Amathuba

Oh my Goodness!!! You guys are AMAZING!!

You have donated R2,120 to Amathuba so far - we have incentive for ourselves when times get tough at the top and all together you have given so much to those who have so little.

THANK YOU

For those of you who still wish to donate to this VERY worthy cause, here is the link:

http://www.doit4charity.org.za/fundraisingpage.php?userId=TWpBPQ==

Once again - thanks so much for your support!

Chapman's Peak: quickly

We're nearing our leave date (almost a week to go!!) and we're a little tired from all the hard work put in already. Plus Marco has a split toe which is gross and also not healing so well with all the Mauy Thai and hiking we've been doing. 

So... we've decided to tone it down a little. We took a bit of a break over the weekend (mostly shopped for last minute Kili kit and also went to the Prime Circle concert at Kirstenbosch on Sunday - They are AWESOME live, if ever you get the opportunity to see them!)

Anyway, it basically means that today's walk (fully loaded back pack included) was along Chapman's Peak again. This time we stayed on the road and walked there and ran part-way back (against a gale force wind, mind you!). 

It was only 50 mins long - but enough for now to keep the legs in motion!

We only managed a short walk mostly due to the fact that Chapman's Peak is still closed! It's been closed since Jun '08 with no signs of re-opening yet... More information on that here. 

We saw a bakkie drive through there twice while we were walking and the roads seemed perfectly OK to us, the rock catching 'nets' all still in tact (and actually with little -> no rocks in them.) 

Annoying for motorists really - and a little for pedestrians as the route is much shorter now that they have closed it off completely! Argh!

Fundraising for Amathuba

CLICK HERE To Sponsor Our Climb And Make A Difference In A Strangers Life

Kili, the largest free standing moutain in the world, is 5891.8m at it's highest point. This is higher than Everest Base Camp, which is at 5360m. 

Professionals will take up to 2 weeks to reach Everest Base Camp due to acclimatisation, but we're doing it in just 6 days; which will make it 

very challenging.

And so it is that we need your help. Not only for added incentive, but to make the most of this summit attempt we've decided that we'd like to do it 4 charity.    

We've chosen a South African charity called Amathuba. Please take a look at their website here:

    

http://www.amathuba.co.za/   

They are all about building homes and creating opportunities for those much, much less fortunate than ourselves.   

Personally, we find it astounding and shameful that in our modern times people still live in shacks without basic facilities such as clean running water, electricity or sufficient shelter.   It is relatively easy for us to make a big difference in the lives of others.   

From their website:   

“What if something you did today made that dream come true for a desperate family? Could you spare R500 [approx. £35 or US$50] to pay for a hundred concrete blocks? Or R325 for five bags of cement? Even R100 buys a length of roof sheeting, and R200 is enough for a door frame.”   

Anything you can spare can collectively make a big difference.   

Please click on this link for details on how to sponsor this life-changing event:

http://www.doit4charity.org.za/fundraisingpage.php?userId=TWpBPQ==

It’ll certainly give us the kick up to the summit we’ll need when times get tough near the top.    

Thanks so much!

    

Jolene & Marco

Flukes Outdoor Restaurant

OK, so it's Friday afternoon - the sun is still warm in the sky - it's been a long day - hell; it's been a LONG week...

So when I said - hey guys... lets NOT walk (again - groan!) let's go for some tasty, tasty beer... who was going to say "No!"?

Precisely!! So we headed off to Flukes new outdoor restaurant - which is to say their fancy new braai area with gorgeous sea views; where you turn up, order drinks, order food - eat, be merry and go home - no mess, no fuss!!

And what a location! The service & food is worth raving about too! (Thanks Jess!)

We certainly keep going back and if you're in the area, I highly recommend this as something a little different and a lot of fun.

Schedules Posts

I have scheduled posts for the entire time we are away.

If you check in, I'll have a day by day itinerary to let you know where along our adventure we are, so that you don't need to wait till we get back to find out.

Each post will be elaborated on & photos will be included when we get back, so stay tuned!

Kilimanjaro - The Facts

Location

Tanzania, East Africa: Kilimanjaro lies 330km (205 miles) (3 degrees) south of the equator.   Kilimanjaro lies within the 756-square-kilometer Kilimanjaro National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.    

Size

Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the world’s highest free-standing mountain, rising 4, 600m (15,100 feet) from the base to summit.

Elevation 

5,895 meters (19,340 feet) Uhuru peak is the highest summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.    

7 Summits 

4th Highest of the sought after 7 Summits    

Kilimanjaro is made up of 3 volcanoes

Shira 3,962 meters (13,000 feet) – the first volcano to become extinct    

Mawenzi 5,149 meters (16,896 feet) – the second volcano of the three to become extinct. Mawenzi is Hans Meyer Point, which can only be reached by mountaineers.    

Kibo 5,895 meters (19,340 feet) - Kibo remains active as a dormant active volcano -t he last major eruption was 360,000 years ago, while the most recent activity was only 200 years ago.   Apparently there a strong smell of sulphur that still comes from the inner ash pit (I’ll let you know if this is true!) 

After reaching a height thought to be 5900 meters during its last major eruption, Kibo has been eroded by glaciers, rivers and landslides to its present height of 5895m.   

Glaciers 

Recently scientists discovered that Kibo is losing glaciers due to global warming and could perhaps be completely gone in less than 20 years.    

Ecosystems

Kilimanjaro boasts virtually every major ecosystem in earth: rain forest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and glaciers. (I’ll update the blog with photos to show you all 5)    

Routes

Marangu Route (Coca-Cola Route) 

Machame Route (Whiskey Route) 

Rongai Route 

Lemosho Route 

Mweka Route (usually used only to descend)   

First Ascent  

October 5, 1889 by Hans Meyer, geographer (Germany), Yoanas Kinyala Lauwo (Tanzania), and Ludwig Purtscheller, mountain climber (Austria)    

Fastest Ascent

The fastest verified ascent time was by Italian Bruno Brunod in 2001. He climbed Uhuru Peak from Marangu Gate in 5 hours, 38 minutes, and 40 seconds. 

The fastest round-trip time was by local guide Simon Mtuy who ran up and down on December 26, 2004 in 8 hours and 27 minutes – and we’re taking 7 days to do it!   

Technical climbing skills & training

Climbing Kilimanjaro is comparatively easy and requires no technical climbing or experience. You do have to be “trekking fit” and a regime of 2 months intensive training is recommended.    

Acclimatisation 

The biggest challenge is at high altitude and your ability to acclimatise. It is highly recommended to take an extra day on the mountain to achieve this. 

Most people who are unsuccessful in their attempts to summit are failing not due to fitness but in fact due to altitude sickness.   

Guides & Porters 

It is mandatory to climb with a licensed guide and have porters carry your equipment. This sustains the local tourism economy and in my post in costs, I have mentioned the $150 compulsory tip per guide (currently recommended).    

Origin of the name Kilimanjaro 

This is still disputed – so no one really knows. Some people believe the name comes from the Kiswahili name, Kilima meaning mountain.

Fish Hoek, over Elsie's Peak to Welcome Glen

Today marks the 2 week count down to our epic adventure... on the 4th of Feb we fly to Tanzania and make our way to Kilimanjaro - the climb starts on the 6th (Friday)

So of course I had a mild panic attack - one of those "What the hell are we doing???" moments. "Are we ready???" Marco seems to think so - but my internal monologue voice is screaming: WE NEED MORE TIME!!

With that in mind (literally!) when Marco decided to do the Fish Hoek (the bottom of 2nd Avenue) up the mountain, over Elsie's Peak and to Welcome Glen, I thought: Uh-oh! This one looked pretty tough when we did the reverse the other day - but what the hell, we need to get fit!

We pushed it pretty hard and managed to do the entire trip in 1h30 (which is a whole 20 mins quicker than just 3 days ago!) And this was supposed to be the more difficult one. I think we're just so damn tired of hiking now that the pace has picked up considerably. You know the logic: push harder, but walk for less time!

I have to say, even though my back pack weighs quite a lot, hauling it around with me all over the place I've become so used to it, I barely notice it's there anymore. I must be getting fit!

PS: The photo is taken on Elsie's Peak overlooking Simon's Town. The yachts you can see in the Bay are there for the weekly  Wednesday keel boat regattas held by the False Bay Yacht Club

Gym vs Mauy Thai

Training today consisted of going to the gym. Hardly exciting, I know, but I have to add that at gym (as opposed to the cruel world of Mauy Thai) they allow you to skip with imaginary ropes. This means no embarrassing Face-Plants. Just skip, skip, skip!

On that note, though, Marco did go to Mauy Thai and almost had his jaw broken. He came back with all sort of other aches and pains too... 

When I said - "whatever you do, don't hurt yourself before Kili"... he probably on hear the middle bit of that sentence.

Boys, eh?

The Expense

So - What does it cost to Climb Kilimajaro?

A small fortune to some - an effing large sum to the rest of us! There is a balance in life between earning, saving, investing, building nest eggs and LIVING. 

So on this occassion we've decided to do the latter, and we're trying REALLY hard not to pay too much attention to the ever increasing cost. 

I'm not going to publish a list of actual prices as they will vary quite a lot and will end up being misleading. What I am going to do is list everything that we've bought and paid for, as it's the EXTRA's that add up!

Everything below is multiplied by 2:

Rate Of Exchange

Everything is quoted in USD and is therefore subjected to fluctuations. In recent times the $ has litterally been all over the place playing havoc with our invoices, deposits and final payments 

ROE is currently at R10.23 = $1 but for an update, I'd reccommend you check here

Gym membership

To get fit!

Cattery

Someone's got to look after & feed Gizmo for 16 days

Plus food

Visas

Tanzania visa

Flights

Cape Town -> JHB -> Tanzania -> Zanzibar

Zanzibar  -> Tanzania -> JHB -> Cape Town

(These flights are included in The Package, below, the others are additional cost items)

Expect the UNEXPECTED

In our case after flights were confirmed, Air Tanzania were grounded which has resulted in a rather large itinerary adjustment, which has incurred further transport costs in Tanzania.

Accommodation

1 night prior to the climb (we've requested this)

The Package

9 day Standard package includes 1 night's accommodation after the climb:

Machame - 7 Day route (we've taken an extra day for acclimatisation)

Porters Tips

These are complusory and I believe you're looking at around $150 per climber, to be paid in cash after the climb

Gear - Bought

Clothes:

• 3 Main Layers = thermals, fleeces, outershell
  
• Shorts, longs, t-shirts
  
• Hiking, innner & summit socks
  
• Scarf & Hat / balaclava
  

Other:

• Clear goggles for summit attempt
  
• Polarised PLASTIC sunglasses (you dont want them freezing to your face!) The temperature ranges between 30+ to -20 so you have to cater for all conditions
• Boots = Waterproof, gortex (we went for Salomons)
  
• Inflatable thermal mattress (small luxury, but with insomnia setting in on the mountain, we'd like as much assistance with getting some rest as possible!)
  
• Backpacks (day packs 30- 40 ltrs for first aid kit, food, cameras, water etc)
  
• Duffel bags (for the gear out porters will carry - no more than 15kg in total)
  
• Comprehensive (and appropriate) first aid kit including Diamox for altitude, water purification tables, insect repelent (mosquitoes) etc
  
• Wide-brimmed sun hat & sun block
  
• Head lamp + spare batteries
  
• Insulated water bottles
  
• Hikers towel (space & weight is at a premium so the focus is on small & light)
  
• Ear plugs
  
• Various snacks & energy drinks for all 7 days
  

Gear - Rented

Gaiters

Sleeping bag

Trekking poles

Vaccinations

Yellow Fever

Menangitus

Heptitus A

Anti-Malaria tablets

Medical & Travel Insurance

Compulsory extra charge for climbing Kili

Scuba diving in Zanzibar (we need something to look forward to!)

1 Week accommodation

6 x dives included

Spending Money

Who knows? 

Welcome Glen to Fish Hoek, via Elsies Peak

This walk took us just under 2 hours to complete. We walked from Welcome Glen over to Glencairn Heights. From the top we headed into the mountain to Elsies Peak.

From there we followed the Ravine Steps path down into Fish Hoek. Nipped down between steep stairs all the way down to the valley, where I had earlier left my car.

This was quite a nice hike - next time around Marco wants to do the reverse; start in FH and end in Welcome Glen. It seems as though that will be way steeper (I seem to recall a lot of downhill on this one!).

After the hike we got some Indian take aways from the new restaurant that has opened on Fish Hoek main road (Bihara). Let me just say that their food is divine! 

When we got home, we realised that they'd forgot to add the rice to our take-away. Exhausted and hungry after our hike I called them up and within 15 mins they had driven out to our house with not only the missing rice,  but included some veggie rolls as a bonus - thanks for the effort! Great food and great service!

Noordhoek Outlook

This is the second time we walked the Noordhoek Outlook trail in Silvermine,  just off Ou Kaapse Weg. We parked near the reservoir and we took the trail just to the left of the bridge on the other side of the reservoir.  This trail leads up and around with views extending over Fish Hoek, Simon's Town, Noordhoek, Hout Bay and then back towards the Southern Suburbs.

This is a lovely long walk (9.3 kms) without the detours - the detours are well worth checking out too. 

It's consistently steep uphill for most the walk and then a very steep downhill at the end.  Some crazy cyclists cycle in the opposite direction; UP the very steep hill... like I said: crazy cyclists.

The first time we hiked this (our first hike in many years!) it took us 3 hours with lots of breaks we weren't carrying anything other than our water.

We came back this time and managed to walk it in 2 hours without any breaks and with loaded backpacks. 

It wasn't the scenic version, but we're in training now.

It's great to see how our fitness has improved over the past few months. All this hiking must be doing us some good!

Chapmans Peak

On Friday after work we decided to take a walk along the still closed Chapman's Peak (when will it open?). We parked on the Noorhoek side and headed towards Hout Bay. 

Originally we were just going to walk along the road; go as far as we could before it got too dark and then make our way back.

There were quite a number of other people walking, taking their dogs for walks, running and cycling along the road. Seems like the locals are making the most of the road being clear of traffic.

A few km's on we spotted a path leading up the mountain. We headed up (carefully, because of the gale force winds!)

The path winds up pretty steeply and then follows above Chapman's Peak towards Hout Bay.

As you can imagine the evening views were stunning. The walk itself was varied going from paths with only slight inclines to having to clamber over boulders to make our way up and down.

We followed the path for about an hour before the Friday evening need for beer kicked in. 

Usually descending is much quicker, but in this instance it took us as long to get back to the car as it did to get up to the top. It might have been the strong winds and the battering my knees were taking on the decent that slowed us down. Next time, given more daylight we'd like to follow it all the way to Hout Bay.

Lecture Marco

Let's all give Marco a 

REALLY LOOONG LECTURE.

Not about how smoking Kills (which it bloody well does!) but how DUMB ASS it is to START smoking again just before you attempt to Climb Kilimanjaro!

Comments welcome!

Image borrowed from here

Mauy Thai

For the days that we are not hiking we (and by "we" I mean "Marco" as I only made it to one lesson!)  are going to Muay Thai. Give the old heart some exercise too.

By now nearly everyone has heard about it. You know its that hard-core marshal arts type thing, right?

Jeez-louise! Is it?

To begin with, we were expected to skip. With a Rope. Laugh if you must, but when was the last time you skipped. With a Rope? I face-planted once or twice, which is not a good way to start the class.

The instructor is young and has all the energy in the world. If we're not skipping, we're running on the spot, if we're not doing that, we're doing push ups or crunchies or a number of other weird things that I can't even name. 

My favourite, of course, was the long and low-legged lunges across the gym with some sweaty co-prisoner on your back. Yuck! & Eina!

There was some punching - which can be fun unless you are the exception to the general rule like I am. (Left & right sit on opposite sides for me, so I was mostly punching the air)

And in any case - a very good friend of mine did Mauy Thai once - not only did he continually come home battered and bruised, but I recall going to one of their competitions and they have to wear silly shorts and I recall some weird plinky-plonky tunes being played at the start of every fight... Nope, this just ain't my idea of a grand time. 

Very good exercise if you don't mind getting the shit kicked out of you.

But I'm a GIRL and I  bruise easily.... (I'm sure there's a song in there somewhere?)

So I'll be off to the gym instead. Some weight training or swimming will do me fine, thanks!

Solole Game Reserve

After work we walked from Welcome Glen through the Glencairn stable and up to the top of Black Hill (aka Glencairn Express way for the newbs) 

From there we took the path popular with horse riders (mind the horse-sh*t all over the trail!). 

This winds around through the old Solole Game Reserve. 

Along the way we saw a huge variety of flora. In all the colours and shapes you can imagine! We also came across a tortoise, a few porcupine quills, some really weird looking spiders and bugs (we cleverly stayed away from those!)

Again (I'm saying this with each post, aren't I?) the views from this angle were outstanding.

The path winds around and eventually joins up on itself and we can easily make our way back onto Black Hill.

From there we simply retraced our steps back to Welcome Glen.

This one took us 2.5hours to complete.

Lion's Head

We did an awesome hike up to the top of Lion's Head in Cape Town this Sunday.

We hiked up for the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean, overlooking Camps Bay and the famous 12 Apostles.

After sun down we scooted over to the other side of Lion's Head for the Moon Rise. A gorgeous Big Orange Full Moon rose up over the Northern Suburbs lighting up the city bowl.

It was incredible! Unfortunately my point-and-shoot just wouldn't come to the party, so no pic's I'm afraid. But I can say that it was better than you could imagine it to be. 

We hiked down at night with the moon to light the way on one side and our handy (heady?) headlamps on the other side!

I have blogged the FULL STORY with some additional pictures here:

http://travelblog.portfoliocollection.com/Blog/Sunset-from-Lions-Head

Welcome Glen to Elsies Peak & back

First day back at work after a nice Christmas & New Year's break. It wasn't too bad returning to work, actually. What with school holidays still on, it seems most of Cape Town has taken another week or so off work!

Slaap-Stad!

We're not sleeping, though - today we walked from Welcome Glen to Glencairn Heights. From there to the top of Elsie's Peak & back home again. This trip took us in 2hrs and we're estimating our route was around 7km long. Not bad for an 'after work' hike.

Glencairn, Red Hill, Da Gama Park

This is the most gruelling walk we've done in the last few days.  We walked from Welcome Glen, past Glencairn, towards Simon's Town, Up Red Hill (3kms up!) over to Da Gama Park and then back to Welcome Glen.

It took us 3 hours to complete 13.5km's. What made this a really tough walk was not only the pace and elevation, but the fact that it was all on the road. We didn't realise until now that hiking in the mountains and on soft sand offer up a lot more absorption with each step than the road does.

After 13.5 km's when we got home our feet were really, really tired. Ice-cold baths for 4 hot feet and some time out before using them again was called for.

Let me also add that we've been walking with loaded backpacks. We've tried to carry nearly everything we would need to take up with us, so that includes water (2-3 liters), food, first aid kits, spare clothes (socks, rain proofs, hats, beanies etc), cameras, maps, torches and whatever else we can think of.

It makes a huge difference lugging all that extra weight around with you - especially if you're not used to it. It gives you a valuable opportunity to get used to the weight of your pack - it allows you to experiment with adjusting your straps, packing your items in an optimal manner.

Even figuring out which socks will work and which are simply going to take up too much room in your boots is something you want to figure out before you're 1/2 way up Kili!

The Waterfall on Ou Kaapse Weg

Dassieskasteel Traverse in Silvermine on Ou Kaapse Weg. 

We took the little detour to the waterfall, but alas, there was only a water-trickly. Still very beautiful with views overlooking the Noordhoek / Kommetjie side.

The route then circles around to the top of Ou Kaaps where you can overlook the Southern Suburbs and Constantia areas. The path follows around just above the Ou Kaaps road and then swings back to the car park.

The short hike took us 2 hours to complete and is about 6 km's long. (Although we kept the pace up quite a lot and according to this very informative website, it can take 5 hours to complete)

There is also an option to veer off and walk towards Muizenberg / Bouyes Drive. But on this occasion we were too hungry for steak and Peroni's at Flukes Restaurant to add on another few hours' hike, so we cut it short and headed out for some relaxing!

We will  have to back back and do that one at some point!

The routes are very well marked in all directions so no worries about getting lost here. Also the 180 degree views all the way around allow you to judge where you are.

Elephants Eye

Day 2 sees us trekking up to Elephant's Eye cave from Tokai forest. This is a 7.6km round trip and is very vertical - straight up and straight down. This one took us 3 hours to complete.

Most of the hike is through the forest itself which at least gives some shade in the midday heat (yes, we hiked in the middle of the day -> mad dogs and Englishman, what now?)

As you reach the top of the forest, you get some stunning views across the South Peninsula the Southern Suburbs and the Cape Flats. It's here that you realise just how far you've come!

After that you haul your tired ass the rest of the way to the cave, which is nice and cool (a glorious relief!) 

It is also the perfect place to stopover for a bite to eat (remember to bring something!!) before heading all the way back down again!

Olifantsbos in Cape Point

Happy New Year!!

And while almost everyone else is carefully nursing a hangover, we're already out and about training in all seriousness.

The next few posts will cover some of the hikes we're going to do in preparation for Kilimanjaro.

This trek was along Olifantsbos in the Cape Point Nature Reserve. 

We spent the first 2/3 of the hike walking along the beach in our hiking boots. In the mid-summer heat and on really soft beach sand; that was really hard work!

The beaches are stunning - hardly anyone there. We walked very far down, but you don't have to go far before coming across a number of shipwrecks right on the beach. 

There is even a whale bone that has long ago washed up on the beach.

The circular route eventually takes you up along the cliff tops and then back to the car park. In total it took us around 3 hours to walk and we estimated this to be a 6km route.

Walking on the soft sand in big boots is very challenging, but really good exercise!

The great thing about hiking in and around the Western Cape is that we are spoilt for choice and the views are just unbelievable!