SOCIAL MEDIA

Travel: Three months until departure

 


Note: The photo above was taken when we were dropped off, deep into the forest.

Three months before we depart - this has been a high activity week for Africa prep.

You get what you pay for: we are paying for two opportunities to summit, staying one night in the arctic zone (18,500 ft) and our summit hike will take 3-4 hours.  If we are feeling good and the weather is favorable, I'm told we can stay up there for a while.  

I'm shocked when I see adverts to reach the summit for $2,000 or less.  I read one blogger's experience where he climbed 4,000 feet to the summit in one day, twelve hours of hiking!  He only spent a few minutes at the top and mentioned how painful the hike was before turning back and starting their descend. 

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Adventure: Kilimanjaro planning (part 1)

I just realized I haven't blogged about my latest life adventure since announcing it in January - how is this possible?!

This week we are applying for our visas which means WT is grounded until we get his passport back. Prefect excuse to fly our son home for a visit ~ woohoo!

Visas: Passports will be sent in tomorrow, with a $100 check for each (plus expedite fees).  The turn around is usually a month but we are trying to speed this up so Bill can get back to traveling.

Medical: With Bill's third world/ international travel he's current on vaccines.  I need to set up my medical appointment to begin the vaccine process (and quarterly blood draw for Lymes status).

Shots & medication:  One of these is a three part series so I will start the process this week.

Here's a list of the shots I need:
Yellow Fever
Tetanus
Hepatitis A
MMR and Polio update
Typhoid Fever
Hepatitis B

There are also a few prescription medications to travel with:
Diamox (acute mountain sickness)
Zpack (super strength antibiotic)
Anti-malarial

Shopping: The hidden costs that accompany any adventure!  With the World Traveler grounded... this is the perfect time to research, shop and buy.  We are buying everything online but still have to try on apparel/shoes to make sure we have proper fit.

Items purchased this weekend:
WT's hiking boots: $250 retail, found online for $140
Mari's hiking boots: $290 retail, no online deals
Six pair wool socks: $18/pair, found online for $8/pair
Two duffle bags (Sherpa's carry from camp to camp): $80 each but we found them for $30 each!
WT's solar day pack: $239
WT's convertible zip offs: $80 retail, $20 online
Mari's Convertible zip offs: $75 retail, $30 online

Retail value: $1,200

We spent $827

We are in the three month window so our focus, chatter will start to shift towards planning and preparing.  I hope you will enjoy following these posts - I'm mostly posting my journey since I can't find any online journals and don't know anyone who has done this... I'm in uncharted territory and don't want anyone else to plan such a trip 'blindly'.

Time to lace up my shoes, enjoy a sunny Sunday, and get a run in!
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Books: February Reviews!

Another good month, four book reviews, crossing four genres

Books read this year: 10
Genre reach: self-discovery, YA, historical fiction, chick-lit, literary fiction, cookbooks

Classics: Have you read either or these titles: The Great Gatsby, or The Bell Jar?  I'm not sure which to read for the 100 day challenge.

Have you read any of these titles?  A few wonderful reads to share. 

Friends at my Table: I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It's more than a cookbook.  Filled with tips for all types of entertaining, from table settings, preparing causal get together's, to weddings.  The author talks about utensils and other kitchen gadgets throughout the book.  Such a hardy reference!

Recipes I will try include: Lemon and Rosemary Tart ~ Hearty Vegetable Soup ~ pumpkin salsa 

Goodreads rating: 4 stars

Table for Seven:  I gave this one three stars, a good review but it lacked the wow factor.  I liked the "messiness" in the main character since I know a lot of women in the forties who seem to be dealing with what she deals with in the book.  For that alone, women will enjoy the journey.

Goodreads rating: 3 stars

The memory of Love: As with Astrid and Veronika… Olsson’s writing is stunning.  This is a quiet, powerful story of about a woman with a past, trying to navigate life.  I enjoyed the flashbacks, a lovely style for sharing background.  This novel is about life, rebuilding and the idea that we can make family.  Ika, Marion and George have this sense of family.  It’s a short, powerful novel.  Read it.

"Sometimes we are given exactly what we need.  Those precise people that you need the most come stumbling into your life.  Sometimes you don’t notice, and this is very sad.  Sometimes you lose them again.  This is sad too, but not as sad.  Because what you have once had together, you have forever.”

Goodreads rating: 4 stars

Quiet: I read this as part of a read-a-long.  Click here to read a complete review, and a Q&A  

Goodreads rating: 4 stars

Other books: I read a book for an author this week, being sent to the publisher next week so I'm not sure when I can mention it.  A fun, contemporary women's lit novel.  

I started The Painted Girls but put it down for a few weeks.  My book club rescheduled our book talk with Cathy Buchanan and I want the story fresh in my memory.  It's so good, I can't wait to reengage but thought it was be best to read it the week before our chat.
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