The Snows of Kilimanjaro

"There, ahead all he could see, as wide as all the world,
great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun,
was the square top of Kilimanjaro"

Ernest Hemingway, The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro, rises majestically like a solitary giant above the grassy plains of the East African savannah. The sight of it is overwhelming, the first time I catch sight of it after months of preparation, I get goosebumps all over my body. Here I was trekking towards the roof of Africa.

The name Kilimanjaro evokes scenes of wonder and mystery, far away places and eternal snows (with global warming that might be an issue in the near future)- the first time I ever heard of the mountain was when I was a child and heard of the movie The Snows of Kilimanjaro - ironically I haven't had the time to watch this movie.

The diversity of Kilimanjaro's terrain is astonishing - lower reaches are blanketed in dense, humid rain forest, whilst its summit slopes are capped by ice but it is also a mountain under tremendous pressure.

Kilimanjaro is accessible to all and many. Despite its pristine limitless slopes Kili is fragile and can only bear so many people trudging up and down it's slopes. The sad part is that not many people really care about taking care of the preservation policies devised by the Tanzanian government, limiting the amount of people who can visit the park on an annual basis.

Almost a year after having summit ed Kili, this mountain still keeps a firm hold on my imagination and although I am not planning on going there in the near future I am sure that should I venture again on those slopes, I will keep on discovering more of this fascinating mountain.

Memorable Quotes

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.“

Gandhi

Riders on the Storm

Ironic or appropriate that this morning, whilst out for my horse riding lesson, I was riding Storm, when a hailstorm hit us over the Mtahleb hills.

Leaving the stables under a blue sunny sky gave us little concern for potential rain although once we were well on our way to Mtahleb one could see flashes of lightning, followed by the rumble of thunder. Shortly after we were hit by a hailstorm which apart from covering us with small white hailstones led to a sharp drop in temperature, making the horses feel uneasy.

Gentle encouragement whilst keeping a firm contact always helps and it was quite satisfying to see Storm calm down and continue the trek following my commands - after all I am still learning to ride and lack experience.

By the time we got back to the stables all of us were cold and wet, but I am sure I could see in Storm's eye a small glint of satisfaction - we weathered the storm and came back home safe and sound.

Now really this has nothing to do with the song performed by The Doors, except perhaps the thunder and rain sound effects and Ray Manzarek's Fender Rhodes electric piano playing which emulated the sound of rain.


Still, this weather this morning inspired me to write this piece.

Things I want to do before my time has come!

The following is a list I created some years back, listing the things I want to do before I die. The list is not in order of priority and the ones in bold are the ones that I have achieved. The ones in Italics are in progress :)

(1) Learn to ride and buy a motorbike
(2) Climb a mountain
(3) Learn rock climbing
(4) Go on Route 66 on a bike
(5) Travel to all the continents
(6) Go on a safari in the Serengeti
(7) Find the love of my life
(8) See Robbie Williams in Concert
(9) Spend Christmas, in a mountain chalet, complete with log fire and snow outside
(10) Learn how to ride a horse, and go on a horseback trek
(11) Abseil from a helicopter
(12) Take a tram ride in San Francisco
(13) Walk the Great Wall of China (if not all part of it)
(14) SCUBA dive in the Red Sea or Great Barrier Reef
(15) Go ice climbing
(16) Go on a hot air balloon ride
(17) Experience the white nights
(18) Do the Macchu Pichu trail in Peru
(19) Go white water rafting
(20) Visit New Orleans and get tipsy in Bourbon Street
(21) Learn how to ski
(22) Get involved in a charity or charitable organisation
(23) Create your website or blog
(24) Visit the Golan Heights and the Holy Land
(25) Swim with Dolphins
(26) Do Lifecycle Challenge (a gruelling bike ride, usually going through unfamiliar territory, mega steep hills and unfriendly places)
(27) Go dog sledding in Lapland

Mount Snowdon

Climbing up Mount Snowdon, 5th August 1997

Standing at 3560 feet, Mount Snowdon or Yr Wyddfa as it is known in Welsh, rates amongst the most beautiful mountains in the world. Whichever direction you approach it from the size and grandeur impresses. Its starfish shape radiates six magnificent ridges each with their own special and individual characters. The deep laciated valleys range from the easily accessible to hanging valleys only reached by complicated scrambling.

Way back in 1997, after completing the four day expedition required to achieve the Gold Award within the President's Award (known as the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the UK), my friends and I decided to climb Mount Snowdon, which is the highest peak in Wales.

Getting to the summit could have been an easy task by taking the Snowdon Mountain Railway but hey, we were still enthusiastic after our expedition, so going up to the highest peak in Wales was not going to be achieved by sitting on a train!



Climbing up via the Pyg Track,a popular path along the lower slopes of Crib Goch we zig zagged up to the smaller lake Glaslyn proceeding to the col between Snowdon and Garnedd Ugain and thence to the summit of Snowdon. Unfortunately the weather was not in our favour and the view from the summit was non-existent due to the fog.

Mount Snowdown's summit was the first summit I ever attempted - although not a very high mountain, its not easy and reaching the summit requires stamina and a level of fitness just the same.

The sense of achievement that I felt on the summit was enough to instill a desire in me to conquer more mountains!

Flying over the desert

It's 3am and I am eagerly waiting for my driver to pick me up from my hotel in Dubai to take me on a hot air balloon ride. It takes us about an hour to get to the departure zone, out in the outskirts of Dubai.




After a thorough briefing by the pilot, we are placed in the Balloon's basket - the excitement is building up - There's a family from Turkey with two unruly children, who's excitement is expressed with irritating behaviour, there was the french businessman although taking a break from the corporate world still carried his laptop with him, a couple from the Ukraine on their honeymoon - very much in love and quite oblivious to the beautiful surroundings that were just becoming visible at the first hint of light. A group of four Japanese friends, at ease with all the technology available to them - mobile phones, digital cameras....the works. An older couple - enjoying the free time that retirement gives you - clearly still enjoying each other's company after so many years together.

Just before take off the pilot informs us that the trip will take about an hour and as advertised in the brochure, we will be able to see sunrise over the desert - in fact within minutes the sun starts to show its orange colour over the horizon.

As we increase our altitude the light from the sun starts to give enough light for us to enjoy the landscape - arid hills and vast plains occasionally one can see camels travelling to some unknown destination. A lonely shrub, giving no shelter from the sun's rays which are slowly heating up the atmosphere, is visible from above.


The stillness in the air gives a sense of peace, only the occasional sound of the fire heating up the balloon giving it the fuel to rise over hills, disturbs one's thoughts. The smooth ride gives one the feeling of being in flight just like a bird.

An hour flies by and its time for us to land - another dry patch of land in the desert...... its back to reality