Kilimanjaro's Uhuru Peak -- 19,345 Feet Above Sea Level

Courtesy of Lani and Val's Flip Camera Christmas present, I present my first video entry (in HD!) on this blog.  Apologies for the out-of-breath narration and not-so-good camera work.  19,000+ feet and 8 hours of hiking will do that to a person.

More pictures and full(er) stories to come, but in short: Hiking Kilimanjaro was difficult.  We did the last day in a blizzard (see video below, click here for larger) and were at the summit at "sunrise" though in practice that only meant the sky changed from black to gray.  Of our group of 14, all of us made it to the summit at Gilman's point, and another 10 of us went on to Uhuru Peak, Africa's highest point.  We're all back in our respective homes now, 10 of us back in Swaziland, and the other four, including my high-school friends Nick Potter and Matt Flanders, are back in the US.

I do think this video gives a sense of what it was like up there, maybe hold your breath while you're watching it to bring your oxygen levels down to further simulate the experience.

February Pictures 9: Unusual Signs

The sign on a a men's room door at a restaurant in Johannesburg.  Sadly, it was the only thing memorable about the restaurant.

**P.S.  I had planned to put up ten pictures in advance while I'm away for the next week in Tanzania, but work and other things have conspired against me.  I will make up for it when I return.  In the meantime, wish us luck as we climb Kilimanjaro.  Wish us luck as we try to summit on Tuesday morning!

G

February Pictures 8: Our House

Not much to say about this picture, except to say that it's where I live.  It more than does the trick for Joe and I, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.  We do seem to have a lot of ants these days, but otherwise no complaints.  And you already saw the view.

February Pictures 7: Malolotja Reserve

Expats in Swaziland travel in packs (there are 11 of us hiking Kilimanjaro next week).  This picture is from a day hike in Malolotja Reserve.  We hiked from the top of the hills to the bottom of the valley where this photo was taken. I think about half of the group is visible in this photo.

Malolotja is about 30 minutes from Mbabane, and all the hikes begin at the top of a ridge and then go down into the valley.  The park has several waterfalls, and some of the best views I've seen in Swaziland.

February Pictures 6: Giraffe

Though I don't think about it that much, we do live pretty close to some amazing animals.  I'm partial to the giraffe.  This picture was taken in July, at Mkhaya (Mih-kay-a) Game reserve.

February Pictures 5 -- Roommate Joe

No comment.  Okay, one comment.  Joe's main partner in the Swaziland government referred to his beard as one that belongs on a "peasant farmer".  He got rid of it.

In case the title wasn't clear, Joe is my housemate.

February Pictures 4: Beer Brewing for Beginners

Beer Making, day 1.  That's the 5-gallon jug I carried back with me on the plane from Boston to Swaziland in order to brew beer at home.  It was in a box, but it was pretty awkward anyway.   In this picture I'm marking 5 1-gallon lines on the side to ensure the right amount of water was in there at the end.

We will be bottling the IPA this weekend.  Hopefully it tastes good.