Kili Recap

I promised a more detailed version of the Kili trek, but rather than bore you with the day to day details, Nick and I came up with a short list of the many things we feel sum up our experience:

• Going up was hard, but going back down was simply painful (lack of additional motivation, complete exhaustion, etc.). They should build a giant victory zip line for those who reach the peak!
• The final ascent image that sticks is a long, dark, steep climb, and the only way you know how long, dark, and steep it actually is, was by looking up at the trail ahead dotted with headlamps.
  
• Long drop dramas and jokes which never get old. Holes too small, floors slanted (or worse), backdrafts, and many unmentionable nasties.
• Pill popping like addicts - diamox, tylenol, malarone, immodium... you name it we probably had to take a pill for it.
• Being woken each morning by our lovely porters "Hello, hello... good morning" with a hot cup of tea delivered to us in our tent.
• "Warm water washing" twice a day.
• "You are welcome" almost always said before we got out a thank you.
• Good and plentiful food, but for a few misfires - 4-day old fried tilapia, blackened bananas, vegetable or mushroom soup with no signs of actual veg or 'shrooms.
• Thinking our guides didn't speak English too well until suddenly they did on day 4 or 5. Previously we thought we could talk about them at will and they wouldn't understand. Oops.
• Nick had some personal space issues with our guides that went unnoticed by the rest of us.
• Getting seriously annoyed at the number of people who asked if Nick was my brother. ummm... no.
  
• Learning the hard way that sleeping bag ratings are crap.

In other news, uploading photos should hopefully happen soon. Faves from Kili, faves from safari, and a few awesome photos from our delightful experience at the Nairobi Giraffe Center yesterday. We had a blast feeding and hanging out up close with the giraffes. They are hilarious animals. Nick almost got headbutted by a hungry old girl named Daisy, but in her defense, he was trying to pet her without providing any treats! We also learned yesterday that crocodile meat is nasty, but ostrich is quite nice. Now, back to plotting our escape from Nairobi, so we can head to one more Kenya site before Nick returns home. Where that will be exactly depends on the available escape routes...