I Am Alive

It has been a long time since I have posted anything. Sorry to all for being a bit lazy. While in Africa I didn't have much internet access and defaulted to keeping a written journal. At some point, probably when I return I'll transfer it to the blog, but until then a quick recap...

The safari was incredible. I met up with the Safari group at the Airport in Nairobi and first went to Lake Naivasha and saw enough Giraffes and Hippos to satisfy the biggest fans of them. Next was Lake Nakuru. If you have seen a picture of a landscape with endless flamingos that is the place. For me, the highlight was seeing three black rhinos. After that we stopped at Lake Vitoria for a night of camping on the lake shore. It is sad you can't go in the water because of the parasites, but still amazing. Then, was the Serengeti. It is everything you see on Discovery Channel and see in National Geographic. I finally saw a Leopard, but also with its kill in a tree. The Lions were plentiful. Personally, it put Kruger National Park in South Africa to shame. After seeing animal after animal we headed to Ngorongoro Crater. If anything can top the Serengeti this is it. We witnessed a lion attempt to chase down a wart hog, imapala and a heard of zebras, but with no success. On the way to Kilimanjaro we stopped at a camp site near a Masai village. We spent an afternoon understanding their way of life, and dancing with the tribal warriors (very fun). We arrived in Marangu to set up camp the same day. The next day most of the group hiked up to the first camping spot on Kilimanjaro. This would provoke me to eventually climb the mountain. A long long drive brought us to the shores of the Indian Ocean at Dar-es-Salaam. After a night of being attacked by mosquitoes like never before, we set off for the island of Tanzania via ferry. For all you Queen fans this is where Freddie Mercury was born. The first two nights were spent in the village of Nungwi which I fell in love with and would eventually return. The final two nights were in the the city of Stone Town where you can get lost in the winding streets and eat tasty street food every night. The group and the tour guides were wonderful and I would highly recommend the company Exodus to anybody thinking of doing a Safari. If I ever have another chance I would go through them again.

While we were in Marangu at the base of Kilimanjaro I decided to sign up for the next available climb through the Marangu Hotel. The next open spot for a climb would not be for a couple of weeks, so I had the opportunity to spend some additional time on Zanzibar. After the Safari group departed I headed back to Nungwi for the next week. While I was there I got to know a bunch of locals and got PADI certified. I wish I would have done it years ago. Diving opens up all sorts of options while you are traveling. After four days I was certified for open water up to 18 meters. The final dive was the reef off Mnemba. It is the premier diving site off the island and a spectacular site.

With my tan in full gear and some great nights out at Cholo's, the best bar in town, I departed to climb Kilimanjaro. I will say that getting off the island was no easy task, but that will have to wait for the detailed update.

I arrived in Moshi and spent the night. The next morning I took a dalla dalla to Marangu to stay one night at the hotel that organizes the climb. I met the other climbers. An Italian, two Norigens and an Australian.

A quick review of the climb
Overview - I chose the five day climb, mainly because it cost less. This climb requires you to stay in pre-built huts and has been nick-named the Coca Cola route because you can purchase Coca Cola at each stop. Well, except the summit, but I would not have been surprised to see it for sale at the top.

Day one (Monday) - Hike to Mandara camp. The second time was as easy as the first. Most of the scenery is rain forest.

Day two (Tuesday) - Hike to Horombo camp. A bit of rain forest, but it quickly turns to high mountain a more high altitude forest with smaller and thinner trees. Not anymore difficult to hike than the first day's hike. If you were to do the six day climb you would spend an extra night here to become more acclimated to the altitude.

Day Three (Wednesday) - Hike to Kibo camp. The high forest turns to semi-desert landscape, and is where the altitude starts to set in. I started to get an earache while everybody else started getting headaches. The peak is almost always visible. We get to the camp around 3:00 have a bit of dinner at 5:00 and try to get some sleep before the final climb. We are woken up at 11:00 pm. We get dressed have our tea and a few biscuits before starting at midnight. The climb to Gilman's point takes a little less than five hours. Four of us make it while the Italian gets there 90 minutes later. After a short rest and a cup of tea we start out for the highest point - Uhru Peak. Another 90 minutes later we are there just before sunrise. The earache is bit more intense, but tolerable. We all take pictures and quickly head back down.

Day four (Thursday) - Hike back to Horombo to camp.
After getting back to Kibo camp we all sleep for about an hour and have some lunch before setting out to go back to Horombo. I now have a very bad headache, but by the time we get halfway to Horombo it has pretty much gone. Being very exhausted we eat a quick dinner an sleep very soundly.

Day five (Friday) - Hike back to the base. The final trek down is pretty quick, and a hot shower is on everyone's mind. We get to the bottom around 3:00 and get our certificates for accomplishing the climb. A hot shower and a rest was well deserved. We said thank you to the guides, chef and porters through tips and beer. They all sang the Kilimanjaro song before going back to their families.

All in all the climb is not very difficult. There is no technical climbing and not much preparation is required. If you are in decent shape and don't get altitude sickness there is no reason you can't do it.

After the climb I set back for Dar-es-Salaam via a flight from Kilimanjaro airport. I went to confirm my flight, but learned I was canceled off it. After an hour of negotiating and calling United back home I was put on a flight for Zürich. I ended up spending three days in Zürich before I got to Portugal.

I got into Portugal on August 1st, and spent the night in Lisbon. The next day I took a three hour bus to Lagos. My birthday was spend in a couple of bars doing what seemed endless shots. I realized that Lagos was going to eat me alive if I stayed much longer. While wandering the streets I found out about a surf camp in Sagres. Two days later I was being picked up and for the next week I finally learned how to surf. The time was great. I stayed in a house with other surfers and spent everyday in the ocean.

Back to Lagos for a few days after surf camp. I saw the major sites and took a day trip out to Sintra. There is plenty to see and the streets are easy to get lost in.

Onto London. The next week I spent in London with a buddy who is there on a project for the next year. Even with a place to stay I saw the bank account getting hit pretty hard. I had been to London a number of other times, and have seen most sites. I pretty much relaxed and took in a few sites, and finally made it out to Windsor Castle.

After London I was off to Croatia with my buddy from London. We flew into Zagreb, spending one night. Then, we took a 3 1/2 bus to Pula. A nice coastal city with an amazing Roman Colusium. However, it was mostly a family destination. I head down to the island of Hvar while my buddy went back to work. Before getting into Hvar I stopped in Split for the morning. Hvar was more lively than Pula, but did not have the ruins that Pula and Split have. After Hvar I spent one night in Dubrovnik at the tip of Croatia. The walled city is something to see, but two days is enough to take it all in.

I set out yesterday morning for Sarajevo where I am now. I will spend one more night here before going onto Belgrade for two nights. My trip is winding down with two nights in Belgrade. Then to Italy until the 18th, back to London on the 19th, and the 20th back to the states. I have a night stop in Las Vegas and then a few nights in Arizona before finally getting back home to San Francisco. At this point I am looking forward to home....

I have a number of pictures on the web. If you want to take a look check out - http://www.flickr.com/photos/brosto

Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro...

Wow! It has been an incredible time so far in Tanzania. The overland Safari was wonderful. I ended up in Nungwi Tanzania for another ten days after the safari ended. I took the time to get diving certified and hung out on the beach for the rest of the time.

The biggest news is that I've decided to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I start the climb tomorrow, July 23rd. I'm doing the most popular route and it will take five days to get up to the summit and back down. I figured my legs have not had enough punishment on the trip so I signed up to join a group of 10 climbers.

I still have not been able to upload the details of the safari, but expect them sometime after the climb along with the climb details.

Onward and upward I go....

Quick Update

So much to update, but so little Internet time...

My last day in Coffee Bay was relaxing on the beach. After a nice time in Coffee Bay I spent the next two days traveling down to Cape Town. The ride from Coffee Bay to Port Elizabeth took most of the day. Then, from PE to Cape Town took about 14 hours.

The five nights in Cape Town were great. A quick overview:
Kirstenbosch Gardens in the rain - even with a heavy downpour it is still worth it
Wine tasting in Stellenbosch - A bit difficult to do with a hangover, but the final winery with cheese tasting was awesome.
Cape Peninsula Tour - Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, a bike ride, Jackass Penguins, and spectacular views made for a great day.
Table Mountain - What a view!

I just arrived in Kenya and I head out on a 2 1/2 week safari from Nairobi to Zanzibar. I hope to post more details when I arrive in Zanzibar.

Race Update - The legs are about 90% recovered. The climb up Table Mountain was a good test for them, and I think I could start training for my next race if I wanted - but that will have to wait until I get back home...

Alive and kickn'

Hey all,
I’m still alive and walking. I managed to finish the race with a time of 11 hours and 55 minutes. The race has a cutoff of 12 hours so I just barely managed to make it. Regardless, of the time I still can’t believe I finished. Around 15k my right leg started to get a cramp and it lingered the majority of the race. Luckily, they had volunteers that would rub down your legs with ice and oil to help work out cramps. I don’t think I could have finished without them. The race is like nothing I have every conquered before. It was physically and mentally one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, but I’ve already told myself that I will be back next year for the up run.The rest of my trip is going great. I’ve landed in a small town called Coffee Bay, and I’m enjoying a bit of rest. I’ll be in South Africa for the rest of the month then I’m off to Kenya and Tanzania.

Hole In The Wall

21-June “Hole In The Wall”
I get up feeling much better, and make myself some breakfast. Also, I’ve decided that I’m going to go do the Hole in the Wall hike. I debated the night before and the morning if my legs are up fort it and decided I should be able to do it.

Three of us plus a walking guide take a van out to the main site. Then, we will walk about 10k along the coast back to the hostel. The Hole in the Wall is a large rock in the ocean what has had a hole cut out from the crashing waves. I was a great site.

The walk along the coast was nice, but a little hilly. My legs were defiantly feeling tender by the end.

I’m glad that I stopped here in Coffee Bay.

Bad Baz Bus, Bad

20-June “Bad Baz Bus, Bad”My alarm goes off at 6:00. I throw everything into my bag and go downstairs to pay my bill. The girl at the desk tells me that I have about 30 minutes until the time they usually show up. I walk over to the ever popular kwiki mart to get breakfast. Ten minutes after getting back the bus is ready to go.
I’m the first pickup. I ask the driver how many there will be and he says about seven. I stake out the front row and lay down. We pick up a few others in Durban and go down the coast. I try to sleep as much as I can on the way.

The day before I had changed my mind on where I’m going. I was going to go straight to Port Elizabeth, but I heard so many good things about a place called Coffee Bay I decided to alter my plans.

We get to the closest city after an eight hour drive. My back hurts from the uncomfortable seats and I am still groggy from the night before. We get picked up by one of the hostels from Coffee Bay at a gas station. The next part of the drive is about 100k or 90 minutes.

The place is very cool, and I’m already glad that I changed my plans. When we arrive I go to my Hostel called Bomvu (meaning is red in the local language) while the rest of the van goes to the other hostel called Coffee Shack. Bomvu is defiantly the cooler looking place, but Coffee Shack is the livelier place. All the backpackers end up going over to Coffee Shack anyway after hours to drink so it doesn’t really matter where you stay.
I’m still beat from the night before and manage to only make it out until 10:00.

Recovery Continues

19-June “Recovery Continues”Today my goal is to go for a walk and get some of the toxins in my legs out. A couple of us walk down to the beach. One of the girls has to catch a flight at the airport. I mention I’m going to walk down to the casino (about 3k down the beach). The other girl decides to join me.

The walk is tough but feels good. We have to stop and rest a few times, but the majority of the way my legs feel pretty good. At the casino we stop inside to look around. I’m disappointed. It has a Miami theme and looks like a typical Las Vegas casino, but there is hardly anybody there.

On the walk back we stop for a beer. Then, we continue back to the hostel. On the way back she talks to one of the guys she went surfing with earlier in the week and asks where to go out in Durban. He tells us to get a group together and he’ll take us out.

After relaxing in the hostel three of us decide to go out on the town in Durban. This will be my first night out in South Africa, so I’m very curious what it is like. We meet the other guys at a bar in uShaka. Then, walk to their apartment to get their car. You don’t want to walk at night. It is a Tuesday and the off season, so they are struggling on where to go. The first bar we go to is not open, so we go to the casino bar until something better comes to mind. Unfortunately, it wasn’t busy and the music was crap.

After a couple of hours we leave for Florida Street. I had heard this is the area to go a couple of nights ago, so I’m pretty excited. We all pile into the car and end up at a bar called Casablanca. This is much much better. The crowd was younger and the music was at least current, not necessarily good. We end up staying until 4:00. I mention that I have a bus to catch at 6:30 and we need to get back to the hostel.

I get to bed as quickly as I can.