So this weekend I got to spend some time with the boyfriend and his family and that means that I got a chance to talk with him and his sister about the trip! We also went to REI and I got lots of goodies…I will post that fun later…
Here is the initial itinerary:
Tuesday 6-29: Arrive in Nairobi…I think that we will get there around 11 pm and somehow get all of our gear and such to a hotel and get some sleep.
Wed 6-30 through Mon 7-5 Mt. Kenya 6 day trek: We are going to be taking the Sirimon route up and then coming back down the Chogoria route. It is a six day trek which gives us a day of acclimatization which is really good because I am scared about the whole altitude sickness thing. I am the only one in our group of four that is going that has not done any sort of climbing. The boyfriend’s sister has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, the boyfriend has done Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Incan Trail and the ER nurse (friends of the boyfriend’s sister) has done many different climbs. Hopefully between having an extra day and the diamox (go drugs go!) I will be just fine in a lower oxygen state… Overall though these routes are supposed to be full of lots of plants and animals and really quite beautiful. I am scared but excited. PS Happy Fourth of July on the top of Mt Kenya!
Mon 7-5 Travel to Maua: I am assuming that Maua is a rural village because that is where the boyfriend’s sister’s host family from the first time she was there lives. Since we are coming straight from the mountain I will have the chance to experience my first bucket shower.
Tue 7-6 Travel from Maua to Nairobi: I think that the buses or the transportation that we will be taking is going to be an experience all on its own based on the stories I have heard. Yikes!
Wed 7-7 Travel to Lamu: Lamu is an older beach town that is supposed to have historic beauty and traditions. I am excited that I will have a chance to relax post mountain climb and even out some of whatever weird sunburn/tan I get on the mountain. The pictures are gorgeous and the culture is great plus it will be cool because it is a Muslim town so that will totally different than what I am used to.
Sat 7-10 Travel from Lamu to Nairobi: Apparently Nairobi is the major city in Eastern Africa and is very westernized. Jeans are considered dressy and the culture is a strange clash of our modern society with a third world nation… Again an entire day must be devoted to this because you never know how long the travelling will take. Apparently Kenyans are not as obsessed with time as we are in America.
Sun 7-11 Time in Nairobi – markets, etc: This is code for the boyfriend’s sister will do lots of fabulous bartaring because I will suck at that!
Mon 7-12 Elephants and Carnivor: The elephants are on this reserve where orphaned elephants in the wild have been found and then cared for until they are old enough to be released back into the wild on their own. Go to the awesome website if you want to see the pictures and other cool information… http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/ Then Carnivore is one of those all you can eat meat restaurants but instead of just steaks it serves things like crocodile and other kinds of strange game…I will just have to remember I am eating roast beast and not put a name to it until after I have swallowed…It is supposed to be amazing though!
Depart Nairobi 10:20 PM and get back to the US sometime on the 13th with no flight delays! :)
Putting together all of the pieces definitely has me more excited. I am still freaked out and I will be visiting the gym everyday once school is out but overall it should be an amazing experience!
