Clarification for Ol Bets

Jambo jambo lovely people. Am just off a night ferry from Zanzibar Island to Dar Es Salaam. I have no photos of the island ready to post, and am too tired to write anything...so consider this a check in. All is well.

My mom says I need to clarify a few things.
"Pole Pole" = slowly, slowly
"Pole sana" = sorry

And to the Bethune...hows this for a blog update? 6 liner.

Pole Pole Up Kilimanjaro

It is Friday now, and arriving home Tuesday from the 6 day climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro has left myself and my two other climbing companions in bits. That being said, it was one of the best things I have ever done...

Last Thursday morning, Kessy Brothers Company came to the hostel and collected Maura, Amanda, and me, our rucksacks filled with the closest things we had to mountain gear, and our un-aching bodies. After a brief stop at the office to pick up our guides, Joseph, Paul, and Mathias, and a surprise 4th companion, whom we’ll call Hector, we headed towards Kili.

Arriving at the gate of the Machame route, we picked up 12 porters, signed our names and passport numbers, and started the ascent. Day one was much like a hike at Bennet Springs State Park; the whole way a somewhat clear path. 6 hours of a fairly steady incline later, we arrived at our first campsite drenched first in sweat followed by an hour of hard rain. I ate my first Kili-cooked dinner, not realizing that my appetite would only be decreasing onward from that point.

And so the next day we continued our climb through the seven layers of the candy cane forest...actually it was a climb through 4 or 5 quite visibly different micro-climates, but the words of Elf would not leave my head. Day two was 4 hours of proper rock climbing, putting us at our next campsite in time for a hot lunch and then a short acclimatization walk that afternoon.

Day three was the real acclimatization day, as we hiked up to approximately 13,000 feet, then back down to 12 something thousand feet to camp. Our guide, Joseph, whom we quickly deemed big Joe, had to have been in his late forties and part mountain goat. It actually was ridiculous how fast he could bound from rock to rock all over the mountain.

Day four: The Breakfast Wall: Dun Dun Dunnnn...

It is called the breakfast wall because the breakfasts of many climbers revisit either during or shortly after the wall has been conquered. Because my guide had properly petrified me, I was expecting the worst and actually ended up enjoying it...minus the whole drop-off of X amount of feet below me. At the top of the breakfast wall was a perfect view of the summit, then came another 2 hour hike down into a gorge and back out again to the top for hot lunch. It was at this site that we said goodbye to our Hector. He had been relatively sick the last several days, but hypothermia and fluid in the lungs finally sent him down the mountain in a stretcher bag carried by 5 of our porters.

And then there were three...for one more three hour hike up to the camp where we would have one more rest before the final summit climb of almost 4,000 feet.

5:00 pm: Arrived at campsite after 8 hour day
6:30 pm: Forced myself to eat plain pasta despite altitude nausea setting in
7:30 pm: Went to bed with 5 layers of pants and 7 layers of tops
11:00 pm: “Woke up” with approximately 50 minutes of sleep in my system to begin the 8 hour hike of steady incline, in the dark, over large rocks and loose gravel, to the summit
3:00 am: Start to feel sick
6:00 am: Mathias, my guide, starts asking if I want to go back down.
7:00 am: Found myself and the sun above the clouds
7:01 am: Was too sick to care
7:30 am: Another guide from another company was pouring some powder down my throat.
8:00 am: Arrive at summit. Totally worth it...alll 20,000 feet of it

8 hours up, and two hours back down to the campsite. How so fast you may ask? We skied. On snow you may ask? Oh no. On gravel. Had I not felt more sick than I have ever felt before, I would have enjoyed big Joe taking me by the arm to do a cross between monkey walking, and skiing down the mountain on loose gravel... but if there EVER was a time for “POLE POLE JOE!!” that was it...

We had a quick nap at the campsite, and down we walked. 4 hours later and on basically no sleep for almost 2 days, we arrived at the final campsite. Dinner was quick and quiet, and bedtime shortly followed. I. Slept. Like. A. Baby.
3 hours down on Tuesday, and just like that I had finished my Kilimanjaro experience. As the bottom of the mountain came closer, none of us were ready to leave it...quite a different song and dance from two nights before...

Once again, I have failed miserably to condense any amount of my writing, but will go ahead and leave you with a few things that the mountain has taught me.

Mountains are big, particularly Kilimanjaro. 6 days of no running water gives you a whole new appreciation for nature’s abundance of lavatories. If you are to fall down, pretend you need a second to recover, and consider it a bonus rest. It is okay to drink mountain stream water, if your purification tablets make it taste like a swimming pool. When hiking to a summit, the only thing you can think of is the 23 Psalm...which is odd because it is certainly not a valley... If and when your guide says “Twende!” (Lets go!), and you say “hapana!” (No), he will look shocked after 4 prior days of hearing you say, “sawa!” (Okay!). If and when your guide also says it is important to shower upon arrival into Moshi because there is dirt on your face...he is probably right. Oh, and after climbing a mountain, locals in town can spot you from a mile away. They will stop you on the street and say “mountain, or safari?” This will happen up to 3 days post your climb. Finally, when you run into your guide the next day in town and say “Pole pole Joe!” for old times’ sake, he will grin from ear to ear, ask how sore your legs are, and then laugh and say “pole sana!”

Immediately Stop What You Are Doing.

1. www.youtube.com
2. Type in "Beyonce Clown"
3. Laugh your head off
4. Pass it on
5. Thank me later

Oh yeah...made it up and down Kilimanjaro...will write more later...am exhausted today. PS: Hey Al...loca loli? And thank you for bringing many youtube wonders to me and the Wahl household

ALERT, ALERT.

No one panic; I just noticed that my pictures of wildebeests did not show up. Make no mistake...migration was a real life sensation, and hands down my favorite part of safari.

Alert, alert again; I leave for a 6 day climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro tomorrow morning. If anyone is in good with the mountain gods...do your thing. Weather gods should be kept happy as well...as March is actually one of 3 months in which it is NOT ideal to climb. Perfect.

Hope all is well...will post pictures of Serengeti soon, but in the meantime, love the wildebeests.

Julie Barry and the Migration Sensation

At school today, my kids asked me what my father’s name was, and the rest is history. I am no longer Julie Wahl, but am Julie Barry, as it is the custom to essentially take on your father’s name in place of a surname…

Day 6 back in Moshi post safari, and I am now appreciating the cold temperatures of the Ngorongoro Crater at nighttime.

Saturday morning, I set out on a four day safari with my friend Maura, three Canadians, our cook, Omari, and our driver/guide, Simbo. We drove about 3 hours to Lake Manyara where we set up tents, ate lunch, and then headed to the lake for our first game drive. At the time, it seemed like there was no way it could be the least impressive of the three locations, what with the elephants, giraffes, flamingos, baboons, antelope, hippos and monkeys almost all within arms reach, but I later learned that no comparison can be made between Manyara, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.

One gamedrive down and after a three course dinner, we hit the hay to get some sleep for our next stop: The Serengeti. 24 hours in the Serengeti made for a gorgeous time, and then we headed to the crater for our final night. Even when driving was not technically a “game drive,” it was in fact, a game drive. The Serengeti and crater seem to run together with wildlife and truly the best scenery I have ever experienced.

It is late at night in Moshi, and the only thing I can do to eliminate 47 years of writing is to compile a list of facts for you.

Fact: When going on Safari with 3 Canadians during a Vancouver Olympics, expect much talk of rivalry and championship hockey.
Fact: Also expect them spend the night in the Serengeti getting text messages of score updates every 10 minutes.
Fact: You will find yourself rooting for their team instead of yours, to ensure an enjoyable time for all post hockey game.
Fact: Baboons are much like squirrels. . . a novelty at first, then you realize they are actually everywhere.
Fact: Lions can be heard in your campsite while sleeping in the Serengeti.
Fact: So can hyenas.
Suggestion: Visit the hole in the ground prior to bedtime to avoid meetings with such animals.
Fact: When traveling with African Scenic Safaris Company, expect a three course meal three times a day.
Fact: This is done sans electricity.
Fact: There really is a Pride Rock in the Serengeti.
Fact: Your guide actually will play the Circle of Life upon arrival.
Fact: It is amazing: even for grown men.
Fact: About 30 leopards can be found in the Serengeti.
Fact: When you hear your guide say “Oh my gosssshhh….” You know it has to be a leopard.
Fact: Hippos are living the life.
Fact: The beginning of the Serengeti has a lookout point, and on this point you can see a million wildebeests in the distance.
Fact: Literally, at least a million.
Fact: Drive thirty minutes and thousands of them will stampede by your car.
Fact: This makes for proper migration sensation.
Fact: There is actually nothing better.
Fact: When camping on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater, place all edible items inside your safari jeep…including toothpaste.
Fact: This will not keep the wild boars from sniffing your tent all night, but it will keep them from coming inside.
Fact: Even when you get used to the sound of the boars and feel comfortable opening your tent for a peek at the Pumbas…beware.
Fact: You will come face to face with an enormous buffalo 7 feet away.
Fact: You will dive back into your tent, laugh hysterically, kind of want your mom, then hear it come and breathe fire onto your tent.
Fact: Never in your life will you want sunrise breakfast to arrive so quickly.
Fact: The Ngorongoro Crater is unfathomable.
Fact: Everything can be seen when at the bottom..elephants, lions, cheetahs, hippos, flamingos, antelope, crocs, rhinos, you name it.
Fact: When tracking a lion in the crater it is easy for your guide to overlook the rhino straight ahead.
Fact: When you slap him on the head with excitement he will indeed notice the rhino.
Fact: Safari is definitely all it is cracked up to be.

Kwaheri!