Days 77 to 80 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Selamat Pagi (good morning) in Malay from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!  We only dipped our toes in what Malaysia has to offer with a short three-day stay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s largest city and its capital.  This city was actually founded by Chinese tin miners, is referred to by everyone in Asia as KL, and houses one of the few elected monarchs in the world. We were both fascinated by the history of Malaysia, gaining its independence together with Singapore in 1957 from British rule, and following the separation of Singapore, became the federation of Malaya.

We stayed in the neighborhood of Bukit Bintang, home of world-class shopping, hotels, and food.  Kuala Lumpur is the retail and fashion hub of Malaysia and has over 65 malls, including the world’s largest mall, with over 5 million square feet of retail space (don’t you feel informed?).  Korey doesn’t feel the need to state what Ines chose to do with her time in this city…..(there’s some new clothing going forward in the pics!)

That not said, Ines would like to point out that Korey fulfilled one of his interests in this city as well.  Kuala Lumpur is home to the Petronas Twin Towers, two of the tallest buildings in the world, and still hold the record for tallest “twin" buildings in the world.  As Korey is fascinated with the architecture and engineering of tall buildings, we were quick to make this a must see in our travels.  We learned that the buildings were created in collaboration, with one funded by the Japanese Hazama Corporation and the other funded by the Korean Samsung Corporation.  Towering above KL, it produces a very modern skyline to be envied.  We opted away from waiting in the hours-long tourist line that gains us access to the skybridge connecting both buildings and instead made our way to a nearby rooftop hotel restaurant to enjoy the view of the impressive KL skyline that holds the Petronas Towers as a skyline centerpiece.  This was an experience in and of itself, as the rooftop lounge of the hotel was built around the hotel pool and was partially outdoor.  Pool by day, lounge vs. club by night!  We nestled ourselves in what can best be described as a poolside cabana couch, over 40 stories above ground, with a partially open window serving as the backrest to the cabana.  Ines was pretty sure we should have signed a waiver of liability before seating ourselves (comfortably? fearfully?) against what appeared to be nothing more than a simple windowpane and a few pillows separating us from a long fall down.  Nothing could have surprised us more then when the lights were turned down and replaced with remixed electronic dance/pop music and a multicolored strobe light aimed at catching the rippled peaks of the pool water lapping across and over to its infinity edge.  Then it happened…a torrential rainstorm complete with booming thunder and lightning.  The pool started to overflow as rain poured into the open air rooftop and we started to melt as water fell on us through the open portion of the window/backing of the poolside cabana couch.  This made for one of our more interesting nights on this trip!

The next day brought us to the Batu Caves, one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India, that includes a steep flight of 272 steps that enters into a series of caves and cave temples in a limestone hill just north of KL.  Halfway up the steep incline, Ines had a flashback to Kilimanjaro and called out to Korey "Pole, Pole".  As she did so, she leaned herself against the concrete step banister separating visitors moving up the steps versus those moving down, and paused to catch her breath.  When Korey made his way back down to her, he noticed she had positioned herself within inches of a Macaques monkey, clueless as to its presence.  Let’s just say no more pauses were needed as she ran up the rest of the steps with Korey-like speed upon Korey informing her of her new friend.

One of the main reasons for putting Malaysia on the list of travels was to eat one of Ines’ favorite southeast Asian delicacies, Roti Canai, a type of Indian-influenced flatbread and sauces found in Malaysia and traditionally considered a staple food of the Malay.  Ines was out to have the real deal, and so we found ourselves on the hunt for a “Mamak” stall- yes, another street food adventure.  We located one that was highly recommended near where we were staying and happily seated ourselves on makeshift street side table and ordered two roti’s each (sauces are free with purchase).  We gulped it down and were thrilled when our bill totaled $4 US.  Best roti canai ever, according to Ines.  Later that evening, our gastric systems disagreed (no more to say, really).

Adventure abound in the KL! We had some good times with what little time we had here, and are off to Thailand next.

Things we learned:  1) we seem to be very good at constantly challenging our fears (gluttons for punishment?) by partaking in new experiences at great heights, 2) going forward, Ines will always take in her surroundings before stopping to rest, 3) not all street food is agreeable, and so we take back what we said in our earlier post about our stomach’s getting stronger (we spoke too soon).

Just your typical giant Malaysian mall getting ready for Chinese New Year!

Can't forget to mention the Durian.  A fruit sold on the streets so pungent they ban it even being brought into hotel rooms.

The Petronas Twin Towers make even Korey's beard and hair look short

Great dusk shot of the towers and surrounding skyline from our lounge seat

Rain through the roof 40 floors up, crazy!  Ines is happy though!
Also David Bowie remixes, clearly in honor since it was the day after he passed

The statue leading into the Batu Caves was quite large

Ines and her Macaques friend.  Her pose was a bit different a few seconds earlier!

Entrance to the caves.  Hard to do it justice!

Looking up from inside the caves

The infamous Roti Canai meal.  Delicious and dangerous!

Days 73 to 76 - Singapore, Singapore

We are back at it!  No more rest and relaxation for us (goodbye Maldives!), it was time to venture on and see more of the world.  We made our next stop southeast Asia, having chosen Singapore to be our “base” city that we’d use to fly in and out of the area.  Upon landing in a bustling city, we decided to spend a few days in Singapore to get settled, re-orient ourselves, and plan our adventure.  Spoiler alert, this blog post talks a lot about food.

We love Singapore!  Singapore is a great modern city and to put it bluntly, we were extremely impressed.  It may be that we hadn’t been in a sizable city of any sort in over a month, but we both really think Singapore seems to have city living figured out.  We had heard from other travelers and the “world-wide web” that Singapore’s rules for order can be quite strict (huge fines amounting to thousands of dollars for each infraction of spitting, smoking, or littering in public).  What it translates to in everyday life is the cleanest city that we’ve ever encountered.  Thankfully, we subscribe to a life of no spitting, littering, or smoking (well other than Korey’s occasional cigar) and so we enjoyed this pristine city to our hearts content!

Our first stop upon arriving brought us to the neighborhood of Clarke Quay, full with international travelers and food choices.  We wandered across the Singapore River bridge and filled our bellies with what else? Phenomenal Scottish food!  This food choice selected for their beverage listing that included an IPA adult beverage.  After dinner we walked around the area and learned that public drinking is common in Singapore, as people socialize along the river’s edge after dinner, lounging around with friends and sharing dessert.

We also discovered what will likely be our favorite locals bar thus far, Sticky Fingers, where we finished the evening amongst local “Singaporeans”, tucked into a corner table underneath a 90’s Mariah Carey poster, a game of chutes and ladders (ok, several games as Korey kept winning and Ines became completely consumed with competition), and American rock-n-roll music playing in the background.

The next morning included a walking trip over to Singapore’s Chinatown a hawkers food market, where hundreds of street food vendors fill Smith Street, displaying every southeast asian food type imaginable.  Needless to say, Ines was in her food heaven and Korey was, well, cautiously optimistic.  We settled into the 90 degree weather under a street food vendor’s shade umbrella and feasted on the culinary delights.  Ines would like to point out that at no point during our exploration of Singapore street food did we get sick and that public sinks with soap or moist toilettes to wash our hands were conveniently located throughout the city where food was served, further supporting the cleanliness mindset of this city.  This was not so true of our other worldly attempts at eating local culinary treats, hence Korey’s cautious optimism.

Another day in Singapore brought us to the Marina Bay area.  Our first stop was the Gardens by the Bay.  Towering hundreds of feet above the ground are man-made trees that create one of the most unique parks imaginable.  We ventured out onto the walkway suspended 75 feet above ground and between the trees for views of both the city of Singapore and its surrounding international waters for another semi-stomach churning experience (okay, it wasn’t that high, but it did sway with all the people that were on it…).  We walked along the boardwalk and into the “Clouds” exhibit at the Gardens.  Basically an indoor rainforest, we got our fill of beautiful orchids and man-made waterfalls.  We couldn’t help but feel like it was some sort of experiment into the future, testing the theory that life can be sustained indoors indefinitely after consuming all of the earth’s natural environment.  In addition to feeling like we were 1000 years into the future, we really enjoyed the natural air conditioning!  We ended the day by riding the to the 57th floor on top of the Marina Bay Sands resort.  Yet another futuristic building that provided a breathtaking 360 degree view of the city and bay.  We chatted up a fun adventurous Australian couple and after a tasty champagne spritzer, we left even more impressed with Singapore!

Also, we couldn’t miss visiting the Sentosa area during our stay.  Sentosa is an island that houses Universal Studios and tourist attractions galore, but we went there for something completely different, the Trick Eye Museum!  It’s a museum full of images designed so that when you take a picture, it gives an optical illusion for the camera.  Eight million pictures and some laughs later, we also hit the Casino on the island.  Korey played a bit of blackjack, winning us dinner money!  Just in time too, as we were lucky enough to meet up with another friend for dinner that night.  Korey’s former coworker lives in Hong Kong, and was traveling through Singapore for work.  We enjoyed some famous spicy chili crab and received plenty of advice from Blake about what to do on our adventures throughout southeast Asia.  Big thanks to Blake!

We are so excited to return to Singapore on our way out to Australia, we liked this city that much.  We also received some great recommendations for Singapore (thanks Martha and Michael and Chia-Ti!) that we can’t wait to share once we return in a few weeks.

Things we have learned:  1) we are both city people.  The bustle, the food choices, the city infrastructure and history, all appeal to us both.  Grand Rapids, here we come!  2)  our stomachs are getting stronger and even Korey’s willingness to try new and somewhat indeterminable food ingredients is expanding!  Ines would like to include the statement made my Korey during this adventure (purely to use against him later) that he will no longer require at least an hour’s notice before proposing “foreign or exotic” foods for eating out, and 3) we would like this opportunity to congratulate the city design and order of Singapore, including their fantastic SMRT train system, allowing us to travel around Singapore in comfort and always placing us within a few blocks walk from our destination!  Go Singapore!

Dinner in Clarke Quay!

Hard to resist the delicious street food at Hawker Market

Mariah Carey, a tower of beer, and a Chutes and Ladders victory.  Great evening for Korey!

We were "swallowed" up by the Trick Art Museum

We just couldn't "fight" it off

You could even say we fell in "love" with it

Then there's this.  Really no words... (Ines says that if you're on your mobile phone and can't view, get to a PC.  Korey says don't bother.)

The beautiful Marina Bay Sands building.  We saw the rooftop (upper right) from below and just had to visit!

The suspended walkway of the treetops

Super hot outside, but still fun!

Singapore from above!

Thanks again Blake!  See you and Katie in Hong Kong.

Sentosa Island in the background on a beautiful day!

Days 64 to 72 - Maldives (plus another few travel days)

In what was likely our best decision of the trip, we decided to head to one of the most remote tropical island countries in the world to recover from our Kilimanjaro experience.  The Maldives were just what the doctor ordered!  (well, Ines didn’t exactly order them, Korey had already planned out the trip that way…).

After Kilimanjaro, we took an overnight flight connecting again through Nairobi, Kenya to arrive in Dubai.  We spent one night in Dubai (this was a planned extra night, taking into account any travel snafu’s that might happen on Kilimanjaro or the airline).  For those that keep up with world news, you may have heard that on New Year’s Eve a skyscraper hotel named The Address, caught on fire in Dubai, causing a massive evacuation of everyone in the hotel and in the connecting part of the Dubai Mall.  Well, we had chosen to spend our layover evening in Dubai to do what any good American would do - see the Star Wars movie and eat some popcorn.  Where did we see that movie?  Yes indeed, we went to the Dubai Mall.   Afterward, we decided against waiting in a hectic New Year’s Eve taxi line at The Address Hotel and opted for a taxi line further away.  After going through airport security, we nestled ourselves at our gate and watched as the news described the devastating fire that was ablaze at The Address Hotel.  We had entered the theatre through the skyscraper hotel just hours before it went up in flames!  Our timing could not have been better (thanks to Ines this time and her decision to not use the Address Hotel as our departure). 

The journey to paradise was not easy and included an overnight flight from Dubai with a connection through Bengaluru, India, where we once again were met with some travel adversity.  As we understand, our chosen airline failed to notify the receiving airport (and immigration/customs authorities) of our connection through a layover in India.  As such, we were routed with other arriving passengers to immigration/customs, only to learn that the airport needed special documentation for passengers on connecting international flights. After an hour and a half of deliberating with the officers, we were assigned an escort from the airline to stay in the airport with us while the appropriate documentation was crafted by the airline allowing us a “special exception” to layover in the India airport until the time of our flight to the Maldives.  At one point there was talk of sending us back to Dubai, but in the end the only casualty of the mishap was Korey missing the first quarter of the MSU/‘Bama game (didn’t miss much there!).  

Another flight later we reached the Malé, Maldives airport, but not after an aborted landing by our flight captain due to a storm that had suddenly descended onto the small strip of land that makes up Malé’s airport.  Just as we were about to land, the place quickly increased altitude, forcing the pilot to move the plane full speed up into the air once again and circle until the storm subsided, shaking our nerves.  Once at the Malé airport our flight journey was not yet complete.  We needed to then take a seaplane another 40 minutes to travel from Malé to the tiny island that was our resort.  This part of the journey was executed seamlessly.  We were shuttled through the Malé Airport to a small lounge, where we had about five minutes to enjoy a Coca-Cola Light (Korey) and a Latte Macchiato (Ines), followed by being escorted to a tiny seaplane with eight other people to meet our tan and shoeless seaplane flight crew.  The ride was surreal, as countless islands seemingly popped out of the Indian Ocean left and right.  Before we knew it, the plane landed and docked us onto a tiny wooden raft about 300 yards off of the island.  Of course, swimming was not required as within minutes a speed boat came racing up, and with ourselves and our luggage onboard, sped us on a 30 second boat ride to the island.  

It was then that we found ourselves in true paradise.  This journey to paradise required a rough few travel days, especially combined with our Kilimanjaro climbing adventure, and only after being here for about oh, say, 30 seconds, did we realize that the hard-to-get-to location of these islands is, after all, the point.  Seclusion.  Relaxation.  Rest.  Recovery.  We were greeted with a drink straight from a coconut and then introduced to our private hut complete with air conditioning (Korey’s only requirement), indoor and outdoor showers, our very own infinity swimming pool, private access to the beach, a private cabana, and countless lounge chairs to relax and enjoy paradise.  

The water surrounding the tiny island was a pristine and beautiful mixture of deep green and blue, and the view from our hut was something off of a travel and leisure magazine cover.  We spent the first couple days just sleeping in, enjoying the food, swimming, walking around the island in the day, and watching movies in the evening.  Ever budget conscious, we opted for an all-inclusive plan for our time on the island.  Turned out to be a good call!  The Maldives are EXPENSIVE.  No bother to us though, we could enjoy our Piña Coladas and all-we-could-eat seafood and curry delights without worry.

This bliss lasted about all three days, then Korey became restless (what else is new) and the unthinkable happened….wait for it….wait for it!  He read a book.  Ines would like to note that she has already read a dozen books and Korey would like to point out to Ines that teenage vampire books don’t count.  Korey then proceeded to read and relax again, enjoying a hard earned cigar.

Highlights of our time at the Vilu Reef Resort in the Madlives included a very nerve-wracking shell crab race, where Ines was asked to pick out a shell crab to race other guests’ shell crabs.  Ines picked what seemed like an active and lively crab, however, it went doe-in-the-headlights when it came to race time and didn’t move.  That lucky kid from hut 235 took the prize of a bucket of beers.  His Dad was thrilled, Korey was a bit jealous.

Aside from getting used to the outdoor bathroom, our experience in the Maldives was fantastic.  We saw baby sharks, lizards/geckos galore, and even stingrays.  We caught up on much needed sleep, trip planning (and blogging…), and our time in the sun also gave us a chance to have our sunburns from Kilimanjaro transform into somewhat reasonable looking tans.  The last day after our seaplane ride back to Malé, we had a few extra hours that we used to explore the only metropolis in the Maldives.  Malé felt as busy as New York City, and we quickly learned that over 150,000 people live on this island that only spans two kilometers wide (a little more than 1.2 miles-we default to metric now, sorry).  We had a great time learning some of the history of the island, and even tried a local restaurant before heading back to the airport and continuing on with our journey to Southeast Asia.  Korey says, it’s time to time stop relaxing and travel like crazy people again!  

Things we learned: 1) The hard-to-get-to nature of the Maldives is what makes it so special, 2) anyone can quickly erase weight loss from a Kilimanjaro trek with all-you-can-eat and drink menus, and 3) seaplane pilots in the Maldives have it made, Ines thinks Korey should consider this profession…

The "airport" with the "runway" in the background

"Look ma, no shoes required to fly this plane!"

The entrance to our resort after being dropped off at the dock.  Pretty terrible, right?  We thought so too.

Korey trying to relax

Our room with a view!

Great...  Ines now wants one of these.  Showering outdoors isn't weird to anyone but Korey?

Choices galore, this was the public pool...

Another room choice was a hut over of the water

The infamous crab race.  No crabs were harmed, literally, as Ines' crab didn't even move...

Standard palm tree picture

Sun setting over the ocean

Standard couple photo

Stingrays everywhere!  Anyone up for a swim?

Last day at our resort, waiting for the seaplane

Can't forget the postcards before we leave!

Korey (yes, Korey...shocking) snapped this perfect overhead picture of our island resort from the seaplane as we departed

Korey talking with our Maldivian tour guide.  Guess what Ines is doing while they wait?  Just can't avoid the shopping even on remote islands...(no shoes were purchased this time)

A view of a market in Malé.  Quite the bustling city supporting all the other islands!

Days 53 to 63 - Tanzania, Africa (Part II - Mt. Kilimanjaro)

Jambo Jambo!  This time admittedly a much more nervous “jambo” as we set out on what was certainly our most ambitious adventure and goal of the trip, almost totally unprepared and hopeful for a good outcome.  Of course, this adventure would not be complete without another travel snafu.  No, not luggage this time…our airport destination was wrong! After another small Cessna airplane ride, we found ourselves alone in the airport lobby when we were expecting to be met by our Kilimanjaro climb company.  Where were they?  At the other airport in Arusha, Tanzania.  This mistake tested our resilience, as we tried to figure out how to get to the right place.  The Kilimanjaro trek company was waiting for us at the other airport (50 minutes away), so we contacted them to let them know we were at a different location and hopped in the only taxi to get to our lodge (halfway between the two airports).  Then there were three of us who were lost, as the taxi driver was unfamiliar with our lodge and GoogleMaps promptly led us to the wrong place.  Korey would also like to share that during this time of crisis, he received notice that his phone data plan was void in Africa and an upcharge would occur.  Finally at our destination, Korey confirmed our reservation while Ines negotiated with the cab driver a reasonable price for the twice “scenic” ride around Arusha. We are happy to share that we recovered unscathed, with less cash than anticipated. 

The Meru Game Lodge served as a perfect meeting place to mentally and physically prepare for our impending climb, and as a wildlife refuge for injured animals, we were greeted by a number of wild game animals during our stay.  We awoke the next morning to monkeys dancing on the roof of our room (Korey loved this…), and we enjoyed seeing crocodiles, porcupines, zebras, and ostrich (Ines remarked that we may have to return after the climb to the Lodge so that she could be nursed back to health as well).  Later that day we met our guide for the Kilimanjaro trek, Godlove.  He was serious, quiet, and it definitely felt like he was sizing us up to see if we could handle the events we were about to go through the following week!  He left us with the extra rented gear we needed for the trek and wished us a good evening.  A sleepless night ensued (for Korey…this doesn’t happen to Ines), and before we knew it we were in a van traveling to the Machame gate of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.

We found ourselves in good company.  The path was full of hopeful summit reachers, ranging from what appeared to be expert climbers to people that appeared even more out of shape and delusional than us.  After Godlove checked us in at the gate of Kilimanjaro National Park and gathered our 24 person crew, we were off, starting our trek at a mere 5,380 feet elevation.  Needless to say elevation played a key role in our daily lives for the next week!  Below is our basic itinerary, we veered off of this a bit, and read on below for the pay-by-play!

The first section of the trek was in what’s known as the “forest” area.  Exactly as it sounds, it’s basically a humid, hot, sweaty, jungle-like area that runs for 11 km, taking us from a 5,380 feet elevation to 9,350 feet and to a new area known as the “heather” region.  Aside from a few steep sections, the trek was very manageable and really the only casualty was Korey’s sweaty clothing, to which our guide could be heard telling us both, “Sip, Sip”, encouraging us to drink more water.  We set up camp in the “heather” Machame Camp and familiarized ourselves with what would be our living conditions for the next week.  We will say it again and again throughout this post, the job done by the porters was amazing!  By the time we arrived at each camp the porters had set up a kitchen tent, bathroom tent, our own tent, a mess hall tent, and tents for the entire crew (yes, we left at the same time).  They served us tea, cooked us a hot dinner, and tucked us into bed with hot mugs of water to warm our tent, allowing us to feel great about our chances of summiting on this journey.  Of course we continue to be hopeful and in best spirits, it’s Day 1.

The first night brought us warm temperatures, although we were warned that by Day 2 the temperature drops as we climb in elevation.  Ines was prepared with her 18 extra layers of clothing (taking up the entire weight carrying limit), leaving Korey with an extra long sleeve shirt.  We trekked through the “heather” zone on Day 2 (mostly shrubs and bushes no higher than 10 feet or so) and into the “moorland”, where it turned rocky in a hurry.  Our assistant guide Deo joked with us how the prior day was easy and just walking, but today would be actual hiking/climbing.  We thought he was joking, and he wasn’t (another example of always listen to your guide).  What we thought was going to be a challenging, but uneventful walk up the mountain turned into actual rock climbing.  However, we only had 5 km to cover, albeit most of it uphill (Ines continues to caution Korey and all others in using the word “only”) and we made it through the day without a problem.  Rain hit us near the end, but again our trusty tent at our camp for the night (Shira Camp 2) was ready to go.  We ended the night at an elevation of 12,500 feet, thus beginning our next few days of acclimation to mile-high altitudes.

We awoke to frost on the ground the next morning, the first warning sign of what would prove to be a tough day.  Our challenge: climb over 15,000 feet to an area called the Lava Tower.  We’d have lunch there, then trek back downhill to a camp that was at about 13,000 feet.  This was for acclimation purposes.  The rain started early that day, and by the time we reached Lava Tower, the huge picturesque rock that is the namesake of Lava Tower wasn’t even visible due to the harsh conditions (despite us having lunch right underneath it).  Ines would also like to point out that at this elevation we were dining in a cloud.  We both felt the altitude at 15,000 feet, but continued on to our camp for the evening, Barranco camp.  Ines needed an immediate nap upon our return (due to serious muscle confusion), but we still managed pretty well despite the weather.  The camp was also extremely busy, as trekkers on alternate routes also used this camp, but again our porters had arrived early and secured us a great spot.  We heard rumblings of a daunting task facing us the next morning called the “breakfast wall.”  We went to bed thinking they were joking with us and feeling confident about our performance to this point (Korey= confidence, Ines = holding back tears).

Day 4, Christmas Day!  We awoke to clear skies and an immediate lump in our throat, now knowing and able to see what they meant by the “breakfast wall.”  The trek that day started with an 800 foot vertical climb (which you do right after breakfast, hence the name).  We took a deep breath, and attacked the mountain with many other big-eyed trekkers.  We were greeted with many wishes of “Merry Christmas!” in English, Swahili, French, and German from people of various nationalities, which we’ll admit helped calm the nerves of the task at hand.  Once again this was more rock climbing than hiking, fondly called “scrambling”, yet after an hour and half, we had scaled the breakfast wall successfully, Ines’ nerves fully tested.  The route continued to a camp called Karanga, where we were met with a choice from our guide: Stop and stay here for the evening, leaving us with a midnight summit of the mountain two days from then, or push through another four hours to another camp, giving us the flexibility monitor the weather and do our summit climb in the daylight.  Feeling okay after lunch, we decided to continue our hike.  Must’ve been the Christmas spirit!  Despite starting to feel the effects of an altitude of over 14,000 feet (fatigue, shortness of breath, and for Ines-uncontrollable burping), we managed our way through most of the second half of our hike.  However, there was a steep climb with lots of scrambling right before Barafu Camp (also known as Base Camp, at 15,331 feet) that left Ines in tears and everyone wondering if we could make it to the summit the next day as planned.  Sunburned, achy, and tired, we now know why this part of the trek is typically broken up into two days…

The wind howled through the entire evening, as Base Camp had no protection from the elements.  This didn’t help our already short night, as the 4:00 AM wakeup call came quickly, and we tried not to think about what we were attempting to do that day.  It was pitch black when we started, but after an hour we saw an amazing sunrise over one portion of the mountain, with the bright moon peering over the other side.  The beauty quickly faded, as we climbed higher and higher, and became more and more exposed to the elements.  The wind was constant and unrelenting, and we were lucky there wasn’t rain to worsen the climb.  A few hours into our hike, we crossed paths with dozens of other hikers descending down the mountain, their summit attempt having started in the middle of the night.  Unfortunately, we witnessed many people wobbling down the mountain with help from their guide, long faced from not having summited due to weather, fatigue, or altitude sickness.  This did not help our spirits, but we continued on.  We reached the “zig-zags”, an area that is too steep to climb without trekking in a “zig-zag” pattern, and arrived at 17,800 feet weary.  Tired and cold, we set our goal to reach Stella Point at 18,885 feet.  The next thousand feet were as steep as any we’d faced (or at least it felt like it!), and our steps were extremely short. A consistent message from our guides alternated between “Pole, Pole” which means slow, slow and “Sip, Sip” reminding us to replenish our lost water stores.  We made it to Stella Point within seven hours, around 12:15 PM, a significant milestone that marks the entrance to the crater at the top of Kilimanjaro.  From there it was a gradual ascent of another hour to the highest peak, Uhuru.  Despite being able to see the summit, it seemed to take forever to get there, and over an hour later we discovered we had reached the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, at 19,341 feet.  It was hard to realize the significance of the moment due to our shortness of breath and overwhelming fatigue.  After many hugs, congratulations and a few pictures, we quickly headed back down so as not to tempt fate with the effects of high altitude (Ines would also like to mention that it was another three to four hours to descend the mountain to camp for a total of over 11 hiking hours).  We surprised ourselves (and certainly our guides!) but we made it!  Huge credit goes to our guide for pacing us not only on the day of summit, but also the previous days- allowing us to acclimate properly.  We can’t thank Godlove, Deo, and the entire crew enough.  

The trek back to camp saw Korey struggle, as the altitude (and a case of bronchitis) made breathing difficult.  The steep slopes were somehow even more difficult going downhill, especially on Ines’ knees and Korey’s inability to properly use the trekking poles.  After a long three and a half hours, we made it back to base camp and collapsed.  The altitude had stolen our appetite as well, so our energy level was at an all-time low.  After another night on the mountain (this time with aches and pains) at 15,000 feet, we awoke the next morning feeling accomplished and definitely wanting to get off the mountain!  We trekked another six hours, descending to Mweka camp (10,065 feet).  Upon reaching Mweka, we had a ceremony with all of the porters and guides where they congratulated us and we thanked and tipped them for their services.  Songs were sung and we gave a small speech (translated into Swahili by Godlove).  We shook everyone’s hands and tried our best to express our gratitude.  The next day we woke up early (we were told the earlier we started, the earlier we could get to a hot shower.  No more motivation needed!).  It was only four hours of down mountain hiking, but again seemed long.  A quick lunch at the end, along with a presentation of our completion certificate followed, then we were in a van on our way to a hotel.  It all happened so fast, we are still not sure what really happened on that mountain…

With four bruised toes (possibly a loss of one toenail), sunburns, battered knee joints, a short-lived bronchitis, and some really really sore muscles, we arrived at the Kia Lodge in Arusha (next to the correct departure airport).  A shower and some clean clothes felt even better than we could possibly imagine, and after taking advantage of laundry service, we closely resembled our former selves.  Ines struggled to walk after a well-deserved nap, and took advantage of the post-Kilimanjaro massage offered by the hotel, and it worked!  Ines had no problems walking afterward.  Meanwhile, Korey sipped the best tasting Coca-Cola Light and Kilimanjaro beer he’d ever had.  We can say this now, after having the last couple of weeks to reflect, this was the most challenging (physically and mentally) experience we have ever accomplished, and could not have possibly summited without the guidance and care of our guides and porter team.  We learned afterward that only about 50 percent of the people that went up the mountain with us were able to summit, due to a combination of bad wind conditions, low temperature, cloud visibility, fatigue, and failure to acclimate “altitude sickness”.  That said, we can definitely say it has been and will likely always be one of the most rewarding experiences ever and has both humbled us and at the same time showed us a level of teamwork and resilience neither one of us has ever had on our own.  Needless to say, the wedding is still on…

Things we learned:  1) Climbing a mountain, tent sleeping, and breathing air without oxygen can really put life into perspective, 2)  Tanzania is a wonderful country in Africa, providing much more that we ever expected, and should be considered in your travels, 3) As we prepared to leave the airport in Tanzania, we met a couple from the East Cost, living in Abu Dhabi, who were not able to summit due to cold weather conditions and altitude sickness, who said it best,    “We really have to rethink our vacation philosophy and risk-reward value system”

Resting up before the big climb!  Wildlife recovering from their injuries in the background (maybe not the best sight for Ines to contemplate)

Entering the Machame Gate, our adventure begins! 

So cute, so hopeful.  First steps of the trek (spoiler alert, the path doesn't stay paved)

Who doesn't love drying their clothes on a tent?  That's also Ines' sleepy face...

A picture with the summit in the background...Day 2, 11,000 feet

Guess who's idea this was? Also, guess how many people copied her afterward?

More shenanigans.  Not to worry, only treated drinking water for us!

A forest of trees and tents amongst the clouds.  Yup, our heads were in the clouds for days

The end of Day 3, having climbed up to over 15,000 feet and back down to 13,000 feet

A good meal to bring Ines back to life.  Our compliments to our chef, Simon

Our experienced guide, Godlove (affectionately known as G-Love)

Ines giving a thumbs up to the amazing porters 

Ines showing off her rock "scrambling" skills on the breakfast wall

Struggling after climbing the breakfast wall, Ines is concentrating on holding onto her breakfast

An almost eerie sight of the summit from base camp.  Camping on the side of a cliff at 15,000 feet with the wind swirling was certainly an experience!

These pictures were taken at the same time on the morning of our summit.  Sun rising in the east, the moon shining bright to the west (with a great shot of Mt. Meru as well)

A picture of the moment we realized we're looking down on the clouds

Stella Point!  We're almost there.  Uhuru Peak is within sight, but "only" an hours hike away

Summit pictures!  Korey wouldn't dream of not including his Alma Mater and his lucky card Scott Mitchell, and oh yeah, Ines too!

Beautiful view from the summit.  We were lucky the clouds cleared.  This is the crater within the peak at the top.

In case of emergency, this emergency vehicle can be used to descend.  Ines spent half the climb down trying to convince our guides to bring her down using it.

What an accomplishment!  View of the mountain we'd just climbed before the end of the trek.

The appreciation ceremony at Mweka Camp.  We both defend our jello-leg dancing skills!