Little Hamlin's Excellent Adventure: From Sea to Summit

I was scheduled to leave Kenya this morning for Malawi, but the airline industry being what it is didn't have the same plans for me. Although my reservation was for today, apparently my flight isn't until tomorrow. Of course this is a bummer, but when Kenya Airways puts you up in about the best hotel in Nairobi with free unlimited buffets for every meal, things could obviously be a lot worse. And lucky for you, I've decided to swap my three minute phone call to anywhere in the world for two hours of internet access, so I now have the chance to share a little bit about my last few weeks.

I last updated from Dar es Salaam, prior to heading off to Zanzibar. I will report that Zanzibar does indeed have cars and paved roads and whatever else the song said it didn't. It also has gorgeous beaches and delicious banana and nutella crepes. But don't look for a plastic grocery bag on the island as they've been made illegal as of last year. Regardless of the haves and have nots of Zanzibar, we had an excellent few week. A few days in town offered the chance to get lost a few too many times within the narrow alleyways of Stone Town, the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the island's history, and of course to do some shopping. The second half of our trip took us to the opposite side of the island to the middle of nowhere to be beach bums for a bit. The internet is certainly an amazing thing, as it seemed pretty incredible that we were able to find such a great little place to stay in the absolute middle of nowhere. Our little beach bungalows were a bit like the luxury version of our homes back in Shirazi, complete with electricity, fans, and outdoor bathroom. It was great to go to the bathroom under the stars, but not so much in the rain... There's not so much to say about our time at the beach. There was lots of relaxing, staring at the ocean, and attempting to dodge beach boys. But things did get exciting when we decided to plan a snorkeling adventure at the reef a ways off the beach. We decided to listen to one of the men constantly soliciting us along the water. He gave us the cheapest offer for a snorkeling trip we had heard all week, and being the college students that we are, we decided to jump on it. He told us we'd take a sailboat, and although we were somewhat sketched out by this, we figured it'd be an adventure. And boy it was... The next morning, he and his buddies showed up with an outrigger which had certainly had its fair share of fishing voyages. Although a trimaran, the boat itself was only about two feet wide, and we all stood on the beach thinking how on earth were six of us going to fit in this boat? We also strongly questioned the seaworthiness of skiff, but decided to go for it anyways. Of course it was somewhat disconcerting to watch a large spray of water seep in through a leak between two of the boat's wooden planks as we hit every wave, but it was nothing a little bailing couldn't fix. Despite our worries, the boat managed to stay afloat, plus we enjoyed some good snorkeling.

We were all sad to leave the beach, knowing we were heading back to Nairobi, but we could feel a bit better knowing that this time we would be traveling for less than two hours by air, as opposed to the day long epic journey we endured before. Of the six of us who traveled to Zanzibar, four were soon saying goodbye to Kenya, while my friend Anna and I were preparing for our grand finale adventure to Mt. Kenya.

Prior to this semester, my mountain climbing experience really only consisted of hiking Mt. Monadnock on a sixth grade field trip. So why not start off strong with the second highest mountain in Africa?! I had planned to really start getting back in shape during ISP in preparation for the trip, but neither Anna nor myself really committed much time to our fitness level. This led us simply to laugh at ourselves when discussing our trip. Fortunately, our guide set us a great “pole pole” (slowly slowly) pace so we never really had to worry about keeping up. As it turns out, we had way more important things to worry about during our four days on the mountain.

At times I felt I was becoming borderline hypothermic and at others I felt frostbitten toes were inevitable. I had what I can confidently call the worst headache of my life due to altitude sickness and I can also add a tally to my sparse vomiting history, also as a result of the altitude. And waking up at two in the morning in attempts to reach the summit in time for sunrise really didn't help my cause. (I know this sounds pretty bad, and a few times I did think what on earth am I doing and why did I freely choose to do this to myself?) But finally peaking my head out from the back side of the mountain to see the sun do the same over the horizon made everything worth it. Even though it can't possibly do the moment justice, I'll let the photo speak for itself.

In total we walked about 60 km, peed about six times along the trail everyday do to our diligent increased water intake, and for me, wore seven layers to bed each night, including a soft shell and a winter jacket all inside my sleeping bag. But neither Anna nor myself could have imagined a better way to end our Kenyan experience. And although at times I was sick and cold, having the opportunity to say goodbye to Kenya from its roof is something I won't forget.

And so it is so long to Kenya. It's been a sad few days as I've come to call my neighborhood in Nairobi home, and the relationships I've made are just as strong as those of friends and family. Relationships are highly valued in Kenyan culture, making every farewell a struggle, even to the woman at the cyber cafe or man who fixed my glasses. Maybe one day I'll return, but for now, the south is waiting. Hopefully I'll be off to Malawi in the morning, but then again, another day in this hotel wouldn't be so bad! I'll try my best to post a few updates while I'm there, but I make no promises on my internet connection. So for now, kwaheri (goodbye)!

Ali