Thanks Louisa for this brilliant shot of the team at the summit.
Having all reached the summit of Uhuru Peak on Kilimanjaro, Louisa, Steph, Katie, Niroj, Paul and Joanna are all now back in the UK. Their leader Richard managed to take time out from his beach work on the blissful island paradise of Lamu to send us these snaps of the climb...
The team, discovering the joys of African rain.
Read more...Thanking Miki for this final update, received from the comfort and cold of the UK... nice one guys!
Steph Smith has a Tan!
At the start of the trip, we made friends
with a girl we liked to call Casper, the friendly ghost, an absolute babe, just
so pale slightly see through, while working the other day, I wiped the sweat
from my eyes... and couldn't see casper anywhere, instead a tall blonde beauty
with a slight cappuccino-like tan stood in her place. It was official, Casper
was no more, our Steph had a tan. Even on her neck...that after being washed a
number of times, was actually a tan and not dirt. Amazed.
These past two weeks have been absolutely crazy for us, hence the lack of a
blog. However, we really can't wait for you to read everything we've been up to.
Work-wise, we have completed all our set projects. Working with the Livingstone
Tanzania Trust using inspired development to help the locals with various different
forms of farming, we created 2 keyhole gardens at a primary and secondary school. We made several
bag gardens at another primary school, where we also designed and built a
prototype mud fridge, which we will find out soon whether it will actually work
which would be wonderful! We went fishing for Tilapia in the school pond, and
maybe did a spot of filming too. A group of us helped the farm hands to water
the farm and even help pick some vegetables!
Following their hard work on the Tanzania and Kenya projects, six intrepid volunteers and their leader Richard are working their way up Kilimanjaro, the world's highest free-standing peak. Needless to say, internet blogging is neither particularly easy nor at the forefront of the team's minds, but we have had a progress update using the wonders of modern technology...
On Sunday, the guys set off for a 4-5 hour walk up to the Machame Huts for the first camp at just over 3000 metres and made it without a hitch. Taking things pole pole ('slowly' in Kiswahili) is the only option; not only for stamina, but also to allow everyone to acclimatise to the altitude bit by bit.
Our latest update from Richard is that the team have reached the Shira Caves (above) at 3600m, and are having a short break before carrying on to the New Shira Camp, where they will stay tonight, at 3847m. The first two days' ascent, although challenging enough, will help to set the guys up for Days 3, 4 & 5 when they will find themselves pushed much harder, but for much greater reward as they strive for the summit!
Watch this space for further updates...
Challenge yourself with a combined Volunteering Project and Kilimanjaro climb!
Week two, in sunny Tanzania. To start the week, the team set out on a
hideous but ever so rewarding task of digging the trenches for the foundations,
back breaking hoing to be done. But succeed we did. Trenches 2 feet deep and 1
foot wide, and as long as Tanzania it felt but we wouldnt let it dishearten us.
And before we knew it, after chappatis and rice and beans, these bad boy
trenches were dug. And the bad boy rocks needed to be moved in. Guns galore
over in Wa'angwaray...looking forward to the weekly arm wrestle and gun show to see
how much we have improved!
The bad boy rocks got filled in quickly (much like how fast this blog is
being written) and we were on a roll, and a very sweaty one. The grueling task
of filling the classrooms up with soil before we can lay with concrete is now
underway, and it is turning out just peachey. The fundi are working hard to
build up the walls, this is going to get done and its going to be the best
foundations ever built. During the week some of the team have headed out to Sinai as well to
renovate a store room, lovely work! With some LOVELY lunches to go with. Big up
to the Trinity teachers that have helped us out on that too!!
Here's an update from the Tanzania Team's first week on the project...
All the team have reached Tanzania, though some unfortunately without their luggage thus many necessities. This has thankfully been resolved with a coordinated effort from both Alix and Simon. Two of the lost bags have reached our Babati (Finlay's and Louisa's) while Alastair's bags are expected by Monday. This is as relief as we feared the worst and Alastair was getting sick of constant clothes washing and the one pair of boxers! Visas and bumpy roads prolonged our journey through Kenya to Arusha in Tanzania but Babati was reached by the next day. All the team are well and getting on brilliantly having settled into daily life well...
Read more...
