Imara Kama Simba (Strong like Lion)

2/7/17

Yesterday, Corrine and I completed the six day Marangu trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro! Ah! Spoiler alert...we made it. 

It was a successful trek to say the least. We were accompanied by our guide, Michael, and assistant guide, Julius, who coined us Team Simba early on because we were "strong like lion". Little did we know we would be repeating this and "imara Kama Simba" throughout the trek... it also happens to be a beer slogan here. Aaaanyways, it stuck and it became our way of checking in and keeping up the morale on our journey. 

Along with Michael and Julius, our crew included a cook, server, and four porters. The porters, in particular, are incredible... these guys haul up to 15 kilos on their back of all our junk and food so that we can get along with only a light daypack...  makes you feel pretty pathetic watching these men balance huge baskets on their heads and packs on their backs smiling as they say "jambo" in passing and motor it up the mountain past you while you carry your water and a few extra layers of clothes. Jaw drop. 

 

 

The first day of kili we hiked 3-4 hours through the jungle terrain to Mandara hut at 8,924 feet. We were excited so naturally started walking at a quick pace and were reminded to go "pole pole", or slowly, as we climbed to allow our bodies time to acclimate. We stopped about half way for our boxed lunch of fried chicken, banana, egg, chocolate cookies, and mango juice and watched as several blue monkeys swung above us in the trees.

The Blue Monkey - saw several of these the first day 

 

A handful of groups greeted us on their way down the mountain, all of which looked crazy happy and weathered (some serious sun burns) and would tell us good luck and how wonderful it was (not that the anticipation wasn't already crazy high). We started talking to two American men who were two of three in their originally eleven person group to make it to the top (yikes!). They encouraged us to take our Diamox, an altitude sickness medication Corrine and I both made sure to get from our doctors beforehand. Apparently the three that made it to the top were the ones who took the meds. I also found out the older gentleman we talked to was a doctor who does annual medical mission trips in Tanzania. After digging a little deeper I found out he was born in Eugene!! Small world. We ended up exchanging information. Hearing about his organization really got me excited, something about volunteer travel medicine... I hope to pursue this much more! In fact, I am really looking forward to my time in Kampala (Uganda) because shortly before departing from the States I was introduced to a couple in Indio who co-founded a non-profit organization, Loving One by One Ministries, and are currently looking to add medical providers to their volunteer team! I will be connecting with the founder in Kampala and hopefully can offer some assistance- if not now, in the future! Crazy connections... really makes you believe things happen for a reason. This initial interaction with the couple in Indio was in a Costco parking lot (so random), my moms choir teacher and husband, and one thing led to another... and yeah, ah I get goosebumps. This was after I researched medical missions online for hours and came up with nothing at the right time or in the right place and had basically given up...

But back to Kili...We reached camp that day to find tea, coffee and popcorn waiting for us as well as two buckets of hot water for washing. We feel SO lucky because about 10 mins after settling in for Milo and Africafe it started pouring...I'm talking the kind of rain that has you drenched in seconds. Seriously counted my blessings this whole trip. Also- flushing toilets the whole Marangu route... whaaat!? I was prepared for the worst. 

Mandara hut, night 1

Mandara and Horombo huts looked like this with four beds to a room

A typical dinner would include a broth and bread starter, fried potatoes of some kind, slaw, fried chicken, and fruit

The second day we got an early start toward our second destination, Harombo hut (12,240 ft) where we would stay two nights and again later after attempting summit. This is where the extra research paid off; we chose a 6 day versus 5 day route that would allow an extra day with one shorter hike up and back to allow more time to acclimate. Stats online coupled with witnessing our Aussie and Chilean friends struggle on their 5 day treks, pointed in the direction that this extra day was a game changer if not THE game changer. By our forth day, after trekking the five hours to Kibo hut at 15,520 feet, several of our new friends suffered from insomnia, headaches, nausea, etc. One gentleman in particular, an Aussie whose son and friend were also along for the trek, curled up in his sleeping bag late afternoon and told the guides he wouldn't be making it because he felt "shit". Our Norwegian friends offered him diamox to take then and and again before the ascent at midnight and somehow, he woke up ready to rock. I found out later his son Jordan and friend Ethen weren't so lucky. 

Taken on our acclimitization hike with view of Mawenzi Peak.

We thought it would be funny to take photos throughout the trek posing as Simba and Rafiki on Pride Rock... More gems to come. Our guides loved it.
 TEAM SIMBA.

To be continued...Off to the Ngorongoro Crater to see some crazy wildlife. 

Ps. Shoutout to my mom whose birthday is today! Love you so much and hope you rest soundly knowing we are safe and healthy. Looking forward to celebrating both yours and dad's bdays in March. 

Also happy birthday to my twin cousins Matthew and Julia who turn 11 today ❤

The Road to Moshi

The Road to Moshi

Corrine and I woke up bright and early this morning to pack up and head downtown to take the Riverside shuttle to Moshi, Tanzania our starting point to begin our Kilimanjaro ascent. Along the road we have seen farmers working in their fields wearing their traditional bright colored cloths, we've seen several stray donkeys, lots of cattle, and we've stoped for a herd of goats crossing the street. We have encountered all sorts of landscapes from the flat savannah, to large beautiful mountains comparable to Oregon, to the occasional town or small mini mart and larger towns like Arusha buzzing with excitement as women sell fruits or garments on the street, children in uniforms walk home from school, and UGH I have about 200 mosquito bites that just interrupted my train of thought. 

As I write this we are 36 kilometers away from Moshi and I feel like a little kid Christmas morning waiting for Kili to appear. Although it looks as though it could be lost in the clouds, I read that there is usually a window of time in the mornings and evenings it clears up enough to see the snow covered summit. I'm excited. My body knows something crazy is about to happen. Weeks and weeks of planning, reading blogs, REI trips, emailing with the treking company, medical visits, Skype sessions with Corrine, and of course a Costco Trip to find the perfect energy bar and trek mix and it is finally here. Dun dun da dun duh daaaaaa!! 

We begin our day at 8am tomorrow with a 45min bus ride to the entrance gates. Of the seven routes up the mountain, we chose the 6-day Marungu route which is one of the oldest, more popular routes and the only one with A frame type huts along the whole trek. Watching the weather forecast I'm particularly thankful we ended up choosing this route as we expect daily rain and snow near the top. Temperatures look pretty good though, ranging from upper teens at the top but we should be in the 30s-40s for a good portion of the climb. 

Corrine wrote me a note before this trip, it said "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional", perhaps a mantra for kili she says. Lots of truth there. And maybe I'll go back on saying this, but I'm READY for this, I'm ready for all of it. I'm excited to be sore and heavy legged in the morning. I can't waiiit to venture through several different ecosystems and have long conversations with our guides, porters and the other trekkers sharing our camps. I love the idea of pushing my body to its limits and always have. This climb, is one of the most, if not the most, influential reasons I came to East Africa... and I'm going to take in all of it. Bring it on.

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Seestah Seestah come look!

After a delicious brunch at J's in the Westlands, we decided to check out The caryo market nearby suggested by lonely planet. We called an Uber and arrived to a block of wooden stalls with several vendors selling handy trinkets from bottle openers to candle holders, beautifully painted stools (one with a zebra design I loved), paintings of all kinds, jewelry of all kinds, beaded sandles, and vibrant colored clothing, many of which, were inspired by the Masai or local wildlife. 

Vendors were fairly aggressive but all friendly and interested in us as well. As we passed each stall is was nearly

Impossible to get away without going into one. "Seestah Seestah come look", they would say and If you spent a little too much time looking at one item next thing you know it's in your hand with a similar piece and the vender is trying to sell you a bundle deal starting at a cost at least 3x its worth. One man, who told us to call him MM, spent twenty minutes or more going through his canvas paintings with us and teaching us some Swahili animal names and common sayings. He was very kind and a little less pushy than others. Corrine was able to barter from 4500 schillings to 1500 for two paintings. 

 

The exchange went something like this: MM wrote down the first price on a piece of paper and Corrine countered saying no, 1500, he would then cross it off and write Hapana! Meaning 'no' in Swahili and eagerly push his pen into Corrine's hand so she would write down a counter offer until "ndio" was scribbled onto the piece of paper, meaning 'yes'! I was impressed by Corrine's bartering skill as she never wavered from 1500 even after he insisted she meet him half way. Eventually he caved. Taking notes... 

We did not bring much money out to the market that day so when I fell in love with a larger twiga, or giraffe, painting I asked if they were open before we left on Tuesday. He said no but insisted we could find a way to pay and I hesitantly started to negotiate price... I was able to barter down from a 9500 start price to 2500 schillings. Which I was pretty proud of but then he scribbled hapana and 2700 instead which would include fair back for his brother who would uber to Kilimani with us for me to pay him! Ha! Unfortunately I only had 3000 and he, of course, did not have change but rest assured that I am helping the local community and economy (hopefully)... And I'm sure these happy, new experiences and memories will come back every time I look at it In my new apartment. 

I left the market that day with a giraffe print bottle opener and soap dish, the giraffe painting and a needlework canvas piece. Later when checking out the Masai market in Kilamani I would add another painting to the collection of a ndovu I'll be happily giving as a gift. It was at the Masai market that we also made friends with a younger group of male vendors who told me I would be worth 100 cattle and 2 hyenas "for security"... so I'll be telling my future husband this one day and he better pay up. 

My forever expanding Swahili vocabulary list includes:

Jambo= hello

Karibu (karibuni) = welcome (welcome all) 

Asante (Sana) = thank you (very much)

Hapana (Asante)= no (thanks)

Ndio= Yes

Mazungu= basically a white person

Twiga = Giraffe 

Ndovu= elephant 

Chewi= cheetah 

Simba= lion

Rafiki = friend

Nala = gift ... noticing a theme here?

Ganga = Kenyan bird 

Harambe = (on the crest)

Hakuna Matata (but of course we knew this one) = it means no worries, for the rest your daysssss.. it's our problem free philosophy you know. 

Nairobi Eats

Corrine and I have made a fun routine of waking up with the sun (jet lags fault but I don't mind), relaxing for a few hours in the morning, and then walking or running the mile or so to the YaYa center where we have found a tasteful Java house. It seems to be a popular place for Americans and other tourists to get breakfast, or pastries or even milkshakes and lunch. We have learned tipping is not really a thing here and we can get a good coffee for 2-3,00 schillings. Everything is pretty inexpensive here. 

Brunch at J's

By Oyana's suggestion we have eaten at (and gone back to) J's Fresh Bar and Kitchen in the Westlands for both brunch and lunch. It's an adorable hip restaurant with outdoor seating encircled in hanging plants and succulents, with great background music, friendly staff, and DELICIOUS food. I was especially excited by their fresh passion juice I had with my avo smash brunch of two poached eggs with feta and coriander on a rocket (which is like arugula that I unfortunately had to pick off) all on sourdough bread. YUM. 

Lamb, sweet potatoes, and veggies
with mint sauce and fresh passion juice

Here we befriended our waitress Pheobe that we were happy to have on both visits and also made friends with a local couple of transplants who awkwardly saw us reading our lonely planet book at the table. She, a midwife from Belgium, runs her own busy private practice here so I obviously had to pick her brain a little. I found out it took her over a year for her licensing to be approved, and another three months of essentially free work to prove that her practice was up to code in Kenya..she said it was ridiculous but now is obviously happy she did so. She had fallen in love with her man in Nairobi 6 years ago traveling and has been here since, how romantic is that!

We have also gone out for incredible Indian food. Our books, locals, and Oyana suggested this place Open House (also in Westlands) thar definitely lived up to our expectations. We went home with full bellies of garlic naan and chicken Tika masala. 

The grocery store in itself has been a cultural experience. We've found a loaf of bread for about $1, avocados the size of mangos (huuuuge), local beers and spirits sold in a separate room, and produce that is weighed and priced by a grocer before going to check out. I was pleasantly surprised and excited to find a fair amount of health foods from almond milk to gluten free products. Although I stuck with soy milk to add to my coffee in the mornings because a smaller box of almond milk costs about $6 (!) compared to $2. We have also gotten in a habit of buying cokes in the afternoon for about 50 cents... in 85 degree weather, after lots of walking, for some reason nothing sounds better than paired with something salty! In the same mall as the grocery store I've also found a yogurtland equivalent... unfortunately not cheaper than in the states.  

Roadside fruit stand

    

We plan to try a roof top bar called Sakara later today and possibly make it to downtown to the KICC building for a 360 view of the city. Corrine has also been dying to get her hair braided, something that could be very convenient for Kilimanjaro next week. Just a few days left here in Nairobi... 

New friends in Nairobi!

What an amazing few days in Nairobi! We are staying at an airbnb in Kilimani complete with full kitchen, bathroom, fast wifi, bed with mosquito netting, warm water for showers and a beautiful living area shared with other travelers for $15 each a night! Crazy cheap. It's been perfect. We've met a couple from Canada and a couple from Italy who have all been very friendly. 

 

Our first day was spent getting situated exchanging our dollars to Kenyan shillings and walking to the junction to a place called safaricom to set up our phones. A SIM card for my unlocked iPhone and airtime with data bundle for a month was the equivalent of about $25. Yeah... now we can use Uber, that's right Uber (!) for way less than taxis around the area. I feel so lucky to have Oyana as a contact here. She sent us a detailed list places to go- restaurants, sites, and late night places which we have referenced a lot over the last few days. Unfortunately she's out of town in Zambia (wow) for work this week but we have plans to meet her and another friend Mary from Oxy in Diani beach in a few weeks! 

On our second day, Corrine and I took an Uber to the elephant orphanage, which is about a 45 min drive South toward Karen. Every day at 11:00am the baby elephants come to eat and play in the mud. What a site! Corrine and I arrived just in time to watch a line of babies trotting (?) down the hill towards a roped off mud ring where viewers stood. We watched as they were fed with large bottles and frolicked around playing in the mud. At one point a baby stood less than a foot away from me and I was able to feel his rough skin! As we watched we listened to an orphanage worker talk about each elephant, naming them by name, and how it had come to be at the orphanage. Most mothers had died while others had been found in wells or one had been found in been shot in the leg and walked with a pronounced limp. We learned that they stay at the orphanage for at least eight years before being released into the wild.  

 

 

From the elephant orphanage we overheard a couple asking for rides to the giraffe center which is nearby in Karen. We figured we could save some money and make some friends if we joined them. We started talking and quickly found out the girl was originally from Portland! We had lots to talk about, obviously, from Trump to her move to France and basically how she fell in love with living abroad and had no plans of going home anytime soon. We ended up taking a matatu (a small local bus) the 10 mins or so to the giraffe center. 

We paid 1000 schillings (~$10) each to feed, pet and kiss the giraffes (yes, KISS!). We quickly learned that not all giraffes are friendly though, and if we stood close with no food they were very likely to head butt you... which Corrine found out the hard way and I had a couple close calls myself. There were two viewing spots, one was on a high wooden structure that put you face to face with the giraffes while the other was ground level and made you feel extremely small as they towered over you. Corrine and I were probably there two hours- we watched different groups come and go as we just couldn't break away feeding the giraffes small pellets and watching their long blue tongues wrap around our hands. Glad we stayed too because we were able to document some pretty amazing giraffe make out sessions!! Fun fact: giraffes saliva acts as a natural antiseptic so hey, my face was probably almost sterile after the intimate time I shared with Solomon the giraffe. 

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I do my best thinking on airplanes. I don't know if its because it usually marks a transitional period in my life - like when I would fly home to Eugene after completing a grueling semester at Occidental or when I flew to Australia to study abroad for five months with my boyfriend at the time- or rather that it is an uninterrupted time where i cannot "do" and must sit and be present in my thoughts. I know for some people this kind of thought happens in the shower or early mornings when they are fresh. I guess it depends what type of thinking we are talking about. I'm refering to life thoughts and reflection, not academics or solving the worlds problems, which in that case I do believe is done best with coffee and the rising sun. No, I'm talking about analyzing personal goals, accomplishments (or lack there of), relationships and overall wellbeing. I guess what I do on a jet plane resembles what most people do at the end of the year but instead of negatively assessing and creating plans to improve I really just take it all in and process and get excited for what the future holds.
 
Today I'm flying to Nairobi, Kenya with my childhood friend, Corrine. I have a lot buzzing through my mind.. Like I said, it marks a transition time and probably the biggest one I've experienced in my young adult life; in November I finished PA school and in December I took the national board exam and became a certified physician assistant, something I have pretty much worked towards my whole life. I'm excited, nervous, even somewhat scared to start practicing but I know that this was the right path for me. To celebrate I figured something big was in order. Twenty seven months of cramming basically an entire med school education into my head plus a month of board prep and I was ready for break. I decided I wanted to a) go some place drastically different and exotic b) do some kind of trek or outdoors adventuring c) preferably in a warmer climate and d) do some sort of volunteer work. After talking to Corrine, who has previously been to Uganda claiming she had never been happier, and gushing over my friend Oyana`s instagram pictures from Kenya (where she has lived since undergrad), we began scheming an East Africa adventure on a rainy cold day in Eugene at Cafe Yumm.

And here I am with six weeks of exploring Kenya, volunteering in Uganda and hopefully summiting the roof of Africa ahead! Eeeee!!