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!