Just did it!

For all of you waiting with bated breath... WE MADE IT!

All four of us reached the 'roof of Africa' on Saturday, 17 Feb at 8.45 a.m.

We're all in different stages of recovery right now... Updates when we reach home.

P.S. thanks for all your wishes, prayers, helpful tips and crossed fingers...

Bah! It takes all kinds!

Yesterday, Leela’s gear arrived at my neighborhood REI and I took my 16 wheeler to pick it up. 23 new sparkly items were all there waiting to be stolen by me and replaced with my used ones.

Conversation with REI lady at checkout counter-

Lady: Wow, that’s a lot of stuff. Where are you guys off to?

Me: We are off to climb Kilimanjaro. (pause for the gasp…finding none, continue..)Oh all this is for a friend in Dubai. Dubai sucks when it comes to outdoor gear.

Lady: Wow!

Me (waiting to hear the usual adulations about out attempt to climb Kilimanjaro): Yes Yes. I’m so excited.

Lady (almost chocking): Wow! Dubai must be so fantastic! I would love to go to Dubai some day. It should be so beautiful.

Almost There!

Five months of planning finally comes to an end! We embark on a journey of a lifetime day after tomorrow and I guess we have most of the items checked. We will get the yellow fever vaccination today. Two futile attempts at the Allegheny medical center doesn’t seem to have deterred our grit. Pi and I work in tandem and eventually get everything done. Things that matter to him don’t seem to bother me. I didn’t think this vaccination is all that important (especially after the first attempt) as it is recommended and not mandatory. But we are getting it nevertheless because he feels that of all the things that can go wrong, there will definitely be a sudden outbreak of yellow fever.

Take this Kenya situation for example. It's just horrible and for the sake of the country, I just wish the violence stops! Africa doesn't need this, not now, not ever. As adventurous as I am, getting torched by a crazed people was not in my wish list. Lee and I were freaking out, while Pi remained quite calm, unlike his normal cautious self. He felt it would be nice to hang out in a bus when fresh blood is flowing in the streets as we speak.

All week long, the situation in Kenya got worse and the pictures we saw in the news were harrowing. Our expectations that the clashes would subside was very wishful and things were getting more volatile. Even Nairobi seemed to be getting targeted and shops were closed. Travel advisory warnings shot up in every website and tourism in Kenya declined drastically. We were to fly into Nairobi, spend a night in a hotel and then take a bus out to Kilimanjaro.

For the past two days, we looked for alternatives. We got last minute flight tickets from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro, thanks to Leela’s high connections. She worked hard on the Kenyan officials, the airline industry, spoke to Kofi Annan and got some Sheiks from Dubai to promise us an armored vehicle if it came to that. Dubai Red Bull sponsored 40 cans for the team. The cans of Red Bull don’t really compliment the plot, but it’s a fact nevertheless.