Dark Star Safari

Jessica inspired me the other day when she opened Pandora's box and wrote a book review on Lost on Planet China. The thing is, Jessica and I read a ton of travel-related books. In the last month, I've gobbled up two travel books, and two pseudo-travel books (micro-finance related... my new obsession). Anyhow, I thought I'd follow suit and record my thoughts on a book I just finished, Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town by Paul Theroux.

Theroux is a well-known American travel writer and novelist who has published many notable books including The Great Railway Bazaar, Riding the Iron Rooster and The Old Patagonian Express among others. He is a fascinating writer, one of the many items I will explain later.

Dark Start Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town, as the second part of the title suggests, is Theroux's account of his voyage from Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa. An undertaking of this much geography is impressive, made more so by the fact that Theroux did so alone, and entirely overland. For those of you not familiar, the term overland is the traveler's way of saying entirely by bus, car or train (non-air); a popular form of travel in Europe, but hardly ever in Africa (as it is borderline suicidal - a point made evidently clear throughout the novel). Theroux offers a unique perspective on this trip, as in addition to being a traveler, Theroux was both a Peace Corps volunteer and professor in various parts of the continent in the 1960's. His perspective on the landscape and cultures of the countries he visits is refreshingly accompanied by a historical perspective dating back 40 years on the progress (or frankly, lack there of) in Africa.

Theroux's Safari is chalked full of the standard musings one would expect on such a journey: sites, sounds, people, near misses, food, adventure, history, poverty, deplorable conditions and politics. The story is a fantastic read on these accounts alone. However I was really impressed with this novel for its candid view of Africa; the miserable state of it's social/political/economic legacy, and a fascinating look at Theroux's opinion of the "charity" and "aid" that's been dumped into the continent over the last 40 years. This insight was particularly fascinating to me. The over-arching theme of course, and one I agree with entirely, is how on earth has so much money (a number well into the trillions of dollars) been dumped into Africa only to see nearly every major category of distress get WORSE over the years? How is this an acceptable situation? How has Africa become, in many opinions, the case study for why present-day "charity" is totally a broken system? Have people gone there with good intentions? Lives been changed? Sure, but study the facts: 10's of trillions gone, conditions worse. It's almost unbelievable. It's a Hollywood script: Corruption abound, bogus charity, money never reaching its source, kickbacks, despots and tyrants, "charity" workers in Land Rovers, and as bad as it sounds, the World Bank.

In addition to Theroux's candor, he writes with a certain poetic feel that is somehow reminiscent of a younger Henry David Thoreau. While Thoreau was magical at describing the complexities of nature and its relation to the human condition, Dark Star Safari's Theroux seems to tap into the complexities of Africa and its relation to not only humanity, but charity and strife. I mention this as there is, in my opinion, a void in contemporary travel writing of "good" writing. It seems that 75% of travel books published are your neighbors next store who have gone somewhere foreign and captured their accounts. Few classically trained (award winning) novelists exist in the travel writing market.

My only complaint with this novel is that Mr. Theroux frequently takes a "better than thou" approach to his critique and observation (often judgement) of both Africans, fellow travelers, and those there to "help". While he did teach in the continent, has some contacts there, and is in his elder years, he should not be so quick to assume his superiority. After all, he too, at the end of the day is just a traveler as well. Overall however, this is a fascinating read, and one I'd highly recommend to anyone wishing to be further educated on the continent, its politics, and history. Read more...

Climbing Kilimanjaro

A dream of mine is to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It's the tallest mountain in Africa at 19,340 feet (as a point of reference, base camp at Everest is about 17,700 feet), and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. Unlike most major summits in the world, "Kili" requires little to no technical skills. Basically, you can walk up. Now, although you won't need to utilize crampons and rope on your ascent, you certainly need to train. Most training plans call for 4-5 months of progressively more strenuous hiking, some form of high altitude acclimatization, and/or weights and cardio work. The climb takes anywhere from 5-10 days and requires daily hiking of up to eight hours. In addition, there are steep Park fees, and you MUST be with a hired guide. It's illegal to try to ascend on your own. Kili has six different routes (seven if you count the Western Breach), all with their own advantages/disadvantages. I thought I'd post a summary of these routes, as well as some helpful tips for anyone considering this climb. If you'd like to read on in more detail on these routes (including level of difficulty and days required), please click here.

Route Summary:

Marangu Route: This is the easiest route (often referred to as the "Coca Cola" route), and the easiest route up the mountain; it is characterized by the different zones of vegetation. This route will also have (by far) the most people. Trekking takes about 5 days to descend.
Machame Route: This is the route for experienced trekkers; can also be quite crowded though. The route takes up to 6 days to descend.
Umbwe Route: This is a great route to follow if you are looking to climb the mountain and get an insane workout in the process. The route has a very steep slope, and goes straight to the Peak.
Mweka Route: This is the most straight route, and is used by descending parties on the Machame, Umbwe and Shira routes. Can also be quite crowded.
Shira route: This route ascends through Shira plateau from Londorossi Gate, and is the most fascinating and scenic route on Kili. When I climb this mountain, this is likely the route I will take. The route provides great views of the Great Rift Valley, Mt Meru and Longido. it involves a drive to high altitude on the first day.

Technical Routes: There are two more technical routes on the Western part of the mountain: Breach and Lemosho, requiring much more climbing expertise.
Western Breach Route: This is for experienced mountaineers. It is the shortest winding through Shire Plateau, the glaciers, and Kili's dormant volcanic crater, and takes one to two days to the top with several tough sections up steep scree and some rock scrambling.
Lemosho Route: This route is the same as the Breach Route; it has steep scree leads to Stella Point (half way between Uhuru Peak and Gillman’s Point), but this route passes through Shire Ridge, which allows a bit more acclimatization.

General Tips:
1. The longer you give yourself on a trip, the better. The real challenge on this mountain is getting acclimated so give your body as many days as possible to do so.
2. Find a good tour operator with porters, experienced guides, oxygen (if needed), and evacuation insurance.
3. Don't pay more than $3,000-$4,000. You'll see some companies trying to charge 7-10K. Don't believe the hype - they don't have anything or anyone that is better than the 30 companies that do it for 3-4K.
4. Don't pay less than $2,000. Some companies will offer cheap routes up the mountain. Can they get you up? Probably. But, do you really want to risk getting up quicker, with 65 other people, and not as highly trained/insured guides? Probably not.
5. Be prepared for extreme cold at the summit. Yes, you can climb in shorts and a t-shirt towards the bottom, but the summit can be below zero frequently.
6. Educate yourself on altitude sickness. This is a very real threat, and one you should be familiar with before you depart. Know the symptoms, and be able to recognize them should you begin to suffer. Read more...