Travel Photo Thursday: Climbing to the Roof of Africa

February 2, 2012

For our 25th wedding anniversary, my husband (John) and I flew to Tanzania. Our aim was to climb to the Roof of Africa and summit Mount Kilimanjaro.  Just before we left, John cracked a rib, but neither of us wanted to cancel the trip. So climb we did – and summit, with few problems but part two of our trip which involved driving the rutted roads of the Serengeti was a different issue altogether and best saved for another blog.

Here are a collection of photos from our climb up Kilimanjaro.

We climbed the Shira Plateau – Western Breach Route – one that not many people do. It allows you to camp just 800 feet shy of the summit on the final night by the Furtwangler Glacier. It’s incredibly beautiful – though most of us also felt incredibly sick –  nothing drugs couldn’t cure fortunately.

Driving to the trailhead to begin our trek

Warnings before you start the climb

Controlled bedlam and getting organized before setting out

Our porters on Kilimanjaro

The second night's camp - the first was too disgusting for words

Fantastic textured plants

Dramatic skies

Dining tent for cool nights well above treeline

This is what you'll look like, 30 minutes after running the trail - when you're supposed to be taking it slowly

An overnight snowfall, two nights from the summit

On the push to the Crater camp

Looking down to the Crater Camp

An atypical summit shot

Just hours below the summit - back in the land of more oxygen

The Money Dance - at the last camp - after the tips are handed out

The highs of climbing Kilimanjaro

• Our wonderful, kind thoughtful porters
• Traveling through so many ecological zones
• The feeling of elation upon reaching the summit and of course the view from the top
• Unusual plant life along the way
• Excellent food
• Interesting bird life at lower elevations

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Travel Photo Thursday: Scenes from Tanzania and Malawi

January 11, 2012

Four years ago I joined my daughter for a month on the Tour d’Afrique. I cycled from Iringa, Tanzania to Victoria Falls in Zambia, a distance of roughly 2500 kilometers, less a few days for recovery from heat exhaustion. Looking back through my photos I don’t have nearly as many as I would have liked – mostly because I hated to stop biking and lose what little momentum I might have. Things would be much different if I was doing the trip now.

I remember Tanzania and Malawi as being green, a rich green with lots of deep red thrown in for contrast.

Here are a few photos of Tanzania and Malawi taken from that time.

Very pretty scene in rural Tanzania

Bananas anyone?

Field after field of sunflowers

The older child has a baby on her back

The lushness of the country in Malawi

On the shores of Lake Malawi

Making bracelets from wire

A crazy man - quite literally, dancing at our campsite

A well attended soccer match

Kids and adults would pour in to check us out - here at an outbuilding where a cook was setting up a BBQ

Tents packed up right beside each other and the kids watching our every move

It’s interesting how our priorities change with time. If I were to do this trip all over again, I’d be up with camera in hand taking photos every morning instead of packing – and then I’d straggle in even later than usual after numerous photo stops to record the feel of the land. And I’d know what I was doing.

Has your approach to photography changed over time?

Here is this week’s submission to Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox - a website where Nanci offers a chance every Thursday for fellow travelers to post their favourite photos.

Leigh McAdam
HikeBikeTravel

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Travel Photo Thursday: Faces of Ugandan Orphans

October 5, 2011

Last year I spent a few weeks in Uganda with the KiBO Foundation.

Their mandate is to educate Ugandan youth in internet, communication and technology skills. Students are also expected to give back to their community – even if they themselves have little in the way of resources. One of the classes was able to raise approximately $US350. That was enough money to buy the land these orphans are living on – and  now they can grow crops and get on the road to self sufficiency.

One day our group went out to the Luwero District to see the land the students had purchased and to meet a number of these orphaned kids. I was blown away by their smiles and their attitudes in the face of such hardship. As a thank you they performed a dance and even after the performance some of the kids whipped up some more moves – because as they put it – dance is what brings them joy in life.

Orphaned kids of Uganda

An unbelievably good young dancer

I think you can see the pain in their eyes

Joy in their lives comes from dancing

Here is this week’s submission to Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox - a website where Nanci offers a chance every Thursday for fellow travelers to post their favourite photos. Have a look at her blog and check out what other travel bloggers and photographers are posting.

Leigh McAdam

HikeBikeTravel

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