Dear Family and Friends:
Next week at this time, I’ll be real close to HOME. I tell people all the time when they tell me they wish they could live in the US that they need to appreciate Kenya because it is a good place to live. But I certainly prefer the US over Kenya. Kenya is beautiful and has a lot going for it but it is behind the US in so many ways. I will always be grateful for the US and the blessing we all enjoy there. It truly is the promised land.
Need to give an update from last week’s letter on Kilimanjaro. When Shena got back to civilization, she went to the Doctor and he told her she had two cracked ribs. So I guess she wasn’t faking her pain and misery. She really was hurting. Tough kid!!!!
So for what happened this week. Rainy season is back and with it came the bugs. It makes me wonder where all the bugs go during the dry season. I never see any of them with their luggage packed and headed out of town for vacations when rainy season is over. This week it was little round black bugs and big grasshoppers. The hoppers were green and brown and about 3 inches long. Look kind of cool but there were just too many of them. Have to now beat my shoes on the floor before I put them on to make sure I don’t have any unwanted visitors.
The rain has done wonders for the area as far as greenery. The goats take everything living and eat it. So trees don’t have leaves that goats can reach and all levels areas are brown because the goats have eaten everything green. Now that the rains have started, it looks like astro turf in a lot of areas. There are little green blades of grass and weeds showing up through the brown dirt and rocks. Magadi looks pretty green instead of brown.
Was sitting in church yesterday and the opening song was a Christmas carol. As I was looking outside during the song I saw a banana tree in the church yard. Don’t think I would ever be singing Christmas songs and be looking at a banana tree. Just doesn’t seem like Christmas without cold and snow. Good thing everyone is not coming here for Christmas, I could really get the Scrooge spirit going for Christmas here.
Work will be exciting again this week. There is a Board meeting. So I will need to be on my best behavior. It should go pretty good because production has improved. November was a record production month and December isn’t too bad so far. Of course, I expected to get fired during the past Board meetings because things were going so bad, now things are going better I may get fired and not see it coming. So the week should go quickly with all that is going on.
There has been a slight change of plans. I’ll stop in SLC on my way home but then go on to Vegas. The forecast was for bad weather Saturday and Sunday so I’ll just keep going. Debi and Cherry will pick me up in Vegas. My flight arrives at 8:40 Vegas time.
Don’t look for any letters for a while (next addition 9-1-11); I’m on vacation!!!! Have a merry Christmas all!!!!!!
Love
Dad/paul
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sun 12/5/2010 1:21 PM
Hello Family and Friends:
Well after one weeks of no letter, I’m not sure I can complete this letter in one sitting. But I’ll try!!!!
On November 22 we attended Stake Conference which was a video broadcast from SLC to this area of Africa. It was interesting to see how they tailored their message to the people here. They talked about the great family traditions of Africans but noted the tradition of giving a dowry to the bride’s family made it difficult for some young people to marry and caused some young people to not get married. Also as part of Stake Conference they sustained about 20 to 25 names to be ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood. I’ve never seen so many names presented in all the stake conferences I’ve attended (except maybe last March in this Stake). So anyway the day started out good.
Then about 9:30 in the evening the real excitement started happening. Shena and the gang started arriving. By about 11:00 all had arrived at the motel and were ready for bed because the real excitement started the next day.
Day one: we went from Nairobi to Arusha, Tanzania which was about a 8 hour drive; had to cross the border into Tanzania. All tourist pay $50 except those from the US who pay $100. What a deal!!!! The area is pretty dry but there were some green trees and a few goats and cows along the way. As we got closer to Arusha the, the country side took a real turn for the green side. The city is very lush and green. We stayed at a place that was tucked between some real dumps but the place was clean and well kept. So it wasn’t too bad of a place to stay.
Day two: got up and headed to the high country. While loading up there was a fellow with the climbing company that showed up with a Staker Parsons (sp) hat on. Couldn’t believe my eyes; I have seen Paul G. wear a hat just like it. It’s the one with the fishing fly on it. Please pass this on to Paul, his company is known all over the world. Once we were at the train head, we signed in, had lunch and started up the train. Began hiking about 1:00 pm and reached camp at about 5:30 pm. Not a bad little hike. It was like walking in a rain forest. Could not believe all the greenery; a lush forest. Absolutely beautiful. Huge trees and tiny flowers; the variety was endless. Once we reached camp, we had to register and then we had dinner. Can’t relay call this climbing when you have someone carry your bags and then have dinner ready when you reach your destination (the Tanzanian government requires guides and porters be used by all climbers to provide employment for local folks).
Day three: today’s hike started with the same green vegetation then turned to a little shorter trees and shrubs. You would tell we were gaining elevation because everything was changing. The trees kind of looked like cedar trees. By the time we reached camp, there was very little vegetation except for grass and very small bushes. We hiked for about four hours again this day. It rained on us this day, so it was kind of miserable for a while. But you can get warmed up quickly when the cook has hot soup and hot chocolate ready for you when you arrive. The tents are also set up in the event you want to crawl into a sleeping bag and rest or just get warm.
Day four: this is where it gets exciting, put on your seatbelt!!!! Started out in the normal fashion; left camp at about 9:00 again (it takes a long time for five women to get their make up on for climbing). We had been hiking for about an hour when we came to a rock ledge that was muddy and wet. When Shena stepped on the wet rock she slipped and fell. The ledge had about a four foot drop so when I saw her she was on her back and in a lot of pain. It took a few minutes to make sure nothing was broken but she was bruised on her hand, leg, hip, and ribs. Debi had some industrial strength drugs to help with the pain, but it got to the point that the pain pills were causing her to have an upset stomach and become dizzy. As the day went on you could hear Shena shutter each time she took a breath because it hurt so bad. The hike for the day was suppose to take about 4 hours but it took about 9 or 10 to reach the next camp. Shena was in a lot of pain for the entire time. She figured that if she could get a good night’s rest she might feel better. So we all ate some dinner and went to bed.
Day five: Shena was in a little better condition today, still hurting but only needed half the medication she had taken on day four. Today’s hike included some rock climbing. It was a fun day. We gained about 400 feet of elevation in a short time as we climbed the canyon wall just past the camp. The day started out like just about all days. It was sunny until about 10:00 and then the clouds would roll in and sprinkles would begin to fall. Prior to the clouds rolling in, you would look down onto the valley floor and just see clouds. You might think it was a blanket of snow but we were too close to the equator. It was a beautiful sight. The hike took about four hours, a little longer than what was expected because Shena was still hurting. When we arrived we had lunch and then tried to get some sleep because the summit bid was to begin at midnight. It is difficult to rest/sleep when you know something exciting is just a few hours away. At about 7:00 dinner was served then everyone went back to their tents to see if they could get any more sleep.
Day six: started out at midnight by getting dressed with all the warm clothes we owned. It was clear and crisp but not too bad for 15,000+ feet. No one was able to sleep much because of the excitement of what was going on but we all tried. As we were getting ready to start climbing Shena came down with the stomach flu. As if the banged up body wasn’t enough. We all took off and began hiking for the summit. The term they use is “pole-pole” which means slow-slow in Swahili. It would take us about 7 hours to reach the summit. Along the way Debi began feeling like she was getting pneumonia; couldn’t breathe too well. I checked O2 on both Shena and Debi and they both had good oxygen and pulse for being as high as we were. So once we knew there were no serious problems we all continued on up the mountain. After hiking for about six hours the sun finally came up and you could begin to see the summit. The toll of the fall and the banged up body and stomach flu for Shena left her in pretty tough shape. She was within about 200 feet of the crater rim and she collapsed. She was shivering and couldn’t get warm so we put a down jacket around her and three of us huddled around her to block the wind. We encouraged her to relax and breathe easily. We checked her O2 again and determined she was still in the safe zone. After she warmed up and caught her breathe, she wanted to finish her climb to the crater rim. (Catching your breath at 18,750 feet isn’t too easy). So about 20 minutes later, Shena, Debi and I reached the crater rim. We could see all of East Africa. The official summit of Kilimanjaro is a high point on the crater rim about another hour hike from where we reached the rim. Given the condition of Shena and Debi, we determined we needed to go down the mountain. A lot of health problems are solved by just descending. One of the guides took Shena and almost ran down the mountain with her. Debi and I got to camp about a half hour later. The plan now was to get a little rest, have lunch and the start the decent to the next lower camp. Getting rest didn’t happen at this time either. We just waited in the tent until lunch, ate, packed our bags and headed down the mountain. This is when Debi found out how bad here knees were. We had just descended bout 4,000 feet and were looking at about 4 hours of more downhill. The train was rough and in places slick from rain (and a little snow). So all the descending began taking its toll on Debi’s knees. She was in pain before we got back to camp from the summit and then the added burden of going down even further was causing a lot of discomfort. She knew the only option was to tough it out and keep moving. The decent was suppose to take about three hours but after five hours we were still a long way from camp. It was pretty discouraging to be moving so slow and not gaining much ground. Finally, we heard some porters coming up the trail. They began talking to us and then one of them asked if mama simba (one of Debi’s many new names) wanted a ride down the mountain. So guess how Debi finished the day, yep she got a ride. We were probably still an hour away from the camp when the porters started carrying Debi. There were three porters and they took turns carrying her. We all had a very good rest that night, it is such a relief to be down in the thick air and have the mountain behind you.
Day seven: needed an early start to the day to be able to catch the bus back to Nairobi. So we were on the train by about 7:00 am. Unfortunately, Debi’s knees had not been healed by the good night’s sleep. So the day began like the previous day had ended. Debi and I got a little jump on the rest of the group to see if we could get down quickly, but the group passed us shortly after we started down the mountain. We struggled down the mountain for about three hours. It was suppose to be a smooth road. But it turned out to be a trail with rocks, mud, ruts, etc, nothing too easy to walk down. But once again there was music coming up from the bottom of the hill; porters coming Debi’s way. So they loaded her up again and carried her or supported her as they ran her over the rocks and mud. She beat me down of the mountain again.
When I was telling Shena what to expect on the mountain, I told her she was in good physical condition (she had climbed Timp many times and run half marathons) and could make the summit but she would need to prepare herself mentally. There are times you have to be just mentally tough to push through problems. Physical conditioning is only about 70% of mountaineering preparations.
I learned on this trip that I live with one tough woman and have another tough woman as a daughter. Both Debi and Shena braved fatigue and pain I have never had to deal with. I learned from both of them what it means to be strong, determined and tough.
It was a good experience climbing with Debi. Whenever I have climbed before, I have always missed family. Once on Aconcagua, I was dirty, hungry, cold, and was thinking; I could be in the hot tub in Green River and I’m here on this stupid mountain. It was great this time to share the experience with my family. Maybe Krista, Mya and Cherry will want to climb something with the old man (spouses also invited). It is so much more enjoyable with those you love around you.
So much for the climb – The safari next (this will be really short)
It started and ended with three hours of bad roads. The road to the ranch from Bone would be considered interstate quality compared to the roads into Maasai Mara. It is hard to believe the Kenyan government has such bad roads into a national park.
Anyway, we saw: wildebeest, zebras, lions, elephants (even little tiny baby elephants), cheetahs (eating a wildebeest), all kinds of gazelles (a number of different species), rhinoceros, hippopotamus, giraffes, monkeys, jackals, warthogs, elands, crocodiles, tortoise, baboons, hyenas, mongoose, cape buffalo, dik dik (miniature deer like critter), and birds too numerous to list.
All in all it was a pretty exciting two weeks. Now I need to go back to work so I can get caught up on my rest. Mom, I was thinking about you on the climb and the safari. I remember you saying how much you wanted to visit Africa. So I hope I gave a good enough description of what it looked like. As an engineer, I’m not too good at writing, so I’ll send some good pictures of what we saw.
I’ll be home on the 18th of December. Spend time in ST George over Christmas and then go to LA to visit Krista and fam, then to Seattle to visit Mya and fam, then back to the grind in Kenya on the 3rd of January.
Its late and I have to go to work in the morning.
Love
Paul/dad
Well after one weeks of no letter, I’m not sure I can complete this letter in one sitting. But I’ll try!!!!
On November 22 we attended Stake Conference which was a video broadcast from SLC to this area of Africa. It was interesting to see how they tailored their message to the people here. They talked about the great family traditions of Africans but noted the tradition of giving a dowry to the bride’s family made it difficult for some young people to marry and caused some young people to not get married. Also as part of Stake Conference they sustained about 20 to 25 names to be ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood. I’ve never seen so many names presented in all the stake conferences I’ve attended (except maybe last March in this Stake). So anyway the day started out good.
Then about 9:30 in the evening the real excitement started happening. Shena and the gang started arriving. By about 11:00 all had arrived at the motel and were ready for bed because the real excitement started the next day.
Day one: we went from Nairobi to Arusha, Tanzania which was about a 8 hour drive; had to cross the border into Tanzania. All tourist pay $50 except those from the US who pay $100. What a deal!!!! The area is pretty dry but there were some green trees and a few goats and cows along the way. As we got closer to Arusha the, the country side took a real turn for the green side. The city is very lush and green. We stayed at a place that was tucked between some real dumps but the place was clean and well kept. So it wasn’t too bad of a place to stay.
Day two: got up and headed to the high country. While loading up there was a fellow with the climbing company that showed up with a Staker Parsons (sp) hat on. Couldn’t believe my eyes; I have seen Paul G. wear a hat just like it. It’s the one with the fishing fly on it. Please pass this on to Paul, his company is known all over the world. Once we were at the train head, we signed in, had lunch and started up the train. Began hiking about 1:00 pm and reached camp at about 5:30 pm. Not a bad little hike. It was like walking in a rain forest. Could not believe all the greenery; a lush forest. Absolutely beautiful. Huge trees and tiny flowers; the variety was endless. Once we reached camp, we had to register and then we had dinner. Can’t relay call this climbing when you have someone carry your bags and then have dinner ready when you reach your destination (the Tanzanian government requires guides and porters be used by all climbers to provide employment for local folks).
Day three: today’s hike started with the same green vegetation then turned to a little shorter trees and shrubs. You would tell we were gaining elevation because everything was changing. The trees kind of looked like cedar trees. By the time we reached camp, there was very little vegetation except for grass and very small bushes. We hiked for about four hours again this day. It rained on us this day, so it was kind of miserable for a while. But you can get warmed up quickly when the cook has hot soup and hot chocolate ready for you when you arrive. The tents are also set up in the event you want to crawl into a sleeping bag and rest or just get warm.
Day four: this is where it gets exciting, put on your seatbelt!!!! Started out in the normal fashion; left camp at about 9:00 again (it takes a long time for five women to get their make up on for climbing). We had been hiking for about an hour when we came to a rock ledge that was muddy and wet. When Shena stepped on the wet rock she slipped and fell. The ledge had about a four foot drop so when I saw her she was on her back and in a lot of pain. It took a few minutes to make sure nothing was broken but she was bruised on her hand, leg, hip, and ribs. Debi had some industrial strength drugs to help with the pain, but it got to the point that the pain pills were causing her to have an upset stomach and become dizzy. As the day went on you could hear Shena shutter each time she took a breath because it hurt so bad. The hike for the day was suppose to take about 4 hours but it took about 9 or 10 to reach the next camp. Shena was in a lot of pain for the entire time. She figured that if she could get a good night’s rest she might feel better. So we all ate some dinner and went to bed.
Day five: Shena was in a little better condition today, still hurting but only needed half the medication she had taken on day four. Today’s hike included some rock climbing. It was a fun day. We gained about 400 feet of elevation in a short time as we climbed the canyon wall just past the camp. The day started out like just about all days. It was sunny until about 10:00 and then the clouds would roll in and sprinkles would begin to fall. Prior to the clouds rolling in, you would look down onto the valley floor and just see clouds. You might think it was a blanket of snow but we were too close to the equator. It was a beautiful sight. The hike took about four hours, a little longer than what was expected because Shena was still hurting. When we arrived we had lunch and then tried to get some sleep because the summit bid was to begin at midnight. It is difficult to rest/sleep when you know something exciting is just a few hours away. At about 7:00 dinner was served then everyone went back to their tents to see if they could get any more sleep.
Day six: started out at midnight by getting dressed with all the warm clothes we owned. It was clear and crisp but not too bad for 15,000+ feet. No one was able to sleep much because of the excitement of what was going on but we all tried. As we were getting ready to start climbing Shena came down with the stomach flu. As if the banged up body wasn’t enough. We all took off and began hiking for the summit. The term they use is “pole-pole” which means slow-slow in Swahili. It would take us about 7 hours to reach the summit. Along the way Debi began feeling like she was getting pneumonia; couldn’t breathe too well. I checked O2 on both Shena and Debi and they both had good oxygen and pulse for being as high as we were. So once we knew there were no serious problems we all continued on up the mountain. After hiking for about six hours the sun finally came up and you could begin to see the summit. The toll of the fall and the banged up body and stomach flu for Shena left her in pretty tough shape. She was within about 200 feet of the crater rim and she collapsed. She was shivering and couldn’t get warm so we put a down jacket around her and three of us huddled around her to block the wind. We encouraged her to relax and breathe easily. We checked her O2 again and determined she was still in the safe zone. After she warmed up and caught her breathe, she wanted to finish her climb to the crater rim. (Catching your breath at 18,750 feet isn’t too easy). So about 20 minutes later, Shena, Debi and I reached the crater rim. We could see all of East Africa. The official summit of Kilimanjaro is a high point on the crater rim about another hour hike from where we reached the rim. Given the condition of Shena and Debi, we determined we needed to go down the mountain. A lot of health problems are solved by just descending. One of the guides took Shena and almost ran down the mountain with her. Debi and I got to camp about a half hour later. The plan now was to get a little rest, have lunch and the start the decent to the next lower camp. Getting rest didn’t happen at this time either. We just waited in the tent until lunch, ate, packed our bags and headed down the mountain. This is when Debi found out how bad here knees were. We had just descended bout 4,000 feet and were looking at about 4 hours of more downhill. The train was rough and in places slick from rain (and a little snow). So all the descending began taking its toll on Debi’s knees. She was in pain before we got back to camp from the summit and then the added burden of going down even further was causing a lot of discomfort. She knew the only option was to tough it out and keep moving. The decent was suppose to take about three hours but after five hours we were still a long way from camp. It was pretty discouraging to be moving so slow and not gaining much ground. Finally, we heard some porters coming up the trail. They began talking to us and then one of them asked if mama simba (one of Debi’s many new names) wanted a ride down the mountain. So guess how Debi finished the day, yep she got a ride. We were probably still an hour away from the camp when the porters started carrying Debi. There were three porters and they took turns carrying her. We all had a very good rest that night, it is such a relief to be down in the thick air and have the mountain behind you.
Day seven: needed an early start to the day to be able to catch the bus back to Nairobi. So we were on the train by about 7:00 am. Unfortunately, Debi’s knees had not been healed by the good night’s sleep. So the day began like the previous day had ended. Debi and I got a little jump on the rest of the group to see if we could get down quickly, but the group passed us shortly after we started down the mountain. We struggled down the mountain for about three hours. It was suppose to be a smooth road. But it turned out to be a trail with rocks, mud, ruts, etc, nothing too easy to walk down. But once again there was music coming up from the bottom of the hill; porters coming Debi’s way. So they loaded her up again and carried her or supported her as they ran her over the rocks and mud. She beat me down of the mountain again.
When I was telling Shena what to expect on the mountain, I told her she was in good physical condition (she had climbed Timp many times and run half marathons) and could make the summit but she would need to prepare herself mentally. There are times you have to be just mentally tough to push through problems. Physical conditioning is only about 70% of mountaineering preparations.
I learned on this trip that I live with one tough woman and have another tough woman as a daughter. Both Debi and Shena braved fatigue and pain I have never had to deal with. I learned from both of them what it means to be strong, determined and tough.
It was a good experience climbing with Debi. Whenever I have climbed before, I have always missed family. Once on Aconcagua, I was dirty, hungry, cold, and was thinking; I could be in the hot tub in Green River and I’m here on this stupid mountain. It was great this time to share the experience with my family. Maybe Krista, Mya and Cherry will want to climb something with the old man (spouses also invited). It is so much more enjoyable with those you love around you.
So much for the climb – The safari next (this will be really short)
It started and ended with three hours of bad roads. The road to the ranch from Bone would be considered interstate quality compared to the roads into Maasai Mara. It is hard to believe the Kenyan government has such bad roads into a national park.
Anyway, we saw: wildebeest, zebras, lions, elephants (even little tiny baby elephants), cheetahs (eating a wildebeest), all kinds of gazelles (a number of different species), rhinoceros, hippopotamus, giraffes, monkeys, jackals, warthogs, elands, crocodiles, tortoise, baboons, hyenas, mongoose, cape buffalo, dik dik (miniature deer like critter), and birds too numerous to list.
All in all it was a pretty exciting two weeks. Now I need to go back to work so I can get caught up on my rest. Mom, I was thinking about you on the climb and the safari. I remember you saying how much you wanted to visit Africa. So I hope I gave a good enough description of what it looked like. As an engineer, I’m not too good at writing, so I’ll send some good pictures of what we saw.
I’ll be home on the 18th of December. Spend time in ST George over Christmas and then go to LA to visit Krista and fam, then to Seattle to visit Mya and fam, then back to the grind in Kenya on the 3rd of January.
Its late and I have to go to work in the morning.
Love
Paul/dad
Sat 11/20/2010 8:08 AM
Dear Family and Friends:
Well, we’re off almost. The kids are probably on an airplane about now and on the way but won’t arrive until tomorrow night. It should be an exciting time. So the schedule will be as follows:
Leave for Nairobi tomorrow. Will go to Stake conference and do some last minute errands to get the last few items we need. Went to the duca kubwa (big store) today and all they had was toothpaste. Not much of a selection here in Magadi.
On Monday we travel to Arusha, Tanzania and spend the night there. Arusha is a tourist town near Kilimanjaro. When I first arrived in January, people wondered if I should attend church here. As the crow flies, it’s not far from here but it’s a long way by car. Nairobi is a lot closer than Arusha.
On Tuesday we start climbing. Each day we hike for between five and seven hours and move up the mountain slowly. It is possible to climb faster but the intent is to allow everyone to get acclimatized slowly. Problems develop in the lungs and the brain (some people don’t think people that do this have brains; maybe just very small ones) when you gain altitude too fast. So the trick is to go slow. Continue to climb until next Sunday which should be summit day. Come part way down on Sunday and spend the last night on the hill.
Monday we come down the mountain and spend the night back in Nairobi.
On Tuesday the safari guides pick us up at the hotel and we head out for Massai Mara. The safari is arranged so you go out early in the morning and late in the evenings to see animals when they are most active. So, Tuesday night we will drive through the reserve. They have open top mini vans. Or at least the tops extend up so you can stand up and look out without leaving the vehicle. It’s not good to mingle with the local wildlife. When we have gone into the bush here, the wildlife won’t get too concerned if no one gets out of the vehicle but as soon as a door opens they scatter. On Wednesday we will go for morning and evening tours and then on Thursday we will have a morning tour and head back to Nairobi. The guide service provides a tent to stay in. The tents are like canvas wall tent used for hunting in the US. Hope the tents are lion proofed. Food will also be provided so it shouldn’t be too tough of a week.
When we get back to Nairobi on Thursday, a van is will meet us and drive us to Magadi. The trip wouldn’t be complete if the kids didn’t see where the mother-load and dad live. We will go visit one of the villages nearby so they can appreciate what they have. After visiting the bush, they will never be able to complain about what they have – never-.
Then on Saturday, December 4th the group heads back to the US this includes Debi. Hopefully it will be a fun experience for all. I can guarantee they will all be tired. Hope they are not expected to perform well when they return to work on Monday.
Debi needs to get back to the US to get my Christmas present. I’ll do the normal shopping (ask the girls what Debi wants, have Shena buy it, and I’m done). For those interested, I return on December 18; Shena will have my shopping done by then, I hope.
Hope these next two weeks go well. If they don’t know one else will want to come and visit (too late for you Margaret, your tickets bought).
Love
Paul/dad
Well, we’re off almost. The kids are probably on an airplane about now and on the way but won’t arrive until tomorrow night. It should be an exciting time. So the schedule will be as follows:
Leave for Nairobi tomorrow. Will go to Stake conference and do some last minute errands to get the last few items we need. Went to the duca kubwa (big store) today and all they had was toothpaste. Not much of a selection here in Magadi.
On Monday we travel to Arusha, Tanzania and spend the night there. Arusha is a tourist town near Kilimanjaro. When I first arrived in January, people wondered if I should attend church here. As the crow flies, it’s not far from here but it’s a long way by car. Nairobi is a lot closer than Arusha.
On Tuesday we start climbing. Each day we hike for between five and seven hours and move up the mountain slowly. It is possible to climb faster but the intent is to allow everyone to get acclimatized slowly. Problems develop in the lungs and the brain (some people don’t think people that do this have brains; maybe just very small ones) when you gain altitude too fast. So the trick is to go slow. Continue to climb until next Sunday which should be summit day. Come part way down on Sunday and spend the last night on the hill.
Monday we come down the mountain and spend the night back in Nairobi.
On Tuesday the safari guides pick us up at the hotel and we head out for Massai Mara. The safari is arranged so you go out early in the morning and late in the evenings to see animals when they are most active. So, Tuesday night we will drive through the reserve. They have open top mini vans. Or at least the tops extend up so you can stand up and look out without leaving the vehicle. It’s not good to mingle with the local wildlife. When we have gone into the bush here, the wildlife won’t get too concerned if no one gets out of the vehicle but as soon as a door opens they scatter. On Wednesday we will go for morning and evening tours and then on Thursday we will have a morning tour and head back to Nairobi. The guide service provides a tent to stay in. The tents are like canvas wall tent used for hunting in the US. Hope the tents are lion proofed. Food will also be provided so it shouldn’t be too tough of a week.
When we get back to Nairobi on Thursday, a van is will meet us and drive us to Magadi. The trip wouldn’t be complete if the kids didn’t see where the mother-load and dad live. We will go visit one of the villages nearby so they can appreciate what they have. After visiting the bush, they will never be able to complain about what they have – never-.
Then on Saturday, December 4th the group heads back to the US this includes Debi. Hopefully it will be a fun experience for all. I can guarantee they will all be tired. Hope they are not expected to perform well when they return to work on Monday.
Debi needs to get back to the US to get my Christmas present. I’ll do the normal shopping (ask the girls what Debi wants, have Shena buy it, and I’m done). For those interested, I return on December 18; Shena will have my shopping done by then, I hope.
Hope these next two weeks go well. If they don’t know one else will want to come and visit (too late for you Margaret, your tickets bought).
Love
Paul/dad
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