5.27.06 - Heading up the mountain

This is my 3rd full day in Moshi...it's been wonderfully relaxing. It really hasn't been too terribly shocking and even spent yesterday on the bus going in and out of Arusha to visit Happiness and get my project assignments for Lohada. Much to think about over the next few days. I've become increasingly friendlier with the hotel staff and even some of the touts in the area. More on that later.

Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be heading up Kilimanjaro tomorrow. A 6 day trek - so I'll be back on Friday. In addition to my own stuff I've also taken a trip to the equipment closet here at the hotel and have some lovely "rental" clothes to keep me extra dry and warm. It may be -10 degrees celsius at the top...and I'm starting in tropical forest conditions. It's just me, the guide, 3 porters and a cook. Hope to meet other trekkers along the way but I'm sure me and the guide, Hairani, will soon know a lot more about each other! Lots of time to talk...and I even brought along a deck of cards.

Wish me luck. Half the adventure is getting there right? And even if I don't get there I'm lucky enough just getting this far (thanks dad!).
Cheers
D

5.25.06 - Waking up to Mt. Kilimanjaro

I made it - and guess what? I travelled the full 8+ hours in business class!!! It was such a treat:
1) leg room
2) full "reclinability"
3) unlimited water (one does get dehydrated at such high altitudes)
4) the ability to leave my window seat to use the loo without asking my aisle buddy to move each time because of #3

It was smooth flight. We arrived at 20h and it was already pitch dark!! So different from northern Europe where it's still been twilight around 22h30. It also helped that there are hardly any street lights or city lights to block the view. It'd been raining but I was told that rainy season was technically over - it'd be dry for 2 weeks. But it was humid!!! I'd forgotten about humidity and am amazed that I actually got used to it last year. Whew!
Arrival involved getting a visa ($50), picking up luggage and heading out to find my ride to the hotel. I was expecting total mayhem in the arrivals "hall" with touts and tour operators vying for your attention but it was all quite orderly. I was asked a few times about a ride to Moshi (fyi - taxi rides to Moshi and Arusha are both $50 - seems to be the magic number so far!) but declined saying I was waiting to be picked up.
Well...after 30 minutes I changed my tune and relented. But was a tad anxious jumping in to an "unmarked" taxi and trusting my life with the young guy. Goodness I'm getting old. I have to think that the darkness of the night played a part. I absolutely hate arriving at a new place late at night because you have no sense of bearing and it just seems so ominous. But off we went. I desperately wanted to buy him a new set of windshield wipers but seemed to know the road. And I was expecting horrible road conditions but it was "sealed" (ie. asphalt) the entire way.
I was expecting the driver to give me hard time and to the hard sell about a safari or trek. That had been my experience so I went in with an open mind. Even asked him for recommendations when he wasn't opening up. But nothing!!! I was honestly stunned. And then when I asked about the easiest way to travel to the next town he drove me by the bus station here in Moshi!!! So not Asia!!! There he would have offered to be my driver, my best friend for the duration of the stay. But no go. It was much appreciated but very unexpected.
The drive took about 30-45 minutes. Pitch dark. Wet roads. Not much traffic. The occasional person spotted walking in the side of the road. We arrived in Moshi and came to my hotel. A veritable compound! Nice but basic (couldn't believe I was doing this again!!!). Ran through the normal drill of examining various rooms and looking for the best situation. Settled on a room on the 3rd/4th view that offered a decent "cross breeze" (note: be wary of adjacent buildings that block the flow air - especially in humid places), unpacked my stuff, showered (hot water arrived after a few minutes) and setttled in to write and read. It felt cozy.
The mosquito net was a complete waste of time (and there didn't seem to be any bugs) so I cranked the ceiling fan. The fan makes this horrible noise and vibrates back and forth. I spent a few moments contemplating my demise should the blades unhinge. Which way would the propeller fly? Would it bounce off the walls? Head my way and cause a mortal wound? These are things I think about. ;)
I would've thought I'd have the best sleep in the world but that was not the case and it's something I'm determined to figure out while I'm here. But the exhaustion was wiped away upon waking up, opening my room door and seeing Mt. Kilimanjaro in full view. A few clouds drifting across the peak, but essentially a clear day. That was so exciting!!! I immediately grabbed my camera and have documented the event.
It's still considered low season so there aren't many tourists from what I can gather. I'm getting ready to leave the Kindoroko Hotel compound and check out some tour operators. I'd ideally like to join a few more people but we'll see what's out there. I also need to load up on water at the supermarket. Just going for a wander.
Thanks for reading and also thank you for all your emails. It's been good to hear from some of you. It's been so long.
Cheers
D

5.23.06 - Preparation

Hi -
Just getting ready to meet Leonie and Jakob for a farewell dinner here in the market square in Breda. I feel that after a couple rather hectic days of packing, shopping and cleaning (I'm moving as well as going on a trip) I feel like I can relax...well sort of. The flight is tomorrow at 10am which means I'll need to get up early to catch the train with a little extra time added to deal with the 2 large bags I'm bringing with me. One of the bags is essentially loaded down with stuff I'll be leaving at the orphanage. New and used clothes as well as a clippers. Apparently the kids are in need of having their heads shaved and when I spoke with Happiness this was her one immediate request. Alicia and I have actually pitched in on this donation and I'm quite excited.

I'll be spending the first weekend in Moshi getting used to the area and scoping out my plan of attack on the adventure side. Moshi is a town located at the base of mt. Kilimanjaro (actually about 4500 ft I believe). The following week I'll be heading to Arusha to work at Lohada (www.lohada.org). It was actually my friend Tina and Alicia who first visited this organization when they were there in 2001. Since then they have maintained contact and even organized a few fundraisers to help support various projects. I can't wait to meet her and the fellow residents.

I can't believe I'm finally leaving Breda. Mixed emotions really - much like the weather today...rain, clouds, sun, clouds, sun, rain, rain.... Very fitting end! Cheers
D

5.22.06 - Recap

Hi all!
So the time in NL is coming to an end. It's been a great experience with many interesting moments - likely due to my "re-adjustment" to normal life. Simple things like driving a car, figuring out directions, planning, etc were complicated enough but add to that the language differences and matters were complicated even more. I can laugh about it now but the first time I set off to visit my friend Alicia in Hamburg over Thanksgiving - driving myself - and ended up in a snowstorm, stuck in traffic, all radio (ie. traffic reports) in Dutch, no map, no idea where I was....stuck in the dark...well that had to be one of the most challenging experiences I've ever taken on. What was I thinking? But thanks to Leonie, my friend and colleague in the Benelux office, I made it back and managed to ease back in to civil society.

The following is a quick recap of this time in NL:
- Packed and ready for my move to NL when I'm called by ATVI HR with a change of plans. I wouldn't be going to NL after London but would be returning to Santa Monica. Flight leaving in 4 hours and managed to re-pack and make my way albeit quite frazzled.
- Commuting to the ATVI UK office during my time in London. Rain, M&S lunches, rediscovering Coke Light, Wagamama dinners (solo - always fun!), getting up to speed and rather overwhelmed with day to day details.
- Breakfasts at the Westin in Rotterdam are absolutely stunning!
- Settling in Breda and being told how much lovelier the town will be in the spring/ summer. They weren't kidding!
- Weekends in Paris, Brussels, Hamburg, Paris, London, Dunkerque, Antwerp, London, London...
- Easter in Valencia with Alicia - the Good Friday procession, apartment on the beach, the orange groves, the scent of the orange blossoms, paella, paella and more paella, Alicia's relatives - so warm and inviting
- Entertaining visitors from South Africa and the US
- FINALLY upgraded to Silver Elite on KLM after many trips back and forth...and oh yeah there's that RTW ticket as well!!!
- The Saab story - happy that Michael is ok but the car hasn't made it. Off to buy a replacement car. A new beginning!
- Having my wallet stolen in London, without access to cash (Wells Fargo technical difficulties prevented my friend Steve from getting any cash!!!), being given cab money by a good samaritan in the middle of the night, Amy and Julie coming to my rescue with a loan since they happened to be in town and we were meeting for lunch...and learning all the intricacies of cancelling cards, ordering replacement cards, etc (or actually my mother was a huge help in that regard!!!)
- Catching up with Hugues, Veronique, and Philippine in Dunkerque
- Hanging out with Michael in Brighton (we saw Cate Blanchett randomly on the street), Breda and Amsterdam
- Discovering the wonderful world of Skype
- Driving a manual car...love it!
- Learning the limitations of not having a Dutch bank account
- Threaten with extradition for not paying my visa dues...which I tried to do on more than one occasions but found it absolutely impossible given the many layers of Dutch bureaucracy (ie. I applied and received my visa at one office but couldn't pay for it at that office!) and the fact that the only communication I received was in Dutch!
- Missing friends and family. Christmas in Thunder Bay, Lutsen and Minneapolis. New Years in NYC with Alicia, Sharon, and Nicole. A great break!
- Going to the gym - the gym with a bar in the lobby. Nothing like cigarettes and beer greeting you after a long, hard work out!
- The office in Breda - the great people and learning what it means to work in a smaller office. Learned to fill up the soda machine! It made me miss the luxuries of working in a larger office (IT support, copier support, etc)
- Going to buy meat and looking for the most expensive "cut" to ensure I was getting quality product. This practice applies to many such decisions at the market.
- Thursday shopping night
- No shopping on Sunday (in Breda)

I'll keep adding to the list as I think of it. But wanted to at least take a moment to remember these past 6 months.
Off to find anti-malaria pills!!!
Cheers
D