Continuing On!

Finishing off Morocco, I was in Fez, Chefchoaun, and Tangier. Fez was incredible. It had a music festival going on, as well as the biggest medina in all of Morocco to get lost in. One a jaunt, I decided to pop into a non-descript alley due to a sign that said "Cafe Clock". This turned out to be a cool little gem of a cafe, but also I met a couple from NYC there, who own a home in Fez and commute there often. David is an IT guy pretty far up in IBM's echelon, but is a crazy guy to speak with. Very funny guy, kind of a cross between George Carlin (God rest his soul...)and Chris Rock. Anyway, they invite me back to their riad (home). To say the least David had a great insightful comment that behind these doors lie palaces. The alleyways are lined with old wooden doors that really belie what they hide. Which is immense, ornate, palatial homes, most 4 or 5 stories high and graced with beautiful tiling done hundreds of years ago. You can have one for about $35,000, literally. Anyway, I had dinner with them and their friends and also watched sufi dancing, which was a spectacle of lights, music, singing and dancing. Chefchouan is known as the Blue City, which is apt, as its doors and streets are lit up in radiant blues of all shades. Really picturesque town. Tanger was mainly a port city used to get over to Spain by way of ferry. Didn't see Jason Bourne there, nor did I kill anyone with a towel, which was one of my main reasons to go. Guess I will have to return at a later date.

Making my way to Spain, I was really a sad soldier looking back from the ferry at Africa receding away into the distance. My feet not on its soil for the first time in 6+ months, I realized just how much it meant to me and how much I had grown accustom to its unique blend of craziness and excitement. Certainly each country had its own distinct flavor, but to me it is all AFRICA. Only death can keep me from returning for more.

My first moments in Spain truly made me feel like an immigrant, fresh off the boat, as it were. Shiny cars, well-dressed people on clean sidewalks waiting to be picked up by a new bus that was on time to bring us along a well-paved road to our destination efficiently and comfortably, was a new experience to me at that point. Creature comforts and their beckoning call, utterly familiar all my life, were hidden at that time, completely out of sight. I feel sad that in only a few weeks they have strengthened their hold, awakening a dormant beast of wanting and "needing" this, that or the other.

But, then again, I like my new clothes.

So far, I saw Picasso's home and museum in Malaga, Alhambra in Granada, Cordoba's wonderful mosque/church/synagogue, which I think they should call a Murchagogue, and Seville. Seville was extra special because the European Championships, which Spain won, were going on while I was there. Watching a game in an Irish pub in Seville with a ton of crazies all around was just the sport fix I needed.

From there, we went to Porto, Portugal, home of port wine. Yummy. It also is an amazing place full of narrow streets winding up and down hills with the Douro River cutting through the middle. It is on this river where all of the port wine houses make the beverage du jour. Beaches as well. I am now in Lisbon enjoying what I have seen so far, but mainly waiting for my sister to get her butt here! We will be touring Lisbon and Madrid and Ibiza together, finally in a foreign country together! 5 years in the planning...

Egypt and Beyond

I feel like the more I travel, the more I experience and the more I come to know my "future" destinations, the harder it is for me to be overwhelmed or beheld in awe. Egypt certainly changed all of that. Literally behind every corner is history that is normally viewed in books or on Travel Channel specials. It just boggles the mind when you stand in front of it. So it was that we flew into Cairo, with our bags apparently still in South Africa. We toured Giza, some markets and Saqqara, you know, while we waited for our bags. Unfortunately for me, I had chosen jeans as my flight wear, so I was a touch hot, running from shady place to shady place. Saqqara had the oldest stone construction known to man, the Step Pyramid, as well as other temple complexes. It is staggering to think just how old these things are, and the fact that many houses built in the 1960's need renovation. We rolled up to Giza and the 3 most iconic of symbols just stood there in very stark contrast to the surrounding city. We decided to be tourists and ride camels and horses to the Pyramids base's, not as easy as it sounds. I ran up onto one of them, as that had always been my dream; actually to the top was my dream, but there were too many police around. After taking way too many photos there, we returned to our hotel and waited for our bags. The next day, lo and behold they were there. We went to see the Ancient Egyptian Museum, with its vast collection of ill-marked antiquities. Included in this was a room dedicated to Tut, the focal point being the golden mask. An overnight train and we were in Aswan touring the dam, and then the next morning Abu Simbel. How they moved an entire mountain is beyond me, but there it was, lit by the morning light in amazing splendor. For me, it was the highlight of all of Egypt. We then cruised on a boat called a felucca, down the river Nile for 2 days, lazing under a tarp, swimming, etc. So relaxing. We toured a couple of temples on our way to Luxor, where we stayed a few days to see the Valley of the Kings and Queens and Karnak and Luxor Temples. All of these individually would be worth the price of flight and admission, so to see everything was quite overwhelming. In a good sense. As if that weren't enough for a lifetime, I then moved on to Dahab, on the Red Sea coast for snorkeling and scuba at one of the best spots on Earth to do it. The Blue Hole was aptly named and was where I swam with what seemed like 20 million fishes, who just barely maneuvered out of the way before I touched them. Yes, they parted like the Red Sea... Went to the place where Moses received the 10 commandments, Mt. Sinai, catching a sunrise over the mountain range. Next day took off to see Petra in Jordan, which is WAY bigger than just the Indiana Jones temple face. It is actually a massive city, many square miles, with temples carved into the faces of cliffs. As if THAT wasn't enough, I am now in Morocco in Essaouira ("S"-a-we-ra) after having enjoyed Casablanca and Marrakesh.

It seems ages ago that I landed in Nairobi, 7 months now, yet somehow seems even further from going home, which is still " months away. Maybe its denial starting to creep in...

Mauritius and Madagascar

Leaving the Seychelles was ridiculously hard. I mean it IS one of the most beautiful island chains in the world. Mauritius had a lot to live up to. It has fantastic beaches and mountainous landscapes galore. It even has a great mixture of people, but it just speaks as to the amazingness of Seychelles that it felt less than what it actually is. Plus, it has a little of the tourist factor, that Seychelles somehow manages to avoid.

Moving on to Madagascar, I was energized and anticipating amazing things. It did not disappoint. The capital Antannanarivo, or Tana, is a bustling place full of ethnic looking people. Its tough to place them, as there is an Asian, Indian, African, and local flavor. It carries over to their food, thankfully. Its one of the coolest little cities I have been in. Nothing in particular, its just got that "feel" to it. From here, I went on to Ranomafana NP, where I saw one of 18 known Golden Bamboo lemurs in the world! It required a trek through a rain forest, aptly named that day, but which I barely noticed. We spent about 20 minutes with it and another 2 brown lemurs. Truly amazing. I try to compare it to the Rwandan Mountain gorillas, which were far more impressive (likely because I think I can take on a lemur, or I am far less of a man than I currently believe...), but there is nothing like the thought of seeing in nature, no scratch that in the remote jungle of Madagascar, one of the rarest species on the planet eat a leaf. Not exactly an exciting action, but once again, it is the thought that counts. On the drive I stopped at a aluminum smelting factory, my first, and an arts and crafts village run by cute little old ladies. The place was teeming with them. The crafts. You absolutely cannot tell an old little Malagasy lady "No". Its an impossibility. I do not know what I am going to do with these afgans and table settings...

I then carried on to another fantastic park with beautiful hikes and waterfalls. Had to leave before I wanted because there are no banks anywhere and they wouldn't even take US dollars. Who ever heard of such a thing. Spent a few days lazing around a pool and beach and then flew to Morondava, the "closest" airport to Tsingy NP. Truly; you can look for yourselves on a map. It does appear just "right there" next to Tsingy. However, in real life it took a taxi into town and then a 10 hour 4x4 ride in a blessedly nice Toyota Landcruiser on roads that appeared to have been bombed only last week before becoming infested by a very large mutant mole species. There were also 2 river crossings on barges that only barely would be considered sea-worthy, and which I would have reluctantly climbed aboard if I had been stuck on an island. This only brought me to the gates of the park, the site being another hour away. To say that it was worth it to get there should be obviously impressive. Crazy, razor-sharp stone formations like spikes into the sky and formed into caves, ravines and tunnels made this place special. I love crawling through stuff. This place made me clip in to ropes for safety, adding a hint of danger that always makes me feel better about a place and all it took to get there. Unfortunately, the reverse trip back to the airport traversed the same mole-infested road. Thankfully, the truck did not get eaten and I arrived for the flight back to Tana in time. That is where I am now, waiting for my Sunday flight to Egypt. I am more excited about this leg of the trip than I was before I left the States. The pyramids, Petra (going to Jordan too...), Abu Simbel, Luxor, Valley of the Kings, all were just names of a Travel Channel show or magazine article. Now they will become a real part of the world and my consciousness, which is always an amazing feeling.

So, things are going well. I will do my best to avoid the heat, though I am not sure how that is accomplished in the middle of the desert.

Wow

Okay, I thought I had seen pretty beaches in my travels, but I was wrong. The Seychelles have 3 of the top 10 beaches in the world, and they are all well deserved. We chose to reside in La Digue for its peace and serenity and for 3 beaches: Grand and Petite Anse and Anse Source D'Argent, the last of which is the main attraction for this island. Huge boulders jut out from the perfect white sand and into the crystal-clear turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. 100-foot tall tropical trees holding 20 coconuts leave over the ocean threatening death from above; litterally, as one crashed down not far from us. The shallow lagoon extends about 300 yards into the ocean, allowing for hours of snorkeling. The sand is as powdery-white and fine as you can imagine. We motor around on bikes, as it is the main transport around the island for all. It took us about 45 minutes to bike the circumference of the island at a leisurely pace and it is vista after vista of beauty. Utterly spectacular. Oh, I forgot, on the main island we flew in on, Mahe, we went to Beau Vallon, another top 10'er, ho hum. Facing west, we got to see the sun sink into the ocean, right before we ate super-fresh seafood for dinner. Lately on La Digue, we let our host cook us home-cooked fare, rife with local fruit and fresh catches o' the day. Its a pretty sweet life at this point. So, it is that I have a new look and emotion in me about the continent I just left, that is undefinable at this point, and a thirst for all of this to continue, as it will for some time to come. Its hard to believe: only half way. I keep telling myself that and I laugh at the amazing blessing that is my life.

OH! And for all... Shantaram. Read it. Crazy story, but so thought provoking and poignant between the lines. Creeping up to the top of my favorite books ever list.

Where Do I Even Begin...

Well, its certainly been awhile. I haven't exactly been bored with myself, but internet has been mostly miss. Botswana and the Okavango Delta, Namibia with Spitzkoppe's massive rocks, Swakopmund's sandboarding, quadbiking through the Namib desert and skydiving over that same red sand spectacle on the sea, Stellenbosch and vino, Cape Town with friends and goodbyes with others, and continuing in South Africa with caves, the highest bungy in the world and into Lesotho, the mountain kingdom basically sums up the last month. This morning I awoke in my tent, unzipped the door and looked out into Royal Natal NP in South Africa and realized that it would be the last time I awoke in this tent, on this trip. Goodbyes are always hard. This one has been the toughest. Not only because it is the longest period of time I have spent with a group or consecutively on a continent, but because of the fact that everything you hear about Africa is true. It really does reach down inside you and rip out your heart. There are so many injustices everywhere you look, so many things that could be helped and so many people that are looking for anyway out. But, then it puts back in your heart, but covered with its soil and its soul. It seems to be a stain that will never go away, one that will remind you constantly of what it once was, to be here among its people, engulfed in its culture, its frustrations and its singular blessings. For there is no other place I have been to that has made me feel as I have here. Its at once shame for living in oblivion to the suffering of others, at other times motivating to become better, more involved in the world around me, and more open, more naive and trusting to the random person you meet. It melts the cynicism out of you.

I leave the continent tomorrow, I'm sure changed in ways I haven't yet fully realized. That seems to be the blanket statement for all who come here. Normally there is a good reason for cliched statements. "Africa gets into your blood and never leaves" is one that I keep coming back to frequently. I am infected. I wonder how it will effect my life.

So, I continue on into the islands, leaving Jo'Burg going to the Seychelles and then on to Mauritus and Madagascar. Life is pretty good. But, I will miss the amazing friends I have made along the way, locals and on my tour. It is only those you share the experiences with who can fully understand what you are and have gone through. Pictures can not capture, stories can not encompass fully what Africa is, nor what it means.

Where Do I Even Start

So, lets just say that the past few days have been amazing to the n-th degree. Leaving Zanzibar was difficult indeed, but right off we arrived in Malawi at Kande Beach along the shores of the massive Lake Malawi. Beautiful white sand beaches, palm trees, amazing locals to visit and stroll around with, i.e. a repeat of Zanzibar. But, the people were so much more open and friendly and we got to enjoy a local meal by candlelight on grass mats, out in front of a farmers house, completely surrounded by corn. Singing and dancing followed the meal of soup, meat, ugali and vegetables. Afterwards we all went out at a local dive bar. An African dive bar is quite different from one in the US, to say the least. Only males are "allowed" out at night, the bar pumps out extremely loud African/reggae/rap music to which people dance outside in the dirt. After becoming even more tan than I was on Zanzibar, we moved on to Lilongwe for a few days and then on to Zimbabwe, starting off with a bush camp experience that was so miserable I can barely talk about it. Basically, it is real hot here. But, there must be an alien mineral in the soil here that absorbs heat and somehow doesn't release it, even after the sun sets. In the tent, the ground radiated heat to the point that it felt like I was sitting on a hot plate. I basically turned myself like a rotisserie the entire night so that I wouldn't burn whatever side was touching the ground. Harare was next, and it was a full-on city with everything that you would expect from a European or American city... except supplies. Hundreds of stores, most with nothing on the shelves. A product of the countries poor political and economics. What we saw apparently was much better than in recent months, where there was absolutely no bread nor meat nor vegetables to be found. Yet, these guys are so laid back that there is no violence to be seen nor talked about. There isn't a more accepting and resilient people that I have seen than Zimbabweans.

And then there was Antelope Park. I walked along side 3 massive lions as they rubbed against me, held their shoulder blades in my hand as they oscillated up and down next to me and watched them stalk antelope and zebras. I also went on a long horseback ride through the bush, seeing wild game along the way, trotting and cantering my way through grass like in Gladiator. Then I moved on to riding an elephant into a lake and held on as they thrashed left, right and back at the behest of the trainer. Went for an advanced horeback ride through the bush at full gallop, also riding it into the same lake for a swim as with the elephant before racing it against the other riders. That was day one. Later, I played with lion cubs, took a canoe around the lake, went on informative walks and finally ended with another lion walk.

Yesterday, I jumped off a 111 meter (333 foot) bridge facing Victoria Falls with a little springy rope tied to my ankles. Thankfully, it made me bounce up again. My first bungee jump was the 3 rd highest in the world, the Vic Falls Bridge Bungee. Then I did it again, but facing backwards.
Today I will fly over the falls in a helicopter and then follow that tomorrow with more jumping off of high places, doing a gorge wing across the massive gorge carved out by the Zambezi River below. Hopefully, the rope is shorter than the drop...

I have an intense facination with jumping off of things. Of this, I am sure.

Serengeti and Zanzibar

Lions, cheetahs and elephants, Oh My! About a week ago now, we set out to the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive in the twilight of the morning. As we wound our way up to the edge of the crater, the African sun started to brighten the landscape. Switchbacks led to the top and our first glimpse of the crater floor was ethereal through the mist and morning light. Specks of black littered the floor; our game. Along the trek to the other side of the rim, where the descent was to begin, we were teased with a view out to the west of the vast Serengeti plains. But, that would have to wait. We were on the floor, and when I say there was a concentration of animals, I mean concentrated. We saw a rhino, elephant, zebras, giraffes, and about 5-7 lions. Quite literally, a lion strode past our Landrover, 2 feet below my hand and camera! You can see the grains on the hairs of its head in one of my pictures. Absolutely amazing. After the aotted 5 hours on the floor, we began our drive into the Serengeti. Oh, ho hum, we stopped briefly at the excavation site of the bones of the oldest human anscestor known en route. Then, the reason for Serengeti's fame became apparent. Immensely vast plains as far as the eyes can see, sometimes full to the brim with mingling packs of zebras, wildebeast, griaffes, cheetahs, birds, etc. etc. The drives to the game drives, became my favorite part of the trip. Just resting my head on the roof of the safari vehicle or out the window, I fixed my eyes on the horizon but kept aware of the plains grass whipping by me in the periphery. The immense feeling of being small in this "land of endless plains" was so overwhelming, so indescribable, that tears flowed.

And then there were the game drives... To see the big 5: elephants, buffalo, lions, leopards and rhinos is rare, due to the sneaky leopards. It sometimes takes people a lifetime to see them. We saw all five in one day, and we saw a total of 3 leopards, 20+ lions, 50+ elephants, multiple rhinos and 100's of buffalo. Not to mention cheetahs and giraffes. Mind-boggling to see these things in the wild.

We moved on from there back to Arusha, where the difficulties of shipping to Africa became very apparent. I had to jump off the tour and head to Dar es Salaam, to the airport to get my music. After doing that, fairly painlessly there, I met back up with the tour to head to Zanzibar. I am now sitting in Stone Town after 4 days here. It is paradise in its purest form. White sand beaches opening up to the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Dhow's, ancient arabic sailing vessels, dot the horizon, and the breeze never seems to stop. We had perfect weather the entire time here and I am pretty tan, even for African standards. I may have to explain myself at immigration due to not looking like my passport anymore. Nevertheless, beach volleyball, beach bars, and beach everything was the call of the day each day. We did the Spice Tour yesterday which was immensely cool. Wee were taken to a proper spice farm and given leaves of each of the spices, so we could try to guess which spice it was. Cloves, cinammon, everything, was so aromatic as to confuse the sense altogether. One of the boys climbed a 30 meter palm tree to knock down some fresh coconuts for us which the chopped open and from which we drank. Also, I had my first liche, which was so good, I just can't believe I had never tried nor heard of it.

Now we are on to Malawi, where I might be getting PADI certified so I can dive in the Seychelles and Red Sea. Bush camping and no electricity for the next few days/weeks...

Catching Up...

It certainly has been awhile... Back in Tanzania, awaiting tomorrow's journey into the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, I have become a bit reflective. It seems my want for adventure, excitement and the need to be enraptured by all things around me has come true to the extreme. Immense wealth of spirit and faith was gained by volunteering, followed by the lows of true fear and worry for life that civil war encroaching around you and your caretakers brings gave such a polar dichotomy of emotion. That was the first two months. The stress from having to escape a land I had immersed myself in, really just made me numb to exactly how "off" I felt. Subjecting my body to the physical stress of climbing a 19,000 foot mountain seemed to be a good tonic for the ill-will I was feeling to the world. Amazing how 10 days can be such a vacillating roller-coaster of thought. Joining the tour and eliminating all of the daily craziness of planning and, more importantly, implementing travel from country to country certainly has been the right choice. After the pinnacle of adrenaline was summited rafting Grade 5 rapids on the Nile, the fear of drowning on the craziest rapid, Silverback, was a slippery slope in which the bottom was only narrowly avoided. Having since acquired that as my nickname on the tour, I am even more confident that humor can heal almost any situation. It also proved to be foreshadowing something great. Being face to face with a real silverback gorilla deep in a Rwandan rainforest should be a requirement for all. The feelings that you envision having during the $600/hour are so lacking in what becomes an overwhelming sense that the world has stopped. To stare into the eyes of a 800 lbs animal that could rip you in two, at only 3 to 4 feet from yours is beyond description. The cost turns out to be one of the best bargains on the planet, and a memory that no souvenir could possibly match. Still mesmerized by the thoughts of standing in the middle of 38 mountain gorillas of the Rwandan clan "Sousa," we moved on to Kigali where walking through the Rwandan Genocide Museum took me on another immediate change of feeling bordering on despondency and shame. For as much as I had pawned it off as "just another example of African tribalism" so recently experienced first-hand in Kenya, I realized that history writes a vastly different picture of the root causes. Leaving that aside, the atrocities that were committed were every bit as grotesque and abhorrent as "the" genocide, yet it isn't even on the map of our conscience. Guess it is "just" Africa. There is something about seeing things for yourself, live and in vivid color that changes you and your views so greatly and abruptly.

Just as abruptly, however, is how fast this trip moves along and forces a shift in focus. No sooner than I completed wrapping my mind around what I saw than I realized I was on our tour bus staring at 40+ elephants grazing about Lake Manyara NP. If I was "checking off" things, I would need more boxes at this point. And, I have yet to reach the Serengeti.

Life has been a whirlwind. It is what I signed up for, expect and yearn for when its not happening. It is an amazing experience when you get exactly what you want. And more...

Kili, Kenya, Cathy, and Silver Back

Well, I am glad that the internet computers, and all other electricity, went out during my blogging 2 days ago. That is because yesterday was absolutely amazing. And, painful.

But, first, Kili. Well, I certainly got exactly what I bargained for. I was expecting one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I got that and more. The 6 day hike began with our "team", which consisted of our porters/cooks/servers, 3 to a climber, and then Wilson, our guide. Our porters put our packs, their packs, the food, water, tables, chairs, and I'm sure a sink somewhere in there as well, right up onto their heads and/or upper backs and literally ran up the hill. We were paced by Wilson, to help our acclimatization. Wilson is a 60-year old, senior guide, who has been climbing Kili for over 18 years. He claims we were his 902nd group he has taken up the mountain. As, he was huffing and puffing just minutes into our walking, we had our doubts. All of us actually looked at each other and asked if he was going to make it up the mountain. He did. We camped at proper camp sites, in tents, and were fed "gourmet" meals of chicken curry, fresh fruits (esp. mangoes...), porridge, tea, coffee, etc. etc. Quite a bit above what I was expecting. There were hard days and then there were harder days, but with Wilson pacing us, I felt pretty fresh at the end of every day. Mark and Tracy were the other two people in my group, and they experienced headaches and a bit of nausea and appetite loss; signs of altitude sickness. Thankfully, they were only mild. We arrived at the last camp and prepared for our summit push, which would start at about 11:00 PM to allow for a sunrise on the summit. Well, we did exactly that, but were immediately caught in a major blizzard. January is summer and "the best time to climb Kili". We found about 80+ mph winds and major snow. We battled for about 4-5 hours, but due to the extremes, we had to turn around or we would have come back with fewer appendages. I had minor frostbite on my fingers, basically just really rough skin, that has since flaked off. We got back to camp at around 6 or 7 and fell into our tents. We woke up at about 09:00 to crystal blue skies and sun. I asked what the chances of getting Wilson to try it and he agreed pretty easily. Mark was spent, so he declined, but Tracy decided to give it a go. We all set off. Mind you camp was about 15,000 feet, higher than anything in North America. We plodded up the slopes at Wilson's pace. Around16,500 or so was the level where I started to really feel the altitude. By 18,000' I was literally using accessory muscles, gasping as deeply as if I had just popped out of a pool in which I had held my breath for 2 minutes... every 5-10 steps. We made it to Stella's Point, the second highest peak on Kili, just 300' feet or so below the true peak. We took pictures and got congrats from every one there. But, Tracy started to vomit horribly and she definitely had to get down. I waffled about going the extra 45 minutes to the peak, but decided knowing I could make it was enough. We all went down as quickly as we could manage. Tracy stopped vomiting the next day, and in all, it was one of the best things I have ever done, and certainly the most physically demanding. Knowing what high altitude does to me, I have my doubts about Everest... 19,000'+ will be enough for me.

As for Cathy and Kenya, I am sure you guys know that there is still violence happening. I have not been able to get in touch with Cathy or her family for some the past couple of weeks. I will obviously continue to try for updates. Prayers will suffice for now.

And now on to Silverback and my tour. I have started my overlanding tour, which is basically a huge 4x4 trucks specially outfitted to carry a bunch of people to all the sights of Africa. Mark and Tracy are still here, as well as another 12-13 people from Canada, NYC, Britain, Japan, Cyprus/Turkey. Others will join in a few weeks. Our first stop, after our starting point re-routing from Kenya to Uganda, was Jinja. Jinja is Uganda's adventure sports mecca, and it is well-deserved. Here is the beginning of the Nile. Here is major white-water rafting. Oh yeah!
Grade 6 is the most extreme and can only be done non-commercially. Grade 5 is over-the-top nuts, done to Grade 1 which is like the log ride at an amusement park. In a raft of 6, plus our river guide, and numerous kayak rescuers, we set out for a full day of rafting the White Nile. We hit a couple of Grade 2 and 3's and we were primed, excited and fully oblivious to what awaited. The first two 5's were awesome, huge crests, whirlpools, and crazy speed. Super-thrilling. Then came SilverBack. Each graded rapid gets a name, and this one was appropriate. There were 4 consecutive parts to this section, each crazy by itself. We made it upright in our boat through the first 0.3 seconds of the first wave before being shot out of our boat as it flipped crazily. I was sucked under the water for what felt like about 15 seconds, though I was told beforehand, that the max recorded time ever was only 12 seconds. While underwater, I met that big hairy gorilla's fist about 20 times, being spun end over end and then around and around, being sucked this way then that, all in pitch blackness with no end in sight. Then, just as they said, I was shot out of the water. I gasped for a breath and was met with the next wave. After asking what I did in life to deserve all of this, I then realized my kayak safety guy was there to save me. He pulled me to the waters edge, where it was calm and I slowly recovered my breath. It was then that I noticed I couldn't hear very well. When I banged my head to the side, water came from my nose. As I thought that peculiar, I tried the other side. Normally if I have a problem that is symmetrically bad on both sides, I feel better thinking that, as a set, it must have been there all along. But, with river Nile exiting my nose, I concluded that this was bad. After SilverBack we had an easy 6 km on the water to eat lunch and relax with no rapids. My right ear cleared mostly, but my left ear still had a bit of residual muffled-ness. So, I carried on with a couple more 4's and one last 5, in which of course, we flew into the water again. It was on this one that I got smacked by the boat across my nose. I only am scrapped a little, nothing big. At that point it started to hurt, so I abandoned the last Grade 5 and walked to the truck. Today, there is no more nasal-Nile thing going on, but I am still muffled in my left ear. I think it is going to heal fine after a few days, and this is what all of the professional rafters said. Something like severe swimmer's ear. Anyway, all of the rafting was videoed by a professional on the shore, and we got to watch it last night at the camp. It is absolutely nuts, the water we went through. It is absolutely one of the most fun things I have ever done. Added cool factor, is the fact that NO ONE will ever get to do it again after this season, as they are damning this section of the river for power. So, I am banged up, but smiling from ear to ear! We move on from here to Rwanda to meet a real Silver Back. I am really hoping this one treats me better than the first. We will also get to see the genocide museum, which I am really looking forward to...

Finally, though a bit vulgar, something that we laughed so hard at...

Our river guide would tell us and prep us before each wave, telling us what to expect and what to do, like "I will need you to paddle really hard to get to the wave" "the wave will take us this way" and "I want you to lean to this side of the boat" then "I will scream 'HOLD ON'" etc. etc. David, one of the brothers from NYC, said for SilverBack, the only orders should have been "paddle hard towards the wave, then stand up turn around bend over and grab you ankles..."

Kili

Well, this will be my last blog for a while, as I will be heading up Kilimanjaro's slopes tomorrow!!! I have no idea how being at that altitude will effect me, but if it comes down to will, I will see the top! I am pretty excited to say the least. I am viewing it as a great way to focus on the here and now of a difficult task, eliminate all of the worry and negative images of the past few weeks. I can NOT WAIT to see the sunrise at the summit. It really was/is one the main things I looked forward to before I started out. Talk to some of you from the top!

Hanging Chads

Nothing like a little election intrigue. My trip out into rural Kenya went smoothly enough. It was the return that proved to be quite difficult. Initially, I had visions of mud-walled huts, due to descriptions provided by other volunteers that had been living at the orphanage in Western Kenya. So, I decided to leave my passport in Nakuru, locked in Emily's house. It proved to be faulty logic. For upon arrival, an underlying tension in Kakamega was noticeably higher than in Nakuru, though I still could feel no threat. Making it safely to Rose's house, I settled in and felt quite fine with the situation, as 1) I had not heard of any violence yet (the results were not yet announced) and 2) it definitely was out in the middle of nowhere. But, over the following days all of the election madness filtered in via the radio, and by the sound of things I knew it might get ugly. From the intersection with the main road, a small dirt lane led to our home amongst the sugarcane. This is where at the end of the day we saw people running away screaming from the crazy panga (machete)-wielding idiots. A group of 12 or so volunteers for the orphanage was stationed in the next town over and heard gun-shots that night. That coupled with the American Embassy warning to leave the country, if you could, made those guys jet out the next day. They had to bribe the local police for an escort to the Kisumu airport, but, in the end, they made it safely home. Needless to say all of the horrific stories started to trickle in via calls home to family and stories from locals and Rose's family. The details of Kikuyu's (Kibaki's tribe) seeking refuge in a church in Eldoret, only 30 minutes from where we were, only to be burned alive, further enhanced my nervousness. While the house we stayed in was mud, lined with concrete, and with locking doors, the 40-50 mph wind gusts at night made it sound like people were trying to break into the house. No electricity meant pitch black darkness, so I did not sleep so well during my time there.

My mission from that point out was trying to organize either: my way to my passport or my passport to me, neither of which were remotely possible with the country going crazy. Thankfully, after some time, we did manage to get a recommendation to get to Kisumu's Red Cross, which we were assured would be able to help me travel saely back to Nakuru and then on to Nairobi. Unfortunately, when we arrived we were told that even the Red Cross would not risk driving the route to Nakuru. That left only a flight, which we pursued and found only 2 days later. Thankfully, David, a Red Cross volunteer was able to let me stay at his home for those 2 days, for which I will be forever grateful. His crazy lie story I will save for another time... As Kisumu was one of the hardest hit cities, you can be assured that the destruction I saw was heartbreaking and there were a few close calls of violence directed at people transporting me. Thankfully, they really do give white people a pass, and despite my driver being the wrong tribe, he was let go solely because he was carrying me.

I made my flight, met Emily, who had packed and lugged all my things to the Nairobi airport for me, and I am now in Tanzania, safe and sound and about to climb Kili. Seems out of place to me, now that 1000's are behind starving and homeless. But, what can you do...

Cathy is safe and sound, despite her being in a conflict zone. She is progressing in her walking according to her, and I hope that things are calm enough for me to return on my trip in a few weeks, so that I can see for all of us the fruits of her labor...

Coming Soon

Well, I just dont have the energy or gumption to write right now. Just wanted to let everyone know I am up and running in Tanzania after a very hectic 2 weeks. I will lay it all out in a few days...