tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73935460980139781272024-02-19T04:26:01.084+02:00Sunrise On Africa's PeaksThis is the personal account of Karen Hauptfleisch's dream of creating environmental awareness throughout Africa by endeavours such as visiting the highest peak in each African Country.Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-43335417335552252162019-10-15T14:19:00.001+02:002019-10-15T14:19:23.290+02:00Madagascar - July 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Johannesburg
- Besagnatry</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Day
1 & 2: A 40-minute speedboat ride from Nosy Be to Ambanja was
followed by a 7-hour 4X4 trip where we shared the very bad road with
pedestrians, cyclists, tuk tuks, cows, motorbikes and tractors. In
Mevadoany we met our 6 porters, guide and cook as well as Hennie and Penny (the
chickens that were going to summit with us~!). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS9TYSRTAvDW-j6VNPhdF-UvgDaAwltJcg12NXCDPErrKXiezmrLrK9m4piY21CMB1C0tPrUC8zR4rDl5sSx3F9HO2aoG6VRFYn_ElhX_kHfFHyD_NUl2qNH4HZvzwC7_byszKQkjuFox/s1600/20190808_113453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1551" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS9TYSRTAvDW-j6VNPhdF-UvgDaAwltJcg12NXCDPErrKXiezmrLrK9m4piY21CMB1C0tPrUC8zR4rDl5sSx3F9HO2aoG6VRFYn_ElhX_kHfFHyD_NUl2qNH4HZvzwC7_byszKQkjuFox/s320/20190808_113453.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hennie, our chicken that hiked with us</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Our
official 179 km hike to the highest peak in Madagascar started with a
river-crossing. Not long afterward, Hennie and Penny came flying past on
the back of a motorbike. Ten minutes later Brina - one of our porters
followed suit. He reeked of alcohol and obviously thought he had a faster
way of getting to the first village, since he was already in the party
mood. We came across several snakes, birds and chameleons on our way and
it was pure magic hiking through the forest. We spend our first night sharing a
room with a local family in Besagnatry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Besagnatry
- Maroamalona</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day
3 & 4: Cecile woke up shouting after she dreamt that I had poked her
with my hiking sticks, so it took a while for the camp to settle down. At
6:30 we started our 4-hour (quite hectic!) hike, followed by lunch that lasted
3 hours. Afterward we hiked for another hour. I was covered with
insect bites and I dreadfully discovered that my insect repellent has expired
16 years ago! <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32e1YaLdZVW_HASq1HQeyssevJkBGz4tXfrAMQa7Tjxg6Eu_CnWH9YbJ8n1LGMOMP7VgP71AoRSLM7m-sGnrLi0oe4pqAA1ODwdZJO75BNQJiFbHDhxFN5Z_4PrRxP82FR10pXb9RFhmS/s1600/20190731_093514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32e1YaLdZVW_HASq1HQeyssevJkBGz4tXfrAMQa7Tjxg6Eu_CnWH9YbJ8n1LGMOMP7VgP71AoRSLM7m-sGnrLi0oe4pqAA1ODwdZJO75BNQJiFbHDhxFN5Z_4PrRxP82FR10pXb9RFhmS/s320/20190731_093514.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bundu bashing</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So there we were at 18:00... in the dark... in
a forest next to a river with the insects, birds and bats making magical
sounds. Things could not get better in Africa!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Maroamalona
- Ampanihy</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day
5: Cecile unveiled her hiking sticks and except for poking Jock (our very
introverted local guide) on the butt several times she managed fine. Jock
did not speak a word of English and whenever we did something that could
endanger ourselves, he would grunt. Once he was rambling away in Malagasia
unaware that Cecile was behind him. When she started speaking Afrikaans to him,
he turned around with a huge grin on his face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Once
in Ampanihy, the village we were going to spend the evening, we raced down to
the river for a quick wash before the village children could follow. I
forgot to grab my soap so had to use the cold water Omo I had with me. On
our return we were met by at least 15 kids and some grown-ups - all staring at
us. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOA4Z6bzRwe_Da-hwFqyBg68wbfTm8hQOwQG1bGAd2YlTac27sbbmDMfbPTPNqkfgXUdGSyy07HbB04FjynUY5pCkKKCGr1dDyejBzv-1TVgB9r-lLOfwKQrUXPtcEbcj9-NACWjGm3zxd/s1600/20190730_144012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOA4Z6bzRwe_Da-hwFqyBg68wbfTm8hQOwQG1bGAd2YlTac27sbbmDMfbPTPNqkfgXUdGSyy07HbB04FjynUY5pCkKKCGr1dDyejBzv-1TVgB9r-lLOfwKQrUXPtcEbcj9-NACWjGm3zxd/s320/20190730_144012.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A little girl in Ampanihy</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Cecile performed a cross between a Zulu dance and ballet and they cracked
themselves up. For the next two hours we were followed everywhere.
By 16:30 I crawled into my tent to escape the staring eyes of the villagers and
dogs. When the food arrived I grabbed my plate underneath the tent flap. Cecile
was a lot braver - she kept on reading and just gave a grin every now and then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">When
we discussed possible ablutions facilities the cow camp was mentioned.
Cecile choked on her rice and I had to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre - and
almost dislocated her shoulder in the process...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Ampanihy
– Ampitsojovana</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day
6 & 7: It was a pretty steep hike through the forest/bushes where Jock had
to chop open a path for us. The porters were in an exceptional mood calling out
'haka!'. Someone would then reply with a loud 'yaya!. We joined in
- much to their amusement. They did get a bit boisterous but Cecile moved
them to the front to help open the path and they were quieter - but only for a
while... Once at the camping spot they performed the
"Zulu-cross-ballet" dance for us. The wind started to howl and we all
got into bed early - freezing!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXeSnlFGdheQGgSuSlm3c5YycokwMvyb_oGjRnDeuuwFOgfQa-3kB3qu8zdo_AV-lowctkInrNwPfYoQXD7h20ZGP5pXlxtZezgoAUB6eL8DMq3tvZ__MCewGHlFaHuuBTj5x1XZAhnQI/s1600/20190730_141644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1600" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXeSnlFGdheQGgSuSlm3c5YycokwMvyb_oGjRnDeuuwFOgfQa-3kB3qu8zdo_AV-lowctkInrNwPfYoQXD7h20ZGP5pXlxtZezgoAUB6eL8DMq3tvZ__MCewGHlFaHuuBTj5x1XZAhnQI/s400/20190730_141644.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Spectacular!</b></span></td></tr>
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<i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Summit
day</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day
8: It was absolutely freezing but our hike started at 7:30 - with a steep
uphill. For the next 3 hours I was huffing and puffing. Once on top
the porters took Hennie and Penny and whilst they were performing their ritual,
Cecile and myself enjoyed the spectacular view. Then we were called and much to
our relief, Hennie and Penny looked a bit dazed, but was very much alive! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGpqYN6OdQNIdHBVeMQJuCChEKPcRJkzUpbXVj43TdL2DZ3q00pPTEBf6s3P12zNOXhNwZUgjj_SoJrmhvswpwYN8hkaN6pRdq1T9-m4lrF5KlyvoFN8ACqCCI0SJccpsG6atryaH0TP0/s1600/20190802_110949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGpqYN6OdQNIdHBVeMQJuCChEKPcRJkzUpbXVj43TdL2DZ3q00pPTEBf6s3P12zNOXhNwZUgjj_SoJrmhvswpwYN8hkaN6pRdq1T9-m4lrF5KlyvoFN8ACqCCI0SJccpsG6atryaH0TP0/s320/20190802_110949.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>On top of Madagascar's highest peak!</b></td></tr>
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">After taking some pictures of the team at the, more pictures and more laughter,
we tackled the extremely steep slopes. 7 Hours and 20 km later, I could
wash off the sweet. I managed to wash my clothes in our lunch box. It was
another day for me where I was not just surviving... I was living!</span></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ampitsojovana
- Ampanihy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day
9: The amazing stars made up for the freezing cold after we summited
Maramokotra. Then, too soon, it was time to head back. Some serious
steep, slippery and at some stages exposed downhills followed. Luckily there
were no serious falls and no one lost any teeth. After 6 hours of mainly bundu
bashing I should have felt grateful for being exfoliated by the bushes but
instead I felt vulnerable and bruised. My nose was blocked due to a cold
so I was huffing and puffing more than usual! Whilst going up another
steep mountain I was attacked by a vicious swarm of midgets. They were
relentless and I was forced to put my buffy over my face after I've swallowed
the 4th one. Needless to say I was sweating profusely trying to breathe.
In Ampaniya we were welcomed like family and could escape into our tents for a
quick cup wash before entertaining the children.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBKgJYxuKaaM8wnfxQRrLqRdfLYeWtdwLp4_exfnVNPjdLCw8UZkzGLdEXD2Pt7cltVmWBePIcOBN6VsaeWkcUW3tV1HeZpaKJkdHPl1MDemhOYHIIoQG9-6P-vvywODO9x1GuKflHLWK/s1600/20190804_074540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBKgJYxuKaaM8wnfxQRrLqRdfLYeWtdwLp4_exfnVNPjdLCw8UZkzGLdEXD2Pt7cltVmWBePIcOBN6VsaeWkcUW3tV1HeZpaKJkdHPl1MDemhOYHIIoQG9-6P-vvywODO9x1GuKflHLWK/s320/20190804_074540.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cats, dogs, chickens, children ... all at peace</b></td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Ampaniha
– Ambatobe<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day
10: A hectic 7-hour hike over hills and valleys followed, but I
considered myself lucky since I only swallowed one insect!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN9advdoMDsk2AqqRyfZuSX77YtFVrehW4MbSiVT2N1UNk4-n2HGekOJ6D89jcJ_NxtGkqisrff2TztSKklvofw6WWwLsRaX-Gzp-0fvFr_lIP1Zgamco9qS1BIyvJrh2JFeuyKe_1syh/s1600/20190726_064749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN9advdoMDsk2AqqRyfZuSX77YtFVrehW4MbSiVT2N1UNk4-n2HGekOJ6D89jcJ_NxtGkqisrff2TztSKklvofw6WWwLsRaX-Gzp-0fvFr_lIP1Zgamco9qS1BIyvJrh2JFeuyKe_1syh/s320/20190726_064749.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>One of several chameleons we saw in Madagascar</b></td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ambatobe
– Besagnatry Hely<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day
11: Our tents were still wet with dew when we started our 3-hour hike at
8:00. Lunch lasted for about 3 hours, which gave me enough time to wash
my dirty smelly clothes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>Besagnatry
Hely - Mevadoany</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day
12: It was quite a long days' hike and all the worrying about no ablution
bushes close to the village turned out to be unnecessary. I have limited
my water intake which left me seriously dehydrated. Once back in
Mevadoany I had a warm bath in a cup of water before entertaining the
children. The porters joined in the fun and by 20:00 we were all ready to
crawl into our tents sharing the space with a family. We did not get a lot of
sleep though. The neighbours (a mere 1m away) played loud music, a puppy howled
for hours, one of two chickens fell from the roof, the granny was
snoring, the baby was crying... and it was extremely stuffy in the room!
But all was well in Africa!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><i>Mevadoany
- Antsirasira</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day
13: Everyone (except for me) was on a mission to get back to
‘civilization”. Trying to take a break longer than 10 minutes was out of
the question. We had a nice surprise when Nanciane (our touring company agent)
welcomed us with an omelette before we crossed the last river. A bumpy
and dusty stretch followed. When we arrived in Antisarira we were pleased
that we stayed in a very cosy place.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmqi6kbHh2T78W813nQoWAJZxwxJy2awzfR1e0BCSmMT3t611N0yaC_zXrbkRnq-MLwPZtC4aFX8P7uFstEc_7RVrFYCJvsyXezncWK_71FU05wq9rF1XcFt-7nz3R2xQOgU1WbAmi2cQ/s1600/20190806_154827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmqi6kbHh2T78W813nQoWAJZxwxJy2awzfR1e0BCSmMT3t611N0yaC_zXrbkRnq-MLwPZtC4aFX8P7uFstEc_7RVrFYCJvsyXezncWK_71FU05wq9rF1XcFt-7nz3R2xQOgU1WbAmi2cQ/s400/20190806_154827.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Hugging one of the beautiful trees in the forest</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Nosy
Be</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day
14 - 16: The following three days were spent walking on the beach,
accompanied by packs of friendly dogs and swimming with tortoises! </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-ur8Wn1wr6SzHtL5zsvBwqldHDLwJYHCtOIJLdv_uKDmaYWPGnV23xKj_mLc2-oAfYtie3yg6KlyUSqIqvqlGWRJBVumcoxWGEMyXFp9YVnU9aYxSbeRTQcz3I5eGnyx2CWmR8839uUh/s1600/20190809_182323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-ur8Wn1wr6SzHtL5zsvBwqldHDLwJYHCtOIJLdv_uKDmaYWPGnV23xKj_mLc2-oAfYtie3yg6KlyUSqIqvqlGWRJBVumcoxWGEMyXFp9YVnU9aYxSbeRTQcz3I5eGnyx2CWmR8839uUh/s400/20190809_182323.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Swimming with giant tortoises </b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Madagascar is the 50th African
country that I have visited, and upon returning to sunny South Africa, I can
confirm that Madagascar definitely ranks in the the top 5!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8yh_JTKLacFLikCS-ERZNargMXZaf8u9Ba53SGY8hggNGxH6mKN-lEAYAMHbKeJTMZo8MtDWy1hq8FltzDPcHL2WaN-v254J6UWJGUZl8SG0hoOCnk5TtKaB3fc-1yE-90DQEn21vNfn/s1600/20190809_112433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8yh_JTKLacFLikCS-ERZNargMXZaf8u9Ba53SGY8hggNGxH6mKN-lEAYAMHbKeJTMZo8MtDWy1hq8FltzDPcHL2WaN-v254J6UWJGUZl8SG0hoOCnk5TtKaB3fc-1yE-90DQEn21vNfn/s400/20190809_112433.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Life is tough in Africa<br /><br /><br /></b></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0E3ZF9eX-rONWMvcbBi1ORaY_9J4jJUzgSG5327VgzXLHe6neN8kKiz3TvkmdDbOZ1lEge1XkeAaoKvdPKZo1iGI9B-KzoWOlGbbCcrW_tslICqu1Xvivn9Gb7kPKhNRRyZ8UGIXQbJl/s1600/20190809_063616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0E3ZF9eX-rONWMvcbBi1ORaY_9J4jJUzgSG5327VgzXLHe6neN8kKiz3TvkmdDbOZ1lEge1XkeAaoKvdPKZo1iGI9B-KzoWOlGbbCcrW_tslICqu1Xvivn9Gb7kPKhNRRyZ8UGIXQbJl/s400/20190809_063616.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>The end of a perfect trip</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-43567411029829774862019-06-30T07:53:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:45.857+02:00Somalia - June 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">As soon as the plane landed in Addis, I had to rush to the boarding gate to catch the connecting flight to Somalia. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Fortunately I am extremely good at multitasking! </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Tekkies</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">, wa</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">tch, money-belt, jacket and backpack off.... </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">tekkies</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">, watch, jacket and backpack on again... running to the furthest boarding gate. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Trying to catch my breath, I came to the horrible realisation that I never put my money-belt back on! "Don't leave without me!" I shouted to the lady behind the check-out counter. I sprinted back, cursing myself for being so unfit. Someone shouted "Is this yours?". Very thankful and relieved I took the belt from my lifesaver. Thank God! The security guy wanted to know what the content of</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> the moneybag was, but I was still too shocked to even reply! Now I had to run back again, praying that they waited... The rest of the group was waiting in the bus and cheering me on! It may be that I am getting too old for this now, and my guardian angels probably need a break too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Day 1: I won't call the Somali's overly patient, There was a lot of hooting going on in traffic but maybe "Ramadan" should be blamed? The dogs and cats were fat and looked very happy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">After a restless night, we visited the live-stock market where I had the opportunity to take one photograph of a lady.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-j2qWup2QjvcOZj7bZPQe1p8DqijRN8OStCpd9xiFDfyFWP1RqJiQPmL_ee7uVttFh-sfQ1EtVoXNTBghSWVrb-hYW81JTPV5biS5qLpt3ecav0ZlPG0hM5kDRATRzxSHcFIu9p_xSHD/s1600/The+Camel+Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1551" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-j2qWup2QjvcOZj7bZPQe1p8DqijRN8OStCpd9xiFDfyFWP1RqJiQPmL_ee7uVttFh-sfQ1EtVoXNTBghSWVrb-hYW81JTPV5biS5qLpt3ecav0ZlPG0hM5kDRATRzxSHcFIu9p_xSHD/s200/The+Camel+Market.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The camel market </b></span></td></tr>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fasaal (my ONE and only military escort), Jamaal (my friendly and loyal guide) and myself fastened our seat belts, and we started our trip to Berbere. As usual, I had no clue as to how long it would take, but when I looked at all the 'mosquito'-proof tents along the way I was grateful for the insect repellent that I remembered to pack. When Jamaal stopped to put new wiper blades on the vehicle, I realised that I actually remembered my rain jacket, and I was overjoyed! I got the feeling that this trip was going to get very interesting.... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After
our visit to the rock painting in Las Geel where a nice shower surprised us, we
got to the first bridge just to discover that the 'shower' was extensive and
the first bridge was flooded. After two hours the first 4X4 crossed the river.
The 400 drivers and passengers next to the river all cheered and the vehicles
honked. And then chaos reigned when 50 buses, 4X4's and trucks fought to cross
the river from both sides. Phew! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRG07-DLoiHfWFGfosx_0JzW4lRhIKvso9FdnUJWrWaCFcIsGQamIfXJIf6GMLxOUMv9NJ7NTkWE46xNpO1gbRjS7U0iSDEraaJENlAp3SlEUbkh5OPqnB-npYkROqDwcYjIT2-0E0sSh/s1600/We+had+to+wait+2+hours+before+we+could+cross+the+river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRG07-DLoiHfWFGfosx_0JzW4lRhIKvso9FdnUJWrWaCFcIsGQamIfXJIf6GMLxOUMv9NJ7NTkWE46xNpO1gbRjS7U0iSDEraaJENlAp3SlEUbkh5OPqnB-npYkROqDwcYjIT2-0E0sSh/s320/We+had+to+wait+2+hours+before+we+could+cross+the+river.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>We had to wait two hours before we could cross the river</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">I
was just getting comfortable when we arrived at the next bridge - same story!
My soldier told me ' relax - we will be able to cross in an hour!'
Unfortunately it was impossible to relax. My bladder was full, there were no
bushes in site, I was surrounded by at least 200 people and because they were
all fasting I think I was the only one with a problem. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4WNmsy5os45RuqwWy2R2yK-U5I0qlUmto6ECp9aan3wHDj6GcJPVn-S7yCcI5JZ4K0_AUL5-MS3WXZJuBpS9TD8QdnegKwpjgeRalefTJXfYGUMlAWV2_bDJZLcOodLO2jIzY1Ea-98b/s1600/The+houses+are+very+cure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: #cfe2f3; clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4WNmsy5os45RuqwWy2R2yK-U5I0qlUmto6ECp9aan3wHDj6GcJPVn-S7yCcI5JZ4K0_AUL5-MS3WXZJuBpS9TD8QdnegKwpjgeRalefTJXfYGUMlAWV2_bDJZLcOodLO2jIzY1Ea-98b/s400/The+houses+are+very+cure.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>One of the colourful houses in Somaliland</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">After 2 hours Jamaal miraculously got us out of the queue
and we headed back to a small village so they could eat. Needless to say the
first thing I did was empty my bladder. After another 2 hours we headed back to
the bridge where about 200 people were shouting and half of the trucks were
still waiting. 2 cars have been washed away and everyone came to the rescue!
Luckily no one was hurt. After 30 minutes the first truck came passed and from
then it was honking and cheering as every vehicle crossed safely. I think I
have had enough cheering for now. My nerves! I stayed in a lovely room – the
only challenge was that they must have fumigated the room two hours before I
arrived and the only victim besides myself was one lonely cockroach. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_onsxGr34QvknJxl4muosJZBBaoO1mV8VCRALo0HEmUcNzSZDdBV9IkyUzslD3ypmWR1ccf9efi8nBKO5d4ir6VSAZ3W5Ne_TTFWZvEjW2t3jjoIMeGOPdM4c3zF-o4hsB_iVSH2huyr/s1600/I+thought+this+was+so+beautiful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_onsxGr34QvknJxl4muosJZBBaoO1mV8VCRALo0HEmUcNzSZDdBV9IkyUzslD3ypmWR1ccf9efi8nBKO5d4ir6VSAZ3W5Ne_TTFWZvEjW2t3jjoIMeGOPdM4c3zF-o4hsB_iVSH2huyr/s400/I+thought+this+was+so+beautiful.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>I thought this was lovely</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Day
2: I guess when its Ramadan you should not expect breakfast at 7. But I was
grateful for the watermelon and hoped for a day without any cheering. <br />
<br />
The drive to Sheik was spectacular and I was in my element amongst the
mountains. Visiting old buildings, museums etc. is not my thing so I did not
appreciate the ruins of Ferdusa, much to my guide’s surprise. <br />
<br />
I was, however very happy to meet some locals and promised to stop for a henna
painting when we go back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98y-JWcygkxjYzFeCT9Hl1OyqvciNU2OFupdCAOgnFVL5kOlzi59KUO-HeMnWl0ezE_fHcqgSbcprWIK7gNUDZPvyITc36TTrVc_wWDJ1C5vY6RuqGdqn1-lalXezXrrg0ZSf3sBGQGul/s1600/I%2527ll+be+stopping+by+after+my+climb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98y-JWcygkxjYzFeCT9Hl1OyqvciNU2OFupdCAOgnFVL5kOlzi59KUO-HeMnWl0ezE_fHcqgSbcprWIK7gNUDZPvyITc36TTrVc_wWDJ1C5vY6RuqGdqn1-lalXezXrrg0ZSf3sBGQGul/s400/I%2527ll+be+stopping+by+after+my+climb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Washigton beauty salon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And once in Buaro I was grateful for a day without cheering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I suffer from
Misophonia and underwent intensive therapy when the urge to strangle people
chewing loudly got overwhelming. So when a packet of bubblegum was produced, I
took it as a sign to see if the therapy was successful. Luckily the amount of potholes and the blowing wind assisted. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
really enjoyed the ride. There were mountains all around us, amazing birds and
even some wildlife. We also crossed a huge 'lake'. Jamaal said he's never seen
so much water in Somaliland at that spot but we made it through. I was just
telling myself that I must get over my 'fear' of 4X4 'ing when we started to
skid. And stuck we got for sure. In clay! An old man came to our rescue and
whilst the 3 men were digging, I carried stones to the scene. <br />
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">
But it was hopeless and Jamaal said he called for backup. I was expecting
another 4X4 but two rather strange guys came walking towards us carrying
shovels. The next minute the one strange newcomer got down and started to dig whilst
chanting. He was working like someone possessed. We have been stuck for almost
3 hours and I considered chanting myself. We were still 350 km from our
destination and I knew my boss would kill me if I missed my flight - again!</span></span></span><br />
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After another hour of digging we finally managed to get the vehicle out and
everyone cheered. Me the loudest. Feeling very chuffed we dropped them off
close to their homes before travelling further. All was well in Africa. And
maybe I should go and she a therapist about my fear of 4X4 ing. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QBSzEm8Qni6w650jh49H6ja3MsNrHGeacSPbwFH9po4pFJq0eXLfq1dpZwrajiqVAjla6METhU0Nl_Fn5Hyxmk5k-Flli9htzk29lqLr6AiD4nR1NgRBJur75_TF5gHjdLHCV21KfvVp/s1600/Finally%2521%2521%2521%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QBSzEm8Qni6w650jh49H6ja3MsNrHGeacSPbwFH9po4pFJq0eXLfq1dpZwrajiqVAjla6METhU0Nl_Fn5Hyxmk5k-Flli9htzk29lqLr6AiD4nR1NgRBJur75_TF5gHjdLHCV21KfvVp/s320/Finally%2521%2521%2521%2521.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>After 4 hours of digging, we were finally ready to go</b></span></td></tr>
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</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 3: Jamaal arrived with bad news. The General refused to
allow us to go to Mt Simbris. A local was shot the day before. According to
Jamaal, one clan was against any resources being mined. Their chief did not
trust the government, the army or any foreigner and a white face was the last
thing they wanted to see. It would take at least two weeks for things to settle
down. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbb88vo6kYlFPYclkaRLFYj8PZPNDH0L_72uWb9uV_2q5gobWVvEeGBpXSr3ldiywossAYsHIaa6LhPuLKzkYQn5ub1uLHTJuKsUqJzKobgxHwRFUFDRq-tA7hgh3GhaWHR3r8gNrWRAbY/s1600/Two+little+owls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbb88vo6kYlFPYclkaRLFYj8PZPNDH0L_72uWb9uV_2q5gobWVvEeGBpXSr3ldiywossAYsHIaa6LhPuLKzkYQn5ub1uLHTJuKsUqJzKobgxHwRFUFDRq-tA7hgh3GhaWHR3r8gNrWRAbY/s320/Two+little+owls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Two little owls sitting on a pile of rocks</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The next best was Daallo. My heart felt heavy but I made a conscious decision
to make the best of the situation. The second I looked up I spotted two tiny
owls and I enjoyed the rest of the 4X4 trip to the top where I was honoured to
have two red wing starlings sharing my picture with the South African flag on
top. I also started to notice all the
wild life and the beautiful trees. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4BaebIYJh63lob9l50-idvtNb0k4qz0ITfv4ow8fpQCTOM1oTbtWhp_Jzukp7M-GSiP2xZGhcgcz7Zki17MGaH08fCxiHfwaO4syydoCj6nJ9Qxh36I5gm0nd1-3iQ7U_mMHXYzAhtgi/s1600/The+red+wing+starling+on+the+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4BaebIYJh63lob9l50-idvtNb0k4qz0ITfv4ow8fpQCTOM1oTbtWhp_Jzukp7M-GSiP2xZGhcgcz7Zki17MGaH08fCxiHfwaO4syydoCj6nJ9Qxh36I5gm0nd1-3iQ7U_mMHXYzAhtgi/s320/The+red+wing+starling+on+the+tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>A red wing starling was sitting in the tree behind me</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXtk9eFHszyOYX_NNdjMuWF_40fd3PznaxF0QtuwiEUQg9lq6RB0-t01du7Oi9ckCgVZI7xAg8FjYlWaiHTW6kT90DRf9DGJRD3_0cNaW_wzMyRynTp9Z-14WQgruISKie1Gke1sjWv7T/s1600/This+was+not+my+idea.+If+Fasel+slipped+......jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXtk9eFHszyOYX_NNdjMuWF_40fd3PznaxF0QtuwiEUQg9lq6RB0-t01du7Oi9ckCgVZI7xAg8FjYlWaiHTW6kT90DRf9DGJRD3_0cNaW_wzMyRynTp9Z-14WQgruISKie1Gke1sjWv7T/s400/This+was+not+my+idea.+If+Fasel+slipped+......jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>It was not my idea. If Fazel slipped .........</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was another long 2 day stretch back to Hargeisa but
luckily we had the mountains surrounding us and no more floods. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was extremely impressed with the friendly people, the fact
that almost 99% of the payments were done by phone and of course, the colorfulness of the houses, vehicles and the people.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmcYfAJscOUGNe484zMnS0wfwKi9AngWZSgJuYfy2JtZrUEGlINDr2AlOoYHHbbBZtflNKtJqcMl4YIHk1KENfwg8Yul5E7vc5x4QpN_1TqlwRO3l5IDN4MckFdDDXovsFcZyv42ajN3_/s1600/Even+the+petrol+stations+are+colourful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="1600" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmcYfAJscOUGNe484zMnS0wfwKi9AngWZSgJuYfy2JtZrUEGlINDr2AlOoYHHbbBZtflNKtJqcMl4YIHk1KENfwg8Yul5E7vc5x4QpN_1TqlwRO3l5IDN4MckFdDDXovsFcZyv42ajN3_/s400/Even+the+petrol+stations+are+colourful.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Even the petrol stations were painted in bright colours</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWr1GZZwQAu851NdRH48hFWdcwXbaNpJV6a8BsbIlcY0wc2VAP7i1EEQ6U_Dn2n3tgt_692tnbtApQWuCyMTUT_KwL2S2jq0syOdF3CLZFo6TvnboTvYUYKhBffthCI6b3ARAZDUIqv47/s1600/Everything+is+colourful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1385" data-original-width="1600" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWr1GZZwQAu851NdRH48hFWdcwXbaNpJV6a8BsbIlcY0wc2VAP7i1EEQ6U_Dn2n3tgt_692tnbtApQWuCyMTUT_KwL2S2jq0syOdF3CLZFo6TvnboTvYUYKhBffthCI6b3ARAZDUIqv47/s400/Everything+is+colourful.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>One of the colourful vehicles on the roads</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I always collect stones on my visits to the mountains in
Africa but people at work started asking for souvenirs so I collected more than
30 small stones.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Together with the two
beaten up tea kettles I picked up along the way, this caused havoc at the
airport after my bag went through 3 scanning machines.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">When confronted, I had to reluctantly leave behind the beautiful stones I picked up.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>A kettle I picked up on the rubbish dump! Nice holder for plants</b></span></td></tr>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0Raas Cabaad, Somalia5.152149 46.199615999999992-10.829866 25.545318999999992 21.134164 66.853912999999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-55122150259872090362019-04-30T18:21:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.101+02:00Niger - April 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_Qlj0Lw6Cly17syKvvuN3mnbXgqCOukwaLnzPlz5CxEEPDJJNcu0gMuXOCn324c_vuJCiKxPGqSxRSz88inBkp9Zwzvj-0doF3s2Uekw-bTfTX8-DCMixQn8vKEzq_P1utRPC-Q46ff7/s1600/A+visit+from+the+locals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">n 2010 I planned to visit Mt Bangaz in Niger, but it turned out to be
$3000. At that stage I reluctantly had to cancel my plans. 9 Years
later it turned out to be $9950! I knew getting to the mountain basically
meant a tremendous amount of planning, military escort and a lot of money</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You only live once! I grabbed t</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he
opportunity with both hands (and an extended bond :-)). I planned on going during winter but was forced to go 3 months later because of a shoulder operation.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-K87KgIjyinyhfy1AFxdNinXcyAEVBIWz311OWQkEhaaJSz9Jj4Wa8D0ZwOugJErc7WrH09WkahZ74MHZbFbOVp_Q-Oz26jk1nlSP3r0g1ngaCn2F3T4flgsrOjdsfKxhojYYx9iPTS7/s1600/Two+girls+in+Agadez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1108" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-K87KgIjyinyhfy1AFxdNinXcyAEVBIWz311OWQkEhaaJSz9Jj4Wa8D0ZwOugJErc7WrH09WkahZ74MHZbFbOVp_Q-Oz26jk1nlSP3r0g1ngaCn2F3T4flgsrOjdsfKxhojYYx9iPTS7/s400/Two+girls+in+Agadez.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Two little girls in the village</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Niamey</i>: After spending a relaxing evening in Niamey, I was taken to the airport to
catch a flight to <i>Agadez</i>. The check in was done manually and I thought that it was
rather cute! It took 5 minutes to check in each passenger and every
piece of luggage received a very neatly handwritten tag.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
was having my first Nescafe and Nido when the pilots walked past. An hour
later, whilst enjoying my second cup of coffee, I noticed that there were only
15 passengers waiting patiently to board the plane with me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">60 divide by 5
equals 12. Yep, it made sense. There was only 15 minutes left before departure and
half of the passengers were still in the check in queue - all was well in Africa. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwUxm_RI4_SODx4bToAZ90d4i_3ublPMH2usCQ4rpGDnGHrAEUIDwXyT0rEacpLpjnvwQOoequSXgEYwLEecLlPyTkuV6u2ZY0uRFIupFsLECxPqDIgu1GIxFwnACmISlXW04XVfsPKy2/s1600/Some+coffee+with+Nido%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1358" data-original-width="1600" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwUxm_RI4_SODx4bToAZ90d4i_3ublPMH2usCQ4rpGDnGHrAEUIDwXyT0rEacpLpjnvwQOoequSXgEYwLEecLlPyTkuV6u2ZY0uRFIupFsLECxPqDIgu1GIxFwnACmISlXW04XVfsPKy2/s200/Some+coffee+with+Nido%2521.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Nido with nescafe!</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Flight to <i>Agadez</i>:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally each and every passenger was
manually checked in, and two small buses was waiting at the exit. A physically
disabled guy in a wheelchair was waiting patiently to be assisted at the one
bus. Another passenger signaled that I should follow him and we boarded the
small VIP bus. In the distance I saw our luggage disappearing and after
the first bus followed, I got worried. 'Agadez?', I asked the guy
who dragged me along and was very relieved when he nodded, confirming that I was in the correct place. It was not long
before we joined the rest, and I was allocated the only empty seat - next to another female traveler.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A "barf bag" was brought to a lady sitting 4 rows from me and I decided it was
about time to start meditating again. An hour later I considered asking for one
as well when we hit turbulence and the cabin member came flying down the aisle
with his coffee trolley. But I relaxed after noticing that every second
passenger was praying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Agadez</i>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In sweltering heat I was taken to a charming
hotel where I had a quick shower before setting off for the market with Abbaya (the tourism guy) and Malik (the interpreter). Of course, the mosque was first on
the list and even though I have been to lots of them before (and I am not into
history), I enjoyed the company. When it came to ordering my lunch confusion reigned. I hated this part. I think in total there are only 50
different kinds of food that I eat. We settled on tomato salad, bread and hard boiled
eggs - delivered to my room. The tomato salad went untouched since it was
drenched in oil. Tick! and note to myself - no more salad, in future only ask for a tomato! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a
siesta it was time for another walk through the town where we visited several
families and drank tea. So far the locals have been friendly with great senses of
humor. Abbaya are still amazed by my eating habits but he said that I am an easy customer
who loves the children. I guess it's a huge compliment. I seldom feel like a
tourist whilst travelling through Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After
a good night's sleep (and polishing half of my snacks) breakfast arrived. Malik
arrived on time and then we were off to Abbaya’s house where we waited for the
military guys until 11:00. I was pleasantly surprised when only 4 arrived.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the price I paid I was expecting at least
20 of them but at least everyone was wearing a different colorful turban. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Abbaya seemed to found me amusing and every now and
again he gives a chuckle, shakes his head and says “Karen!”. Once I was
introduced to the cook and Malik had to translate that I don't eat onions,
garlic, meat, fish, oil etc. Abbey gave another chuckle and said it is now
between me and Bubukar, the cook.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TfURZx5t2LUIs7wK3ZHNzJAM9m-GuHD1xzrxOjR-mc-UlGzYv_o_SjI-_FMx638qTKOtH3E0kxnAArusGnKtA-ecCED2gat_hu22slxO6k5UhycmfAFiIzExRqdaMDF26xrMavylsU5E/s1600/The+team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TfURZx5t2LUIs7wK3ZHNzJAM9m-GuHD1xzrxOjR-mc-UlGzYv_o_SjI-_FMx638qTKOtH3E0kxnAArusGnKtA-ecCED2gat_hu22slxO6k5UhycmfAFiIzExRqdaMDF26xrMavylsU5E/s400/The+team.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The team</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We
stopped in the middle of nowhere for lunch and I was given a nice colorful salad
and bread. Bubukar definitely had an inclination of my strange eating habits.
Along the way we stopped at the police station. Expecting a hostile reception,
I was pleasantly surprised to be escorted to the General who welcomed me with
open arms. Once we got to our camping spot, my cook immediately started preparing
the next meal whilst I showed Malik how to pitch the tent. The wind was howling
but I used sand to tighten the outside flap. After a fantastic meal, I crept
into bed, quite content.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">Day 1. Woke up at 6 and had omelette for breakfast. Visited market where I got an
orange turban and got complimented by the soldiers who reckoned it suited me
better than the navy one. Then we were off to where they were digging for gold
and what a sight. Young boys were working in the dust and doing everything
manually. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaysz6W-gSLN0Wid17wgxq9nSymurY_B5Jw_3UlnBDpAhNYKv9w1SP4KgdLPwoMZidJJpRzwhCM08Ng_0UfeUECgJN_n6gPnqk6iyo8VYLmAPNszG_5jfWpfuOYGI0D39aJiE4g6QsNr-9/s1600/Colourful+salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaysz6W-gSLN0Wid17wgxq9nSymurY_B5Jw_3UlnBDpAhNYKv9w1SP4KgdLPwoMZidJJpRzwhCM08Ng_0UfeUECgJN_n6gPnqk6iyo8VYLmAPNszG_5jfWpfuOYGI0D39aJiE4g6QsNr-9/s320/Colourful+salad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>My nice colourful lunch</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3Q9vf0pcTxK4if5tpCgZBlkY29xrs3VuH0by4vr4cPD_GjBrsMo1nomwxexkM_Pa8ohIB18pAf0kJKwBSEWjCrd4FvP0UNoGNucOjk5jqHI7h-SPvptV5U8l5bAZOacuKv-DlD_M-ckK/s1600/Child+digging+for+gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1045" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3Q9vf0pcTxK4if5tpCgZBlkY29xrs3VuH0by4vr4cPD_GjBrsMo1nomwxexkM_Pa8ohIB18pAf0kJKwBSEWjCrd4FvP0UNoGNucOjk5jqHI7h-SPvptV5U8l5bAZOacuKv-DlD_M-ckK/s320/Child+digging+for+gold.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The boys work in dust the whole day</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">After watching them, we moved to a section where things were done half manually before moving to the big boys. I was busy taking a video when I spotted a gendarme 2m from me. I immediately put my camera away expecting to be shouted at. I soon realised that it was Ali, my bodyguard. Everyone was friendly and as a South African, I was considered to be an expert on gold. Finally, we left and stopped at </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Tobar</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> where we had lunch and the locals had a siesta.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">At 15:00, they finally started to pack and load up luggage on the donkeys. My heart just could not
take it. When we crossed a dry riverbed one donkeys’ load sagged
whilst another one slipped on the rocks. I just broke into tears. It was the end of
the journey as I planned. I offered to go up the mountain on my own but after a two hours’
deliberation it was decided that we would leave most of the fancy cooking
gadgets and food behind, get a fourth donkey and leave the next morning at 5:00 instead. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj2pKAPbpaZ41sT1llbmtHyGLAT_X6R8Ss-LfultmWbn9Xk79r9KKuboqxa7nURbGQTKhEru3RAvAkBirBLmVvPsJo8ScL0skW1d7qE7rHWNnnPRJOdB0KFRXvruXIym3A9cToRgjL390/s1600/On+our+way+down+the+mtn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj2pKAPbpaZ41sT1llbmtHyGLAT_X6R8Ss-LfultmWbn9Xk79r9KKuboqxa7nURbGQTKhEru3RAvAkBirBLmVvPsJo8ScL0skW1d7qE7rHWNnnPRJOdB0KFRXvruXIym3A9cToRgjL390/s400/On+our+way+down+the+mtn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The donkeys</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I could not have been happier and really did not mind at all that I
would now have to forfeit a visit or two to more villages on top. So here we were
- except for the 2 hour walking around the mine and 2-hours driving, I have
been sitting on my bum reading. Being afraid of dehydration whilst going up the
mountain, I have polished 3 liters of water. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Day 2: </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Breakfast was served at 6:00 sharp and the donkeys were all packed and loaded.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugPm2VD4lbjqYZ1PYGXGxcI469Cr-Bf3sPVnjegxRaKB3MaLJDHmqdQV2eoCUcz-nXQp5hlNb_n4iHzf03vfS5VXnWm5_PqsPd3Xec5iNGXlBw8GYTk8UF3jHCSQHrPSH9NFgMpWrgoxZ/s1600/Clearing+path+for+donkeys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugPm2VD4lbjqYZ1PYGXGxcI469Cr-Bf3sPVnjegxRaKB3MaLJDHmqdQV2eoCUcz-nXQp5hlNb_n4iHzf03vfS5VXnWm5_PqsPd3Xec5iNGXlBw8GYTk8UF3jHCSQHrPSH9NFgMpWrgoxZ/s320/Clearing+path+for+donkeys.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Clearing the path for the donkeys</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> By 6:30 I was told to
start walking, because they didn't want me to sabotage the expedition again! We were progressing slowly and I noticed that the one army guy was clearing the path for the donkeys.
I immediately started to help. I had stepped into a piece of glass just before I left South
Africa and could feel it as soon as I started hiking.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">After 30 minutes my foot was on fire but if
you count slowly to 100, it takes your mind off the pain. Once on top we waited
for about an hour before the donkeys and the rest of the expedition arrived.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After
lunch we got a visit from an old man. His hand was rotting and I gave him some Bactroban. I also gave his son some Panados for a headache. Pretty soon I found
myself surrounded by villagers who wanted to say hello, sell me something or
ask for medicine. I only had tablets for allergy, stomach cramps and nausea left.
It would have to do. The lady with the eye infection got Allergex. The guy with
the toothache got stuff for cramps. Then my gendarme came to my rescue and the
crowd was dispersed. When I asked Malik what the boys put on their face he told
me it was plain dirt. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QWYNfRM54NTfVWkO5VfosvsO-qWLDAJmkdEL_hbcV8G3RIqQaoSrq_xlnyIEsk2-qZ-01ex_85Q3_0e3vSARK9M09bzcu3va8jtPDgep-fGz3kEs_4bDL8jbu7Qf2eZsUsTOOz-Yv-0d/s1600/A+visit+from+the+locals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QWYNfRM54NTfVWkO5VfosvsO-qWLDAJmkdEL_hbcV8G3RIqQaoSrq_xlnyIEsk2-qZ-01ex_85Q3_0e3vSARK9M09bzcu3va8jtPDgep-fGz3kEs_4bDL8jbu7Qf2eZsUsTOOz-Yv-0d/s320/A+visit+from+the+locals.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>A visit from the locals in the village</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can never be sure of anything in Africa.
Because of the fact that I delayed the expedition, it was decided that
we would travel further with motorbikes whilst the donkeys rested. Two hours later I was told that it would be
best to go with a 4x4. I was told that the mountain was still too far but nobody was able to tell me how far was far.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI-8UxrD1DpiwGe00hvIt9qIqI8eqMWZPTw67VUhadsnC3Qvea_HWyVEeXPFTT1Hanm3_nwgPh2rriz1S4dms9sr4apZjQreYX-JXcl0Cdlnz287D09wIpwH6Q7mpQUyww9CLC-tC3cFo/s1600/The+first+stretch+up+the+mountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1372" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI-8UxrD1DpiwGe00hvIt9qIqI8eqMWZPTw67VUhadsnC3Qvea_HWyVEeXPFTT1Hanm3_nwgPh2rriz1S4dms9sr4apZjQreYX-JXcl0Cdlnz287D09wIpwH6Q7mpQUyww9CLC-tC3cFo/s400/The+first+stretch+up+the+mountain.jpg" width="342" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The first stretch up the mountain</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Day 3: It took us 3 bumpy hours to get to the bottom of the mountain and after
an hours scramble to the top, I hauled out the South African flag.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Everyone was ecstatic and ten hours after
leaving the camp, we were back – dead tired but all smiles.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">There were absolutely no way I would have
been able to hike all the way from our initial camping spot to the top of the
mountain and back – and neither would the donkeys - so all was well in Africa.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8zLs7oLlBbxXXGIaSyEonUptdS5M9EfhIU6dJI1EqdjQQffO9seQhfvwdZ3R5UyS3mItP04PQ1C2-UrflbrCR_nClfRDXhtJOsssgYQPiYBzbrAi60Xv2JvMWKAydN8fJDJGceFh2sUb/s1600/On+Top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8zLs7oLlBbxXXGIaSyEonUptdS5M9EfhIU6dJI1EqdjQQffO9seQhfvwdZ3R5UyS3mItP04PQ1C2-UrflbrCR_nClfRDXhtJOsssgYQPiYBzbrAi60Xv2JvMWKAydN8fJDJGceFh2sUb/s320/On+Top.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>On top of Niger's highest mountain</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In
<i>Agadez</i> I was welcomed back by the Sultan who gave me too many gifts. </span></span>Even the
flies were polite – they would leave you alone and only land on your food. This was truly one amazing trip and I found the <i>Tourag</i> people extremely friendly with a great sense of humour</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">!</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEfmLWyZMvDI9MIaiwFNLawNEOd7I-YHq5yIUToHwfO8RtWTt0RseT_Z4wPA-VIxdTS1Yf11qtDPvxdJiKvQ9I8N93oep0UytJcK0M5zfF2Q87P0PtYMrbxYAyXlptxXc1AJDcIc7g8US/s1600/With+the+sultan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEfmLWyZMvDI9MIaiwFNLawNEOd7I-YHq5yIUToHwfO8RtWTt0RseT_Z4wPA-VIxdTS1Yf11qtDPvxdJiKvQ9I8N93oep0UytJcK0M5zfF2Q87P0PtYMrbxYAyXlptxXc1AJDcIc7g8US/s320/With+the+sultan.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>With the sultan </b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkFEjaDK_NHu6mVJI5jqZzOC8g1tPF6vRsPuQ-ym0Elm1sxDm-ZABIuUoDbXXD5clvBbC4LB89wBbqJpLso8BkqcckTn52PzXQS3n9zbRlzSdzPPHuAGjZ7W05DN7brVSKFo6NWb15t_f/s1600/Our+map+to+the+mountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkFEjaDK_NHu6mVJI5jqZzOC8g1tPF6vRsPuQ-ym0Elm1sxDm-ZABIuUoDbXXD5clvBbC4LB89wBbqJpLso8BkqcckTn52PzXQS3n9zbRlzSdzPPHuAGjZ7W05DN7brVSKFo6NWb15t_f/s640/Our+map+to+the+mountain.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Our map to the top of the mountain</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZSCA-z8HbSJ0w52hOSj0OHclAm-ND33JkoNbss1aXxFTboXU_YZlZt3_SwC-CUws3l59mEMW-XjH1djJSs8FmVVnSllxDqxOJZsCJvqljM6mq9UndY99Ck32N7W64ytuUVMivqjMsPRh/s1600/Agadez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZSCA-z8HbSJ0w52hOSj0OHclAm-ND33JkoNbss1aXxFTboXU_YZlZt3_SwC-CUws3l59mEMW-XjH1djJSs8FmVVnSllxDqxOJZsCJvqljM6mq9UndY99Ck32N7W64ytuUVMivqjMsPRh/s400/Agadez.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Agadez</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiQuc0T7_VsNHRpjVaEJh8S5doFFTTDAWjezoXCut02jQhXnl9ewOvs0nbYLSHMeacRshjamB0y4ejF-3ZDFE4f3-dUiB7TOwnOnUAm_M7Wk6BTDIQ0oAdhFmVlaWkwLrGald38pb0zz8/s1600/I+doubt+if+there+were+bullets+in+this+gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiQuc0T7_VsNHRpjVaEJh8S5doFFTTDAWjezoXCut02jQhXnl9ewOvs0nbYLSHMeacRshjamB0y4ejF-3ZDFE4f3-dUiB7TOwnOnUAm_M7Wk6BTDIQ0oAdhFmVlaWkwLrGald38pb0zz8/s400/I+doubt+if+there+were+bullets+in+this+gun.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>I doubt if there were bullets in this gun</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHHBTMolvCsTEjXUbI4ORO0J12kMV6CNAhIXQeMVSHMeKQQAV8_ChCX9SK9XIv5fz9zx4whLGt_6dkUhCUS_bxQzzck7W7KKRwsr__TBVnuGMgSXWi36QPBoTPHuCaqTWUHe36F8nWqVe/s1600/Kids+at+the+spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHHBTMolvCsTEjXUbI4ORO0J12kMV6CNAhIXQeMVSHMeKQQAV8_ChCX9SK9XIv5fz9zx4whLGt_6dkUhCUS_bxQzzck7W7KKRwsr__TBVnuGMgSXWi36QPBoTPHuCaqTWUHe36F8nWqVe/s400/Kids+at+the+spring.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Children fetching water at the spring</span></b></td></tr>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-78311401135314591162018-12-31T09:17:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.567+02:00Comoros - December 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEA42Y_UBvL8FSHljRtgsQUDMTWmdHi5KNskptQSlgHQC3N1BWfDAVFt3C0640MT3o4hEIlpJvEAIqk_NIXzMHJ7PTjXy9PR3xaRZ0EcQ1Ey-QbzjisPnes-jvDNSTfYS0FuYzXKHvs25/s1600/Top+of+Crater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEA42Y_UBvL8FSHljRtgsQUDMTWmdHi5KNskptQSlgHQC3N1BWfDAVFt3C0640MT3o4hEIlpJvEAIqk_NIXzMHJ7PTjXy9PR3xaRZ0EcQ1Ey-QbzjisPnes-jvDNSTfYS0FuYzXKHvs25/s400/Top+of+Crater.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The top of the crater</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is very little information available on the Internet about the <i>Comoros</i>. I knew that there was a mountain that I wanted to climb, and whales to watch. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, it was not the time for whale
watching and the boat trips were very unreliable.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I tried to phone the embassy of <i>Comoros</i> to find out about a visa, but seemingly they have disappeared off the face of the earth...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I phoned two travel agencies and was told that "no one goes to
<i>Comoros</i>". I phoned a visa agency and the
lady had to do quite a bit of searching since they’ve never tried to get anyone
a visa to enter <i>Comoros</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally I was told
that I could get one at the airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Voila!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started to question if this is such a "touristy" place and googled again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Politically it was unstable and in
35 years there were 25 wars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The fact that there was a volcano to climb convinced me to proceed!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>25<sup>th</sup> December</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was packed and ready 7 hours before my flight. I then bit into an ice
lolly - causing my front tooth's crown to come loose! Thank goodness this was not going to be a romantic getaway!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the airport I got a nasty surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it is Christmas, all the exchange
agencies are closed, resulting in a very knotted stomach!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-w-babSjX5afI_PJJ03auNUyxgrhC9ODH8won1B5KnnnmeACFzeXpFk54R3g68St28LTC-e8DY_6dZsXYKgxJu_NySkR2KGDW0OW1a4MQc89WitF4I8TSbezVChmroPwSFhXXfjOB6yrZ/s1600/Maurice+and+Maddy+with+litter+they+picked+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-w-babSjX5afI_PJJ03auNUyxgrhC9ODH8won1B5KnnnmeACFzeXpFk54R3g68St28LTC-e8DY_6dZsXYKgxJu_NySkR2KGDW0OW1a4MQc89WitF4I8TSbezVChmroPwSFhXXfjOB6yrZ/s320/Maurice+and+Maddy+with+litter+they+picked+up.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Maurice and Maddy</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>26<sup>th</sup> December</b>: After a 14-hour flight, I arrived in
<i>Moroni. </i>To my horror I discover
that there was no ATM at the airport. I was "Euro"-less, toothless and the heat was unbearable. I was definitely the ONLY tourist at the airport. Fortunately a NGO worker offered to borrow me the 30 Euros, but her hotel was too far from mine.. The next moment a miracle happened! The hotel management has sent a driver and I was able to borrow the money from him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We stop at an ATM on our way to the hotel and my driver tried to cheat me. I learned what the exchange rates were, so I considered myself to be very streetwise. The driver told me that his friend would take me to <i>Moheli</i> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">for the day. Since my plans were to stay in <i>Comoros</i> for 6 days, it seemed
like a grand idea and I took down his number.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But at the hotel I am told that he overcharged me for the taxi, and
that it was impossible to travel to <i>Moheli</i> and back in one day! I felt rather disappointed and fell into - thank goodness for an aircon! At 23h00 there was a knock on the door - the manager brought me a huge plate of cooked chips, raw pasta, vegetables and eggs </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to take on the hike the following day.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>27<sup>th</sup> December</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
driver arrived 10 minutes early. There was no other choice but to take the heave plate of food with. I was
only given 1,5 litres of water but decided to take another one just in
case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the drop-off point, there was
no sign of my guide. The driver had no airtime to contact him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Miraculously, he appeared 30 minutes later. I handed him the heavy plate of food and explained that it was with compliments from the hotel manager.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pretty unfit and it was past humid! After an hour my guide offered to carry my 3 litres of water, and I regretted not taking more. I declined his offer to carry my backpack – I needed the exercise!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3u3pXzrpvAgLxn1ghNXwX4nDsXRSLTTE94F-Zl5BgdcpRGV5MxZ_f5pjGYRieXBlzC3tktLuJUP9lsHRi2nuiopuoMJhHsLHgqtqKJyQ0aJbK9XzNr0vO4Ba_Mbke-DF-tMiJz96cCwdv/s1600/Life+saving+gwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3u3pXzrpvAgLxn1ghNXwX4nDsXRSLTTE94F-Zl5BgdcpRGV5MxZ_f5pjGYRieXBlzC3tktLuJUP9lsHRi2nuiopuoMJhHsLHgqtqKJyQ0aJbK9XzNr0vO4Ba_Mbke-DF-tMiJz96cCwdv/s400/Life+saving+gwater.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Life saving water</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We reached the camp after a 3-hour hike and after hiding our gear, we
were off to the highest peak. If it was
not for the fact that we did not have enough water with us, I would have
insisted on hiking to the top the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to him, we were lucky to get a clear sky day without rain. I was pleasantly surprised when we finally reached the top. I hauled out the South-African flag and tried
my best to smile without showing the gap in my teeth! I felt like "Jane" when I swung through some trees in order to reach the crater below!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After 6 hours, we finally got back to the camp and I pitched my tent - whilst Maddy and a friend enjoyed the huge plate of food. I was extremely worried about the water situation and I asked Maddy's friend if he had spare water. I thought that if I got lucky and he had water I would just need to boil it first. Much to my surprise he presented me with a fresh 1.5 litre bottle - By now I was
extremely worried about the water situation and asked his friend if he did not
have any spare water – expecting to boil it!</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Much to my surprise he pulled out a 1.5 l bottled water and I quickly gulped down at least half of it!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFzdyk6MxmrEw-mPyLfE2yrCTPWaBjNKlQ3RTpYdFg8GA7BvTm93tVMLv3_-Mc_vtB4vSti_c01AqOIAkTIy-KwGN14O-Z2z7GJs39XAoQsa447jMFvnn83Dfdtme_aq8SlyzorRyhSQb/s1600/The+camp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFzdyk6MxmrEw-mPyLfE2yrCTPWaBjNKlQ3RTpYdFg8GA7BvTm93tVMLv3_-Mc_vtB4vSti_c01AqOIAkTIy-KwGN14O-Z2z7GJs39XAoQsa447jMFvnn83Dfdtme_aq8SlyzorRyhSQb/s400/The+camp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The campsite</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>28<sup>th</sup> December</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was all packed by 5:00 and after enjoying a cup of coffee, we started our hike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mountain was very littered and I decided to return again to clean up. I badly needed to rest so we only picked up litter from the camp going down. When we reached the village, there was no driver waiting and Maddy's phone battery was dead. We walked to Maddy's house where his wife kindly forced me to eat some very dry cake, which I washed down with the water I had left. She got hold of the hotel manager and they sent a driver to pick me up. After a rejuvenating shower,
I collected boiled water from the restaurant so that I could prepare myself a nice cup of coffee - fortunately I always have my coffee mix with me, everywhere I go!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD-vD4hdTloxzeXUekjOteCamhZvQgO6MKn9A3rsMMflsnKu4oDiVJTSe0JcDPJxcANlXA7MJoPyzDRcwCX-bA-tn_38P8ss7Dfk0Ly8JvhktAJOedk7OPKDxDlp_NvZ644wgoKThrgQA/s1600/Maddy+with+the+guy+that+gave+me+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD-vD4hdTloxzeXUekjOteCamhZvQgO6MKn9A3rsMMflsnKu4oDiVJTSe0JcDPJxcANlXA7MJoPyzDRcwCX-bA-tn_38P8ss7Dfk0Ly8JvhktAJOedk7OPKDxDlp_NvZ644wgoKThrgQA/s400/Maddy+with+the+guy+that+gave+me+water.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Maddy having lunch</b></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">29</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">th</sup></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> December</b>:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
did absolutely nothing all day, except for a bit of reading and playing cellphone games. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>30<sup>th</sup> of December</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because we were not going to spend the evening on top of the mountain,
Maurice (a guy that I met the day before) and I set off for the mountains by 2:50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time I gave all my luggage to Maddy to carry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I picked up litter whilst Maddy and Maurice went down the crater. During our hike we picked up 5 large bags of
litter. Strangely, it took the same amount of time going up the mountain as descending. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>On top of the highest peak</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We followed "Jeep" tracks filled
with scree the entire way. After 12 hours, I was back in my air conditioned room. This was definitely not the most exciting hike ever and my feet hurt like crazy! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>It broke my heart to leave this kitten behind but at least his mom was there</b></span></td></tr>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-70707154188414515012018-06-30T10:08:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:57:14.712+02:00Sao Tome - June 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a rush against time to get on board the plane</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Day 1: After the terrible time we had in Equatorial Guinea, I was
looking forward to the forests of Sao </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tome. Neither the two day stay in
Cameroon, nor the camping out at the airport in Libreville could dim my
spirit.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We were waiting patiently to be
called to board the plane. We suddenly heard a loud shout!</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The security guys have forgotten about us, and
it was a race against time to board .</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To climb the Pico de Sao Tome takes 2 days and you need to
be physically fit to do this. Luckily I was - but being stranded in Equatorial Guinea did not leave us
with the luxury of perfect planning, and we did not have 2 days left. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We quickly dropped our luggage at the Airbnb
before setting off to a little village closer to the mountain on motorbikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a steep. rushed climb to the top </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 2: We started our hike at 3 o'clock and just about
raced to the top, which we reached at 13:00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The humidity factor was extremely high and I can’t remember ever being so
tired!! But we had no choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The paths were slippery and at one </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">stage, we
crossed a narrow winding path with vertical drops to our sides.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We also ran out of water and were grateful
when we got to a farm where we could pick some tomatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By 20: 00, we still had 5 km to walk to our hotel but
luckily we were able to get some water at a village and it was a miracle when
we got a lift from one of the villagers back to the hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">It was also a miracle that no one got injured since we all had a fall or two going down. After a nice hot shower, I fell asleep – too tired to even eat lunch.</span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The beautiful forest</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The life saving roots of the plants</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_d-iZw7v26sL2qNQUbkI-l0OoERGDfwObQv9S6WeUrl-bf-29tCBIAUuCNPBeoulUfU7TA-3Dtj8OK25_hDGhgKLzWb2hz48_OVUxKs00VbHN41R3IZ3UuGiYgNvHi6-PkSex-E-7oxO/s1600/20180611_185643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_d-iZw7v26sL2qNQUbkI-l0OoERGDfwObQv9S6WeUrl-bf-29tCBIAUuCNPBeoulUfU7TA-3Dtj8OK25_hDGhgKLzWb2hz48_OVUxKs00VbHN41R3IZ3UuGiYgNvHi6-PkSex-E-7oxO/s400/20180611_185643.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don't let the smile fool you. I was dead tired</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlV_k2F2WuyYLIjx64r9uE6IHd6_NavsTlFXTI7Dauj1RGwDz_3ynduy47qYFdVW5tzFGl35fjmU1j5DlfVNhEuAZo_2EME-u4N6FjgBqa4wnLz-GfRY4X43rCdPi63nSLUDfSIzeX1rDA/s1600/20180612_095314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlV_k2F2WuyYLIjx64r9uE6IHd6_NavsTlFXTI7Dauj1RGwDz_3ynduy47qYFdVW5tzFGl35fjmU1j5DlfVNhEuAZo_2EME-u4N6FjgBqa4wnLz-GfRY4X43rCdPi63nSLUDfSIzeX1rDA/s400/20180612_095314.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On our way back to the capital</span></td></tr>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-29452923463076239452018-06-25T09:16:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:45.528+02:00Equitorial Guinea - June 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">It was a nightmare obtaining a visa for </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Equatorial Guinea</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">. My plan of action was to fly to </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Malabo</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">, drive to the top
of the mountain and afterwards fly to </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Sao Tome</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have entered <i>Gabon</i> without having our passports
stamped, so my nerves were already shot at the <i>Gabon</i> border - but it was nothing
compared to the <i>Equatorial Guinea</i> border! Our luggage were searched thoroughly. <i>E G’s</i> Minister strived to make "his" country a paradise for tourists, so I was more relaxed when we were across the border. It gave me a very false sense of security though.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Francis (busy taking a selfie) almost
got run over by a guy in a makeshift wheelchair and we were told that the taking of photos were forbidden! By this time I was exhausted and fortunately I missed the bush meat market (Yep, some pangolins). We were lucky to get a flight from </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Bata</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> to
</span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Malabo</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> – for only $200. So far, so
good! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the next day Francis got back
with some more bad news! After spending hours at
the Minister of Tourism and Head of Security’s offices, he was told that we
were not allowed on the mountain AND we needed permits to drive around the island ($30 each), BUT it would only be available after 2 days!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So much for the president’s vision to make </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">E G</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a tourist
friendly place! We did the next best
thing – we took a taxi to as close as possible to the mountain. The next day we waited patiently at the
airport – just to be told that there won’t be any flights to </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Sao Tome</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> that day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Ceiba office at the airport referred us
to the main office in town where we learned that all flights to <i>Sao Tome</i> have
been stopped a month ago!!!!!! It was only in <i>Sao tome</i> that we learned that the
airline has been blacklisted. The good
news was that we bumped into an electrician working at the top of the mountain
and soon we were driving up the mountain with a friend of his. YES, YES, YES!!!!! At the police barrier, the car overheated and
we had to turn back. By then I was very
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Francis stopped at the village and arranged anoth</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">er lift for the next
morning. He also discovered a flight to </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Sao Tome</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> via </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Cameroon</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> via </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Gabon</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> that
costed an arm and a leg but we wanted to get out of </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">E G</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the Internet connection in
</span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Malabo</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> was so bad that we could not book online.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next morning we arrived at the police barrier at 7:30
just to be told that the arranged transport left an hour ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time I got my hopes up, something else
happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not understand one word
of what was being said – but soon money changed hands and off we went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite a steep road to the top – but I
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then we
stopped at a newly build church – intended (I presumed) for tourists!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going further without being shot by the
military was a slight challenge, so 130m from the top, we reluctantly turned back. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hKp7OYleOUGnDeABkL5qmhxFtfLBziNIC5py5eNvBBi368xZj2ONueBLW5pAMjjzbwvsOv3wDWugMKdrH0NvMQGLu_pyd-XvMvKbuV4VN0y3IT1mbtqEirhhSm08goYzQFBoeKTJVCHh/s1600/On+top+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hKp7OYleOUGnDeABkL5qmhxFtfLBziNIC5py5eNvBBi368xZj2ONueBLW5pAMjjzbwvsOv3wDWugMKdrH0NvMQGLu_pyd-XvMvKbuV4VN0y3IT1mbtqEirhhSm08goYzQFBoeKTJVCHh/s400/On+top+.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I gave up the idea of flying to <i>Sao Tome</i> but
Francis insisted that, on a previous occasion he arrived at the airport only 15 minutes prior to take-off. We stopped at the Internet cafe and I almost had my third nervous breakdown on the trip. </span></span>The flight bookings were closed, so luckily we had 3 more days to spend in <i>E G</i>. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Chinese Windows</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfrwc3qcOFHBqbzt5cj3e8SzIYtpxPXIzO-4NQ5bgAFC6kjwhmPNDAmak-Hd2q6RIsX-Du7kjdz9XRgLCkjS0VQg3o-6A219NxO6PhW6y5jCVVoSeqbRstNLPlO0e1G9nUiX5xXSnrcry/s1600/Minister+of+Tourism%2527s+office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfrwc3qcOFHBqbzt5cj3e8SzIYtpxPXIzO-4NQ5bgAFC6kjwhmPNDAmak-Hd2q6RIsX-Du7kjdz9XRgLCkjS0VQg3o-6A219NxO6PhW6y5jCVVoSeqbRstNLPlO0e1G9nUiX5xXSnrcry/s320/Minister+of+Tourism%2527s+office.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>In the office of the Minister of Tourism</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We bought the expensive
tickets (Yes – </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Ceiba</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> flies to </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Cameroon</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">).
We then went to the Minister of Tourism’s office, and tried to arrange for another permit to drive around the island. After waiting 3 hours Francis well asleep, and so was the secretary!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When returning to our host, we were informed that
Ceiba’s flight is now scheduled for one day EARLIER!! We forfeited the $60 we paid for the trip around the island and arrived
at the airport very early! I was feeling ecstatic after checking in our luggage but I felt only truly relaxed after the plane took off.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Yebo Yes!</b></span></td></tr>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-57227851178859109772018-06-24T09:14:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.146+02:00Getting a visa for Equitorial Guinea - June 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">50 Days before my trip and I was told that I only needed an itinerary and R750 to get a visa for </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Equatorial Guinea (E G)</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">. I tried to get hold of the Embassy numerous times - whilst getting visas for 3 other Central African Countries.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">After getting nowhere telephonically, I paid the embassy a visit. I met a forlorn security guard and he informed me that it was a public.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After numerous fruitless phone calls, I finally got hold of one "Maria". She told me to phone later and she would, in the meantime, find out which documents and forms were needed to apply. After a few more calls, she acknowledged that she still had no idea of which forms were needed as she is not employed in the visa department.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I rushed off to the embassy again and met "Mavis". She was the receptionist and cleaner. She informed me that I needed a police clearance certificate. Time was running out and I rushed around like a headless chicken trying to obtain it. I was told that it normally took 8 weeks... I was so desperate and it felt so hopeless. After 10 days, a lot of running around swearing, praying, daily visits to the police, and a bunch of "Urbanols", I was presented with my police clearance certificate. Everyone in the police office cheered as I was about to leave and I was asked to come back and show them photos after I return from <i>E G</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I rushed off with my police clearance certificate a bit relieved. Mavis was almost as excited as I was! Another 7 days and I should have my visa... To ensure I got it, I booked a hotel room for a week - standard procedure when applying for a visa - because you merely cancel it afterwards. In <i>Equatorial Guinea</i>, the cheapest room I could got was R2 000 per day - I needed to stay 9 days...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I visited Mavis twice during the 7 day period, hoping to get my visa before the time. On the day I had to fly to <i>Cameroon</i>, I walked into the <i>Equatorial Guinea’s</i> Embassy. "Hi Mavis, where is my visa?". I was very close to tears when she told me that Maria took my passport, and would be sending it to <i>E G</i>. I explained about the R18 000 hotel booking loss since they won’t refund me, the flight ticket was paid for.... She phoned someone and told me to return in an hour. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was desperate!! Maria phoned me and I guess she could hear that I was kind of hysterical. How could this even be happening?? She told me that their procedures changed since April 2018. Yea right! And for 50 days I have not been able to see anyone working in the visa department! I literally begged her to try and arrange a visa maybe somewhere in <i>Libreville</i>. When she finally phoned me back by 15:00, she also sounded very close to tears... she said that there was nothing further that she could do... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just before boarding my flight to <i>Cameroon</i>, I rushed to pick up my passport, at this stage just grateful that it hasn’t been send to <i>E G</i> yet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In <i>Cameroon</i> we tried in vain to get a visa at the <i>Equatorial Guinea</i> embassy. According to them, it was almost impossible to get one and I clung onto the idea that I might get one in <i>Gabon</i> or <i>Sao Tome</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then one "Emmanuel" phoned me. For CAF 400 000 he could get me a visa. After an hour, the price was increased to CAF 450 000 (R11 000). I was more than willing to pay. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I almost had a heart attack when it was mentioned that it might be cheaper if we try in <i>Gabon</i>. If it should fail, I could send my passport back to <i>Cameroon</i> via a taxi and then Emmanuel would get the visa.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shortly afterwards I met Emmanuel and he seemed like an honest person. He scrutinized my documents (clearly knowing what papers would be needed before leaving). I spent the next two days frantically waiting for news, and prayed that he managed to get a visa for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Miraculously, on the last evening, he handed me my passport with the "golden" visa inside!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was so grateful and relieved... all was well in Africa.</span></div>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-77042357322675255852018-06-23T13:05:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.478+02:00Gabon - June 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Out of the 46 African countries I have visited so far, this was definitely one of the more epic trips where we hiked from Congo Brazzaville to the start of our journey in Gabon.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally in Gabon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 1: After hiking for 40 km through the swamps and then a 7 km mokoro ride from Congo Brazzaville, we finally set foot in Gabon - and of course there was no border post. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My right foot was one big blister after our 40 km hike but unfortunately there was no transport at the first village in Gabon and we had to hike another 7 km to the next one. Although there was no border post, the chief of the village wanted to inspect our passports.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The chief of the first village inspecting our passports</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What a relief it was to get to the second village but alas - no transport. We were told we might get a lift in a day, two days - or who knows... Initially we talked to the first chief, and then the main one - surprise surprise! A very aggressive army guy arrived waving his gun and then ordered me to "GO!, GO!" to the army 'headquarters". I was dead tired and my foot was throbbing but I started walking, seriously limping and hoping he would pick up my heavy backpack. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My smelly bag got searched and then it was Francis's turn. He has been chafing so I put baby powder in his backpack but never got around to telling him that I did. "Cocaine, cocaine" - an ecstatic Mr Testosterone asshole shouted and rushed off to have it 'tested'. Then a miracle! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The army relief arrived and agreed to give us a lift to the main town. It has been a loooooong day. The only challenge was that we did not get our passports stamped because the elderly chief in the first village obviously did not have stamps. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The driver drove like a lunatic and Mr tough Army guy bumped his head badly several times. I almost felt sorry for him. Once in Makembo, Francis thought it would be a great idea to have his picture taken with the Major - just in case we get stopped along the way for being in the country illegally. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 2: We just missed our taxi as for once, it was on time and we were expecting African time. The next one was ... the next day and we were running out of time, My foot, also was throbbing. Luckily Francis managed to get us a driver to take us to the village where the highest peak was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a miracle that the two male chiefs were not in the village because they were famous <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The villagers who escorted us to the top of the mountain</td></tr>
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for not granting permission to people who wanted to climb the mountain. Instead, this lovely old lady gave us the necessary permission and one of the villagers went with us to protect us from elephants. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was very steep and muddy</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It turned out to be a very steep and muddy hike. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once back, the lovely lady has arranged for a bucket shower - the best I have ever had in my life! I had been wearing the same clothes for three days and could finally put on fresh and fairly clean clothes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Positive thinking definitely </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">worked! I wrote in my journal that a vehicle would stop just before 18:00 and one did - and we missed the two grumpy chiefs who might have gotten back that evening. Our miracle truck kept on breaking down so our 6-hour turned into a 12 hour ordeal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once we were dropped off, we did not have to wait too long for transport to Oyem. Unfortunately, the vehicle broke down after about 20 km. we flagged down a vehicle and the driver reluctantly gave us a lift. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSFr4RobzSGmeYeuVQiLJT5z3QnXLVZ-vV2N8Fa1DTZ5AXkSNL_dbNBPGUqTsQM5SlDw1u8i7w9Czfy4AKDgJD14EGwSsgZNTKkZ_EEc5t3NivkwV7Cy0qK65_dPLjwZ2fjyV6S1l5Lrh/s1600/20180602_080855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSFr4RobzSGmeYeuVQiLJT5z3QnXLVZ-vV2N8Fa1DTZ5AXkSNL_dbNBPGUqTsQM5SlDw1u8i7w9Czfy4AKDgJD14EGwSsgZNTKkZ_EEc5t3NivkwV7Cy0qK65_dPLjwZ2fjyV6S1l5Lrh/s400/20180602_080855.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first vehicle broke down</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And yes, we ran out of petrol and ended up pushing the vehicle. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqLeFbIN1COu1fcbJwYbH6bNFKnFqq2HKTcKUH4xpX63FbYJUhbioBCSzjjH4V4dqnReA7CgJwbKs4AkYilwvfRqQdNgaSiyH7jB-jbhgbNlpQyPmxyw6F3CM16d2Eapgcq52qGylimSr/s1600/20180602_095416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqLeFbIN1COu1fcbJwYbH6bNFKnFqq2HKTcKUH4xpX63FbYJUhbioBCSzjjH4V4dqnReA7CgJwbKs4AkYilwvfRqQdNgaSiyH7jB-jbhgbNlpQyPmxyw6F3CM16d2Eapgcq52qGylimSr/s400/20180602_095416.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our second vehicle for the day ran out of petrol and we had to push</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rejoice, however, was stuck on the border between Gabon and Cameroon where the officials wanted proof of her accommodation in Gabon. Once in Oyem, Francis asked nicely at the reception of a fancy hotel for a document he could take to the border post. When he was told to wait - he 'took' an invoice before shouting to me to "RUN!". I was then unceremoniously dropped at a taxi rank and told they would be back in 4 hours. Besides not<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7GvvARq8-86wuf9WRjjTL1WxLNVOyBGBqGWYPltXnbIMwBI_Yk2eYJierZZ_ghEp1jrEbL9R8JVTzQZYv4MWnZS2jTP43MRQnFl8uzd2LlGI0P4g9UTaXhcmcDEHbft1Z6NiHaWYH-B-/s1600/20180602_112950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7GvvARq8-86wuf9WRjjTL1WxLNVOyBGBqGWYPltXnbIMwBI_Yk2eYJierZZ_ghEp1jrEbL9R8JVTzQZYv4MWnZS2jTP43MRQnFl8uzd2LlGI0P4g9UTaXhcmcDEHbft1Z6NiHaWYH-B-/s320/20180602_112950.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The invoice that was 'taken' from the fancy hotel</td></tr>
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speaking French, I was past smelly, dirty and dead tired. I used 150 ml of water to try and get the grease off my backpack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With the help of a translator, a lady waiting at the taxi rank was flabbergasted to hear about my trips to climb the highest mountain in every African country - and especially about my trip so far in Gabon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rejoice, Francis and another lady eventually arrived 8 hours later. Francis has gone to the wrong border post and ran out of money. He got a lift with an army guy to the right one where he rescued Rejoice. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsOFqQOEcaNXzT5TJmf-A6jjcGkeboNllUmMeHBeSOr0HpK_hYz2CpfxdPuuRPQJS1gEMk4yom64iUV4kkCURFrbYa_HFu9yIybpCPP_UDD-u-XpiwTkwt-0j1TAT2w-6OdqfpkQhpSGo/s1600/20180602_170721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsOFqQOEcaNXzT5TJmf-A6jjcGkeboNllUmMeHBeSOr0HpK_hYz2CpfxdPuuRPQJS1gEMk4yom64iUV4kkCURFrbYa_HFu9yIybpCPP_UDD-u-XpiwTkwt-0j1TAT2w-6OdqfpkQhpSGo/s320/20180602_170721.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This lady could not belief it when I told her about my trips</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other lady who came to Rejoices rescue's luggage was locked away and it was quite a challenge to get it unlocked by an aggressive drunk caretaker. We found a hotel WITH RUNNING HOT WATER, where it took me hours to get the dirt and smell out of my clothes and my sense of humour returned. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crossing the border between Gabon and <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Equatorial</span> Guinea</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 3: After getting his luggage from Rejoice, Francis and myself traveled down to the border of Equatorial Guinea. It was such a relief to have had no problems leaving Gabon without having entry stamps in our passports. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmwD73-S1_H6nAuKoazxSpcM9z2yKemsc9uzg6V69TTTFImdznXqmDcUKUrBXNtI8GiXvt0oNAsGLu9y1dpTrQ8UQc5LJBnb3w78ENeL8KnNwukM0HmL-akVMXEIYlTQIhJzLBFp-x9WA/s1600/20180601_122255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmwD73-S1_H6nAuKoazxSpcM9z2yKemsc9uzg6V69TTTFImdznXqmDcUKUrBXNtI8GiXvt0oNAsGLu9y1dpTrQ8UQc5LJBnb3w78ENeL8KnNwukM0HmL-akVMXEIYlTQIhJzLBFp-x9WA/s400/20180601_122255.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the highest mountain in Gabon</span></td></tr>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-343054435268317542018-06-10T12:17:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:45.616+02:00Congo Brazzaville - June 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Day 1.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There was an
aggressive guy at the bus stop in Yaoundé but we just ignored him.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At first, we took a taxi before being
squashed into another car that took us to the border of Congo Brazzaville. I
was adamant to sit next to the window and had a small "fight" with a fellow
passenger who tried to push me out the door... </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTqZDx01JPJSgFdVmjCaK0vl3Elh3SpMZ0A5nVs6AYiqr4mubdwB9EJBf_6FbnPWX0-s__KnPRIi8yVlz95y5YTBCheqhWYKYbJfNmMPkjrR7ylOnZ-ckw7J2gi74NWohVMrIJ_WjTmj-/s1600/20180526_151653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTqZDx01JPJSgFdVmjCaK0vl3Elh3SpMZ0A5nVs6AYiqr4mubdwB9EJBf_6FbnPWX0-s__KnPRIi8yVlz95y5YTBCheqhWYKYbJfNmMPkjrR7ylOnZ-ckw7J2gi74NWohVMrIJ_WjTmj-/s320/20180526_151653.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our taxi </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our fellow passengers were all
from Congo Brazzaville and whilst they were drinking beer they got louder and
louder. I decided to concentrate on the forest we were driving through. </span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was
pretty late when we arrived at the town next to the border so we booked into a
hotel where I shared my room with huge cockroaches!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5P5i1ONioy7D5hxe8cdaiT0rtVoFM0AuB24xonxjkELI7vUi0f2dW2TDPPsUqUpB-6jgeJQLSLrF0XF4pkEvVuCTMkLetlxKZ1UvV4LIefhYxpv3iKj_8UIOQAZvnHNxgiXrvaHIH0FRd/s1600/20180526_171831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5P5i1ONioy7D5hxe8cdaiT0rtVoFM0AuB24xonxjkELI7vUi0f2dW2TDPPsUqUpB-6jgeJQLSLrF0XF4pkEvVuCTMkLetlxKZ1UvV4LIefhYxpv3iKj_8UIOQAZvnHNxgiXrvaHIH0FRd/s320/20180526_171831.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's heart breaking to see the deforestation</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 2: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After walking
through the Cameroon border, we got a lift on a truck to the Congo
Brazzaville border. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There were loads of
police stops on our way to the closest village but the people were friendly and
we did not encounter any problems. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It was heartbreaking to see all the trucks that were loaded with
huge logs.</span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We had to wait a while before we got a lift to the turnoff
to the mine. An arrogant, obviously drunk gendarme was harassing the
locals by demanding bribes. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Luckily,
before I could loose my sense of humour, two motorbikes stopped to take us to
the next village.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Once at the mine, we were refused entry.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The mine belonged to an Australian company
and we have arranged for permission to go to the highest peak before our
trip, which was granted. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We had an e-mail to proof this but
the guy in charge was not happy about it.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After two hours of negotiations and phone calls, I was
ready to pitch my tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Instead, </span>we were
shown to an apartment – which, if not for the lack of running water, I would
have classified as 5 star.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I presumed that these were intended for the VIP’s whilst the mine was still operational. The rest of the apartments were occupied by
military guys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 3: I had a nice cold bucket shower before our bikes
arrived at 6:30. It was drizzling and the road was rough with lots of
downhills. I tried to relax by looking up at the trees. I could feel the wind
in my hair and the trees’ energy and felt very much alive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiFyi1-T7jX_Eco995d72Qu2-5ynap5Sf2pL_tugwCVSk6uEe5i_naXCVZG2JUibL_kwGoZrG2FtBhXf19yAlDwCDwx-AAmmcdQ0MEKr2v-B_86nivvk8W0XC4Og4MZCHB8hmok4pZ_aw/s1600/20180528_072211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiFyi1-T7jX_Eco995d72Qu2-5ynap5Sf2pL_tugwCVSk6uEe5i_naXCVZG2JUibL_kwGoZrG2FtBhXf19yAlDwCDwx-AAmmcdQ0MEKr2v-B_86nivvk8W0XC4Og4MZCHB8hmok4pZ_aw/s320/20180528_072211.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some obstacles in the 'road'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Although the mine was not operational, an aggressive
asshole with a gun jumped in front of us and started shouting at us. He was not happy to
see us or our drivers from Cameroon.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We followed a non-existing road and at times, we had to
lift the motorbikes over logs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We finally started our 5km hike to the top of the mountain
by 8:00 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>where we did some bundu bashing
in the beautiful forest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On our way back, we got a bit lost but we met up with our
motorbike guys at 13:00, who were elated, even though they had to wait in the
rain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On our way back, we bumped into the asshole with the gun
again who forced us to stop. He had knife in his hand as well and I was about
to tell him to just shoot us when my motorbike driver told me to keep quite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He finally let us go. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKgeP83Q0CdXyVKvZ3Wyxu3OI6RFFZZs9GZAYdFS20X3pdXHeHe5g6wg8Dhy-Sap9i5Y2hrSywlO7v7sH8vIHATOJmvQ9c2hy8xpNBR4o6cBcpQalm2WqN24ofsQoqYlxcQqD4r-x-aRX/s1600/20180528_104044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKgeP83Q0CdXyVKvZ3Wyxu3OI6RFFZZs9GZAYdFS20X3pdXHeHe5g6wg8Dhy-Sap9i5Y2hrSywlO7v7sH8vIHATOJmvQ9c2hy8xpNBR4o6cBcpQalm2WqN24ofsQoqYlxcQqD4r-x-aRX/s320/20180528_104044.jpg" width="179" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On top of the highest peak</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back at the mine everyone was happy to see us. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 4: I was bitten badly, hopefully by bed bugs and not
mosquitoes since I completely forgot to bring anti-malaria tablets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whilst waiting for a lift, we were informed that the
asshole who threatened us with his gun and knife was dismissed after he had shot at
a local.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess it was a good thing I
did not tell him to shoot us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We were dropped off at the Gabon road sign where we were
told that it was only going to be a 41 km hike through the swamps to get to
Gabon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I bought myself a pair of jelly
babies shoes. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have worn this as a teenager
but now it was highly recommended by the shopkeeper.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Bqe-dGvJQ3U1xxfpwcIElPNJ8l7VJ2uGJh36_-RsBqch-q24R159WaR6npSRg8DJ1CiGyaJ_J4ua2VZCjgVovN_KOgOQCdY43X3jK8H1yyOgD_AVgxWhXCyEIUttfTw9jc99ILQzJSG8/s1600/20180529_141224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Bqe-dGvJQ3U1xxfpwcIElPNJ8l7VJ2uGJh36_-RsBqch-q24R159WaR6npSRg8DJ1CiGyaJ_J4ua2VZCjgVovN_KOgOQCdY43X3jK8H1yyOgD_AVgxWhXCyEIUttfTw9jc99ILQzJSG8/s320/20180529_141224.jpg" width="179" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buying Jelly Babies</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A motorbike ride out of hell followed where we were going 60km per hour at stages and I decided that I might as well enjoy it if I am going
to die and looked up at the sky...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the village I was shown to my room in the hut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bed looked a bit suspicious but I had to
be polite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And then I noticed all the
cockroaches and adrenaline took over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
yanked out my tent just to discover that I would not be able to use tent pegs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5 of the Critters moved and I was overtaken
by supernatural powers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I pulled out my
boot laces and cable ties and managed to secure the one end of the tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit a snag when I could not get the front
tent pole to fit but hyperventilating was not an option and I got superhuman
strength and with the help of the universe and a piece of the door, I pitch my
tent in an very unusual way inside the hut where no critter would have easy
access to me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I dragged my luggage in
and only unzipped my tent 30 minutes before our hike. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbHm-6DM9J9leKJ-jVq0U1cRMXyL0oAM5450DvjOgz509QvyzraD9cd8LTnutApjYVaVgw0lNRxv1uykKfYH2uYxFeJoySPjWF_J7ZajK8d9d_GJ2XAZ9LazHc-oNIpctG8v1DUcgPpqc/s1600/20180529_173505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbHm-6DM9J9leKJ-jVq0U1cRMXyL0oAM5450DvjOgz509QvyzraD9cd8LTnutApjYVaVgw0lNRxv1uykKfYH2uYxFeJoySPjWF_J7ZajK8d9d_GJ2XAZ9LazHc-oNIpctG8v1DUcgPpqc/s400/20180529_173505.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My worst nightmare - having to share space with cockroaches</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Day 5: It was full moon and thousands of </span>fireflies<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> lit the
sky. Besides an aching back, I was happy to have escaped the critters. It was a
normal hike for 4 km before we hit the swamps and I finally got the opportunity
to try on my jelly babies.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIG12eYPrqY_L6IY82SO_rN3XTLR9RtM4nM0ysTolzGeClQUWOh_jPdc-ADl4kD-xEC8buG6SnGRqx7R1XunPK56vNzfC4B_ORBTP3-z_dtMFnWs5JiueM3_FQIBmJc_rKIXKD9sOMb0mm/s1600/20180529_150347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIG12eYPrqY_L6IY82SO_rN3XTLR9RtM4nM0ysTolzGeClQUWOh_jPdc-ADl4kD-xEC8buG6SnGRqx7R1XunPK56vNzfC4B_ORBTP3-z_dtMFnWs5JiueM3_FQIBmJc_rKIXKD9sOMb0mm/s200/20180529_150347.jpg" width="111" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The road to Gabon</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pnjxepfcn2qzT_J3SQJL278VYkQ9BTunfTQyuyrPNsnVPjW1488qMeuaEdL-OoUAzlzIFmvX-S8EnIUUYS7HWLhyphenhyphenYhAAXkgIDLMwylPNfPYdJA3hAFTCIylsV5qY0ip2aBZdtLGTUeG9/s1600/20180530_065054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pnjxepfcn2qzT_J3SQJL278VYkQ9BTunfTQyuyrPNsnVPjW1488qMeuaEdL-OoUAzlzIFmvX-S8EnIUUYS7HWLhyphenhyphenYhAAXkgIDLMwylPNfPYdJA3hAFTCIylsV5qY0ip2aBZdtLGTUeG9/s320/20180530_065054.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was the start of the swamps</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Willy, my
poor porter struggled with my backpack and at one stage, I transferred 5 of my
books to my backpack but my back was a bit stuffed after fighting off the
critters and my feet were killing me. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After 18 km through the swamps, I was forced to make a decision.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was either a prize-winning book (which was
biodegradable) or my anti-cellulite cream that had to go.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I donated the book to
the forest...</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">8 hours and 20 km later, we
arrived at the second village at 14:00 where the chief informed us that the
next 20 km would be very tough so we decided to rather stay over.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGftAHDEx0-zlknDply_BBstgAUPMS3FwBpHlV5kdbG_x5BVGpP4JMq1aSkAlCrYggEeuZigL9IqJDi1KghJyYDYKZI9zJslLf399_fqSS78zCm2n1uRXXvsFp6iYqiyyL7C8nGZqqjY2/s1600/20180530_091231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGftAHDEx0-zlknDply_BBstgAUPMS3FwBpHlV5kdbG_x5BVGpP4JMq1aSkAlCrYggEeuZigL9IqJDi1KghJyYDYKZI9zJslLf399_fqSS78zCm2n1uRXXvsFp6iYqiyyL7C8nGZqqjY2/s320/20180530_091231.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the village children</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This time, I immediately pitched my tent next
to the hut assigned to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used
mosquitoes as an excuse. After being shown a bucket, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I was one
happy lady! I </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">managed to wash some of
the smelly grime off me and then I zipped myself up in my tent and faffed a
bit.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Out came the nail file and razor.
No need to look like a hooligan hiking through Africa...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was yet
another early start and after one look at Willy, I decided to lighten his load
by carrying my tent amongst other things– sore feet and back or not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPkLCeiJ8U-xNMXmlkANwNtZg_S1lqAkOfpc_VqWYvU7jRuLmnHPAokLIE-g6POwhWfiiGwgh39XhWA0NAgkcw8YRnmqAEJFK0ozmfEonnGEFUHEqoGyblF3fZGdwEM4PLQPl46NlupI7/s1600/20180530_073850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPkLCeiJ8U-xNMXmlkANwNtZg_S1lqAkOfpc_VqWYvU7jRuLmnHPAokLIE-g6POwhWfiiGwgh39XhWA0NAgkcw8YRnmqAEJFK0ozmfEonnGEFUHEqoGyblF3fZGdwEM4PLQPl46NlupI7/s320/20180530_073850.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Willy buying some booze for energy</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At our first stop, Willy stopped for some booze, which he
believed would give him energy. </span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Another 20 km hiking through the swamps followed
where I tried my best to keep my backpack dry, before we got to the final
village. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our last stretch to Gabon was a 7km makoro ride. </span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The view
was breathtaking but I was so scared of falling into the river with all my electronic
gadgets, that I didn't even dare to move! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35cZz_lef1z3TqBNFW7nb-RgeTv1bzBZh-U_6oCY-WLAztKFeiEicp610M0TfjUCxlUEycQ4YMUtBrYQNWoda-BtnS4q6nUAAEg7y-cv50qfoLhkZudmU-Q_5gNlEjeHUgSBBWejF6HD2/s1600/20180531_132323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35cZz_lef1z3TqBNFW7nb-RgeTv1bzBZh-U_6oCY-WLAztKFeiEicp610M0TfjUCxlUEycQ4YMUtBrYQNWoda-BtnS4q6nUAAEg7y-cv50qfoLhkZudmU-Q_5gNlEjeHUgSBBWejF6HD2/s400/20180531_132323.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last stretch to Gabon</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-75520027353624804152018-06-10T08:17:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.433+02:00Central African Republic - June 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHh-REfK0ctcfM9rxCU878AibbrkHBymFbPVE5XdWsuycIAen-rCB4zvxWE9ANbI_CcrcsQemHlTnqSfdt8pUnAigAooXAbXo2NoU_WgosVduSgUeI5oQ7ojOAAqpxBa9T71A1nKJIrrbQ/s1600/20180519_151459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHh-REfK0ctcfM9rxCU878AibbrkHBymFbPVE5XdWsuycIAen-rCB4zvxWE9ANbI_CcrcsQemHlTnqSfdt8pUnAigAooXAbXo2NoU_WgosVduSgUeI5oQ7ojOAAqpxBa9T71A1nKJIrrbQ/s200/20180519_151459.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Waiting for my lost luggage</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 1: In Yaoundé
(Cameroon), I discovered that my luggage went missing and filled in the
necessary forms. According to the
officials, my luggage was mistakenly dropped
off in Libreville). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4xS1PCt2oPu-A-WlZeIsAtpBbmK4QH7fYIIVjPKpEh-uGlWLmYvqmqhZ9xb8jtpqpnO4Pfz-1xXmdNNTJk3Vtv99ITVitAFkX-Avq5qm7bCZuSUe3GRhU0oOqDNl-u6Da21GZEQb6baO/s1600/20180520_065023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4xS1PCt2oPu-A-WlZeIsAtpBbmK4QH7fYIIVjPKpEh-uGlWLmYvqmqhZ9xb8jtpqpnO4Pfz-1xXmdNNTJk3Vtv99ITVitAFkX-Avq5qm7bCZuSUe3GRhU0oOqDNl-u6Da21GZEQb6baO/s200/20180520_065023.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Conditioner for wigs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once in town, I went
shopping for some underclothes and shampoo – but the shampoo turned out to be
conditioner for wigs. After being
advised by a shopkeeper that it was not safe to walk on my own, I took a
motorbike back to the hotel. It started to rain and since I was exhausted, I
was not very happy when my landlord knocked on my door at 22:00, advising me that the lady from the airport phoned and wanted
to deliver my backpack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 2: The original plan of action was to meet at the bus
station at 6:00 but I could not get my landlord to wake up. He only went to bed at 06:00 and was still
totally intoxicated when I finally managed to get him out of bed by 09:00. Francis was already waiting at the bus
station and we left at 10:00.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUDOxU27QHGx3INb_1w1uUkziUJd2py7F6A2IfLGcbcajYPLhD9bKNyV-ysokFpJZaZAGII1-XlRu5I5m3vMhN8Z6RG7pAmoYqTfN7h8fzSriaSA_YflXh7FhJziOXIx9PHiivvB0HSNz/s1600/20180521_063222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUDOxU27QHGx3INb_1w1uUkziUJd2py7F6A2IfLGcbcajYPLhD9bKNyV-ysokFpJZaZAGII1-XlRu5I5m3vMhN8Z6RG7pAmoYqTfN7h8fzSriaSA_YflXh7FhJziOXIx9PHiivvB0HSNz/s200/20180521_063222.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the bus station</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After 15 hours on the bus, we finally arrived at a town
where we booked into a hotel. I was
looking forward to a quick wash but after discovering cockroaches in the room,
I threw a blanket over my head hoping they would leave me in peace. After 3 hours sleep (5:30) – we walked to the
road before getting on a motorbike that took us to the bus station. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifri2BBMdBQIhS1yllyMT3i3PXwO8n-i5Z1U-TzO8jmR93zPjy73_PM5qXXmi2x83T0dJ6v8iL_hU0wpoWyE2GorDag04uvnvFktyC0sDfBSknJWrkQ0hHipsX4_0hrccQvoyatO0rTSIu/s1600/20180521_115930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifri2BBMdBQIhS1yllyMT3i3PXwO8n-i5Z1U-TzO8jmR93zPjy73_PM5qXXmi2x83T0dJ6v8iL_hU0wpoWyE2GorDag04uvnvFktyC0sDfBSknJWrkQ0hHipsX4_0hrccQvoyatO0rTSIu/s320/20180521_115930.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Walking because of the bus's brakes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Day 3: A nice bumpy 5 hour’s ride followed and at one
stage, we had to walk a bit because the bus’s brakes weren’t working well... </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We
arrived in Ngaoui at 13:00 and was immediately visited by Gendarmes. Whilst Francis was negotiating with them, I
quickly chose a room which I thought would have the least cockroaches in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We were given a lift to the mountain by the Gendarm, who
stopped to pick up a local and they hiked up with us. I discovered quickly that it was not just a
hike through a nice forest to the top. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90JWvysGwInK93sOU8oahaagCZki0MySyPsfTxrhx_ooCuqrJapdN-s2qFQGNB9mgJzh2FGjcfQDY5XBabuEDP0lTumYuJMLoE05Wfh0HZnSb5tsKXnftyTWwHCVY7a7ATvEANjlCf8Rb/s1600/20180521_143205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90JWvysGwInK93sOU8oahaagCZki0MySyPsfTxrhx_ooCuqrJapdN-s2qFQGNB9mgJzh2FGjcfQDY5XBabuEDP0lTumYuJMLoE05Wfh0HZnSb5tsKXnftyTWwHCVY7a7ATvEANjlCf8Rb/s320/20180521_143205.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hiking through the village to the top of the mountain</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The rocks we had to climb was extremely slippery and I stopped 5m from
the top. The Gendarme was extremely
relieved to see that no one was injured.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Day 4:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At the bus
station, the locals were pulling the bus in order for it to start and we
finally left at 6:00 and stopped 7 times along the road where the bus driver had to pay bribes. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Once in Ngaoui, we got a ‘luxurious” bus to Yaounde where we
arrived at 01:00.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaIFQTUcc5VRmOiuXttvKNHdTC0XvPTmcLmOVw3dAhXGQDYfhiZyJvJ49iNugky0posdG7s7oCbuEMeQDX3yG6lFIcJDLZ-SRIbxTMupUyYArQbPJtp7VHWwdKM0negTrtj4fsMhX9mSn/s1600/20180521_152046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaIFQTUcc5VRmOiuXttvKNHdTC0XvPTmcLmOVw3dAhXGQDYfhiZyJvJ49iNugky0posdG7s7oCbuEMeQDX3yG6lFIcJDLZ-SRIbxTMupUyYArQbPJtp7VHWwdKM0negTrtj4fsMhX9mSn/s400/20180521_152046.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gendarme was extremely happy that no one was injured</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-88802720686657759452017-10-31T10:39:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.810+02:00Tunisia - October 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Day 1: After
spending 3 hours at the Algerian border, our taxi driver got frantic and was in
a flat spin after waiting another 3 hours at the Tunisian border.</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">5 km across the border and we got stopped by
the first police officer and escorted to the police station where I was asked
whether I am single!</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Then I was
introduced to a police officer who told me he was single as well.</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">We were told that we cannot go to the
mountain so our next stop was at the government office and off we sped.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_ch0JpjhSCrwkJ_OcZCktKOkh-6G_hzO_RXJ9918U5Rc43emvUm0qH2rpI3U0IGtyC1t8YajsdiJlcZf9JhReGUpkvG5JzH5Her-E00nzeFy77CRXewZJy6V5cJXMXFM5aathkP0chgw/s1600/20171109_090507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_ch0JpjhSCrwkJ_OcZCktKOkh-6G_hzO_RXJ9918U5Rc43emvUm0qH2rpI3U0IGtyC1t8YajsdiJlcZf9JhReGUpkvG5JzH5Her-E00nzeFy77CRXewZJy6V5cJXMXFM5aathkP0chgw/s400/20171109_090507.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the border from Algeria to Tunisia was a nightmare</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our taxi driver
was past irritated and informed us that his child was sick and that he hasn’t
slept for a while. It took us 6 hours to cross the border and another
useless hour at the police station.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We had no luck
at the government office and no luck with the military guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By now, every government office had a copy of
our passports and all we have heard so far was that it was illegal to go to the
mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our irritated taxi driver said ‘no
chamber mountains” – and did the throat cut motion”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Landmines were also mentioned. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In the meantime,
Taxi man got extremely agitated and after I slipped him $30, the dopamine
kicked in and instead of chucking our bags on the pavement, he waltzed behind
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudpr1I2dGc6jddsV0Nfnak8qPSaNE2kJRQ1HdusesAzAWRq0N4rD84W3zeuQP_aQ29QUOj3lzk7gWN1nZoHdF20TrM7GG0ihUuBoYey1J4zii5WeVXM6hdFG2NWLdi22VgiHDk9goA1e-/s1600/20171109_093656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudpr1I2dGc6jddsV0Nfnak8qPSaNE2kJRQ1HdusesAzAWRq0N4rD84W3zeuQP_aQ29QUOj3lzk7gWN1nZoHdF20TrM7GG0ihUuBoYey1J4zii5WeVXM6hdFG2NWLdi22VgiHDk9goA1e-/s320/20171109_093656.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5 km from the border post</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">After lunch I was
told that we were going to sneak up and I have to admit that I did not feel
comfortable with it.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I had nothing black
to wear plus everyone in town knew that we were trying to get to the top of the
mountain. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Another taxi
driver then took us to the bottom of the mountain where a local herdsman told
us that he won’t even let their sheep graze there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Driving further we met an English speaking
lady who told us they were also in the dark as to why no one except the military guys
were allowed up the mountain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpm2pO46O4P_pbchzrBrWLmUufi69Xzkw_pgWaE_cB0Md7V5mzSmsnsHE_7tqHA7bw0x_9DqzALEpSVi_kqGll13YzxUFf27UY-6fTKya8dKeD8orH7Y0aJWvObY34-l072WZcwX03ehRq/s1600/20171110_140118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="1600" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpm2pO46O4P_pbchzrBrWLmUufi69Xzkw_pgWaE_cB0Md7V5mzSmsnsHE_7tqHA7bw0x_9DqzALEpSVi_kqGll13YzxUFf27UY-6fTKya8dKeD8orH7Y0aJWvObY34-l072WZcwX03ehRq/s320/20171110_140118.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Waiting for a taxi to take us to the airbnb</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 2: After a
bumpy ride to Tunis, we checked into a luxurious Airbnb where I visit a Haman
for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no clue what I
was supposed to do and did not understand one word that was said but the next
minute I was grabbed by a lady working there and scrubbed until I wanted to
shout! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I declined her offer for a wax
though. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUPbdHPsjixwLBWD_qDtYb-EAHvRL27_J-u7LPqMYub_-Hfm6QIzEpvaNgoBhyTj5NIEA3SXyFFoj71Oj8tNQB0hmCn8KLqJcd7ongIVIvyhnI6pFpIgBkqm5G2Y8I8OcoOfpG2fzsyqP/s1600/20171111_123115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUPbdHPsjixwLBWD_qDtYb-EAHvRL27_J-u7LPqMYub_-Hfm6QIzEpvaNgoBhyTj5NIEA3SXyFFoj71Oj8tNQB0hmCn8KLqJcd7ongIVIvyhnI6pFpIgBkqm5G2Y8I8OcoOfpG2fzsyqP/s320/20171111_123115.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On my way to the airport </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It has been a
hectic two days in Tunisia and I can’t say I was sorry to leave.</span></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-62751321650626331802017-10-31T08:00:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.190+02:00Algeria - October 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8WabH3qWddoAtQF6l1aRrnzPs_Qk72VmgATiVkPfTFL776ez8a58u5jm23YREZ-JjrWBnxNQchai8uXfjZ4JG89WJ_X9Gs2OvHV5SER1MZhLGc3XqxcZzkFwuNdHdyBn_Bd7mWajrunw/s1600/1+a+-+cute+room.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8WabH3qWddoAtQF6l1aRrnzPs_Qk72VmgATiVkPfTFL776ez8a58u5jm23YREZ-JjrWBnxNQchai8uXfjZ4JG89WJ_X9Gs2OvHV5SER1MZhLGc3XqxcZzkFwuNdHdyBn_Bd7mWajrunw/s320/1+a+-+cute+room.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>A cute house we stayed in</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The guy at the Algerian embassy was not overly keen on
giving me a visa to Algeria. His biggest concern was that I might get lost in
the Sahara desert and I had to get an official letter from a tourist
company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally got my visa – and 72
hours later I landed in Algiers. My visa number was 857 and since I was the
only one in the queue for foreign passports, I assumed that not a lot of
tourist visited Algeria.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The immigration form was in French & Arabic and
since I don’t speak either languages, I showed my passport to someone who helped
me to fill in the form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so I smiled
my way through ‘customs’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I phoned
Shamir, the Airbnb host, and he told me I must meet him at “Swissair”, I handed
my phone to a guy who looked stunned at first but informed me that Shamir said
France Air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be tragic to die in
a road accident travelling through Africa but I tried not to give it too much
thought whilst Samir dodged the traffic.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtx7VtwY1F19sZoeJ4FJrv_3HSqi5b9uURYiGwtARM0T6jtsHPJUwhphGqfFgjI_2stJjs7SEB0hrj4N57zY6HG3KUxUP_aixSUY9ulUdNEcq4tKBWS1vKnRFZlBBBkzIF4Ole6Dua0W-Y/s1600/1+Dates.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtx7VtwY1F19sZoeJ4FJrv_3HSqi5b9uURYiGwtARM0T6jtsHPJUwhphGqfFgjI_2stJjs7SEB0hrj4N57zY6HG3KUxUP_aixSUY9ulUdNEcq4tKBWS1vKnRFZlBBBkzIF4Ole6Dua0W-Y/s320/1+Dates.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dates</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was expecting to leave the next day to Tamanrasset – but
there were slight problems.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rejoice was
still waiting for her visa to Tunisia and our permits to visit the mountains have
expired.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No problem right? Well, one small
problem because it takes a week to get permits. Luckily I had enough books to
read. After spending 6 days in Algiers, we were finally on our way to the
Hoggar mountain. The bus trip was going to take 2 days.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our bus conductor took his job seriously and his
testosterone was pumping the whole trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>People were told where to sit – and my hand luggage disappeared half way
through the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was only after some
frantic moments that I discovered that he decided it should be with the other
luggage at the bottom of the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZgRmj4YgvO9wYTZVkXnNxRFqQTWfUIxwxKAUM02tItphg4VTqjU9DQabZxudE3cIGAKY8UlrAnDVaK-gNbgRjUGN2ztTYekQP6sL2elbLZw0zUfqoSfcF2E1LSP9hO7_iSD7zrBV-UZO/s1600/3+Pants+in+shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZgRmj4YgvO9wYTZVkXnNxRFqQTWfUIxwxKAUM02tItphg4VTqjU9DQabZxudE3cIGAKY8UlrAnDVaK-gNbgRjUGN2ztTYekQP6sL2elbLZw0zUfqoSfcF2E1LSP9hO7_iSD7zrBV-UZO/s320/3+Pants+in+shop.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Men's pants in a shop</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was
definitely not the most comfortable seats but I must have done something right
because I ended up in first class (front seat where I could at least stretch
out my legs) for the last 3 hours of the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After 10 hours in the bus (the road was not bad – just bumpy), I had a
callus on my bum and we finally arrived in Ghardaia. We were met by a couch surfer
that Francis arranged and I can’t say it was not 5 star for me. He stopped at
the police <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not join them for supper – firstly because
of my fear of being stuck on local transport with a full bladder, I was
dehydrated and had a headache and secondly, I knew it was going to be
uncomfortable explaining to the host that I don’t eat most food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 1: You need an official guide to take you around town
and that’s how I came to meet Mr 6 Teeth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He must have been at least 75 and had only 6 brown teeth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was also very loud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he asked me if I was married, I said no.
When he asked me ‘why not’, I said ‘widow’. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wrUWvnTlDemMeAXCgDO8Y5n3t7znhkSJ-VG0ozoR009O12RTn7SLtUQXNaD4KtuK34lDpeyf1BHUj7wUHDr2TX1nBz_bhh1UJVwslca9o8KGR57xAe9vMiqU5r7Ij5RjhCW1y0KmcYGu/s1600/2+Mr+6+brown+teeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wrUWvnTlDemMeAXCgDO8Y5n3t7znhkSJ-VG0ozoR009O12RTn7SLtUQXNaD4KtuK34lDpeyf1BHUj7wUHDr2TX1nBz_bhh1UJVwslca9o8KGR57xAe9vMiqU5r7Ij5RjhCW1y0KmcYGu/s320/2+Mr+6+brown+teeth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Our creepy guide</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His face twitched in a huge grin,
he said “Me too – let me take you to my wife’s grave’, and off we went. I was
flabbergasted. At the first quiet spot, he declared it vital that I stay at
least for two weeks so he can ‘make me happy again!” He also said he would
dream of me that night – yikes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told
Francis I am going to be his second wife from then on whenever the danger of
being harassed lurked.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our second guided tour was … the same but without any
harassment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPSfgMuIWxsmuWgbtKyoOvgeyZg404zBhGF-gzVzZJYlwjAxEhJF3PkYZeWAvyK-u5zbUjubwUyHpamVcZJIS_z64TwB-y0FJcPE_5PgMpQuSk3bVCHUbUsKOwsLEfzfz8ATsIKDus0Tk/s1600/4+Boys+runningsaying+hallo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPSfgMuIWxsmuWgbtKyoOvgeyZg404zBhGF-gzVzZJYlwjAxEhJF3PkYZeWAvyK-u5zbUjubwUyHpamVcZJIS_z64TwB-y0FJcPE_5PgMpQuSk3bVCHUbUsKOwsLEfzfz8ATsIKDus0Tk/s320/4+Boys+runningsaying+hallo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Little boys playing in the village</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We came across this mule who
was so unhappy – he was too tightly tied and I wanted to cry – but there was
nothing I could do about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
taken to a mosque and then everyone went to do some shopping in the market before
going home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s when we first saw the
‘one eyed ninjas’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a custom for
Berber married wife’s to wear a garment that covers their whole bodies except
the one eye. It became our mission to get some good pictures of them without
them being aware of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4gSB1CGN3BlOdi3MSnKGviomXALD8ivBR0hLo7Y8HxCWcouPaheF2QEWwESJGF2HhwylQfU3xj9qy8semx-PhhAOOyGMjHaPgfWa6Q9CiThqw6Q1TjWdAcoi_kSmz661gS2_P_Ux-g-9/s1600/5+a+Married+woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4gSB1CGN3BlOdi3MSnKGviomXALD8ivBR0hLo7Y8HxCWcouPaheF2QEWwESJGF2HhwylQfU3xj9qy8semx-PhhAOOyGMjHaPgfWa6Q9CiThqw6Q1TjWdAcoi_kSmz661gS2_P_Ux-g-9/s320/5+a+Married+woman.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>A married woman</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have had
bananas and bread 99% of the time.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
hosts were hospitable wherever we went – Abd EL Halim Ajedid everyone with food
but although extremely bland, I stuck to my bananas and bread meals.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One episode of trying not to offend people in
Liberia made me stick to my promise NOT to eat anything I don’t want to –
especially not oily meat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The third tour took us to another mosque and the guide was
very pleasant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKz55_DZ6ZVk7OOZM07ovDtVL2f_cKw_NgJgrWEi1J0Xii0J0m9l6oD0k9gcanwgl0X0hpj6G8IBrt_xSo3PgTu6R6Vj9_UNVyWSwYusx5VsbgoFkU_SxI7kx6xwn7Vjeip0Tx-34ru31j/s1600/6+Signs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKz55_DZ6ZVk7OOZM07ovDtVL2f_cKw_NgJgrWEi1J0Xii0J0m9l6oD0k9gcanwgl0X0hpj6G8IBrt_xSo3PgTu6R6Vj9_UNVyWSwYusx5VsbgoFkU_SxI7kx6xwn7Vjeip0Tx-34ru31j/s320/6+Signs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>No physical contact, pictures or indecent dress sign</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thought the signs in public places were quite something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFmOcNCXcXxAm-D35WF6Im8ttq5VPgx8FS4UolaUh8WMcpsgJOzafm10hyphenhyphen5rmc1Ey2X-5py6S7GKWHIiXlu3Ol8iPOpmrD9bhFqgXTsNVNxBA0O69WJm-vTyldfxpxGJdQPhmiGH8WpPU/s1600/7+Don%2527t+take+off+your+shoes+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFmOcNCXcXxAm-D35WF6Im8ttq5VPgx8FS4UolaUh8WMcpsgJOzafm10hyphenhyphen5rmc1Ey2X-5py6S7GKWHIiXlu3Ol8iPOpmrD9bhFqgXTsNVNxBA0O69WJm-vTyldfxpxGJdQPhmiGH8WpPU/s320/7+Don%2527t+take+off+your+shoes+sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>No taking off shoes sign in the bus</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the bus, I was very surprised to see the ‘no taking off
shoes’ sign besides the no eating, drinking and smoking sign.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day
2: Abd El took us to the bus station where I quickly found myself a ‘cozy’
seat. We did not travel far before I started to feel content.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This bus driver and his friend, the woman
behind me with her two children, the bumpy road, everything felt just right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day
3: 17 hours later we arrived in Tamanrasset.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was amazed at how many building were going on – I did not see too many
people but it seemed as if I was the only noticing this.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were once again met at the bus station by
a couch surfing friend of Francis. It really is quite different travelling with
him.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were taken to a place to stay
and after a nap, he picked us up and after driving around town for what felt
like ages, he took us to meet his very sweet mom before visiting one of his
friend, a female, very passionate about her archaeology friend of his. Algeria
does not allow excavation. I was so surprised to find out that the people are
so spiritual here.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At 21.30, Moulay Zine
Abidine brought a whole home cooked meal and the rest of the crowd had a nice
meal – whilst I had my bread, banana and this time – marmite.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 4: My understanding was that we would leave at 9:00 so I
did not pay too much attention to the 2 gentleman who arrived whilst we were
having breakfast. I was looking forward to a nice shower but then the usual
happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pack up – we’re leaving in 15
minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then the waiting started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were stuck outside the military police
office where some serious negotiations were going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though we waited for a week to get our
permits ready to visit the Hoggar mountain, there was a misunderstanding and
the military guys thought we were only going to be in the mountain for two
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I smiled at a guy walking past and
the next moment he was knocking on my window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thought he was begging and waved at him before closing the window. The
next moment he was knocking at the opposite window, asking for my phone
number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started speaking
Afrikaans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What the hell is wrong with
the people! It was only afterwards that I read that if a woman smiles at a man
in Algiers, it means she likes him. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No one was too happy to have the 12 military police in 3
vehicles escorting us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they stopped
for a ‘picnic” 40 minutes outside Tamanrasset, we objected and only had lunch
an hour later. So far, we haven’t seen too many guns. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljNcP8cdY67h52AQtvXWuk53TjwifRKPEkyl0Z6ZWp-vNoNmKM8MOsICVnLCtLqDmTMGQ0j22wbJh7ZqOySXDvGicwQXU81LGtklO04BkTj5thRMxO8Uf83iyKHBDwPw0ST11ytxqEVbc/s1600/8+Along+the+way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljNcP8cdY67h52AQtvXWuk53TjwifRKPEkyl0Z6ZWp-vNoNmKM8MOsICVnLCtLqDmTMGQ0j22wbJh7ZqOySXDvGicwQXU81LGtklO04BkTj5thRMxO8Uf83iyKHBDwPw0ST11ytxqEVbc/s320/8+Along+the+way.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Stopping along the way to the mountain</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The mountains are breath taking.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When we arrived at the refugee, we were told
to rush up to see the sunset.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We bumped
into a 90 year old man who has been staying in the mountain for the past 45
years.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We then met a monk from Poland
who has stayed there for the past ten years.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He told us to rush to see the sunset.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTFaN6o4qteaNRNCCU25p3Isu194UxAqS_aQeTPsSnomiAA0M6r4bo8XUr9C3GgmoxdiU4g7OFu70mPphmTTwClSPzqnGydt5VzuEYgtDPjRcquiA0dWf4s3w5MUSmWsGe0-5br6fy8Rc/s1600/9+Francis%2527s+e-book.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTFaN6o4qteaNRNCCU25p3Isu194UxAqS_aQeTPsSnomiAA0M6r4bo8XUr9C3GgmoxdiU4g7OFu70mPphmTTwClSPzqnGydt5VzuEYgtDPjRcquiA0dWf4s3w5MUSmWsGe0-5br6fy8Rc/s400/9+Francis%2527s+e-book.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The e-book that tells you what to do in case you get kidnapped</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was magnificent and of course I had to cry. I am super blessed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought one of the guys on top was a French
guy – so I offered to take a picture of him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He thought I wanted a selfie so I gave him my card so he could send <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56ARW22Uwn3acGGmsJ6QqDzSA5OS4mz0mjMfi5-CH4BkXo5gTtUW6GAZ54SC38WsR091_XfYuKjDN1_849ALwTRC-BxD8fSmJ53Bffs5qYIgAP9RWeQW9Rt6Dczb-5zEbFhIOf-9paXPe/s1600/10+sunset+on+top+of+the+refuge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56ARW22Uwn3acGGmsJ6QqDzSA5OS4mz0mjMfi5-CH4BkXo5gTtUW6GAZ54SC38WsR091_XfYuKjDN1_849ALwTRC-BxD8fSmJ53Bffs5qYIgAP9RWeQW9Rt6Dczb-5zEbFhIOf-9paXPe/s320/10+sunset+on+top+of+the+refuge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sunset on top of the refuge</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
me
the picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oeps, he turned out to be
part of the military guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We got a lift
with the guys back and then we were given our tents to pitch. After a quick
wash, it was time for supper and I was almost knocked back by the smell of
garlic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt forced to eat the special
vegetarian dish the cook prepared for me and managed to remove most of the
GARLIC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was still chatting when guy from
military walked in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess he thought I
gave him my card because I liked him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 5: After watching an awesome sunrise, I was told that we
would leave in 20 minutes time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I threw
everything into my backpack but then someone said: “relax – we might only leave
in two hours’ time”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am used to not
knowing what is happening so I took out my laptop but before I could even switch it
on, another voice, “we are leaving!” <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVXAGkuuVkGBpX2lX67ajOZ-5b6ZMGvib6gaLOVzonG0dNLRp3ELinfqVMWMHVujfJTAxHIxHn2PZaWenbffLS5LnCKEttHqk0aGhfsV7RCX30_rceFCBZnvkGcMwTGqatfBOEzqnyDuJ/s1600/11+Sunrise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVXAGkuuVkGBpX2lX67ajOZ-5b6ZMGvib6gaLOVzonG0dNLRp3ELinfqVMWMHVujfJTAxHIxHn2PZaWenbffLS5LnCKEttHqk0aGhfsV7RCX30_rceFCBZnvkGcMwTGqatfBOEzqnyDuJ/s320/11+Sunrise.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sunrise</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apparently we were waiting for the
soldiers, who seemed to be on ‘holiday’. By 11:00 we all felt we have waited
long enough and we followed Sidiomar on foot down the road. 30 Minutes later,
our driver arrived with one military vehicle behind him. I did not even bother
to ask any more questions. A very bumpy road followed but two hours later, we
were at our camping spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGP6luLxjWHpPCM6efWihPJ6pdAPye5Qopi9L6fEunQebFFq2x5bRHwB82Nnr8R7hyFjEf50oUjXB5v8nWNblOVg9s0LbQBbDd1WZ2QLZwuJtIbodl_H1Bge666Fd9ezJpIt2Bsq0XryGi/s1600/13+having+some+challenges+with+the+stones+in+the+road.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGP6luLxjWHpPCM6efWihPJ6pdAPye5Qopi9L6fEunQebFFq2x5bRHwB82Nnr8R7hyFjEf50oUjXB5v8nWNblOVg9s0LbQBbDd1WZ2QLZwuJtIbodl_H1Bge666Fd9ezJpIt2Bsq0XryGi/s320/13+having+some+challenges+with+the+stones+in+the+road.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>We had some challenges removing huge rocks in the road</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had two choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We could either climb Jebel Tahat after lunch or we could get up at 3:00
the next morning and climb, which will give us enough time to catch the bus
back to Ghardaia. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I threw everything in a bag and 30 minutes later, we were on
our way.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank goodness there was a
breeze and the rocks were quite steady.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After 2 hours, we reached the peak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, the only litter on the peak were two
pair of jeans. After taking some pictures, we made our way back. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnVFqpWH0iTHMohUFFdtHnMlnU1-k2PmKagtP7l9XWi0iQTXQzhMk-uXIVuxtEDZAek43akaul1-bsfZlrCBWx_z74GtX2znBS4S783Dsm-I17X7GCHLdnghhWcGXrc9glXJ6siwMe4ZJ_/s1600/14+On+top+of+the+mountain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnVFqpWH0iTHMohUFFdtHnMlnU1-k2PmKagtP7l9XWi0iQTXQzhMk-uXIVuxtEDZAek43akaul1-bsfZlrCBWx_z74GtX2znBS4S783Dsm-I17X7GCHLdnghhWcGXrc9glXJ6siwMe4ZJ_/s400/14+On+top+of+the+mountain.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>On top of the highest peak in Algeria</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once back at the camp, Sidiomar was waiting with some hot
water for a nice wash.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The two soldiers that were left behind to protect us, came
to show us some pictures of the fish they tried to catch whilst we were on
top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also informed us that they
were looking for game to shoot, but could not find any.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was getting dark and still no sign of our guide or the
rest of the military guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one
soldier then ran up the hill and started signalling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The searchlight was set in motion and 30
minutes later, a bedraggled Moulai stumbled into our camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10 Minutes later, he went off again – this
time in the military vehicle that was here to protect us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All 3 military vehicles arrived an hour later
making a big racket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently Moulai had
to walk 8 km to meet them at a point to make sure they take the correct turnoff
but there was some misunderstanding. And Moulai got to walk 16 km without
complaining.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 6: I went for a walk leaving everyone in peace and the
army guys snoring. When I got back, Sidiomar had the water boiling and I greeted
everyone loudly. We had to get back to Tamanrasset to catch a bus back to
Gardaia and it seemed as if the military guys took ages <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_nDpLfMJ9YjgAgK6if-v0eKBCfX746-4I6cMIWicAZlMrAV3NCbaswn75e6w1p3YE87Pf6ZLAZ2cQjqC3cRCLMoPavpMjmXCPN44T3yBomdeWI1OT5dg8xECYvAWIx9D2-EA4qo9LBfB/s1600/15+The+team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_nDpLfMJ9YjgAgK6if-v0eKBCfX746-4I6cMIWicAZlMrAV3NCbaswn75e6w1p3YE87Pf6ZLAZ2cQjqC3cRCLMoPavpMjmXCPN44T3yBomdeWI1OT5dg8xECYvAWIx9D2-EA4qo9LBfB/s320/15+The+team.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Part of the team</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
to get ready. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5 Hours later we stopped in Tamanrasset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moulay did not want to stop at the bus depot
because he did not want the military guys to know that we were leaving that
evening – or so I understood. At one stage we got the VIP treatment and the gendarme
put on their siren. I guess it was their way of saying thanks for a great
adventure. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had an amazing shower in Tamanrasset but had no idea when
the bus would leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank goodness
Moulay (1) arrived and took charge and drove to the bus depot. I was on
standby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You never know if it is going
to take a day, 5 hours or 30 minutes! He came back with a present for us – and
mine was a desert rose – just what I was looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The bus left at 19:00 but then we went to the
big depot – where what seemed like chaos reigned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not far out of Tamanrasset, we were stopped
by the military guys who checked our passports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The lady from Niger who was sitting next to me was escorted off the bus
because she did not have a permit with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I felt bad for her, but pretty soon the military came back and since I
don’t speak French or Arabic, Francis explained to them that none of us worked
for the government and they left us in peace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It took another 30 minutes before
everyone was allowed back on the bus and 17 hours later we arrived in Gardaia.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 7:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were picked
up by a couch surfing guy and driven to a house and although we have been
driving for 26 hours (taking the trip to Tamanrasset into consideration), I was
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHKo6jg-SjhJrcGbSBQY7unnDvqLzROghB3Lqq9OkMnkZ3dvtMMBBZQT9otuSH6rMZrgTvERz90DK1bQ9W58pTewZ1h2c14mJ0yqKT4m6w77MigUbklKSawbzW7iu59HshRjyt8LF5FMX/s1600/16+Ladies+we+visited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHKo6jg-SjhJrcGbSBQY7unnDvqLzROghB3Lqq9OkMnkZ3dvtMMBBZQT9otuSH6rMZrgTvERz90DK1bQ9W58pTewZ1h2c14mJ0yqKT4m6w77MigUbklKSawbzW7iu59HshRjyt8LF5FMX/s320/16+Ladies+we+visited.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Meeting a group of Algerian ladies</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
ready to attend what I thought was a wedding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Luckily, the ‘wedding’ turned out to be only a 20 minute visit to meet
some ladies (the woman stays at home most of the times) and we were given
gifts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt like the "galoopy man" – all
swollen. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next moment, we are off to another house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have just unpacked when a French family
arrived, and we all had tea. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have lost
track of time, but after a while, everyone got up and I followed the crowd –
which have grown to 12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at someone’s
house and were told we have 15 minutes to chat to a group of woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not expecting to be able to take pictures of
the woman, I was pleasantly surprised when we were asked if we would mind if
they take pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turned out to be
a video and after 30 minutes, the men started phoning and we left reluctantly. It
turned out to be such a nice meeting.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The crowd has grown to 14 and everyone was talking
simultaneously. The next moment, the French family disappears and then we were
driven back to our cute house. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 8:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was up at
4:00 in time to have coffee without worrying too much about a full bladder on
the 10 hour bus ride to Algiers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By 7:00
we were having breakfast opposite the bus station and shortly afterwards, we
were on our way again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I changed seats 4
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess I was getting too
comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Samir was waiting for us
and after stopping for some cream - I discovered that I have bought a 750 ml
shower gel.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 9 & 10:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst
there was no news about the visa saga, I spend the next two day updating my
journal, and going for walks in the cemetery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 11: Rejoice still did not have her visa so a decision
was taken that she will meet him in Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The next moment she shouted and started to pack – she finally got her
Tunisian visa and soon we were on the bus to Kasserine. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 12: We expected to arrive at 24:00 but only arrived at
04:00 where we got a taxi to the Algerian border post where we waited 3 hours
before being let through.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8b3S6NndulIzCTT2LIw3ijlFrJNl27mK9lHiL7KqROSBZGmvoHF2fWsBSw_bfLt0A5JOE2yfk9I6TPZw-9n01XC-Se13MLb48jBphBx6PfEiK1M6UlJxsb1llLmn193D2k9X2i74MWzdT/s1600/17+Visiting+with+some+couch+surfers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8b3S6NndulIzCTT2LIw3ijlFrJNl27mK9lHiL7KqROSBZGmvoHF2fWsBSw_bfLt0A5JOE2yfk9I6TPZw-9n01XC-Se13MLb48jBphBx6PfEiK1M6UlJxsb1llLmn193D2k9X2i74MWzdT/s400/17+Visiting+with+some+couch+surfers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Get together with couch surfers</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-50396030863853515632017-01-16T15:03:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.057+02:00Cape Verde - January 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4th of January: I arrived in Praia in Cape Verde at 1:20 and had a problem trying to explain the crystals I bought in Morocco to the airport security. But I did not relent! I have made a booboo with my flight bookings to/from Praia to Fogo and immediately went to Cape Verde Airlines. I was told to return at 5:00 which I did. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But at this time, there was a queue of frantic customers and I was told that they could fix my travel arrangements but that I had to wait until 6:00. Finally, I was given a ticket and I was told to follow the lady. The next moment she tells me to run and my baggage is thrown on the conveyor belt. Apparently I was extremely late. Just before boarding, I noticed that the aeroplanes’ wheel is kind of flat – but they did not want me to take a picture and said it was not a problem. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A landslide prevented us from exploring the island</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everything felt surreal as soon as I got out of the small airport in Fogo. I did not have a clue how I was going to get to the highest peak in Cape Verde but I have booked a room in a hotel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple from Switzerland shared the taxi with me and they had a guidebook with them and seemed to know exactly where to go and what to do in Cape Verde. They took pity on me and invited me to join them. We went on a to tour around the small island but did not get too far after a landslide closed the road. That evening, I slept like a log.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5th of January: The taxi picked the three of us up at the hotel and we drove around for an hour picking up more people that wanted to go to the Caldeiras area. At one stage a guy asked me if he could sit next to me in the front. He had a cold and from the way I saw people spit, I could just imagine what was going to follow. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Luckily, he only did this twice. I guess the guy at the back of him next to the open window told him not to.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mealies</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was absolutely amazed when we came close to the Caldeiras area. The volcano last erupted in 1995 and here and there were abandoned farms. The dark walls of the volcano was a very intimidating. I was amazed to see fruit like mangoes, grapes etc. as well as various other vegetables growing here. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4GK1BvhowXZ9_eb7cpbZ0tJc2VgWETCfKK6gHijFa3wA1Sm0bblsXQeIScoXxmMdqRtNErBuHqRqW_IOyAGjvRgtWCosDkVD3T-Chnm7MUt9PEfIjPtHCw458LcXh3U2GiJPerIlyTfp/s1600/Early+morning+hike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4GK1BvhowXZ9_eb7cpbZ0tJc2VgWETCfKK6gHijFa3wA1Sm0bblsXQeIScoXxmMdqRtNErBuHqRqW_IOyAGjvRgtWCosDkVD3T-Chnm7MUt9PEfIjPtHCw458LcXh3U2GiJPerIlyTfp/s320/Early+morning+hike.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The start of the hike</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The place where we stayed belonged to a French lady and her husband, a local from Cape Verde and our guide. According to her, she has only been in the country for two months when the volcano erupted and they lost everything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6th of January: We started our hike at 7 and the view was unbelievable. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All sorts of vegetables were growing on the volcano. It was quite steep up and I was surprised to see fixed ropes in several places. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some fixed ropes </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5D8_qVgSAqUj_GGC9qxgqR8PxmUcVO_XRwE4d-JfEJHOqLw75Mp1yLj8ne4WfRqYOTRps5apL4qWD3QPQAQJzIiyo15_S9YQki8Uerp4T5LDGhZYSRPBWS5zgquaoLqqpjDzkowoeiFf/s1600/IMGP5804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5D8_qVgSAqUj_GGC9qxgqR8PxmUcVO_XRwE4d-JfEJHOqLw75Mp1yLj8ne4WfRqYOTRps5apL4qWD3QPQAQJzIiyo15_S9YQki8Uerp4T5LDGhZYSRPBWS5zgquaoLqqpjDzkowoeiFf/s400/IMGP5804.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Taking it slowly</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinfq5p2DsxjV5Dp_7Yhlz_g8lh2x5d0YEDT0pLPk1zOIL1DCYy2OJpJEWTSnAkZd4ocBqESOtmJLnKmcuzeb2sFGve4OqgYGVvO_L6b-bNFX82CNOn0ICL2lr9z-nJVEeBx7CnELsV5Z0/s1600/On+top+of+Cape+Verde%2527s+highest+peak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinfq5p2DsxjV5Dp_7Yhlz_g8lh2x5d0YEDT0pLPk1zOIL1DCYy2OJpJEWTSnAkZd4ocBqESOtmJLnKmcuzeb2sFGve4OqgYGVvO_L6b-bNFX82CNOn0ICL2lr9z-nJVEeBx7CnELsV5Z0/s400/On+top+of+Cape+Verde%2527s+highest+peak.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On top of Cape Verde's highest peak</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have seen video’s where the people run down the volcano and I thought they were nuts – but when I tried it, it turned out to be exhilarating.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hPwM3GKFRP0bDwlBHzNym_q3Xdaopd9nATw9sF8OfriC6q3SewwbGJz6CBgE_I1oWEGRF0sMElFZryMq4aSt_-f-tO9hWQ_aSTQ2H8I15a3WCxGKtuVNm0MaQV4dFBogLkwXQvIrhJ03/s1600/SAM_0572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hPwM3GKFRP0bDwlBHzNym_q3Xdaopd9nATw9sF8OfriC6q3SewwbGJz6CBgE_I1oWEGRF0sMElFZryMq4aSt_-f-tO9hWQ_aSTQ2H8I15a3WCxGKtuVNm0MaQV4dFBogLkwXQvIrhJ03/s400/SAM_0572.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going down the volcano</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a nice omelette, I went for a nice massage and slept like a baby.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7th of January: The Swiss couple decided to hike back to the hotel but my toe was throbbing and I took the taxi back to Sao Filipe – something I was very happy about when they informed me that the hike was mostly downhill.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7H5kaNh2doRoICmeCFIj4wnJPo0p8_oYy6QXjnJrBNKnmYc_c3F5_sEqkKimmWyfYBBQ3f5oa266g3vk87yeu6Iwi6FdgqqTKwEzhowEJSWny40EygxL-UuXlj-GSmIyXRhvXwgiB8Odr/s1600/More+artwork.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7H5kaNh2doRoICmeCFIj4wnJPo0p8_oYy6QXjnJrBNKnmYc_c3F5_sEqkKimmWyfYBBQ3f5oa266g3vk87yeu6Iwi6FdgqqTKwEzhowEJSWny40EygxL-UuXlj-GSmIyXRhvXwgiB8Odr/s400/More+artwork.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some colourful wall paintings<br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMfUB2dqYld2DLvJwT-q4YZ46V63ST72IrnNYB6qOxIUCJkuz6NU2JHf64Dtfh2e0tUBVzPEjCPYeMLacbfpSY085rMpjRZy4WVxcFliWVzsLTEMd69ofFZDtS7PxSpzWhaPULhMAgEli/s1600/Life%2527s+good.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMfUB2dqYld2DLvJwT-q4YZ46V63ST72IrnNYB6qOxIUCJkuz6NU2JHf64Dtfh2e0tUBVzPEjCPYeMLacbfpSY085rMpjRZy4WVxcFliWVzsLTEMd69ofFZDtS7PxSpzWhaPULhMAgEli/s400/Life%2527s+good.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Life is good!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8th of January: I made sure that my crystal was not in my hand luggage when I flew back to Praia.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">9th of January: At 10:00 the Swiss couple and myself got a 4X4 and went looking for the oldest tree I have read about. It was absolutely mind blowing and I had to tear myself away from the tree. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7zTcvC8bF6F7xOSSKADABEpcKtKZhJiqn8k7bbJ5xyq2Mw8wyu0X6cw3ySECJJX_-np3v9C6HWn-i-Gge9qMQCw0eRcchi64wRQK0vKaedc5xziQ6ifViIctogVdfXRmfYtprwiZ0TjF/s1600/20170109_134247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7zTcvC8bF6F7xOSSKADABEpcKtKZhJiqn8k7bbJ5xyq2Mw8wyu0X6cw3ySECJJX_-np3v9C6HWn-i-Gge9qMQCw0eRcchi64wRQK0vKaedc5xziQ6ifViIctogVdfXRmfYtprwiZ0TjF/s400/20170109_134247.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The magnificent tree in Praia</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoR9QLLY5osfKb4t-Qf7Eh-bqWxCvHCLQSmH6962DsLQLu9VdrNoiZIrog0YcezlHPVNWEdeLH_BhWV00PZiVMSXp8qCqAiOGZYN98jje4LxUvDMVfGm0-Inei2kla-LU3da3M38VkHNcg/s1600/SAM_0671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoR9QLLY5osfKb4t-Qf7Eh-bqWxCvHCLQSmH6962DsLQLu9VdrNoiZIrog0YcezlHPVNWEdeLH_BhWV00PZiVMSXp8qCqAiOGZYN98jje4LxUvDMVfGm0-Inei2kla-LU3da3M38VkHNcg/s320/SAM_0671.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The energy of this tree was mind blowing</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10th of January: I received a picture from my newly born grandson and was eager to get home. But first I had to go back to Morocco to catch a flight back to South Africa! All was good!</span></div>
<br /></div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-77830264348871766352016-12-31T07:12:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.500+02:00Morocco - December 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">It’s 2013 and
instead of going to Morocco as originally planned, I went to West Africa for 3
months.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In 2015, I
planned another trip and after spending some time on Egypt’s mountains, I was
ready for Morocco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately it was
not meant to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the airport in Cairo
I was informed that my visa has expired, a mistake made by the embassy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Atlas Mountain had to wait again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In July 2016
I started to make arrangements for my trip to the Atlas Mountain. Besides going
to Morocco, I was also going to Cape Verde and luckily, I discovered that I
have made a mistake with my flight dates before I arrived in Morocco and I was
able to change the dates. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">25<sup>th</sup>
of December and whilst most of the people were celebrating Christmas, I was
celebrating my trip to Morocco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was,
however my unlucky day. The plane was full and I got squashed in between an
overweight guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to turn sideways
to eat and although he was very friendly, I made a conscious decision not to
drink too much since it would be a mission trying to get to the loo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2 Minutes after he informed me that he had no
problem falling asleep, he started to snore. I got a distinct feeling that it
was going to be a very long flight.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In Doha, I
did quite a bit of running and made it just in time for my connecting flight to
Casablanca.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, I was fairly
lucky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a window seat and there was
one open seat between me and an obese lady from Senegal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>20 Minutes after take-off, she decided to
move to the seat behind me. I was not sure if she was dreaming but after
kicking my seat for the umpteenth time, I slammed the middle seat’s hand rest
down and she got the message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
headphones brought some relieve but after another passenger two rows behind me
started snoring, I had to change to another movie to cover the noise.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">26<sup>th: </sup>Getting
a bit confused about the time difference is quite normal for me, and I was
pleasantly surprised to discover that I had two extra hours to faff before my
next connecting flight from Casablanca to Marrakesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was freezing and after putting on my
winter gear, I went for a nice relaxing cup of coffee. A German group with at
least 6 hyperactive boys arrived and when they started playing soccer inside
the small terminal, it took me 30 seconds to find a seat as far away as
possible from the noisy monsters. Suddenly there was a huge commotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lady and her two daughters were prevented
from boarding a flight because they were late and for the next 15 minutes I
waited in anticipation for a physical fight to break out. It was a very short
flight to Marrakesh and I could not wipe the grin off my face once I saw the
snow-capped Atlas Mountain. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBwSOSjbVVLB4BV4ea0BSCDcwwdUBJoct_H2erwJlQtnm2SU6vaEemyyGhcLrNwG8pFH9ym_7m8F0QFBxgyX4oEu-k9KRsXT4w_73dsW4NqAQ5duStprzXjkYSTHWhgt7OyraCo9oQiEj/s1600/1.++I+almost+lost+my+own+luggage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBwSOSjbVVLB4BV4ea0BSCDcwwdUBJoct_H2erwJlQtnm2SU6vaEemyyGhcLrNwG8pFH9ym_7m8F0QFBxgyX4oEu-k9KRsXT4w_73dsW4NqAQ5duStprzXjkYSTHWhgt7OyraCo9oQiEj/s320/1.++I+almost+lost+my+own+luggage.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>I almost lost my own luggage</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was
impatient to get to the mountain and rushed to get my backpack.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It was not amongst the luggage on the conveyor belt.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I rushed to the lost
luggage counter, then to a new terminal, back to the lost luggage counter and
just as I was about to give up, I got a senior staff member to search with me.
We went back to the first conveyor and there was my lonely backpack – about to
be taken to the lost luggage office.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Because of the connecting flights, I got a bit confused – and well, I
almost lost my own luggage.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Luckily, my
pre-arranged taxi driver was still waiting outside – and I am positive after
two hours, his hand must have ached holding the paper with my name on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I love
Morocco. Everything is clean, the people are friendly and there are fruit trees
on the pavements in Marrakesh. I took some pictures with my phone and the next
moment I got a message saying my sim card is locked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What next!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mohamed, my taxi driver drove like a maniac because we were 2 hours late
of course. My guide came to my rescue when I handed him my phone. He switched
off a small button and voila, I could use my phone again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Imi Ouglad, I was shown to my room in the
guest house where I claimed my space by repacking all my possessions before
joining an American couple and a Danish family in the lounge. Every group had
their own guide, cook and muleteer so all the cooks were steaming up the
kitchen before we were served our three different meals. Everyone had a great
time and when I crawled into bed by 21:00 freezing, I could still hear laughter.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">27th of
December: After a great breakfast, Mohamed, the Danish family’s colourful
guide, showed us how to fold a 20m long scarf around one’s head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also mentioned that he was <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaHy5Of0O3MuXIJaOKgef0WkYkl2WfPJEjbYzrjKOPfNtpO4InagjS79LCgyrz5jy7gw3Pe2GUWuTWwP7zSyrQTe9txEUHOJ_-xS8VqBVU9yfON1ke5h4JFicFmMH4hLbVqwI6UnU4J56/s1600/2.++It+was+really+cold+so+crept+into+my+sleeping+bag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaHy5Of0O3MuXIJaOKgef0WkYkl2WfPJEjbYzrjKOPfNtpO4InagjS79LCgyrz5jy7gw3Pe2GUWuTWwP7zSyrQTe9txEUHOJ_-xS8VqBVU9yfON1ke5h4JFicFmMH4hLbVqwI6UnU4J56/s320/2.++It+was+really+cold+so+crept+into+my+sleeping+bag.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>It was freezing</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
passed crazy
since he runs 120 km marathons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
only two hours of hiking, Ahmed said we have reached the picnic spot – but I said
we must keep on hiking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Once in the
village of D’knt, I was served very tasty beans. It was freezing so I spend a
couple of hours in my sleeping bag reading before going on a walk around the
village where he handed out sweets to the children. And it was only after I
asked for some boiled water to wash in that the owner came to switch the geyser
on – so after a nice hot shower, I crawled into my -10° sleeping bag. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOlwK4dzDbhqKXdHiHHorbHNhmnNx6GNMNCJ6wpy_5Nk3xVdNhzRjn95DKkh4Tbu32Y1j06VPK9Nx8O8BOk8KDxz6mO9_tzVoyMs_GlNEGjHsB7skLDVogWBf6UM4y165TcDsJhi1MTkO/s1600/3+Manuska.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOlwK4dzDbhqKXdHiHHorbHNhmnNx6GNMNCJ6wpy_5Nk3xVdNhzRjn95DKkh4Tbu32Y1j06VPK9Nx8O8BOk8KDxz6mO9_tzVoyMs_GlNEGjHsB7skLDVogWBf6UM4y165TcDsJhi1MTkO/s320/3+Manuska.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Manuska</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">28th of
December:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must have gotten only two
hours sleep – and read Angela’s ashes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My face was all swollen but I did feel a lot better after having some
coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also announced that our nameless
mule was going to be called Manuska. It was a pleasant hike and Ahmed played
nice Berber music. After passing a village, we stopped for lunch – once again
very tasty beans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtwrKVKNO7v86GYePiVvzMRplrm-KV9cNYQXwsvRfsDJhXPhRyLPRjn_0SvyDisJFSFmeAV8q8z47MgDyPHPVtpJq3MNBBc9NkCy-YGfQnwMJ6a6qVKPVmeopNA8rsoqpzkxEsLZKRkc6/s1600/6+Picnic+along+the+way.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtwrKVKNO7v86GYePiVvzMRplrm-KV9cNYQXwsvRfsDJhXPhRyLPRjn_0SvyDisJFSFmeAV8q8z47MgDyPHPVtpJq3MNBBc9NkCy-YGfQnwMJ6a6qVKPVmeopNA8rsoqpzkxEsLZKRkc6/s320/6+Picnic+along+the+way.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lunch along the way</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I do not normally eat
beans so I was unsure about the amount of gas it will produce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lovely hike and we ended up in a
guest house where the American couple were also staying. That evening, we were
entertained by all the guides/muleteers and cooks singing and beating on
anything resembling a drum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pretty
tired and slept like a log.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">29th of
December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt neglected at breakfast
but maybe it is because I told the cook I don’t need all the food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not even have a plate and shared some
of Katherine and Alan (Americans) food. I noticed that Katherine’s eyes were
puffy and introduced her to the benefits of Pilex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is quite normal for me to end up very
bloated and unattractive after a day or two in the mountains and the hemorrhoids
cream helps to reduce the puffiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In
2009 I did the grand traverse with 5 ladies from Cape Town and we all got a bit
bloated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One morning I woke up and I
could not see a thing. I gave one shout “YES!”, thinking that my eyes were
swollen shut but unfortunately it was just my beanie that crawled over my
head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left at 8:30 and I could not
help laughing when Amid told me one of the other groups guide had no clue how
to get to Imlil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said he must help him
– but we stopped for tea at a lady friend of his.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone had a great laugh when the smoke got
into my eyes but it is nice travelling on my own – I don’t get treated as a
tourist. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeG2GChGK7UrVbQNqvn0axZMCI4vQOupdkqyopzX0RrRIFlvwsWEFD2bQloLgZPbtRWCLdOdPogznRMS7ocyp0qhKfGuH4kJRj1wCRvnCj2eca5vD6GvdtPUTqZdkfLyGB3tqAqJ0PxoC/s1600/7+Picking+up+litter+along+the+way.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeG2GChGK7UrVbQNqvn0axZMCI4vQOupdkqyopzX0RrRIFlvwsWEFD2bQloLgZPbtRWCLdOdPogznRMS7ocyp0qhKfGuH4kJRj1wCRvnCj2eca5vD6GvdtPUTqZdkfLyGB3tqAqJ0PxoC/s320/7+Picking+up+litter+along+the+way.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Picking up litter along the way</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I felt very
clumsy crossing scree/hard ice but trust I will get my confidence back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were getting closer to a popular path and
unfortunately we started to encounter litter left by tourists. Hamid joined me
when I started picking up the litter and once on top I was introduced to Omar –
the head of the association who cleans the mountain. I informed Hamid to tell
me to calm down when I get too excited before I start shouting at any potential
litter bug. Once down in Mzik, I was very surprised to discover that he has
arranged a mule ride to my next accommodation. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCvRaRcMIF5LrBDy9nBztP5hmo-C6bsFWfUhuHBCQDTDHXp-6XB_E3lzvJMqY4RFtCHe9jtFMxHe9IWhTHEEfj4_mhTKBW0pyewonZzJY500EE1sCJajE3o2MBtuJoC_4F5oWqpKrkHDs/s1600/8+My+mule+ride+down+to+another+village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCvRaRcMIF5LrBDy9nBztP5hmo-C6bsFWfUhuHBCQDTDHXp-6XB_E3lzvJMqY4RFtCHe9jtFMxHe9IWhTHEEfj4_mhTKBW0pyewonZzJY500EE1sCJajE3o2MBtuJoC_4F5oWqpKrkHDs/s320/8+My+mule+ride+down+to+another+village.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>My mule ride down to a village</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I felt lazy and sorry for my
mule, but Abrahim, the muleteer talked non-stop and it was no use trying to
tell him that except for ‘tranqual’, I did not understand one word during the
30 minute ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It got freezing and I
was relieved when we finally arrived at the guest house where I had to settle
for a luke warm shower. Lhoucian, my cook/muleteer was waiting for me at the
guest house – and I ordered two coffees. I was, however told to first finish
the first one. It did not take long and he was pretty impressed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">30<sup>th</sup>
of December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not get too far
before I had a spectacular fall on the slippery ice. My hiking pole broke off
but luckily, Lhoucian was able to fix it in such a way that I could still use
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just loved all the colourful
displays of cold drink and fruit along the way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was quite surprised to get to the refuge so
soon and spend some time with a dog and her 5 puppies before settling down in
my dormitory. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCjWltBZfcVbcaOYrpGTzcjzGouxz_nqSvQVUHDvCu_rRLAIVJQgu9GUusWbUkOuf0XMVTJwGq5hjapmZObTADIUdZP4xwas1RWsUHEz-tAM_IdXKS5P41yp3xI_4nZzAi6e-Wyfb7-f5/s1600/9+On+my+way+to+the+refuge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCjWltBZfcVbcaOYrpGTzcjzGouxz_nqSvQVUHDvCu_rRLAIVJQgu9GUusWbUkOuf0XMVTJwGq5hjapmZObTADIUdZP4xwas1RWsUHEz-tAM_IdXKS5P41yp3xI_4nZzAi6e-Wyfb7-f5/s320/9+On+my+way+to+the+refuge.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>On my way to the refuge</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I also discovered that I had one extra day in Morocco and asked
Hamid to phone Rachid and arrange that my driver picks me up one day later and
that we stay another night on the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was exhausted and stiff and after claiming my space in the dormitory
and a nice shower, I joined the rest of the tourists in the lounge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mohammed, the colourful guide arrived with
his group – this time he had on an orange scarf and I tried to take a video but
the place was too busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I started
chatting to the tourists around me and when Hamid sat next to me, I shared my
thoughts that the guy with a beard that was staring at me for quite a while
must be a terrorist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it turned out
that he was only doing his PhD in Chemistry and he was from Argentina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I convinced his girlfriend who was doing her
PhD in Physics to climb to the top as well – and till this day I was not sure
if it was good advice or not – and hope her experience did not put her off
mountains for life. I also chatted with Aziz – who stayed in Marrakech and
invited him to summit with me. I could see the relief on his face. I gave Hosen
€30 before he left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I shared the
dormitory with 19 other people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">31<sup>st</sup>
of December: At first, my neighbour in the dormitory battled to sleep – but
once he managed, his snore was impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have learned long ago that earplugs does not work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was told that we would leave at 3:30, and
was ready by 3:00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we only left at
4:00 and it felt as if we raced to the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was huffing and puffing and as usual, it was freezing on top and the
wind was howling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJYAECdLx7NjTfT0Wez5ODyKnh7wTiweQPnvPDMOA8EdBh9qUmC3hNFBNuupyo3uddzy9RYfYBgixcXVFJnqeCBLpOXJcOrY1AE3tYAig5gFyqXLeCV0tXUDYUX3srD3r1NyFwmq7DQ45/s1600/10+On+top+of+the+mountain+-+it+was+freesing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJYAECdLx7NjTfT0Wez5ODyKnh7wTiweQPnvPDMOA8EdBh9qUmC3hNFBNuupyo3uddzy9RYfYBgixcXVFJnqeCBLpOXJcOrY1AE3tYAig5gFyqXLeCV0tXUDYUX3srD3r1NyFwmq7DQ45/s400/10+On+top+of+the+mountain+-+it+was+freesing.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>On top of the highest mountain in Morocco</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">My camera’s batteries
were flat but besides the batteries freezing, I discovered later that the
camera was not working properly so it was not just me forgetting to bring extra
batteries.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">After watching the sun rise
whilst dancing to keep warm, we started the steep downhill.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpTy8SzTERIcWX4C8NeDOpR-QUKt8yvVo2LQjHhcBkBpObyXsMc1mCueNvs6_H2XfDxshiRppuX5Go5noe4er-KG39xTTWI1yP3uGp8WNbnVvJrwGtbsWLAoeXYK8gLtlc1Hvmvyb1fj8/s1600/11+My+guide+holding+on+to+me+to+make+sure+I+don%2527t+slip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpTy8SzTERIcWX4C8NeDOpR-QUKt8yvVo2LQjHhcBkBpObyXsMc1mCueNvs6_H2XfDxshiRppuX5Go5noe4er-KG39xTTWI1yP3uGp8WNbnVvJrwGtbsWLAoeXYK8gLtlc1Hvmvyb1fj8/s320/11+My+guide+holding+on+to+me+to+make+sure+I+don%2527t+slip.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>My guide walking behind me to make sure I don't fall</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was not comfortable with Hamid racing down
but he did look after me and at one stage, he walked behind me holding both my
hiking sticks to make sure I don’t have another spectacular fall. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It was only
later that he told me that he was petrified that I would slip since I had
normal rain pants on instead of ski pants and I would be unable to stop myself
from sliding. 20 Minutes away from the refuge, I felt something giving away in
my right boot.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I could not find anything
wrong with my boot.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bummer, it must be
my extra-long big toe that went through my brand new fancy hiking socks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Once at the
refuge, my legs were shaky and I took of my boots. Thank goodness, my expensive
socks were intact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was my toenail
that took a severe knock. My first aid kit consists out of diaree, stomach
cramp, anti-inflammatory and panado tablets, mole skin and plasters came in
handy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least a plaster would keep the
toenail in place. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I wanted to
spend another day on the mountain. The refuge was overbooked so it was decided
that we would hike to another hut where we would spend old year’s eve. Whilst
we waited for another porter/cook that was send up to accompany me and Hamid to
the hut, I enjoyed some coffee (and their food) with other tourists. My legs
were still feeling shaky, my toe was throbbing and I was getting gatvol of
waiting, so I mentioned to Hamid that we could go down to Imlil if it was so
much trouble. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">But a Russian tourist convinced me that the hut was just around
the corner and offered me more coffee to calm down. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Finally we
set off, shaky legs and all. I have developed my own technique of climbing
mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as the going got
tough, I would start counting till a pre-determined number before I took a
break and look back to encourage me. The number I counted to depend totally on
my tired level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was semi positive and
started counting till 30. It was not all that successful – as soon as I got
into a rhythm, I would fall through the snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I tried the ‘kick with my crampons method’, but sometimes the snow just
gave way and later my legs felt like lead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>1, 2, 3, 4 fall. 1,2,3,4,5 … fall. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">When Hamid
said he was going to walk behind me because we were going to go through a
dangerous section I just thought to myself:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>‘No ways!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would rather stick to
landmines, deserts, snakes etc. but no more scary slopes for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was becoming a granny and I guess it was
time to start acting sensibly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turned
out to be an ambitious hike – and the hut was definitely not ‘around the
corner’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Hamid told me that it was
about 5 minutes to the hut, I told myself ‘yeah right! I am from Africa and
don’t believe this 5 minute or around the corner stories. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I’ve never
been so happy to see a hut before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
new ‘cook’ had to help me remove my frozen crampons and boots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked Hamid if I could close the door and
use the ‘entrance’ to change into dry clothes – but he must have misunderstood
me because he showed me the sleeping place above the lounge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was freezing and got undressed in my
sleeping bag and they must have thought I have gone nuts with all the moves I
made in my bag. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Two Spanish guys have
pitched their tent because they refused to pay $100 for the hut, but they used
the kitchen and I guess the amount of alcohol they consumed helped against the
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWfCAjdgQHBo6aKmw9SqpEZC-J_sjjftQuirOl0sF7blTlPeIa5g-8qQWRAfUgoY6FfZCaLqzR-m2mYKJEh_8QmISLX7pz_b0IIp_tGZxYBq-iFiWf8bDQpnyEA8JWgPdFmj1gIuELpMc/s1600/12+Our+boots+were+frozen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWfCAjdgQHBo6aKmw9SqpEZC-J_sjjftQuirOl0sF7blTlPeIa5g-8qQWRAfUgoY6FfZCaLqzR-m2mYKJEh_8QmISLX7pz_b0IIp_tGZxYBq-iFiWf8bDQpnyEA8JWgPdFmj1gIuELpMc/s400/12+Our+boots+were+frozen.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Our frozen boots outside the hut</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After visiting the loo, which was
just about covered in snow, I decided that I was definitely not going to step
out in the dark and that I was going to keep a bottle handy. Of course, the
fact that the water was kept running in order for the pipes not to freeze did
not help. My toe was throbbing and I covered my foot with layers of clothes
just to prevent me bumping it against anything. It was old year’s eve and
although freezing, I was extremely happy. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">1<sup>st</sup>
of January 2017. After being woken by the Spanish guys who got ready to explore
the mountain for some nice skiing slopes, I sneaked around the corner to empty
my bladder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was freezing and was
definitely not going to go to the snow filled loo further down. Besides having
a phobia of being stuck in local transport for hours with a full bladder, I
also have a fear of falling to my death whilst going to the loo on a mountain.
I made sure I was packed before having a nice omelette but then I was informed
that we are going to stay another night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It might have been the original plan or it might have something to do
with the fact that our boots were still frozen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I could just picture myself trying to squash my throbbing foot inside
the frozen boot and definitely did not complain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I unpacked and got back into my
sleeping bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Around 12:00,
I joined the rest of the team in the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our boots were out defreezing in the sun, the three Moroccans were
listening to music and I was reading Alan Paton’s cry the beloved country. After
some time in the sun, I went back to bed and started reading the book from the
start again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Spanish guys got back
extremely late and I can only say I take my hat off to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was freezing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">2<sup>nd</sup>
Of January 2017.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Day 7 in the mountain –
and I decided to have some chocolate spread on my bread for breakfast. When we
set of at 9:00, the wind was howling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And we set of an avalanche. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">3nd of January 2017. After pancakes and very sweet tea for breakfast, we hiked down to the village where I bought some crystals before driving back to the airport in Marrakesh. Morocco is truly a beautiful clean country and my faith in people has been restored. I was already missing the Atlas mountain. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">After my trip to Cape Verde, I was eager to get back to South Africa. My newly grandson was waiting – but it was two days before my flight back and I stayed in Marrakesh. The market is one big maize – and I am terrible with direction. I did venture out a bit – but not too far and the store owners realised soon that I was not going to buy anything. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NgtT5Tcbcxp6us3VmNosreIbmrzSrD8lZXyQ4tx0r7EafVy9_sy-wcARHJM_8PPQir-xh6MBbAx8Efy-lrmF8m78lKzZr5gRhlunoVOMw661Oxwwb2oeRylR8yF9v19xol69KBME3kpQ/s1600/13++My+toe-nail+did+not+survive+the+steep+downhills..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NgtT5Tcbcxp6us3VmNosreIbmrzSrD8lZXyQ4tx0r7EafVy9_sy-wcARHJM_8PPQir-xh6MBbAx8Efy-lrmF8m78lKzZr5gRhlunoVOMw661Oxwwb2oeRylR8yF9v19xol69KBME3kpQ/s320/13++My+toe-nail+did+not+survive+the+steep+downhills..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>My toe-nail did not make it all the way</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-46596945604848763192015-12-30T08:14:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:45.947+02:00Seychelles - Morne Seychellois<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">24<sup>th</sup>
of December: On the spur of the moment,
I decided to visit Seychelles to climb the highest peak. There were only three African countries I
haven’t visited where I did not need a visa. I knew very little about the
island – just that Morne Seychellois was only a 45 minute easy hike from the
tea factory. It was, however peak season
but things always work out and a friend of mine’s uncle managed to find me
‘cheap’ accommodation for ‘only’ €35 per day.
Al he wanted was 6 milk stouts and some biltong and whiskey for the lady
that arranged the accommodation for me.
Two hours after I received his e-mail, my flight was booked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">25<sup>th</sup>
of December: Finding milk stout at the
airport? Instead I bought more whiskey
and biltong. Sometimes I forget how much I love travelling. I love to watch the
people waiting at the airport, meeting new people and sharing their excitement
upon arrival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I loved the
island the moment I stepped off the aeroplane.
At the airport, I drew some Euros, a lot more that I expected to spend,
but since I travel a lot, I knew it would come in handy in the future. It was
magic driving past Victoria with the Christmas lights all lit up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My flight was
delayed and I only arrived in Bel Ombre after 22:00, where I was pleasantly
surprised with the apartment. It was
humid and I really appreciated the air conditioner. Falling asleep with the
sounds of frogs, fruit bats and the sea, was incredible. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7eVQ422LJvEPDV46Ih7ra6j3aj83WzmshdQbAZXS2y_4-FVxJL2XFx-2XJbItEpqJmeSFihgwazwMENQxSIzs6PA0r8vRUHdsubmB0NJjFVG1UREGCxpJLb3ZVpqmiVNnvbus56k2ki5/s1600/Villa+La+Cachette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7eVQ422LJvEPDV46Ih7ra6j3aj83WzmshdQbAZXS2y_4-FVxJL2XFx-2XJbItEpqJmeSFihgwazwMENQxSIzs6PA0r8vRUHdsubmB0NJjFVG1UREGCxpJLb3ZVpqmiVNnvbus56k2ki5/s320/Villa+La+Cachette.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villa La Cachette - a lovely place I stayed in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">26</span><sup>th</sup><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">
of December: I woke up in lovely Seychelles with only a printout of the hikes I
googled and showed my landlady, who was on her way to visit family for a week, I
gave her a list of all the hikes. She gave me a map and showed me where they
were on the map, but it was all Greek to me. I felt like an idiot and then she instructed
her husband to drive me to all the starting points.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I was just as clueless as before but I took
some useless GPS readings and at least I now knew where the Anse Major hike
started.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5Vyjo1hJ2tV1apFr3VvLU_aCXbRH3b6hfTLeH5EwKewmhtSvc6R4EmvDO3vnJuwhf-J03PrQPn9CbM1dFtnPYwOAaMEigpMlialy-723DG67EnOkVdFeOuUrMnbbXfgkskobUFP1kKdu/s1600/Danse+Glas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5Vyjo1hJ2tV1apFr3VvLU_aCXbRH3b6hfTLeH5EwKewmhtSvc6R4EmvDO3vnJuwhf-J03PrQPn9CbM1dFtnPYwOAaMEigpMlialy-723DG67EnOkVdFeOuUrMnbbXfgkskobUFP1kKdu/s320/Danse+Glas.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the Dans Gallas Trail</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I was dropped
off at the start of the Dans Gallas trail – according to the book, it is the
most strenuous one. The view was magnificent
and after 90 minutes, I bumped into a couple coming down. “We couldn’t find the path to the top – so
good luck”. I hiked for another 30
minutes before the path disappeared. I was on my own and the reason I was in
Seychelles was to climb to the highest peak. It was silly to risk injuries so I
turned back. Because of the humidity,
the sweat was pouring off me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Once down, I
started walking. After walking for quite
a while on a tarred road, I remembered that my landlord mentioned something
about ‘whatever you do, do not turn right!”.
I have, of course turned right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Ages later, I
stood in front of a police station. I
only had a piece of paper with the apartment’s address on and asked a passing
lady if she knew where it was. She
looked at the paper, looked at me, looked at the paper again and burst out
laughing. She then said I must take a
bus – and when I said I would prefer to walk, she burst out laughing again. I
definitely made her day – if not her year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Eventually I
stumbled through the apartment’s door having had enough excitement for one day.
I sat on the veranda and listened to the bats, sea and birds. Tomorrow, I was
going to see the view from the highest peak in Seychelles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">27<sup>th</sup>
of December. It was raining and although the bus service is pretty good, the house
sitter offered to take me to the bus station in Victoria. While waiting for the bus, I showed <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0CaNR8Ab2sOmOCFjJ3xorPRVSLLCkaqXC51UQcAf63_XYmDtmd3eKBTPGtEg1kH5yySgwQEudrO7Dv6VJEDuaffyJ6M_phyphenhyphena63QEzSa-40QpSYs8Bzp0zrHdwgU4n4AhArgZ0tDZIS2V/s1600/Victoria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0CaNR8Ab2sOmOCFjJ3xorPRVSLLCkaqXC51UQcAf63_XYmDtmd3eKBTPGtEg1kH5yySgwQEudrO7Dv6VJEDuaffyJ6M_phyphenhyphena63QEzSa-40QpSYs8Bzp0zrHdwgU4n4AhArgZ0tDZIS2V/s320/Victoria.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bus station in Victoria</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
the map
to the guy sitting next to me, and realised with a shock that I was on my way
to Morne Blanch instead of Morne Seychellois.
He suggested that I take the same bus as him, get off at Sois Sois and
then take another bus to the tea factory.
Although I made several “small” mistakes, I was finally on my way to the
highest peak in Seychelles. I was also able to buy a local sim card so I could
at least phone the house sitter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Just to make
double sure, I asked a local if this was the way to Morne Seychellois. He looked stunned, shook his head and told me
that I definitely needed a guide but that everything was closed because it was
a Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I was given
the number of the sports centre and told to phone the next morning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The next
moment a tourist stopped and before he could ask me for directions, I told him
I was also lost. He said his son can
drop me off – but then I discovered that he was going on a hike and this was
how I ended up hiking the Copolia trail with a German. It sure was my lucky day. Not only have I discovered that I needed a
guide to get to Morne Seychellois, I
also got a lift back to my apartment with the tourists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIg64bwmWW7r2oGxUCx_uvVz3DCo1QPigg5AfDMsPdFMiD0Hp_xo5kY1I_V4LPXK2hW66PGzLP6JW_VoKbpQRcpPPsnkYuf44uNspk-y2lDFFxD4zeaYlrGYASpR5oVgvdoJxVtwcEcHC/s1600/Bat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIg64bwmWW7r2oGxUCx_uvVz3DCo1QPigg5AfDMsPdFMiD0Hp_xo5kY1I_V4LPXK2hW66PGzLP6JW_VoKbpQRcpPPsnkYuf44uNspk-y2lDFFxD4zeaYlrGYASpR5oVgvdoJxVtwcEcHC/s320/Bat.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Batman's Fruit Bat"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It was still
early and I decided to do the Anse Major trail.
I was told that it was at the end of the road so I could not get lost
right? At the start of the trail I met
Richie aka Batman who invited me to meet his fruit bat. After a while, I bumped into a couple who
told me that they were lost. I guess I
might have gotten lost as well but eventually we found the trail to the
beach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCft-ieHZdrOJhh5fSOCKvmQK63JppTkkcq5jfK8tzM9anHFUeSU84KYqLphGIfmxQEnsZQi-oiOVgJug3O84o8Wf0YFozN7iWkjNXv7BQXpgOvaaqWZb57u_3nr_5JGL9O36CS_d0aVyI/s1600/Batman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCft-ieHZdrOJhh5fSOCKvmQK63JppTkkcq5jfK8tzM9anHFUeSU84KYqLphGIfmxQEnsZQi-oiOVgJug3O84o8Wf0YFozN7iWkjNXv7BQXpgOvaaqWZb57u_3nr_5JGL9O36CS_d0aVyI/s320/Batman.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richie aka Batman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">After a quick
swim, it was time to hike back and then I sat down with Richie aka Batman who
entertained me with hilarious stories<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I had to buy
some water but missed the shop closest to the apartment and ended up at the
police station. After hiking just about
the whole day, I was pretty tired but at least I was getting to know my way around.
I had one more day left in Seychelles and my evening was filled with nightmares
about not reaching Morne Seychellois.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">28<sup>th</sup>
of December. I woke up early to discover that my phone was not working. With the house sitter’s assistance, I finally
got through to the sport centre and the lady that answered informed me that I
definitely needed a guide but that everyone was on leave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I begged,
explained my situation and then just as I was about to burst into tears – she
told me she will see what she can do. It started to rain again and for some
reason, I still thought I needed to get to the tea factory so the house sitter
drove me once again to Victoria Station.
After a while I got a phone call from Francis – who offered to take me
to the top for RS5 000. I only had
RS1000 on me and told him I will EFT the rest – still thinking I am halfway to
the start of the trail. I had no
choice. If I postponed my flight and
stayed another day or two looking for a cheaper guide, it would cost me at
least RS5000. I told him I will go back
to BelOmbre to get the rest of the money.
Thinking I would have to go and draw more money, it was such a relieve
to find out that I had exactly RS5350 left of the ‘extra money’ I drew at the
airport<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvWOAv6oPZLeb7Y7kCgd_1tT-qHUnMaEP1pIhhyphenhyphenMwxjnZPRfOfwaDDJaxy8VtyZrPzGOjBoXsutFYuPUXsVinbW8yD_pENEOdrLs2-vtbpull4jhcMOHdMKR70p9Ohz-0p7zf0QelZIWG/s1600/Swimming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvWOAv6oPZLeb7Y7kCgd_1tT-qHUnMaEP1pIhhyphenhyphenMwxjnZPRfOfwaDDJaxy8VtyZrPzGOjBoXsutFYuPUXsVinbW8yD_pENEOdrLs2-vtbpull4jhcMOHdMKR70p9Ohz-0p7zf0QelZIWG/s320/Swimming.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going for a quick swim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">An hour later
we were on our way and I was informed that it would have taken ages to pick me
up at the tea factory and that it was already very late to start the hike. I
had my doubts about being taken for a ride, but I had no choice. It was still
raining and already 12:00. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It turned out
to be quite a jovial hike and both of them had great senses of humour. We came
across snakes, hedgehogs and a lizard. I was told that I was lucky because not
everyone sees animals. During the 5
hours it took us to get to the top there was constant laughter. He also mentioned
that most of the people turn around a quarter of the way into the hike and that
his boss had to almost beg him to take me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> In the beginning I asked him if this was a
special price and he said yes – it definitely was. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I then said I
will also just charge him RS5000 to take him to the Drakensberg and of course, we
all laughed. He turned out to be the
Sports Director and travels a lot with children to other countries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">And then we
were on top of Seychelles highest peak and it was like paradise. The trees were
covered by ferns that only grow where there is no air pollution. Francis told
me that people thinks he photoshopped<b><span style="background: white;"> </span></b>the
pictures he takes of the trees. It was
raining so unfortunately I could not take a lot of pictures during the hike.
But then the clouds opened up, something that does not happen that often once
it starts raining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmiu3FIyfq8k8ag1ZN87NS8MEgwU_WkCWy9mHD-xep7x6OVAAE1eQ6LNWg1zvQmD4k93BneZPTgIXZZdE1p0nZfBnhS68DEJWDcS1WIMfkzP25EEsuuD1m__IH4SEkrOzD0HHOWLuQVlV/s1600/Top+seychelles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmiu3FIyfq8k8ag1ZN87NS8MEgwU_WkCWy9mHD-xep7x6OVAAE1eQ6LNWg1zvQmD4k93BneZPTgIXZZdE1p0nZfBnhS68DEJWDcS1WIMfkzP25EEsuuD1m__IH4SEkrOzD0HHOWLuQVlV/s320/Top+seychelles.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On top of Morne Seychellois</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">They just had
to make another joke showing me where I would have ended if I followed the
‘trail’ from the tea factory. Since it
was getting dark, we did not stay long.
At one stage Jimmy stopped to tie the lace on his pants and Francis
said: ‘you better fasten your seatbelt.
This means Jimmy is going to run down!” And we did it in 3 hours. I felt like Jane swinging from branch to
branch and they told me that they were surprised that I was so strong, which
definitely restored some of my self-confidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I was dropped
off at the apartment and although soaked throughout and muddy from some falls,
I could not thank my guardian angels enough for how things turned out in the
end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Using a taxi
in Seychelles is extremely expensive but I could not get hold of the person who
offered to take me to the airport. I was getting in a flat spin and then there
was a knock on the door and Debbie, the lady who arranged the apartment stood in
the doorway. She was there to collect
her whiskey. It also just happened that she
worked at the airport and gave me a lift there the next morning at 06:00.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">And this is
why I love travelling. Meeting
interesting, kind people, seeing beautiful places, getting out of my comfort
zone – and yes, every now and again I tell myself I am going to stop being so
impulsive and give my guardian angels a break. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
</div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-42210694540961883412015-11-17T19:17:00.000+02:002019-09-04T11:26:41.522+02:00Mauritius - Piton de la petite Riviere Noire aka Black River Peak<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Climbing
Mauritius’ highest peak, sounded like a holiday in paradise. At my best, I am
not so great with directions and maps – so when Christa Van Schalkwyk started arranging
accommodation and transport for our trip, it was such a welcome relief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, 5 star hotels were out of the
question but after searching for ‘cheaper’ accommodation, we stumbled upon the Mountain
View apartments.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We
arrived after 19:00 and our taxi driver was waiting to take us to La
Gaulette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trip started off great.
Our taxi driver took the wrong turn-off but the roads are narrow in Mauritius
so he was forced to put a lot of extra kilometres on his speedometer before we
were back on the road to La Gaulette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The road is also very winding and travelling at 80km/hour, I got carsick
for the first time in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I was
pleasantly surprised by the accommodation and Shan, the owner, who went out of
his way to assist us.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">T<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he next morning at 6:00, we started our hike to Le Morne Brabant, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was told that it was pretty exposed, but I chose to ignore that bit of information and by talking just about non-stop with the rest of the group, I missed all the exposed parts. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div align="left">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpvQVL6I0L4LZ0ZuflFu6wBElwfb1Xex3ST1lCZ5O3mMm8uODMSorOWEKEQ94GZN_tN3ThUgJKFy6OOojvvGES4Pu6W0wOrxKdcLAmV_JMfb39tynivW4192gvsyal-hxfwsGC1N3OztR/s1600/Day+1+B+Noeksie+%2526+Jan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpvQVL6I0L4LZ0ZuflFu6wBElwfb1Xex3ST1lCZ5O3mMm8uODMSorOWEKEQ94GZN_tN3ThUgJKFy6OOojvvGES4Pu6W0wOrxKdcLAmV_JMfb39tynivW4192gvsyal-hxfwsGC1N3OztR/s320/Day+1+B+Noeksie+%2526+Jan.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><em>On top of Le Morne Brabant</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Christa
was ready for the beach and asking around, we were told that the beach in Le
Morne was only 5 minutes away. In most of the African countries, you are told
that whatever you are looking for is just around the corner – or not very
far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Mauritius we were told that
whatever we were looking for, was only 5 minutes away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It felt
great to be lying on the beach with my hiking boots on and no-one seemed too
surprised when I walked into the sea wearing my hiking clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Getting
back to La Gaulette was another matter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were told that we could wait all day for
local transport and we were advised to hitchhike, which we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scared and surprised when a truck with 3 guys
stopped – but we got in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The driver
refused to take any money and by now I was very impressed by the friendliness
of the locals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Lying
on my bed, I heard an ‘explosion’ and ran outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The electrical cable was on fire and the
people next to us said it is extremely dangerous. I decided to grab my passport
and get away as far and as fast as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have, after all, still a lot of mountains I want to climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was convinced that nothing was going
to explode, after this quick getaway, I looked into my backpack. I had packed
in my passport, wallet, a clean set of undies, my favourite shirt and a book to
read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">For the
rest of the evening we had no electricity and decided to have some cocktails
but since we were on a tight budget, we got some cane and orange juice at the
local supermarket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could not find any
‘umbrellas’ and settled for birthday candles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whilst sipping our ‘cocktails’, I realised that using burning candles
instead of decorative umbrellas could end up with my hair scorched. Since we had
already an eventful day, I decided to extinguish the burning candle. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shan arranged transport to the highest
mountain in Mauritius for the next day.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Kunal,
our taxi driver for the day, arrived at 06:00 and it was only after a while
that we realised that he did not know that we wanted to climb Black Rock
peak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we had to go all the way back to
where he dropped us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some reason I
thought the hike was only 30 minutes, but it turned out to be 3 hours. I loved
the forest, and every now and again I had to hug a tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last part was surprisingly steep. We used
the ropes that someone put in place. The view from the top was breathtaking. We
spent at least 30 minutes on top admiring the view. </span> </div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4mYaLyuYRr957nsnXMqFVQvgQHX8VW7ulev2S326r10Rm6R4OIUXSu4kFAgeRA0_soEvaZy1Wjqtk6PtVJnZ-3ZPdwSta6GiLMVb1P1nFLD50V0mnKJp1JFLvQXJQ4RBZ51YQcjUuoLs/s1600/Day+2+CG+Top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4mYaLyuYRr957nsnXMqFVQvgQHX8VW7ulev2S326r10Rm6R4OIUXSu4kFAgeRA0_soEvaZy1Wjqtk6PtVJnZ-3ZPdwSta6GiLMVb1P1nFLD50V0mnKJp1JFLvQXJQ4RBZ51YQcjUuoLs/s320/Day+2+CG+Top.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><em>What a view on top of Mauritius' highest mountain</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Then it was time to go
down. Taking it step by step, whilst clinging to the ropes, we finally made it
past the steep part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t image
anyone getting down without using the ropes – and definitely not after some
rain. Our taxi driver was there to pick us up. Can you believe that he gave us
a discount, because he did not have to travel too far?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so uplifting to realise that there are
honourable people around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That
evening, after watching an amazing sunset, we had some cocktails (it was happy
hour after all) whilst listening to a local band. It was Sunday the next day,
most of the places were closed but we managed to find a taxi driver willing to
take us around. The plan was to visit the 7 coloured earth dunes, hike down the
7 waterfalls, visit the temple and then have a swim on a nice beach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Our
appointed taxi driver picked us up at 08:30 and then our ‘tour’ started. After
visiting the 7 coloured earth dunes, we were taken to a view point where we
could ‘see’ the 7 waterfalls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
told him we wanted to hike down, he stopped at a remote ‘view point’ and we
started ‘hiking’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty soon we
realised that we were dropped off at the wrong place and started to hike
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lucky for us, we bumped into a
couple in love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They said we must follow
them......<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turned out to be the 5
minute story again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of “5
minutes’ later, we arrived at a very well-marked path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked the girl to explain to our taxi driver
where we must be picked up and she told him it was in front of a temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a steep hike down, I had to jump into
the pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once back, we realised that
our taxi driver was still missing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
couple of phone calls later, he arrived, apologizing profusely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was waiting at a different temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCrGxjQZxij2rOmIfAANzoY1Nc9047wRwwMdgNjS9CZTw5mBOtDROk-i9vfcE9IBcPGQTWAqHnP810famrdhfy9Nxl7ijFDFJ3NDu6kGJ1bAGixP-ReV4iziB-l2E0W8xHrEIdxOG3_FM/s1600/Day+3+G+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCrGxjQZxij2rOmIfAANzoY1Nc9047wRwwMdgNjS9CZTw5mBOtDROk-i9vfcE9IBcPGQTWAqHnP810famrdhfy9Nxl7ijFDFJ3NDu6kGJ1bAGixP-ReV4iziB-l2E0W8xHrEIdxOG3_FM/s320/Day+3+G+4.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><em>Abseiling down a waterfall</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Looking
for a nice beach where we could swim on a Sunday was not the greatest idea.
Busloads of people were everywhere and when we had to use a toilet, we had to
compete with 20 other people getting dressed in a 2 X 6 m room. To celebrate
another adventurous day, we stopped for more cocktails.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
same taxi driver who drove us from the airport arrived to pick us up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I opened my window, fastened my seatbelt and
tried not to vomit whilst he drove 80 km around the bends, abruptly stopping for
every speed bump in the road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was
definitely a great adventure and realising that there are countries where the
people are honest and so helpful, was so inspirational. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-75041596712312797132015-05-31T09:19:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.411+02:00Egypt - May 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 1: After missing my
flight to Cape Town 2 months ago, I made sure that I was first in the queue to
board the aeroplane.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">On my way through,
the security guys noticed something suspicious and discovered a scissor in my
bag.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was unaware that it was in my
first aid kit but since it was blunt, I was allowed to keep it. But then the
security guy spotted the cable tie that was supposed to keep my mascot Fluff tied
to my bag.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was told that it could be
used against me and was solemnly confiscated.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I asked for a seat next
to the exit, but the lady clearly misunderstood me or maybe she’s never seen
the inside of an aeroplane before. I found myself in a seat that could not
recline in front of the toilet. Luckily the aeroplane was not full and I moved
the second the safety belt sign went off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I now found myself behind a guy who occupied the 4 seats in front of
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was clearly an ADD sufferer – and
on a scale from 1 to 10 – I would definitely rate him as at least an 8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did not sit still for a second – and every
now and again I had to duck and dive as his arms would come flying to the back,
missing my face by inches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The guy occupying the 4
seats behind me had a broken leg and every time (which was way more than the
average person would) he got up to get something from his bag – he would bump
my seat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was stuck between a rock and
a hard place. Most of the passengers claimed 4 seats and I was definitely not
going back to the seat that could not recline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I have just found a
position to avoid being hit in the face and kicked in the back when I was
served my vegetarian meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not consider
myself a vegetarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just don’t eat
meat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Announcing that you are a
vegetarian, they will serve you mushrooms, onions, garlic the works, which I do
not eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I have forgotten about this
– and lo and behold – there was my meal and mushrooms were the main ingredient.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">At 4:00 we were woken
and breakfast was served. Since I asked for a vegetarian meal, I got 2 dry buns
and fruit salad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the
passengers got a fresh croissant and fruit salad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Day 2: I knew about
airports and being harassed – but I have done some googling and was adamant to
take a taxi (No more than EP100) to the bus depot where I would wait for 6
hours before getting on the only bus going daily to St Catherine’s which would
take eight hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was going to see the
sun rise on Egypt’s highest peak, Jebel Katerina and nothing was going to stop
me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Whilst waiting patiently
for my luggage, I was approached by a guy who worked for the tourism board. He said
he could get me a taxi for EP300 which will include a trip to the pyramids
before the depot drop off. He also said that I was misinformed and that there
were regular busses to St Catherin’s. I was going to pay EG100 for the taxi
plus spend 6 hours waiting for a bus so it seemed reasonable to pay EG200 extra
for some serious site seeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">It was all
legal – I got a receipt and was introduced to Safat, my driver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped in a shop at the airport to buy
some water, but it turned out that the owner did not have change, so Safat paid
for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A full EP20. Just before we
left, Carlos, his friend jumped in the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It turned out that Safat could not speak one word of English and needed
a translator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The first question asked
was:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How old are you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Second one:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where is your husband?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Carlos fell head over
heels in love with me for some bizarre reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9DZ7FH0tUqpgyGLqmKys8x4AhUrtITawGEVNWn9buMWGRLX8-aWXGBipvyR6OPNg8twkfQfH3HgcA7xRyCLIGllw2ItBpoyy0QJsSIBmZITNuMunGp-ijAYhAyfycvq5EOUX-zzRHZvu/s1600/2+An+unexpecteed+visit+to+the+piramids+-+and+my+first+encounter+with+the+crazy+drivers+in+Cairo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9DZ7FH0tUqpgyGLqmKys8x4AhUrtITawGEVNWn9buMWGRLX8-aWXGBipvyR6OPNg8twkfQfH3HgcA7xRyCLIGllw2ItBpoyy0QJsSIBmZITNuMunGp-ijAYhAyfycvq5EOUX-zzRHZvu/s320/2+An+unexpecteed+visit+to+the+piramids+-+and+my+first+encounter+with+the+crazy+drivers+in+Cairo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Unexpected visit to the <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">pyramids</span></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">I was utterly surprised
to see so many different modes of transport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cyclist, donkey carts, horses, busses, motor bikes, camels and the local
white kombi taxis driving with the engine open. And at least 70% of the drivers
were smoking whilst driving on all the modes of transport. I have been warned
about the traffic in Cairo, but it was not that bad – until I realised it was
only 07:00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Once at the pyramids, I was
told that it would cost EP150 for a horse cart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I objected, saying that I was under the impression that the EP300
included everything. The price came down to EP80. The gates only opened at
08:00 and I was taken to a balcony to admire the view. By now, Carlos has told
me that I was very cute and that he can’t believe I am not married.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Finally the gates
opened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I paid the EP 80 to the guy who
organised the horse cart discount and although I am not a big fan of history,
it was a nice trip in the horse buggy driving around the pyramids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one stage, we stopped and the driver said
he will take a picture but I must put my arm in a certain position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It came out brilliantly – and seemed as if I
was holding the pyramid in my hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was then asked by an<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>elderly
gentleman if I wanted my picture taken on a camel with some local clothes on –
it was after all for free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not
fall for that one – although in hind sight – maybe I should have had one taken.
But then maybe not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">After 30 minutes, we were
back at the gates and the horse guy asked for his EP80.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I sort of exploded and said I was under the
impression that was what I was paying for at the gate.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He left a bit grumpy and
Carlos and myself walked around the place a bit.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">By now, I was starting to feel really
uncomfortable.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He was looking at me as
if I was an apparition telling me that I was so cute and that he would like to
get married to me and do whatever I wanted him to do.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It could have been my imagination but he
looked quite sad when I declined his offer.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He tried one last time by asking me what it was exactly that I was
looking for in a husband.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Outside, my taxi driver
was having a small argument with a shop owner who wanted him to pay EP20 for
parking in front of his store.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">After
getting some water from a shop, the fun started.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I discovered that the taxi driver had no clue
where the bus station I was supposed to get the bus to St Catherina, was.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He drove around smoking
all the time for what seemed like hours stopping at places asking for
directions. I was getting quite agitated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How could he not know where the place was? The clock was ticking and
luckily I did not fall for Mr Tourism guy’s story that there was a bus to St Catherin’s
every hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not consider myself a
tourist, see historical places and buy souvenirs. I wanted to get to the
mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We finally got there 20
minutes before the bus left. When the taxi driver asked for EP20, I just about
exploded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lack of sleep, the knowledge
that I was not ‘your normal tourist and that I was most probably being ripped
off”, I do suffer from this fear of having a full bladder whilst having to
drive for hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew this trip would
take 8 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bus driver confirmed
my fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No toilet on board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">By the time the bus
arrived, I have been up and down the stairs 3 times to visit the loo. On my 3<sup>rd</sup>
visit, I was accosted by a very hostile looking ‘toilet’ attendant. I hurriedly
explained my irrational fear to her in Afrikaans and gave her a hefty tip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Just before the bus turned
the corner I looked back and there she was standing at the exit – a perplexed
but not unhappy expression on her face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMfcIJQLgy_yfCM4bgk91gO74-OFEjxUJE6K2wrY5DOzNg4nQ4zn4_87GG1wIOQlkuJ9wakkF4qGyglmoTojyLknfJFzUTahx7wQVCUb6H-P6EBGNQ9fG6ipZSC6xdNDghrajt8a7PLv7/s1600/15+The+bedouin+camp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMfcIJQLgy_yfCM4bgk91gO74-OFEjxUJE6K2wrY5DOzNg4nQ4zn4_87GG1wIOQlkuJ9wakkF4qGyglmoTojyLknfJFzUTahx7wQVCUb6H-P6EBGNQ9fG6ipZSC6xdNDghrajt8a7PLv7/s320/15+The+bedouin+camp.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Bedouin Camp</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Sitting in a bus I now noticed that there was not one scratch free car on
the road. 8 Hours later, after a brief
stop for lunch, we arrived in St Katherina’s. I had no clue what awaited but
followed a fellow travelers advice. I
got in a taxi – and was dropped a full 50 m further at the Bedouin camp! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">At first I thought it was
crazy to keep extra blankets in a room but it did turn chilly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 3: Group of extremely
loud volunteers + they arrived at midnight + they left at 04:00 slamming doors
+ gravel = maximum of 2 hours sleep for me. Since the kitchen was still closed,
I settled for a breakfast I won’t recommend:
Muesli in cold water. I do,
however lose my appetite when it is so hot so it was not a problem. I was an
eager beaver and went exploring – and discovered after taking my 4<sup>th</sup>
picture that I left my camera’s sim card at home but luckily I was able to buy
one. Note to myself: Get more organised! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Things moved at a slow
pace but I was finally informed that I would start my hike to Egypt’s highest
peak – St Katherins at midnight – which will enable me to see the sun rise on
an African Peak.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The camp is not the
quietest of places.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The lounge was a
popular place and people kept on dropping by – unfortunately, it was very close
to my room. But I drifted in and out of sleep.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I just love hiking at night and was eagerly waiting outside the camp for
my guide (Farham).</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Salah, the owner of
the camp who seemed to never sleep, was also sitting outside the gate and told
me to make a wish before I start the hike. I made two: I wanted to stop the
anger inside me after being emotionally abused two years ago and I wanted to
start trusting people again. </span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvzeD7aUpGxbsjhonwRx3WD1rTzec4xUuY-Ig_tPyS5VfopDZP2NlvahqWhBuBRvn0NMEubFIcu1PJHQf96f0YxMB7VW4ixio8ZzMCxwVYp74gXD8MUI-kXQvdVRwsZJ68AfBPqJ3wr_H/s1600/11+My+guide+on+top+of+JEbel+Katherina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvzeD7aUpGxbsjhonwRx3WD1rTzec4xUuY-Ig_tPyS5VfopDZP2NlvahqWhBuBRvn0NMEubFIcu1PJHQf96f0YxMB7VW4ixio8ZzMCxwVYp74gXD8MUI-kXQvdVRwsZJ68AfBPqJ3wr_H/s320/11+My+guide+on+top+of+JEbel+Katherina.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My guide on Jebel Katherina</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 4: Our hike officially
started at 00:30. My guide, Farham
smoked and coughed non-stop and I must admit, I got quite a fright when I saw
his yellow teeth. The 6 hour hike turned
into a 4 hour hike so it was still dark when we arrived on top. My guide lit a
candle in the hut on top and whilst I waited for the sun to rise, he took a
nap. It was freezing on top, but when he started to make a fire inside the hut
whilst smoking non-stop, I decided to wait outside the hut. It was not long before I was offered 2 cups
of tea and a cup of very welcome coffee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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</w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I expected the hike down
through a valley with no distinct path to be a walk in the park but it turned
out to be a huge park. Except for scree,
the first stretch was easy. Then came the huge boulders. It took me 30 minutes to get over the fear of
falling down whilst just walking down most of the boulders and my hiking sticks
remained in my backpack. After an hour, I was convinced that I was going to lose
a toe-nail or two. I also got over confident – jumped to the next boulder and
excruciating pain followed my landing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The next stretch was
through a river bed and every time I had to bend my left knee, I was in
agony. Trying not to put strain on my
left knee left me with an aching bum muscle after 20 minutes and trying to be
positive, I reminded myself that at least I am not just going to focus on my
aching knee. I started to count to 3 –
one two three and imagined myself dancing.
It helped a bit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">When Farham asked me if I
was okay – I pointed to my knee before giving him the thumbs up. According to
him, the next stretch to the village would take about an hour. It turned out to
be stairs and a nightmare but I made it.
When we passed his house, he ran inside and came out with some
anti-inflammatory for my knee. I was
also invited to his house for supper. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">After a siesta, my knee
felt a lot better. I was planning to see
the sunrise on Mt Sinai the following morning, which meant I would have to
start hiking at 01:00 – but common sense told me to take a break. I had, after all still a lot of mountains to
climb. At 18:00, I went to Farham’s place where I met his family and had some
very sweet tea. I declined supper and on
my way back, I bumped into Salah, who said we can go and watch the stars at
22:00. I dozed off and when my alarm
went off, I got up reluctantly. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I did get a bit worried
when he told me that the road changed a lot and we missed a turnoff or two, but
we did get to the eco-lodge eventually. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 5: I got a lift to the
monastery and felt really special not to be treated like a tourist. I have a
problem with too many choices so choosing which crystals to buy turned into a</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yON-yT6prUgTifCy7xJhRhhjDKxp7Ej7uXLAyt_ssXNAevH22FAkz9xmK4D74oPeOVIA50rmlolVgnF5KXuFuTuGhmEfGRClz7XlYpvTd-9pacdUWyY-YZX_eafD0rV08Ocu_YYQWGLj/s1600/16+The+crystals+at+the+monastry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yON-yT6prUgTifCy7xJhRhhjDKxp7Ej7uXLAyt_ssXNAevH22FAkz9xmK4D74oPeOVIA50rmlolVgnF5KXuFuTuGhmEfGRClz7XlYpvTd-9pacdUWyY-YZX_eafD0rV08Ocu_YYQWGLj/s320/16+The+crystals+at+the+monastry.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crystal shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
nightmare but I was more than happy to get a lift on a camel back to the
camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>At 13:30, I started hiking to Mt
Mousa with Fahar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a terrible
sense of direction and when he told me at the basin to hike up on my own, I got
a bit pissed off but I found the steps eventually and started to cry almost immediately.
This was the holiest of all the holy mountains yet it was covered with litter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was mesmerized by her and very
emotional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was unsure of where I was
supposed to go with my life and when I asked God what I was supposed to do – I
got the answer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t have to do
anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GzJVWvIu8UTnDuz3G_RXGdS77rYxheo6Z0D4ESy2ONOn05H5G1pg4qor7rwTwQF7yhPh_XW3dYMOkd9XzWH8q8WPLLhXYCtXPOjWJrMCGG7SnZEzMX_gsGxXOvhsvzvXrvOuS-_SUKyT/s1600/1+A+shop+on+top+of+Mt+Mousa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GzJVWvIu8UTnDuz3G_RXGdS77rYxheo6Z0D4ESy2ONOn05H5G1pg4qor7rwTwQF7yhPh_XW3dYMOkd9XzWH8q8WPLLhXYCtXPOjWJrMCGG7SnZEzMX_gsGxXOvhsvzvXrvOuS-_SUKyT/s320/1+A+shop+on+top+of+Mt+Mousa.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A shop on Mt Sinai</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I did not want to leave, but I
was scared of getting lost in the dark and after a while, I reluctantly
followed two tourists going down to the basin. There are shops along the stairs
to the top but because of a decline in tourists, most of the shops were closed.
We went down the easy way via the monastery and I could not help but laugh when
I saw some tourists wearing masks, going up to the top on camels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not think the camel I was given a lift
on the morning was smelly at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fahar
was supposed to arrange a lift back, but I guess all the smoking got to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily someone took pity on us and we got a
lift back to the camp, where I declined his supper invitation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-l8T-0xyYFw9KcESLyQjAesZoBI9Q0vYdg3NmvI5FHVJAz04Xan5bUfYY1u8wdpRItZ4nkStPjZB9EZapguMyQa2zJ2Fp8l7_GNgONl69Hjkxmhnb_nY6IdNaT1YDg8EwMUXYTHnd5ua/s1600/18+The+view+from+the+top+of+Mt+Sinai.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-l8T-0xyYFw9KcESLyQjAesZoBI9Q0vYdg3NmvI5FHVJAz04Xan5bUfYY1u8wdpRItZ4nkStPjZB9EZapguMyQa2zJ2Fp8l7_GNgONl69Hjkxmhnb_nY6IdNaT1YDg8EwMUXYTHnd5ua/s320/18+The+view+from+the+top+of+Mt+Sinai.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mt Sinai</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWZYmMXNM7Cau98j02-OyILH57TZ1lTDoQRmvARe4O890n258LPtpISZgtilUbLWv3JIATdI-9EDHP-009ft_VGImIhAfs4-hLErfSS_Ws7ZHVjJGk7x0S0wkYZv_13w_GpaNaHauPcKQ/s1600/13+No+wonder+I+wanted+to+stay+another+2+weeks+-+which+I+did+in+the+end.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWZYmMXNM7Cau98j02-OyILH57TZ1lTDoQRmvARe4O890n258LPtpISZgtilUbLWv3JIATdI-9EDHP-009ft_VGImIhAfs4-hLErfSS_Ws7ZHVjJGk7x0S0wkYZv_13w_GpaNaHauPcKQ/s200/13+No+wonder+I+wanted+to+stay+another+2+weeks+-+which+I+did+in+the+end.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The view from the top of Mt Sinai</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6rw1OyrVKJeOmB4xB7ImvJ6PaS8E6nYhMZLinuLY5bOp_QKo6H0Ao6fZ6guasO7LYKZFL0VobbIfNy_k0HvouAOswRpaNe9lVOJbIE9Apk-dvufoIRZPvqhcZ6h7W9E8b17Ld6aAfCu4/s1600/14+Sunrise+on+Mt+Sinai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6rw1OyrVKJeOmB4xB7ImvJ6PaS8E6nYhMZLinuLY5bOp_QKo6H0Ao6fZ6guasO7LYKZFL0VobbIfNy_k0HvouAOswRpaNe9lVOJbIE9Apk-dvufoIRZPvqhcZ6h7W9E8b17Ld6aAfCu4/s200/14+Sunrise+on+Mt+Sinai.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sunset on Mt Sinai</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 6: I was waiting patiently for the bus when I discovered
I still had the key to my room. I ran
back and a guy passing me asked me what I was waiting for? When I said the bus – he grabbed my bag and
we ran to the “real” bus depot and I made it just in time. Watching the sun set
on top of Mt Mousa, I considered staying – but here I was, sitting on a bus I
almost missed, on my way back to crazy Cairo. I felt blessed and happy after
deciding to follow Salah’s advice to live with my heart.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was not even aware of
any conflict in Egypt until I got to Mt Sinai and on our way back to Cairo, there
were army guys all along the road – some sitting in canons but I did not ask
any questions. The bus driver dropped me
just before the station after I explained that I was going to a hotel close to
the airport. I then showed a taxi driver
the address of the hotel. Driving in
Cairo is past crazy but as soon as I looked worried, the driver would shake my
hand and say ‘Fish Kabal’ and laugh. He
did not even stop when he bumped into a car in front of us. When we stopped in front of the airport, I
showed him once again the address of the “Helioppis” hotel. He looked shocked, said ‘Fish kabal’ and off
we sped – to the wrong hotel. I was tired
and stranded with only 17 EP on me.
Luckily the receptionist took pity on me and explained to Mohammed,
another taxi driver that I only had 15 EP on me and that he must take me to the
Helioppis hotel. It was yet again
another misunderstanding and he only calmed down after I told him he could take
me to the airport early the next morning and that I would have enough money on
me. Since my flight was at 5:15, he would pick me up in front of the hotel at
2:30 to take me to the airport. Before
he screeched off – he shouted that I must be in front of the hotel by 2:30.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 7: I discovered that I
had to be at to the airport earlier and because I did not have my slightly
aggressive taxi driver’s phone number, I took another taxi to terminal 3 at the
airport. He did not know a lot of
English words and kept on saying: "</span><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">No
worry, Your’re welcome and I love you, I’m sorry"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The airport, however was
humongous and after driving around for 20 minutes, he said “I’m sorry, don’t
know the place. I love you. At one stage I said I love you too. He stopped, turned around and said I love you
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I got there in time. The guy in front of me refused to take his
shoes off before going through the x-ray machine but his friends persuaded him
after 15 very long minutes. At the check
in counter they said there was a problem with my ticket but 20 minutes, everything
was cleared by the manager. And then
they discovered that my Morrocan visa has expired before I even left South Africa. It was 2:30 and I was devastated. I got a taxi back and at the hotel, a fuming
Mohammed was waiting. I explained to him
about the change in my flight time and it was only after the door man explained
to him that he cooled down. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I explained to him that I had to be at the bus
shelter at 11:00 and that he can pick me up at 10:00. I had no choice; the universe has decided
that I was going back to Sinai. By now,
I could not sleep for more than two hours.
I was up at 5:00 and started looking for a sim card. Cairo was no walk in the park and traffic was
hectic so I walked alongside an elderly couple whilst crossing the road,
praying that I won’t be hit by a car. I
was waiting anxiously outside the hotel but when Mohammed was not there by
10:10, I jumped into another taxi – and I could just imagine Mohammed swearing
when he arrived finally. But it turned out to be a good decision. The traffic
was crazy as usual and I got to the bus station just in time. This time, I was greeted very friendly by the
loo lady and the bus crew. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Back at the camp, I was
welcomed like a lost daughter and I was told that they knew I would be back. It
is what it is and I slept for 8 hours straight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 8: Around 11:00 I was
off to Abbas Bashe with a new guide. After
stopping for a very long tea-break, we got to the magnificent top. Coming down my new guide helped me to pick up
litter and back at the camp, another hike was arranged. I was then told that
tourist <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxd21gK0-5E_a_4N33ALrmSgrkZRkgkHvq9bN_bm3gnpohWklY3s8CRGZPMcmjqEjOEctHKa-_UY4MO0DIFs8lSWubCek64ox9bEBS7We0-QjIKfBgPkCU5_aczCDvj25B9aye0-FonPb5/s1600/10+My+guide+going+down+to+pick+up+litter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxd21gK0-5E_a_4N33ALrmSgrkZRkgkHvq9bN_bm3gnpohWklY3s8CRGZPMcmjqEjOEctHKa-_UY4MO0DIFs8lSWubCek64ox9bEBS7We0-QjIKfBgPkCU5_aczCDvj25B9aye0-FonPb5/s320/10+My+guide+going+down+to+pick+up+litter.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My guide picking up litter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
stopped coming to Egypt and instead of the guides working one a week,
it was only once a month now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Omar, a friend I met
there, bought me a very nice falafel. Pickled onions, feta, gherkins – but I
soon discovered that it was not the best meal to have before a hike. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was flabbergasted when
one of the teenage boys asked me to tell him about sex. I tried to hide my discomfort and googled
‘how to make love’ and almost had a heart attack when I got onto what must have
been, a porno site. I then googled ‘how
to kiss’ – and got more or less the same video.
I was in shock and felt sorry for the poor boy, which surely must have
been traumatised. I was obviously not
the best sex educator and gave up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I only brought one book to
read with me – and after reading it for the second time, I was ecstatic to find
another English one and started reading – only to discover that 100 pages were
missing – which was better than reading my book for the 3<sup>rd</sup> time I
guess. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 9: Normally I have
muesli in my coffee for breakfast. But the kitchen was closed so I used game mixed
with cold water instead and it turned out to be the worst breakfast I have had
in my entire life. But Africa is not for
sissies and I needed the energy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">My 3<sup>rd</sup> guide on
this trip arrived, he had the worst teeth I have seen on a human and snorted
the whole time. But he smiled a lot, sang
a couple of songs and once on top, he shared his bread and eggs with me.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2B2JPPWMftzFPpMc7CYe9fvOXjzoRctbg2AEkIqnASi89tliEyh3KmwmFm70t-kVQ-nKaC6sslbmD5UOwY1aoKHAObihYXvROh4snR2u1YSzSId0TXt5Ritpo_SAzlD1b8uQ4zsDrlIP/s1600/17+The+view+from+the+top+of+Jebel+Bannat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2B2JPPWMftzFPpMc7CYe9fvOXjzoRctbg2AEkIqnASi89tliEyh3KmwmFm70t-kVQ-nKaC6sslbmD5UOwY1aoKHAObihYXvROh4snR2u1YSzSId0TXt5Ritpo_SAzlD1b8uQ4zsDrlIP/s400/17+The+view+from+the+top+of+Jebel+Bannat.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The breathtaking view</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Going down, he saw me pick
up a tin. The next moment he grabbed a
bag and started picking up litter. I
could sense his love of the mountains.
Once the bag was full, he would make a fire to burn the rubbish before
we started hiking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Back at the camp, I
decided that I have had enough of provitas, laughing cow & nuts and ordered
an omelette – which turned out to be fantastic and made up for the horrible
breakfast I had.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDl_B9zS52cr6vRY5YW7sLrk3r1JaKjz7v0bA0_SvLWi6ddy3JNejdXQslmvn57_Y6gdyN8xlFdJDrwsd7WR2WG4U8ZpapmKHWIB0_EvSHtkrAzik5hcWqsC_5Uq60wPFcOQg7wFNwJ2V/s1600/9+Meeting+with+the+Environmental+Chief+to+arrange+a+cleanup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDl_B9zS52cr6vRY5YW7sLrk3r1JaKjz7v0bA0_SvLWi6ddy3JNejdXQslmvn57_Y6gdyN8xlFdJDrwsd7WR2WG4U8ZpapmKHWIB0_EvSHtkrAzik5hcWqsC_5Uq60wPFcOQg7wFNwJ2V/s320/9+Meeting+with+the+Environmental+Chief+to+arrange+a+cleanup.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With the Minister of Environmental Affairs arranging the cleanup</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 10: After another
lovely omelette for breakfast, I walked to the monastery and after my sleeping
pattern of only sleeping for two hours at a time, I was pleasantly surprised to
find myself napping from 9:00 till14:00.
I then set of to buy some fruit and I was greeted by the surprised
shopkeepers who saw me leaving a couple of days before. I was restless and
started to talk about a clean-up of Jebel Moesah. The rest of the day I sat
around chatting to Omar and Higase. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 11: It was just
another ‘normal’ evening where I would sleep for two hours, read my book with
the 100 missing pages and sleep another 2 hours. By 7:00 we were on our way to
another peak. Our driver turned out to
be the teenager I still felt guilty about corrupting but he could not wait to
show me what he has googled about sex on his phone. I just shouted “NOOOOOOO!” before setting off
at an incredible pace to the top of the mountain. At one stage, I stopped along a field of
lovely flowers and when I asked if I can take a picture, I was told no – and
only realised later that it was a poppy field. I can understand that people
don’t feel rushed and after not seeing their friends for days – or even months,
they would like to stop and chat. But at
every ‘stop’ – and there were many – I was basically forced to drink very sweet
tea (and I normally don’t drink sugar in my coffee). I got a bit impatient and
finally saw the pick-up car 30m away but no – there was one long last visit –
and yes, I felt obliged to drink the very, very sweet tea. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Omar and myself went for
supper and since I am on the extreme fussy side when it comes to food – I
ordered eggs, bread and tomatoes – which was not actually on the menu. The eggs turned out to be raw, but at least I
had bread and tomatoes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 12: I spend the day in
the camp and started chatting to a Norwegian lady called Hilda. She was in St Katherins to see a doctor. 5
Minutes after meeting her, I was stunned when she told me that what I though
was anger inside me – was pain. I
accompanied her to the traditional healer and afterwards, I was taken to the
Parksboard, where I arranged a clean-up of Mt Moussa. I was given 9 big bags
and donkeys would be send up the next day to collect the rubbish and drop off
more bags. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 13: My guide and
myself started hiking at 5. There were
tons of litter along the way and <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNv-Tjnyjfi5THAJpqF-mu_q9VkV3uw8KKAGmp1XnahPH2-2pDg-HvgG0SsLU47St3ZN4-ALLbA2RQprurEOYQrPrHFOcck6BH4LQRdYl4bFGzYBYh4C-UNjCdBucty_7RrM2oH-R2tnyh/s1600/20+You+can%2527t+stay+clean+picking+up+litter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1600" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNv-Tjnyjfi5THAJpqF-mu_q9VkV3uw8KKAGmp1XnahPH2-2pDg-HvgG0SsLU47St3ZN4-ALLbA2RQprurEOYQrPrHFOcck6BH4LQRdYl4bFGzYBYh4C-UNjCdBucty_7RrM2oH-R2tnyh/s320/20+You+can%2527t+stay+clean+picking+up+litter.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's impossible to stay clean when you pick up litter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
6 hours later, I was dead tired and dying of
thirst. We got to Elija’s basin where I
was forced to have terrible noodles and whilst my guide slept, I cleaned the
camp. Then I was off to the summit, and
bumped into a dog who followed me all the way.
Two boys joined me picking up litter and I had quite a fall when I tried
to take a picture of them. They went down with two bags – but I have run out of
litter bags. When I asked a shopkeeper whose dog it was, he just said “Free
dog”. Free, who looked a bit sick to me,
became my shadow and after getting some warm clothes at the camp, <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfkBSGAt-t_LJVZP0PuWhXe5e1Vah1yhcixcWq_U-cN4-htzc09f0We3d4qUm7fifZMLhgJcOzpk1-FqZSDr77i1vMeDYLxZDeVRRjjYMtWvM-k20KIjtROqJO2q1EMDlm7n7rfpZGlbk/s1600/3+Free.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfkBSGAt-t_LJVZP0PuWhXe5e1Vah1yhcixcWq_U-cN4-htzc09f0We3d4qUm7fifZMLhgJcOzpk1-FqZSDr77i1vMeDYLxZDeVRRjjYMtWvM-k20KIjtROqJO2q1EMDlm7n7rfpZGlbk/s320/3+Free.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free, the mountain dog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
we headed
back to spend more time admiring the majestical mountain. Elija’s basin is a ‘shelter’ surrounded by a 2
meter wall and although my guide forgot to get a key, we were able to get
inside by climbing over several ‘obstacles’. Once back at the camp, I ‘stole’
some of my food the guide tried to force me to eat and gave it to Free. One moment he was there and the next he was
running up a cliff like a wolf. It was
getting dark and he watched me from the top – all I could see was his
silhouette and his eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">My guide was visiting his
friends and I was more than happy on my own.
Just before I fell asleep, I suddenly saw Free lying in front of me,
staring at me. I gave him more bread and
started to worry that he might attack my guide when he climbs over the wall and
how I was going to get him over the wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 14: When I got up at 4
– Free was gone. He was, however waiting
with a smaller dog where the steps started.
I was so glad to see him. I
walked up and once down, he stayed. I
noticed that there were no bags and decided to go down the mountain to get him
some medicine. I felt terrible. When he followed me down the steps, I had to
throw a stone at him<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YnJjNEtXb-7fqo9O0q2jhv3KXBneFTLMOsQBJUjSkW0XVx4OlSwas1QdkXM772v6N66bIYyHYroYjhUch1L9IJiO3BdXJ3HPjhVKx3RC_gtStX9ZffIlGWNoaqZsPj49e-p_mNSxfq18/s1600/4+Going+down+the+3000+steps+of+repentance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YnJjNEtXb-7fqo9O0q2jhv3KXBneFTLMOsQBJUjSkW0XVx4OlSwas1QdkXM772v6N66bIYyHYroYjhUch1L9IJiO3BdXJ3HPjhVKx3RC_gtStX9ZffIlGWNoaqZsPj49e-p_mNSxfq18/s320/4+Going+down+the+3000+steps+of+repentance.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going down the 3000 steps of repentance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
= but I was not sure what the other dogs in the village
would do to him. When I told Salah about
it – he said I should not worry about him – he would come down if he needed
help and that he’s done it before. I
decided to hike back and find him<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 15: I did not sleep a lot and we set off at
04:00. After hiking for an hour, I
started to feel dizzy. The previous
year, I had a couple of episodes and the doctors first said it was mini
strokes, then epileptic fits, anxiety attacks and finally – no one could tell
me what caused the episodes. I could not
speak properly and even walking 1 meter turned out to be a battle. I was totally disorientated. Mohammed, my guide phoned sheik Mousa – first
of all to inform the army that we would be coming down so we won’t get shot and
secondly to come and assist me getting down the mountain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Salah finally arrived and
together with Mohamed they assisted me down the mountain. They all thought it
was because I did not eat properly, did not sleep enough and climbed too many
peaks. Salah said we would go and fetch
the dog later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">After sleeping for ten
hours, I was forced to have some veggie soup.
I then told Salah I wanted to go and see the doctor – but he drove past
the one I wanted to go to. When I
mentioned it – he said he was a quack. He took me to another wise man who told
Salah that I see too far and that I never stop thinking. I was given thick yellow medicine to squirt
up my nose. Salah then took me to the
monastery and we found Free. He was very
reluctant to get on the bakkie, but I managed to pick him up. We bribed him with chicken feet to get him inside
the compound. Then he was treated on a
nice chicken meal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 16: Free was still in
front of my door – but when I left, I had to lock him in the bathroom. I believed he escaped as soon as someone
opened the door. He is a mountain dog
after all. This time, I was a seasoned bus traveller and really made myself
comfortable on the bus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As soon as we arrived in
Cairo, I took a taxi to the airport.
Once again, it was a ride out of hell.
I arrived at the airport 8 hours before my flight. I immediately bonded with a lady from Tunisia
and we spend 6 hours trying to spend E400 drinking coffee. I was told that I
could not exchange the money. Luckily,
my gal bladder survived the ordeal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Once through the departure
gate, I was basically forced to buy E400’s Tobblerone! What a difficult
decision. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I never expected the magic
of the mountains, or the kindness of the people. This trip really changed my life and from the
bottom of my heart, I would like to thank </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">th</span><span style="text-indent: -17.85pt;">e </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-indent: -17.85pt;">kind souls I met who</span></div>
</div>
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</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">told me to make a wish before
climbing St Katherins</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">told me that the past is gone and
to look to the future</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">took me to see the stars and told
me fascinating stories</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">cooked and always smiled</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">told me 15 minutes after meeting me
that it is not anger I felt, but pain</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">and that I should go to the
mountain and cry </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">helped to clean the holy mountain</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">helped me and carried me down the
mountain</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">told me that the reason I got sick
was because my mind never stops </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<o:p></o:p>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p>
<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> would also like to thank the
Moroccan embassy who stuffed up my visa and to the crazy drivers in Cairo –
they showed me that getting lost is not the end of the world. As long as
you have a sense of humour. </span></div>
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
<br />
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</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-49100921778299903652014-11-30T07:46:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.013+02:00Chad & Libya - November 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2c3d4f; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2c3d4f; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">T</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">he highest mountain in Libya, Bikku
Bitti, is in one of the most remote, least accessible and least known parts of
the Sahara Desert. This region was selected by NASA as the earthly region most
similar to conditions on Mars. The area is unfit for human habitation and there
are periods of 20 to 30 years with no rainfall. There is no permanent human
habitation, no roads and no tracks – just the great open void. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Wars and conflicts have also played their part in keeping people
away. Although Libya has recently</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyNE-AxaOaJMJMaO8JqL24MYtCzM1Fp3kaK7OGKLN5fDszjPbL-TcEzXEJQSVBrIaXuoFN4LU2k6LWeJXvjOQjZhL7aRH739Sdk6qhLFZQmTdSdfruzAmOoYnw6GRj357F7V63xKpIK4C/s1600/A+snake+along+the+way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyNE-AxaOaJMJMaO8JqL24MYtCzM1Fp3kaK7OGKLN5fDszjPbL-TcEzXEJQSVBrIaXuoFN4LU2k6LWeJXvjOQjZhL7aRH739Sdk6qhLFZQmTdSdfruzAmOoYnw6GRj357F7V63xKpIK4C/s200/A+snake+along+the+way.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>We encountered this snake</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">started opening up, southern Libya is still
off limits, as is the Tibesti in northern Chad. This has created one of the
biggest areas in Africa that foreigners are not officially allowed to visit.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">My lifelong ambition is to summit the highest peak in each of the
54 African countries. I recently travelled 3615 km through the Sahara Desert,
one of the harshest environments where water is always scarce, to become the
first woman to summit this remote mountain. I was also the first African woman
to summit Emi Koussi, the highest peak in Chad</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwN9SG6O-BStpv3ckSfSKR4iea1AbdxbljsPhCxbX3ZzdefWr-0YcZ0Sltc9k8sM6Y4ug6-saLW6bnwdutNkyUOHalxKmi20wtEG_uw6_wPyI6c63045lWPVRnpsP1KkC8BdfcRerUdIuL/s1600/Landmines.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwN9SG6O-BStpv3ckSfSKR4iea1AbdxbljsPhCxbX3ZzdefWr-0YcZ0Sltc9k8sM6Y4ug6-saLW6bnwdutNkyUOHalxKmi20wtEG_uw6_wPyI6c63045lWPVRnpsP1KkC8BdfcRerUdIuL/s200/Landmines.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Unexploded weaponry</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The two mountains visited can easily be classified as some of the
most difficult mountains to reach in Africa. There is very little
infrastructure in Chad, communication is extremely difficult, and tourism is
almost non-existent, but I managed to get the necessary permits to travel to
the north with the assistance of a local guide. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">We encountered several minefields, unexploded weaponry, snakes and
scorpions on our way to the mountains.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">There
are no roads in this part of the desert and of course, the locals do not use
GPS equipment but always seem to know where they are going – after travelling
for hours through a desert with little or no landmarks.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0-1AGhjP9lzObzYxQ98tLDrt_7u9IiRB0oiehJcZ_C8x-BYSgp61QTvSAnmPClHkCuOhEFyde13J6TzEsSlUGHuxGi8kzReKUN4dJE0G5ic8QoyPEOB0FJOs_-Z6Rfu65pehJG4W77HO/s1600/Scorpion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1361" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0-1AGhjP9lzObzYxQ98tLDrt_7u9IiRB0oiehJcZ_C8x-BYSgp61QTvSAnmPClHkCuOhEFyde13J6TzEsSlUGHuxGi8kzReKUN4dJE0G5ic8QoyPEOB0FJOs_-Z6Rfu65pehJG4W77HO/s200/Scorpion.JPG" width="170" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A Scorpion we found</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">To
navigate through the desert and locate the highest peaks, I relied on GPS
equipment sponsored by NavWorld, who supplied two Garmin Dakota GPS units for
the trip. These units became very important when our team was split up due to a
vehicle failure and the serviceable vehicle had to head back 180 km though the
desert to the nearest town for spares. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">This vehicle was then able to navigate
back to the rest of our team stranded in the desert based on coordinates. The
units were also very valuable in mapping the location of water resources and
water rations which were left at strategic places and ensured that we could go
back to known sources of water when necessary.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9kBLdJS3dbDlX70kazvT5S9vElVGc5guxet8yQT52lIZbBxlByl7sxA3-pnj0cmJp7YZbkUZy0rkpA9hLmUHYE55X9vHbSDpflqsVtHPpN3g9I0hjg79e070JV5IZVSPHgnIEkDLgg3T/s1600/Our+last+water+for+750+km.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9kBLdJS3dbDlX70kazvT5S9vElVGc5guxet8yQT52lIZbBxlByl7sxA3-pnj0cmJp7YZbkUZy0rkpA9hLmUHYE55X9vHbSDpflqsVtHPpN3g9I0hjg79e070JV5IZVSPHgnIEkDLgg3T/s400/Our+last+water+for+750+km.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Our closest water was 750 km from the mountain</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_v4K1ACNOfL4C9GJlq_095ZauSOvD79x2qkGpqASkPv_XuwsAXyPQyfm_tvtT4_zksr58zLogkyMfEAwyCrN_8w798uROov9h4r9bIGv28_GV-J9kBW_9ALCMk49tnwYDiNnh4_0IDwpF/s1600/Not+the+first+time+we+pushed+a+vehicle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_v4K1ACNOfL4C9GJlq_095ZauSOvD79x2qkGpqASkPv_XuwsAXyPQyfm_tvtT4_zksr58zLogkyMfEAwyCrN_8w798uROov9h4r9bIGv28_GV-J9kBW_9ALCMk49tnwYDiNnh4_0IDwpF/s200/Not+the+first+time+we+pushed+a+vehicle.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>We had to push the vehicles several times</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Any
serious mechanical breakdown of both our vehicles would have left us stranded,
so we carried basic spares and repair items for the vehicles, 600 </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ℓ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">of
water as well as extra food rations to last two weeks, since surviving a walk
to the nearest population would have been extremely unlikely. If something went
wrong, it would have taken up to two weeks for help from N’djamena to reach us
by land.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Because
of my love for the mountains, I started a non-profit organisation in 2006
called Sunrise on Africa’s Peaks. The aim is to create environmental awareness
amongst the <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNg0MdwrLXfWVI9ciDdkUZ6bY894ZApNPb4fgrN5nt0v57FEldv2EdVyrlcAKKzW5EQ__Nvqhx9g3scsfF91-o2Js3zY6X4gXYEv4hpNTmMKj2_zu8BEAdwZXdbiTq7BDceVcGEAk_QUD/s1600/Prayer+Time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNg0MdwrLXfWVI9ciDdkUZ6bY894ZApNPb4fgrN5nt0v57FEldv2EdVyrlcAKKzW5EQ__Nvqhx9g3scsfF91-o2Js3zY6X4gXYEv4hpNTmMKj2_zu8BEAdwZXdbiTq7BDceVcGEAk_QUD/s320/Prayer+Time.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sunset in the dessert</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
vulnerable children in Africa. Amongst other things, the
organisation teaches children not to kill animals such as snakes, spiders, bats
and scorpions, so I objected strongly after a local killed a scorpion. But in
Chad more people die from scorpion bites than from malaria, and I realised
afterwards that many in the western world are close to medical help, and are
not in a </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">position to judge
people for the measures they take to stay safe in very remote areas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I am passionate about Africa, prefer to use local transport
and I feel privileged to have seen things few tourists experience. Being a
woman, some of these experiences were even more exceptional. In the Sahara, the
Toubou tribe do not allow women to mix with the men. Although I was not allowed
to eat with them, I <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaRT4O28tGew1Yngmd9f9ldv_o-b0auTeqTLvDUI2D0Cf64DfDBMbRaQ0qQGGmfo4tCfYLFimvm3F3Xy8I08OVMo7dNiPouAiguV8Ev7BK60ce2IotSnjEYcUDvQdNOEk5EnrFhip8UHl/s1600/Sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaRT4O28tGew1Yngmd9f9ldv_o-b0auTeqTLvDUI2D0Cf64DfDBMbRaQ0qQGGmfo4tCfYLFimvm3F3Xy8I08OVMo7dNiPouAiguV8Ev7BK60ce2IotSnjEYcUDvQdNOEk5EnrFhip8UHl/s320/Sunset.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sunset</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
was allowed into their huts and could experience the
interaction between the men. The fact that I was unable to use a drop of water
to wash during the ten-day trip into Northern Chad was not a deterrent at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bikku Bitti is located on the Dohone spur of the Tibesti
Mountains in Southern Libya. From driving along the spur with views that could
be out of the <i>Avatar </i>movie, to seeing the gentle locals in Chad praying
in the desert with the sun setting behind them, no picture would ever able to genuinely
capture the highlights of my travels. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Watching the millions of stars every
night and even the constant wind across the desert left a lasting impression,
and equally as beautiful was the experience of waking up in the desert to a
breath taking sunrise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3TFyBEkZpVUAc5ssc-LF_EMeUJQgKXFY-xLWnyGkFcBoguRBMyR-NtYuiLg7qOhk8kzu5aYapcAB9NNNDfppLnW7fZ_FJPXCGr6xcx2bLrggML6nGPYAiUqxBXoUbtRql4bg0w9WA5OP/s1600/Beautiful+pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3TFyBEkZpVUAc5ssc-LF_EMeUJQgKXFY-xLWnyGkFcBoguRBMyR-NtYuiLg7qOhk8kzu5aYapcAB9NNNDfppLnW7fZ_FJPXCGr6xcx2bLrggML6nGPYAiUqxBXoUbtRql4bg0w9WA5OP/s400/Beautiful+pic.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Taking pictures</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I have climbed the highest mountains in 31 African
countries so far, and I normally get the guides involved with clean-ups of the
mountains. In the desert, it was something else – burying the litter was not an
option so I started collecting rubbish and handing it to the guide to burn
after we had eaten. It took them five weeks to realise that the “crazy lady”
would only get in the vehicle once all the rubbish in the campsite had been picked
up and burned. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjah4OkatZPZoQ0NGCWR8CUkb_aXLgR13q4iVlH6ODNaUVIkWmuOfXUhPhSUmrtGapuOONvyX0dG7vPj0HNaLDmXuI8IoSJYUT_W5H-BWzSCuo88E-EHWvlj1JbIZMyYjpagfEyyKwtIoEU/s1600/On+top+of+the+mountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjah4OkatZPZoQ0NGCWR8CUkb_aXLgR13q4iVlH6ODNaUVIkWmuOfXUhPhSUmrtGapuOONvyX0dG7vPj0HNaLDmXuI8IoSJYUT_W5H-BWzSCuo88E-EHWvlj1JbIZMyYjpagfEyyKwtIoEU/s320/On+top+of+the+mountain.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>On top of the world</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">One of the scariest moments was when I was detained by the
security police at the airport after they noticed that I was using a satellite
phone – something that is illegal in Chad. Eventually the head of security, who
could not speak a word of English, dropped me off at my hotel. Whilst driving
there, he swerved left and right whilst showing me pictures of himself with
VIPs on his camera. I thought it would be really tragic to die in a car
accident in Chad before the seriously dangerous bit of the adventure started. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Once we were on our way up Emi Koussi, the highest peak in
Chad, I was convinced my porter was going to die. Mahadi had a heart condition
and we hiked alone for quite a bit. He was very stubborn and insisted on going
to the top. I was petrified that he would have a heart attack while it was just
the two of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Something that I have learned from my travels is that if
you want to live your dream, you sometimes have to let go of your own ego. I
met the kindest people, but learned that not everyone shares the same value
system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Follow your heart –even if your
adventure does not make sense to anyone else</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyttGHWegFnTZzG4IjB60_Kt4VJJdzMle3431toQC14Mva_1wYzGXU2vvhXx8WSUlRoSiRMbsTuNqPMVkXN55tWnyBufJENCyGYwCeqyGFAZHfA-aPR5UTSZxOf0HEaJtewY-PQmBjISEe/s1600/Stopping+for+lunch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyttGHWegFnTZzG4IjB60_Kt4VJJdzMle3431toQC14Mva_1wYzGXU2vvhXx8WSUlRoSiRMbsTuNqPMVkXN55tWnyBufJENCyGYwCeqyGFAZHfA-aPR5UTSZxOf0HEaJtewY-PQmBjISEe/s400/Stopping+for+lunch.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>There are beautiful rock formations</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQXLe_5zgPd_Til5AE3oX3y3XkHSJOb_ToMjcOV54n0SPHy7_ejpK2S8LwAmf1n-geiD2DHmDj-RpRQTAl-TpeKvHjModTDNJzFkUV89Lj-Ed6ZCf0iHqSd7c6JJJOkHC5yDegMp3gOgy/s1600/The+start+of+our+hike+up+Libya%2527s+highest+peak.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQXLe_5zgPd_Til5AE3oX3y3XkHSJOb_ToMjcOV54n0SPHy7_ejpK2S8LwAmf1n-geiD2DHmDj-RpRQTAl-TpeKvHjModTDNJzFkUV89Lj-Ed6ZCf0iHqSd7c6JJJOkHC5yDegMp3gOgy/s400/The+start+of+our+hike+up+Libya%2527s+highest+peak.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The entrance to the highest peak in Libya</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyKKeADDmoPqTSUzF-3LaWxafrEwp_vP9CKIqBRGnPeKnbZsjzt_RxL35Pg7pztDip7Qpm_q_taaIa2MwXSA3PTIUxhJB7FPkOpq5V1WKBzaFsc8WcimWbFKQtg8qymjZbHQRy1X4k1rf/s1600/tibesti-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyKKeADDmoPqTSUzF-3LaWxafrEwp_vP9CKIqBRGnPeKnbZsjzt_RxL35Pg7pztDip7Qpm_q_taaIa2MwXSA3PTIUxhJB7FPkOpq5V1WKBzaFsc8WcimWbFKQtg8qymjZbHQRy1X4k1rf/s400/tibesti-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Crossing the border to Libya</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvJdDX_K5Wr9K5wV_cPjmoReT1PIejXOkRi7qcnQ8rrIz4XxkMNxFGkOdXddm5NxwE6u0vZE4eD2vIQvdjyudgGmC2WqIaHE-ox0dus94zsqRB2pZZlWTowao3_TmBFJ2YD5DsdXnq1YU/s1600/Waiting+for+the+one+vehicle+to+be+fixed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvJdDX_K5Wr9K5wV_cPjmoReT1PIejXOkRi7qcnQ8rrIz4XxkMNxFGkOdXddm5NxwE6u0vZE4eD2vIQvdjyudgGmC2WqIaHE-ox0dus94zsqRB2pZZlWTowao3_TmBFJ2YD5DsdXnq1YU/s400/Waiting+for+the+one+vehicle+to+be+fixed.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Keeping myself busy whilst waiting for a vehicle to be fixed</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-46702332252810729522014-06-07T16:30:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:45.969+02:00Celebrating my 50th birthday on top of the Drakensberg<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There not a lot of hikers that can claim they have hiked up/down Rockerie and
Mweni Passes in the Drakensberg. Yet, Sarel Van Rensburg, 82 years old, did
this with ease to celebrate Karen Hauptfleisch’s birthday on top of the Drakensberg.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hzerPNeTODnux-xnF7Zi6lEPDUaBgDTTGDU90A14YVeOL4GTHgL2EHz8CKnhPBN6UIRhNY3qkabTPdFRNWykuKrf23gPZq1zUIoduxFIuDB4umUz5bH3OW_Dn-fuj80Aj8gYF9SE4HaZ/s1600/Karen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hzerPNeTODnux-xnF7Zi6lEPDUaBgDTTGDU90A14YVeOL4GTHgL2EHz8CKnhPBN6UIRhNY3qkabTPdFRNWykuKrf23gPZq1zUIoduxFIuDB4umUz5bH3OW_Dn-fuj80Aj8gYF9SE4HaZ/s1600/Karen.png" height="320" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Karen & Sarel on top of Rockeries Pass</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It
was a 3 day hike where they spend on average 12 hours hiking and slept in caves.
The temperature dropped down to -10º but his only ‘complaint’ was that he was
not as fast as before. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvI2P4JNS_F9rviWZuTX8kkULSDSC-cu1r944OM8Kotp_5PFa6Wlag6Rvv0ZhmXdnUe4EmMPzcUdzhgW-AoPY4MQPYLyYx7Os4EGv1_f1nvsuen9lXuF28rBr4RR2OsaGa_YbSXdeRacdo/s1600/Sarel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvI2P4JNS_F9rviWZuTX8kkULSDSC-cu1r944OM8Kotp_5PFa6Wlag6Rvv0ZhmXdnUe4EmMPzcUdzhgW-AoPY4MQPYLyYx7Os4EGv1_f1nvsuen9lXuF28rBr4RR2OsaGa_YbSXdeRacdo/s1600/Sarel.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Sarel ready for the hike</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSNaI6T4y9Rc444ql8MFxx6N5Vd-YRxXVFV4ja5PDidSg7oea6KhK-mNfbCeUZ9HMXeCf4BxFZm95v54tJhBJgcrScLc0I5guYFZXeaQ63PpZXm3N55_VGCPbc_ozJcDwqawA2qh8yfcG/s1600/Chris.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSNaI6T4y9Rc444ql8MFxx6N5Vd-YRxXVFV4ja5PDidSg7oea6KhK-mNfbCeUZ9HMXeCf4BxFZm95v54tJhBJgcrScLc0I5guYFZXeaQ63PpZXm3N55_VGCPbc_ozJcDwqawA2qh8yfcG/s1600/Chris.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Chris in his sleeping bag</strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">After climbing Kilimanjaro in 2002, Karen was introduced to the Drakensberg by Sarel and they spend several weekends in the Drakensberg where Sarel's passion for the mountains rubbed off on her. In 2004, she started with her project to see the sunrise on the highest mountain in all the 54 African countries. After seeing all the litter on top of the peaks, she decided to not just climb the mountains, but to also clean them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">To date, Karen has been to 33 African countries and
this has also inspired her to start the NGO, SOAPkidz, which has taken over
12,500 children into nature to experience the things she has seen in Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpHtgmmajZ9rJEdHA4AKBYS4tcf_m5Q_oCcHvybYPXREumWkREyN49TuAWdR2aUNHbwEmREFcotooYLm6uA_WjS3Gt5-miOUYUhmXlxKY98Aa7RDdDI6JLMOV9jLjZtU3eO5KUlTnXnFx/s1600/Chris+&+Sarel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpHtgmmajZ9rJEdHA4AKBYS4tcf_m5Q_oCcHvybYPXREumWkREyN49TuAWdR2aUNHbwEmREFcotooYLm6uA_WjS3Gt5-miOUYUhmXlxKY98Aa7RDdDI6JLMOV9jLjZtU3eO5KUlTnXnFx/s1600/Chris+&+Sarel.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Chris helping Sarel after a 12 hour hike</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Karen's travels into Africa has allowed her to live her passion for the mountains, people and the environment and she has many stories to tell about her trips where she avoids commercial ventures and takes her trips day by day which results in many amusing stories and adventures. <br />
<br />
Her next trip will be a 4 to 6 week extremely challenging trip to Chad through desert, where she will be the second person to visit the mountain. <br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-36444277933825875962013-10-17T20:17:00.000+02:002019-09-04T11:24:08.649+02:00Talking at FEAT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GTRtdHfhrKR_BPpX0GKRMOaajCSdJQhkEIstDS_rxVjvZhzteTNPS2uEImr2n6ooaBLDfiRD-ylExsDz0qvn4Tiyw4Vsr0LUg5cORET7GxT-a2NHOZ2_yMEvIY7WQTf9lvh9YMbbpX_l/s1600/With+Rest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GTRtdHfhrKR_BPpX0GKRMOaajCSdJQhkEIstDS_rxVjvZhzteTNPS2uEImr2n6ooaBLDfiRD-ylExsDz0qvn4Tiyw4Vsr0LUg5cORET7GxT-a2NHOZ2_yMEvIY7WQTf9lvh9YMbbpX_l/s1600/With+Rest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>The speakers</strong></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I was very fortunate to be invited to
present at FEAT 2013, which in my mind is the pinnacle of events focused on
adventurers and epic trips around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My talk was entitled<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>'Exploring
Africa's countries & highest summits'.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was one of 10 speakers from a diverse background talking about amazing
experiences and trips around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The speakers at FEAT Jo'burg on
Thursday, 10 October 2013 were:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 17.85pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Chris Bertish - 'SUPin' and surfin'
adventures'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 17.85pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Dave Joyce & Marco Broccardo - 'Crossing
the Empty Quarter'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 17.85pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">David Waddilove - 'From Meteorites to
Mandela'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 17.85pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Gavin Moffat & Ingrid Lotze - 'Really
mom, it’s not that deep!'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 17.85pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Karen Hauptfleisch - 'Exploring Africa's
countries & highest summits'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 17.85pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Kevin Davie - 'On the tracks of William
Burchell'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 17.85pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Nikki Candy - 'Space Camp'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 17.85pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Ray Chaplin - 'Facelevel expedition down the
Orange'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 17.85pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Ricky Goodhead - 'Expedition running'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 17.85pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Richard Kohler - 'Paddling South Africa's
coastline'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUbyAz4R89yz6VUPxSlOAipaeQUjkhq958jNeqHvK1Gu0Fho61td3v78SpowGiBu-bP0H3AEl9mK4XEVfaBC0-zYYWBGMbnOfTbHtfMGrR5N7djR6rjUpWEfeDd2mTayOEoQy1oPbCnd9/s1600/On+stage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUbyAz4R89yz6VUPxSlOAipaeQUjkhq958jNeqHvK1Gu0Fho61td3v78SpowGiBu-bP0H3AEl9mK4XEVfaBC0-zYYWBGMbnOfTbHtfMGrR5N7djR6rjUpWEfeDd2mTayOEoQy1oPbCnd9/s400/On+stage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">On stage</span></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The abstract to my talk was
"After climbing Kilimanjaro in 2002, the bug bit and Karen decided to
climb to the top of the highest mountain in each of Africa's 54 countries
(including the islands). Over the past decade she has travelled to more than 30 countries (</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.featsa.co.za/2013/05/karen-sees-the-sunrise-from-30-african-peaks/" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">http://www.featsa.co.za/2013/05/karen-sees-the-sunrise-from-30-african-peaks/</a>)</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">,
standing on top of their tallest mountains. These journeys are about more than
hills and mountains. Karen is exploring the countries of Africa, venturing into
remote areas rarely visited by foreigners. She's learning about the history of
country, meeting villagers and encountering more friendliness than
animosity."</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">You can see the talk at
</span><a href="http://www.featsa.co.za/2014/03/karen-hauptfleisch-video/" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.featsa.co.za/2014/03/karen-hauptfleisch-video/</span></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtBN8WytJQq3tWS5u1bUtyIo9Q1dU2dEuMvzwlgc-RDZnuM4S45Ay-oiATB9IKYlzcIxKPXdgPdg-Cg-chQXjuxEhaVQYd25Zlc7d2LGuR9cWYL_1x4kUbPpDDQR5ug5xp_gzP47PiBU5/s1600/With+Christa+and+Elize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtBN8WytJQq3tWS5u1bUtyIo9Q1dU2dEuMvzwlgc-RDZnuM4S45Ay-oiATB9IKYlzcIxKPXdgPdg-Cg-chQXjuxEhaVQYd25Zlc7d2LGuR9cWYL_1x4kUbPpDDQR5ug5xp_gzP47PiBU5/s1600/With+Christa+and+Elize.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Christa van Schalkwyk, myself and Elize Venter</strong></span></td></tr>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-17281437977591764692013-06-16T18:21:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:45.329+02:00Ethiopia: Ras Dashen, Simien Mountain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>31 May 2013:</strong> It was whilst I was looking for
assistance at the OR Tambo airport that I became aware of the splendid job ACSA
is doing about job creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At every
available help point there were at least 3 employees, happily chatting to one
another and completely oblivious to anyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just assumed it was management’s strategy to
empower passengers, by letting them figure things out for themselves and I made
it just in time to board my flight.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My positive visualizing of three empty seats
next to one another where I could sleep, paid off and I only woke up to eat. I am
a fussy eater and after travelling in Africa for more than 30 000 km, I
make sure that I eat when there is food I would eat, hungry or not. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIYJKH1fO5RyzI3xIcsYThHEBhwM5XxOO62N8-ehIW9rNIAl9bkj62nObvTOemew0oiISpq9prqdyvyb1Ju1xuBtJWSeNwGP9pZ_XsIhx1XXFSgQ5Li1sH-vyZWVTDVUJxeDJaxBTvsJV/s1600/IMG_2118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIYJKH1fO5RyzI3xIcsYThHEBhwM5XxOO62N8-ehIW9rNIAl9bkj62nObvTOemew0oiISpq9prqdyvyb1Ju1xuBtJWSeNwGP9pZ_XsIhx1XXFSgQ5Li1sH-vyZWVTDVUJxeDJaxBTvsJV/s320/IMG_2118.JPG" height="208" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>A Picture of the children along the road</em></strong></span><br />
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</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">For practical reasons, I chose to fly Air
Kenya, and stopped over at Nairobi – where I spent 2 hours trying to fix my broken
reading glasses, especially since I have decided for some unknown reason to
take 5 books with on this 2 week trip into Africa. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After giving up, I glanced at my watch, then
at my ticket, and started running for the boarding gate, where, I discovered
with relief that Kenya’s time zone is one hour behind South Africa. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>1 June 2013:</strong> After landing in Addis at 03h00,
I had four hours to kill before boarding my next flight to Gondar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The airport was deserted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a hectic 3 days before my trip, my plan
of action was to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>finalize the rest of my
trip in Ethiopia when I was on the aeroplane , <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but since I broke my reading glasses , <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>this was not going to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
trip was definitely going to be different and I cursed myself once again for
not putting my reading glasses in a protective case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I had to get to Debark and that the
journey would take around 5 hours. Although at somewhat of a disadvantage
without my reading glasses, coupled with the fact that I couldn’t find anyone
else going to Debark, I knew that some of the Ethiopians speak English and it
was the one reason I didn’t go into panic mode. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">
<br />
In Gondar a taxi driver approached me asking
if I needed transport. I immediately told him that I am a fellow African and
needed transport to Debark and I will take a share taxi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He mentioned R500 and just then, I was
approached by two Canadians who asked me if I wanted to share their chartered
vehicle for R500.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was expecting to pay
R100 for local transport, but considering that I was travelling on my own, my
fear of being stuck on local transport with a full bladder and the fact that
the one Canadian was pretty cute, I decided to pay the R500 and travel with
them.
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An hour later, we stopped at the Simien Hotel
– a place that was described in Lonely Planet as “flea ridden”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>24 Hours earlier, I had no clue what to
expect when I arrived in Ethiopia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">felt compelled to stay at the hotel, thinking that I would be able to write an
article about the efficiency of my dog’s electronic flea repellent gadget – one
of the few things I did remember to bring.</span> <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8lC0rd04xzzYoBVOCY9geRy0lxy6gUuSNnpOEzzmLPdArQ2qLasN8uVuei7vJuaaXBt8VUZS1TBlRXW6KSoKGH0OmQRyx6LKXGjTgGGh4mzKSAdB8N-IBh4zeG89OsLHIpaHY5ntiRCU/s1600/IMG_2146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8lC0rd04xzzYoBVOCY9geRy0lxy6gUuSNnpOEzzmLPdArQ2qLasN8uVuei7vJuaaXBt8VUZS1TBlRXW6KSoKGH0OmQRyx6LKXGjTgGGh4mzKSAdB8N-IBh4zeG89OsLHIpaHY5ntiRCU/s320/IMG_2146.JPG" height="262" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>My first taste of honey wine</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Instead of finding starving people trying to
take advantage of tourists, providing a lack of food and flea infested
accommodation, I found friendly, helpful people and a charming room with no
fleas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It was now 11h00 and I was already sitting in
Debark eating an omelette and drinking coffee, while being given advice on
trekking in the Siemen Mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My only
requirement was to spend as much time in the mountain as possible. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">At the Park office, I was informed that there
were no guides available but a scout, a mule and a muler were assigned to me. I
instantly took a liking to my scout Abebe with his friendly face and felt
confident that we would be able to communicate well, irrespective of the fact
that he didn’t speak a word of English. I also rented a stove and purchased a 5L
container filled with kerosene, which was immediately placed in my backpack<span style="color: red;">. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuqGia8MvxT-YTWYHbhW_xHbtpTRdZjBXdMCdNAeqNGzsjHC2RO2gVsGRG0ZSeyJUSsPzXPQCh0al10UuywSEYcK1AQ5fu6txFdB0MT2SyjYm2q-K52bKapo8aQJ5KQHvIpsfhY5TBeG6/s1600/IMG_2155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuqGia8MvxT-YTWYHbhW_xHbtpTRdZjBXdMCdNAeqNGzsjHC2RO2gVsGRG0ZSeyJUSsPzXPQCh0al10UuywSEYcK1AQ5fu6txFdB0MT2SyjYm2q-K52bKapo8aQJ5KQHvIpsfhY5TBeG6/s320/IMG_2155.JPG" height="231" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The start of my hike</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">With my scout for guidance and supplies
sorted, it was time to taste some honey wine. I met a local tour guide who
advised me that I should take an English speaking guide to ensure better
communication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later that evening back in
my flea free room, I discovered that my backpack was soaked in kerosene. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>2 June 2013:</strong> Sankaber camp:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I woke up with a kerosene induced hangover
and discovered that there would be no hot shower, simply because there was no
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While carefully packing my
backpack, taking care to keep my food and clean clothes away from the kerosene soaked
areas, a lady came into my room and sat down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She couldn’t speak a word of English and at first I thought she was
looking for a tip, but it turned out that she was just being friendly and was
waiting for me to leave so she could clean the room. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhaQTgRk8jZmaGo36uhlgy6nbzZNGIZLvj-BAhY0MpjDJdAKmke_ng-QXGcam_OAjlkxfRJSa8zSOddZWA9v82nd9urm3HZsU7khNYGB0kqTTOmoFqyTWJKt2DoEB6_Y7W2ozMnmWMNbm/s1600/IMG_2159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhaQTgRk8jZmaGo36uhlgy6nbzZNGIZLvj-BAhY0MpjDJdAKmke_ng-QXGcam_OAjlkxfRJSa8zSOddZWA9v82nd9urm3HZsU7khNYGB0kqTTOmoFqyTWJKt2DoEB6_Y7W2ozMnmWMNbm/s320/IMG_2159.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hiking through Debark</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I was informed at the last moment that Mula,
my mule needed a plastic cover and that I had to buy bananas and bread. Just
before I got irritated, Abebe made a hand sign and the two of us started
walking. I knew I was going to spend twelve days on the Simien Mountain. I also
knew that my scout and the muler couldn’t speak a word of English and that there
was no sign of Shegaw, my last minute appointed guide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After the first km, I realised I should have
made a bigger effort to get my right knee sorted out by a Physiotherapist
before I left Pretoria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to
visualise it healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the second
km the pain in my right knee had shifted to my left knee. After 5 km, I had a stiff
arm and jaw from smiling and waving at the villagers, especially the children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjtAiR0FK6kKa2kbuDptJqyJLkeRaQlRvwZbw5sUA4rCwp4T0aDmY0dwBnsq-z63Ez4dHrEH1K6k1IC9IXqdi5Bctq19oGApgR-VIfMHBReWNkoYPGKY-2vVpIOhOW7ahAKDBwsujWfS-/s1600/IMG_2177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjtAiR0FK6kKa2kbuDptJqyJLkeRaQlRvwZbw5sUA4rCwp4T0aDmY0dwBnsq-z63Ez4dHrEH1K6k1IC9IXqdi5Bctq19oGApgR-VIfMHBReWNkoYPGKY-2vVpIOhOW7ahAKDBwsujWfS-/s320/IMG_2177.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>The highest lodge in Africa at 3260 m</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After 15 kilometres, I realised that the hike
was not going to be a stroll in the park and that the only thing in my first
aid kit were 12 headache tablets. No blister kit, no anti-inflammatory tablets etc.,
but I did have the sexy underwear! (See part 1) I called upon all the angels
and asked them for protection and a sense of humour. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Abebe signalled to me that it was time for a
lunch break and offered me half of his sandwich. When I was kissed by a goat
looking for food, Abebe jumped up and chased the goat away, leaving me in peace
to finish my lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then tried to teach
me how to say “thank you”, in Ahmaric, but after hiking for another hour, he amused
himself with my inability to say this one word!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He would say: ‘thank you’, I would say something similar to ‘amanagowk’ and
he would pack up laughing. I really enjoyed his big smile and the goodwill he
radiated.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJLMS1U8msJ7Eiza95X0IQm8NhXpap8RVkIyYjqUbGivdaVqAh8oiuEqKywAhBFBqXfhxh5GdS433YAaVVlqdiGLiQRZ3pWu7xJ71kmT6DnP0yEo9WtWiPCE6t2yyx48FOxdfRssUQXnH/s1600/IMG_2195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJLMS1U8msJ7Eiza95X0IQm8NhXpap8RVkIyYjqUbGivdaVqAh8oiuEqKywAhBFBqXfhxh5GdS433YAaVVlqdiGLiQRZ3pWu7xJ71kmT6DnP0yEo9WtWiPCE6t2yyx48FOxdfRssUQXnH/s320/IMG_2195.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em><strong>Children playing on music instruments they made</strong></em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After 21km, we arrived at the Simien lodge – at
3260m the highest lodge in Africa. A kilometre further, I realised that the
lodge might be the only place I might find something resembling plaster. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">When
the receptionist handed me the only roll of plaster they had in their first aid
kit, I took it as a sign that I will be covered for any emergency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had plaster, 12 headache tablets and my
dog’s electronic flea repellent device.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After hiking for 38km, we arrived at the Sankaber
camp. I thanked the angels for Amanda’s heavy workload. She would have
strangled me. My Enneagram message for the day was to accept the fact that I
have limitations and maybe I should have taken a vehicle like everyone else to this
camp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Edwardo, the muler and Abebe helped me to
pitch the tent. After four tries, Shegaw arrived and informed me that I was
directly in the waterway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He moved my
botched attempt and pitched it in the guide’s quarters. The tourist season had ended
and other than the two Canadians who arrived a bit later, I had the mountain to
myself. I thanked the angels once again for sending Shegaw. He took me to have
a refreshing cold shower and brought me boiled water afterwards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just about at this stage that we
realised the stove and kerosene were left behind. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I still found it difficult to pronounce
everyone’s names, never mind some words and the same applied to them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A mutual decision was made, Shegaw became ‘Shaggy’
and Abebe became ‘Abe’, Edwardo was never a problem and I became ‘Heaven’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I asked why, I was told that it was an
easy name to remember. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXR2JV2w3vOWqFGCKGLdY2Mueui1FhoOzDeJXn5CKZmUMqQyHpHPHkKZpYrpRPPEhyphenhyphen9eh7ZB66gXbgL3Cg_pMaPFyOFiOuD49dzN76yI366fkIsEaiGBlZjJxELrrK-7uUFZga_vlr9Kf/s1600/IMG_2224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXR2JV2w3vOWqFGCKGLdY2Mueui1FhoOzDeJXn5CKZmUMqQyHpHPHkKZpYrpRPPEhyphenhyphen9eh7ZB66gXbgL3Cg_pMaPFyOFiOuD49dzN76yI366fkIsEaiGBlZjJxELrrK-7uUFZga_vlr9Kf/s320/IMG_2224.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>With Abe, my scout</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Reflecting back on the day, I felt at peace. This
was a place with friendly people who were not starving as I had imagined.
Between Abe, Shaggy and Edwardo, I never felt unsafe for a second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After taking Fluff, my mascot to watch the
sunset, Dizzy, the Canadian’s guide insisted that I join them in the
cookhouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He entertained us with
stories about some of his clients – like the Chinese lady who started shooting
at the rats because she wanted to eat them and the Spanish cyclist who got lost
going down the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">During the evening, I heard Edwardo almost
crying from pain. It turned out that he had a toothache and I parted with two
of my headache tablets. It didn’t seem to work though. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Note to myself:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In future, make sure your sleeping bag is not
upside down and sleep with your head towards the opening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqubkCUGx1bXnihaALs5OUP4RCsOAffwt27XAPXzRUFvA1AvOZPYfj8Kk5oUajAdbjLgpXOygwvncS3z-9ExfZaKRRqyz35Wn6H7bGQYcBNrbcxHouR5Iy-8WBsm5j-Nhfvb20buslo7kj/s1600/IMG_2265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqubkCUGx1bXnihaALs5OUP4RCsOAffwt27XAPXzRUFvA1AvOZPYfj8Kk5oUajAdbjLgpXOygwvncS3z-9ExfZaKRRqyz35Wn6H7bGQYcBNrbcxHouR5Iy-8WBsm5j-Nhfvb20buslo7kj/s320/IMG_2265.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Having coffee in the village</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>3rd of June 2013:</strong> Geech Camp: I asked
Shaggy to send Edwardo back – but everyone else was convinced that his
toothache will get better once we got higher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I, however, failed to see the reasoning behind this. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hike was not flat, but luckily there was a
cool breeze every now and again to ward off the heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told Shaggy about the litter I encountered
on other mountains and unfortunately, I got the opportunity to show him the
white flowers visible whenever there was a “tourist” stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He couldn’t wait to show me the waterfall, it
involved crossing a very narrow path, with sheer cliffs on both sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I accepted his help across but I can honestly
say I did not appreciate the view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> should have learned by now to empty my
bladder whenever possible. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ended up
walking with a full bladder for at least three hours, looking for a place where
I wouldn’t bump into villagers and children looking after their goats, mules or
cattle. Shaggy and Abe had a siesta in the sun while I tried desperately to
stay out of the sun, having opted for the cheaper malaria tablets which made me
super sensitive to sun. I had no appetite at lunch but forced myself to eat
some energy bars. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After lunch we hiked through patches
resembling a desert and once at the Geech village, we stopped and I had my
first experience of the coffee ritual. I loved it. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ2NgMjb9nXcJbJk7lo6MQoBGh7RKkBxNK2vQXoW4H_zaAIki1YDMG7QiVHszFiYXkm7szUtuubL9b6vs_1HUeDGIoOd0HQUk3SiwwEECpJlSd9w0PuOCXn4qh43wLHCZP5KVPDXyBB5U/s1600/IMG_2281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ2NgMjb9nXcJbJk7lo6MQoBGh7RKkBxNK2vQXoW4H_zaAIki1YDMG7QiVHszFiYXkm7szUtuubL9b6vs_1HUeDGIoOd0HQUk3SiwwEECpJlSd9w0PuOCXn4qh43wLHCZP5KVPDXyBB5U/s320/IMG_2281.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>The shop next to the Sankaber Lodge</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Whilst my three protectors pitched my tent in
the howling wind, I went for a nice cold shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had now been confirmed that we had left
the stove behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst Shaggy tried in
vain to get a signal so he could make arrangements for our stove to be brought
to us, I was entertained by three of the village children. They took turns
taking pictures and we all laughed looking at them. It was around this time
that I realised that in my haste to pack, I had forgotten to bring a fleece
jacket, warm sleeping bag and gloves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>4th of June 2013:</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Geech Camp: I put all my clothes on during
the night and I survived but I felt ashamed comparing the amount of clothes I was
taking up with the rest of my team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
some weird reason, Edgardo’s tooth did not get better with the altitude and I gave
him 6 of the 10 headache tablets I had left. In the morning I was given scrambled
eggs and coffee in my tent and couldn’t believe my luck. This was five star
galore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And here I was worried about the
starving Ethiopians and getting food that I would eat. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKYv0ULtdSJK0ZV-SRdw4HiTqNay4TfcplmVFJ956LKFJdfYlr4bqqFsO44OLM4lgaSqPgw4r4LwPWvqYCB7VDj03fa1gH66pO7p3Xf4av68ELHHAw11Nzke4UA4KjzS3k14MabrfsKs8/s1600/IMG_2373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKYv0ULtdSJK0ZV-SRdw4HiTqNay4TfcplmVFJ956LKFJdfYlr4bqqFsO44OLM4lgaSqPgw4r4LwPWvqYCB7VDj03fa1gH66pO7p3Xf4av68ELHHAw11Nzke4UA4KjzS3k14MabrfsKs8/s320/IMG_2373.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Another spectacular view</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We took a leisurely
stroll up Imet Gogo and stopped for “lunch” around 11h00 – where I shared my
provitas and ‘laughing cow’ cheese with my team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From their facial expressions, my “hiking
food” was not going to be a big hit and I felt ashamed for just assuming from
the start that everyone would expect me to provide them with food. I did not
have a huge appetite, but by now, I realised that unless I developed one, my
sexy undies might not fit me on summit day. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_P4AXwwQeH9-x2O46ieHCmzx-Ej5cRj1sPg17SQ7vNgjekp1uPawHPtoQGiP8m30BPAMajg152-8SBYaEkyvreHwNLZxAAZ2iMUGyImgGh-MAMeBiUGUvEYI4fS7vt3tCjUJ0FVlpT-l/s1600/IMG_2440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_P4AXwwQeH9-x2O46ieHCmzx-Ej5cRj1sPg17SQ7vNgjekp1uPawHPtoQGiP8m30BPAMajg152-8SBYaEkyvreHwNLZxAAZ2iMUGyImgGh-MAMeBiUGUvEYI4fS7vt3tCjUJ0FVlpT-l/s320/IMG_2440.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Amusing my team by doing a headstand</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Back at the camp, I had a nice cold shower
before the wind started to blow. It was impossible to keep my tent dust free. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four Americans arrived but I kept to myself,
sulking because I had to share the mountain. I also suspected that I got too
much sun.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After a while, I went to fetch water, and
after finding a boy lying on top of the water tank singing, I had a feeling of
peace come over me again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The big litter clean-up started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did my best not to take things personally,
but the swear words poured out of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Three bags were filled with plastics and white flowers. Tourists! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Later, we all walked over to where we could see
the Gelada baboons and enjoy the mountain sunset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">5th of June 2013:</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chennek:
After sleeping too long, my body was aching, but I walked up a hill to see the
sunrise and although it was a bit hazy, it put me back into a peaceful mood.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9dYu99MVF7wI5xUnBR2KHWkS38wLXM5ZnQNFi_snfFVsYUmFe65tlJ5BC_pdP5-7u2jnvwKFbddHBQm8oT3xepAV7uIj7ZzlNBCJAy_ThXzf8TI2phtqTcC6vOBJvcLJw_FCH_jANGm_/s1600/IMG_2392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9dYu99MVF7wI5xUnBR2KHWkS38wLXM5ZnQNFi_snfFVsYUmFe65tlJ5BC_pdP5-7u2jnvwKFbddHBQm8oT3xepAV7uIj7ZzlNBCJAy_ThXzf8TI2phtqTcC6vOBJvcLJw_FCH_jANGm_/s320/IMG_2392.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>The 'white flowers' left by inconsiderate tourists</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The hike to Chennek camp was pleasant and
whenever I lost focus and took the wrong path, Abe would tap me on my shoulder,
smile and point to the correct path. There was no shower at this camp, but a
cold wash did the trick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as my tent
was pitched – it started to rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My
hands got badly sunburned and I decided to stop taking the malaria tablets –
especially after I was told that there were no mosquitoes at this
altitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of a sudden, I was called
by Shaggy, who showed me the Ethiopian wolf that came to visit the camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to him, the wolf was after the chicken
the American’s cook brought with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfLx4KIzozCUez9pe5Na8msZbn6yQUIRqX7RTJk4BoRPbLcHPO067cF20liyDyZS0TcOIaKkCwcyQpIrKsaIuIDTkZmYWvlIfPox5YNHZYnXAqjLq9OyD9_ZeCS9EXl_eNJac6s2g4kcJ/s1600/IMG_2554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfLx4KIzozCUez9pe5Na8msZbn6yQUIRqX7RTJk4BoRPbLcHPO067cF20liyDyZS0TcOIaKkCwcyQpIrKsaIuIDTkZmYWvlIfPox5YNHZYnXAqjLq9OyD9_ZeCS9EXl_eNJac6s2g4kcJ/s320/IMG_2554.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>The village where I bought my blanket</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
next moment, we saw some Wallaby ibex before taking a walk to a view point where
we came across a heard of ibex no more than 10 meters away. Unfortunately,
spotting litter next to them put a damper on the magical moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I made it back to the tent just in time
before it rained again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the rainy
season which is why we had the mountain basically to ourselves and we were
lucky that the rain only began to fall once we were settled in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I was invited for supper by the Israel cook
and after I made sure the chicken the wolf was after was not on the menu, I
joined the Americans. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>6th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span> Ambiko: It was cold
during the night and since I hadn’t mastered the art of tent pitching yet, I
kept on sliding down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abe and I left at
08h00, Mula and Edwardo followed later and Shaggy went back to Debark to fetch
the stove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From now on, we would be on
our own. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Uphills, downhills and a lot of scree followed
and after what seemed like a very long time, we reached a village where I
bought a blanket and batteries that turned out to be useless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the hour we spent in the village, I
had to shake everyone’s hand and was surrounded by children throughout our
stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was market day and we ended up
walking amongst a mule train where Abe cracked up laughing again at my
inability to say ‘Thank You’ in Amharic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The two of us really had fun when we were
alo</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">ne and with only basic sign language, we understood each other about 5% of
the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest did not matter. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It was whilst in the mule train that I
noticed his gun pointing directly towards me and for the first time I wondered
if it was loaded. It would have been really tragic if I ended up killed by my
own scout whilst amongst a mule train going to the top of the Simien Mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first group of mules turned off, and I
ended up huffing and puffing behind the elderly people that would have walked with
crutches, if there were any around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was swearing like crazy and could just picture myself enjoying a luxurious bath,
shave and being able to wash my hair once in Ambiko and reprimanded myself for
forgetting to bring some bath oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were then in the village when Abe announced “Ambiko”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were no mosquitoes or fleas but there
were a lot of flies. Another 200m followed before he announced “camp”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a cow shed filled with cow dung and I
thanked the angels once again for preventing Amanda from coming with me to
Ethiopia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7fTNEIZ_ltkJTmYeRVm-5bB5hB5KtHhzm38yJf29kaH4OzLcROp_XXL_tQeCwLAE6ZAjhHlWpBDx89sdgQF2rkY6H1gGWWP4TyMRuoUU3rWhbooqsnwmjlvon4bSov1zWc-YEiawO_93/s1600/IMG_2586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7fTNEIZ_ltkJTmYeRVm-5bB5hB5KtHhzm38yJf29kaH4OzLcROp_XXL_tQeCwLAE6ZAjhHlWpBDx89sdgQF2rkY6H1gGWWP4TyMRuoUU3rWhbooqsnwmjlvon4bSov1zWc-YEiawO_93/s320/IMG_2586.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pampering myself before the 'big' day</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shaggy arrived and pitched my tent in a
better spot before it started to rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Afterwards, I was taken to a small river where I could wash my hair and
I spent a lot of time pampering myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was only after a manicure, pedicure and a shave, that I noticed that I had
quite a lot of bruises on my body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one
stage, I considered leaving my tent behind in South Africa, but I was very
grateful that I did bring it - otherwise I would have ended up wet and sleeping
amongst cow dung.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I was surprised by popcorn before I was
invited by my team for a vegetarian supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have never met more generous and polite people. The villagers kept on
bringing us food and I felt terrible when my team did not want to use my
groundsheet to sleep on. T</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">hat evening I was as snug as a bug in my
luxurious inner sheet. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-bWMwzaZlgLixewZa-qJK4f5iujJkZjWLaK2nkw3qdEb2pHpYm1pSOXovWJSdh7eNBuYWCQMVcH_0Rzzf6RVEczKTwqWXIcXqzrOsSZMb06VbJ3P9s3Z4l8Om37YVyjjIj9QIcg4UFWQ/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-bWMwzaZlgLixewZa-qJK4f5iujJkZjWLaK2nkw3qdEb2pHpYm1pSOXovWJSdh7eNBuYWCQMVcH_0Rzzf6RVEczKTwqWXIcXqzrOsSZMb06VbJ3P9s3Z4l8Om37YVyjjIj9QIcg4UFWQ/s320/IMG_2611.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>The start of our hike to Ras Dashen</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>7th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong> Ambiko: Big
excitement reigned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was my birthday
and I was going to Ras Dashen wearing my sexy undies. I made another note to
myself: focus the next time your tent is pitched because once again, it was
pitched at an uncomfortable angle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We started off in the dark and pretty soon I was
huffing and puffing and we ended up amongst a mule train. The cold increased
exponentially with the height and we had several dust storms along the way. My
legs felt like jelly several times but all of a sudden, Shaggy asked me which
one of the three peaks in front of us was the highest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have read about hikers going to all three
to make sure it is the highest, but I was tired and Shaggy took pity on me. It turned out to be a scramble to the top and Shaggy helped me up several rocks to the top where the wind was howling. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9kcBow1sKDzm2n4VCQUP4p_zvGMbxj_vY16myouEpAWZC_rRglI9l7hrL0jG6wxf3n_OxB6wgRm5kXfkBzItnpdXRJQJ5SWT0v_btlHGm18JOAIZS_F6AQUzb7_3qjjRDS74Hs4J8aH8/s1600/IMG_2637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9kcBow1sKDzm2n4VCQUP4p_zvGMbxj_vY16myouEpAWZC_rRglI9l7hrL0jG6wxf3n_OxB6wgRm5kXfkBzItnpdXRJQJ5SWT0v_btlHGm18JOAIZS_F6AQUzb7_3qjjRDS74Hs4J8aH8/s320/IMG_2637.JPG" height="320" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Abebe and Shegaw on Ras Dashen</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the summit they sang a song
for me and then it was my turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
being kicked out of the choir 30 years ago, I faced my fear and sang happy
birthday to myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abebe was in stiches
and after laughing our arses off, we rushed down to the camp site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was starving and when Shaggy shared his
bread and vegetable stew with me, I accepted it with gratitude. My body was
starting to rebel against the strenuous exercise and required a little protein.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was knackered when I got back to the tent,
but it was too hot and I battled to fall asleep. I then amused myself watching
the videos that were taken during the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I also realised that wearing sexy underwear and a colourful scarf whilst</span>
huffing/puffing and sweating uphill did not make me feel sexy at all.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTG0WHqpCjkautuZQLWylBI_cJN0AmpfnBbJ_WnEhh7ruvJqeYbwY7FRHbzUG1yjiFdwvooMBtkVZ834ZFP1NZNzdCKlNAVg6tlpCvTC0RTSepHG6BQestF1s6LVMIPQmcWyRVtN5tHsd/s1600/IMG_2654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTG0WHqpCjkautuZQLWylBI_cJN0AmpfnBbJ_WnEhh7ruvJqeYbwY7FRHbzUG1yjiFdwvooMBtkVZ834ZFP1NZNzdCKlNAVg6tlpCvTC0RTSepHG6BQestF1s6LVMIPQmcWyRVtN5tHsd/s320/IMG_2654.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Colourful scarf, sexy undies, the works</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Later, I showed the videos I took on top of
Ras Dashen to my team and they cracked up laughing. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvMiT9uNXXOoc8LQ-nOnO29GgFDeN-qmJHkHhaqnph59RmdUVcCqaanJSmpVMlO8F2TUEhXlb2eSQfj-LLIadjbqiHnWLi4EHHcSP3D7FOmTxFK2N7mI9M51aNqrEghqhNz6ldAYBMlwU/s1600/IMG_2669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvMiT9uNXXOoc8LQ-nOnO29GgFDeN-qmJHkHhaqnph59RmdUVcCqaanJSmpVMlO8F2TUEhXlb2eSQfj-LLIadjbqiHnWLi4EHHcSP3D7FOmTxFK2N7mI9M51aNqrEghqhNz6ldAYBMlwU/s320/IMG_2669.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Coffee after along day in the mountain</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Abe had his colourful blanket draped around
him throughout the entire hike and he realised early on that I wanted colour in
the pictures I took.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, whenever I took
out my camera, he would jump in front of me with his back turned to the camera and
I would take a picture. When I asked when the rainy season was, I was told that
it would come in June.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After mentioning
that it was already the 7th of June, I was </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">informed that they have a different
calendar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I considered myself very
lucky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQCT1nEA0XCq9tmIgvYxA8CCbdWVPEYOcGJLEUhX3KC2IvylQ_Z7DF6pUYBgK51TnJwIpadQT-kCqB9p8Zfst1hA90ImNi6JK20stHRb7spmtuLDag9HHcutI0yw8oXPQSkImo3gjQymM/s1600/IMG_2769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQCT1nEA0XCq9tmIgvYxA8CCbdWVPEYOcGJLEUhX3KC2IvylQ_Z7DF6pUYBgK51TnJwIpadQT-kCqB9p8Zfst1hA90ImNi6JK20stHRb7spmtuLDag9HHcutI0yw8oXPQSkImo3gjQymM/s320/IMG_2769.JPG" height="169" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Holding both the South African and Ethiopian flag in Sona</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>8th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong> Sona: Throughout the
evening, I could hear Mula chewing. I suffer from misophonia (</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The sounds of other
people eating — chewing, chomping, slurping and gurgling drives me nuts) but I
tried to stay calm and was surprised to discover that mules don’t need a lot of
sleep. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It
was at about this time that my guide realised that we were going to be on the
mountain for 12 days, and not the 8 days he expected. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTwF2DdUH2X2TSS-iYbAqQeLW-1hvxhFm2k_ZWy_9X3dH1CpzIPv6sg1kEAu4G4eNLJUIhuxrL1uvM1mhqBniS8EW8pf284FAZEUddPXYcsJx_vjg1EcG2od7I76h8ZfbviQggL9Z2Dda/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTwF2DdUH2X2TSS-iYbAqQeLW-1hvxhFm2k_ZWy_9X3dH1CpzIPv6sg1kEAu4G4eNLJUIhuxrL1uvM1mhqBniS8EW8pf284FAZEUddPXYcsJx_vjg1EcG2od7I76h8ZfbviQggL9Z2Dda/s320/IMG_2733.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Injera, injera, injera</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The hike turned out to be extremely
pleasant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally managed to remember
the Amharic word for ‘Thank You’ and told Shaggy I must have tried at least a
hundred times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He looked at me and replied:
‘No, it was definitely at least 150 times!’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A lady we passed pointed at her head and I
mistakenly though she wanted my hat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Shaggy informed me that she</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">had a headache but he told her to drink more
water. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Ten minutes later, Abe announced that he was
going to visit a friend and we packed up laughing when a dog started chasing
him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We stopped in a village for coffee and Shaggy
asked the lady if we would be able to buy batteries for my camera in the
village. She replied that the batteries that were for sale was made in China and
useless. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJc2qw1mgY1HNtOH70lrqmVzDAHz_In6p9M8lAW5ks9IzXSLFoDhiA5Ob6iG73xyETgU1z1w8qv9gS37g8s59rsl9UhpN3jFS0BYcxbcHJFHb1lTVzxitfuwrPDiApc16PO3KdlBH_3V5/s1600/IMG_2867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJc2qw1mgY1HNtOH70lrqmVzDAHz_In6p9M8lAW5ks9IzXSLFoDhiA5Ob6iG73xyETgU1z1w8qv9gS37g8s59rsl9UhpN3jFS0BYcxbcHJFHb1lTVzxitfuwrPDiApc16PO3KdlBH_3V5/s320/IMG_2867.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Mula and Edwardo</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After hiking for 6 hours, we arrived at Sona,
which turned out to be a school with no water close by and I realised that I had
lost my sense of humour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
dehydrated, hadn’t had a proper wash for two days, had a backpack and contents
still soaked in kerosene and aware that we were now going down the mountain. Shaggy
fetched some water, pitched my tent, helped me find hanging space for all my
kerosene soaked clothes and even washed my mattress. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I drank 2 litres of water and after finding another
150ml to wash myself, my sense of humour returned. While I entertained the
children, Shaggy made us scrambled eggs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">At 24h00 I woke up with a throbbing headache
with my face squashed against my boots, this time the tent was pitched sloping
horizontally. Since I had given Edwardo all my headache tablets, the only thing
I could do about my kerosene induced headache was to stuff my nose with wet
wipes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>9th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong> Makarebya:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My whole body was now covered in bruises. I got
scrambled eggs, cheese and provitas for breakfast before having pictures taken
with some of the children holding the Ethiopian and South African flags. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcwxVneXi3QfGeMlEb8PBCGtURSeUJBHI7EkJQSQkZGW4IzUC557zmtmjbW_vVVE76IaQt1YRfDtNkAKJemFIO001a5fl4BiReLmkZzMgyM1VcVlehXw9XkKreSUgPD5skNHyHHJGa3nN/s1600/IMG_2722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcwxVneXi3QfGeMlEb8PBCGtURSeUJBHI7EkJQSQkZGW4IzUC557zmtmjbW_vVVE76IaQt1YRfDtNkAKJemFIO001a5fl4BiReLmkZzMgyM1VcVlehXw9XkKreSUgPD5skNHyHHJGa3nN/s320/IMG_2722.JPG" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Everyone talking and laughing. It was magic</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The hike to Makarebya was slow. It was
extremely steep with lots of scree and finding water turned out to be quite a
challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor Mula was not used to so
many days on the mountain and Edwardo did his best to motivate him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a mental note to find him something
nice to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My feet took a hammering
and I couldn’t remember being so grateful to have my hiking sticks with. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We met a lot of villagers along the way and
stopped to chat with them and although the hike was tough, we laughed a lot. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shaggy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘I think the Asians were first in South
Africa’<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Me: ‘I
think it was Jan Van Riebeeck but I am not sure’<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shaggy:
‘But I am sure’</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As soon as we arrived, my tent was pitched
(on a flat spot) and the worst soaked Kerosene clothes were hung up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was then taken to a spring and spoiled by
receiving a whole pot of water thrown over my head for a proper hair wash
before I had a wash inside my tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
I made enquiries about Mula’s absence, I was told that he has had enough and
ran away. The next moment I heard Edwardo shout and off he ran, presumably to go and look for Mula. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkk1E58Ik5R_N7MfDcjuNZTmhgI7JPr1uSRBSiddJzo4Kd8sUDivBo9dVz8p17CckBnn8Z_QfzQy6z9SkNZAouny699EIIVJ1FjlLMFe2Lgy7PBVRanj45iMZ02V96jlk5bZK6kw8UOUp/s1600/IMG_2797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkk1E58Ik5R_N7MfDcjuNZTmhgI7JPr1uSRBSiddJzo4Kd8sUDivBo9dVz8p17CckBnn8Z_QfzQy6z9SkNZAouny699EIIVJ1FjlLMFe2Lgy7PBVRanj45iMZ02V96jlk5bZK6kw8UOUp/s320/IMG_2797.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Abe in Xerima village</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It was not long before I was surrounded by
children entertaining me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as Abe
thought they were harassing me, he would jump up and they would run away, just
to return a bit later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A very reluctant Mula was tied to the shed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shaggy convinced me that Mula would love a
‘massage’ but he was obviously fed up with everyone and before I could touch
him, he tried to kick me.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I mentioned that I thought it would rain more
and Shaggy said I was lucky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when I mentioned
that I won’t mind the rain, he replied:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Well,
in that case, I’ll ask the Big man for some holy water because Ethiopia needs
it’. An hour later, the wind came up and it started raining. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>10th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong> Xerima: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We woke up early – just
to be entertained by the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mula
didn’t want to eat and I thought he was acting up to make me feel bad about the
long hike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shaggy predicted a long 8
hour hike and it turned into another challenging day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to ration my water intake and didn’t do
well in the “desert” and heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent a
long time hiking down a dry river, boulder hopping before reaching steep uphill’s
where I was told that I looked like a tomato.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was also told to start taking my malaria tablets again – but
unfortunately, that’s not the way you take them, so I just rolled my eyes and
hoped for the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">By now it was clear that Mula was really
suffering and I offered to carry my own backpack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the rest of the team, it wouldn’t
solve the problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mentally and
physically, Mula has had enough of the Simien Mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We hit the lowland and everyone seemed
relieved when I said we must push on past Mulit and Adi Arkay. It took us another
3 hours to get to Mulit. I had had enough of dust, boulders, heat and lowlands
though and could also do with a shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According
to Shaggy, we might have to sleep over because there we no transport to Debark
so late in the afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once in Adi
Arkay, I gave an ecstatic Edwardo my luxurious inner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After being together in the mountain for 9
days, I was very sad to say goodbye to him and Mula. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We were having some coffee and injera when a
beer truck stopped in front of us. Shaggy grabbed my backpack, pushed me into
the cockpit of the truck and jumped in the back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter how hard I protested about sitting
inside instead of in the back with them, no one understood me and off we
sped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the lady sitting next to me
covered her nose, I realised that I didn’t smell so fresh. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 30 minutes, the truck stopped and more
people got on the back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I us</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ed the
opportunity to jump out and on the back, much to Shaggy’s surprise. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not long after I joined the group
squashed on top of the beer truck that a policeman pulled us over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shaggy pulled my leg by saying it is because
I was on top of the truck, but it turned out that no one was allowed on the
back of a truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Expecting that a bribe would
be paid, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a fine was given instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some “illegal passengers” got off and in my
eyes, chaos reigned because I had no clue what was happening, especially after
we turned back towards Adi Arkai before stopping at an official looking building
before resuming our journey back to </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdYyfAXROCrhHV73L44EyFHyly0QhXogB7ywfXGjDGjwK-pGnaGtuZuBH8hA6EA1NiRAXW85AjZM1Od9n6qC2xkCR2nD3HpFPjAe8h-vW4XCSKQAWXrld5Nh_JyBXt7lHpu0r2dkGhhpp/s320/IMG_2900.JPG" height="240" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>The lovely lady on the back of the beer truck</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was finally told that the driver paid a
fine and that they work on a demerit system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, except for the driver, all the ‘illegal passengers’ were pretty
happy. The next moment we </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">stopped and a fascinating lady and other people got
on and were met by loud cheers. There was a lot of good natured banter amongst
the passengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of a sudden, the lady
took my hand, looked me in the eye, said something – and someone translated: ‘We
are now one’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next moment, the
elderly lady that was sitting with her back to me took my hand in hers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s the way we travelled onwards - surrounded
by mountains, holding hands and laughing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve never felt so at peace with myself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We arrived in Zerima at 19h00 and the driver
announced that we would all be staying over since it was still a far way to
travel to Debark. I was then informed that the fascinating lady had invited me for
supper which was a huge compliment. But as it had been a long day and her house
was an hour’s walk away, I politely declined her kind offer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wmLi6mdRVLGifw2eVSYWsDBb7E9GltbivkBwFQC69jvwX567DwUy9YSd2h7l_Uzd8RK0O4919W45NVAtEW-51sI3c_S47sF8A1LNCDoK3uawa4b1syoiTivhtiquMP69ZEkYVRntOF3Q/s1600/IMG_2901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wmLi6mdRVLGifw2eVSYWsDBb7E9GltbivkBwFQC69jvwX567DwUy9YSd2h7l_Uzd8RK0O4919W45NVAtEW-51sI3c_S47sF8A1LNCDoK3uawa4b1syoiTivhtiquMP69ZEkYVRntOF3Q/s320/IMG_2901.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Two fellow passengers </em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My room was very small and stuffy, but I was
too scared to open the windows in case of wandering mosquitoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went for a much needed shower before
joining Abe and Shaggy for a beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Relief
washed over Abe’s face when I told him he can go and sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of hiking for 12 days, we have done
it in 9 days, and we all felt it. Throughout the night, I heard people snoring and
pipes creaking and when my alarm went off at 04h30, I battled to get out of
bed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>11th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong> We left at 05h30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Shaggy, the driver thought I was
beautiful – actually, a lot of Ethiopians told me that I have a beautiful smile
– and it must have been because I was so happy and laughed so much. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Once in Debark, we took a Tuk-Tuk to the
Simien hotel where coffee and breakfast awaited before it was time to say
goodbye to Abe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I had a much needed hot shower and then I tried
to get some of my clothes clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
not long before I gave up and paid a lady to wash them whilst I went with Shaggy
and one of his friends for a beer and injera. The Ethiopians I met were very
religious, happy and care free, there were no gender, religion or race issues.
The men finished studying when they were around 30 years before getting married
and they all seemed so wise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAx54m7c1OqHpWdcYoa9iTYq_Npf8XP_aeNTkiJIL2Inznhcb1-3SRgG_oO-yRwLcE_9iVH19XyD_5uqFC64eTkOgFMMmtXjfVaEs-pptivk80qEjIZA4zxCYE_fSoW1RMnO9e6GAUV0x5/s1600/IMG_2992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAx54m7c1OqHpWdcYoa9iTYq_Npf8XP_aeNTkiJIL2Inznhcb1-3SRgG_oO-yRwLcE_9iVH19XyD_5uqFC64eTkOgFMMmtXjfVaEs-pptivk80qEjIZA4zxCYE_fSoW1RMnO9e6GAUV0x5/s320/IMG_2992.JPG" height="216" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Dancing in Debark</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After a much needed nap, Shaggy knocked on my
door and handed me a paper bag which contained an Ethiopian music cd, a scarf
and a map of the Simien Mountain, this unseen gesture made me burst out in
tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An evening of dancing, eating injera,
drinking coffee and laughter followed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>12th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong> We had omelettes and
mugs of coffee for breakfast before Dizzy, the guide who takes Canadian
Tourists to the Simien Mountain, entertained us with his stories and said for
50 cents he will fall for me with his bicycle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We all followed him but instead of seeing him fall, we once again
laughed too much. More coffee followed while someone named Mr Fantastic kept us
entertained with humorous stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Whilst I was drinking coffee, waiting for my
guide to take me bird watching, a Tuk Tuk driver stopped by and said I must
call him if I needed a ride. Shortly thereafter, Shaggy arrived and said he
“misplaced” our driver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I mentioned
that I just met a guy that said I must phone him when I needed a lift, he asked
me if the driver was black. I looked at him in surprise and said:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘but <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">you</b>
are black Shaggy!’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then we both
burst out laughing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1h-vhRz_2Rf_T2xlJIHr87NoqkRB-Wksy4GTg17e15a39ZHE35Yncw0K6HdQToASy8Br8QGEGWEOpJzeCU1ozjJvvDzpX_8yoJXpAR2kxrfEth5i4oV9ZD6tgdHp9WV6a51MnYiunxi9/s1600/IMG_2928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1h-vhRz_2Rf_T2xlJIHr87NoqkRB-Wksy4GTg17e15a39ZHE35Yncw0K6HdQToASy8Br8QGEGWEOpJzeCU1ozjJvvDzpX_8yoJXpAR2kxrfEth5i4oV9ZD6tgdHp9WV6a51MnYiunxi9/s320/IMG_2928.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>I must have had at least 5 cups of coffee in this coffee house</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After taking me to a cornfield to do some
bird watching, I realised that I might know more about birding than my guide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We visited some of his friends and more
laughter followed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guy that arranged
my trip to the Simien Mountain offered to take me to Debark to show me all the
museums, but after 10 days of laughter in the mountains, I decided to ask
Shaggy instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I told him that I
didn’t come to Africa to go to museums he burst out laughing before replying: ‘But
you are from Africa!’</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I spent my last evening in Debark drinking
honey wine, dancing and enjoying the company of the great friends I had made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong></strong><br />
<strong>13h of June 2013:</strong> Gondar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was whilst on the taxi to Gondar that I realised how lucky I <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj48ppkNn3INy8lRcA8ZX3dGfk1O2hi33VHX5myNsIlxDjrgA4mLQBeW6pMZsnSeLbslZN1j1kddDi7FE0KBHaTtx1ragAXL83CVx2nMLRtWVoAADiQPXke3MVbTpqDqMStWCx_LTbEZ_/s1600/IMG_3004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj48ppkNn3INy8lRcA8ZX3dGfk1O2hi33VHX5myNsIlxDjrgA4mLQBeW6pMZsnSeLbslZN1j1kddDi7FE0KBHaTtx1ragAXL83CVx2nMLRtWVoAADiQPXke3MVbTpqDqMStWCx_LTbEZ_/s320/IMG_3004.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our taxi to Gondar</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
was that I invited Shaggy with. It became obvious that not
all the Ethiopians speak English and it seemed as if everyone knew everyone
else in Ethiopia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We kept bumping into
some of his friends and when he told me they all studied in Addis Ababa and
that he has lots of friends that work there, I asked him to accompany me to
Addis Ababa. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">That evening, we went out dancing again and
pretty soon we were surrounded by more of his friends. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>14th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bus only left at 05h30 but Shaggy woke me
up at 03h00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought he took his
responsibility as my guide maybe a bit too far, but I was more than happy to
sit around for two hours chatting with two guys from Sudan before the bus
arrived. I was very impressed with the bus that arrived, we had to wear safety
belts and it even had a toilet inside. When they started handing out lunch, I
realised that the toilet was used as a storeroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 3 hours, the bus stopped for a toilet
break and no, there were no men’s room that side, woman’s room this side. Once
again, I thanked Amanda’s angels for preventing her from coming with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Once in Addis, Shaggy phoned a friend and
pretty soon I was settled in a nice hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By now, I was used to him having
friends all over Ethiopia so when we went out for supper and two guys joined us,
I was not surprised at all. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">On our way back to the hotel, he stopped to
chat to a guy staying in a shack and it just dawned on me that I was not going
anywhere with my material possessions and no compassion. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>15th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had come to love injera and Ethiopian
coffee and while sitting outside a restaurant, we were approached by a beggar who
asked Shaggy for money. Without </span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lb_OnSlWidNqepa0nG-cuzL1T368xr9NHxJ_LfFH7FPHHC9vi2DGqrV8MT6HY_gpn9ZmORWz0yaTMF53Eb7otV069lAWHRZNPeI9Ep1wW4pfOGVrcMbybgtwHwiGPBSIyicsgy-oJ2oa/s1600/IMG_3032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lb_OnSlWidNqepa0nG-cuzL1T368xr9NHxJ_LfFH7FPHHC9vi2DGqrV8MT6HY_gpn9ZmORWz0yaTMF53Eb7otV069lAWHRZNPeI9Ep1wW4pfOGVrcMbybgtwHwiGPBSIyicsgy-oJ2oa/s320/IMG_3032.JPG" height="193" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Shaggy waiting for change from the beggar</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hesitating, Shaggy pulled out a big note and held
out his hand for some change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
transaction seemed quite normal. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Then it was off to meet more of his friends,
eat more injera and drink more Ethiopian coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That evening, we joined some of his friends
who were having a farewell party for a guy that was getting married and moving
to Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of beer, <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX46P135tbHmtQI6LI5EyhlkwBsuBMWdZ_sqG5ufaCmhwVHZhZEl7fKWQes_uEGV291bG-osb53_8xx-F4a1jVdH7xCOQdg5cGT3Z_NGO8KMaKZALqobBikUHN2Wzyxm-EQnHKiseBeLag/s1600/IMG_3079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX46P135tbHmtQI6LI5EyhlkwBsuBMWdZ_sqG5ufaCmhwVHZhZEl7fKWQes_uEGV291bG-osb53_8xx-F4a1jVdH7xCOQdg5cGT3Z_NGO8KMaKZALqobBikUHN2Wzyxm-EQnHKiseBeLag/s320/IMG_3079.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Having my shoes cleaned</span></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">dancing and
laughter followed before we all decided at 02h00 that it was time to get some
sleep. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong>16th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the world cup soccer and South Africa
was playing against Ethiopia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big
excitement reigned and after a visit to the museum where Lucy is kept, we walked
to the stadium, stopping every now and again to eat injera and drink coffee. In
the end, we got lost but laughed a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ethiopia won the soccer and that evening, everyone was celebrating. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>17th of June 2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked pas a book store on the way to the
taxi rank and I couldn’t help but notice a book about rat infestation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst in the taxi to the airport, I thought
about the story Dizzy told me about the girl that he took to the mountain and
how surprised he was when she killed a rat and wanted him to cook it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I explained to Shaggy that the rat problem
could be solved by getting people to consider rats a delicatessen in Addis, he
looked strangely at me and said: ‘You think too much”.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After coffee at the airport it was time to
say goodbye and I couldn’t help the tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My trip to Ethiopia was a spur of the moment thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two days after booking my flight, I was on
the aeroplane without a clue about what to expect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My fears of finding starving, hostile people
and flea ridden accommodation, I found the Ethiopian people to be friendly and
warm people that never made me once feel unsafe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3m4GEUhgIJH37SRKxWboV1LdSJxCiBBUe4hOJm_07R4sh2yAE-ryKmK6-aPSZ51e4ZNUaVCtXAm1znk8Wx6bwdwm29Cyd9tlnmzZSW0Nfp5HyzkQN8yfIKRnYpGi0MG6TPXv4mhHODVx/s1600/IMG_3114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3m4GEUhgIJH37SRKxWboV1LdSJxCiBBUe4hOJm_07R4sh2yAE-ryKmK6-aPSZ51e4ZNUaVCtXAm1znk8Wx6bwdwm29Cyd9tlnmzZSW0Nfp5HyzkQN8yfIKRnYpGi0MG6TPXv4mhHODVx/s400/IMG_3114.JPG" height="222" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>On my way back to sunny South Africa</strong></span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-42979147460617219952013-05-31T19:48:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:45.835+02:00Ethiopia - Part 1: Sexy undies etc.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sexy
undies, the Enneagram, the Bannerman questionnaire and the Simien mountains. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">13 May
2013: I decided to go to Madagascar’s highest mountain but a week later, for some
bizarre reason, I still haven’t found anyone who could assist me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I phoned a fellow traveller and e-mailed him
my plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two days later, I received an
invitation to attend a talk about age and memory loss at his house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">21 May
2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I moved out of my comfort zone,
filled in the Bannerman questionnaire he attached in the e-mail and attended
the talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to my score – I am
an extreme case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ostensibly there’s hope
– and the right diet can help! It is however, not just the loss of memory I
suffered from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the
enneagram, I am an extreme personality type 7 and I could do with all the help
I can to stay focussed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unsure if I’m
being impulsive or spontaneous – I phoned her to say I’ll attend her workshop
the next Saturday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">25 May
2013:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started off focussed – but for
some unknown reason, I ended up in the Benoni industrial area instead of
Houghton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, I was not the only
one that got a little bit lost. The workshop started with Dr Van Zyl explaining
how the brain works and according to her test, I must have a boyfriend in every
port and I was way past a breakdown. Great – so I had a serious GABA deficiency
and there was a scientific reason why my relationships did not last!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I start
chatting to Amanda next to me, who enquired about my trips to Africa’s
mountains. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lost focus and start
babbling:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I’m not going to Madagascar …
maybe Ethiopia <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>… want to be on a
mountain on my birthday … very impulsive … yes, I’m a Gemini AND I have a type
7 personality … blah blah blah … Why do you want to know when my birthday is? …
7<sup>th</sup> of June!”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“I’m
also a type seven and we share the same birth dates. I’m coming with you to
Ethiopia!” My mouth falls open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blah
blah blah …I’m going to sing happy birthday to myself on top of Ras Dashen –
blah blah blah … I was kicked out of the choir when I was 6 years old and I
must overcome my hang-up about it …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It turned
out that she was also kicked out of the choir when she was in school and that
we both stopped singing after that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
was past eerie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">During
lunch we could not contain our excitement. We had to buy our plane tickets the
next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She needed to finalise
projects before we could go and I wanted to be there before June when the rainy
season starts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also needed to be
back for a radio show before the 16<sup>th</sup> of June. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
next speaker demonstrated how colourful scarves can dramatically change your
appearance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also emphasised the
importance of wearing sexy underwear and wearing perfume and I left the
workshop an inspired person. I had one week left to acquire a colourful scarf
and sexy undies before we boarded the aeroplane to Ethiopia. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
next morning, I discovered that acquiring sexy underwear is not that easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There are too many choices<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">If you picked up/lost weight, it is not just a matter of getting a bigger/smaller size bra. Cup sizes increase/decrease as well.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">You can only take 5 garments in at any time.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I chose
5 bras, moved into the fitting room queue, made small talk with my fellow
shoppers, removed all my clothes once I was allocated a fitting room, tried on
all 5, got disgusted about the visible sign of cellulite and not exercising and
finally, put back all my clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
above was repeated 3 times before I decided to go for coffee instead. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I don’t
give up easily, so I spent three more days shopping for the undies where I had
to duck and dive the mall vampires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, after braving Menlyn Park Shopping centre, I ended up with a
big dent in my wallet, two sets of sexy underwear and two big blisters on my
feet. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In the
meantime, Amanda broke the news that she could not accompany me to Ethiopia due
to work obligations and I had two days left before boarding my aeroplane. The
only information I could get about Ethiopia is that I could only book my hiking
trip once in I was in Gondar and that I needed flea repellent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of the time constraints, I just
borrowed my Airedale Terrier’s electronic flea repellent device. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnG5T0FRs2LoQLYjYM3JzWDBiMk-we6bQGqj11GXA2a324Ot-oNC1kQxbYG6v4UJ0FBA6QsPRyROvSMkDsI-87J5OqEHD5F7VwEt5vzpK1KlWRvmVtS-1D3XK21jVVgMFeXCEBFRGU6MG/s1600/Flea+thingy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnG5T0FRs2LoQLYjYM3JzWDBiMk-we6bQGqj11GXA2a324Ot-oNC1kQxbYG6v4UJ0FBA6QsPRyROvSMkDsI-87J5OqEHD5F7VwEt5vzpK1KlWRvmVtS-1D3XK21jVVgMFeXCEBFRGU6MG/s320/Flea+thingy.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><em>Fluff wearing Storm's electronic flea repellent device</em></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Of the
time I had to my disposal, I spend 85.5 % acquiring the sexy undies, 9% buying
food, 5% getting my necessary injections and only 0.5 % packing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, this led to some interesting
discoveries once on the Simien Mountain in Ethiopia. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWxMURyySM5DyaOYs1i1d1n1wJve7vhIIhYoEaNTkemhDsSj5eX30uaWZelzDAHwuybIkQfCmeTr7-i3yWEM35YNFDBlP9RYt48wqKkuJPwhbKdodY5CJwo2v9E2-ht61Cuwj35Fl1qQJ/s1600/Scarf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWxMURyySM5DyaOYs1i1d1n1wJve7vhIIhYoEaNTkemhDsSj5eX30uaWZelzDAHwuybIkQfCmeTr7-i3yWEM35YNFDBlP9RYt48wqKkuJPwhbKdodY5CJwo2v9E2-ht61Cuwj35Fl1qQJ/s320/Scarf.JPG" height="264" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em><strong><span style="font-size: small;">I finally found a scarf!</span></strong></em> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-16506477246898470052012-08-14T11:21:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:45.284+02:00First South African to visit the highest peaks in Continental Southern Africa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Karen
Hauptfleisch’s Trip to Morro Mocco<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Karen
Hauptfleisch has a personal dream to visit the highest peak in every African
country and has to date been fortunate to have seen the “sunrise” on 30 African
peaks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This adventure started in 2002
when she climbed Kilimanjaro and then decided to continue to visit all the 54
African countries in support of an initiative called Sunrise on African Peaks
(SOAP).</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA; mso-no-proof: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Karen
has chosen to take the long road, deciding to get to know Africa, its people
and its cultures as part of this adventure which culminates in her visiting a
local high point or peak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
commitment has allowed her to explore Africa, enjoying the challenges of local
transport, cuisine and the many diverse cultures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is this approach which differentiates her
from other adventurers as she realises that getting to her destination is a
crucial part of the trip and her stories recall these experiences and her
personal growth.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Her
travels have seen her travel in southern, eastern and western Africa; however
the one country which she struggled to visit was Angola.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Challenges included the high cost of
accommodation, air travel and the requirements for the necessary permits,
etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She once had a plan to drive from
South Africa, but was warned about the perils of such a journey and it seemed a
distant dream to travel to Morro Mocco, near Huambo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people will say that good things come to
people who are willing to wait and this is definitely true in Karen’s case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After scouring ticket prices and making
contact with local Angolan businesses, things fell into place at the beginning
of June 2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plane tickets were
suddenly realistically priced and local contacts facilitated accommodation and
logistical support in Angola. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Using
local contacts and knowledge a plan was forged and the trip was underway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Utilising commercial flights, she arrived in
Huambo and immediately realised that she could have used the local bus services
as they would have been far more fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is sometime difficult to get sound information regarding local transport,
roads, etc. and this would have allowed her to see the scenery along the way
whilst saving money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The highest peak in
Angola, Morro Mocco (2620m) is situated about 120km north of Huambo and would
require travelling to the local village and finding transport to Konjonde, the
local village, was a bit of a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However her local contacts were very helpful and a local scout master
and teacher offered to take her party to the mountains. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDpcL-FIRkCOMgCtiZ0gqfdpKxo-_g5PaSyDIKXuOunvglwoMXuG5F019AKN5d_WNQ91cYPoMW6HKcRlw2Lls0NRim0MUorYwEjplBK0GVNwuqpiy2aMRjKrK4v27JqtcH3lYAZEFaWps/s1600/IMG-20120626-00238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDpcL-FIRkCOMgCtiZ0gqfdpKxo-_g5PaSyDIKXuOunvglwoMXuG5F019AKN5d_WNQ91cYPoMW6HKcRlw2Lls0NRim0MUorYwEjplBK0GVNwuqpiy2aMRjKrK4v27JqtcH3lYAZEFaWps/s320/IMG-20120626-00238.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The village</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_9" o:spid="_x0000_s1031" strokecolor="black [3213]" stroked="t" style="height: 197.25pt; margin-left: 221.45pt; margin-top: 8.95pt; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: page; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: page; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 263pt; z-index: 251664384;" type="#_x0000_t75"></v:shape><strong><em>
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</w:wrap></v:imagedata></em></strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Spending time in Huambo, allowed Karen
to get to know more about the local history and the challenges faced in the
recent past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local people were
positive, friendly and very helpful, whilst being very fascinated by her trip
to the local mountains. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Over
and above spending time on the highest peak in Angola, the highlight of the
trip was the time spent in Kanjonde, the village at the base of Morro
Mocco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her Karen got to meet the local
people who were quite used to the visitors who visited their village from time
to time to walk up the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigYo7Yc8zqSWyqwO2huUUh0OTikoS7kEXq04AQo-hPddu_EYvSWK3-q-koxsJEzmC2Z6GJR-wYoZhyPH3D-MbGRsZ8mYIySVtzOFHM5gxjw45-s3QTzDUGa1ZIqlUbr-kFSb-6KLxNNnM/s1600/IMG-20120626-00246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigYo7Yc8zqSWyqwO2huUUh0OTikoS7kEXq04AQo-hPddu_EYvSWK3-q-koxsJEzmC2Z6GJR-wYoZhyPH3D-MbGRsZ8mYIySVtzOFHM5gxjw45-s3QTzDUGa1ZIqlUbr-kFSb-6KLxNNnM/s320/IMG-20120626-00246.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Sunset</em></strong></td></tr>
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</w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After spending close to two days
exploring the village, the mountains and the local environment, she started to
get an appreciation of the local villagers and their day-to-day
challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The village is about 15km from
the closest tar road and basic services such as clinics, etc. require motorbike
travel or a long walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local school
and church are however functioning well and the local chief was very
philosophical about the people and their future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They see the local mountains as a source of
clean drinking water but are not able to realise the value of the tourism due
to the limited facilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are ablution
facilities that have been built for the visitors and the chief speaks of maybe
building a place where people could sleep with a shop for basic
provisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This vision to improve the
livelihood of the village is distant from the hustle and bustle of the outside
world; however is a dream of the local community to move forward and progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Karen could not help to wonder what could be
done to improve the local village in the foothills of Morro Mocco?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local community use the mountains as a
source of fire wood and grazing for their cattle and the effects of this
utilisation can be seen with the loss of trees and the erosion which is prevalent
on the steeper slopes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having a source
of income would help to alleviate the problems highlighted earlier and
realising the value of tourism maybe an option to this community. </span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
trip to the summit of Morro Mocco was a pleasant hike where Karen had the
opportunity to see amazing scenery, vistas, fauna and flora including an
African Rock Python.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mountain had
recently burnt and the stark contrast of the green vegetation versus the burnt
areas was phenomenal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The team,
including a local guide from the village, was humbled by the trip and was able
to walk away with a new appreciation of the local area and its customs. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Reaching this peak allowed Karen to
realise an important milestone in her adventure when she became the first South
African to visit the highest peak in each of continental southern African
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since this trip, Karen has
visited another three eastern African countries and will continue to travel on
this amazing continent whilst growing as a person and learning about the local
humanity, nature and the adventures of travel. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> <v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" strokecolor="black [3213]" stroked="t" style="height: 170.7pt; margin-left: 266.25pt; margin-top: 1.5pt; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: page; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: page; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 225pt; z-index: 251661312;" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\STUART~1.MAR\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image007.png"><w:wrap type="square"></w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape></o:p></span></w:wrap><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Karen
would like to thank the Angolan people for their hospitality and assistance in
this endeavour and would furthermore like to thank her hosts in both Luanda and
Huambo for offering their assistance and furthermore opening her mind to this
fabulous country.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL19pTRehDgUY58ar7Ct-05tZ5j9JCOozpk0Fl_n0XicTpixbD-tBtkV7mq51p10YZb9sWVnQ3YZtu3PpE8uvP38sK9e8FjyVhEorbXhwK5zA6DF55gkWaX6KdrDbLBIxxWeoDOhWs4FK/s1600/Africa+Standard+Completed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL19pTRehDgUY58ar7Ct-05tZ5j9JCOozpk0Fl_n0XicTpixbD-tBtkV7mq51p10YZb9sWVnQ3YZtu3PpE8uvP38sK9e8FjyVhEorbXhwK5zA6DF55gkWaX6KdrDbLBIxxWeoDOhWs4FK/s320/Africa+Standard+Completed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Countries visited in Africa</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">------ooOoo------<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-49108199917241732962012-07-30T10:33:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.035+02:00DRC - Nyiragongo - July 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Day 1: I was
not very happy with the "bubble-wrappers" attitude towards me at the airport –
they told me I was a rich lady – and once in Rwanda, I felt extremely guilty
since the bubble wrapping of my luggage was something I have never done before.</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Plastic bags are banned in Rwanda and
everything is pristine.</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Even the leaves
in the streets are being swept and you won’t find a pothole on the roads.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmr0C9MhLrV7xEr89zc235vl2JuQ77v2yS-XHV9rYRdRnGGEAt9Cm5st94wkyNv_rOhRmI0faUoGAaL253a-SM49m5QK3qHEsjwTJEDB3_JRTauIi3AJHT1SQbDgW2SprbrJTdwNnvj2Km/s1600/20170621_085554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmr0C9MhLrV7xEr89zc235vl2JuQ77v2yS-XHV9rYRdRnGGEAt9Cm5st94wkyNv_rOhRmI0faUoGAaL253a-SM49m5QK3qHEsjwTJEDB3_JRTauIi3AJHT1SQbDgW2SprbrJTdwNnvj2Km/s320/20170621_085554.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taxi Rank in Kigali</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">After a short
taxi ride from the airport to the local taxi rank, I paid $3 for a ride all the
way to
the border of DRC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even
received an official receipt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
hot, but I suffered from a ‘StuckInaTaxiWithaFullBladder” fear - so I did not even
bother to buy water along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
an hour, there was an official stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
I have been in countries before where the bus/taxi just left passengers behind, so I was not moving from my seat. Much to my shock the passenger in front of me just threw out his plastic bottle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In Gyasina, I
followed an Ugandian to the border but he told me to rather follow the locals, which I
did. It was not long before I heard “Musungu, Musungu!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were obviously not use to tourists. The
Rwanda officials explained to me that they do not have a problem letting me
through that specific border post but that I would encounter problems on the
DRC side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bJw3OVCY-UXGjvTej3rNAfHRNp_ZNh2y2vOruHGA6rEVfHICH5qw4Z7dPrmzrG75Vr8i4XsrFq8AiCMs00auMiN7qxMuq7_d3YjjTnoAtshVgc_MnwCy1Ude1kWvJ9pHdMGG8DMYrqsq/s1600/20170621_132920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bJw3OVCY-UXGjvTej3rNAfHRNp_ZNh2y2vOruHGA6rEVfHICH5qw4Z7dPrmzrG75Vr8i4XsrFq8AiCMs00auMiN7qxMuq7_d3YjjTnoAtshVgc_MnwCy1Ude1kWvJ9pHdMGG8DMYrqsq/s320/20170621_132920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />I followed the locals to the wrong border post</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">It was no problem
jumping on a motorbike for a ride to the other border post but my helmet’s
visor was cracked and it was only after a while that I realised that the driver
was taking me to a guesthouse instead.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9R1jj7Jj_fJeTT7LbX7YQhRqLYmP09SmKJXY4IskowJ1-0LSum6uepE97yJIXPxYSY451hBbXNBDKAqfYml8a1BMt1QyH4mkgdeeydR8dlGMg6p2kcFtkoJlyeJVr69qCEMNZR_H5nMm/s1600/20170621_133141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9R1jj7Jj_fJeTT7LbX7YQhRqLYmP09SmKJXY4IskowJ1-0LSum6uepE97yJIXPxYSY451hBbXNBDKAqfYml8a1BMt1QyH4mkgdeeydR8dlGMg6p2kcFtkoJlyeJVr69qCEMNZR_H5nMm/s320/20170621_133141.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My motorbike ride to the right border post</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">When I saw the
huge new building I presumed there would be a huge influx of tourists but I
was mistaken and was shown to a dilapidated building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was asked for my letter of invitation by
the grumpy official and it took me at least 45 minutes to explain to him that I
have a visa and therefore don’t need a letter of invitation. I was starting to
regret leaving my calming tablets at home but luckily I had proof of payment of
my trip to see the volcano with me and he reluctantly stamped my passport.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxau5M_mjwXZ9VMM_ovuduTYkoOofInZMlyMEGIIxaOyp1admy-TqSNLItbJVxFlK075FYbwStw3Z96ccprxB007V61FTdhmCO3mPoC6zz7uZvicDMiBzpNTdsIO0eeJwntkFWlY6A8a1T/s1600/101_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxau5M_mjwXZ9VMM_ovuduTYkoOofInZMlyMEGIIxaOyp1admy-TqSNLItbJVxFlK075FYbwStw3Z96ccprxB007V61FTdhmCO3mPoC6zz7uZvicDMiBzpNTdsIO0eeJwntkFWlY6A8a1T/s320/101_0008.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My 'fancy' shower/bath with 3 taps - and little water</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I can’t say the
locals were over friendly and I took another motorbike to the hotel and yes, my
driver got us lost. A lack of sleep, dehydration and a full bladder made me
cranky and my 1<sup>st</sup> impression of the hotel was not great. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There was one
lonely desk at the reception and no one knew about my reservation but they
rushed to clean out a room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything
in the room was huge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tv screen, the
bed, the tiles in the bathroom and there were even 3 different taps in the
shower. I was finally able to empty my bladder and drank lots of water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also looking forward to wash 16-hour
old sweat off me. And then I discovered that there were only 10 drops of water
in the tap and it took me 10 minutes to rinse my hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">But luckily I had 40 000 seconds to
kill!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I went to the
local shop next to the hotel to get some water and was quite surprised to see
three guys making toasted sandwiches using snackwich machines that was placed
on the floor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There was no
fan, a lot of light fittings with very little bulbs in the huge room but luckily it was
not hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I drifted in and out of sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 2:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The touring company ‘forgot’ to pick me up
and I spend another day relaxing in Goma. When I asked for a cheaper room, I
was shown to a small dingy room which costed $80.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have paid $30 via booking.com for the huge
room so decided to stick to my room with all the fancy taps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TazEj8CzJYcwJQj5PEz3giohOUhL4H9XramMTGWaKZ9vexdMPaH8p0koy8lQmY6vuCDKBgtRctMOooGVz-inh3fCFZa7PdudeGUDcMyplkzhFoFvP5xEJxaCbF3gQqQps-JkDQ4RdUaM/s1600/101_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TazEj8CzJYcwJQj5PEz3giohOUhL4H9XramMTGWaKZ9vexdMPaH8p0koy8lQmY6vuCDKBgtRctMOooGVz-inh3fCFZa7PdudeGUDcMyplkzhFoFvP5xEJxaCbF3gQqQps-JkDQ4RdUaM/s320/101_0042.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some of the porters</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 3:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time there was no misunderstanding and
my driver dropped me at the Kibati
station (trailhead for Nyiragongo) by
9:00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite a big group of people
and thank goodness I asked for a porter because it turned out to be quite steep
and it was very humid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hiked most of
the way with a group of elderly men from Singapore. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">At one stage, a tourist was
really struggling and my porter offered to carry his backpack as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Once on top, I
was shown to a shelter where I quickly changed into warm clothes.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The wind was howling and it was freezing.
Luckily I had enough warm clothes to hand out to some girls who were
freezing.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThODmzyNIG7mucQIZrvIUWPoLbDlSszozE9xaxdt482k5jOMTBjZlulH7ZzRHvD5hbP3hXMDkOVk6RaNpuo_V2wq4FOtpQu-ilKrEHXPikS240irI3ThjKIE1vPkwhje9Mzs6bbxIFWYX/s1600/101_0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThODmzyNIG7mucQIZrvIUWPoLbDlSszozE9xaxdt482k5jOMTBjZlulH7ZzRHvD5hbP3hXMDkOVk6RaNpuo_V2wq4FOtpQu-ilKrEHXPikS240irI3ThjKIE1vPkwhje9Mzs6bbxIFWYX/s320/101_0098.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shelters on top of the volcano</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglaXGMfFLqzLmufJ0P9-F88ATzjl3tb0c-c03rSNRjPutJkCfAgcDgm0sm5EhF3deVP97UCAGKaECGjRGAHqnEn43G3qlgEf7ciq_gbsBsjfQlZK1tfPjXtyo-JkA42VAEPBszWbVK4_Ld/s1600/101_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglaXGMfFLqzLmufJ0P9-F88ATzjl3tb0c-c03rSNRjPutJkCfAgcDgm0sm5EhF3deVP97UCAGKaECGjRGAHqnEn43G3qlgEf7ciq_gbsBsjfQlZK1tfPjXtyo-JkA42VAEPBszWbVK4_Ld/s320/101_0036.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Booze for sale at start of hike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Someone played Lucky Dube’s
music and we all started dancing to keep warm.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Back in my shelter which I shared with one of the guides, I could not
miss the smell of something rotting.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It
turned out to be my backpack that was full of my porter’s sweat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OMKdF38_5BzWuYrijcCe4mxH3KXHh5xNN_DWUQkMVeqQQWUSFAkT2uVj_nL7eZCJb7k2r7t-tIC1VrXFEk-i9rINXb9Q8E4_2B1EpycvDrwshi7gAnZ0PLh8MGIJh9o-f7ReaeVuwrn0/s1600/DANCING.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OMKdF38_5BzWuYrijcCe4mxH3KXHh5xNN_DWUQkMVeqQQWUSFAkT2uVj_nL7eZCJb7k2r7t-tIC1VrXFEk-i9rINXb9Q8E4_2B1EpycvDrwshi7gAnZ0PLh8MGIJh9o-f7ReaeVuwrn0/s400/DANCING.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dancing to get warm<br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineIy3_iImIbA_aEx8UnqRkuw2kyymrX7MPTDeFKfcqwWMjOn8Mw9Y_ATJpUYgf8ZGeYp7t2rDmUmJMJtA3RFxh0eTH3tQDdIN7F6fQLIkr9jqQermKHQhrB18BjSoZ2-bPMV6vuuZOKE8/s1600/20170624_173008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineIy3_iImIbA_aEx8UnqRkuw2kyymrX7MPTDeFKfcqwWMjOn8Mw9Y_ATJpUYgf8ZGeYp7t2rDmUmJMJtA3RFxh0eTH3tQDdIN7F6fQLIkr9jqQermKHQhrB18BjSoZ2-bPMV6vuuZOKE8/s400/20170624_173008.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On top of Nyiragongo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUa7y4BMfcl7LnJ6CLblaQNSkDtxz9MdyRlbQPSWOZ24zoSSRYRL2tJwhuc2O-WYTH7o0wmnnoNKdWAxVNF9l2tP36OzqPg6MqDjguTohUvxC1x-GeriG1sDYKjAYctEhPd57JxQrEyAK/s1600/MIMG_2060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUa7y4BMfcl7LnJ6CLblaQNSkDtxz9MdyRlbQPSWOZ24zoSSRYRL2tJwhuc2O-WYTH7o0wmnnoNKdWAxVNF9l2tP36OzqPg6MqDjguTohUvxC1x-GeriG1sDYKjAYctEhPd57JxQrEyAK/s400/MIMG_2060.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The active volcano - breathtaking</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Day 4: After
coffee, we started descending.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I could
feel my legs and once down, I repacked everything.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The sweat smell was overwhelming.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was driven to the border and took a bus
back to Kigali where I spend one night before flying back to sunny South Africa.</span></div>
<br /></div>
Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393546098013978127.post-82494473382242124122012-07-30T08:56:00.000+02:002019-07-19T08:55:46.677+02:00Rwanda - July 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Karisimbi,
the highest mountain in Rwanda:</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I can’t
keep up with the different time zones – this morning I was an hour early.</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I had Mr Day - the movie star - as my guide,
Emmanuel, a feisty Italian who demanded to either have his own guide or a $100
discount as fellow hiker. John (my poor porter that had to carry my smelly
backpack and then Claude - Mr Day’s porter.</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhk-xQ_u5uss97wY2jNKuZwnbenOFc40tCHT5rVks0-DX5Hg5NT_4Cqeq_PjoeZs9zATXZGYpHn7FRmmP9NsgjK70g1UiLmemUbYsma8F42FwQ9mf_HcUwJ4wTOc0gYkRG4x_E92Pz8CT/s1600/Me+and+the+Italian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhk-xQ_u5uss97wY2jNKuZwnbenOFc40tCHT5rVks0-DX5Hg5NT_4Cqeq_PjoeZs9zATXZGYpHn7FRmmP9NsgjK70g1UiLmemUbYsma8F42FwQ9mf_HcUwJ4wTOc0gYkRG4x_E92Pz8CT/s400/Me+and+the+Italian.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The feisty Italian</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8RrXlTERLydZCKTrXFrQPk4sFK386_cM6tr4w7P0SdelBoRgLYDW2U7lBLZcP7Uan-fQmp-FjL9U0ECVgLmixh8SOki3IdT89E3-CvEojEv4S9aj3sN4Rn7wbBiCA9Dwfg3RPmUnDCva/s1600/MrDay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8RrXlTERLydZCKTrXFrQPk4sFK386_cM6tr4w7P0SdelBoRgLYDW2U7lBLZcP7Uan-fQmp-FjL9U0ECVgLmixh8SOki3IdT89E3-CvEojEv4S9aj3sN4Rn7wbBiCA9Dwfg3RPmUnDCva/s400/MrDay.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mr Day</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">20 wood carriers and … 20 soldiers.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was expecting 2</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> rangers with weapons to scare buffaloes away.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I am dying to take pics but was explicitly told that it was forbidden. One carried a bazooka that I was sure would blow 10 elephants up in 1 go.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I huffed and puffed for 6 hours before I pitched my tent at 3500 m.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQ32GQJtS6zRYVyi7UBJMrAj28unuPwlpFMIvfj_ULtPoceZd6O8hYH1ZIANP_KfMt7C6TZyyMXzgHsMSO61GwMPGAjqfHIm2kfGW4uUaCTCTj1vquzes4UJ-H8zWiZ8XMqnyKv6uXj2_/s1600/CAmping.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQ32GQJtS6zRYVyi7UBJMrAj28unuPwlpFMIvfj_ULtPoceZd6O8hYH1ZIANP_KfMt7C6TZyyMXzgHsMSO61GwMPGAjqfHIm2kfGW4uUaCTCTj1vquzes4UJ-H8zWiZ8XMqnyKv6uXj2_/s400/CAmping.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our campsite</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Mr
Day and 2 porters slept in a contraption that looks like a manger.
Except for 2 soldiers, the rest are inconspicuous.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">At 16:00, whilst I was sitting around a fire,
they appeared out of nowhere before they disappeared again in different directions,
carrying some wood. They were still grumpy – or </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> maybe they w</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">ere instructed not to smile and mix with tourists?</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">It seemed as if Mr Day had flu.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I crawled into my tent to read at 18:00.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
was halfway dressed before I realised it was only 04:00 and not 5:00 so I tried
to be quiet till the Italian’s alarm went off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I love hiking in the dark, so without consulting the Italian, I woke Mr
Day at 5:10 and advised him to stay in his manger and sleep off his flu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtt9qvQzch17qxWrkoczU2een3s4q1ucqJl9rinMy2cUYy_2vVQW_ztJrRUOuF1O4R66ou1Uvv_S05_qhX5zQ3LrWsbOC22KoeZGJwdNKcnoFraopjM2WWP8-yHKHTfSz9jkXp-lYGyzu4/s1600/On+our+way+to+the+top.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtt9qvQzch17qxWrkoczU2een3s4q1ucqJl9rinMy2cUYy_2vVQW_ztJrRUOuF1O4R66ou1Uvv_S05_qhX5zQ3LrWsbOC22KoeZGJwdNKcnoFraopjM2WWP8-yHKHTfSz9jkXp-lYGyzu4/s200/On+our+way+to+the+top.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking through some bushes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
knew we had John, Claude and an undisclosed number of soldiers to prevent me
from getting lost. 3 hours of huffing and puffing followed and because of the
altitude, I had to rest often. I also took some pictures of the soldiers
whenever I thought I could get away with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">last bit to the top was quite slippery, but luckily they had some fixed ropes </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">to hold on to.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was disappointed with
all the steel and other building material lying on top – but I trust Mr Day
will make sure that the Parks board remove it.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLPu6tzNmHP3dDz9S9UID-Mzzsr4DT9fmBFv0t8rPvClRva8zkMV1AAJOBIpsKvAFpDExNtggr0PnXIuYbdXxT_iJjUMCJA7RUUvX9VPaQvXX8DjqgjQ3Hs0MpCQuOwSBSuZ4MF2dIlDh/s1600/Ropes+to+top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLPu6tzNmHP3dDz9S9UID-Mzzsr4DT9fmBFv0t8rPvClRva8zkMV1AAJOBIpsKvAFpDExNtggr0PnXIuYbdXxT_iJjUMCJA7RUUvX9VPaQvXX8DjqgjQ3Hs0MpCQuOwSBSuZ4MF2dIlDh/s320/Ropes+to+top.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last stretch to the top</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
hauled out the South African flag and several pictures were taken BEFORE I was
approached by 3 soldiers who asked me if they could take a picture with
me.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was flabbergasted. A photo shoot on
top of Karisimbi with the 3 soldiers followed.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Two of them still refused to smile and unfortunately, the one put down
his gun to take selfies so I still don’t have any good pictures of the weapons.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuk56epcGBKJrEizWM5nfmzsA7rCXbiubsujpOBxAqVOnz-EZnvYA5DJ4AljP7fmfOHdId1FOco6o5cKLLHrG9unXi49cfaCd0MbKbWDE_hdrhPeprBmrxaHoFi93ofyoMxCmRsH_93Ti/s1600/On+top+of+Karisimbi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuk56epcGBKJrEizWM5nfmzsA7rCXbiubsujpOBxAqVOnz-EZnvYA5DJ4AljP7fmfOHdId1FOco6o5cKLLHrG9unXi49cfaCd0MbKbWDE_hdrhPeprBmrxaHoFi93ofyoMxCmRsH_93Ti/s400/On+top+of+Karisimbi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On top of Karisimbi</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
took my time going down the steep volcano (5 hours).</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I knew I was going to miss being called
“Missis’ by the Italian guy, “Madam” by Mr Day, “Mam” by the porters and …
well, being ignored by the soldiers.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTsCk8u_TohWPzlbMxTILzDqitc9LcCHWuqU_dk-XkdcIojexJg9_2EUcc9okIQZH8IGUQInhvSp6BbWHPx30x3HWpkJQ3DLomKG9BoWtwD23VGUAWxL9kRhRISzZGFi8waLL07i3019Z/s1600/20170627_071418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTsCk8u_TohWPzlbMxTILzDqitc9LcCHWuqU_dk-XkdcIojexJg9_2EUcc9okIQZH8IGUQInhvSp6BbWHPx30x3HWpkJQ3DLomKG9BoWtwD23VGUAWxL9kRhRISzZGFi8waLL07i3019Z/s400/20170627_071418.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On top of the clouds</span></td></tr>
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Karen Hauptfleischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06544815794156081698noreply@blogger.com1