Safari Time!

Sam and I had originally planned to do a short safari after climbing Mount Kili, and this ended up working out great because it gave us some time to sit back and watch other things for a while instead of doing a lot work.  The Serengeti of course is one of the most popular East African parks, but there are other wonders here too, including Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire N.P.

Peeking our heads out the top of the 4x4

The leopard in Tarangire eying us uneasily when we got close

We set off from Moshi with our own driver and personal cook heading for the first on our list, Tarangire. We had little expectations, as Ben, our driver told us it's not a great time of year to see animals. We were just hoping to at least see a leopard.  They are usually the hardest to spot of the "Big 5" (leopard, rhino, elephant, lion, and water buffalo), but Tarangire was our best shot, and it didn't disappoint.  About half way through the game drive, we saw a leopard high up in a tree, with its prey, an impala laying lifeless below. We were hoping to see it take the impala up to the tree, but the leopard seemed content resting on a branch for a while before diving into its meal that would keep it full for the next few days. Also in Tarangire, there were herds of elephants everywhere along with our first glimpses of lions.

A herd of elephants walked nearby the 4x4

The view from the top of Ngorongoro Crater

Our next stop was Ngorongoro Crater, which exceeded all expectations. It's such a small area, but the animals are so heavily concentrated. From the top of the crater, Ben pointed out all the little dots to us below, and they were all animals. We saw zebras, baboons, gazelles and impalas. Of course, there were tons of wildebeests there and we spotted some buffalo up close, too. There were ostriches doing a mating dance and flamingos standing on one leg in the far distance all over the small lake. Our biggest highlights though, were seeing 6 rhinos through the course of the day, and seeing a whole family of lions, with too many cubs to count. Everyone that we spoke to said we would be lucky to thinks and we got to see 6! Sam's favorite was the chase we got to view through binoculars of a group of hyenas that went after the zebra. It started with only a few hyenas, but they just kept on popping up out of the ground from every angle until one of the zebras had no choice but to go down. It really seemed as if the first hyenas herded the zebra into the other hiding hyenas. Quite a good strategy.

"Stop the horse play!"

Why did the rhino cross the road?

Water buffaloes posing for the camera

Our final stop was in the Serengeti.  The word 'Serengeti' means 'vast plains' in Swahili and it's not an exaggeration.  We went to a lookout when we arrived in the official park, and it was flat and green as far as we could see in every direction. Here, we saw fields and fields of zebras and wildebeests co-habitating. They are helpful to each other during migration and often stick together because the zebras are better at detecting the predators, but the wildebeests can sense where the water is located. We also caught a couple groups of cheetahs and rivers full of hippopatamus here.

Spotted a couple of cheetahs right next to the road

Can we take one home? Baby hyenas are actually cute.

Imagine if we had to take a drink like that.

The safari ended with a bang with a hot air balloon ride and champagne breakfast in the bush. We were picked up from camp in the dark early morning. Giddy with excitement, we met our other balloon mates who were mostly travelling on vacation from the U.S. and Canada. Mohommed was our captain, who not only directed the hot air balloon, but pointed out all the animals below too. We were told that the particular balloon that we rode in was the 3rd largest in the world. Interestingly, Mohommed had us climb into the balloon basket while it was still sideways before the porters filled the rest of the balloon up with hot air. We quickly were turned upright and were off the ground. We spent the next hour with a bird's eye view of the Serengeti, able to see all the animal tracks from above and also all the animals that were hiding from the jeeps away from the road. We enjoyed every minute of it and were definitely not ready to come down. Most of the time, we stayed pretty close to the ground to view the animals better, but in the last few minutes, Mohommed took us up really high (maybe 1000 ft?) so we could view all the beautiful landscape. We landed not so smoothly, but the balloon remained upright. We were immediately greeted with a champagne toast, then driven a short distance to breakfast. The food was wonderful, and our fellow travellers were great company. The part that I got a kick out of the most was our Loo with a View (toilet in the bush with only the side towards everyone covered) :)

The "God Rays" are giving us good luck on the morning of our hot air balloon ride.

Baby simbas (Kiswahili for "lions") scoping us out from below.

Looks like a post card! We followed the other balloon, who directed us to the animals.

Our "Loo with a View" for our bush breakfast!

After breakfast, Ben was ready to pick us up and take us the long 6-7 hour ride back to Moshi to get ready for our next adventure....Zanzibar.

(Written on December 18th)

Thanks to Those That Helped Us Get to the Top

Sam and I could never imagine trying to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on our own, though we did see a few people who were after this feat.  We owe our success in summitting in part to all the guides and porters that were there to help along the way.

When we arrived in Moshi, Tro-Peaks told us that we would be climbing with two other people, but their flight, which was only supposed get in the night before we left, had been delayed. So the climb just ended up being the two of us in our camp, and, of course, we saw many other climbers on the same route as we took.

We had two wonderful guides along the way. Washington usually took the lead when we were hiking. And as Sam mentioned, "pole pole" was the motto throughout. This was Washington's 177th time to climb the mountain, so he was definitely a pro!  Thomas, one of the owners of Tro-Peaks, was our other guide, who usually laid out the plans for the day He was full of information about the mountain and stories about previous climbers.

Thomas and Washington

 We also had 8 porters with us as well...It was so amazing that 10 people total were there to help just us two. If you're not familiar with porters, they are the guys doing the heavy lifting and the hard work. They not only carried their bags, but also our big backpacks too. They carried all of the tents, food, water, and cooking equipment too, often with one bag on their back and another on their heads.

 Porters hiking on the trail

He carried my bag the whole trip. He had no idea what Ohio State University is, so I won't hold it against him!

Two of them served as our cook and waiter, making sure we ate more food than we even felt like so we kept up our energy.  We often ate better than we would eat at home, including a tea break promptly every afternoon.

Our dinner table inside the tent

They always left camp after we did, but they always made it to the next site before us and already had everything set up and ready to go when we arrived. The day after we returned to Moshi, still tired and sore, we learned our porters would be heading back up the mountain the next day with another group to help them to the top! We would like to especially thank this crew since, without them, our climb would have no doubt been impossible!

All of the porters and cooks together on the last day

(Written December 14th)

Pole Pole - Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world. This means from the base of the mountain to the summit is the largest elevation change when including those above sea level. Everest is only about 15,300 ft above its base where Kili stands around 19,300 above the surrounding area. Another unique aspect of Kili is that it can be climbed without any rock-climbing gear. Only hiking gear for cold weather is needed to summit.

Before we left, Erin and I thought we were in well enough physical condition to climb without many setbacks, but the effects of the high altitude were a big question mark. We have hiked a fair amount, but never anything at high altitudes. Our doctor prescribed us several medications to help with the effects of the altitude, but these can only do so much.

Erin takes a break on Day 2 while other climbers try to catch up.

When we arrived in Moshi, the nearest city to Kili, we had several days to rest and catch up on things before we started our climb. This was a good thing since Erin stomach was not well at all for this time so she spent most of the time in bed or resting right up until the day before we left. We met with our guides and and rented the cold weather gear we needed the day before we started. Our guides gave us some very good advice during this meeting:
1. Drink - Not drinking enough fluids is a quick way to get altitude sickness. Not only does the body needs water to fight the thin air, but you are also losing lots of water from the physical activity. Drink up!
2. Eat - The body need additional strength for hiking. When you are full, take another serving of everything. Thankfully, our cook was awesome.
3. Rest - This was not that hard for us since, after a long hike, it's easy to want to do nothing. We were sleeping in tents so it took a couple cold nights before we adjusted our gear enough to be warm.
4. STAY POSITIVE - This was especially crucial for the summit hike. When every step forward sucks, it helps to keep the goal of summitting fresh in your mind.
We lived (and maybe died a little...) by these rules and we think it helped us tremendously.

The summit from Shira Camp on the morning of Day 3 at well over 12,000 ft.

We took the Machame Route which was supposed to be a little more strenuous than others but also the most scenic. The Machame Gate is around 5500 ft above sea level and our next 4 nights would be spent between about 10,000 and 14,000 ft. The hikes took us up to over 15,000 and then back down to sleep and acclimatize to the high altitude.

Erin and Washington climbing the steepest ascent we encountered on "Barranco Wall." It was fitting of its name.

Erin and I at camp on the morning of Day 4.

By the day we reached Barranco (Spanish for "ravine") Camp, we had ascended and descended several thousand feet that day and were ready for some rest. This was the first day we really saw the effects the mountain was having on some fellow climbers. We had seen our far share of people with headaches or tired legs and a VERY slow pace, but no one in immediate danger. Here we saw a woman arrive late to camp and crying for a doctor in the camp while she told herself to "breathe, breathe." Luckily, there was a doctor climbing the mountain in Barranco and she was attended to after 2 guides carried her to his tent. We assume she was taken down the mountain that day/night. After this day, it was not uncommon to see people hiking down the mountain instead of up.

The city of Moshi from Karengu Camp. Above 13,000 ft.

After Barranco came Karenga and then Barafu (Kiswahili for "snow") Camp which is a base camp for the summit climb. Since we chose the 7-day tour instead of the 6-day, we only had to hike 2.5 hours the morning before our summit climb. This gave us a bit more rest than the 6-day climbers, which we gladly used to watch the movie Elf and sleep as much as possible. We would awake for our climb for the summit around midnight and leave shortly after.

Final camp at Barafu. 15,000 ft.

I think Erin might be cold? Almost to the top though...

During the climb, we expected to see temperatures in the single digits since most of it was at night. We bundled up with everything our guides recommended and we each kind of felt like Ralphy from A Christmas Story ("I can't put my arms down!"). If you don't get that reference, please stop reading this and watch that movie! Anyways, the climb itself consisted of about 6 hours of climbing before the summit. During our climb, there was very little said apart from "Are you okay?", "I'm cold", "3 minutes" (break), and "Pole pole" (pronounced po-lay po-lay), which means "Slowly, slowly" in Kisawhili. This was also one of the mottoes for climbing the mountain and, rightfully so, we heard it more often than we could count. During the climb, I likened it to a marathon but in the dark, at below freezing temperatures, at 30 to 45 degree slopes, and with little sleep and no one to cheer you on. This was where staying positive was key. Erin was having trouble around 3-5 hours in so the 2 guides and I tried to focus on getting her to the top. It's not that I was all smiles, but she was feeling nauseous, tired, and she hates the cold much more than me.

The caldera of the volcano from the summit!

After an insanely grueling 5.5 hours, we reached the rim of the crater at the top called Stella Point. We had another 30 minute hike along the rim to reach the summit. By this time, we were watching the sun rise over Mwenzi, another, shorter peak and so we didn't need our headlamps. By the time we reached the summit, we were taking breaks almost every 5-10 minutes, but our energy jumped when we finally made it. We were only able to spend about 10 minutes taking pictures and enjoying the views before we had to start the 2-3 hour decent. Stopping anywhere for too long near the summit is not smart.

The massive glacier from the near the summit....shrinking every year.

Washington, me, Erin, and Thomas basking in all our glory!

The descent was a welcome change from the constant uphill climb. It only took us about 2 hours to descend back to camp. We were greeted with congratulations by the porters and had some Coca Cola to celebrate. Not long after, we were taking a short, 30-minute nap. We had to get our legs back before hiking to Mweka Camp which was 3 hours away from Barafu....Ugh. We were dead tired but knew we would recover more quickly at the lower altitude of Mweka and this also made for only a 3 hour hike to the park gate the following day. With the constant dropping in elevation came blisters on our toes, as usual. We both always get blisters when going down on hikes, but at this point, we knew we made it and didn't care much about he discomfort because relief was so close.

Our last night was spent in the rain. At least it held off the entire week while we hiked until then. We said our goodbyes the last morning and had a group picture (see next post). Our team was great and we would recommend Tro-Peaks to anyone else looking to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Pole pole!

(Written December 10th)

Kipepeo Still Needs Support

We are no longer physically helping at Kipepeo Community Empowerment Program (KCEP) in Kenya, but we still want to help make a difference, and you can help out too. KCEP is still a very young Community Based Organization, founded in just 2009. But it has already managed to help so many people with all its various projects, and the members  still have big plans for expansion in the future. When the need of the surrounding community is so great, it can become overwhelming to decide which should be given priority so each is maintained by the staff and volunteers through passion and tons of hard work.

One way Kipepeo is helping themselves is through Income Generating Activities (IGAs). When the computers are not being used for classes, they can be used for typing, browsing the Internet, and other computer services for the community.  This allows Kipepeo to pay their electricty and the other programs that Kipepeo was founded to support. This is where we (USA) come in. Their computers, while infinitely better than they were only a year or two ago, are out of date. Their mouses barely function (frustrating for students) and their monitors are bulky. Our best solution to this came to us as a laptop/technology drive. Erin and I had already mentioned getting a new laptop soon after we get back and our old one would get MUCH more use in Kima where they really need it. What we are asking is for anyone who is upgrading their personal technology in the next 6 months, please save your old equipment, even if it's not in the best shape. This includes mouses, laptops, smart phones, cables, USB drives, and anything else that can be shipped somewhat easily. This is a good excuse to get that new computer for yourself for Christmas! If you are interested in donating any materials, please send an email to samjweber@gmail.com.

It will go to a much better cause than Best Buy's scrap service or your closet collecting dust!

Of course, if you aren't getting rid of a computer any time soon, we are still raising money through the Paypal Donate button on our homepage for all of our volunteer sites to help with their  current projects. One of the newest projects started by KCEP, is the One Shilling Project.  The project goal is to raise enough money to purchase a small plot of land and build recreation center to serve as a meeting place and occasional housing for the orphans and street boys that KCEP already helps on a weekly basis. They feel the orphans and street kids would also benefit from computer classes and they do everything to encourage and support these underpriveleged kids to stay in school and get a good education to empower them in the future.

To see other projects, Kipepeo Community Empowerment Program invites you to check out their website at http://kipepeo.yolasite.com/ or search for them on Facebook.

(Written by Sam and Erin)

Last Week in Kenya



We left Kenya and entered Tanzania today. The last several days have been busy with finishing the computer class and saying our goodbyes. We had an incredible time in Kima with everyone in Kipepeo and the time flew by, just as everyone said it would.



During our last week, Erin spent a couple more days at the hospital and got to know one of the staff there, Liz, pretty well. Liz was also one of our best students in the computer class. We had the pleasure to be invited to her home for lunch on Monday and meet her family. It never ceases to amaze me at how welcoming and generous the people of Kima and the surrounding communities are. Another example of this came on Saturday when we went to a local wedding in Kima. While crashing weddings in the U.S. can be difficult, it is not uncommon for many people to attend a wedding who were not necessarily invited, us included. We got front row seats and, although we had to leave early, the bride and groom insisted that we have cake before leaving. We were also lucky enough to see where Yumi and Mariko were staying, which was at the previous home of Jesse, one of the founders of Kipepeo. Erin learned how to make chapatti and we again had a feast fit for a king with everyone.

Sammy and Sarah receiving "flowers" during their ceremony.

Last weekend, instead of a trip to Kisumu like the last two weekends, we did a day-long hike with Julius, Guddy, Mariko, and Yumi over the rocky hills near Kima to Maseno. Maseno is home to Maseno University and dozens, if not hundreds, of small monkeys who have become rather domesticated. After Julius and Guddy led us down the meandering path through the hills to the campus, we bought 15 or so bananas and searched for the monkeys for all of about 10 minutes. It didn't take much coaxing for the monkeys to come right up and take them from our hands...bananas are pretty delicious afterall. After Maseno, we had to refuel ourselves with some fresh fruit juice before heading for the Equator, which was on the way to Guddy's mother's house. We had lunch with his mom and sister and relaxed while the thunderclouds moved in. A short matatu ride back to Kima gave our legs a break after a long day on our feet. Julius enlightened us that this was not much walking in a day for those in Kima, but it is more than I walk in a week back home if I am not doing something active. Erin and I both had a blast though and the views were amazing. It was great to see the countryside upclose along with the monkeys and the Equator and Guddy's mom's just topped it all off for a great day.



Kima, from the highest nearby rocks.

Guddy, Erin, Mariko, me, Yumi, and Julius.

Monkeys love bananas.

Double trouble.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent preparing the class for the exam and finishing the logo we started painting on the wall in the Kipepeo office. Erin spent her last day at the hospital on Tuesday while I gave the exam to the class. We used the previous class's exam, also done by a volunteer from the U.S., as a guide for ours. Most everyone did well and it was time for graduation the day after. This was somewhat of our going away celebration as well. We told everyone 10 am which quickly turned to noon when some rain moved in and the ceremony got moved inside. It made for a cozy time, trying to fit about 30 people in the one room. The students and Kipepeo staff each awarded us gifts after we awarded the students their certificates. Mine, after telling Erin multiple times that I need to get a hat, was a large hat made of banana leaves which is perfect for keeping the sun off me. Erin's was some traditional fabric used to for dresses which she plans to have made in Moshi. We also each received paintings and certificates from the Kipepeo team for our time there and had group pictures with all the students. This entire experience of teaching, being that it's a first for both of us, has made me really appreciate the work of all teachers, especially my parents.

The Equator. (Lots of sunblock and still burned...)

Julius, Erin, Jesse, and me with our best student, Henry (middle).

The 11th Kipepeo Computer Class

Guddy cooked us another great meal of fish, ugali, rice, fruit salad, and cooked bananas for our last meal with everyone. It only seemed fitting to everyone that it was raining since it was pouring when Julius and Guddy first picked us up in Luanda that night almost a month ago. Guddy and another piki piki driver took us to Maseno after saying our goodbyes where boarded our bus to Nairobi. Kima has really been a great experience where we have felt we have made a difference. Some people think the people only need food, money, clothing, and shelter, but just giving them these things is not sustainable. By giving them life skills to better themselves, we have followed an old saying. "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime."

(Written November 30th)