The Mwalimu Nyerere/Mt. Kilimanjaro Charity Climb 2011 (post 8 of 15)

Thursday 22 September 2011
Kibo peak bared itself in the morning, before sunrise. It was freezing cold with frost on the ground.
The trek to the next camp, Shira 2, was uneventful. This trek on the Shira Plateau is by far the easiest on the Lemosho route.

Jim Becket is trying to engage all in conversation. I am having difficulties catching my breath and walking at the same time.

On arrival at Shira 2 it began to rain, alternating with a mild hailstorm for over an hour.
We had French fries on our lunch menu and everyone, including Zulfa who has difficulty eating some dishes, was excited and pleased.

Some sunshine broke through before sunset and revealed a spectacular view of the Shira Hills.
The short trek uphill for acclimatization was canceled by Yahoo because of unfavourable weather. I didn't complain. A rest was in order.

Next: some cause for serious concern

Posts related to this one:
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2012/02/mwalimu-nyereremt-kilimanjaro-charity.html
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2012/03/mwalimu-nyereremt-kilimanjaro-charity.html

The Mwalimu Nyerere/Mt. Kilimanjaro Charity Climb 2011 (post 7 of 15)

Wednesday 21 September 2011
The pace was commendable and I went through the 'Seven Hills' section with much less effort compared to past climbs, but I felt a latent fatigue and some stress on my chest. Something didn't feel right. And yet, I was more worried for Jim Becket and Zulfa, who was not eating enough food and drinking enough water.

The protea flower is prevalent only on the 'Seven Hill' section on the Lemosho route

Jaffar appeared more confident and talked throughout most of the sections. Jim Whitney trailed behind to shoot scenes with his camera.

At a midway point on the 'Seven Hills' climb we stopped for lunch and I was later interviewed for Jim Becket's documentary.

As Jim Becket (left) stands to observe the valley below, Steve Kamau (right) steps up to a higher vantage point.

Everyone seemed to cope well.

Next: A glimpse of Kibo peak

Posts related to this one:
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2012/01/mwalimu-nyereremt-kilimanjaro-charity_13.html
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2012/02/mwalimu-nyereremt-kilimanjaro-charity_27.html

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Marching with Nyerere

I made a resolution to read one book every week for this year. I am already lagging a book behind schedule.

Before making this resolurion I picked up a book, Marching with Nyerere by K.L. Jhaveri, presented to me by the author a few years ago. Jhaveri was a member of the legal defence team in the criminal libel case against then nationalist leader Mwalimu Julius Nyerere in 1958. The legal team was led by D.N. Pritt, Q.C., and assisted by another Tanganyikan lawyer, M.M. Rattansey.

The book deals with the contribution made by the Asian community in the independence struggle of Tanganyika and particularly the part played by the Asian Association in conjunction with the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) which was led by Mwalimu Nyerere. Jhaveri was the president of the Asian Association in Tanganyika, a former member of parliament and president of the Tanganyika Law Society. He also served with distinction as member of the Judicial Commission and judge of the High Court.

Posts related to this one:
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2012/12/no-shortage-of-people-who-believe-in.html
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2010/09/africa-gets-bad-press-even-in-fiction.html

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Stuck on the road blues

Inexcusable driving practices finally caught up with me today.

I was supposed to buy a spare tyre several months ago but tried to test how long I would last on the road with only four tyres. The rear tyre finally gave up on me several kilometres away from Butiama.

While I wait for someone to fix the puncture, the bonus is that I am witnessing a car which has stopped in front loading cases labeled "dynamite" by a motorcyclist who has retreived about 8 boxes from a house nearby. The context suggests someone does not have the authorisation to be in the possession of dynamite. And, even more likely, some mine in Mara region is short of several boxes of dynamite.