Showing posts with label Shock and Awe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shock and Awe. Show all posts
Friday, September 9, 2011
[Virtual] Fist Bump
Check me out, I just “built” a new home for The Blog [sorta] all by myself! I will now be blogging at my permanent new home of It’s a Wanderlust Life, come visit! I don’t know how long this nomadic life of ours will last but it was time to find a permanent home for The Blog so as to have one less suitcase to cart around with us. The Blog will grow and travel as we do. And just like our physical house, The Blog will undergo some significant “interior decorating” so expect to see changes each time you come back. The URL here for It’s Kili Time will remain active but no further posting will occur here, so I’m afraid you’ll have to go re-subscribe over there. Come check it out, It’s Phnomenal!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Running Amok
The weekend began with Prince William's wedding. His big day was eclipsed by the birth of Mariah Carey's twins. Then we moved on from Mariah when some dude in Pakistan was killed. But now, perhaps you'd like to turn your attention to this piece of breaking news: We are moving to Phnom Penh, Cambodia!
I realize that for family, emailee's and Facebook friends, this is old news. But for the handful of followers who I only *know* via this blog, this is for you. After May 25th, it will no longer be Kili Time around here. Instead, we will be running amok in Cambodia.
After I typed the phrase "running amok" I decided to google it and found out that its origin is actually in SE Asia but is typically used to suggest a murderous rampage. Hmm, wow. Not what I was going for exactly. In my book, "running amok" is a 2 yr old at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon while you're trying to dice some carrots (with a sharp knife) in one hand and also make penguin shapes with Play-Doh in the other hand. Its the perfect moment of crazy that is only abated with large swigs of Kilimanjaro beer.
And its in that spirit that I use the phrase as it will characterize our life for the next 2 - 3 months! But ever more importantly, fish amok is one of the national dishes of Cambodia. It's a curry that is steamed in a banana leaf cup. Mmm, seconds please!
It's a very bittersweet time for us right now as we begin the arduous packing process and the even more arduous goodbyes process. Arusha has been good to us, no doubt. But likewise, we're excited for this next chapter. Surely this won't be all I have to say on the matter. I'll definitely be delving into some waxing nostalgic and maybe even a top ten list or two (note: this may not happen until we're settled in PP as packing will be king around here). For the time being, just wanted to get the word out in case you start hearing me talk about pad thai and "hotter than Hades" and wonder what happened to all the lions and that big snow-capped mountain.
p.s. like how I used People magazine to report on all the major headlines of the past 72 hours? Its just how I roll.
Angkor Wat photo courtesy of gumuz on Flickr
Fish Amok photo courtesy of my future watering hole, Cambodia Cooking Class
 |
| The Temples at Angkor Wat |
After I typed the phrase "running amok" I decided to google it and found out that its origin is actually in SE Asia but is typically used to suggest a murderous rampage. Hmm, wow. Not what I was going for exactly. In my book, "running amok" is a 2 yr old at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon while you're trying to dice some carrots (with a sharp knife) in one hand and also make penguin shapes with Play-Doh in the other hand. Its the perfect moment of crazy that is only abated with large swigs of Kilimanjaro beer.
 |
| Fish Amok |
It's a very bittersweet time for us right now as we begin the arduous packing process and the even more arduous goodbyes process. Arusha has been good to us, no doubt. But likewise, we're excited for this next chapter. Surely this won't be all I have to say on the matter. I'll definitely be delving into some waxing nostalgic and maybe even a top ten list or two (note: this may not happen until we're settled in PP as packing will be king around here). For the time being, just wanted to get the word out in case you start hearing me talk about pad thai and "hotter than Hades" and wonder what happened to all the lions and that big snow-capped mountain.
p.s. like how I used People magazine to report on all the major headlines of the past 72 hours? Its just how I roll.
Angkor Wat photo courtesy of gumuz on Flickr
Fish Amok photo courtesy of my future watering hole, Cambodia Cooking Class
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
March (Travel) Madness: Mt. Meru
I think I have probably mentioned one or a hundred times the lack of rain around here. All my complaining managed to catch up with me the one weekend I decided to be outdoors-y girl and drag my rear up the 15,000 ft mountain just outside of 
Arusha - Mt. Meru. It all started innocently enough with a moderate drizzle that kept us cool on day one as we ascended the first 3,300 ft over the course of 8.7 miles. Most of us were more preoccupied by the burgeoning blisters on our heels, guiltless-ly consuming all the chocolate in our packs and praying to the gods that
Melanie's shoe* would make it to the first camp. And by the time we reached the first camp at 8,250 ft, the damp clothes felt good against the cool breeze. Equally convenient was not only the full moon weekend we'd chosen, but a SUPER moon no less.
Day 2 had us climbing the same amount of elevation as day 1 (3,450 ft) but over 1/2 the distance (3 miles). The day started with a heavy fog and light mist. Within 30 minutes of hiking, the faucet was open even further and we were drenched by the time we reached camp 2 (3.5 hours later, 11,700 ft). Again, feeling pretty bad ass, we didn't let the rain get us down. We'd made decent time considering the entire hike involved climb steps. Once changed into the last vestiges of dry clothes, we were happy campers again and the world smiled with us
by bringing out the sun. After lunch, we opted to climb Little Meru (12,533 ft) which was about a 45 min hike from the camp and was possibly our only chance to summit anything AND have a view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Being the outdoors-y warrior that I am, I single-handedlyfought off the rain gods by wearing long johns under my rain pants, plastic bags over my socks and a rain jacket over my thermal top. The sun stayed out and I was drenched in sweat (badge of honor forthcoming). After dinner, it was early to bed as we'd be rising at midnight to start our climb to the summit.
Again, the cosmos smiled down on us and we departed camp 2 with a clear sky and full moon bright enough to illuminate our path without headlamps - if that doesn't put a spring in your weary step, I don't know what will! Nevertheless, our weather-luck ran out quickly and the clouds quickly flew in. They managed to hold on to their precipitation for the first 4 hours or so, but then the higher we climbed and neared the summit, it started to snow. Yeah, I was pretty cold and tired by this point, but snow! In Africa! Cool! It had been two years since I'd seen any of the white stuff so I managed to feign an enthusiastic grunt for the guide every time he checked on me. Then, finally, 6 hours after having set off, we scrambled up some rocks and arrived at the summit (14,980ft) and were treated to an absolute white out. The sun had risen, but you couldn't tell. Mt. Kilimanjaro was out in the distance and we could barely see 30 ft in front of us. I was cold, filled with pride and accomplishment and ready to get the &^%$ off the summit and back to the land of hot chocolate.
We only spent about 20 min on the summit and then down we went. The snow was letting up and we could see green slopes down below - surely the more we descend, the better the weather will be! LMAO!!!! (translation for the parents: laughing my ass off). It was certainly exciting to see snow after a 2 yr absence, but hail? Sleet? Not so fun, especially when you're 14,000 ft in the air, 30 miles from home and 15 hours (if all goes well) from embracing your family. I won't lie, panic fueled my walk back. Screw the trail mix and frozen chocolate bars in my bag, get me off this mountain. Four hours of small but consistent hail accompanied us across loose sand/ash, narrow mountain saddles and forty-five degree angle lava flows that had to be scaled (hi mom!) until we reached a safe point and could finish our descent in peace.
Suffice to say, we made it with puddles in our boots and morale still mostly intact (two of the women said immediately after getting to the safe point 'I definitely want to do this again!' I was not one of the two). Mt. Meru looms over us in Arusha every day and there's hardly a spot in the city in which you cannot see it (provided its not hidden in the clouds). Admittedly, its quite gratifying to have conquered it. I can't help but feel a tickle of pride every time it shows up in my peripheral vision or looms ahead of me as I approach the house.
Roger has also climbed Mt. Meru but with optimal weather (things like sun!). So he may have the whole I-write-judgments-against-perpetrators-of-the-Rwandan-genocide-and-what-do-you-do thing going on, but I summited Mt. Meru in the snow!
*Our co-climber, Melanie (also my upstairs neighbor), had some very bad luck with her boots about 15 min into the hike. The sole of her boot completely detached from the boot. Some blister tape and borrowing gaiters from the guide seemed to do the trick. About 30 min later, the sole of her other boot did the same thing. Same remedy. When we got to camp 1, a porter sewed the soles back on and used duct tape to “weather-proof” them! And they survived!
***********************************************************************************
Had there been no adverse weather, it might have looked more like this (from Roger's summit in Nov 2009):
Arusha - Mt. Meru. It all started innocently enough with a moderate drizzle that kept us cool on day one as we ascended the first 3,300 ft over the course of 8.7 miles. Most of us were more preoccupied by the burgeoning blisters on our heels, guiltless-ly consuming all the chocolate in our packs and praying to the gods that
Melanie's shoe* would make it to the first camp. And by the time we reached the first camp at 8,250 ft, the damp clothes felt good against the cool breeze. Equally convenient was not only the full moon weekend we'd chosen, but a SUPER moon no less.Day 2 had us climbing the same amount of elevation as day 1 (3,450 ft) but over 1/2 the distance (3 miles). The day started with a heavy fog and light mist. Within 30 minutes of hiking, the faucet was open even further and we were drenched by the time we reached camp 2 (3.5 hours later, 11,700 ft). Again, feeling pretty bad ass, we didn't let the rain get us down. We'd made decent time considering the entire hike involved climb steps. Once changed into the last vestiges of dry clothes, we were happy campers again and the world smiled with us
by bringing out the sun. After lunch, we opted to climb Little Meru (12,533 ft) which was about a 45 min hike from the camp and was possibly our only chance to summit anything AND have a view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Being the outdoors-y warrior that I am, I single-handedlyfought off the rain gods by wearing long johns under my rain pants, plastic bags over my socks and a rain jacket over my thermal top. The sun stayed out and I was drenched in sweat (badge of honor forthcoming). After dinner, it was early to bed as we'd be rising at midnight to start our climb to the summit. 
Again, the cosmos smiled down on us and we departed camp 2 with a clear sky and full moon bright enough to illuminate our path without headlamps - if that doesn't put a spring in your weary step, I don't know what will! Nevertheless, our weather-luck ran out quickly and the clouds quickly flew in. They managed to hold on to their precipitation for the first 4 hours or so, but then the higher we climbed and neared the summit, it started to snow. Yeah, I was pretty cold and tired by this point, but snow! In Africa! Cool! It had been two years since I'd seen any of the white stuff so I managed to feign an enthusiastic grunt for the guide every time he checked on me. Then, finally, 6 hours after having set off, we scrambled up some rocks and arrived at the summit (14,980ft) and were treated to an absolute white out. The sun had risen, but you couldn't tell. Mt. Kilimanjaro was out in the distance and we could barely see 30 ft in front of us. I was cold, filled with pride and accomplishment and ready to get the &^%$ off the summit and back to the land of hot chocolate. 
We only spent about 20 min on the summit and then down we went. The snow was letting up and we could see green slopes down below - surely the more we descend, the better the weather will be! LMAO!!!! (translation for the parents: laughing my ass off). It was certainly exciting to see snow after a 2 yr absence, but hail? Sleet? Not so fun, especially when you're 14,000 ft in the air, 30 miles from home and 15 hours (if all goes well) from embracing your family. I won't lie, panic fueled my walk back. Screw the trail mix and frozen chocolate bars in my bag, get me off this mountain. Four hours of small but consistent hail accompanied us across loose sand/ash, narrow mountain saddles and forty-five degree angle lava flows that had to be scaled (hi mom!) until we reached a safe point and could finish our descent in peace. 
Suffice to say, we made it with puddles in our boots and morale still mostly intact (two of the women said immediately after getting to the safe point 'I definitely want to do this again!' I was not one of the two). Mt. Meru looms over us in Arusha every day and there's hardly a spot in the city in which you cannot see it (provided its not hidden in the clouds). Admittedly, its quite gratifying to have conquered it. I can't help but feel a tickle of pride every time it shows up in my peripheral vision or looms ahead of me as I approach the house. 
Roger has also climbed Mt. Meru but with optimal weather (things like sun!). So he may have the whole I-write-judgments-against-perpetrators-of-the-Rwandan-genocide-and-what-do-you-do thing going on, but I summited Mt. Meru in the snow! *Our co-climber, Melanie (also my upstairs neighbor), had some very bad luck with her boots about 15 min into the hike. The sole of her boot completely detached from the boot. Some blister tape and borrowing gaiters from the guide seemed to do the trick. About 30 min later, the sole of her other boot did the same thing. Same remedy. When we got to camp 1, a porter sewed the soles back on and used duct tape to “weather-proof” them! And they survived!
***********************************************************************************
Had there been no adverse weather, it might have looked more like this (from Roger's summit in Nov 2009):
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Visits to the Zoo & the Pool
Thought I went into hibernation again, didn't you? Sorry about that! Just been busy getting ready for Tanzgiving and a visit by Santa Claus my dad so my mind has been elsewhere! Did you wonder if after I made a promise to relay the great things about Arusha that all of a sudden I was starved for content? Negative, my friends!
Imagine, five years from now Millie participates in Show and Tell at her school in America and she's like "In Tanzania, sometimes we went to the zoo!"
Then she says "But if the zoo was too crowded, we went to the pool instead."
Truth be told, the "zoo" picture was from our very first game drive when Millie was 4 months old. We did visit the same national park two weeks ago but our pictures managed to not make it back home somehow. It's been really neat watching Millie's interest in wildlife grow from non-existent (see picture above) to engaging the animals with a 'bye bye' and requests to go back and visit them.
The above "pool" in question is actually Maji Moto which we visited a couple months ago with our buddies. And truth be told, we have real chlorine pools within a five min drive from our house. But still! Isn't this cool?! Oh yeah, it's November and we're swimming!
Imagine, five years from now Millie participates in Show and Tell at her school in America and she's like "In Tanzania, sometimes we went to the zoo!"
Then she says "But if the zoo was too crowded, we went to the pool instead."
Truth be told, the "zoo" picture was from our very first game drive when Millie was 4 months old. We did visit the same national park two weeks ago but our pictures managed to not make it back home somehow. It's been really neat watching Millie's interest in wildlife grow from non-existent (see picture above) to engaging the animals with a 'bye bye' and requests to go back and visit them.
The above "pool" in question is actually Maji Moto which we visited a couple months ago with our buddies. And truth be told, we have real chlorine pools within a five min drive from our house. But still! Isn't this cool?! Oh yeah, it's November and we're swimming!
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