AFRICA

Sunday 17 January 1999

Dear Snoopy,

Flight delayed 1½ hrs. We notice something leaking off the bottom of the aircraft!.. is it water? …. is it jet fuel?? The sound only came out of one ear. Channels alternated ears. "Whole aircraft has a wiring problem" quoted the air steward. Solution… wear two headphone sets simultaneously. Question, why do they sell frozen chicken, beef burgers and butter in the world class acclaimed Dubai Duty Free? I knew I should have brought the traveler's BBQ kit.

Aha the Great Plains of Africa! Mt Kenya. Nairobi Airport. In order to facilitate the multiple visa & customs activities we donated $10 to the friendly officer. This is a good start.

The hotel is cool. Bought some bottled water today … "Kilimanjaro". It tastes like sh__!. By the way, we still haven’t slept yet, maybe this is why we forget the keys to the room (the 4^th time today!). Laziness is the order of the day. After watching a disturbing movie "The fly" we finally retire.

Kilimanjaro, highest mountain in Africa, located in northeastern Tanzania, near the border with Kenya. Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano. Its two peaks stand about 11 km (about 7 mi) apart and are connected by a broad ridge. Kibo, the higher peak, rises to 5895 m (19,340 ft) above sea level, and the summit of Mawensi is 5149 m (16,892 ft) above sea level. Although Kilimanjaro lies 3° south of the equator, an ice cap covers the crater of Kibo year-round; this ice cap is pierced by several small craters. "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" (1938), one of the most famous stories of American writer Ernest Hemingway, is set in the region. Kilimanjaro has a number of different vegetation zones on its steep slopes. Coffee and plantains are grown on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. The mountain was successfully scaled for the first time in 1889 by German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller. "Kilimanjaro," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 99. © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. That makes it even higher than Mont Blonc, the tallest mountain in Europe (in the Swiss Alps).

Ps The dinner plans at the food court did not work out. The security guard does not recommend we walk 100m around the hotel even though it is only 7:00 p.m. "Burger in Bed."

Monday 18 January 1999

A beautiful morning. After breakfast we hit the snake park. Total cost $1000. Took us 15 mins to complete instead of the 1½ hrs we were told it would take.
	Took some Dramamine before departing Nairobi. Knocked us out Kabisa (completely). I guess they’ll come in useful as sleeping pills. Mid way to the Massai Mara Khaled made the error of asking the price of a knife in a souvenir hut on the great African Rift Valley. We managed to escape but they vowed to catch us on the way back.
After reaching Lake Naivasha we departed on a rather leisurely boat cruise. Why is no one in the other boat wearing a life jacket? I hope my bright yellow fluorescent life jacket does not arise the hippos' curiosity!
After a delightful meal consisting of some pig and alcohol, we decide to retire to the safety of our cabin. Our first attempt was however unsuccessful due to the rather suspicious roar as we approached our cabin. On our retreat Khaled decides to join hands with Spiderman. Any way after returning we mutually agree to abandon our plans for the night expedition and settle for a cigarette on the porch. Being at an altitude of over 6500ft made the night at Lake Naivasha very cold.
Perhaps tomorrow we shall make another attempt on the night expedition.

Tuesday 19 January 1999

Dear Snoopy,

Just woke up, it was freezing last night (little did we know at this time that this was only the start of what was to come). Had a big breakfast and left for "Keekorok Lodge". Nasty long drive.
Keekorok is cool. We headed out for the game drive and saw lions, cheetahs, hyenas and a variety of other animals. The place is unreal. Back at the Lodge we discovered a walkway that takes you right out into the wild. By the way, there is no fence around the lodge. We went out onto the walkway in the late afternoon and Khaled was attacked by a big Bat. "Stay Calm" comments Shiraz! It could be a vampire.
	Anyway, we decide we should go again on the walkway after dinner even though there is a sign that says "DO NOT go onto the walkway after 7:00pm." We decided to take the French couple along, but "forgot" to tell them about the warning sign. Ps This was after we had a delightful 8-course dinner. I must say, I’ve never seen Shiraz so bewildered as when after he gave the waiter the money for the meal, and the waiter replied "do you have small nuts? notes)”
Anyway, back to the walkway in the trees above the swamp where Khaled was attacked earlier. All the walkway lights have been long since switched off (it was after 10:00pm after all). Even the security had moved to safer ground. Anyway, Jean-Paul became awfully quiet after having to duck a swooping bat. At night the animals, insects and weird things awaken. The noises are spooky and come from every direction. I could tell from the faces of the French couple that they wanted to go home, but could not since only we had the torches.
Actually, we were all terrified and wanted to return after seeing the eyes staring at us from the dark, dangerous wilderness. Khaled senses a big animal lurking not too far ahead but crazy Shiraz refuses to go back and insists on inching forward into the black hole. (of course with Khaled in-front!) Flash, Flash, a security guard spots us from the lodge grounds. We remain frozen on the walkway to hell. "Let’s wait for him to come and get us" says Shiraz, but he never came. I wonder why?? Anyway we all faced our deepest fears and made it past the place where lurked the beast.
	We made it to the lodge grounds not that they were much safer since a lion had been seen prowling the grounds two days ago and a cheetah the day before. The French couple left us without a word. Nor did they mention a word about the crazy adventure ever again. The security guard carried on to tell us that even though we were off the ground on the walkway, leopards scale these trees and could quite easily jump out onto us. He said "We could quite easily have been attacked and eaten up".
We sat out on the patio of our cabin and stared into space. After we slept we were woken at around 2:50 am by a sound. Shiraz insists it is an African Killer Bee! Anyhow, we got back to bed in order to wake early. It turns out the sound was a zebra grazing outside. Shiraz still insists the sound was of an African killer bee[SN1] .

Wednesday 20^th January 1999

	Woke up at 6:00 in the morning. As usual we were the last to the bus. Saw a lot of animals on the beautiful morning drive (and some dead ones). Scenery was incredible. We returned and after another 8-course breakfast decided to go lie by the poolside and watch the vultures circling above us, waiting for us to get well cooked in the hot equator sun. (nb we are only 100 miles south of the equator) Water on the contrary was freezing.
The zebra that arrived last night had decided to stay a little longer and eat some more grass.
		After lunch we went and took some photos and played with the monkeys. It’s amazing how much time we send eating and how much we eat (just like the zebras). When we asked the French couple if they wanted to come with us to see the giraffes just outside the grounds, they politely declined in favour of going to see the Massai village. At 4:00 we went out on another cross-country game drive. After returning we went for dinner. Food, food, food.
After dinner we asked the French couple if they wanted to join us on the walkway. No response. Anyway we decided to give it a miss too. Ps Forgot to mention that on the last game drive we came across 3 male lions that were fast asleep. As we watched them in awe, the Canadian lady suddenly exclaimed out aloud "Oh! Look!, there’s a little dick dick[SN2] !!, I’ve always wanted to see one of them."

Anyhow, that evening after dinner some of the Masai's [SN3] best dancers and singers came to entertain us. Instead their freaky chant scared us away and we retreated to our rooms only to find it infested with giant flying ants and beetles. It was only later as we were about to fall asleep that the giant African Killer Bee landed with a thud on Khaled's pillow inside his mosquito net under cover of darkness.

Thursday 21^st January 1999

As usual we had the famous African Lion breakfast which consisted of 3 eggs, fruits, beans, potatoes and Danish pastry. We headed out of Keekorok at 7:30 am and reached Nairobi at 12:30. A long drive.
Oh yes, along the way we stopped off in the in the middle of nowhere and a salesman started to discuss the year 2000 problem with Khaled! Fortunately we did not have enough time to stop at the Rift Valley [SN4] souvenir shop.
Once we arrived in Nairobi, we were taken to New Stanley Hotel to take the bus to Arusha. A man in a suit who had previously delivered the tickets to our rooms met us. Finally we got the bus; a yellow ugly piece of junk. The drive down was a nightmare. "Freddy Kruger was driving at 120 kph on a road which had more holes than asphalt. Our stomachs started brewing of course.
We arrive at the Tanzanian border where Shiraz has to pay $50 for his visa and Khaled only $20. Shiraz feels very upset at being discriminated against. We finally reach Arusha at 7:30 pm where we bid farewell to our friend Don Parker. We are really tired. Went inside Mt Meru Hotel. Talk about busy. There was a convention taking place. Presidents of Tanganyika [SN5] were all there. Took a cab to Amir and Khatoons place. Arusha is one doggy place! Asked the cabby how far the city centre was when we got there and he said this was it! Went to sleep after 1:00 am.

Friday 22^st January 1999

Woke up the next day and decided to make a trip up mount Kilimanjaro (Kili for short). Made quick arrangements and left for Kili at 11:00 am. Beautiful scenery. Hired some basic equipment at the base and started our climb at 2:30 pm

Our trip to the base of Kili was rather eventful in itself. Our driver was a little Speedy Gonzalas. He insisted for some reason beyond us, on ignoring slowing down for speed bumps. I must say we were a little boggled why the driver had his seatbelt lying across his lap. We got pulled over at a police checkpoint. They behaved (and were) like a bunch of comedians. Our driver went over to their car and was engaged in discussions (negotiations) for around 10 mins. Why was the policeman laughing and prancing around like a monkey. Eventually the police seemed to be getting a little irate so our drive decided to give into their bribe requests.

Anyway, back to the mountain. On our initial trek we came across monkeys, bees and a lot of trees. Took us 3½ hrs of hell to reach our haven "Mandera Hut". As we look across we look down at the thick cloud cover. Met Gary and Roger with whom we are sharing a hut. Gary is determined to go all the way to the top despite being completely blind! Ate spaghetti and tea for dinner in the main hut. Had a very bad night. Could not sleep.

Saturday 23^nd January 1999


Next morning left for Hurombo camp at around 8:30. 7½ hrs later instead of the estimated 5 hrs we reached.
I think the altitude sickness is beginning to strike! Our heads are aching and the air is definitely thinner. By the way, it’s absolutely freezing cold up here at 12,400 ft. nb The last hut, Hurombo was at 9,000 ft. Again, I repeat, it’s freezing. I guess we are too high up for it to even snow. Tomorrow we leave for Kibo hut.
Today we are sharing a hut with a Crazy American fellow and his aids. His freeze dried packets of food of blown up like balloons due to the altitude. If he climbs any higher they’ll surely start exploding! He almost killed himself trying to block the vent in our hut where below zero winds are blowing into. Khaled has just put on the Eskimo suit lent to him by the American. I’m freezing. Nb Just heard that two people died on the mountain yesterday. Now I am really feeling the altitude sickness. The American gave me a Diamox [SN6] tablet. I hope my brain doesn’t swell any more.

Sunday 24^th January 1999

It’s 3:00 am, the usual wee wee emergency that hits every night; we had to put on our full clothes eg balaclava, gloves, anorak, seven layers of clothing, 2 trousers, … or actually I think we were already wearing all these as we slept! Of course the usual wee wee routine is to take the Energizer flashlight, walk for five mins to the clean bathroom, remove our seven layers of clothing at the speed of light while doing the wee wee dance (nb in time we eventually stopped using the hole in the ground and settled for outside the huts front door). It’s sooooo cooold!!

We wake up at 6:00 am as usual (not that we were asleep anyway), have breakfast; eggs, papaya and milo and tea shake. We are told that the altitude sickness will really hit at Kibo hut so we decide to take the days climb slow and easy. (nb From here on since our minds had turned to mush we found it impossible to write coherently to snoopy so we continued whilst at Nairobi Airport heading home.)
It’s supposed to take 5 hrs to reach Kibo hut, however it took us 8½ of continuous heel toe, heel toe. After the what seemed to be an endless climb we reached Kibo at around 5:00 pm. Kibo hut is at an altitude of 15,520 ft and it is freeeezing. We impossibly try to catch a few hours of sleep before our 11:00 pm start for the summit. However this proves difficult due to our noisy roommates. But even though we are exhausted the altitude sickness we were all feeling kept us awake, ….
…. or perhaps it was the man on the next bunk who was groaning aloud in a painful nightmarish limbo sleep!
Thank God we took it slow to Kibo. However our eyes are still popping out of their sockets (Khaleds were litteraly popping out like Arnold Swartznegger in Total Recall!) Due to the low pressure at such altitude other symptoms included intense headaches due to swelling of the brain (cerebral haemetoma) and fluid filling the lungs (pulmonary oedema). Above all our minds have regressed to that of 5 year olds. Altitude Sickness or Mountain Sickness, condition caused by reduced oxygen pressure at high altitudes, occurring in hikers as a consequence of relatively rapid ascent to high altitudes. Altitude sickness comprises a range of conditions, the most common being acute mountain sickness, which may be followed by two more critical conditions: high-altitude pulmonary edema or high-altitude cerebral edema. The exact cause of altitude sickness is unknown, although researchers believe insufficient oxygen may impair the function of the sodium pumps located in cell walls. Without sufficient oxygen, the pumps allow sodium levels within the cell to rise. As a result, excess water enters the cells, causing cellular swelling, or edema, a condition that is especially dangerous in the lungs and around the brain. The common symptoms of altitude sickness are headache, shortness of breath, sleep disturbances, and sometimes nausea. These symptoms, collectively called acute mountain sickness (AMS), appear in nearly 20 percent of people who ascend higher than about 2400 m (about 8000 ft) above sea level in less than one day. The headache is thought to be caused by cerebral edema. Shortness of breath is caused by a combination of reduced environmental-oxygen pressure and by the swelling and thickening of tissues through which oxygen must pass during respiration. The symptoms associated with high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) include those of AMS as well as additional, less common, symptoms. Both HAPE and HACE are more serious conditions than AMS, usually developing after one to four days above about 2700 m (about 9000 ft). Symptoms characterizing HAPE include strong coughing that produces a frothy, sometimes blood-tinged, sputum. The pressure of the blood in the lungs increases, and swollen cells and leaking capillaries allow fluids and red blood cells to enter the air sacs of the lungs, further impeding the delivery of oxygen. Symptoms characterizing HACE include staggering, confusion, and hallucination. People with common AMS should drink extra water to compensate for excess water loss, but they should take no extra salt; the headache can be treated with ibuprofen or aspirin. AMS typically disappears within 24 to 48 hours, as the body acclimatizes to the reduced oxygen pressure. People with advanced HAPE or HACE can die within a few hours. They should be taken as soon as possible to a lower altitude, where improvement is usually rapid. Supplementary oxygen and pressurization in a chamber or large bag can also be helpful. Altitude sickness can be avoided, and acclimatization encouraged, by slow ascent: Symptoms are usually avoided by pausing for one day at 2000 m (7000 ft) and by ascending no more than 600 m (2000 ft) per day above 2000 m. "Altitude Sickness," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 99. © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Monday 25^th January 1999

Actually 24^th night at 10:00 pm; got out of bed for cookies and Milo surprise. I think the tea bags have long since been used up so the tea in the flask is made up of 5 cups of hot water and ½ a used tea bag. Khaled asks "what are we doing here?, did we actually pay for this torture?". Shiraz replies "I’m freezing!!!".
We start our trek to the summit. Shiraz is wearing 3 pairs of trousers, 3 pairs of thick socks, seven layers of sweaters and T-shirts, a balaclava, two pairs of gloves and a big towel wrapped around his head. It is literally arctic temperatures here even though we are just a couple hundred miles from the earth’s equator. As we start our assent it is pitch dark.
10 minutes later Khaled's flashlight with brand new Energizer batteries goes dead! Shiraz takes out his torch with brand new Energizer batteries. These go dead 3 minutes later!
	We climb ½ the way to the summit and Shiraz’s toes freeze. Anyway we continue at the lead of everyone else. Our minds have completely turned to mush. Thoughts pertain only to taking the next step up. We were each living a nightmare. The climb is very slow due to the steepness of the volcano side and the almost non-existence of oxygen in the frozen air. As we near Gilmans point at the top of the crater Shiraz is eminently hitting the frost bite stage. ie will loose his toes ie will have to amputate. He lies down on the frozen ground, curls up and instantly falls fast asleep. He moans "I feel so warm!". "Khaled realises the symptoms usually experienced before death by freezing. Have some water" says Khaled, but alas, our bottles of iodine water are frozen solid.
Khaled instructs our guide Prosper to descend quickly. Instead of taking the zig zag path we followed on our way up he decides this was his chance to fulfil his life long urge of shoe skiing down the side of a volcano at 50 mph! The view of daylight appearing around the sky’s horizon is unreal. We arrive back at Kibo. We sleep in all our clothes for a few hours before starting our descent to Hurombo. It’s so hot now that the equator sun has arisen.

Tuesday 26^th January 1999

We have a quick miserable dinner at Hurumbo. We want to go home. We bump into the French Trek Leader from Jamaica, Sam who is amazed how well we did.
	Many of his group including himself, an experienced climber could not proceed beyond Kibo due to exhaustion and altitude sickness. We go to sleep freezing again and as usual we repeat our wee wee emergency routine in the middle of the night. We try to work out every possible means of summoning up a rescue team to get us from Kili's slopes. Just heard that another person died on the mountain yesterday.
We bump int our friend Don. He tells us that he read in his guidebook that more people die on Kili each year than on Mt. Everest. Did you know that Kili is 2/3 rds the height of Everest and higher than the Swiss Alps!.
We start our descent to Manadara. We are on an unbelievable high. We philosophise about life all the way down to the bottom of the mountain. Took us almost seven hours of skilfully speeding down. Our knees are surely permanently damaged. We reach the base only to realise our transport back to Arusha has not arrived (and would not arrive). We are forced to ride on the back of a pick up truck that drops us at a local market bus station.
We are crammed into a microbus made for 12 passengers together with 25-30 others. This is the same bus Don warned us never to ride in. We are helpless should anyone decide to walk off with our rucksacks. We arrive at Moshi and take another bus to Arusha. The driver is playing Amer Diab Arabic music! We arrive at Arusha bus station in total darkness. As we descend the bus, our rucksacks are being grabbed by the mob of people around. We manage to retrieve the bags and quickly escape into a Taxi, lock the doors and head for home. Khaled says, "boy, would I kill for a cold Coke". Back at home, Coke arrives and we really are in Heaven. We go to sleep in normal temperatures. Life is good.

Wednesday 27^th January 1999

Due to the past weeks routine we still awake at 6:00 am despite our extreme exhaustion, aches and pains from the climb. Shiraz says to Khaled "Good morning Rudolf". Khaled's nose is completely burnt. Shiraz’s lips have cracked beyond recognition and tastes of blood. We get up to have breakfast and realise our legs are not functioning normally.

After breakfast we head for the gift shop to buy presents. As we return at 1:15 pm we are surprised to find the bus waiting to take us to Nairobi. We rush to the bus. We stop only for another Coke. The seven-hour ride to Nairobi is unbelievably bumpy. Someone must have stolen the bus’ suspension.

Arrive at the airport in time and the flight is of course delayed. We sit at the coffee shop and wait. We dream about the Heaven that awaits us at home.

"Against all Odds we made it (back) together" has been inscribed in Hurombo Hut.

"Bon nuit Snoopy, Live Long & Prosper"

Signed

The Wiz Kid & Dump Master.