|
|
Post by spindrift on Sept 10, 2009 18:33:16 GMT
Last New Year my son climbed Mount Kenya (5,199m/17,057ft). He took these photos with his cellphone. Everyone starts the climb from Naro Moru. In the late 1970s I, also, stayed at the River Lodge, Naro Moru. Our party of friends did not go to climb the mountain - we went to party and gamble   Here is the Lodge. Not everywhere in Kenya is suffering from drought conditions!  The climb starts in thick woodland. Hours later they reach open valleys full of giant lobelia     to be continued |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2009 18:43:24 GMT
The plants are absolutely fascinating. (And that cellphone takes great pictures.)
|
|
|
|
Post by spindrift on Sept 10, 2009 19:16:34 GMT
(The phone is a Sony Ericsson. ) It's a long, hard climb. Mount Kenya is in the distance.      Before the final push to the top, everyone must stay the night in this hut. It is freezing cold. Afterwards a week spent relaxing at the Mombasa coast.... |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2009 19:39:24 GMT
Oh, I have a Sony Ericsson, but it doesn't take photos of Mount Kenya! (I think it has some photos of the Eiffel Tower as seen from the restaurant of the Théâtre de Chaillot in it, but I haven't even seen them yet!)
|
|
|
|
Post by spindrift on Sept 10, 2009 20:34:20 GMT
Only this week I upgraded to a Sony Ericsson Titanium. It has a 5mp camera. I must learn how to take pics with it. Today I bought a 2M 4GB chip to improve its memory. Now I can video amazing happenings on the street!
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2009 21:01:40 GMT
The other day when I left the office, I saw one of the top stars in France receiving a traffic violation ticket. I just don't have the proper reflexes, because if I had taken out my phone and taken a picture, it was worth at least 300-500€ to one of the trash magazines, and on top of that, he was practically leaning out the window of his car to talk to the police as they ticketed him (or I wouldn't even have given him a passing glance) -- very photogenic pose. Damn, I guess I just don't love money enough.
|
|
|
|
Post by spindrift on Sept 10, 2009 21:04:27 GMT
You could have put him on UTube! Practice is what we need....
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2009 21:55:14 GMT
The other day when I left the office, I saw one of the top stars in France receiving a traffic violation ticket. I just don't have the proper reflexes, because if I had taken out my phone and taken a picture, it was worth at least 300-500€ to one of the trash magazines, and on top of that, he was practically leaning out the window of his car to talk to the police as they ticketed him (or I wouldn't even have given him a passing glance) -- very photogenic pose. Damn, I guess I just don't love money enough. Who was it? |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2009 21:59:42 GMT
Patrick Bruel
|
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Sept 11, 2009 0:23:01 GMT
Triple wow! I had no idea about the vegetation and the terrain. Surely nothing else on earth looks like that. I was very surprised about the cold, although I shouldn't be, knowing how cold it can be in high elevations at night. Guess my stereotype of hot Africa over-ran my common sense.
Your son made it to the top? Whew -- quite an achievement.
Great photos.
*gives own camera a vicious kick*
|
|
|
|
Post by spindrift on Sept 11, 2009 8:04:42 GMT
Bixa - my son didn't make it to the top. His knee 'gave out' just 1,000m from the top. He is desk-bound in his job and although he goes to the gym he has no opportunity to practice for such strenuous climbs. His two friends made it to the top though. They don't have office jobs!
I lent my son my sleeping bag for the night in the mountain hut. It used to be a top quality one suitable for temperatures down to minus 10degrees. Unfortunately I've laundered the goodness out of it and he nearly froze. I'll have to buy a new one for my future treks.
Yes, the terrain approaching Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro is very similar with giant plants such as you see here. Ideally I'd like to take a lot of time climbing up and spend more than one night on the mountain, but I'm told that bandits (shifta) are active in both areas and can be very dangerous. I've always fancied wandering around the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro...it has a 60 mile circumferance at its base.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2009 16:00:54 GMT
Any upcoming treks planned, spindrift? I have a friend leaving for Nepal in November, and I am going to direct him to your photo threads about Nepal.
|
|
|
|
Post by spindrift on Sept 28, 2009 9:10:44 GMT
Sadly not, Kerouac. Maybe next April I might do a 24 day visit to Tibet, starting at Kathmandu, fly to Lhasa and slowly make our way to Gyangtse, Shigatse, Shegar, Kharta then trek to Lundrubling, Lhatse, Opka, Kangshung base camp, then drive to Rongbuk (16,700ft), explore a bit of the glacier (we will then be only 7 miles from Everest North Face), then drive back to Kathmandu via Tingri and Zhangmu. But nothing is certain for me at the moment  |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2009 14:31:03 GMT
Where is my dear friend, Spindrift? I miss her.
|
|
|
|
Post by spindrift on Oct 8, 2009 18:12:29 GMT
I'm here, dear Deyana!  |
|
