Tanzania - Mt Kilimanjaro

It’s Kili time!!

Finally, the beast that is Mt Kilimanjaro (Mt Kili) lay before us. All 5895m of it! Quite a daunting proposition really, however, we’d been looking forward to it for a couple of months now and it had to be done!

There are about 7 routes you can take to climb Mt Kili. We decided on the Marangu Route. Mainly because this is the only route that has little lodges along the trail and with the wet season now upon us, the idea of camping out in freezing temperatures combined with pouring rain did not really appeal.

 

Only 20 hrs of climbing...that's not too bad!!

Initially we had decided on taking six days to complete the climb, but after meeting 4 Chinese girls who had climbed it in 5 days (even though only 2 of them made the summit), we decided that it was obviously possible to complete the climb in 5, so we were not going to be upstaged! The old ego versus common sense argument, where for some reason ego seems to win every time!

Commencing at approximately 1800m, the increase in altitude is over 4000m. Although the conditions on the climb can often be extremely testing, it is the altitude sickness that is usually the killer on Mt Kili.

The seemingly never ending path to the summit!

The first 3 days were extremely comfortable. Rising on average 1000m in altitude per day, and trekking for up to 20kms or 5 ½ hrs was barely noticed given it felt like almost a treat to be traversing across such varied landscape that started with a rainforest, rose into the moor lands, then up to the more barren and rocky desert. And also the fact that we honestly thought it was going to be tougher.

 

Aurelie standing above the clouds at the end of day 2 (approx 3,700m)

We arrived at Kibo Huts (4,700m) or base camp in extremely good shape and feeling very confident, maybe too confident, that the remaining 1200m scramble to the summit would be taken in our stride.

After arriving at base camp at about 2pm in the afternoon, we had a couple of hours to relax, had dinner at about 6pm, a couple of hours sleep, then we were woken at 11pm to commence to trek to the summit at midnight. This was where the fun commenced!

Having heard some nasty stories about icy, freezing temperatures, we layered up. 10 or 11 layers of thermals and jackets, scarves, beanies, balaclavas the lot. We walked out like the Michelin man, determined not to be affected by the midnight chill, but obviously within 10 minutes we were dripping with sweat. Probably not a good thing, having such wet damp layers of clothing on given what lay ahead, but regardless of this, we ploughed on in the ’hope’ that it would get colder!

The first signs of a struggle came at about 5,300m. Tiredness, lack of energy but most of all the altitude was starting to take its toll, especially on Aurelie and Cherie. Shane seemed to be catching flies or doing something along these lines to keep himself interested, but whatever it was, it was working as he certainly wasn’t showing any signs of weariness.

The wall was hit at Gilman’s Point. 5,600m, still pitch black, apparently the point of no return. However the impact of the altitude hit and disillusionment started to sink in and this point was about to be renamed the point of return!

Aurelie felt dizzy, lethargic, her lungs were tied in a knot and she was feeling faint, like she was going to fall at any moment. The unknown and uncomfortable sensations were leading her to feel like she wanted to go back down.

After a barrage of inspiration, and a helping hand from the guide, we ploughed on and surpassed Stella Point at 5800m! With the summit now in sight, we made the scramble up the last kilometre or so, a rise of 100m and reached Uhuru Peak, the summit of Mt Kili, to shouts of exhilaration, well from Shane anyway. Aurelie and Cherie seemed to be in a state of initial shock at what they had just achieved!

 

Overjoyed at having finally reached Uhuru Peak - the summit of Mt. Kili

Altitude sickness and lethargy however, surprisingly disappeared as soon as the summit was reached. The view from this point with glaciers to the left, and the sun rising out of the clouds on the right over Mawenza mountain was absolutely spectacular. It definitely made all the effort worthwhile and a memory that will remain with us for a long time.

Post mortem was that Aurelie and Cherie were in agreement that this was the toughest mental and physical test that they had to endure. Tougher than any marathon that either of them had completed. Shane was not convinced but was happy to admit that it was certainly not easy…very much an understatement!!
 

Finally...our two guides and us are exhausted but delighted to have made it!

With Kili out the way, we wasted no time getting a flight to Zanzibar. We had heard that it was paradise and it did not disappoint. We stayed in a place called Nungwi, on the northern tip of the island. With the turquoise waters, incredible under water life, the opportunity to watch the sunset into the ocean on a nightly basis with a soothing bevy or two to celebrate the achievement of the previous week, this really was a perfect way to get over the Kili climb.

Cooling off with a refreshing dip in one of Zanzibars beautiful beaches

By far and away the highlight of the week was taking the chance to swim side by side with pods of dolphins off one of the islands reefs. We were able to touch them we were that close and watching them swim underneath us and bouncing up around us in their natural environment was one of the most surreal experiences we’ve had.

Shane getting up close and personal to a pod of dolphins

After 5 nights in Zanzibar, we said our goodbyes to Cherie who had spent the best part of a month with us.

Now it’s time to move on down into the heart of Africa. First stop is Malawi.

Let the good times roll on……

Kenya/Tanzania - Maasai Mara and much more!

The big 5 animals of Africa in one day…it doesn’t get much better!!

It’s not often that you have experiences that you’ll still be talking about in 30 years time but the last couple of weeks of adventure certainly fits into this category…and Mt Kiliminjaro climb has not even commenced!

Our last week in Kenya included welcoming Shane’s sister  to Africa with a trek up the Ngong Hills, a return visit to Hell’s gate, the home of the Lion King, a Hippo Safari tour around Lake Naivasha and an incredible 4 day safari to Maasai Mara. We then moved onto to Tanzania and went straight to the world heritage listed Ngorongoro Crater before seeing our first glimpse of Mount Kiliminjaro where we arrived for the Mt Kili marathon…it’s been a big couple of weeks!

Having seen so much as far as wildlife and scenery goes in our 6 weeks in Kenya, there was only one thing missing…a proper safari to one of Africa’s globally renowned game parks. A trip to Maasai Mara, Africa most famous game park, provided us with this opportunity and it certainly did not disappoint! 

We arrived in Maasai Mara for an afternoon game drive where we immediately come face to face with elephants, buffalos and a pack of lions. This was incredible, however it got better!

Day 2 was the big day for us. We set out with the objective of seeing the big five animals of Africa…Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo and Leopard. This goal however was pretty optimistic given even our tour guide had not seen the big 5 in one day for 6 months!
 

Watching on closely as a pack of lions devour a buffalo

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a pack of 15 Lions devouring a buffalo that had been killed the previous day. The lions strolled past our vehicles at a distance as close to a couple of metres, almost incognisant to us even being there. Great start to the day!

 

Next up was the buffalo and enormous elephants leisurely making their way around their natural habitat. We also crossed paths with an abundance of other wildlife including wildebeests, gazelles, antelopes, ostriches, eagles, zebras and warthogs! We also spotted two big cheetahs shading themselves under a tree just before lunch which was brilliant. However, the nocturnal and very rarely seen leopard and rhino remained elusive.

After lunch we bumped into a pack of hippos before catching wind that there was a leopard close by. As our safari van pulled up the leopard, which had been sleeping up in a tree had awoken, and literally strolled along next to our vehicle. This can be a very dangerous situation as the leopard when disturbed can get very aggressive, given how close we were this could have got ugly.

Leopard aggressively stalking the vehicles...scary stuff!!

 

Fortunately it did nothing more than pose for us before and give us a lasting memory for disappearing back into the forest.

 

Within 5 minutes of seeing the leopard our guide spotted a black rhino! There are only 40 of these left in the whole park and they are almost never seen here. We got very, very lucky here as this big beast crossed through the terrain and right in front of our vehicle…incredible finish to a magic day in the national park!

The enormity of the rhinos made for impressive viewing! 

The evening was spent visiting the maasai mara local community where we learned of their culture and traditions. Very interesting to say the least! One local we spoke to said his father had 6 wives and he had 39 siblings. Still not sure how he remembers all their names! Marriages here are set up by the father who sells off his daughter for as little as two cows! Amazing to see that these sort of archaic tradition where women are sold as commodities still exists!

Day 3 was another fantastic game drive in Maasai Mara before moving onto to Lake Nakuru, the home of the pink flamingo and white rhino, for day 4. The beauty of this place with the surrounding wildlife was breathtaking. Our Maasai Mara experience proved to be one phenomenal adventure!

 

The beauty and variety of wildlife on display in Lake Nakuru

 

We then parted Kenya on route to Tanzania. First stop was the world heritage listed Ngorongoro Crater.

First taste of Tanzania...overlooking the somewhat dry Lake Manyara

The world’s biggest volcanic crater (no longer active) which inside the crater hosts a game park of wildlife including lions, rhinos, elephants, hippos, flamingos, zebra and buffalo's. Truly a magnificent sight! We also spent a day hiking up and inside an adjoining crater. 

 Shane and our maasai guide Daniel looking down into the enormous crater

 

The ngorongoro experience was an experience! Memorable for many things including a sleepless night camping under the stars surrounded by the unknown wildlife. Shane told his sister that we were going to give her a taste of the real Africa, and we certainly got this on this on this adventure!

 

Camping in the middle of  Ngorongoro national park...whose idea was this?!

 

Our first glimpse of Mt Kilimanjaro (Mt Kili) was next. After being a little weary from our expeditions, we moved onto Moshi, a town that sits at the base of the mountain. The aura of the mountain seemingly quickly recharged our batteries, which was fortunate given Aurelie and Cherie were running the half marathon the next day! Shane once again complained of a calf injury and was not prepared to risk doing further damage 2 days before the Kili Climb (soft!!)

Blue sky and sunshine greeted runners, so did the hills! This course was tough. One of the toughest half marathon circuits you could find! 10.5km uphill, 10.5km down! Somehow the local Kenyan and Tanzanian athletes flew around the course. There was also a big contingent of white runners. We saw more white people running than we have in the previous 6 weeks!

Aurelie looking fresh and in full flight (must have been a downhill section!)

Aurelie was rapt to be first white female in a time of 1 hr 37 mins. Cherie also could not have been happier with her time of 2 hrs 14 mins! By no means a PB for either but very impressive given the layout, altitude, heat (30 degress by 9am!) and difficulty of the course.
 

Aurelie very pleased to have the kili half marathon out of the way!

After a couple of celebratory drinks and a day acclimatising, it's time to take on the climb of Mount Kili!

Can’t wait!!

 

Kenya - Slums to Paradise!

From one extreme to another!

From the slums of Kibera….

…to the paradise of a 5 star resort on the Indian Ocean!

It really has been a diverse couple of weeks but a couple of weeks that we‘ve thoroughly enjoyed.

Having completed our month volunteering at the Orphanage we spent the last couple of days in Ngong visiting some of the other aide programs in the area. This included a day at a women’s HIV centre which has been established to educate, support and provide a future for women with HIV.

We also joined the founders of an organisation called Unity for Parity which provides food and assistance to those sheltering in KiberaSlums. Our day at Kibera Slums was a big eye opener. It is the 2^nd biggest slum in the world and consists of an area spread over 2.5km with close to 2.5m people. Homes are made from tin shelters, mud, garbage or whatever other materials they can get their hands on to provide a roof over their heads. Even after having been in Kenya for over a month now, seeing some pretty shocking sites throughout this time, the enormity and desperation within this place still knocked us around a little! 

 Typical Kibera...slums on one side, garbage on the other...not a pretty sight!

While providing food to some of the residents, they openly shared their struggles. The most interesting of these was a character named Sebastian. He was in his mid 70’s and has lived in the slums all his life. No electricity, no T.V, no comforts, just a 3m x 3m mud shack with a little bed in the corner! Quality of life obviously has little meaning but somehow he continues to survive and continues to smile!

 The effervescent Sebastian enjoying our visit!

 We also learnt the importance of avoiding flying brown paper bags! With no sanitation to speak of, and the smell being horrific as a result, apparently it is common that ‘waste’ is simply deposited into a brown paper bag and launched in any direction. Fortunately we escaped without being hit by one of these little flying missiles!

We also visited a couple of the children’s schools in the area which have been set up to provide an education to those who wouldn’t be able to afford schooling otherwise. 

The kids at JPK Children's School in typical jovial spirits!

The highlight was spending an afternoon with one of our running friends Julius Kimtai (Commonwealth Games and international marathoner) who proudly invited us into his home for a chai (Kenyan cup of tea). He introduced us to his family and showed us around the school that he had built over here called Mary Hill School (named after a school that he ran past every morning during his many years living and competing in the UK). 

 

Mary Hill School children look a little shocked to see a couple of white folks!

We were also fortunate to be invited for dinner to one of our maasai friends Tony. We’ve constantly been overwhelmed with how welcoming and friendly these people have been to us.   

The last couple of weeks with our Kenyan running group has also been incredible. Apart from the intense training regime that they have put us through (Shane has struggled constantly complaining of soreness, hip one day, calf the next…old age has kicked in!!), we’ve enjoyed the camaraderie and passion with which they approach each session.

They are a great group of people these athletes and we look forward to running with them again in the future.

A friendly running group...not sure if we stand out at all!!

The highlight socially was enjoying an after run chai one morning in the home of Sally Barsosio, a superstar over here who among her many accomplishments on the international stage finished 4^th in the 10,000m at both Sydney and Athens Olympic games.

A rare sight...Shane striding out without breaking down injured!

We then set off toward the Indian Ocean for 5 days of R&R in a small beach town called Malindi. Unbeknown to us, the area was inhabited by a large Italian community. Here we did very little but put the feet up and enjoy the comforts of the pool and the resort that we were staying in. We did spend a day on a boat snorkelling in what was some incredible underwater marine life. The marine life from what we’ve seen was rated 3^rd only to probably the Great Barrier Reef and Red Sea off the coast of Egypt for variety of fish and coral. Beautiful location and great day out.

The beauty of the beaches of Malindi

 

From here we’re back to Nairobi to meet Shane’s sister, throw the backpacks on and commence our voyage through Africa. It starts with 6 day safari before heading down to Tanzania for the Mt Kilimanjaro half marathon on the 3^rd March followed by an epic climb of the biggest mountain in Africa…can’t wait!!

Kenya - the local experience

The last couple of weeks have been full of astonishing encounters.

This attractive looking buffalo was the 1st of the big five spotted in the wild

We've settled comfortably into our newly adopted Kenyan lifestyle, with time spent at the orphanage, continued exploration of the breathtaking surroundings and commenced running daily with the Kenyans..they really are freaks of athletes!!

4th February was D-day for the orphanage that we are working at. This was the date of the inspection by child government officers to become an officially registered children's home which ultimately went extremely well. This deadline provided a great incentive to complete various projects. Shane kept his carpentry skills up to date by building a shelf in the boys’ room so that they could put their clothes away. We also continued with gardening and assisting with the daily chores, spent quality time with the kids and made sure to learn all their names (still struggling with this!!). Football is the main topic of conversation between Shane and the boys even though they all support Manchester Utd (Shane is an Arsenal fan), whilst the younger girls are constantly all over Aurelie trying to braid her hair. We think that we'll be satisfied leaving knowing that we've made some sort of impression on Faraja childrens home.

Little Kefa is definitely one of Shane's favourites at the Orphanage 

Our explorations have also continued. A trip to Lake Navaisha for a couple of days was a big highlight.The trip included an early morning boat safari which provided some close encounters with a number of hippos and Naivasha's wide variety of birdlife. It also took us to Crescent Island, a private game sanctuary, where we got up close and personal to zebras, wildebeests, buffalos, gazelles, antelopes, waterbuck and giraffes in their natural environment.

 A couple of hippos shying away from the attention

From here, we rented a couple of bikes and made our way to Hells Gate National Park (setting for The Lion King movie). Our 20km bike ride took us past flocks of zebras, gazelles, warthogs, and baboons. 

 

A flock of Zebras stirred up by our presence 

A young Massai guide also took us on a spectacular gorge walk and introduced us to the Massai culture. We were told that Hell's Gate National park not too long ago attracted the attention of US Movie Makers. Parts of the movie "Tomb Raider II" staring Angelina Jolie were shot here. When we asked this local chap if he met Angelina, he said yes, but he was young and all he remembered was that she had big 'lips'...funny man!

A little ray of sunlight lit up this pretty impressive Gorge

A climb up Mount Longonot was next. A dormant volcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha. The 3.5km climb to the craters rim was challenging but beautiful. From there we hiked the 7.5km around the crater which provided spectacular views of the surrounding plains of the Great Rift Valley. Inside the crater (diameter 1.6 km) was an impenetrable forest, unfortunately no lava bubbling below in this volcano!

Aurelie standing proudly on the upper rim of the Volcano at in excess of 2700m

Being based in Ngong, we were due for a hike up the well renowned Ngong Hills. Although the Ngong Hills are made of four peaks, we could only make it to the second one for security reasons. Many hikers have reported being robbed or mugged on the southern hills over the last few years. However the views all round were magnificent, making the effort (and concern) worthwhile.

We also spent a day exploring Maasai Land, which included 5.15am start and a 9 1/2 hour hike to the summit of a mountain immersed at the heart of the savanna. Tony, our local Maasai guide, took us through an unbeaten path, past wandering cattle, concerned goats and distant giraffes. We also said hello to Maasai locals and visited an isolated Maasai school. The kids appeared to be both exited and scared to see ‘mzungus - white people. The hike to the top was very rewarding and offered a breathtaking 360 degree view of the surrounding mounts and hills.

 

Shane, Ben, Aurelie and Tony soaking up 360 degree views across the savana

The way back turned out to be tough! The sun was now at its highest, and with our water bottles empty and throbbing feet from the hike across uneven surface, the finish of this adventure could not come quick enough!

We've also fortunately discovered that Ngong is the training home to a number of Kenya’s top distance runners, including marathon world record holder Patrick Makau. Seemingly, Ngong is very good for training because it offers the advantage of both high altitude training around Ngong, and lower altitude training down into Maasai land which allows higher quality speed work.

One of the highlights of Aurelie’s Kenyan experience thus far has been her now daily training sessions with a group of Olympic, international and developing Kenyan athletes.
 

 Aurelie mixing it with Kenyan's elite distance runners on an early morning run

Aurelie had a restless sleep the night before her first early morning training session which was meant to be a 10km 'cruise' that turned into 18km of torture! However, she's now adapted to the altitude here (approx 2,000m) and looks forward to kicking off the day trying to keep up with the Kenyans as they traverse across the rocky, red clay, dirt tracks. Rio 2016...lookout!!

Our orphanage campaign concludes this week and our travels re-commence. Malindi (beach town on the Indian Ocean), Maasai Mara safari and the arrival of Shane's sister await over the next couple of weeks.
 

Exciting times continue!

Kenya - First taste of Africa

Welcome to Africa!!

 

It's not every day that you get to pat a cheetah!! 

From the South of France to Nairobi, Kenya…it’s difficult to imagine that there could be a bigger contrast from almost every perspective.

Our first 10 days in Africa has comprised of an introduction to some of the poverty and harsh realities of African life, some hard work, a bit of culture shock and already some magical scenery and exploration.

After 3 great weeks with Aurelie’s parents recharging our batteries over Christmas and New Year, we’ve thrown the backpacks on again and parted for Africa. First up on our African itinerary was a month in Kenya, volunteering at a local orphanage called Faraja Children's Home, situated 40 minutes from Nairobi (capital of Kenya) in a village called Ngong.

Upon our arrival, we were immediately introduced to our Kenyan host family. Four other volunteers (all females), two of whom were volunteering on a HIV/AIDS program and the other two were volunteering at a different orphanage in the area, were also staying with us. Bunks beds, no hot water, no oven or microwave, a diet of beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and seven girls with Shane under one roof is going to make this a very interesting month!

With seemingly no time to waste, we were taken to Faraja, a 3 bedroom orphanage, barely bigger than our house in Sydney. It is home to 38 children aged between 2 - 17. We had very little idea of what to expect and arrived with an open mind but the intensity and extent of the poverty that we were confronted with shocked us! All the kids have been left homeless due to either not having parents alive or violent upbringings. Some of the stories that we have heard throughout this first week in Africa have been quite horrific!

Aurelie carb loading on 'Githeri' - a traditional Kenyan meal

In spite of this, our first impression of the kids really has been one of amazement. They greeted us with massive smiles, high fives, hugs and welcomed us into their home. You wouldn’t have believed that they were in the situation that they were. We also got a great appreciation for what kids of a very young age in this environment can do! All kids have their daily chores with kids as young as 3 and 4 years old scrubbing floors, hand washing clothes, gardening, cleaning and basically fending for themselves. Not surprisingly there is not a semblance of a mobile phone, an ipod or a DS in sight!

 

Afternoon chores...Joy, Nancy and Theresia hand washing the kids clothes

Inspired by this, it was time to role up our sleeves. There’s no shortage of projects that need doing so we will certainly be kept busy throughout our stay. The first week or so has included digging out a vegie patch, cleaning, painting doors, building a shoe shelf to house 38 pairs of gumboots, and a large bookshelf for their education area. Shane who has had the help of another Australian Johnny (carpenter from Melb), were pretty happy with their handy work given everything was done by hand as power tools seemingly don‘t exist in this part of the world…!

 

Shane, Johnny and a dozen carpentry apprentices showing off their handy work!

Our exploration of what Africa has to offer is also under way. We spent a full day visiting animal orphanages around Nairobi. First up was the chance to feed a giraffe. We discovered that it was not only there necks that were enormous…their tongues were also pretty big too! We then visited an elephant orphanage housing baby elephants whose parents had been attacked by poachers. We got close enough to touch them and pat their heads.

 

 Aurelie getting up close and personal with a baby elephant

We also squeezed in a visit to a local park in Nairobi where we were covered by little monkey’s, very cute these little guys and certainly not shy!

 

Shane, Aurelie and a couple of curious locals flocked by monkeys

The ultimate in our animal adventuring was a refuge for all varieties of African animals. We had the pleasure of seeing Buffalo’s, hyena’s, baboons, lions feeding, leopards and last but not least cheetahs. As we strolled around, Shane was tapped on the shoulder and asked, any interest in patting a cheetah?! After coming to an ‘arrangement’, and being assured that she was a friendly cheetah, next thing we knew, we were walking straight into the cage where we camped down next to the big cat and gave her a little tickle behind the ears! Money really does talk in this part of the world, that’s for sure!

Having met an inspirational 22 year old American who has made Kenya his home over the past 18 months, we decided to take him up on his offer of an exploration of the local Savanna. Being already impressed by the beauty of the surrounds, midway into the hike, we were presented with a flock of at least a dozen Giraffes in their natural environment only 10 minutes from where we are staying! They towered above us from a distance of less than 10 metres away and surprisingly, they seemed just as intrigued with us as we were with them!

Aurelie, Tony, Shane and a curious observer in the Savanna!

Amazing stuff and a great taste of what’s install over these next 3 months here!

Another busy couple of weeks ahead at the orphanage. We’ve also got a couple of little adventures coming up combined with the task of tracking down some Kenyan athletes…exciting times!!