Kilimanjaro...

The days were long and tough! For the experience try walking 1-2miles per hour at a 30 degree incline and have someone blast you with a heater for an hour, then spray you with a hose for another hour and lastly drop the temperature to below freezing for an hour...yes all consecutively!
Pole, pole (pronounced po-lay) means slowly slowly. I was utterly sick and tired of that phrase by the time the day of the ascent came! It was quite useful the entire time, though. For 4 days I had an italian couple with me in my group and on Day 5 they decided to call it quits and descend secondary to a headache. (I don't blame them, headaches at altitude are rough)! So Day 5 I walked, pole pole, to Barafu camp with only my guide. That portion of the trek was easy. Upon arrival I was given some food and advice from other climbers. Thanks to my friends from Spain I had some Chamomile tea to settle my belly. At 700pm I went to sleep in preparation for the 1100pm wake up call to summit Kili in all it's glory. I woke, had some tea and biscuits and suited up with headlamp and all!! Half-way up to Stella Point I became nauseated and nothing would settle my belly this time. I lost all of my energy, but pushed on. I ran into my British friends who offered me some energy boosting supplements, but that really had no effect on me. So I struggled and dry heaved all the way up the mountain, to finally reach Stella Point at 5700m!!! AWESOME!!! The sight was amazing!!! I took out my dad's Steeler's hat and snapped a few quick pics...in between the dry heaving...and then quickly began my descent down the mountain. All my energy was spent and I have no idea how I made it back to camp and then 2 hours later to the next camp!!
On my Kili trek I've made some wonderful friends, without their encouragement I would not have made the summit. Also without the music given to me by my brother and sister-in-law and Tim I wouldn't have had the motivation to get from one camp to the next, so thank you!!!

Transit: All signs point to AFRICA!!!

Upon departure from Pittsburgh International Airport I was checked in by a ticket agent originally from Ghana...sign #1!! The next sign was the best...I walk upstairs to the food court area and realize I can purchase a small Ethopian...coffee...for $1.50!! At that point I knew Africa was calling my name!!
The flight was long, but I got to watch Mama Mia!! It was funny and fantastic. I reached the airport in DAR without a problem and said goodbye to the suckers standing in the long queques for their visa...got mine ahead of time and bypassed all that nonsense. Ali my cabby took me to the Scandanavian Express bus station...and I found out the morning bus to Moshi was full!!! YIKES!!! But, T.I.A. (this is africa) and there is always another way. So my helpful taxi driver took me to another station and I purchased a ticket, so tomorrow at 545a I will be on my way to Moshi!! The African adventure has only begun...

And the Journey Begins...

I depart for Africa on December 26th 2008 for an amazing adventure of a culture that is beyond anything I have ever experienced. My adventure begins in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania for only one day and then I depart for Moshi, where I hope to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in 8 days!! (Words I never thought I would utter!) Mid-Jan I begin a 56-day overland tour of east and southern Africa. I will be bush-camping most of the time and laying eyes on animals only seen on Nat Geo!! I've been looking forward to this adventure since three of my friends went on a similar trip earlier this year! I hope you will follow me on my African Adventure by visiting this blog. Please feel free to comment on my blogs as I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks to my family and friends for supporting me in the planning process of this incredible opportunity!

See you in '09!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE END...

So I've been home a little over a week and I'm still trying to wrap my head around my 3-month 7-country adventure! I walked on The Great Wall of China, witnessed the beauty of Victoria Harbour from Victoria Peak at sunset, volunteered in Thailand, stood on the skywalk of the Petronas Towers, ate in Little India, Chinatown and the Golden mile all in one day and in one country, stayed at The Ritz, snorkeled and witnessed the most stunning sunsets! Recalling all of that and reviewing all my pictures I realized I've seen/experienced what most people only dream of! Who knew my life would take me to the far east, who knew my life would be enriched by cultures, customs and cuisines, who knew I would hitch a ride with a gracious Thai-family and feel as if I was riding in the car with my own family?? I am grateful for what life has given me. Life gave me a new found sense of INDEPENDENCE, COURAGE and IDENTITY!
This trip has had such a profound effect on me that I am both happy and sad I am home. Happy to feel hugs from my family and friends and sad to leave my Thai family, Malaysian and Singporean friends and of course...THE RITZ! hee hee! I have embarked upon a new chapter in my life...MY LOVE FOR TRAVEL!
Recently I've been watching the Olympics and as I see NBC flash glimpses of The Forbidden City I can say..."I saw that!" And as I watch Matt, Al, Meredith and Ann walk The Great Wall, I can say..."I walked on that!" And I blow my self away when the reality of those words enter my ears and are processed by my brain! Unbelievable...if this is life I want to keep on living!
In the last two years of my 30 years, I feel I've grown tenfold! I have become who I have always destined to be...it just took a little of the far east to bring this "light-bulb" to it's full 100-watt output! I look forward to more adventures overseas!
And I begin that next journey with...AFRICA!!!

I Slept on Air...

Ahhh.....sigh! Those two expressions sum up my stay on Gili Air! I spent my days getting dark...okay dark-er, eating barracuda, sipping pineapple margaritas and SNORKELING (from the girl who's been afraid of the water since she almost drowned as a child)!!! I swam with the fishes!! Thanks Jason for teaching me how to snorkel! Absolutely unfrigginbelievable...anyone who's not gone is missing out! I can't believe my first snorkel happened at the age of 30?!! I really don't have many more words to explain my time spent on Gili Air...just take a look at the pics and you'll see for yourself! Indonesian sunsets...the best I've seen so far!!

The Ritz...it ain't just a cracker to me anymore...

Singapore to Bali...not just Bali, but The Ritz-Carlton Bali!! Yeah it was amazing as the brand claims! In Singapore, my small bladder was calling, so I stopped off at the bathroom and Jason spotted a Marriott Asian Vacations stand. So we looked at the prices and couldn't believe the unbelievable deal we would be soon experiencing for a 5-star hotel!! Holy Crap!!! We orignally booked for two nights (instead of 3, why??) and then realized we needed that extra night...and we got it!! So 3 luxourious nights spent at the all inclusive Ritz-Carlton!! We splurged on the food offered to Club members only (that's us!!!) and ate out on the balcony overlooking the beautiful grounds and the Indian Ocean!! We ate delicious fresh out the water sushi, fresh-hand-squeezed papaya, guava and pineapple juices and scrumptious desserts!! Jason claims the lemon-merengue pie was comparable to his mom's!!! A++++ for both!!! Before and after purging my self on the food I laid by the pool, in the pool, on pool lounge chairs, on the beach...well you get the point. I soaked up the serenity that the Ritz promised. (Oh yeah I jumped up and down on the bed too!! When it's that comfy you tend to jump for joy!!) Leaving The Ritz was sad...but my next island of Indonesia turned me into a snorkeller and a beach lover!! Yeah the brown girl loves the beach!

Singapore

I write this blog 10 days after arriving in Singapore and just finishing Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. The book captures my heart, my present time traveling and my future ventures. "Wilderness appealed to those bored or disgusted with man and his works. It not only offered an escape from society but also was an ideal stage for the Romantic individual to exercise the cult he frequently made of his own soul. The solitude and total freedom of the wilderness created a perfect setting for either melancholy or exultation."-Roderick Nash, Wilderness and the American Mind. So for me to replace "wilderness" with "travel" this quote fits my present state of mind. But "wilderness" also is the appropriate term, for after reading this book my heart/mind desires to be closer to nature everyday and enjoying solitude to reflect on my 30 years of life.

My days spent in Singapore involved the hustle and bustle of traveling via the metro and managing hoards of people through shopping malls and city streets (which I know appears ironic after the opening paragraph of this entry). I spent time shopping and sight-seeing and taking in a multitude of cultures. For anyone interested in Western accommodations with Asian culture, Singapore is where it's at! I've stayed in Little India for the duration of my stay and ate in Chinatown and Golden Mile (Thai). Little India has the sights and smells I am most familiar with and Chinatown has the best hawker stands I've ever eaten at! (Bachman, you've got to get here and get some dumplings!!) I've sat in coffee shops along Orchard Road sipping lattes and enjoying a book and journaling as well. I've also spent days sight-seeing, taking photos and visiting museums. This entry is not like my others where I boast about the sights I've seen, but this entry is filled with more emotion that cannot be expressed via words. This culture has taken a hold me and I a hold of it...