logistics settled. On Sunday they start their trip out to Aconcagua, with mules carrying most of the luggage, two guides to assist them on the mountain and perhaps a third guy doing the cooking etc. It must be an awesome walk into a base camp, Plaza de mulas at 4260m. First the Mendoza valleys with the vineyards, then the Andes getting higher and higher...

Well... time to attack the kids and household now! I've promised Gabriella that she'll get her own room, so I've bought two big bookcases to make a partition wall in the big room she shares with Ben. Let's get going on that project... And hopefully I 'don't have to take Ben to the doctor, he just fell on his roller blades and hit his elbow really hard... No worries, three weeks alone with kids are never boring! I'll just be slightly tired by the end of the trip.

xx Jen

Preparation for Aconcagua

Fotos: Aconcagua, Vison and McKinley


Hi - this is Jenny, (Bram's wife)! I'm the one setting up this blog, actually a little bit against Bram's own will.. but I've had so many requests from family and friends, to follow Bram's trips around the world. This is a great tool to make that possible. Bram doesn't think much of his achievements, however I disagree and think it's worth sharing.

There have been quite a few trips already, not blogged..

• frequent alpinism in the french alps
• Mount Adams in Washington state, USA for his 40th birthday
  
• going higher hiking in the Himalayas with Arno


• crazy climbing trip with Tim in the Bolivian andes - Potosi summit +6000m, during a state coup in 2005


• Kilimanjaro in 2006 with Tim and the start of a Tanzania Massai Project & Friendship

And now we're only a week away from the departure to Argentina and the summit of Aconcagua, the highest mountain on the South America continent, stretching almost 7000m above the sea (6962m exactly). A well planned and prepared 3-week trip, starting off in Mendoza, the wine mecca of Argentina. If weather and conditions allow, the summit attempt will take place somewhere mid february. This mountain might not technically be so complicated to summit, but is weather wise a pain in the ass... often with high winds and hard conditions. Statistically you have a 60% chance to succeed. Bram and his lifelong friend Tim go with two guides and have incl some margin for bad weather... hopefully they'll get up there! And down.

I often get the question if I'm not afraid something will happen - the answer is no. Of course there are risks involved, calculated and not calculated. Bram is well trained, very responsible, mentally very strong and know when not to pursue further. Not the hazardous type. And you have to live your dreams and passions, that is what makes you a happy and better person. So I fully support his trips, but prefer to share them this way than in a harnass. I'm not fond of altitudes...

I'll try to keep this blog alive, hopefully with live coverage from Bram and Tim on the mountain in the coming weeks. And hopefully with many more adventures to come.... Vison in Antartica and Denali (McKinley) in Alaska are two hot spots for 2009 and 2010. A bientôt.. xx Jen