Dreikönigsstraße 6 69117 Heidelberg

The roast beef comes in a stew, bold and rich, accompanied by sautéed onions, softened bell peppers, and broken down tomatoes.  The dish is served in a beautiful black clay pot, kept warm by a lone flickering candle in a small compartment underneath.  Next comes the injera, a spongy flatbread used to soak up the concentrated flavor of the spiced stew.  On top of the crepe like dough are tiny bits of lettuce, cucumbers, and a scoop of couscous.  It’s the Kulwa Berai and the combination of meat and flatbread creates quite a unique flavor profile in itself. 

Entering the restaurant, you don’t exactly feel like you are in an African restaurant.  Sure, there are miniature drums on the walls, wooden elephants and giraffes piled up on one another, large wooden spoke wheels decorating the room, and traditional African tunes playing from the speakers.  But other than that, the place still seems German.  A bright side, though, is the fully equipped bar.

The menu at Kilimanjaro is not as massive as its namesake.  The names of the dishes are traditional Eritrean, so you will have to rely on the descriptions in German to understand the contents of the entrées.  This may be difficult if you don’t know the language; however the waiters are fully capable of speaking English and are more than happy to assist you in making your selection.

Appetizers are a mixed bag here, some of them are appetizing, some are plain ordinary.  Sambusa – filled dumplings with ground beef and seasoned with various spices – is a simple dish with amazing flavor and texture.  Essentially, these dumplings are like deep-fried triangular shaped wontons packed with a delightful amount of ground meat.  The Sambusa is delicate – fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The added spices give these bad boys a unique kick to them.  The only thing missing, however, is some dipping sauce to give it another dimension. 

Kilimanjaros – a large mound of minced meat, diced potatoes, and onions, encased in bread crumbs – are a disappointment.  An appetizer carrying the name of the restaurant should be a specialty; however it’s merely lacking flavor.  This dish is reminiscent of corned beef hash, though the contents aren’t browned as one would normally like.  Each appetizer comes with a small portion of salad consisting of green lettuce, sliced cucumber, diced tomatoes, and finely chopped parsley.  The dressing does not overpower the vegetables resulting in a nice palate cleanser.

The main courses are, in general, better than their precursors.  The Kulwa Berai, priced at 8,90 €, is a flavorful stew similar to a curry.  The small chunks of beef, stewing in the vegetable mixture, absorb a lot of deep flavor.  The addition of the injera flatbread gives you the opportunity to add a different texture to the meal.  Alone, the injera has a plain doughy taste.  The only negative about this dish is the consistency of the meat – the pieces are chewy and the presence of small bones in the stew is irritating.  However, despite the fact that the beef could have been cooked longer, the dish is more than satisfying and tasty. 

If you are looking for an exotic culinary adventure, but don’t have the time nor means to travel to a distant land, look no further than Kilimanjaro.  No, not Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.  Kilimanjaro restaurant here in Heidelberg!  It is quite an experience.

.

Summary:

Located near the banks of the Neckar River, Kilimanjaro is an African restaurant specializing in traditional Eritrean and East African cuisine.  Prices are reasonable.

Overall – 4 stars

• Sambusa (Gefüllte Teigtaschen mit Hackfleisch oder Kartoffeln, 3 Stück) – 4.5/5
• Kilimanjaros (Kartoffel-Zwiebel-Hackfleischrolle in Paniermehl umhüllt) – 3/5
• Kulwa Berai (Gebratenes Rindfleisch mit Zwiebeln, Peperoni, Tomaten und Gewürzbutter) – 4/5
• Service – 5/5

.

Spotted @ nahright

Nairobi to Moshi by mini-bus

Semi-nomadic cattle herders encourage their meatless livelihoods across the parched Kenyan soil, oblivious to the the Mario Kart style wacky racing tournament that dominates the new tarmac road beside them. Our 18 seater racing wagon rockets down the strip, swerving frequently to the other side of the road to dodge pot holes and then sharply back to the left again to avoid the mother of all lorries. Less then an hours drive from Nairobi we come to an abrupt halt. A team of sweat gleaming labourers block the road ahead. Unperturbed, our speed demon driver edges the mini-bus over the lip of a steep embankment and then nose-dives us into a ditch. We bounce and judder in an unsavoury fashion to the dirt track below.

The rude vibrations and abrupt seat expulsions continue for the remaining seven hours of transit. I’m beginning to feel like a tinned peach, marinating in my own sweat and mosquito repellent. But within the hour I’ve retreated into some kind of monster hybrid; Buddhist detachment meets sleep deprivation induced coma! Through wobbly dust stained window I spy lone Masai cattle herders sheltering under gnarly acacia trees. Their lean bodies are wrapped in red sheets and their ear lobes are stretched into humongous flesh tunnels. Thorns are used for the initial piercings which are stretched with bundles of sticks, stones and empty film canisters. Occasionally I catch sight of a lone Masai hut, tiny camouflaged structures made from sticks pasted in cow dung. But the Sunshine is beginning to lose her grip on the blue, blue sky. Wearily, she rests her head on the horizon and reaches out to the dusty foliage with her long spindly fingers. Unable to grip, she slips silently away and we are plunged into sleepy blackness.

Moshi

Coiled around the dirt alleys of Baba Market like some fantastical albino snake, our entourage of fifteen white Kilimanjaro hopefuls instigates curiosity, weariness and relentless entrepreneurship among the locals. Exotic and lucrative, we are pursued through the winding dirt paths of the market, shamelessly charmed and then impaled with the darts of hard line sales pitches. Kilimanjaro sun hats, beaded bracelets and animal oil paintings galore! We seek refuge under the wicker roofed fruit and veg stands. Plum faced women in vibrant patterned clothes smile at us behind piles of sunshine yellow and Amazon green fruit. ‘Mambo!’ My Swahili is still foetal, but ‘pure’ I call back. They laugh wholeheartedly ‘poa’ they correct me, ‘poa!’ This is just the street language of course but our exchange translates to ‘what’s up’ and ‘it’s cool.’ Our guides are anxious to teach us the language and the majority of people we meet and converse with are pleased we’ve made the effort, encouraging us and teaching us new words. An older women perched on a wooden crate eyes us wearily but the children watch our procession in wide-eyed wonder, slapping us lightly as we walk past and shouting ‘jambo’, ‘hello!’ and then running away in high pitched squeals of laughter. We meander past whole pigs and birds strung from the roof, their sporadic blood droplets quenching the dusty floor below. Eventually we re-emerge from the roofed sections and find ourselves in a dusty square, carpeted with rugs and throws, the contents of whole shops laid bare in the open air.

Day 1: The Rainforest

I perch nervously on my bus seat in a haze of wondrous anticipation and gruesome fear. Clouds of dusty beige evaporate into rich, orange fields through my window pane as my fear begins to dissolve, leaving my mind fertile with adventure. Crowds of tiny coco faces form outside passing schools, eyes wide and eager, little hands waving franticly, their voices hollowing at the awesomeness of their spectacle. And onwards our bus rolls, up through muddy tracks and winding into fertile banana plantations minded by weather worn workers; who kick back behind grubby plastic tables in shabby cafe structures in the warm, rainy gloom. Merchants clamour forcefully around Machame gates, knocking purposefully on the bus windows with their goods. Many of them work as porters too when they can get the work, which involves bribing the lead guide for a position in the crew, paying entry to the park and then relentless hours of tiresome work and all for a pitiful amount.

We have to hang around the gates for an hour whilst our documents and park entry fees are put in order and I’m anxious to get going. It’s that fear of the great unknown, the imagined event or challenge is often so much worse then the actuality. I can’t picture myself at the summit but my mind is geared towards negativity. Expect the worst and then every outcome will exceed your expectations, that was my motto then. I envision mind-ripping headaches of epic proportions, volcanic eruptions of vomit, tears, pain, strife, an experience more preferable in memory then in actuality.

As we wait for our park visas to be processed, we sit apprehensively on the stone steps outside the park reception. The frantic shouts of the merchants outside the arched wooden gates has subsided into a lazy babble as they wait for the next bus of white cash cows to arrive. The morning air is fresh and cool following the recent rainfall. I hear a deep vocal rumble and then the scuffling of feet, the frantic thumping of frightened hearts and the soft whistle of a moving air as I follow my group up the earthy path, past the throng of pack laden porters and onto the mountainside.

Despite our courtesy head start, the porters have overtaken us within three minutes. Straining against heavy packs and often balancing huge baskets of food and equipment on their heads, their lean black bodies charge past us. Oh the shame! I feel so puny, pale and worthless. Like a delicate china doll, pampered and privileged whilst these inky oxen struggle and triumph on my behalf. With this soulful realisation, I know I can not fail.

The rainforest itself reminds me of a charming English wood, distorted through the eyes of an acid freak. Silver barked trees twist and tangle in knots of moss and bronze in the sky above, encasing us in their enchantment. Ropes of thick green moss hang mysteriously above our heads like great shaggy serpents and a menagerie of ochre, tan and copper leaves imprint little fairy footsteps upon the ground. With so much lush green foliage encasing the path, detail loses its identity among the frenzy of colours and shapes, re-discovering itself in a 3D Monet masterpiece.

To be continued……

Berada 340 km selatan garis ekuator, Gunung Kilimanjaro merupakan salah satu dari tiga gunung beratapkan salju abadi di garis khatulistiwa, selain Cayambe di Ekuador dan puncak Jaya di Indonesia.

Sebagai obyek utama di Tanzania dan simbol dari negara-negara Afrika Timur, pada tahun 1973 kawasan Kilimanjaro dijadikan Taman Nasional, dan pada tahun 1987 Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) diakui sebagai Warisan Alam Dunia oleh PBB. Saat ini, kawasan Kilimanjaro dengan Puncak Kibo (5.895 m dpl) sebagai atap tertinggi benua Afrika, dikunjungi lebih dari 35.000 pengunjung setiap tahun.

Berbagai kemudahan akses, akomodasi, keamanan, serta jasa pemandu profesional, memungkinkan semakin banyak orang menikmati keindahan alam yang semakin langka ini. Kilimanjaro sebagai warisan alam dunia berbenah diri dan dalam 4 tahun terakhir kunjungan wisatawan meningkat lebih tiga kali lipat. Manakjubkan.

Mengamati pengelolaan alam di Kili, perjalanan dalam misi ”Kilimanjaro for Lupus” ini terus membuat takjub dan iri hati. Tanzania, negara berkembang dengan lebih 30 persen penduduknya di bawah garis kemiskinan, mampu berdisiplin tinggi. Gerbang Marangu merupakan satu dari 7 rute pendakian ke puncak Kilimanjaro di ketinggian 1.800 m. Bangunan kantor pengelola berisi 3 petugas dipenuhi para calon pendaki yang antre rapi.

Di depannya kios kecil, berisi lengkap kebutuhan pendakian hingga dagangan suvenir. Fasilitas kamar mandi duduk dan area piknik tertata rapi dan bersih, empat papan pengumuman pendakian, larangan, imbauan serta peraturan pendakian terjajar apik di papan kayu dengan ukiran tulisan yang mudah dibaca.

Seluruh bangunan teridentifikasi dengan papan tunjuk yang jelas. Tidak terlihat tong sampah, tetapi tidak kami temukan satu pun sampah tercecer. Para pemandu dengan andal membantu kami registrasi dan mengatur logistik bersama 26 pengangkut barang, koki, dan asisten pemandu yang sebagian besar merupakan suku Chagga, suku terbesar di kawasan Kilimanjaro.

Suasana alam yang murni sepanjang 70 km perjalanan naik-turun kami rasakan demikian dalam. Flora-fauna yang kami temui tampak tenang tidak terusik. Area piknik berupa meja bangku kayu, pondok WC yang bersih dan terawat di setiap 5-7 km perjalanan, 3 pondok pendaki berkapasitas 70 orang di Mandara, 148 orang di Horombo serta 58 orang di Kibo siap menyambut.

Pemandu

Tiap pondok berstruktur segitiga dengan tempat tidur susun untuk 4-10 pendaki merupakan bangunan kayu dengan alas tidur dan bantal. Pondok itu cukup membuat tidur kami lebih nyaman dibandingkan di tenda. Selain itu, tersedia WC dengan air melimpah, aula makan, dapur umum serta pondok khusus pemandu dan porter, ditambah panel matahari yang siap menerangi setiap ruang setiap malamnya.

Fasilitas baik tanpa kedisiplinan pengguna, apalah artinya. Di KINAPA para pemandu memegang kunci utama dalam pengelolaan taman nasional. Dengan sistem pengategorian pemandu versus imbalan, mereka dituntut terus meningkatkan kemampuan pelayanan, pengetahuan alam, pengetahuan teknis pendakian dan penyelamatan, serta kemampuan berkomunikasi dan berbahasa.

Sistem penalti, berupa skorsing hingga pencabutan lisensi, diberlakukan manajemen KINAPA untuk memastikan tidak terjadi pelanggaran, seperti penggunaan bahan bakar yang tidak dianjurkan, mengganggu flora fauna, penggunaan rute di luar ketentuan, keteledoran pemandu, dan peraturan ketat lainnya yang bisa menghentikan sumber pendapatan para pemandu.

Menjadi pemandu merupakan impian kebanyakan warga suku Chagga yang tinggal di seputar kaki Kilimanjaro. Butuh lebih dari 5 tahun untuk menjadi kepala pemandu, dengan imbalan tertinggi. Dengan 2-3 tahun pengalaman menjadi porter untuk menempa fisiknya, 2 tahun pendidikan on the job training sebagai guide assistant, hingga akhirnya tes oleh KINAPA untuk sertifikasi pemandu.

Laiknya di negara berkembang, kesejahteraan para pemandu dan porter masih menjadi isu penting. Keuntungan besar masih lebih banyak terserap para operator wisata yang bermukim di perkotaan. Fasilitas kelengkapan peralatan pendakian hingga pakaian yang layak tidak selalu dapat terpenuhi. Hingga banyak yang menderita sakit bahkan kematian.

Dua asosiasi besar dibentuk di awal tahun 2003; KPAP (Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project) serta KGPU (Kilimanjaro Guides and Porter Union). KPAP merupakan inisiatif International Mountain Explorers Connections yang berbasis di Amerika, yang memperjuangkan hak-hak para porter di seluruh dunia, seperti di kawasan Annapurna Sanctuary Nepal dan Inca trail di Peru. Layanannya berupa peminjaman perlengkapan hingga pakaian yang layak cuma-cuma; pelatihan bahasa Inggris, P3K hingga pengetahuan HIV yang melanda delapan persen penduduk Tanzania; manajemen keuangan pribadi; serta memberikan edukasi kepada pengguna jasa porter. Sedang KGPU didirikan mantan pemandu dan porter, Joseph Nyabasi, dengan tujuan memperbaiki kesejahteraan mereka yang mencari nafkah dari gunung melalui misi yang sama.

Tuntutan profesionalitas yang dibarengi dengan berbagai badan perlindungan pekerja di gunung, menjadikan kawasan ini salah satu tujuan wisata alam terpopuler.

Kilimanjaro sebagai salah satu ”The Big Seven” gunung tertinggi di setiap benua di dunia mendorong Pemerintah Tanzania berbenah diri. Kesiapan Tanzania menyambut para wisatawan alam ini tentunya dapat ditiru juga oleh pemerintah dan pemerhati alam di Indonesia, di mana Gunung Carstensz Pyramid, kawasan Jayawijaya Papua Indonesia, juga menjadi salah satu dari ”The Big Seven”.

Diah Bisono/KOMPAS.com
Wiraswasta, Tinggal di Jakarta

Our Organization will be climbing Kilimanjaro next year for a fundraiser! I have been running and excercising every day! This is going to be amazing!

http://www.getoutthebox.org/

” A nonprofit for at-risk youth”

Hey Supporters Join our facebook cause page @ http://apps.facebook.com/causes/383281/77128247?m=7d205f0f and Invite your friends!!

http://www.youtube.com/getoutthebox1

Kilimanjaro Safari – as estradas da Reserva Selvagem de Harambe, levam você a um safari de aventuras com animais de verdade – gostei, mas podia ser melhor.

Pangani Forest Exploration Trail / Maharajah Jungle Trek – passeio a pé, pela floresta africana, com vista de pássaros, gorilas, e até o dragão de komodo… (veja o vídeo abaixo)

Download the a community technology preview (CTP) release version of the documentation and tutorials for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, the next release of Microsoft SQL Server, formerly known as SQL Server Code-Named “Kilimanjaro.”

Books Online is the primary documentation for SQL Server and include the following types of information…

Books Online includes the following types of information:

• Setup and upgrade instructions.
• Information about new features and backward compatibility.
• Conceptual descriptions of the technologies and features in SQL Server.
• Procedural topics describing how to use the various features in SQL Server.
• Tutorials that guide you through common tasks.
• Reference documentation for the graphical tools, command prompt utilities, programming languages, and application programming interfaces (APIs) that are supported by SQL Server.
• Descriptions of the sample databases and applications that are available with SQL Server.
• SQL Server 2008 R2 Books Online What’s New

SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro is a bold climb up the world’s highest freestanding mountain led by Grammy-nominated musician, philanthropist and “actionist” Kenna and his supporters Jessica Biel, Isabel Lucas, Lupe Fiasco, Alexandra Cousteau and other global influencers.

HP is bringing its technology expertise and fully integrated marketing muscle – including TV, online and social media resources – to SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro. As partners and official technology outfitters, HP and Intel will raise awareness of the global clean water crisis, inspire individuals to join the cause and provide people with the tools to actively participate in improving the standard of living for those in need.

Read more at HP website -> http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2009/091112xa.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news

Cet article, écrit par la journaliste Nicole Dion, est paru ce matin dans le Journal de Québec (cahier Santé et Mieux-Être)!
Pour plus d’info sur mon voyage prochain et ma collecte de fonds pour la Fondation GUS, visitez ma section Kilimandjaro!
Pour m’encouragez, les dons peuvent se faire en ligne via canadahelps.org/gp/5040, un reçu d’impôt sera envoyé automatiquement une fois le paiement effectué.
Je suis toujours è la recherche de commanditaires pour mon équipement (bottes, manteaux, gadgets techno). Voici mes coordonnées si vous croyez pouvoir m’aider: monicietla@gmail.com

Merci pour vos encouragements!

Si vous n’arrivez pas à lire, voici une retranscription:
À moi le Kilimandjaro!

En compagnie de son père Gérard et d’une dizaine d’autres personnes, Gina Desjardins, chroniqueuse spécialisée en jeux vidéo, Web et technologies, escaladera le Kilimandjaro en janvier prochain.

L’expédition a pour but d’amasser des fonds pour soutenir la Fondation GUS, mise sur pied par Groupe Urgence Sinistre pour aider des gens sinistrés sans ressources, souvent des femmes monoparentales ou des personnes âgées.

Cette expérience, Gina l’attend avec beaucoup d’impatience. « Je pense que tous les projets qui nous amènent à nous dépasser nous transforment. J’adore les montagnes. Je m’y sens bien. Mes idées s’y clarifient. Je n’ai jamais réalisé une ascension de ce type, qui s’étale sur plusieurs jours, mais c’est quelque chose que j’ai toujours voulu faire. J’aime me donner des défis personnels et les réaliser, comme lorsque j’ai sauté en parachute ou en bungee » dit la jeune femme. Elle sera servie à souhait avec cette nouvelle aventure !

La préparation…

Depuis qu’elle a accepté de participer à cette ascension, Gina consacre beaucoup de temps et d’énergie à tout organiser. « Je continue de m’entraîner pour me tenir en forme. Je le fais en partie à l’aide de jeux vidéo comme Dance Dance Revolution, EA Sports Active et WII Fit. » Ce sont des outils qui l’aident beaucoup ! De plus, elle avoue marcher un minimum d’une heure par jour et utilise intensément tous les escaliers qu’elle croise sur sa route. Elle prend cet entraînement très au sérieux !

Saint Augustine! well hast thou said,
That of our vices we can frame
A ladder, if we will but tread
Beneath our feet each deed of shame!
The Ladder of St. Augustine – Longfellow

Whilst on the mountain, I kept a journal of our daily progress and the things we saw and did on the trip. I’ve transcribed the journal onto this blog and added some pictures to help illustrate our journey. I apologise in advance for any errors it may contain, especially about summit night, as the cold and exhaustion may have affected my memory of events.

I have also included a verse from Longfellow’s poem, “The Ladder of St. Augustine” at the start of each day. I had a copy of this poem at the front of my journal and I read it each evening. It helped me along the way. Some of its verses are more appropriate than others, so my apologies if I’ve had to “shoehorn” some of them in.

We arrived yesterday and after a long drive from the airport to our safari lodge in Arusha we spent the rest of the evening getting to know our fellow travellers. They seem like a nice crowd, from all over the UK, well the 10 men are, the two women in our group (Jennifer & Arwen) are from Sweden and the Netherlands respectively.

The lodge looks beautiful, and it is, especially for Tanzania, but there are one or two teething troubles with it. The showers in our cottages don’t work, or rather, they do but very poorly, and the frame holding up the mosquito net on our bed collapses when I try to pull the net down over me that first night. And the TV in the snack bar on which we watch Liverpool beating Man United again, is a tiny portable, and the waitress is nowhere to be seen, so the beer is flowing… slowly. Ah well, we can’t have everything.

We had our briefing from Paulo (the exodus rep) and Jennifer & I were given our sleeping bags we had hired for the trip! They are huge! They are going to take up half our pack! Straight back to the rooms to spend the rest of the night re-packing my pack to try to fit it in. It’s a struggle but after a few hours and a good few curses I managed to close the bag, but not sure how I managed it, nor how I will manage it out in the field, its making me feel stressed already – I’ve had to leave behind some of the kit I’d specifically bought for the trip but they are too bulky now the sleeping bag is in.

Jennifer fits her bag in no problem, and she’s got even more clothes than I have.

This morning after breakfast, I finally catch up with Paulo, who is more difficult to get hold of than a difficult to get hold of thing. I told him my concerns about the sleeping bag situation and he just told me to leave the bag on the outside of the pack and the porters will put them in their bags – wish he’d told me this last night, but he’s not the best communicator in the world, except yesterday when he told us all to tip the driver $2 each for the trip from the airport, so $24 for a trip we’d already paid for….seemed high, especially at the end of the trip when we were tipping the porters less than that for 8 days work – maybe the driver is Paulo’s cousin?

Jennifer decides to leave her walking poles, but then changes her mind at the last minute when she sees everybody else has them, she’s just got enough time to get them out of her case before we get onto the 4×4’s.

As we step out into the forecourt we see before us a wonderfully shiny new 4×4 that looks like its just come out of the showroom, it’s a huge extended safari vehicle and we feel spoilt already… until we find out that our vehicle is the battered old landrover hidden behind it…Ah well, we’re only in it for an hour or two.

Me and Jennifer and Carl & Simon pile into the landrover, the others are split between the other two cars.

It starts raining as we set off, and even in the rain, it’s the colourful dress and cheery nature of the locals that really grabs your attention. A group of schoolkids wave to us and chorus “HELLOOOO” with big smiley faces from the cover of a local shop veranda. About half of the buildings seem to be made of wood and mud.

Driving through Arusha and then Moshi there is so much to see at the roadside. From the banana or maize plantations lining the main road, to the people in their wonderfully bright clothing, to the goats and cattle being herded along the verges between the road and the plantations.

At Moshi Joseph our driver pulls over at a local supermarket and asks if anyone wants the loo, Jennifer does so she rushes in. The rain has stopped for the moment so we stretch our legs as Joseph tries to convince us to buy water or chocolate from the supermarket. Its obvious that he has a deal with them to bring his charges here, but we don’t mind, he’s a lovely bloke.

One of the other two 4×4’s pulls in and the lads jog to the loo, where Jennifer meets them as they are standing at the urinals as she’s had to use the men’s toilet as the women’s was broken. She comes out laughing, at the situation rather than what she saw… probably.

The are a lot of steel and wooden carts with bicycle wheels being pushed along the side of the road, it seems the cheapest way of transporting goods to and from market, and there are a lot of bicycles, overladen with goods, or even friends, also sharing the road with the cars, carts and pedestrians.

Midway through Moshi we turn left off the main road and start heading towards Londorossi gate over on the west side of Kilimanjaro. We leave behind the shops and hurley-burley of the main road and almost immediately it becomes a quieter place, but still with schoolkids and cattle lining the road.

The road starts to rise and soon the tarmac runs out and the road gets bumpy, but not too bad, which is why we are surprised to see one of the 4×4’s pulled over with a puncture. It gives us another change to stretch out legs and to test our cameras as they work together to try to change the tyre.

We’re off again and as we continue to rise the rains come back, the landrovers old tiny windscreen wipers are working overtime…. until one falls off and Joseph has to stop and recover it. He’ll fix it later.

Almost by the gate we come across a group of baboons, some big ones in a field and some smaller ones at the road side. They pretend to be oblivious to us, but you can tell they are watching us.

Finally about two hours after leaving the lodge we arrive at Londorossi gate at 2,250m. It’s in the middle of nowhere, a small ranger station at the edge of the national park, nothing like the other gates I’d heard about full of people selling their wares, you can’t even buy a coca cola here. Other than ourselves and the rangers, the only other people here are a few other climbers and a host of porters, all waiting to head out with to the start point.

We signed in at the gate, and as we are there we check out some of the other names in the book. We saw the details of the recent Abramovich party and we also saw the Comic Relief team page from earlier in the year.

Then we were off on our big adventure… and cheating massively by using the 4×4 to take us up to our start point. This road was part of the evacuation route for the Shira plateau… well I say road, it was more of a rutted mud track especially in this rain and poor Simon who had already been pinging his head against the roof of the 4×4 sitting in the back was having to hold on to stop a Simon-shaped dome appearing in the landrover roof.

Finally we arrived at the start of our walk, the Shira Plateau. Its organised chaos with porters all standing around waiting to be told what to do. There are two parties here, our own and a smaller group of (we think) four.

The rain is still coming down and our Exodus packs are sitting in the open getting wet and I’m so glad we put our gear inside drybags inside the packs. We have something to eat and we tip Joseph $10 for getting us up there safely, although this time we really feel this driver has earned it!

There is a small lull in the rain and I run out to get some shots of the porters, but I soon realise that we are at around 3,350m when I feel all light headed from moving too quickly. Pole Pole!

We finally get the signal that we are moving out, and as we put our raingear on, the first porters start to move off. The terrain appears easy as this part of the plateau is relatively flat, however the track is submerged in rainwater and we are trying to find a drier (less wet) path on either side of the main track. We also have to keep stopping to let more porters through.

Although we are going slowly and the going is relatively flat, I am finding it really hard going, especially when we cross the rivers that have cut channels about 3 to 5 meters deep into the plain. Getting up out of those little gullies is easy but it takes my breathe away and I have to stop just to get it back. No body else seems to be suffering and I feel embarrassed.

We have to cross about three or four of these river beds and I dread each one as I feel self-concious at having to stop to catch my breath when others appear to be finding it so easy. Its just a short easy climb out of the gullies but it feels like I am climbing up the steep paths to the Arch Allagen plantation on my mountain bike.

There is one more gully to cross and then we are at our camp, Shira 1 (3,550m). It hasn’t been a long walk but it taken us two hours to get there and I’m pleased we are finally stopping for the day.

Our tents are set up and we are allocated tent 36, which will be our tent for the trip. We put our gear inside and climb in out of the rain. Its surprising warm inside the tent, especially when the double doors are zipped up. There is a little porch area in the front and back of the tent, which we use to hang up our wet gear, hopefully it will dry before we need it next.

Went into the mess tent and had a good laugh with the team, the food and company was excellent even if the weather wasn’t.

It gets dark at 6.30pm, so after dinner we just headed straight to bed, tried not to talk too loud as we can hear everyone else talking! Its still raining and its rattling off the tent all night.

We have not wings, we cannot soar;
But we have feet to scale and climb
By slow degrees, by more and more,
The cloudy summits of our time.
The Ladder of St. Augustine – Longfellow

A wonderfully sunny start to the day, in complete contrast with last night, lets hope it lasts. Jennifer and I give ourselves a wet wipe bath and its lovely, we feel really clean despite not using the morning “washy washy” water our porters bring us. We do use this water, but only for rubbing over our face and hair to wake us up properly and to brush our teeth.

The other morning ritual is “bed tea”, which is the morning cuppa. This is the first wake up call of the day but we are usually washing ourselves at this point so we ask them to leave it in the porch area.

We had breakfast with the sun breaking over Kili, it was lovely, lots of cloud up on the summit though, hopefully it wont be there when we summit.

We started off across the Shira Plateau again this morning at around 8.30am, again I found the going difficult so I’d dropped behind by the time it started raining at 10.00am. This time it was a combination of rain and low cloud, so just as wet, but not heavy rain.

I’m finding it really hard to breath at this altitude. Luckily the plateau starts to climb towards its south eastern edge and this slowed the pace down a bit and by keeping a steady pace I was able to catch them up by about 11.00am.

By the time we got up to the Shira Cathedral, a large promontory, I was starting to feel really good, we dropped our packs at the bottom of the cathedral and, after a short rest, we climbed up to the top (3,800m) by around 12 noon. I felt really strong for once and was bouncing back along the rocks, but maybe I was being too cocky!

We had another short rest next to where we left our packs and then headed north towards our next camp, Shira Hut (3,840m). It was only about 2 hours at a slow pace, but towards the end I was struggling again. There was a steepish rise leading to the camp which I found hard going and I kept stopping to rest. Matthew, our head guide asked if he could take my pack, but I wanted to do this one my own without too much help, I didn’t want to be carried (ok, I was ignoring the fact that we had 47 porters, guides and a cook helping us, but that wasn’t my point).

The rain was getting heavier and as I finally made it up the hill to our camp, about 15 minutes after everyone else, I found my beloved Jennifer waiting for me in the rain.

The camp site was on a flood plain and it was really rocky and the tents weren’t best pitched, but I threw my pack in and we went to join the others for lunch.

We have been walking in the rain for four and a half hours and everything is wet, we hope the weather will be better by tomorrow as we need to get our clothes dry. Hopefully we can get above the clouds tomorrow.

Our tent is starting to look like a Chinese laundry. We have clothes hanging up in each porch and in the inner tent, just trying to get it dry. If we don’t get a couple of rain free days then we’ll be trying to summit in wet clothes and they will freeze on us. We are keeping a set of clothes unused and dry for summit night, just in case it doesn’t stop raining, but our outerwear is just wetted out, as are our gloves.

The porters sound in much better mood tonight, they are laughing and joking really loudly, we’ll have to use ear plugs tonight. They are coping with the same weather we are but their waterproof clothing is a bit makeshift, some of them use plastic bin-liners, whilst others just get wet, but they seem very happy despite the weather.

The loo is a bucket under a wooden seat in a separate tent, and it really stinks. Everyone is trying to hold out as long as they can before visiting it, or just going behind the rocks or bushes. Getting up to go the toilet in the night is turning into a major exercise, not only do you have to get dressed, with both wet and warm clothing, you also have to steel yourself against what you will find there…

Decided to take a diamox to help with my acclimatisation as I seem to be the only one struggling. I’ve also got a constant cough, but I can hear others coughing at night in their tents, so maybe its just a reaction to the cold and rain, rather than the altitude.

Jennifer is also suffering with a cough, but she seems to be coping really well with cold and the rain and has shown little or no sign of altitude sickness yet. In the mess tent tonight, virtually everyone has complained of bad headaches, except me and Jennifer, so maybe we’re all just feeling the altitude in different ways.

The mighty pyramids of stone
That wedge-like cleave the desert airs,
When nearer seen, and better known,
Are but gigantic flights of stairs.
The Ladder of St. Augustine – Longfellow

Another beautiful start to the day with the sun streaming through the entrance to our tent and giving us wonderful views of the summit. Its still wrapped in cloud though, maybe it will be clearer on the summit itself.

The heat from the early morning sun was causing last nights rain to evaporate from the surrounding rocks, it looked like the clouds were forming before our eyes!

Which wasn’t so far off as by 8am, the clouds had rolled in again the the camp deteriorated once again to a drizzly mist.

The camp followers at this camp were a plague of striped grass mice, little balls of fluff who seemed unafraid of us, or anything else come to that, who came out in force for the scraps to be had around camp.

I’m still finding it hard to breath, getting in and out of the tent is exhausting and we’ve got a steep climb ahead of us, so I’m getting a bit stressed. Why is no-one else having problems with the thin air, is it just me?

I don’t want to fall behind again, if I can’t keep up at this altitude then what will I be like on the summit? I feel very frustrated and angry with myself. I take another diamox to help me to the next camp.

After another big breakfast we started off uphill for Moir Hut (4,200m). We have only gone about 10 yards when we decided to put our rain gear on and Arwen shows off her lastest creation, a rain skirt! The pace is pole pole so I’m finding it easy going at the moment. After about an hour on this trail, we bear left and continue to climb towards a wide ridge.

The path goes around the ridge and then drops down the side of it and we find ourselves heading down the side of a valley, we can see Moir Hut camp at head of the valley, snuggled in at the base of the cliffs.

In total the walk is only two hours, and we have a few hours to kill before lunch so Jennifer & I take a walk outside the campsite and explore the local area.

Moir Hut itself is right at the base of the cliffs and is an old rangers station. It is literally falling to pieces but that doesn’t stop Jennifer from running inside it and climbing about in there.

On the way back we saw some water voles (or at least that’s what I think they are) in little burrows alongside the stream.

After lunch the sun came out and everyone ran out to put their kit out to dry. It didn’t last too long, the clouds came back intermittently, so we kept having sun and then cloud. It’s a good team though and everyone is lifting each others spirits by joking and having a laugh at the weather… and each other!

We’ve got a couple of hours before our acclimatisation walk up to the Lent Hills, which look impossibly high and un-climbable, even the ridge they sit on looks impossible to climb.

Pete decided to head off for a walk on his own for an hour. He usually goes for a 10 mile run every day, so I think the slow pace and sitting around camp is making him a bit stir crazy, so he just wants to get some exercise in.

We spoke to David for a while who told us about his lad who has cerebral palsy, and David, Darren & Jeremy are doing this walk to raise money for his therapy group, which is entirely self funded. They have raised over £10,000 so far which is fantastic. Listening to the courage of his lad climbing the stairs makes me embarrassed for worrying about my health on this trip.

I remember how difficult it was for me (due to my asthma) to climb the stairs when I was younger and it would sometimes take me an hour to just to climb up those 13 steps each night. This mountain is just another set of stairs and it might take me a bit longer than the others but I’ll climb them.

Simon was bored, so as his tent has a river flowing through it last night, he’s decided to build a rain ditch around his tent just in case it rains hard again tonight. We all follow his lead, although his ditch looks like a permanent feature when compared to ours.

There were some large animal bones around the camp site, the guides reckon they are mainly zebra and eland, but what worries me is how they got there!

Around 3pm we headed off to the Lent Hills (4,700m) which overlook our camp from the nearby ridge. It was hard walking for everyone up the ridge, a long slow slog for about 45 minutes. I found it really hard but others appeared to be struggling too, so maybe we are all struggling with the thin air?

Once atop the ridge we had a short break to catch our breathe, and then heading up the face of the lent hills. Whilst these looked formidable from camp, up close there were plenty of hand and foot holds to allow us to scramble up them and we all made it up safely.

The views from the top were immense; our camp looked tiny and in the plateau below seems to stretch away into the distance, and at our backs Kibo peak rose majestically to the skies… well it would have if it wasn’t for the clouds…

We left the Lent Hills and made our way back to camp. I noticed Graeme had a very strong and efficient poling method. He looked really professional but he says he’s never used poles before, either way, it looks effective and I think I’ll try to copy his method as I need all the help I can get to climb this mountain.

By the time we got back to camp at 5.30pm the cloudy drizzle was back, but it didn’t affect our spirits, especially as Darren gave us an exhibition of banana golf.

It was another lovely dinner that night and we had a laugh with the guides who kept reminding us about the use of sunscreen, even though its cloudy, because we were so high the atmosphere isn’t cutting out much of the UV light. Jennifer & I are using P20 each morning, this lasts the whole day, rain or not, as it bonds to the skin and is even more effective that higher rated sunscreens as its permanently in place and will not rub off.

Another early night and everyone was in bed by 8pm. It was cold though and Jennifer was sporting the latest line in Ninja Pyjamas…

All common things, each day’s events,
That with the hour begin and end,
Our pleasures and our discontents,
Are rounds by which we may ascend.
The Ladder of St. Augustine – Longfellow

Didn’t sleep well last night for the first night on the trip, maybe it’s the diamox. Another beautiful sunny morning, which is turning out to be a feature of this trip… usually followed by rain later in the morning!

Everyone is in high spirits this morning and for once we can see the clouds below us. I was feeling confident about the weather today so didn’t wear my raingear, just a windstopper. It turned cloudy as we set off but soon returned to sunshine again and I was glad I’d left the raingear off.

I’d decided to use my poles for the first time on the trip and copied the Graeme method of poling which I found really helped.

About halfway along the route we were passing through a small saddle and noticed a grave marker. The guides said it belonged to a climber who had suffered a pulmonary oedema higher up and they were rushing him down to the evacuation route on the Shira Plateau, but he didn’t make it and died at that spot. It really bought home the effects altitude can have on your body.

About 40 minutes from camp, the cloudy drizzle came in again, so I put my raingear on, just in time for then the hail started. About 3 hours after leaving Moir Hut, I arrived at a very wet and cloudy Lava Tower camp (4,550m). It was a big disappointment for me, as I’d seen loads of pictures of this tower, and even though we were camped at its base we couldn’t see the tower through the mist.

I was last in again, and while its not a race, I was still disappointed to be lagging behind everyone, especially as this climb had taken so much out of me. I felt exhausted, despite using the poles.

Our tents were pitched down the slope and Simon & Carl were at the bottom, so Simon decided to build another rain ditch to avoid having his tent flood. Pretty soon we were all building them. Simon’s looked like a fort, with an inner and outer wall – I suspect his forces background was turning his rain ditch into a redoubt!

He still had loads of energy so he helped me with my ditch. It was good having Simon on the trip, not only was he a good laugh, but he also bought home that we are camping, and its not five star luxury so if we wanted to avoid problems later in the night then we should rely on ourselves, there would be no room service to sort it for us.

Building ditches helped us keep warm in the cloudy mist, but everyone turned up at camp either cold, breathless or tired, or all three, except Jennifer who still seemed full of beans! The food was excellent as usual, as was the company so we were all cheered by the end of lunch.

The acclimatisation walk to Arrow Glacier camp (4,900m) is planned for 3pm, but no-one seems to be looking forward to it. The weather is still closed in and cold and everything we do at this altitude seems to tire us out, even getting in and out of the tents – in many ways the walking seems easier, at least we can keep warm and it’s a steady pace.

It took us longer to get ready than we thought it would so everyone was waiting to go by the time we arrived. Probably because they’d gotten cold from waiting for us, the initial pace was quite fast, and I found myself falling behind almost immediately, and I soon lost sight of the others in the mist.

Jennifer, my love, decided to stay back with me and help me through this walk, as did one of our assistant guides, Godfrey. It was cold that evening, with the ambient temperature around zero degrees C, but the extra layers we had put on seemed to be working, perhaps we could wear this for summit night?

Soon we entered the snowline and the going got more difficult. I was already having to stop after few steps but with the snow on the steep slopes, I kept slipping on the snow and mud which took a surprising amount of energy to recover from, so I was stopping all the more. We also had to cross four streams along the way, which due to the meltwater from higher up the mountain had become raging torrents full of reddy brown silt. Crossing them wasn’t so bad, but climbing up again out of the gullies was really taking its toll.

Godfrey could see I was struggling and he suggested a couple of times that maybe we should turn around and head back as it wasn’t going to get any easier. I had to keep going though, as in my mind I was trying to see every difficulty as another step towards my acclimatisation, and anyway if I turned back now, then perhaps I would be inclined to do the same on summit night, and I didn’t even want to entertain the thought of that.

So we kept going, slowly through the snow and the mist until finally we caught up with the others… who were on their way down. I joked with them and took a picture of Graeme, but my heart was sinking. They had already made it to the Arrow Glacier and were heading down and I hadn’t even made it there yet.

They did say it was just up ahead so I tried to keep my spirits up and sure enough we were soon there and it was such a relief, although now we had the job of walking downhill through the slush of snow and mud, which wasn’t an appealing prospect.

It was at the old Arrow Glacier camp that I realised that I hadn’t been drinking enough on the way up. I had a pee which was bright yellow against the snow (sorry if you’re squeamish!), and it should be almost colourless if you are drinking enough. I realised that because I was labouring for each breath then I was avoiding drinking as I had to stop breathing for a second to take a sip.

The way down was just as hard as the way up, with both of us sliding in the muddy slush of the path, so it took us as long to get back as it did coming up. As we got back to the camp I found I was really hot and had to take some layers off. At first I didn’t understand why this was as we were below the snowline now and walking down was a lot easier than walking up, so I shouldn’t be generating as much heat.

Then Jennifer noticed that we could make out the camp, the mist was lifting! At last we could make out the Lava Tower and although the sun was low in the sky, its heat was more than enough to start warming us up.

We got a big cheer as we entered the mess tent, but we were trying to drag them out to see the views, by this time the mist had cleared about us and whilst there was still some mist about, you could see the western breach right above us through the clouds.

The sun was setting and I ran about trying to take some pictures of the camp before the clouds rolled in again. I think I must gotten too excited because pretty soon I was out of breath and feeling extremely nauseous. I should have rested and drank more water while I had the chance.

We had an amazing sunset and while I enjoyed it, I was really struggling again. I could hardly eat at dinner, I felt sick and my head was banging and every movement was a chore. I found it really hard to concentrate and to listen to the banter going on around me, I just wanted to lay down and rest. This was probably my lowest point, and I really feared that I couldn’t go any further.

There was small American group camped next to us that night, who had also done today’s acclimatisation walk. We were told the next day that they had had enough and had decided to cancel their climb and the next morning they headed down the mountain. I didn’t blame them, I could really understand how they felt.

The skies were clear that night and the wet zips on out tents had frozen up by the time we finished our evening meal, so we had to bang on the tent to try to crack the ice and open the zips.

Gina wants to climb the Kilimanjaro (with english subtitles)

I am looking for sponsors! Contact me: ginadesjardins@live.com

More info and the links are here: ginadesjardins.wordpress.com/kilimanjaro

They are in french, but you can put them in Google translator.
http://translate.google.com/#

I would like to invite you to watch one of movie of Everest collection…

Erik Weihenmayer blind climber.

“I think this is the best time in history, the most precious time in history to be a pioneer, to reach out, to seize hold of adversity and challenges we face, to harness energy not only to transform our own lives, but to elevate the world around us.” Erik Weihenmayer

Erik Weihenmayer – World-Class Blind Adventurer.

On May 25, 2001, Erik Weihenmayer became the only blind man in history to reach the summit of the world’s highest peak – Mount Everest. And on September 5, 2002, when he stood on top of Mt. Kosciusko in Australia, Weihenmayer completed his 7-year quest to climb the Seven Summits – the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, joining only 200 mountaineers who have accomplished that feat.  At age 33, he was also one of the youngest. Additionally, he has scaled El Capitan, a 3300-foot overhanging rock wall in Yosemite; Losar , a 2600-foot vertical ice waterfall in The Mt. Everest region of the Himalayas; and a difficult and rarely climbed rock face on 17,000-foot Mt. Kenya.

In September, 2003, Erik joined 320 stellar athletes from 17 countries to compete in the Primal Quest, the richest and toughest multi-sport adventure race in the world: 457 miles through the Sierra Nevada’s, nine days, sixty thousand feet of elevation gain, and no time-outs. Averaging only two hours of sleep a night, Erik and his team surged past the finish line on Lake Tahoe, becoming one of the 42 teams to cross the finish line out of the 80 teams that began.

After Erik’s Mt. Everest ascent, Braille Without Borders, a school for the blind in Tibet, invited him to teach its students mountaineering and rock climbing.  His many climbs gave the teenagers the courage to excel in a culture which affords few opportunities for the blind.Erik and six Everest team members went to Tibet in May 2004 to train the students, then in October led them on a climb to the Rombuk Glacier on the north side of Mt. Everest. Once seen as pariahs, the teenagers ultimately stood together at 21,500-feet, higher than any team of blind people in history.  Steven Haft, producer of such blockbusters as Dead Poets’ Society, made a documentary on the ascent which opened to standing ovations at the Toronto, L.A., and London Film Festivals. The film was released theatrically in fall of 2007.

A former middle school teacher and wrestling coach, Erik is one of the most exciting and well-known athletes in the world. Despite losing his vision at the age of 13, Erik has become an accomplished mountain climber, paraglider, and skier, who has never let his blindness interfere with his passion for an exhilarating and fulfilling life. Erik’s feats have earned him an ESPY award, recognition by Time Magazine for one of the greatest sporting achievements of 2001, induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, an ARETE Award for the superlative athletic performance of the year, the Helen Keller Lifetime Achievement award, Nike’s Casey Martin Award, and the Freedom Foundation’s Free Spirit Award.  He has also carried the Olympic Torch for both the Summer and Winter Games.

In addition to being a world-class athlete, Erik is also the author of the book, Touch the Top of the World, published in ten countries and six languages.According to Publisher’s Weekly, Erik’s memoir is “moving and adventure packed, Weihenmayer tells his extraordinary story with humor, honesty and vivid detail, and his fortitude and enthusiasm are deeply inspiring.”  The book was made into a feature film which aired on A&E in June, 2006.

Erik’s second book, The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles Into Everyday Greatness, co-authored with business guru and best selling author, Dr. Paul Stoltz,  was released by Simon and Schuster in January, 2007.  Through Paul’s science and Erik’s experience, the book shares seven “summits” for harnessing the power of adversity and turning it into the never-ending fuel  to growth and innovation. Steven Covey, author of the best selling business book of all time, wrote the Foreword. Erik has also been published in Time, Forbes, and Reader’s Digest.

Erik’s award winning film, Farther Than the Eye Can See, shot in the same stunning quality HDTV format as the ‘Star Wars’ prequels, was ranked in the top twenty adventure films of all time by Men’s Journal. Bringing home first prize at 20 film festivals and nominated for two Emmy’s, the film beautifully captures the emotion, humor and drama of Erik’s historic ascent as well as his team’s three other remarkable ‘firsts’: the first American father/son team to summit, the oldest man to summit, and the most people from one team to reach the top of Everest in a single day. Through screenings, the film has raised over $600,000 for charitable organizations.

Erik’s extraordinary accomplishments have gained him abundant press coverage including repeated visits to NBC’s Today Show and Nightly News, Oprah, Good Morning America, Night Line, and the Tonight Show to name a few. He has also been featured on the cover of Time, Outside, and Climbing Magazine.

In 1999, Erik joined Mark Wellman–the first paraplegic to climb the 3000-foot face of El Capitan, and Hugh Herr–a double-leg-amputee and scientist at Harvard’s prestigious prosthetics laboratory, to climb an 800-foot rock tower in Moab, Utah. As a result of their successful climb together, the three formed No Barriers, a non-profit organization with a goal of promoting innovative ideas, approaches, and assistive technologies which help people with disabilities push through their own personal barriers to live full and active lives. Erik also serves as a National Braille Literacy Champion on behalf of the American Foundation for the Blind.

Erik’s speaking career has taken him around the world, from Hong Kong to Switzerland, from Thailand to the 2005 APEC Summit in Chile. He speaks to audiences on harnessing the power of adversity, the importance of a “rope team,” and the daily struggle to pursue your dreams.  Clearly, Erik’s accomplishments show that one does not have to have perfect eyesight to have extraordinary vision.

* Source : – http://leadingauthorities.com/13649/Weihenmayer_Erik_detail.htm

** Previous story : –  Jerzy Kukuczka: Greatest Polish Alpinist Tribute – video.

** zapraszam na relacje z wypraw polskich himalaistów.

zapraszam do subskrypcji mego bloga

Patrimoniul cultural si cel natural – un dar al trecutului care ar trebui lasat mostenire viitorului – reprezinta doua surse de viata si de inspiratie primordiale. Locuri atat de diverse precum intinderile Parcului National Serengeti din Africa orientala, piramidele din Egipt, Marea Bariera de Corali din Australia sau catedralele baroce din America Latina alcatuiesc un patrimoniu mondial, ale carui situri, potrivit UNESCO, apartin, indiferent de teritoriul pe care sunt plasate, tuturor popoarelor. Multe dintre aceste situri traiesc suferinta unor amenintari ingrijoratoare.

Venetia, Canal Grande

“S-a stins viata falnicei Venetii,/ n-auzi cantari, nu vezi lumini de baluri”. Chiar daca, la vremea cand Eminescu scria aceste versuri, Orasul Dogilor nu mai avea, intr-adevar, opulenta de pe vremea Serenissimei Republici, astazi, cel putin sub raportul spectaculosului si al iluminarii feerice, arata grandios. Problema acestui oras fondat in anul 452, unic in miraculoasa lui alcatuire lacustra, este aceea ca se scufunda cu aproximativ 1,5 cm pe secol, oricat de masive sunt eforturile, sustinute la scara industriala, de pompare a apei din structurile subterane.

Insulele Maldive

Desi pare aproape imposibil de imaginat ca o intrega tara sa se scufunde, exact asta se intampla cu Maldivele, “o semintie” de aproximativ 1.200 de insule, scaldate de niste ape care, potrivit specialistilor, contin cea mai bogata viata marina din lume. 80% dintre aceste insule se afla cu aproape un metru peste nivelul marii si sunt pandite de un risc tragic: cresterea continua a nivelului oceanului, fenomen cauzat de incalzirea globala. In timpul tsunami-ului din 2004, care a afectat intreaga infrastructura a tarii, multi atoli din zona au disparut definitiv de pe harta lumii.

Zapezile de pe Kilimanjaro

Considerat cel mai inalt munte din Africa (6.021 m), Kilimanjaro are un varf (cel vestic) caruia localnicii ii spun, nu intamplator, Masai Ngaje Ngai, adica Salasul lui Dumnezeu. Aerul sau de templu al transcendentului e intretinut si de hlamida imaculata de zapada care ii imbraca, indiferent de anotimp, piscul. In ultimii ani, acest acoperamant alb si-a restrans treptat dimensiunile, din pricina aceleiasi incalziri globale. Specialistii spun ca ghetarii care pareau eterni vor deveni, in doar cincisprezece ani, istorie.

Marele Zid Chinezesc

Cele mai vechi segmente din acest monument, probabil cel mai autoritar simbol al Imperiului de Mijloc, dateaza din secolul al V-lea i.Hr. Frontiera semeata si edificiu de aparare, singurul artefact uman vizibil din spatiul cosmic, Zidul a fost consolidat in vremea dinastiei Ming (secolul al XIV-lea). Astazi, aproape doua treimi din cei 6.400 de kilometri care reprezinta distanta de la granita cu Coreea si pana in desertul Gobi au fost distruse de eroziune si de dezvoltarea necontrolata a regiunilor din preajma.

Luxor, Egipt

Datand, aproximativ, din veacul al XIV-lea i.Hr., complexul Luxor de pe malul apusean al Nilului – care include Valea Regilor, Valea Reginelor, precum si mai bine de 40 de temple si monumente funerare – este amenintat nu doar de ravagiile turismului si de rapacitatea “pradatorilor” de vestigii arheologice, ci si de catre insusi fluviul sacru. Constructia barajului de la Aswan, in urma cu 40 de ani, a prilejuit infiltratii masive de apa, care au erodat vechile fundatii si au acoperit numeroase morminte.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Stravechea cetate incasa este pe cale sa devina o victima a propriei sale popularitati. Ruinele, descoperite de istoricul american Hiram Bingham in 1911, au devenit cea mai populara atractie turistica peruviana din ultima vreme. Traficul urias (circa un milion de vizitatori anual) a provocat destabilizarea si chiar prabusirea unora dintre fundatiile de piatra. In plus, dezvoltarea zonala – consecinta a valului de vilegiaturisti – ameninta mediul alpin in care a fost edificata cetatea.

Triunghiul de coral, Indonezia

In acest spatiu au fost descoperite mai bine de 3.000 de specii de pesti si circa 600 de varietati de corali, adica aproximativ 75% din totalul cunoscut pana asazi. Acest ecosistem paradisiac se confrunta cu doua probleme severe: pescuitul excesiv si pescuitul distructiv (care foloseste, pentru uciderea pestilor, explozibili sau otravuri). Consecinta acestor actiuni criminale este nu doar disparitia vietatilor acvatice, ci si distrugerea habitatului lor.

J’ai eu l’idée de faire une vidéo pour promouvoir mon projet! En janvier, je partirai en Tanzanie en Afrique faire l’ascension du Kilimandjaro avec mon père et une dizaine de franchisés de Groupe Urgence Sinistre G.U.S pour amasser des fonds pour la Fondation GUS. Plus d’infos dans ma section Kilimanjaro

Leland Miller, un monteur extraordinaire (aussi réalisateur et/ou caméraman à ses heures) (City TV et G4TV) m’a donné généreusement des heures de son temps pour le tournage et le montage même s’il repart vivre à Vancouver dans moins d’une semaine et qu’il n’avait pas commencé ses boîtes.
Simon Olivier Fecteau, réalisateur de talent (Bluff, plusieurs excellents courts-métrages et publicités), collaborateur à Infoman et ancien Chick ‘n Swell, m’a gentiment composé une chanson (c’est aussi lui qui chante)
Ma soeur, India Desjardins, a bien voulu me laisser tourner chez elle.
Merci infiniment à vous pour vos idées et votre temps précieux!

N’hésitez pas à faire circuler cette vidéo dans vos réseaux!!!

Je me suis engagée à amasser 10 000$ avant mon départ pour le Kilimanjaro et ce n’est pas facile! Tous vos dons, même les plus petits, sont les bienvenus! Un reçu pour l’impôt vous sera même envoyé automatiquement après avoir fait un don en ligne à cette adresse: http://www.canadahelps.org/gp/5040

À surveillez: des tirages de prix incroyables et une vente aux enchères!!
Surveillez mon blogue prochainement. Je vais bientôt faire une vente aux enchères sur eBay (pour les articles plus rare et certains gros items), en plus d’organiser une soirée (j’ai pas encore décidé si je fais un encan silencieux ou si je vais vendre des coupons pour un tirage) et possiblement une vente de garage. De nombreux items seront disponibles! Parfait pour les cadeaux de Noël!

Merci à tous mes commanditaires qui ont déjà confirmé me donner des produits pour l’un ou l’autre de mes événements:

-Le Spa Bathroom (des forfaits couples)
-Auberge La Pinsonnière (des certificats cadeaux)
-La boutique Point G (des macarons)
-Des romans de Stéphane Dompierre!
-Des romans d’India Desjardins!

-Rogers sans-fil (des cellulaires)

-Nokia

-Un Shooting photo avec le photographe Patrick Lemay

Des jeux, dont quelques éditions limitées/du collectionneur provenant de,
-Ubisoft
-Activision
-Beenox
-Nintendo
-Microsoft
-EA

-Gamerizon (entre autres des clés pour télécharger la version complète du jeu Quantz)

Et bien d’autres à venir!!! Je vous donne tous les détails bientôt!!

Je fais donc appel à votre générosité et votre aide pour la réalisation de mon projet.

Les profits sont versés à la Fondation GUS, qui vient en aide aux québécois sinistrés sans ressources par l’achat de biens essentiels et de services professionnels après sinistre.
Dans ma section Kilimanjaro, on y trouve tous mes billets sur le sujet et donc plus d’informations sur mon projet et les raisons qui m’ont poussée à accepter de me joindre au groupe. C’est là aussi que vous pourrez voir la liste de mes donateurs et commanditaires.

In the midst of a rather sedentary district council meeting I flicked through the conference folder and hidden at the back was one sheet of paper that captured my attention.

It was the boldness and the madness of it all that grabbed me. The plan is to celebrate  the forming of the new region – Region 11 (Africa, Europe & Middle East) by having toastmasters from all over the region conduct a 1 hour toastmasters meeting on top of Mt Kilimanjaro next summer.

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

But it’s not as easy as it sounds…

This is both a physically and mentally challenging endeavour and getting to the top might be easier than conducting a meeting there.

Let’s look at the challenges that our brave toastmasters will face:

The route

At a guess the team will choose the Marangu route which is one of the easier and most comfortable routes which will help the climbers to be fresh of mind and body at the top. It’s a beautiful 3 or 4 day walk up to Kibo Hut at 4730m.

Kibo Hut is where they will make the assault on the mountain. After spending the day walking to Kibo Hut they will go to bed early (7 or 8pm) to try and have a few hours sleep – this is very difficult to do at this altitude.

At 10.30 or 11pm, they will get out of bed, put on every piece of clothing they have, switch on their headlights and begin the steep climb up the slope in the darkness. Their objective – Uhuru Peak (5895 m).

Altitude

If the physical exertion wasn’t enough there is also the effects that high altitude will have on your body, primarily:

• Dehydration – this happens not just because of the increased physical exertion but also because at higher altitudes you lose much more water vapor from your lungs as you desperately try to suck up enough oxygen to keep your brain and body working.

• Altitude Sickness – this can occur as you climb at altitudes above 2400m where as you climb higher the air pressure  (and therefore the number of oxygen molecules) decreases meaning that there is less oxygen available to sustain you mentally and physically.

Symptoms of altitude sickness include:

• Lack of appetite, nausea, or vomiting
• Fatigue or weakness
• Dizziness or light-headedness
• Insomnia
• Pins and needles
• Shortness of breath upon exertion
• Persistent rapid pulse
• Drowsiness
• General malaise
• Peripheral edema (swelling of hands, feet, and face).
• pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs)
• cerebral edema (swelling of the brain)

The Meeting

Imagine it, you’re at Uhuru Peak , you made it, you’re at the highest point in Africa. Now it’s time to have the meeting.

Like any Toastmasters meeting there will like be some last minute changes – every year approximately 15,000 people attempt to climb the mountain but only 40% reach the summit so it is unlikely that your whole team will be there, you may have to reassign roles, the TME might not be there, you might have no speakers and only evaluators, it’s the type of challenge that every toastmaster relishes!

Imagine it, you’re at Uhuru Peak, you’ve had 2 or 3 hours sleep in the last 24 hours, you’re frozen, it’s hard to breathe, you feel nauseous and dizzy,  it’s difficult to concentrate, it’s time to have the meeting and you’re a speaker, you have to remember and deliver your speech effectively with vocal variety and body language, or worse, you’re an evaluator, you have to listen to someone else’s speech and then deliver coherent, helpful feedback…

It doesn’t sound like so much fun now, does it?

And yet, there’s a part of me that thinks it would be great to be part of or even to observe as a social experiment, can Toastmasters training and positive attitude overcome low oxygen and altitude sickness?

We’ll just have to wait and see…..

Esta es la leyenda

Esto, claro, es un post típico de “mi primer post”. Y ahora un poco de morralla.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla lacinia dapibus pharetra. Curabitur dui lorem, elementum sit amet lacinia sit amet, mattis ut risus. Aliquam velit ligula, scelerisque sed consequat sit amet, pharetra eu justo. Vivamus ligula diam, suscipit sit amet sagittis non, vulputate id tellus. Aliquam erat volutpat. Fusce porttitor posuere elementum. Nam luctus dignissim dui, vitae sollicitudin elit placerat eget. Mauris tortor sapien, dapibus ac condimentum in, auctor sit amet massa. Nam ut ipsum turpis. Mauris vulputate libero nisi, vitae tincidunt purus. Maecenas dapibus egestas adipiscing. Mauris venenatis, diam et vestibulum egestas, ipsum mi cursus arcu, non ultrices velit turpis sit amet leo. Praesent at sem mi, et accumsan massa. Vestibulum tempor orci lacinia quam volutpat quis sodales nibh pulvinar. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Cras in est libero. Sed ut quam et tellus dapibus mollis. Nam vel lorem ac libero sodales posuere.

Praesent commodo, risus eget facilisis congue, tellus dolor pharetra lacus, nec eleifend est ante sit amet magna. Proin vitae tellus sed diam mattis fermentum. Praesent consectetur facilisis aliquet. Etiam et sem ligula. Vestibulum volutpat nunc eget elit dictum accumsan. Sed lobortis lacus in purus dignissim id lobortis dui lobortis. Mauris laoreet lorem sit amet massa vestibulum tincidunt. Sed laoreet eros vulputate dui pellentesque volutpat. Nunc auctor leo nisi, non venenatis mauris. Nunc sit amet lorem enim. Pellentesque convallis blandit sodales. Maecenas vulputate adipiscing nisl, at aliquet eros accumsan nec. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec nec rhoncus ipsum. Nullam in libero sapien. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nullam laoreet, mauris sed tincidunt vehicula, elit erat blandit dolor, quis posuere magna metus ut lectus. Fusce dapibus mauris in odio vestibulum a aliquet enim semper.

Fusce et nulla quam, sit amet pellentesque dui. Nam odio sem, posuere id auctor et, posuere eget arcu. Morbi nulla diam, euismod mollis vulputate non, rhoncus nec sem. Fusce odio leo, lacinia quis laoreet at, congue eget tellus. Nam varius elit vel ipsum viverra ut varius velit volutpat. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Integer eu mauris mauris. Sed ut augue egestas leo mattis lacinia. Suspendisse sapien magna, consectetur rutrum mattis ac, venenatis non dolor. Praesent condimentum vulputate quam vel placerat.

Schimbările drastice prin care trece planeta din cauza încălzirii globale încep să-şi pună amprenta şi asupra unora dintre cele mai frumoase locuri de pe mapamond. Sub această ameninţare se află şi câteva dintre minunile lumii, fie ele naturale sau realizate de mâna omului. Site-ul www. descopera.ro prezintă o listă cu şapte dintre acestea, printre care zăpezile de pe Kilimanjaro, mormintele faraonilor, din Luxor, Egipt, insulele Maldive sau canalele Veneţiei, care sunt pe cale de dispariţie.
Oraşul Luxor de pe malul apusean al Nilului, cu 70.000 de locuitori, datează aproximativ din veacul al XIV-lea î.Hr. Lângă localitate se află Valea Regilor, Valea Reginelor, precum şi peste 40 de temple şi monumente funerare ale faraonilor. Existenţa acestora e ameninţată atât de lăcomia prădătorilor de vestigii arheologice, cât şi de însuşi fluviul sacru. Infiltraţiile de apă ale Nilului şi inundaţiile afectează an de an mormintele faraonilor.
Complexul de 1.200 de insule din Maldive este sortit pieirii, din cauza altitudinii joase la care se află şi a creşterii continue a nivelului oceanului, o consecinţă a încălzirii globale. Astfel, 80% din aceste insule sunt cu doar un metru peste nivelul mării, iar în curând apele care le scaldă ţărmul le-ar putea inunda, ştergându-le de pe harta lumii.
Veneţia este considerat unul dintre cele mai romantice oraşe de pe mapamond, fiind asaltat anual de milioane de turişti, datorită spectaculoaselor canale care îl străbat. Însă acest loc unic în lume riscă să piară. Şi asta pentru că, potrivit unui studiu, Oraşul Dogilor se scufundă cu aproximativ 1,5 cm pe secol, în ciuda eforturilor susţinute de pompare a apei din structurile sale subterane.
Machu Pichu sau “oraşul pierdut” e situat la peste 2.400 m altitudine şi e cel mai cunoscut simbol al Imperiului Incaş. Însă această cetate e în pericol din cauza numărului mare de vizitatori, circa un milion anual, care provoacă destabilizarea şi chiar prăbuşirea unora dintre construcţiile de piatră.
Triunghiul de corali din Indonezia adăposteşte mai bine de 3.000 de specii de peşti şi circa 600 de tipuri de corali. Acest paradis marin e ameninţat de inconştienţa oamenilor, care pescuiesc excesiv, folosind pentru uciderea peştilor explozibili sau otrăvuri. Consecinţele acestor acţiuni criminale sunt dispariţia vietăţilor acvatice şi distrugerea habitatului lor.
Marele Zid Chinezesc este considerat una dintre cele şapte minuni ale lumii şi cea mai lungă construcţie realizată vreodată de om. Din păcate, astăzi, pe aproape două treimi din cei 6.352 de kilometri, care reprezintă distanţa de la graniţa cu Coreea şi până în deşertul Gobi, zidul a fost distrus de eroziune şi de dezvoltarea necontrolată a aşezărilor umane din preajmă.
Considerat cel mai înalt munte din Africa (6.021 m), Kilimanjaro are un vârf (cel vestic) căruia localnicii îi spun Sălaşul lui Dumnezeu (Masai Ngaje Ngai). Indiferent de anotimp, piscul este îmbrăcat cu un strat de zăpadă. Însă în ultimii ani, “veşmântul” imaculat s-a micşorat treptat, din cauza topirii gheţii, tot un efect al schimbării climatice. Specialiştii spun că gheţarii care păreau eterni vor deveni, în doar cincisprezece ani, istorie.

Sursa: Libertatea

Segons un estudi de la comunitat científica de l’Universitat d’Ohio, la neu que cobreix el Kilimanjaro (la muntanya més alta d’Àfrica, ubicada al nord de Tanzània) podria desaparèixer completament en un termini d’entre 13 i 24 anys.

Degut al canvi climàtic, la quantitat de gel present al volcà ha anat minvant gradualment des de 1912, fins a arrivar al 85% menys l’any 2000. Des del canvi de mil·leni fins el 2006, es va reduir un 26% més. “Hi ha una forta possibilitat de que els camps de gel desapareguin en una dècada o dues si les condicions actuals es mantenen“, es comenta a l’estudi publicat recentment per la revista Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Amb 5.896 metres d’altura, el Kilimanjaro és una de les majors atraccions turístiques del país, que ofereix als visitants una barreja d’ambient tropical i glacial en només cinc dies d’escalada; s’estima que Tanzània recauda uns cinquanta milions de dòlars anualment gràcies al Kilimanjaro.