After three weeks of roughing it with daily trekking and minimal bathing, we were really looking forward to running water, 6 days of being driven around to look at animals, staying in relative luxury, and relaxing a little. … More Serengeti: Wildlife everywhere!
Since we finished Kilimanjaro early, we had a free day for licking our wounds, taking extended showers, and celebrating. So we invited our guide, Mathayo, out on the town. We headed out to Mkulima (farmer in Swahili), a nyama choma joint. Nyama choma is the tradional BBQ of East Africa, with a typical menu offering whole … More Celebratory sustenance in Moshi
When we envisioned climbing Kilimanjaro, we pictured manageable hikes gaining modest elevation on non-technical slopes surrounded by beautiful views, like from the Shira Plateau, Barranco, and Barafu (don’t forget to read these parts). That all was reasonably accurate until the moment we were awoken at midnight to start our summit attempt, in the dark, up scree, … More Kilimanjaro finale: Uhuru
Previously in part 2: we’d made it to Karanga camp (13,200 ft) around noon and brashly decided to forfeit a day of rest and a full night’s sleep and march on to base camp, Barafu. We would make our summit push that night, thus shortening our trek from 7 to 6 days. As we rose out … More Kilimanjaro part 3: Thinner air
After traversing the Shira Plateau in our bid for Uhuru, Kili’s summit, we were in great spirits. We set out for Barranco camp, which was slightly higher at 13,000 ft. On the way, we would climb to Lava Tower, which at 15,210 feet, is higher than either of us had ever been (visible in the picture … More Kilimanjaro part 2: The Decision
Leaving the deep jungle and our gorilla friends, our next stop was the rooftop of the continent. You go out on a limb any time you ask someone to walk with you for eight days nearly four miles vertically into the sky, to altitudes where normal hearts and lungs sputter and choke. I tactfully leveraged … More Kilimanjaro part 1: The Shira Plateau
The subdued finale to our great Congo adventure was an activity-free day in Brazzaville. However, it is well known, one can indulge in only so much introspection. So we improvised. … More In Brazza
Although we’ve really enjoyed all of our time in Congo, it feels in a way that all the travel, the wildlife viewing from a distance, and camping in the jungle has all built towards a finale of gorilla trekking. These up close and intimate encounters were like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Jesse and I discussed … More Kingo of the Jungle
We’ve discussed what’s involved in getting to the Congo jungle, and we’ve shown some Bai wildlife and our first gorilla trek to see Buka’s group. But before the next round of gorilla pics, we wanted to share some of the joys of living many hours from any civilization, as it was a frequent source of discussion … More I am a stranger in this part of the jungle
In order to study gorillas, researchers need to be close to them. Habituating gorillas involves following them nearly daily for many years to get them used to humans. It is the tireless work of many dedicated scientists and Ba’aka trackers. Habituated gorillas are still wild animals. They are just used to people being nearby. There … More Gorillas in our midst
round the world in sixty days 