Like most people you may have dreamt of travelling the world but somewhere along the way life simply caught up, perhaps your career took priority or a flourishing love kept you grounded. The dream of travelling the world just didn’t materialise and while you may not regret your decision the dream is still quietly burning inside, what if? Should I have? Can I still do it? The answer to the last question is a ...

It’s 12am on Dec 26th, 2010. We’re 3 hikers and 2 guides at base camp getting ready to start our final hike to Uhuru peak, Kilimanjaro’s highest summit at 5,895m. The backstory seems irrelevant. I seem to have somehow ended up here with other hikers. Eurostar deals and last minute bargains aside, this was something that had crossed my mind a few months ago and I was finally going through with it. The hike s ...

Now that I've been back at work for 5 months, I'm reminiscing on my 3-week trip to Tanzania last December/January. My second solo backpacking trip, first one in Africa, was a complete success! The greatest achievement of all was reaching the Kilimanjaro summit, fourth of the top seven summits in the world. It was tough but I accomplished it. It was a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget, but ha ...

When I was visiting a Masai tribe in Tanzania this winter, my guide/translator snapped a picture of me that I absolutely fell in love with! It's those small moments that make all the difference when you're traveling. [caption id="attachment_4565" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Visiting a Masai tribe in Tanzania"][/caption] ...

Remember the last email I received from my friend Matt who's currently backpacking Africa? (If you don't, you can read Diaries of Matthew Backpacking Africa). Well here is the last email I'll be receiving from his travels in Africa. I'm looking forward to meeting up with him in the next few weeks! Last time I saw him was January, during a brunch where I was sharing my Kilimanjaro experience and him, getting ...

Following my previous post on my 5-day safari experience in Tanzania, here I continue to ramble about the Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire Park. [caption id="attachment_4088" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="View of the Ngorongoro Crater"][/caption] The Ngorongoro Crater The Ngorongoro Crater is a Maasai word that means "Big Hole". In the last 5 million years, 9 ngorongoro volcanoes erupted. The crat ...

Unlike the other days, Day 6 or Dec 26th 2010 began at midnight. At midnight, our guides came to see us and we had to get moving quickly. With nothing but headlamps and the moon shining, we began a 6-7 hours ascent to Uhuru peak. It was steep, dark and cold. All we saw were the rocks in front of us and the reflection of other headlamps on the trail. It was nice, I have to admit. The toughest part was to rea ...

Day 5, or Dec 25th 2010 was the big day! While most of you were eating abundantly, I was about to lose every ounce of body fat. By day 5, I had suffered from altitude sickness, loss of appetite and the regular unwanted bathroom calls, which all led to some weight loss. I tried to eat as much as I could, a mix of cooked food and energy bars. I had to make sure to have enough energy for summit night. The nigh ...

When I woke up on Day 4, at Barranco camp (3,900m), I was feeling much better than the previous day but not 100%. I had to however suck it in because this morning's hike was going to be challenging, as we were practically rock climbing a wall. This was also the day where the group was splitting. Those who were completing the hike in 6 days had a 7 hour hike to base camp today, whereas we were hiking 4 hours ...

Day 3 was no fun! This was the acclimatization day, where we were hiking to the Lava Tower at 4, 590m to then sleep at Barranco camp at 3,900m. The purpose of this day was to acclimatize to the altitude, considering that you can begin to feel altitude sickness at 4,000m. What began as a good hike quickly shifted to a very demanding one. That morning, we woke up as any other morning. It was a beautiful morni ...