Our adventures around Africa, including The Great Migration, Kilimanjaro, Kenya, Cape Town, South Africa, Tanzania, and of course the mountain gorillas of Uganda.
Kenya Morocco Namibia Seychelles South Africa Tanzania Uganda
Day 3 on Kilimanjaro
Day 3 dawned beautifully. We had a very leisurely walk from 10,200 to 10,800 and the Kikelewa Cave campsite. We walked ‘pole, pole’ (pronounced pole-ay, pole-ay) … very slowly. Here’s a great explanation of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), and how to acclimatize to prevent it. http://www.ultimatekilimanjaro.com/acclimatization.htm We played “Who Am I?” along the way (one player thinks of a person, the others try to be the first to guess who it is, asking only ‘yes/no’ questions). I even tried…
Day 2 on Kilimanjaro
Day 2 followed what would be our typical schedule so I’ll lay it out in a bit of detail to show what most days were like. Our “Kili alarm clock” went off at 6am… our waiter, Severin, was outside our tent calling out “Hello, Hello” until we unzipped it to retrieve our coffee, tea or hot chocolate from him. We had been awake for awhile as the camp had come to life around 5:30 with other campers packing up. Our…
Day 1 on Kilimanjaro
Our day started with the hearty breakfast buffet at Legendary Lodge in Arusha, including coffee fresh from the plantation. The Lodge is situated on a working coffee plantation; the grounds are lovely, lush and tropical gardens, and the Jacaranda trees were blooming. This coffee is so good that even if you normally drink your coffee with milk and sugar, you don’t need it here. Sweet and chocolatey and rich and yummy. We then set off on a 3 hour drive through…
Meet our Kilimanjaro Team
Have you heard this one? How many Tanzanians does it take to get 4 Dallasites up a mountain? 31. And I am NOT joking. Granted, 2 of those extras were for the Trieb Mahal (more on that later), but even with our best efforts to pack minimally, this little trek takes a VILLAGE to pull off, because what you bring with you as a trekker is just the tip of the iceberg. The porters carried not only our luggage, they…
Pretending we’re still in Africa. Where in the World is Kilimanjaro?
Hi everyone, and thanks for following our adventures, and for all your great comments and encouragement. Real-time blogging about Kili, the Great Migration and the Mountain Gorillas didn’t happen the way we intended, and it has taken us longer than we thought to get ourselves organized enough to catch up on the blog now that we are back home. Sorry about that! But we’re going to ‘turn the clock back’ on the blog and fill you in on our incredible…
We Stood on The Roof of Africa
We made it to the top of Kilimanjaro Monday, the highest point on the African continent. A truly epic adventure, we started summit day at 3am, watched the sun rise over Mawenzi, reached Uhuru – Freedom Peak – at 10am, took pictures on the summit for about 20-30 minutes… at 19,340 feet!!!! – and were back at Kibo Hut Camp at 1pm for lunch. After a quick nap, we headed out again at 3:30pm for a 3 hour hike down…
Up up and away!
It’s hard to leave the beautiful grounds of Legendary Lodge in Arusha (more on that next week!), but we are soooo excited to start our climb up the tallest mountain in Africa….Kilimanjaro! Quick preview: Hiking the Rongai Route Outfitter is Nature Discovery Trip created by Khashana Adventure Travel: www.khashana.com Guide: Pendael Asst Guide: Godlisten Cook: John Waiter: Severin Asst waiter: Musa Campsite manager: Ernest Porters: tbd Day 1: 6500 ft to 9300 ft Day 2: 9300 to 11,300 Day 3:…
Fairlawn’s Boutique Hotel and Spa, Johannesburg
Our first impression of Fairlawn’s was that it was a nice hotel, like a good book with slightly worn but obviously well-loved cover. But we soon came to experience that this is a really special place, and to appreciate and luxuriate in the ‘story’ of this lovely, stately and relaxing sanctuary. Formerly the private estate of the Oppenheimer family, then the private home of now-owners John and Anna Thacker, this 39 room/suite boutique hotel has a serene and calming ambiance…
A first (and a funny) in the Cape Town airport
So, we’ve all seen baggage handlers or porters in the airports, and in Africa, they are ubiquitous. Having quite a few bags between us due to our 3 week Africa trip, plus Kilimanjaro climb, we and the Taylors decided to use the services of a porter in the Cape Town airport. As he’s wheeling our bags through the terminal, he’s talking to us, out of the side of his mouth, in a hushed manner. “You know… the limit for bags,…
Rugby and Sunset on Woodbridge Island, Cape Town, South Africa
We had such a fantastic stay with Mum Taylor on Woodbridge Island, with fantastic views of and access to Cape Town. We were completely spoilt by home cooking and lovely hospitality (we were like kids bringing our laundry home from college!!), and we got to experience the &*$^#($^&# – French-officiated rugby match between the Springboks and the All Blacks… including watching Mum climb up and over the coffee table to escape the living room couch (where she was blocked in)…