Aloha!

Finally, I'm here in Honolulu. I arrived late Sunday night - actually, just last night, and already I feel like a lot has happened.

To recap the past several days. In LA, I enjoyed Luis and Karen and Lucy's hospitality in Rancho Palos Verdes. Luis and I were in the same year at MIT; on top of that, we both grew up in San Francisco. He even went to the boys' Catholic high school that was in front of my family's house, but we didn't meet until we were, I think, sophomores in college. Anyway, he's an engineer, and sorry, Luis, I won't even try to explain what you do. Karen, his wife, was a few years behind us in school, and now she works for Pfizer on program development (nondrug related) after having completed med school and a preventive medicine residency. Lucy is their surrogate daughter, that is, she's there very cute and affectionate pound-rescued dog. I enjoyed a relaxing couple of days in all their company in their beautiful ranch-style house.

Then, after a slight detour to the Long Beach port to put my car in que for shipment (they said it would take anywhere from 3-5 weeks - oh boy), I moved slightly north to Manhattan Beach to enjoy the company of my good friend Melanie (we've often leaned on each other and shared some good and bad times both in pediatric residency and afterward), Warren (her nonstereotypical physics professor partner), Abby (her enchanting daughter, who is in the intermittent throes of the terrible twos), and her endearing mother (visiting her irresistable granddaughter). It was fun just hanging out and walking down by the beach together. There happened to be a huge open team volleyball tournament and ocean swim this past weekend at Manhattan Beach, so the crowds were out in force, but how fun. On top of all that, Melanie's from Hawaii, so she helped me start searching for a place in Honolulu and gave me all sorts of advice, to which her mom would add occasional helpful comments. Unfortunately, our time together was short, and all too soon, it was time to go to the airport. (By the way, thanks for the ride, Melanie!)

So now I'm here, in beautiful, though very warm and muggy Honolulu (fortunately, the drive across country in all sorts of hot weather was good training). I've already got my official Hawaii Dept of Health ID after spending the morning signing what seemed like endless forms. But from now through the end of this week or however long it takes (hopefully, not longer), my job is to find a place to call home. Not an easy task. It seems like the whole world is looking for an apartment to rent. I went to one showing (of a pretty crappy apt that was outrageously overpriced) and at least 7 other people also showed up at the open house viewing. After this afternoon's experience, I have the sinking suspicion that I will have to pay twice what I paid in Atlanta to get something maybe half as decent or as large. [sigh] The price of paradise.

At least I'm finally here! Yea!!!!!!!
That's it for my posts to this particular blogsite. If you want to hear more, you'll have to email or call me. :)

Finally, the end of the long drive.

Ah. I've made it. Compared to previous drives, the drive from Surprise, AZ to LA was short, but it was a scorcher. My car temp usually read around 106 degrees F and once in the California desert, it jumped to 112! When I stopped for gas, I felt like my skin was being scorched just standing there in the sun. Thank goodness, I remembered to put on sunblock or I might have some weird tan or burn lines from the sun beating down on me through the car windows and at the stops.

I enjoyed a nice break with my Mom and Dad and their dog, Teddy, who was overjoyed to see me. (Dogs are great, especially big ones.) I went running in the mornings; yes, at 6am, it was already in the 80s. During the days, I just spent time with my folks. All too soon, with a little less than I'd started out with in Atlanta (it's good to have parents who can bring you the rest of your stuff later), it was time to leave. Now, I get to see some more friends here in LA (where it was a cool 72 degrees when I arrived - ah, what a relief), before leaving this Sunday to become an island girl.

Next and final blog, Honolulu.

The Safari and Zanzibar

After the Kili trek, I enjoyed a wonderful night in the Impala Hotel in Arusha where I could finally clean up and get some of the dust out of some of my things. The skin on my hands and lower face (the exposed parts) were a peely, dry mess from the low humidity and winds and intense sun at altitude (despite having used sunblock copiously). I know, sounds attractive. Fortunately, it all improved within the next couple of days.

For the safari portion of my trip, Seif, my driver guide, took me to Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti, and Lake Manyara. I stayed in very comfortable lodges the whole time (for the most part – the Serengeti lodge we stayed at had some water system problems so water was even more limited than usual; oh well) and spent 2 nights in each place except the last, where we stayed only one night. Although we saw some of the same animals in all places, such as giraffe, elephants, zebras, and certain birds, the environmental setting or ecosystem was different from place to place.

The rim of Ngorongoro Crater, on which our lodge (and all lodges) was located, sits at around 1500m (I think – it's definitely at some altitude), so it was always on the cool and even cold side; the crater floor is somewhere around sea level. The animals usually hang around in the 20-mile wide crater, which has a couple smaller lakes and one particularly large salt water lake. Some animals come up out of the crater, especially at night, or move back and forth. Seif strongly cautioned me to stay within the close boundaries of the lodge (so much for morning runs – just kidding; I really didn't want to meet one of the many elephants, hyenas, or other wild animals on foot. The cars, or rather, SUVs that everyone drives on safari are Land Rovers or Land Cruisers or some version, the tops of which lift up so that one can stand up and get a 360 degree view, perfect for picture taking and general animal viewing. The best part for me was that I had one of these to myself and my guide – I asked Seif a ton of questions and learned quite a bit. He even had some books with pictures to help explain further what we discussed. I won't describe everything we saw because there were so many amazing things. It's so cool to see animals roaming without bars or glass enclosures. You don't just see the animals, you see how they behave naturally. For instance, we watched for 30-60 min as 5 water buffalos and 7 she-lions faced off against each other, and later we watched a cheetah hiding in the grass and stalking a few unsuspecting Thomson's gazelles. And, yes, just before we started the drive up out of the crater at the end of that day, we spotted one of the rare black rhinos. Very cool.

While we were in the Ngorongoro area, I had the opportunity to visit a Maasai village. Many tribes exist in Tanzania, and some still live according to their traditional ways, but these Maasai have become well-known. They are nomadic cattle herders; many would also say cattle raiders. You've probably seen pictures of them. The men will often have large holes in their ear lobes, and men and women alike will have multiple decorations hanging from their ears. They appear tall and lean and tend to wear variations of red tartan robes draped around their shoulders (they supposedly became so enamored of British tartans that they adopted them into their clothing). They'll also wear blue and purple, but they really like red. The men, or warriors, will often have their hair in intricate braids, whereas the women tend to have their heads shaved. They live on a diet of meat, milk, and blood. The people of the village I visited welcomed me with their chanting sort of songs. The women sang their song in one group, and the men in another. The songs were different but somehow harmonized together. They looked like they were enjoying themselves as they formed circles and individuals would jump together in the centers. Then I got to tour the village and see the inside of their homes, which are built only by the women and are made of dried cow dung, sod, straw, and deadwood. It didn't smell, but there were certainly plenty of flies around. The houses are low with flat roofs and no windows except a small cook hole in one side. I'm sure it can be quite cool in summer and warm in winter, but pretty dark in there. The houses are arranged in a circle with a wall of straw, grass, and wood surrounding the village. They keep their cattle and goats in a center enclosure at night, and in the morning, the boys take the cattle out quite far away to graze during the day. The government has mandated that the children must be educated, so there is a separate structure just outside the village enclosure where the younger girls and boys go to school. They were so excited to have a visitor watch them; they showed off their knowledge of numbers, counting in English and Swahili for me, and then sang a welcome song. What a great experience.

On the way to the Serengeti, we stopped to visit the little museum by the Olduvai (should be pronounced and spelled Oldupai after the type of sisal plant that grows in the area) Gorge, where the remains of the oldest footprints were found, as well as bones of our possible ancestors and fossils of other prehistoric animals. After that educating visit to ponder our past, we bumped along the very rough road to the Serengeti lodge. In the Serengeti, I enjoyed the picturesque scenery and views, especially the sunrise and sunsets which silhouetted the many flat-topped and umbrella acacia trees. I saw all the animals I could hope to see; yes, even finally, 2 leopards in 2 separate trees. By the time we finished our tour through there, we had seen close to 60 lions including those we'd seen previously in the crater (Seif said I was very lucky to see so many); quite a few had been within 2-3 m of the car, and they would act indifferent to us. We got lucky with many other animals as well, with many of them also in close range to the car. If you're wondering, no, we never got out of the car – not allowed and would obviously be quite stupid if something like a lion were around. Here, as at the previous lodge, Seif warned me to stay within the tight boundaries of the lodge, especially at night. Every morning I was there, I would wake at around 5 am to these strange loud animal sounds (not really growls or howls or whines, but something in between – hard to explain). Evidently, these were the hippos, who leave their pools at night to graze then return to their pools in the morning so they can spend their days soaking. You don't want to come upon a hippo; they're vicious despite being herbivores, and they can outrun a man.

The last stop was Lake Manyara, which was remarkable mostly for the views and the incredible numbers of birds, especially flamingos – so many that from far away, you can see a large bright pink patch in one end of the large salt water lake. We saw plenty of the other animals we had seen previously and even more of the baboons, which are considered pests as they'll go through the garbage and even enter homes and hotel rooms if you forget to close your windows and doors while you're out.

Having finished the Kili trek and safari, I next headed to Zanzibar via a short and crowded flight. There, I spent a couple days relaxing on the beach and enjoyed a spice/fruit tour (very educational). I stayed in a beautiful and opulent (compared to how the natives live) resort on the east side of the island near a town called Kiwengwa. Very peaceful most of the time, except when you try to walk the beach and guys keep coming up to you trying to sell you things and get you to go to their village with them. Yeah, right. I did go running in the mornings along the road, which I was advised by the hotel staff to be safer, and would come across groups of Muslim children walking to school. They thought it was great fun to run with me for some distance; I thought so, too. On my last day in Tanzania, I enjoyed a beautiful walking tour of Old Stone Town (west side of the island and main area). The island is 97% Muslim, and there are strong Arab and Indian influences in the architecture, culture, and everyday life. Although the town is quite rundown, one can still admire the remaining ornately carved doors and some of the renovated buildings as well as the views of the beautiful turquoise Indian Ocean.

In the evening, I took a very nauseating ferry trip (apparently the ferry is infamous for inducing vomiting) to Dar es Salaam where I would catch a flight late that night back to the states. Fortunately, I'd kept in touch with some of the friends I'd made on the Kili trek, the ones who summitted with me. Katherine is living temporarily in Dar to teach English, and Sam and Sue had been visiting her. We enjoyed some good Indian food for dinner, then Katherine set me up with a cab driver she knew to take me to the airport. What a good way to end my trip in Tanzania.

(If you're interested, I set up this trip through Lion's Safari International, which is one of the oldest and best known companies in and around Arusha. I was very happy with this trip; everything went smoothly, and I never had to worry about a thing.)

Kilimanjaro trek - in more detail

Now that I have a little time, I’ll blog a little more about my trip in Tanzania earlier this month.

Here's a breakdown of the trek up Kilimanjaro. (Sorry, the altitudes and distances are in metric.) Most days, according to Joseph, my guide, we traveled anywhere from 9-10 km, except for Shira to Barranco, which was maybe a couple kms more, and the day of the summit and partial descent which was probably 1-1/2 to 2 times that. I took the scenic Machame Route up and the easier Marangu Route down:

Day 1 – Machame Park Gate, 1800m, to Machame Hut, 3000m: We hiked a steep, narrow, packed dirt (muddy but not too bad) path through green and damp rainforest. I was pretty glad that I'd brought a large plastic pancho that covered me and my pack amply. I was one of the few relatively dry hikers arriving in that first camp after a long wet hike. That first night was also rainy, and I quickly realized in talking to others that night and in subsequent days that you do get what you pay for in Africa. All my gear was nice and dry, and I enjoyed a roomy, comfortable tent. Others who paid much less for their trek did not fare as well, although some who paid a little less than I did still enjoyed a good trek. That first night was incredibly dark as the sky was filled with low clouds.
Day 2 – up to Shira Plateau, 3950m: The next morning was beautiful as the last of the rain had stopped hours before. We got our first view of the mountain. Daunting and impressive. I should mention that although I was hiking with my own guide and porters, there were plenty of other hikers (but not too many as we were just before the high season) also making the trek with their guides and porters and making camp at the same places. It was like a little community, and I made several new friends. Anyway, we faced an equally steep climb up to the next camp, except now among rocks and less mud but still a steep incline. The trees gave way to bushes and fewer smaller trees. The views every step of the way were breathtaking, and when we arrived at camp in mid-afternoon, we were treated with a view of craggy Shira Peak (one of the peaks of Kilimanjaro - it's actually made up of 3 peaks: Shira, Kibo, and Uhuru) in front of us, Mt. Meru (somewhere shy of 4500m) some miles away to the left of Shira, and Uhuru Peak & the Western Breach somewhat behind us (soon to be in front as we would head back that way as we continued up). The clouds were thick just below us and covered everything except the peaks; it looked very surreal, like a fluffy ocean. You can imagine the amazing sunset and then the full moon rising over this huge and high plateau just beyond the Western Breach.
Day 3 – up and down on the way to Barranco Hut, 3950m: We started up a flow of rocks with steady drops on either side. Although our 3rd camp would ultimately be at the same altitude as the previous camp, our trek would take us as high as 4500m past the Lava Tower (some hikers would opt to hike up to that and back to the path) and the Western Breach as we skirted around the peak to get to the little valley where we would camp. Here I had my first touch of the altitude effects as I suffered a fierce headache that finally went away after some acetaminophen and naproxen. And here, we had the first up close and personal view of the peak we would be summitting, very awesome in every sense of the word. I met some guys from CA in the tent next to mine, and we enjoyed the rise of the full moon in the clear cold night with Arusha and Moshi below us. When the sun was up, the temps were probably in the 50s F, but as soon as it was gone, the temps dropped like a stone to at most freezing. Brr.
Day 4 – short hike up to the plateau above Karanga Valley, maybe around 4250m. We first had to hike up the "breakfast route," a steep and rocky area that involved some scrambling and a lot of switchbacks. My guide had said that the name came from the fact that the hike was done after breakfast, but given the steepness, I wondered aloud if it was because one was likely to lose one's breakfast. I'd arranged for a 7-day trek, so this was my "easy" day as we hiked only 3-4 hours to this next camp. Although I had a touch of nausea that affected my appetite (in general, I did notice that I gradually lost my appetite as we climbed) I enjoyed another amazing view, far above the city and towns below. The clouds that had hindered most of our view of them had cleared so that now we could make out huge lakes and many farmlands and other landmarks. At night, we could enjoy the lights of civilization (much less than what one might observe in the US, but still obviously there).
Day 5 and 6 – longest day, up to temporary camp at Barafu Hut, 4600m, then up to Uhuru Peak, 5896m, then along the crater rim overlooking Kibo Crater's glacier to Gilman's Point, 5681m, down to Kibo Hut, 4703m, and finally camp at Horombo Hut, 3720m: We hiked a few hours to Barafu and set up a temporary camp in the early afternoon in and among the rocks. Although we were supposed to sleep before the early dinner and after until rising at 11pm, I probably only got an hour's nap in the afternoon. Here, we could see the saddle plain below us to the southeast and Mawenzi Peak beyond that. At sunset, I got a shot of Mawenzi with the looming shadow of Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak) just to the right of it. I could never get tired of all the amazing views up there. By midnight, my guide and I were on our way again, now for the last push; the porters would meet us at Horombo. Up until this point, the trek had involved some physical effort; it was steep and rocky, after all, but I'm also in pretty good shape. However, in this last summit push, I finally felt the real effects of the altitude, or rather, the lack of oxygen. Every step was a real effort and left me gasping for air. I held onto my guide's backpack strap as he hiked ahead of me. I still had to pull my weight up against gravity, but I needed the physical assistance since my coordination was a bit compromised. I ended up making most of this last push with some new friends I had made, and I was very glad to have such good company at the summit. It was butt-freezing cold; actually, I couldn't feel my toes, but it was worth every effort. I snapped a bunch of pictures as we enjoyed the sun rising. We summitted just before 7am Tanzania time (midnight on the 4th of July, EST). Then, my guide hurried me off toward Gilman's Point to start down the Marangu Route. When we got there, and I looked down the way to Kibo... Well, let's just say the scree-covered slope was as steep as a double or triple black diamond ski slope and at least 2 or 3 km long if not longer (probably). With my guide supporting me on one side, we quickly stepped, or rather fell, straight down the mountain on our heels. The reward was that from Kibo on, the trail was a nice, fat, packed dirt, not very steep path. Now, I could see why the Marangu Route is called the "Coca-Cola Route" by the guides, although I think those taking that route are crazy, as it's a fast hike to Kibo, from where one is then expected to climb a suddenly steep long switchback route to get close to the summit, not even the summit. (The hike from Gilman's to Uhuru Peak is about 1-1/2 to 2 hrs.) I was glad to descend via this route, because it afforded me yet another and different view of Kilimanjaro and the area around it, but I'm glad I didn't choose to summit this way - very boring and too quick.
Day 7 – down to Mandara Hut, 2700m, and finally to Marangu Gate, 1800m. Horombo camp had huts and running water. Despite the amenities, I missed the closeness and camaraderie of hanging out in the tent community. Before leaving Horombo, my porters and guides sang the Kilimanjaro song for me (about Kili being a snake wanting to eat me, but instead I ate it). It was a nice way to end my trek. Not long after leaving Horombo, we reentered the clouds and with all the passing fog over the reappearing trees and bushes, I was reminded of the Marin Hills, north of San Francisco. We hiked quickly down through rainforest to Marangu gate, where my safari guide and driver, Seif, met me to take me to Arusha (about an hour away) for the night before we’d start the safari portion of my trip. There's nothing like cleaning up in a nice bathroom after a long trek.

Ah...in my parents' care

I've finally made it to Surprise, AZ.

I had fun hanging out with Andre and Allie in San Antonio. The Alamo was an interesting place, although somehow, I had expected that it would be in the middle of a clearing and maybe a bit bigger, but it's smack in the middle of town by the river walk (a scenic touristy area built up around the small San Antonio River) and a little smaller than one would think given the legend around it. The history is interesting and the fact that these men held out against the overwhelming numbers of the Mexicans (which is graphically depicted in a detailed model in a large display case) is impressive, but on the other hand, it's also interesting to note that these men were kind of the outcasts of society and are now immortalized as heroes. Interesting how we choose to remember things after the fact...

I'd forgotten that Andre and Allie have a pool, granted a small one, but plenty large for playing with the kids and cooling off. We got to do just that and enjoy a BBQ with some of military folks from Andre's advanced officer course that he's enjoying immensely for 10 weeks (definite sarcasm there).

Yesterday a.m., I got up early, as did Andre and Allie and, of course, the two kids. They gave me a sleepy but heartfelt sendoff (that I much appreciated, especially given the early hour on a Sunday) as I started my long drive at 7:30am. Fortunately for me, most of Texas from San Antonio through El Paso, and even into New Mexico, was enjoying on and off light-heavy rain with unseasonably low temperatures. So much for the hot and dry drive I'd been dreading. Temps stayed in the high 60s to low 70s until I hit Arizona, where temps then started climbing so that by the time I reached Phoenix, my car thermometer was reading 100-104 degrees F as I zoomed along on the interstate. The green fields and hills gave way to desert-type scenery with dirt or yellow grass dotted with light green bushes and the occasional large plateaus or fingers of rock formations. Quite scenic in some places, especially as the sun set.

Now, I'm enjoying relaxing with my folks and having Mom take care of me. :) Soon enough, I'll be off again for the last leg of my driving journey to LA.

Remember the Alamo!

The drive to San Antonio from Dallas was relatively short and painless compared to the drive from ATL to Dallas on Wednesday. There was quite a bit of traffic due to an accident near Austin, lots and lots of road work, and just proximity to civilization along the way. But I got here without any untoward events. The thermostat on my car read around 93-96 degrees F as long as I kept moving. When traffic slowed to a crawl due to the silly rubbernecking over the accident on the other side of the highway (admittedly, looked pretty bad - a few smashed up cars and a very warped semi), the thermostat reading rose to 100 degrees. Yikes. The scenery along the way was unremarkable, except that although it's still green, now it's relatively flat. Alex warned me to enjoy the green while I still can; the drive from San Antonio to Phoenix promises to be long and dry. But that will come later.

For now, I'm enjoying catching up with my friends Andre and Allie. Andre and I were fellows at the same time at UCSF. He was in pediatric pulmonology while I was in pediatric infectious diseases. Now he's stationed here with the army as one of the regional peds pulmonologists (one of two, that is, and soon to be the only one in the entire Great Plains for the military families), which means he's pretty busy. Allie is a physical therapist (thankfully for me since she gives me lots of very helpful advice), who's taking a break from work to chase after her two boys, Alex and Connor. I last saw Alex when he was less than a year old, just before Andre and Allie left SF for Texas. Children really are the marker of time. He's now a very cute and curious not so little 3 year old (he's the height of a 5 year old). Connor at just a year old is already showing signs of conforming to the stereotype of younger sibs being fearless and daring, or maybe carefree.

Anyway, Allie and I are going to explore a little of San Antonio today with Alex. I'm embarrassed to admit that I'd forgotten the Alamo was here until they mentioned it. Now that I know, we'll have to go check it out. :)

Halfway across the country...almost

It's a good thing I got some down time in Zanzibar, because upon returning to Atlanta, I was running around trying to get errands done, wrap things up at CDC, and get packed. Absolutely crazy time. Of course, I didn't get all the things I would've liked to get completed done at work, but oh well. Thank goodness for email and modern technology. The work will eventually get done, and sooner than later if I have my way.

But, enough about work, or the old work. I spent Tuesday night frantically packing (or rather, throwing things in) my bags and some boxes., but once I got that all settled, I relaxed and enjoyed a late dinner and evening with some of my good friends from my days at CDC. What a great way to spend my last night, just chatting and laughing with good friends on a beautiful night. I may not miss Atlanta, but I will miss all my good friends there.

The next morning, I got up early and went for a run (of course), then quickly cleaned up my apartment. I had spent the night with my EIS buddy, Priti; I'm going to miss our flippant quips at each other, although I'm sure we'll still do that occasionally over the email. ;) So, I said good bye to her, then starting packing (more like stuffing) the car. I would've started my long drive then except that I had two things left to do: a walk-through with the leasing agent (fortunately quick and painless) and dropping off several bags of stuff to be donated at the Goodwill truck (not so quick - the truck was closed up, so I ended up going across town and dropping everything at a thrift store - was not about to take everything across country with me and didn't feel good about just leaving the bags sitting by the truck). Finally, though, at 11am, I was on I20, on my way to Dallas.

Some of you will smile about this and understand, but my route took me through Anniston, AL. I was through there in a blink of an eye, to use that cliche, although the memory of my experience there will linger with me always. :) Talk about endless driving. At least, the areas I drove through are all green. Crossing the Mississippi River was an impressive experience. I always forget how huge that river is. My car did a great job on the drive, although, to my extreme disappointment and irritation, I quickly realized that my cruise control doesn't seem to work. Spending hours at a time with one' right leg in one position is not exactly comfortable. Of course, neither is spending hours with one's arms in a somewhat raised position exactly relaxing. It was a long and hot drive; my car thermostat read about 93-94 degrees F for most of the way, occasionally higher. Ugh. I stopped twice. Once to fill up with gas and make myself a PB & J sandwich, and again to grab a salad at Wendy's for dinner and again fill up with gas. Otherwise, I was determined to keep going so that I wouldn't get to my friend Alex's in Dallas too late despite the late start. Eventtually, I made it (by about 10:45pm their time, 11:45pm EST), although I would've been there an hour sooner if I hadn't taken a wrong exit and had to turn around and then missed another exit. Fortunately, I called Alex to let her know where I was (thank God for cell phones), and then she nearly had a cow because when I told her, she said I'd gone way past where they were and didn't know it. Oops. She talked me back, and I gratefully arrived at her wonderful house, where I am now enjoying her and her husband Jeff's hospitality, along with their little menagerie of animals (2 Maine coon cats and 1 cute and very friend dog with questionable Labrador mix heritage). Alex is an award-winning science writer for the Dallas Morning News (she's going to kill me for writing that...), and Jeff writes books (casual and now a big "trade" book - i.e., reference book) on astronomy. They often tell me that I have an interesting career, but I think they both have and are involved in some really interesting projects. Alex has camped at the North Pole....

Anyway, I'm enjoying friend-hopping across the country and am looking forward to being in my new home soon.

By the way, I promise to blog about my Tanzania adventure in more detail later, when I get to my parents' house and can spend a bit more time on the computer.