So here I am safe and sound, finally in Capetown.
Of course the last 6 days haven't been without any dramas. A few days before we arrive we have a TDA disaster. One of our big support trucks brakes fail, the truck rolls. I don't know how the two staff members on board manage to get out of there unharmed. I think Disco Jesus saved them. Goodbye green truck. That's our second day this tour when things could have ended up seriously bad but somehow they didn't. Once again Sharita (a.k.a BB, or Fearless Leader) does an awesome job sorting out the disaster. We get everything off the trucks. Bicycles are damaged but the main thing is everyone is safe. Thankfully there were no clients on board the truck.
Disco Jesus came from Marsabit - he was a glow in the dark plastic Jesus originally hanging from a cross. One drunken night he gets removed from his cross and Mathias burns his arm so he can bend it downwards - he looks like he's dancing. He used to live above Ferdi's bed on the truck but the belief is that he saved Ferdi and Elvis. Unfortunately he was lost during the drama.
The next lot of dramas don't arrive until the convoy into Capetown. A rider falls and lands heavily. After the awards ceremony she's taken to the hospital for x-rays. Meanwhile another rider is climbing down the ladder out of the truck - the ladder slips and the rider lands awkwardly. Two clients with broken bones in the final day.
So here in Capetown how am I feeling??? The answer: Very Tired.
I don't think I've ever worked this hard in my life.
I also don't think I've ever had so much fun in my life.
It's the perfect way to end a journey.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
6 days left
So I'm currently sitting at a campsite called Felix Unite where the Fish River meets the Orange River close to the border of Namibia/South Africa.
There's 6 days left.
It feels weird.
Somehow I'm looking forward and dreading going home simultaneously which is a very strange feeling. I wish I had a little more time to go and road trip with the troopers in South Africa but it's back to Brisbane I fly in 8 days time.
We've had an awesome time, but the team is tired. Half the team is on strike. 4 months is a long time - everyone is feeling it. I will miss the fresh air, the open spaces, the dramas. But mostly I will miss the people and the friendships - my TDA family.
I look forward to a life where I can go to work and go home again. I look forward to having my own room, my own space again. I look forward to seeing my real family again (the one that's known me for a little more than 4 months)... and I look forward to perhaps returning back here again next year if they'll take me!
There's 6 days left.
It feels weird.
Somehow I'm looking forward and dreading going home simultaneously which is a very strange feeling. I wish I had a little more time to go and road trip with the troopers in South Africa but it's back to Brisbane I fly in 8 days time.
We've had an awesome time, but the team is tired. Half the team is on strike. 4 months is a long time - everyone is feeling it. I will miss the fresh air, the open spaces, the dramas. But mostly I will miss the people and the friendships - my TDA family.
I look forward to a life where I can go to work and go home again. I look forward to having my own room, my own space again. I look forward to seeing my real family again (the one that's known me for a little more than 4 months)... and I look forward to perhaps returning back here again next year if they'll take me!
Kasane-Ghanzi
I haven't updated this blog since I was in Kasane and I apologise but I have not had a chance near a computer since then.
From Kasane I figured out how to get myself on a local bus to Ghanzi. It was surprisingly not to complicated. I first got a cab from camp early in the morning to the bus stop (left at 5am) then caught the bus to a place called Nata. From Nata a connecting bus goes off to Maun. I was expecting to spend a night in Maun but I didn't want to be there at the same time as everyone because it is only a tiny place and I knew I would bump into TDA people which would defeat the purpose of having a break! My plan was to hide in the first hotel I saw for a night but when I get to Maun there's another bus going to Ghanzi within another couple of hours so I hang out at the bus depot for a little longer. I manage to cover 1000km in a day on local transport. The only problem I had along the way was taking my tent down in Kasane - my tent pole had decided to fuse itself together and was refusing to collapse fully. Definitely not the end of the world - it just meant that I was on the bus with my extended tent pole - as if I wasn't attracting enough attention being the only whitie on the bus already!!!
I pitch my tent at the same campground TDA will be arriving at in a few days. It's completely empty - there's just me and my friend Olliver the Ostrich. The Ostrich is very friendly and he helps me put my tent back up. Some of the security guards come and have a quick chat to me but they don't speak very good English. They are also friends with Olliver Ostrich and show me he won't bite if he gets touched. So I stroke his back. Funny old bird!
The next day I spend wandering around downtown Ghanzi. I manage to check out the entire down town in a morning - including walking in and out of every shop. I buy a new t-shirt and new 3/4 pants because I felt like having some non dirt-bag clothes with me!
The rest of the afternoon I spend with my head buried in my book... and talking to Olliver. I have never ever looked so forward to going back to work in my life.
My second day in Ghanzi - I sleep in, have a shower, walk up to the kitchen get some coffee, read my book for a bit - listening very carefully for the trucks to arrive. I walk up to the lady at reception to pay my camping bill and find Sharita sitting there at reception. She gives me a big hug and a rundown on all the dramas that have been going on.
The trucks come in and there's more "welcome back" hugs - I am surprised at how much I have missed everyone. And surprised how much being back with everyone feels like family. And surprised at how I am feeling so much better and fresher after the break!
From Kasane I figured out how to get myself on a local bus to Ghanzi. It was surprisingly not to complicated. I first got a cab from camp early in the morning to the bus stop (left at 5am) then caught the bus to a place called Nata. From Nata a connecting bus goes off to Maun. I was expecting to spend a night in Maun but I didn't want to be there at the same time as everyone because it is only a tiny place and I knew I would bump into TDA people which would defeat the purpose of having a break! My plan was to hide in the first hotel I saw for a night but when I get to Maun there's another bus going to Ghanzi within another couple of hours so I hang out at the bus depot for a little longer. I manage to cover 1000km in a day on local transport. The only problem I had along the way was taking my tent down in Kasane - my tent pole had decided to fuse itself together and was refusing to collapse fully. Definitely not the end of the world - it just meant that I was on the bus with my extended tent pole - as if I wasn't attracting enough attention being the only whitie on the bus already!!!
I pitch my tent at the same campground TDA will be arriving at in a few days. It's completely empty - there's just me and my friend Olliver the Ostrich. The Ostrich is very friendly and he helps me put my tent back up. Some of the security guards come and have a quick chat to me but they don't speak very good English. They are also friends with Olliver Ostrich and show me he won't bite if he gets touched. So I stroke his back. Funny old bird!
The next day I spend wandering around downtown Ghanzi. I manage to check out the entire down town in a morning - including walking in and out of every shop. I buy a new t-shirt and new 3/4 pants because I felt like having some non dirt-bag clothes with me!
The rest of the afternoon I spend with my head buried in my book... and talking to Olliver. I have never ever looked so forward to going back to work in my life.
My second day in Ghanzi - I sleep in, have a shower, walk up to the kitchen get some coffee, read my book for a bit - listening very carefully for the trucks to arrive. I walk up to the lady at reception to pay my camping bill and find Sharita sitting there at reception. She gives me a big hug and a rundown on all the dramas that have been going on.
The trucks come in and there's more "welcome back" hugs - I am surprised at how much I have missed everyone. And surprised how much being back with everyone feels like family. And surprised at how I am feeling so much better and fresher after the break!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
What it's like to be a medic on TDA
What is it like to work on TDA??? I get the impression that a lot of people would think it would be some kind of awesome working holiday. And awesome it is - holiday it is not.
We work hard. There's always stuff that needs doing. As the medic I run a medical clinic between 4-5pm every second day (Mathias the other medic does every other day). In addition to this I'm technically on call every night. If there's an emergency - my tent is the yellow one with the orange flagging tape on it. I am yet to be woken.
Then there's the general tour support. We go through an 8 day cycle of duties. Mine looks something like this:
Day 1: Lunch
Day 2: breakfast and sanitation
Day 3: Morning sweep
Day 4: Web and Waste
Day 5: Lunch
Day 6: off
Day 7: morning sweep
Day 8: kitchen duty
Here's what's included with all these duties:
Lunch: The main duty involved is running the lunch stop. Usually I'm up and packed up half an hour before breakfast starts. Triple check that you have everything you need - most of this you should be on top of the night bef0re. The food for the day is chosen in consultation with Kim our cook. You also need to make sure you have the lunch satellite phone in case of emergency and there's no cell phone reception, the lunch attendance clipboard, enough bread and food.
Once this is done help out with breakfast as required (topping up the cereal, thermoses, make more powdered milk for the coffee etc etc).
The lunch truck leaves when breakfast ends (sometimes when it starts if the road is dodgy and the trucks go slower than the riders).
When you get to lunch you help set up - put up the tarp for shade, pull out the tables, start chopping tomatoes and cucumbers, whatever protein is included with lunch e.g. luncheon meat, tuna, cheese, hommus)
Then as the riders come through you check them off on the attendance list, and keep the food, the energy drink, the water jerry can all topped up.
It's a big job but you have the "lunch sweep" person and Pajero the lunch truck driver there to give you a hand.
When lunch is over you truck to camp. Usually I'm on clinic in the afternoon between 4-5.
Breakfast and Sanitation: So with this awesome duty you are the first to wake up. You need to have all your stuff packed up an hour before breakfast starts. Then you help with getting the coffee on, setting up for breakfast, getting the porridge going, getting the chopping boards out, the bread and spreads on the table. While breakfast is happening you help keep everything topped up (bread, spreads, hot water, milk). You help break camp in the morning, wash up stuff etc.
Then you ride the truck to camp. If you're somewhere civilised with toilets then this is a great thing. Otherwise you help Steve the truck driver dig some holes in the ground and put up the toilet tents. Then it's your job to make sure the holes don't start overflowing and if they do - you have to organise for some new holes to be dug, close in the old ones and move the tents. thankfully we've got the system downpacked now and we don't need to move the tents anymore. After this you generally go into the kitchen and help with all the chopping and preparing for the nights dinner.
Morning sweep: So morning sweep is one of my favourite duties. It's usually a more relaxed start to the day. Riding gear goes on, tent comes down, into the kitchen, help with breakfast as required. You're the last one to leave camp on your bike. And it's your job to arrive last to lunch. So depending on how you feel you can either ride fast and stop alot, or just ride slow. I usually just ride however fast I feel like riding until I can see the last riders then I'll stop at the next coke stop, take some photos do whatever I can to not catch them, depending on who it is. Most riders do not like being "swept" so I try to stay far back enough so they don't feel like I'm doing this. Some riders like having a chat though to and there are some cool clients out there who are awesome to talk to. Once you're at lunch you help pack up lunch with whoever's on lunch, and the lunch truck driver. sometimes whoever's on lunch sweep will also help out. Then it's usually on the truck to camp, but sometimes I keep riding, once again depending on how I feel, if I have clinic in the afternoon and if I think I can make it to clinic in the afternoon. Usually 80km is enough for one day. Once at camp help in the kitchen is always appreciated in between the arrival of the lunch truck and the beginning of clinic. Then it's time for dinner.
Web and Waste: Another one of my favourites. Main duties include taking down the toilet tents, riding your bike for at least half the day so you can get some photos of riders, and then writing the blog update in the evening. Once again when you're done doing all these essential things help in the kitchen never goes astray.
Off: Sounds like an awesome day but the reality is that there's no such thing as a day off on TDA! There'll always be someone asking you medical questions, chances are someone will be unwell or on holidays and need their duty for the day covered for them. Technically you're allowed to ride your bike all day. You don't really need to help out but no one will complain if you do!
Kitchen Duty: One thing about these cyclists is that they eat five times as much as a normal person. You try chopping 15kg of onions, carrots, tomatoes, capsicums.... the list doesn't end. Have i mentioned help is always appreciated in the kitchen??? You help break camp in the morning, wash up the breakfast stuff, pack up the trucks. Ride the truck to camp. Into the kitchen. there's some days you're lucky if you leave the kitchen for 10 minutes. other days when it's relatively well controlled and you might be able to escape for an hour.
Generally somewhere betweeen 4:30-5 is a good time to wake up you're lucky if you're in bed by 2030.
If anyone is unwell enough to need a clinic then it's my job to take them there and someone else will cover whatever else I'm supposed to be doing.
So why is this job so awesome you ask??? Well... what other job allows you to travel across africa on a bicycle??? when else do you get to see the sun rise and set every single day??? where else do your colleagues start to become more like your family??? But mostly it's the unexpected things that'll happen along the way. I reckon if TDA was to become a reality TV show there'd be enough dramas to keep the entire world entertained!!!
We work hard. There's always stuff that needs doing. As the medic I run a medical clinic between 4-5pm every second day (Mathias the other medic does every other day). In addition to this I'm technically on call every night. If there's an emergency - my tent is the yellow one with the orange flagging tape on it. I am yet to be woken.
Then there's the general tour support. We go through an 8 day cycle of duties. Mine looks something like this:
Day 1: Lunch
Day 2: breakfast and sanitation
Day 3: Morning sweep
Day 4: Web and Waste
Day 5: Lunch
Day 6: off
Day 7: morning sweep
Day 8: kitchen duty
Here's what's included with all these duties:
Lunch: The main duty involved is running the lunch stop. Usually I'm up and packed up half an hour before breakfast starts. Triple check that you have everything you need - most of this you should be on top of the night bef0re. The food for the day is chosen in consultation with Kim our cook. You also need to make sure you have the lunch satellite phone in case of emergency and there's no cell phone reception, the lunch attendance clipboard, enough bread and food.
Once this is done help out with breakfast as required (topping up the cereal, thermoses, make more powdered milk for the coffee etc etc).
The lunch truck leaves when breakfast ends (sometimes when it starts if the road is dodgy and the trucks go slower than the riders).
When you get to lunch you help set up - put up the tarp for shade, pull out the tables, start chopping tomatoes and cucumbers, whatever protein is included with lunch e.g. luncheon meat, tuna, cheese, hommus)
Then as the riders come through you check them off on the attendance list, and keep the food, the energy drink, the water jerry can all topped up.
It's a big job but you have the "lunch sweep" person and Pajero the lunch truck driver there to give you a hand.
When lunch is over you truck to camp. Usually I'm on clinic in the afternoon between 4-5.
Breakfast and Sanitation: So with this awesome duty you are the first to wake up. You need to have all your stuff packed up an hour before breakfast starts. Then you help with getting the coffee on, setting up for breakfast, getting the porridge going, getting the chopping boards out, the bread and spreads on the table. While breakfast is happening you help keep everything topped up (bread, spreads, hot water, milk). You help break camp in the morning, wash up stuff etc.
Then you ride the truck to camp. If you're somewhere civilised with toilets then this is a great thing. Otherwise you help Steve the truck driver dig some holes in the ground and put up the toilet tents. Then it's your job to make sure the holes don't start overflowing and if they do - you have to organise for some new holes to be dug, close in the old ones and move the tents. thankfully we've got the system downpacked now and we don't need to move the tents anymore. After this you generally go into the kitchen and help with all the chopping and preparing for the nights dinner.
Morning sweep: So morning sweep is one of my favourite duties. It's usually a more relaxed start to the day. Riding gear goes on, tent comes down, into the kitchen, help with breakfast as required. You're the last one to leave camp on your bike. And it's your job to arrive last to lunch. So depending on how you feel you can either ride fast and stop alot, or just ride slow. I usually just ride however fast I feel like riding until I can see the last riders then I'll stop at the next coke stop, take some photos do whatever I can to not catch them, depending on who it is. Most riders do not like being "swept" so I try to stay far back enough so they don't feel like I'm doing this. Some riders like having a chat though to and there are some cool clients out there who are awesome to talk to. Once you're at lunch you help pack up lunch with whoever's on lunch, and the lunch truck driver. sometimes whoever's on lunch sweep will also help out. Then it's usually on the truck to camp, but sometimes I keep riding, once again depending on how I feel, if I have clinic in the afternoon and if I think I can make it to clinic in the afternoon. Usually 80km is enough for one day. Once at camp help in the kitchen is always appreciated in between the arrival of the lunch truck and the beginning of clinic. Then it's time for dinner.
Web and Waste: Another one of my favourites. Main duties include taking down the toilet tents, riding your bike for at least half the day so you can get some photos of riders, and then writing the blog update in the evening. Once again when you're done doing all these essential things help in the kitchen never goes astray.
Off: Sounds like an awesome day but the reality is that there's no such thing as a day off on TDA! There'll always be someone asking you medical questions, chances are someone will be unwell or on holidays and need their duty for the day covered for them. Technically you're allowed to ride your bike all day. You don't really need to help out but no one will complain if you do!
Kitchen Duty: One thing about these cyclists is that they eat five times as much as a normal person. You try chopping 15kg of onions, carrots, tomatoes, capsicums.... the list doesn't end. Have i mentioned help is always appreciated in the kitchen??? You help break camp in the morning, wash up the breakfast stuff, pack up the trucks. Ride the truck to camp. Into the kitchen. there's some days you're lucky if you leave the kitchen for 10 minutes. other days when it's relatively well controlled and you might be able to escape for an hour.
Generally somewhere betweeen 4:30-5 is a good time to wake up you're lucky if you're in bed by 2030.
If anyone is unwell enough to need a clinic then it's my job to take them there and someone else will cover whatever else I'm supposed to be doing.
So why is this job so awesome you ask??? Well... what other job allows you to travel across africa on a bicycle??? when else do you get to see the sun rise and set every single day??? where else do your colleagues start to become more like your family??? But mostly it's the unexpected things that'll happen along the way. I reckon if TDA was to become a reality TV show there'd be enough dramas to keep the entire world entertained!!!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Holidays
My tent is left standing as everyone else packed there's up. People rode away on their bicycles, the trucks drove away from camp leaving me left behind, all alone. For a moment I thought I was going to start crying - which is a weird thing considering I usually don't cry, I love my personal space, I'm ready for a holiday and I'm pretty ok at being on my own. The boys (Mathias, Cristiano, Ferdi, Steve and Gabe) all gave me a big hug before they left. I realise suddenly that I love these guys - they are all like brothers to me. Us staff are like one big family. Part of the working for TDA deal is that for the reasons of better work dynamics and for your own personal sanity, all staff get to take a break from the group for a week - obviously not all at the same time. So my place is here in Kasane, Botswana - an awesome little spot. Lots of I'm not planning on doing too much for the next week. Might read for a bit, write some postcards, check out the elephants and baboons that wander around camp. I can't remember when the last time I just stopped and put my feet up was. More than a year ago I think.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Cholera.... or Malaria???
I am hiding in a little internet cafe in Lilongwe, Malawi.
Not so long ago we were camped at Chitimba beach which is right on the lake. Another awesome little spot. But we found out after we got there that there was a cholera outbreak in the village not far from the camp. There had been 2 deaths in the last 2 weeks. As long as people are good with their hand hygiene, and eat well cooked food we decide it shouldn't really be a big issue.
The next day 3 people are sick with diarrhea - usually I wouldn't be too concerned because people get diarrhea here in Africa all the time, it's part of Africa, it's part of the deal with excessively tiring out your body through excessive amounts of cycling. Because of the cholera outbreak though I decide that they probably should be taken to a medical facility to a doctor that hopefully knows a little more about cholera than I do. A cholera outbreak at camp would be enough to shut down the tour for a couple of weeks. Another 3 people come along aswell who have also not been feeling too well recently either.
The doctor is not concerned about cholera. Apparently a cholera bowel motion looks like a flakey rice water and it doesn't stop coming (if you were interested... sorry I'm aware that not everyone reading this works in the medical field so perhaps many of you are not that interested).
He's more concerned that we need to rule out malaria. So he does a full blood count and a blood film and... 3 cyclists get diagnosed with malaria.
Anyhow, I have only seen malaria once before. But the Indaba staff and some of the other guys I've met who make it a habit of doing lots of tour guiding through malarious areas have all never seen 3 such healthy cases of malaria, and question the diagnosis.
The two options would be
a) to treat it as malaria with some Coartem
b) to go and find another medical facility and repeat the test
We can't ignore a diagnosis like this, and I would like to think that the doctor knows more about Malaria than we do. Time is poor, it's too late for a repeat test tonight, the tour waits for no one. So I choose option a) and if they don't actually have malaria then it's not going to kill them if they have the treatment.
My impression is that because they were taking prophylactic tablets for malaria that they will not get anywhere near as sick as someone who doesn't take any prophylaxis so the doctors diagnosis is quite possible.
For all you families out there that read everyones blogs please do not be at all alarmed. All three of these people are perfectly fine, and have now recovered, and never even got off their bicycles because we got onto the diagnosis early and they were never really that sick in the first place.
Not so long ago we were camped at Chitimba beach which is right on the lake. Another awesome little spot. But we found out after we got there that there was a cholera outbreak in the village not far from the camp. There had been 2 deaths in the last 2 weeks. As long as people are good with their hand hygiene, and eat well cooked food we decide it shouldn't really be a big issue.
The next day 3 people are sick with diarrhea - usually I wouldn't be too concerned because people get diarrhea here in Africa all the time, it's part of Africa, it's part of the deal with excessively tiring out your body through excessive amounts of cycling. Because of the cholera outbreak though I decide that they probably should be taken to a medical facility to a doctor that hopefully knows a little more about cholera than I do. A cholera outbreak at camp would be enough to shut down the tour for a couple of weeks. Another 3 people come along aswell who have also not been feeling too well recently either.
The doctor is not concerned about cholera. Apparently a cholera bowel motion looks like a flakey rice water and it doesn't stop coming (if you were interested... sorry I'm aware that not everyone reading this works in the medical field so perhaps many of you are not that interested).
He's more concerned that we need to rule out malaria. So he does a full blood count and a blood film and... 3 cyclists get diagnosed with malaria.
Anyhow, I have only seen malaria once before. But the Indaba staff and some of the other guys I've met who make it a habit of doing lots of tour guiding through malarious areas have all never seen 3 such healthy cases of malaria, and question the diagnosis.
The two options would be
a) to treat it as malaria with some Coartem
b) to go and find another medical facility and repeat the test
We can't ignore a diagnosis like this, and I would like to think that the doctor knows more about Malaria than we do. Time is poor, it's too late for a repeat test tonight, the tour waits for no one. So I choose option a) and if they don't actually have malaria then it's not going to kill them if they have the treatment.
My impression is that because they were taking prophylactic tablets for malaria that they will not get anywhere near as sick as someone who doesn't take any prophylaxis so the doctors diagnosis is quite possible.
For all you families out there that read everyones blogs please do not be at all alarmed. All three of these people are perfectly fine, and have now recovered, and never even got off their bicycles because we got onto the diagnosis early and they were never really that sick in the first place.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Resting up in Arusha
So we are on our last of 3 days of rest in Arusha. Riders take off on Safaris, but for me Mt Meru looks like an attractive spot.
Kendra's ribs are healing up and although she hasn't been up to riding her bike yet, she also likes the look of Mt Meru. We're chopping up the tomatoes and cucumbers together at the lunch spot and we hatch a plan. Up and down Mt Meru in 2 days (normally a 3 day trip).
Kari and Jorg decide they want to come along aswell. We arrive in Arusha, organise some food, grab some dinner, pack our bags. First thing in the morning we're ready to head off on our hike.
The first day we hike up to the second hut (this takes a lot of convincing for the ranger that has to accompany us). It's a gorgeous spot. Down the bottom we see giraffes, zebras, warthogs, buffallo. A little higher we find some colobus monkeys. The vegetation gradually changes the higher we ascend.
We walk above the clouds.
Day 2 our plan is to wake at 3am and continue on to the summit, and then descend the entire way the next day.
3am arrives. Rain rain rain - go away!!! The rain is not the end of the world but because there is also thunder and lightning about we decide that perhaps ascending is not the best idea. Instead we sleep for another hour and a half. Then we hatch a plan to summit Little Meru instead (the smaller of the two peaks), and descend back and check out some more animals. We still ascended and descended 2000m... not a bad effort!!!
I love giraffes - I don't know how any animal can be so disproportionately elegant. Even when they run they do it elegantly - I think I could sit and watch a giraffe for hours!!!
Kendra's ribs are healing up and although she hasn't been up to riding her bike yet, she also likes the look of Mt Meru. We're chopping up the tomatoes and cucumbers together at the lunch spot and we hatch a plan. Up and down Mt Meru in 2 days (normally a 3 day trip).
Kari and Jorg decide they want to come along aswell. We arrive in Arusha, organise some food, grab some dinner, pack our bags. First thing in the morning we're ready to head off on our hike.
The first day we hike up to the second hut (this takes a lot of convincing for the ranger that has to accompany us). It's a gorgeous spot. Down the bottom we see giraffes, zebras, warthogs, buffallo. A little higher we find some colobus monkeys. The vegetation gradually changes the higher we ascend.
We walk above the clouds.
Day 2 our plan is to wake at 3am and continue on to the summit, and then descend the entire way the next day.
3am arrives. Rain rain rain - go away!!! The rain is not the end of the world but because there is also thunder and lightning about we decide that perhaps ascending is not the best idea. Instead we sleep for another hour and a half. Then we hatch a plan to summit Little Meru instead (the smaller of the two peaks), and descend back and check out some more animals. We still ascended and descended 2000m... not a bad effort!!!
I love giraffes - I don't know how any animal can be so disproportionately elegant. Even when they run they do it elegantly - I think I could sit and watch a giraffe for hours!!!
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