Climbing Kilimanjaro

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Kilimanjaro

Tue. 8-10-93 Quincy, IL - St. Louis, MO

How am I ever going to be ready to go?! The World Freefall Convention of skydiving is going on in Quincy right now. With Stan and I both being skydivers we had to make at least a couple jumps yesterday. We counted on packing last night and this morning. However, bad weather forced some good friends to spend an extra night in town and they all came over to our house. It was kind of crazy trying to find places for people to sleep in between the climbing stuff. No problems though and this morning I brought them over to my Dads for rides in his biplane. We packed quickly and loaded our car for the long drive to St. Louis. Because of the flooding of the Mississippi river the drive is twice as long. No problem with check-in and before long we were aboard and ready for the flight to London.

Wen. 8-11-93 London - Nairobi, Kenya

Nothing too remarkable on the flight. We got into Gatwick at around ten and went through customs and waited on baggage. There is a shuttle service between Gatwick and Heathrow that is very convenient and far less then a taxi. The tickets are around $13.50 each and it takes around 50 to 60 minutes for the trip. The even serve tea or coffee. The check in lines at Heathrow were terrible and it took lots of time to get through. We had hoped to meet some of our climbing buddies at a downtown pub but found it impossible to get there in time. They are also climbing Kili but will safari first. We decided to find the McDonalds. Security is very tight at Heathrow and Stan got patted down. After a four hour wait we were ready to board another 747 for Nairobi. I highly suggest British Air. Really nice service and aircraft. Also, if you want lots of carry on space try for seats upstairs. I believe they start with row 60. Theres lockers on the sides near the window.

Thur. 8-12-93 Nairobi, Kenya

The flight took 8 hours from London and arrived at around 4 a.m. No problem getting passport control, baggage pickup or customs. Our driver was there with a sign so we found him right away. His name is Lazarus. He will be driving the Toyota Landcruiser that we hired from a skydiver friend of mine. We need to pick up some white gas for cooking on the mountain and change some money before we head out of Nairobi. We first drove to a hotel and waited until 6:30 for breakfast buffet to be served. We drove to another hotel and left a note for our friends we missed in London. The banks open at around 8:30 so while Lazarus got some money we visited the city market place. We picked up a couple carvings and batiks. These guys must be hurting because it was really easy to bargain with. Next on the list was finding some white gas for our stove. We drove downtown and looked for the paint stores. Whatever they poured in the bottle smells like white gas so well keep our fingers crossed. Finally we were all ready for the drive to Marangu, Tanzania to meet our climbing guide.

The highway system in Africa is not really too great and what looks like a great road is bound to be gravel with holes everywhere. Actually the road to the border isnt all that bad after youve experienced the worst roads. We saw some animals along the highway such as giraffe, Thompson gazelles, impala and zebra. I fell asleep for some of the ride but woke up for coffee near the border. The Kenya border crossing wasnt bad and we were quickly on our way. Around 500 feet down the road is the Tanzania border. The difference in roads and people. There were many Maasi at the Kenya border but here its nothing but beggars and guys with machine guns. It cost $63 to get the Landcruiser into Tanzania and they keep the title so you dont sell it. We didnt really have much problems but it was obvious that you didnt want make any trouble.

We drove on and on finally coming to the road to Marangu. As we approached the Kilimanjaro park gates a man came up to the truck. He had a letter and the two photos I had sent a month earlier. It was our guide, Wilson Mosha. I indicated in my letter we would try to be there today and he waited all day at the park gates for us. He jumped in the truck and went over the proposed climb. Doing the Machame route will now cost $550 each is we have our own food and driver. $650 if they cook and drive. I had thought it would be less expensive but the park charges $40 each person to camp. Can you believe that?! $80 a night in a tent you have to pitch yourself with no water or facilities. Park rules say you must hire a guide and porters and thats included in his $550 fee. For Stan and I we will have 4 porters, an assistant guide and a guide. I was really tired after 3 days on the road. Wilson said he knew of a good place that wasnt as expensive as the Kilimanjaro Mountain Lodge. We drove the truck up this bumpy dirt road and came to the Ashanti Lodge. How anyone could really ever find it is beyond me. The road was so rutted and rocky I cant believe anything other than a Landcruiser could have made it. Unbelievable. I would really hate to see this in wet season. We paid Wilson and he gave us his guide license to hold. He needed to get some food for the porters before tomorrow. We got the room and breakfast for $30. A room at the Kili Lodge is around $120. Everything had to be repacked so we got to work and crash at 8:30 P.M. after chugging down Pepsis. We got four for a dollar and it ended up being the only place in Africa that had Pepsis.

Fri 8-13-93 Machame Route

We got up early, dressed and had breakfast by 6 a.m. The hotel allowed us to store our extra stuff in a back room for our return. While waiting for Wilsons arrival we looked around the little village. Really looked like it was out of a National Geographic special. Finally Wilson and the other porters arrived. We loaded up the truck and were off.

Up the mountain sides the vegetation is beautiful. On the roads there is nothing but dirt and corn shocks strewn about. The little children are cute and the toys they play with are cool. One boy had a car like thing on a stick. The stick attached to the front axle by a strip of leather. When the stick is rotated the wheels turn.

Getting to the ranger station is a real four-wheel drive experience. I thought that was the end of the drive but after we signed the book we kept going up. The mighty Toyota just kept chugging upwards. We were amazed at the people living along this desolate strip of road. We got to the trailhead and headed out around 10 a.m. The porters packed up there sacks and balanced them on top of their heads. The surrounding jungle was truly the Africa that I always pictured. Birds, monkeys and various other animal sounds announced our arrival. We slowly wound our way upwards through the dense jungle. We stopped a couple times to rest and snack but we kept a fairly good pace. The trail is well marked and easy to follow.

Our first camp was beautiful. Stan and I set our tent up in a small clearing away from the porters hut. The porters use wood for their cooking fires and it tends to get really smoky if you camp nearby. After setting up camp we took a nap then found a water supply and Stan filtered water for cooking. Dinner was great! Chicken & dumplings with apple-blueberry cobbler for dessert. Great views of Kili poking through the clouds at sunset. It sure does look far away from here.

Sat. 8-14-93 Shira Hut

We broke camp early after a good breakfast. The trail was steep for the first hour and a half then became more gradual. Very beautiful trail with spectacular vegetation. The misty clouds surrounding us gave it a surreal feeling. After three and a half hours we got to the plateau area where the Shira hut is located. Kili looms largely in the background. As all mountains do, it looks immense to us. Really not as much snow as I thought but the glaciers are clearly visible. We ate lunch then set up camp. Not much to do really. Well be here a couple days so we set up on a nice sight. After a nap it was time for dinner. Started with cup-a-soup then continued with Chili Mac with tortillas. For dessert it was graham crackers with chocolate. Tonight we started taking Diamox tablets for altitude sickness. We both felt great so far.

Sun. 8-15-93 Shira Hut

Woke at 7am and had a great breakfast despite the coldness. It was very foggy and cloudy out so Wilson said maybe a hike around 9am. The fog cleared on cue and we had a great view of the Shira Plateau. There is a 4WD road about a half hour hike . Plenty of animal tracks of all types but none visible. There are supposed to be even Cape buffaloes here. Kind of a boring walk but its good to get exercise at altitude. Still windy today but the sky is crystal clear with clouds down below us. We walked back up the dried up creek bed. Wilson showed us places to find water in the sand by digging down. Kind of hard walking up the creek with all the boulders and rocks but soon we were back at the hut.

We learned that the porters had gone to get firewood and disturbed a buffalo. They ran really fast away from him and decided to look in the opposite direction for the wood. I could just imagine those wild looking porters running like mad from a snorting buffalo. That would have been priceless to watch. All the cooking is done over open fires so they really tear up the environment searching for the wood. They break the wood by hitting it on the rocks!

We fixed lunch; Ramen noodles and peanut butter tortillas. The porters get the water and Stan filters it. Lazy afternoon of napping and reading. Later on we fixed our usual cup-a-soup and the main meal of a type of freeze dried beef stew. Everything is just filthy hear. Even base camp at Aconcagua wasnt this bad. Im going to hose the tent down good at home.

Mon. 8-16-93 Lava Tower

Up at 6:45am, packed and ate breakfast. Really a beautiful hike with the temperatures very tolerable while hiking. We took a short break after 2 hours for snacks and drink. Soon after we were at the Lava Tower. There was another group already there. A French group of 18 men and women all around 50 to 60 years old. They were moving to the Arrow glacier camp. Its located a bit higher but less sheltered. We really should have spent last night here and tonight at Arrow glacier. The catch is that there are no tents or shelter for the guides and porters. We quickly set up camp and fixed lunch. A short hike in the afternoon took us up to the glacier. The trail is steep in sections and lots of scree. It reminded me of a huge Canaletta. Oh No!! We hiked for an hour which brought us to 4955m. (16,351 feet) The campsite looked good here. We looked around at the route above but the clouds were coming in so we descended.

Wilson reminded us of a tip and I told him not to talk about it anymore because it wasnt polite. Decided to eat early at 4:30pm because summit day tomorrow. Dinner was sweet and sour pork with the last of the tortillas. We had a good appetite with only a slight headache. Wilson got on my nerves about tipping again so I told him off. He wanted us to fill his water again then wanted batteries. I said we didnt have any extra. Yesterday he wanted soap to wash his socks! Short night tonight since we leave at 5am. The other group is going to leave at 2am from the glacier.

Tue. 8-17-93 Summit Day

Wilson woke us up at 4am. Both Stan and I set alarms but we slept right through them. Since we are traversing the mountain we have to have everything packed up. Quick breakfast and then packed up our day packs. It was cold but not too bad. I wore expedition weight underwear, Goretex bibs, pile coat and Goretex jacket. In my day pack I had my down pants, water and food. The rote was steep the entire way. Actually we did make good time. Took an hour to get to the Arrow glacier. The Breech wall took 4 hours which was pretty fast despite Wilson getting lost half the time. It was like the Canaletta only worse. Lots of rock climbing today. This was no "wheel-chair" route! I got cold half way up though I kept drinking water. Took a a Diamox and a Decadron this morning before we left. I drank all 1 liters in the climb and ran out during the descent.

The French people left at 2am. We saw them their head lamps when we were packing up our tent. I cant believe these people climbed the wall! They all roped up and it took them a long time but they did it. I admire them greatly. We got up to the crater at around 9am. Very cool place. As usual I had my "Kick Butt" tapes on my cassette player. They really help through the tough parts. The sun was shining up here and brought much needed warmth. Great place to ice climb with all the huge ice walls of the crater. We walked around the crater and scouted the way to the main trail. Wilson was trying to get us to go up a shorter way that looked steep and dangerous to Stan and I. We wanted to go up the regular route which was longer but far safer. We made a long crossing to the regular trail and headed up to the summit. The total time for the climb up was 6:23:42. The regular route up was very easy compared to the wall and Stand and I cruised up the trail. I was even singing Bohemian Rhapsody near the top playing air guitar with my ski poles! Wilson was feeling the altitude as he kept stopping and all the time.

When we got to the summit a couple of Japanese were leaving. The guy didnt look too hot. We started pulling out the flags for the summit photos and Wilson said it wasnt allowed. I said too bad we were going to do it anyway then we took tons of photos. After about fifteen minutes we were headed down. We ran into some Scottish guys who were really pissed at their guide. They were taking some "military route" and I think it almost killed them. Further down we saw the Japanese with their guide. The guy had cerebral edema and didnt have a clue where he was and was also staggering around. We wanted to help and ask about the whereabouts of their other guide. We located him a bit further down the trail. He didnt seems to care one way or the other about the client. He asked us if we had a "biscuit" that we could give the sick man. Really tragic if this guy doesnt make it because of sheer apathy. We sent our assistant guide down the mountain to get help much to the dismay of Wilson.

We continued down the Marangu route stopping at Gilmans point to take some photos. Stopped at a cave for lunch. I was really hungry and completely out of water. All scree to the Kibo hut. The hut is around 16,000 feet. There is no water or firewood here and the porters must bring all of it up. What a boring route it must be going up. We bought some Cokes at the hut and beers for the guides. Coke was 600TS and 800TS for the beers. Culture shock seeing other people again. Actually they looked out of place on the same mountain. Women with their hair all nicely done up. I looked like hell. My hair was matted down and I looked like I just rolled down the scree in my bibs. The Coke was great refreshing. Most of "climbers" on this side looked like they were extras in the "Night of the Zombies". Walking around very slowly with the look of a bad stomach ache and headache written all over their faces.

Continuing down the trail it took around 2 hours to reach the Horombo Hut area. Boring, boring route with a flat high desert look to it. The Horombo huts remind me of a ghetto. What a nasty place. We checked in with the so called caretaker who looked at our paper and pointed "way out there" to camp. We took a look and there was really no place to put a tent up on the steep rocky hill. We came back and found a better place closer to the trail. The caretaker guy came out yelling at us to go down in the valley. I yelled at him to show me where we could possibly camp. He came over and we "discussed" a compromise. Wilson talked and I yelled and he guy finally said we could camp there. We had already paid $80.00 US to camp which is far too much to begin with. I was pissed and very tired. I shook the guys hand after the said we could camp.

Stan and I then set up camp, filtered water and cooked dinner. First came the soup then our usual post summit meal of mashed potatoes and gravy. The food was really good. As we were savoring our tea Wilson came over to discuss the trip, i.e. the tip. I sat there for about a half hour and told him what we thought and gave him suggestions for the future. He took them graciously. I told him to stop asking for tips early in the climb and to be better prepared.

Wen. 8-18-93 Marangu route - Ashanti Lodge

Another long day. Didnt sleep well last night and got perhaps a couple hours of shut eye. Damn started my period. We have a 7 hour hike out today so we got up early and packed up. We drank Tang and ate breakfast bars for a good start to the day. Clouds below us made for nice photos. The trail was a highway of people the entire way down. Lots of them going up. Almost all of them look out of place in the mountains unlike the French on the Machame route. The trail wound through high desert first with rocky paths. We were keeping a hurried pace and I couldnt really look around much because of the terrain.

We walked around 3 hours and came to the Mandara huts. Before that was the rain forest. Mud, mud and more mud. Im so glad we were going down and not up in this "chocolate" like goo. We saw some monkeys in the trees above us. Sections of the trail looked just like a Disney movie set or "Pirates of the Caribbean". Its crazy to relate something so natural to something so fake but thats what it felt like. More mud and water. Lots of mis-dressed, ill-equipt people coming up. The Mandara huts are more of the A-frame metal and wood structures. There didnt seem so ghetto like as the Horombo area. I think the huts have room for 4 people each. They have a solar panel on top to power lights at night. Other wise there are no windows. We passed the huts and went back in the jungle. More mud. Stan fell twice. Once after taking my picture in an area I thought looked like "Romancing the Stone". The mud was very slick and seemed endless.

We crossed many bridges and creeks and after another 2 hours we reached the Marangu gate and ranger station. We looked like hell but we walked up to get our certificates that showed we summited Uhuru peak. We walked down and out of the gate where Lazarus was waiting for us. All the porters were there also. We climbed in the Landcruiser and headed for the hotel. Strange looking at the people. Bright colors and waving. All the children yelling and waving at the tuck. We got to the hotel and unloaded in back. The porters transferred the stored baggage to our rooms and we told them to wait a couple minutes and we would give them their stuff. We tipped the porters $20 each. The assistant guide got a hat, watch $20, and water bottles. Wilson got $50, Stans long underwear, a book, water bag and bottle.

We paid $40 for the room tonight with dinner and breakfast included. Quite a deal in these parts. Hot shower was the first order of business. They had the fire stoked under the water barrel and it was pleasantly warm to get all the mountain dirt off. Dinner was very good. Beef stew, carrots potatoes over rice with spaghetti. Cooked cabbage also. We had papaya and oranges for dessert. No electric halfway through dinner so we finished dinner by candlelight. We finished before the invasion of 18 Italians came to eat. Hamish, the guy who was setting up plates was to be their guide up the mountain. Only a short time before we were sound asleep by 8pm.

Thur. 8-19-93 Arusha

After a good breakfast we packed up all our stuff for the safari portion of the trip. Wilson came by to give me a letter to mail and also info on fax numbers and addresses. We took a look at the bungalows in the back of the main hotel. They are really nice. We loaded everything up and took off. It took over two hours to get to Arusha. On the way we past a restaurant called "Golden Showers". We stopped at a booking agency to find a way to Ngorogoro Crater. Its a ways away and the park fees in Tanzania are very expensive. All the lodges are booked so we stopped by the park office located in Arusha. They were no help at all. Then we drove around to a restaurant/booking office where they gave us some suggestions but nothing really firm. $220 for one night at the crater in a hotel with $15 each for the park and $40 for the vehicle. Way too much. We decided to eat lunch here. Stan had fish & chips and I tried the chicken & chips. Really greasy but only $4.50 for the three of us.

We decided to drive to Nairobi and start from there. We were worried about the border crossing but it was no problem at either Tanzania or Kenya aside from the Massai women trying to sell us stuff. Just say "no"! We drove into Kenya and then stopped at the restaurant to get some coffee and Coke. Lots more tourist mini-buses. Nothing unusual on the road untilsurprise! We almost ran into a very large giraffe running across the road. Lazarus was going about 75 mph and slammed on the brakes. Stan yelled to get the camera and I took a picture of its butt as it ran away. I wish we had a picture of our faces. I felt like I was in "Jurassic Park" and the T-Rex appeared. This thing was really big and we would have been wiped out if it had hit us.

It took most of the day to get back to Nairobi. We first tried the Jacaranda Hotel but they were booked. Some of our friends from the Russian climb were staying there prior to their Kili climb. They had not checked in yet though. Lazarus drove around the corner to the Esperia Hotel. It looked sort of ratty but we went inside and checked it out. They wanted KSH 1,000 for bed and breakfast. Thats around $15US, such a deal! We looked at the room. Nothing fancy but its roomy and it has a bathroom and lights. So we unpacked the truck and moved in. Lazarus will meet us tomorrow to help book us lodging for Masi Mara park for a couple nights.

We decided to walk a bit to get pizza. It was around the corner a couple blocks. Cheap pizza at KSH150. After beer and pizza we stopped by the Esso station which had a convenience shop inside. They had cold beer and popcorn so we bought two of each and some cookies. Getting back to the hotel wasnt too fun since it was very dark by now. Stan tripped once and fell into a three feet deep hole on the side of the sidewalk. One moment he was next to me and the next he was gone! We got back and tested the "hot" water in the showers. Too cold for me but Stan took a shower. The Tusker beer is really good. Its nice to relax again.

Fri. 8-20-93 Nairobi

9:25am Here are some of the articles in the local paper:

Grave Delay - The Coast General hospital has given member of the public 7 days to claim 37 bodies lying at the mortuary since June.

Nakuru - Urchins Arrested - The police arrested 52 vagrants including street urchins.

Colds Explained - Winter in Southern Africa which falls in the months of July and August is the major cause of the current cold spells in the country.

Suspected thug beaten to death - A suspected rustler was stoned to death by members of the public at Busala village in Butere, Kakanega.

Interesting papers to read to say the least. The hotel had hot water this morning and we showered. Breakfast was OK so I think for $15 we should stay here again. Im guarding the truck right now while Lazarus and Stan get reservations for the game parks. We have 3 nights at Masa Mara. They are now looking for the Abadare National park. We are parked near the city market. The crazy old man who watches the cars is hanging out staggering in front of vehicles.

What a town! I guess much like any large city. Squatters and urchins living everywhere. Piles of garbage and open fires everywhere. On the parking meters there are stickers which say, "Pick. Think, work & grow rich". Im not sure what that means exactly. Feels a little strange being the minority. We tend to stick out being white. It will be a long drive to Mara.

18:53 Fig Tree Tent Camp - Masa Mara

We headed out of Nairobi after all the arraignments had been made for Mara, Abadaires and the Samburo National parks. Stan said Lazarus was a huge help getting all the lodging and making the setups for the rest of the trip. The roads out of town were terrible. Actually almost no roads and most of the time just dirt. We stopped at a place on the hillside above the Rift Valley. The valley is still falling a couple of millimeters a year. I bought a snake box thing made out of alabaster. We continued down the road to Naron where we stopped to use the restroom and look around at the shops. Further down the road we had lunch. Chicken with vegetables on a chapati was really tasty. Saw a Wilderness Travel Landcruiser there. Lazarus said he has driven for them before. We drove on and at the turn for Mara picked up a park ranger. The road went to dirt and got really rough. Finally we got to the park entrance where the guys went in. I immediately got accosted by bald Masai women with flies all over them. Yuck. They were trying to sell everything. All these people look like CARE poster children. The women had a toddler with flies in its eyes so I gave them the rest of the shortbread cookies. Finally we were through the gates. A friend of Lazarus got in the truck to drive with us. We slid the roof lid off so we could see better. Wildebeest and Zebra at first along with many Thompson gazelles. We drove off the road and spotted a large male lion sleeping under a bush. Later we saw some females. Giraffes were plentiful. Saw some warthogs, hartebeest, impala, eland, topi and large herd of water buffalo. There was a huge "convention of mini-buses when 3 cheetahs were spotted. It was hilarious watching the people taking pictures of these poor surrounded creatures. They seemed to take it all in stride and just laid there.

It looked like rain and was getting dark so we headed for the lodge. Really a neat place. We checked in and had some guys bring the boxes and bags from the truck. We are in a cabin which is down a stone path in the complex. The lodge is very full and I think we are lucky getting in. Dinner was at 7:30 to 9 and was great. They ask you when you are leaving dinner when you would like your wake up call. We put in ours for 5:45 since we are off on a game drive early. We brought our flashlights for the walk back to our cabin. Kind of tricky getting back without one. Oh yea another article in the paper:

German Eaten by Lions in Namibia.

Sat. 8-21-93 Masa Mara

9:26am We left before sunrise on a game drive. Had coffee from 6 to 630 and were on a way soon after. Tons of game early in the morning. Buffalo and zebra were right outside the lodge. There was a hot air balloon that took off from the lodge and more from other lodges. Surprisingly we didnt see any other vehicles on game drives. We saw 11 lions stalking zebra and wildebeest. We stopped and watched them spread out for the hunt. Amazing watching them move so stealthily through the tall grass. The prey was initially moving across in front of the lions in a line. It looked like they would pick off one from the line. Then amazingly al line of wildebeest turned toward the lions. The lions crouched down further probably in disbelieve of the stupidity of the wildebeest. They got lower and lower until you could hardly see any part of them except their ears. The lions were still spread so that if one lion missed the prey would be driven right into another waiting lion. The attack was lightening fast and the wildebeest was down before he know what hit him. About half the lions jumped on him after the big female took it down by the neck. We drove up close for a look and stayed about half an hour watching the feeding lions.

The little cubs had lots of fun pretending to hunt. They would crouch down and pretend to stalk the wildebeest and then pounce on the already quite dead animal. The feeding priority looked to be according to age with the youngest going last. If the young ones got close they were batted in the head. The large female stood back and watched most of the time then moved to the front on a small mound of dirt. The little cubs came by her to play and she responded back playfully.

Truly an amazing site to witness so closely. It could have been a feature piece on "Wild Kingdom" if wed filmed it.

We moved on in search of more game where we saw elephants with babies in the more foliated areas. A baby elephant and spread his little ears out, flapping them in a very small bluff. In another spot there was a female cheetah and her babies hiding in the underbrush. The lions nearby were a threat to them if given a chance. After driving to see more buffaloes, gazelles and ostriches we came back to the lodge for lunch.

12:00 Very nice outside. I walked up front to the bridge where I saw a couple of giraffe silhouetted against the sky. They just lumber along. Leaning and rocking their heads up and down. I heard the distinctive sound of radial engines in the sky. There was a C-47 flying over head at around 2,000 feet. What a plane! Im so glad we did the climb first. We would have been ragged out from just eating and riding around in the truck. Lots of foreigners here but not many Americans.

18:50 Left for another game drive at 15:00 in search of rhino. Saw more elephants with their babies. There were 8 young male lions laying around. We hit a bump that almost drove the camera through me stomach. I think the lions laughed at us for that one. Finally got a great photo of a yawning lion. We headed out for the mini-bus conventions which could only meanrhino! There was a big female and her offspring. Lucky she was in good temper since the mini-vans had them surrounded. We took lots of photos of this rare occasion. Huge herds of wildebeest, zebra and topi were around the corner. Also saw a few hyenas and warthogs on the outskirts of the herd.

Sun. 8-22-93 Masa Mara

Heard a balloon fire up so I jumped out of bed early and grabbed the camera. It flew over the cabin so I took a couple shots. Breakfast was at 7:30 and we met Lazarus at 8 for a game drive. We headed to a new area by the Governors camp located on the Mara river. More wildebeest, zebra and topi everywhere. Saw a younger giraffe start running and some topi look towards a wooded area. Sure enough there were two large male lions. One laying down and the other walked over to a mound and posed. Impressive sight! Continued on were we saw some mongoose and warthogs. Drove to the camp where the rooms are $300 a night.

In the bush we saw a male lion laying down with part of his recently caught wildebeest. It looks as if the wildebeest gored the lion during the attack. There was only half the animal left but the lion keenly propped it up against the tree in an effort to trick others to think it was still alive. The lion was laying on his side breathing heavily with swarms of flies in the wound. We continued to the river where there was a huge dead hippo laying upside down in he river. It has a large gash and blood running down its leg. There were two crocodiles swimming around. The crocs have to wait until the hippo rots before they can devour it. Further down the river we saw more hippos in the river with elephants on the bank along with more crocs. There were two mothers and babies going down to the rivers edge for a drink. The little one was really funny trying to drink. He didnt feel real secure at the edge of the river. Watching him trying to get back up the bank was really funny. He looked like a toddler. The mothers had to get in front and back and help him up the steep bank. The wildebeest were all in a herd waiting to cross the river. They cross the Mara river twice during their migration. A topi led their way across. After the topi jumped the wildebeest decided to jump also. Many of them didnt make the crossing as was evident by the carcasses in the river caught on the rocks.

We headed back to the lodge and on the way saw large families of baboons just outside the compound.

Mon. 8-23-93 Lake Nakuru (My birthday)

We met Lazarus after breakfast. He already had our box lunches from the kitchen for our lunch on the road. We hauled all our boxes back to the truck and loaded up. We drove and drove and drove. Just when you thought the road couldnt possibly get worse it did. Unbelievably rough from the intersection to Navasha. The kids and some adults break rocks and fill the holes in the road. Then they beg for money from the passing cars. We stopped along the road in a clearing to eat lunch. In the box was a piece of pork, 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 rolls, bread with butter, cheese , apple, orange, pineapple slice and a drink of pineapple juice. We continued on for an hour or so of extremely bad road. At the petrol stop in Navasha we stopped a hotel to use the bathroom and get coffee. After that the road seemed a bit better and we got to our hotel in Nakuru called the Stem Hotel. Weird hotel but quite adequate. A room was 1500KSh including dinner and breakfast. Dinner is at 7:30 so were waiting as all the rest in the bar drinking beer and watching screechy TV.

Tue. 8-24-93 Nakuru

Slept OK last night despite a really worn out bed. Great breakfast started the morning out right. Bought a local paper and headed out for the lake. I think its 950 KSh for each of the non-residents and 100KSh for the vehicle to get in. We drove around the park for 4 hours. Thousands of pink flamingos on the lake. The sight was stunning! The lake is going down due its dependency on drainage from surrounding areas. The farmers use the drainage also for their land and little is left to replenish the lake. Near the lake we saw waterbuck in great number, buffalo and impala. Both the Grant gazelle and the Thompson gazelle were plentiful. We were looking hard for a leopard when Lazarus noticed a monkey high in a tree yelling and hooting. He said they dont yell for nothing and suspected a leopard nearby. We searched the bottom with binoculars and saw nothing. The brush was high so we rolled up the windows and drove over it. The monkey kept howling but we only found a freshly killed gazelle half eaten. The leopard was very nearby but very well hidden. It would later bring the kill in the tree to finish it.

We drove up to the top of a mountain and found some hyrax. They look like marmots and are a relative strangely enough to the elephant! Therere also some colorful lizards on the rocks. Took many photos of the lake from up here. Back in the park we saw Rothschild giraffes and many warthogs.

We left the park at around 12:30 and went into town for lunch. After changing some money at the local bank we went to a really good restaurant located over a grocery and video store. Great food for not much money. We got whisk into the sit down fancy part instead of the common restaurant. I only wanted a little but got some chicken fried rice chapaties and an egg roll. We then went to the store to get some shampoo. The store had everything from machetes to cookies. We bought some postcards along with the shampoo. Bought some stamps and headed back to the hotel.

An article in yesterdays paper was interesting. A man who had gone to use the pit latrine found it was locked. He then stepped into the bush to relieve himself. I guess somebody thought he was trying to break in and hacked his arm off. Bummer! Almost everyday someone gets "lynched by an angry mob" for something as simple as stealing "green maize". The daily "road kill" tally that lets you know how many people are killed walking and driving on Kenyan roads. Also there are "disturbances" going on close to Nakuru.

The bar at the hotel is a gem. It is a round stone bar and looks sort of sacrificial alter. If under attack it would defiantly be the safest place to duck behind. There is a small TV with some sort of programming on it. KBC is the station the news is on now.

Wen. 8-25-93 The Ark - Abadare National Park

News in the paper:

Man, 74 Made Kin Pregnant. The man made his granddaughter pregnant and was jailed 18 months. Yikes!

In Nairobi, a man who attempted to rape a girl was yesterday sentenced to 7 years and ordered to receive 5 strokes of the cane.

Molo Clashes - The bodies of 5 men at district hospital mortuary revealed deep cuts on heads, chests and arms, the left hand of one was missing. Four people were admitted to Molo hospital with multiple cuts and arrow injuries. ARROW injuries!!!

After breakfast we drove off in search of a post office at the equator. I mailed all the postcards at Thompson Falls. Along the way we looked at the tea plantations where grubby little kids hounded us for candy and money. Lazarus explained how the picking and preparation was done at the plantation. They were really cute though. We then stopped at the lodge by the falls to take pictures and get some coffee. Lazarus had to visit someone in town so we stayed. The falls are 80 meters high and very beautiful. We were swarmed by the local merchants all wanting to sell their stuff. I got a bracelet for 200 KSh. Stan bought a witch doctor and a lawyer along with some malachite necklaces. We walked around a bit. Some guy had a couple of chameleons that he let me hold. Of course I had to pay him. He wanted 80 but I gave him 6 to hold his silly reptile. We had coffee and checked the room rates which were very reasonable.

The Ark - Abadare

Were at the Abadare Country Club where we stored the luggage and are looking around before lunch. Really a grand old place. There are tennis courts, a swimming pool and golf course. Lunch was wonderful. Too much to choose from and the desserts were sinful. We had coffee and waited for the bus that brought us to the Ark. The ride was not long and soon we were there and ready for "Tea time". The really pretty neat. We have a little cabin that has a full bathroom with shower. There are three levels here and maximum places for animal viewing. They even sound game alarms in your cabins when they are spotted. The place is located on a natural salt lick and water hole but I suspect the animals are almost trained to come get the extra salt they put out for them. Its all too civil for me and my heathen tastes but its kind of fun. I think we have been spoiled by the Mara with its tons of game everywhere. No one is supposed to make noise so its hushed tones all around. I think this place would drive my Dad crazy.

19:14 So far only a couple of buffalo and some water buck. Relaxing but boring so far.

Later. Good supper. Found hot water bottles in our beds! Heard the game alarm go off so I got up. There were two large rhinos and a large female elephant. The elephant charged at the rhino a couple times. Fascinating to watch.

Thur. 8-26-93 Buffalo Springs Tented Lodge - Samburo National park

Woke up with boings from the chime. Saw an elephant eating outside. Breakfast was good and after coffee we loaded up the bus. Good view of Mt. Kenya on the way down. Got loaded up in the Landcruiser when we go to the Country Club. Stopped to get gas and buy a paper in Nanuki. We also crossed the equator and took some photos by the sign.

Morning paper highlight:

The front page photo showed a guy killed in Molo with arrows sticking in him. Not just one or two but a whole quiver of them. What a way to go!

We drove to Jimau and turned down a dirt road for a place called the Ken Trout Grill. Really out of the way through a winding dirt road. There was a black and white colobus monkey sitting right by where we parked. We walked up a path to some tables and thatched roof huts. This was the restaurant! Really is a cool place tucked in the forest by a stream. We all ordered the house specialties of trout and kabobs. Wonderful meal. Everything for us three for 250KSh. They have their own trout ponds right on the premises. What a place. The monkey came up to the table to get food. The owners fed him potatoes to keep him around. We took off wonderfully stuffed to the gills.

I fell fast asleep on the relatively smooth roads. That is until we hit the speed bump capital of Islai. There must be a million of those things. We stopped at the police check and picked up a park rangers wife and child. We bounced along the terrible road for about a half hour until we came to the park entrance. Stan and Lazarus went to the gate to do paperwork. The Masai women tried to sell stuff again. One guy was selling bracelets. I bought 3 for 200KSh. One of them is really nice. We went on a game drive before we checked in at the lodge. We saw lots more elephants and from the looks of the vegetation too many elephants. Saw a dik-dik in the underbrush. Still looking for a leopard. We got back and unloaded the truck after checking in. The cabins are nice here. They are more like grass huts with full bathrooms. Oh boy "Gilligans Island" does Africa. Our hut is in the "North 40" but its quiet and the game is right outside. We cleaned up a little and went back for an evening game drive.

Stan and Lazarus went back out. They just missed a leopard killing a gazelle. Lazarus was wearing his "Hawkeye" T-shirt today and it almost proved wrong. Stan said he was so intent on looking for the leopard he was letting the truck drive itself in the ruts. Stan yelled "Lion in the road!" Lazarus slammed on the brakes and came within a few feet of hitting it. The lion calmly got up, looked at the truck and walked slowly off the road.

Fri. 8-27-93 Buffalo Springs

Started the morning early with a 6:30 game drive. When I opened the door of our hut there was three giraffe and some elephants in the creek. The elephant was really tearing up the brush. Tons of animals everywhere. Zebra, impalas, oryx, and giraffe. We heard from another driver there was a fresh lion kill. Lazarus "Andretti" drove like a crazy man until we got there. The lions had killed a water buck and were very fat from eating. They were getting sleepy after eating and I wanted to go pet them. We raced back for breakfast at the lodge.

Afternoon: It seems I now have diarrhea now. Yuck. How did this happen? Ive never ever gotten sick. Stan doesnt have it yet. Ill take something if it gets worse. We are going back out again at 3pm so Ill see how I feel. I dont feel really bad.

16:45: After running to the bathroom for 7 or 8 times I dont feel too bad. I stayed home for the afternoon safari. Stan took the camera and left at 4. My goal for the afternoon is to replenish fluids with Coke and bottled water. I did some laundry today and dried them on the front porch of the hut. A baboon clan swarmed over the compound today. There were 20 to 30 of them climbing all over everything. They got on the hot water tanks and drank the water.

The couple from Texas who sat at our table at the Ark are staying here also. Theyre bird watchers and I guess this is a really good place to watch birds. It was so funny watching them at lunch. She had her binoculars up to her eyes looking at birds and he had his nose in the bird book. Meanwhile there were birds eating off you plate unbeknownst to either of them!

Its really relaxing here but I still have this feeling something wrong has happened. God, I hope Im totally wrong about this but Im usually right.

*[After we got home I found out a very good friend was killed skydiving while we were gone.]

Sat. 8-28-93 Nairobi

Newspaper highlights of the day:

49 People jailed for 10 years and 12 strokes of the cane. They were found armed with dangerous weapons namely 1,393 arrows 116 bows, 35 rungas, 36 swords, 4 spears, a panga and 36 quivers.

Man held over Sons killing. The suspect quarreled with his wife and ran away. The suspect armed with a panga then turned on the helpless child age seven and cut him, killing him on the spot. He later set the body on fire.

In the funeral announcements I found a poem:

Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there. I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on the snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumns rain. When you awaken in the mornings hush, I am the swift uplifting rush, of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft star that shines at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there. I do not die. This was in a memorial announcement for an 18 year old who from the picture looked about 14 years old.

We started off early driving back to Nairobi. Im like a new person today. What ever I had is gone and I feel great. When we got to the park gate we picked up some more bracelets. Then later at the start of the pavement in Isolo we got literally mobbed. We must have looked like we really needed bracelets. Wow. We picked up 15 of them from 700 KSh. They were rather desperate sellers it seems. As I was looking for a paper later at the other end of town some guy wanted to sell me a knife. He started at 400 but I said 100. I thought Matt Nelson would like it. It has a horn handle and camel hide sheath. Its very dull but hell like it.

Road side observances.

Stuff stacked in heaps to sell: Charcoal - Nairobi, Mara, Buffalo Springs Bags of Oranges - Navasha (on stone pillars) Papyrus & Bananas - Between Embre and Thicka Pineapples - Outside of Thicka Most every time stuff is stacked up it is in neat little stacks like cannon balls. Even at the small stands alongside the road the stuff is all stacked up. I wonder if you buy by the stack here?

Stopped off for coffee at the Pig & Whistle on the outskirts of Meru. Good coffee, lousy bathroom! We ate our box lunches from the lodge by a river on the side of the road. Another coffee stop was at Thicka. The people there wanted money from us to look at some waterfalls but Lazarus got us in for free. We drove on to Nairobi and found the same hotel as before. We checked in and got a room upstairs. It has three beds and is a large room which is great for packing to get home. Got situated and walked around the area. Went to a store and found some Tusker sweatshirts and T-shirts. Walked to the Jacaranda and changed money and canceled tomorrows reservations. Checked out the pizza place for tomorrows meal. Looks good and is in-expensive. Walked to the "mall" where I bought some Bata boots. They are advertised everywhere in Nairobi. They are the boots that say "you know Africa". Well, I just had to have some. Not expensive at all. I should have bought five pairs but no room in the luggage really.

Sun. 8-29-93 Nairobi

Got up early and went to find a paper while Stan ordered breakfast. Lazarus picked us up and we drove in town to shop. We first went to the place where they carve everything. Amazing place. Tons of ebony logs waiting to be carved into statues and elephants. We bought an ebony elephant from Lazarus friend for 250KSh. We then went to another row of shops where there were finished products. I picked up a few necklaces that looked unique. Back in the truck we drove to more shopping areas. The street scenes are always fascinating to me. Tons of people selling stuff. The housing developments were unbelievable. What a mess. Smoking piles of garbage everywhere. Beggars and children holding their hands out. I saw a line of men waiting for shaves and haircuts on the sidewalk. We got to the city market to buy batiks. The batik coop was closed so we probably paid more. We walked in and started buying a few batiks I think we bargained fairly well. I got a purse for mom in one of the deals. We got mobbed by the bracelet and necklace guys and we bargained shrewdly since we were way overloaded in those items. The quality here is much worse and the price is high. Walking out of the market I just about got run over by a speeding bicycle. It was my own fault but Lazarus ran after the guy and told him off. We piled into the truck to head back to the hotel to dump off the goodies.

Back on the road we drove out to Karin to see Ngoro Hills and Karin Blixens house made famous from "Out of Africa". Had lunch at a mall like place that has a French bakery. Really good crepes. I picked up some French bread also. Got fuel for the truck and drove to the hotel. Lazarus is going to pick us up tomorrow early. We wanted to walk around the rest of the afternoon and headed for the Snake house in the park. Kind of a sad little snake house but sort of interesting. I dont think I would want to see their zoo after viewing the pathetic little displays here.

We bought a popcicle and walked back to the hotel. I had a couple of cokes at the hotel bar out back then packed for tomorrow. Headed out later to the Pizza Garden by the Jacaranda. They didnt take US dollars so we told them we would walk out. They somehow learned to take dollars again. Had an interesting pizza with Tusker beer. Our favorite now. Walking back we stopped by the ice cream place and got a couple cones. Its just like Russia here with guys selling puppies and other animals on the street.

Mon. 8-30-93 Nairobi - London

Took off early with Lazarus. We gave Lazarus a $250 tip. He was priceless at every stage of the trip. We wound our way through town and out onto the highway. Close to the airport a Masai man herded cattle across the road. Can you imagine what would happen in St. Louis if some one herded cows across I-70 at 8:15am?! Lazarus helped us inside then we went through a sort of customs. We said we didnt have anything and walked to the British Airway counter where we checked in. We filled out a departure card. To get all the paperwork right you first had to purchase a departure stamp at another counter for $20 each. With all the correct paperwork in hand we approached the passport control area. All the rules and procedures were beginning to feel like "Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes" contest. The guy at the counter punched holes in the stamp. The next area stamped the passport and now we are finally heading for the gate. Not really an exciting terminal. Guys with worn guns walked around casually. Some had M-16s and others Uzis. We waited until X-ray and search time in a hallway. A UN guy from Sweden just was told his stick thing wouldnt pass. Later he told me there was a huge knife built into it. I cant believe the guy would try to get on the plane with that. Some lady patted me down and searched my neck pouch. Nobody gets on the plane unchecked here.

We finally boarded and headed up to the upper deck for the seats surprisingly right next to the UN guy. The flight attendant came back about ten minutes later and told us we were in the wrong seats. Somehow there was a mix up when the Dar Es Salaam people and now the Nairobi people boarded. We came downstairs and waited around. The flight attendants were very pleasant and worked to find us seats. After a great delay the main steward bumped us up to Business Class and said we would enjoy it. WE were handed little packages and sat in the front row. Life sucks doesnt it.Not! Very comfortable with leg rests. We took off on the 9 hour flight to London. The food was great and movies good. Finally got to London Heathrow where the weather was nice. I called Kitten and she thought we were calling from home. Nice phone connection. We got the location for the bus to the Sheraton and grabbed a trolley. We stored the luggage and headed up to the room.

Tue. 8-31-93 London

Had a good breakfast early and watched TV. I love British TV! Its so insane and unpredictable. The bus soon arrived and we headed off for Heathrow. Loaded all the luggage on trolleys and took the lift downstairs. We got a tick for the Speedlink between the airports and soon we were boarding the bus. The served coffee and tea during the 50 minute ride. At Gatwick grabbed a trolley and wheeled right in. First we had check in at TWA. Somehow we looked suspicious and we answered yes to a cassette payer and battery head lamps. Shame, shame that will get us extra X-ray time. We hauled the stuff over to the "Secure" area and the guy asked about the fuel bottles. They pulled them out and smelled them then shook their heads. Oh great they think were going to blow up the damn jet. I offered to rinse them out which they allowed me to do. I ran tons of water through it and taking Stans suggestion I squirted some of the rose water spray I received from British Airlines in each bottle. No smell! No problem! They passed and we were off to the luggage check in. We grabbed some Burger King stuff after check in and waited for the flight.