Feeding My Gypsy Soul

Home Sweet Home

lori_slaughter — Thu, 1 Oct 2009 03:06:00 GMT

Today, I arrived back in Portland safe and sound.

I'll upload a few pictures and post journal entries from my last few days in Turkey soon.

Thanks to everyone for sending me messages during my trip, especially the encouraging ones throughout the Mt. Kilimanjaro climb. They made me feel a lot less lonely out there:-)

See you soon.

September 20 - Sultahamet - Istanbul

lori_slaughter — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:14:00 GMT

Today I made my way across the Bosphorus to tour the local attractions. First on the list was the Tokapi Palace. It was closed until 1 pm because of Muslim holiday so I walked over to the Blue Mosque instead.

It was quite beautiful and ornate as most places of worship, but I didn't go in because the line was just too long and there was too much going on to spend an hour or two waiting in line. I took some nice photos of the outside garden and tiled ceilings along to path to the entrance. There was also a lovely park with a fountain in the middle of the nearby square, where I did a bit of people-watching.

Since the area was such a tourist destination, of course the salesmen were out in force hawking their goods to anyone who walked by. I quickly put on my "game face" and pretended I didn't speak English so they would leave me alone.

Another good tactic for avoiding the hard sell of the Turkish vendors was to duck into a cafe for more Turkish Coffee and a sweet treat:-) I used this several times throughout the day. The only danger in this was being asked out on dates by the waiters. I think I had 4 offers for 'coffee' in just one afternoon. It was flattering and the young 20-something waiters were quite charming, but this also became tiresome after awhile.

Later in the afternoon, I toured Sophia Mosque and the Tokapi Palace, both were amazing. I think they spent more money building a palace to please the Sultan than they did on their place of worship! The Palace was spectacular. Tons of beautiful marble and colorful Turkish tiles lined the floors and walls of each structure. And the wood doors and window sills were artfully inlaid with mother of pearl.

In the center of the Palace compound were two mini-palaces, one was the library and the other was the Sultan's bedroom. I suppose education and producing a male prince were at the top of all Sultans' "to do" lists!

I also visited the rather large Harem inside the compound. It was very beautiful, especially the entertainment room, where the Harem girls would dance for the Sultans in hopes of being selected as favorite. There was another apartment built within the Harem, which was for the "special one". This is where the most favored Harem girl would live until the Sultan tired of her and selected a new favorite. The apartment was certainly no Sultan's bedroom, but it was a step up from the regular apartments in the Harem.

Again, I'm glad to be a modern, western woman. Sitting around a Harem all day waiting to be chosen by some man I don't know for "love" making sounds repulsive and demeaning to me. And I can get a much better apartment all on my own!!

September 19 - Istanbul

lori_slaughter — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:59:00 GMT

Today I arrived in Istanbul. Although I was tired from the trip, after checking into my room and showering, I couldn't wait to hit the streets of Taxim and feel the buzz of the city.

While I enjoyed being in Tanzania, it sure was good to be back in western civilization. Wow...hot water and electricity whenever I want it! Call me spoiled!

Taxim is on the European side of Istanbul and is very exciting with lots of fashionable shops, restaurants and discos. The food here is wonderful and I'm sure I'll gain 10 lbs while I'm here. I walked around for several hours in the afternoon, just checking out my new hood. Of course, I stopped a couple of times to have a Turkish Coffee and sample the baklava. YUMMY! Most Turks seem to prefer the Cay (tea), but I can't stop drinking the coffee. It is very strong and reminds me of Italian espresso except it is a lot more grainy.

I found what I considered to be the Turkish version of a local diner. It was family owned and had been in the same spot for over 30 years. The menu included a variety of traditional Turkish dishes, all homestyle and self-service. I had a wonderful dish of spicy eggplant stuffed with chicken and spinach. It was delicious.

Tomorrow, I plan to go to Sultahamet, which is the "Old" part of town, and see the tourist attractions including the Tokapi Palace, Blue Mosque and Sophia Mosque.

September 16 - Ngorongoro Crater

lori_slaughter — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:29:00 GMT

Today is the last day of the game drive. I've been quite lucky so far as I have seen so many animals, all but the Rhino.

We left the lodge in the Serengeti around 8 for the grueling and bumpy 5 hour drive to the crater. To break up the trip, we stopped at a Maasai village for a tour. In recent years, the Maasai tribes have gotten into the tourist trade. The money they make from tour fees and jewelry sales supports the building of schools and helps the people purchase water and medical supplies.

I was first greeted by a tribal elder who was my "tour guide" through the village. He organized a welcome dance by both the women and men of the tribe. I felt a little awkward as I was the only person being welcomed and I typically don't like that much attention. The elder encouraged me to take pictures so I got a few of the people dancing.

After I was properly welcomed, I was taken into one of the mud huts and given an inside view of how the Maasai live. The hut was very warm and cozy with two or three areas for family members to sleep. The center of the hut was for cooking and eating. There was a pot of corn pudding cooking as the elder told me about the lives of the Maasai.

There are 4 groups of people in the tribes. The elders, who handle tribal problems and teach the young the traditions of the people; the women, who seem to do most of the work as their role involves child care, wood gathering, hut building, food preparation and jewelry making to sell to the tourists; The third group is children under 14 or so. And finally, the young men from 14 to 20 or so, who are charged with herding the livestock.

The Maasai are polygomous and the men typically have 5 or 6 wives. Each wife builds her own hut for her children. The husbands cycle through the village from wife to wife trying to have as many boys as possible. A Maasai man's wealth is measured in male offspring and number of livestock. Women don't seem to have any power in the tribe, but do seem to carry the burden of labor to keep the people warm, fed, cared for and to birth the next generation. I'm glad I'm a western woman!!!

After visiting the village, we continued our journey to the Crater. When we got there, we drove down a steep road where we met several herds of cattle and goats coming back from grazing and carrying water for the local Maasai tribes.

When we reached the bottom, I could see thousands of Wildebeests, Zebras, Water Buffalos and Thompson Gazelles. We also spotted a pack of Hyenas and Jackels by the water. I couldn't believe how large the Crater floor was. On one side, there was a huge lakebed that was mostly dried up. From the road, I could see a pink line on the water, which turned out to be thousands of Flamingos! We headed off to the Hippo pool where we saw Cranes and Herrons, and of course, more lazy Hippos. I watched one roll in the mud to cool off. Very funny!

As we drove around, Raymond's eagle eye spotted a black mass in the grasses a couple of football fields away. It was a black Rhino sleeping! Since he was napping, he wasn't entirely visible and I could only see him with the binoculars. Even then, he could have been a Water Buffalo and I wouldn't have known the difference. We kept on driving until we saw a Rhino standing. He was still quite far away, but with the binoculars, I had no question what he was.

Finally, on our way out, we saw a male lion that had just killed a Zebra on the plain. He was surrounded by Vultures, but didn't seem to be afraid that they would take his dinner. He was also quite far away, but I could see the entire post-kill scene through the binoculars. Way cool!

After the long day's drive on the bumpy, dusty African road, it was time to hit the showers and get cleaned up before dinner. As I was having my evening cocktail (Coke light), I heard some southern accents next to me. Turned out the group was from Virginia. They were on a 20 day game drive and all were in their 60 and 70s. The leader of the group, Ginger had traveled to 80 countries and this was her 3rd African safari.

The group invited me join them for dinner and breakfast the next day. At dinner, I sat with Mark, who was a retired physician and had spent some time doing mission work in Costa Rica during his career. While in Costa Rica, he and another doc built a hut that became their clinic and once they got going, they were seeing around 600 patients per week! WOW! That's a lot of work.

It sure was nice running into some folks from back home along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations and plan to keep in touch with Ginger and Barbara, another lady traveling on her own.

Tomorrow, we head back to Moshi for my last night in Tanzania. On the 18th, I leave for Istanbul as I have decided to skip Egypt...mostly because I don't have the patience to deal with all the unwanted attention I'll get traveling alone. I've been warned about Egyptian men and don't want to spend my vacation "on guard"...not my idea of relaxing.

September 15 - Serengeti National Park

lori_slaughter — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:11:00 GMT

Today, we began the long trek through the Ngorongoro Crater to the Serengeti National Park for the second day of the game drive. We traveled on a bumpy dirt road along the rim of the Crater, which is very lush and thick with vines, trees and tall grasses. The morning brought a thick fog over the Crater's rim, which blocked any views of the vast expanse of land and large herds of animals below. I would have to wait until Wednesday to see it.

After decending from the rim of the Crater, we reached very dry foothills and large open ranges filled with Maasai villages, cattle, sheep and goats. The land was extremely rocky and dusty and it was hard for me to imagine how the herds grazed in such a desolate place. However, the Maasai people have lived on this plain and tended their livestock here for over 400 years.

After we passed the foothills, we drove across an enormous plain. I could see nothing but dry, flat land for what seemed like endless miles. The roads were very primitive, which made for an exciting ride in the jeep.

Finally, after about 5 hours, we arrived at the gate to the Serengeti National Park. There was a visitor center at the gate and while Raymond organized the passes, I climbed on top of a rock to get a good view of the park. It was breathtaking and seemed to go on forever. There were large plains full of brown grasses, the occasional tree and rock formations.

We got the passes and made our way down into the park. There were about 40 other safari companies heading the same way. Within about 10 minutes of the game drive, we spotted 3 female lions cooling off in the grass. Two were lying down and the other began to move around a bit. She was pretty big and we could see them clearly as they were only about 30 feet away from the jeep. What a great way to start the afternoon's drive.

From the jeep, we could see thousands of Zebras, Wildebeests, Impala, and Thompson Gazelles. We ran across a huge herd of Elephants as well. Over 30 or so! Then we drove to the Hippo pool to see more lazy Hippos cooling off in the water. Raymond got a call on the radio about a cheetah sighting, so we were quickly off to another part of the park to try and catch them. No worries as the 4 cheetahs had no intention of leaving the shade of the trees where they were resting. We didn't get too close, but could see them quite well with the binoculars. Very Cool!

As we continued across the plain, Raymond was determined to find a Leopard, which are very hard to see. They are loners and sleep in the tops of trees, which makes finding them extremely difficult. Luckily, Raymond spotted a dead gazelle hanging from a branch in a cluster of trees. He knew the Leopard had put it there recently, so we began looking through the binoculars in each of the trees to find the hunter. Finally, after about 30 minutes of looking, we finally saw the Leopard. He/she was perched on a branch high up in one of the trees. We only saw it because its tail and hind legs were dangling off a branch. While the Leopard wasn't close enough to get a good picture, it sure was exciting to see one in the wild.

At the end of the second day, I'd seen 4 of the Big 5 and so many more animals. I was feeling quite lucky.

Tomorrow, we plan to head back to the Ngorongoro Crater and go down into it for the final day of the game drive...hopefully, we can see a Rhino!!

September 14 - Lake Manyara National Park

lori_slaughter — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:16:00 GMT

Today was the first day of a 3-day game drive in Tanzania. The guide picked me up at the lodge in Moshi and then we traveled west to Lake Manyara park.

While Raymond (guide) was arranging the park passes at the gate, I visited the conservation office and read about the animals I might see. The one that stayed in my mind was the Spitting Cobra, a snake that was known for accurately aiming highly poisionous venom at it's prey. YIKES! Good thing we're not allowed out of the Jeep during the game drive. When we were back in the vehicle, I asked Raymond how many times he'd seen this type of cobra in the park and he assured me that it was extrememly rare to encounter one. Whew!

As soon as we were in the park, we began to see hundreds of baboons. They were everywhere. We also saw vervet and blue monkeys in the trees along the road. After about 10 minutes, we came into a clearing where we saw a small group of young elephants! How exciting to see them in the wild. Then we headed down to the Hippo pool, which was located on the plain. There were about 20 Hippos in the water and beyond them on the plain were thousands of Wildebeests, Zebras, Impalas, and the most beautiful Maasai Giraffes.

I loved watching the Giraffes on the plain. Their movements were so graceful, it was like a wildlife ballet. I remember one Giraffe in particular who was galloping across the grass, such slow and elegant movements - spectacular!

The Zebras were so fat and happy on the plain. They were too pudgy to gallop and seemed content to move slowly from one grazing spot to the next. The Wildebeests didn't want to get too close to the vehicle, so we had to use the binoculars to see them up close.

As we headed away from the plain back to the forest, we stumbled onto an old Water Buffalo. He was having an afternoon snack near a small brook. We also saw an African Fish Eagle in the trees. And of course, more baboons.

On the way up to the lodge, we also ran across an old male elephant in the forest. When he saw us, he flapped his ears to make himself look even bigger. I think I got a pretty good photo of him with his ears out.

After driving around all afternoon on very bumpy roads inside the park, I was glad to head up to the lodge for the evening. We were welcomed with hot towels and a refreshing glass of cold mango juice. Hot water was available from 6 to 9 each morning and evening. So I quickly headed up to my room to wash off the dust and dirt from the day and get ready for dinner and a restful night's sleep. The balcony in my room overlooked the lake and I had a wonderful view. The staff warned us to lock the patio doors at night to keep the baboons out.

The next day, Raymond and I were heading off for our second day of the game drive in the Serengeti. He said it was a five-hour trip on a very dusty, bumpy, off-road trail just to get there, but that the payoff would be viewing predators such as lions and cheetas, and if we were lucky, maybe even a leopard! I could hardly wait!

Sept 7 - 12 - Mt. Kilimanjaro

lori_slaughter — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:53:00 GMT

I don't even know where to begin. The week of the climb was amazing, grueling, and physically and mentally challenging beyond anything I could have imagined.

The first day, the guide, porters and cook picked me up at the lodge in Moshi and we drove to the gate for the Machame route up the mountain. The guide Naftal, couldn't count the number of times he'd summited Kili, so I felt positive he was experienced enough to get me to the top! He spoke very little English and I no Swahili, so communication was a bit of a struggle. Somehow, we made it work.

I was amazed at the number of people heading up the Mountain that day. Since this was my first significant climb, I had no idea what to expect. There were several hundred people beginning their ascent that day. I was struck by the diversity in age of the climbers. Many were well in to their 50s. Very inspiring! Most were westerners. A lot of Brits, French and Germans.

The first two days of the ascent took us through a lovely rainforest. It reminded me of the forests in the Northwest. Lots of moss on trees, large ferns and damp soil. The beautiful surroundings took my mind off the physical climbing during those two days.

The third and fourth days were completely different. The landscape was extremely rocky and dusty and the climbing became increasingly difficult. The trails took us staight up the sides of cliffs, where we were scaling boulders and hanging onto rocks so we wouldn't fall to certain death! The most impressive though, besides the fact that I actually reached the top of some of the cliffs, were the porters who carried 50 to 90 lbs of food, water and gear up the same cliffs I struggled with only carrying a small daypack. They made it look so easy. Maybe the weed they were smoking along the way helped!

Although I had planned to summit on day six, the guide thought I was strong enough to do it on day 5, so I agreed. We woke up early on day 5 and climbed about 2,500 feet to camp Barafu, the final approach for summit. I rested for an hour and then began the most difficult climb of my life. At first, I struggled with my breathing. I tried not to look up at the steep mountain in front of me so I could concentrate on breathing and slowly moving my feet ahead. As we climbed, I saw several people being carried down the mountain by porters. Scary!

The first two hours of the final ascent were very difficult, but I kept a steady pace and the guide was pleased with our progress. The third and fourth hours were excruciating. I could barely put one foot in front of the other. I had no energy left and guess my legs were moving by sheer force of will.

A little over 18,000 ft, I began to get extremely dizzy, sleepy and my legs were unstable. I kept trying to move, but had to stop every few minutes to rest. I asked Naftal how much longer to the top and he said about 1 hour. At that point, I knew I couldn't go on. Had I continued, the decent would have been very dangerous as my legs were already too weak to stop a fall. I decided to turn back to Barafu.

The next day, we embarked on a 6 hour decent to the gate. My legs were still so weak and coming off the mountain, even though we were weren't climbing, was still a struggle. At the end of it, my toes and feet looked like hamburger and I could barely walk. I got back to the lodge around 1 in the afternoon, had the best shower EVER and took a well-deserved nap before dinner. Tomorrow, I'll sleep in and continue to recover. Luckily, the lodge offers massage so of course, I've scheduled one for tomorrow afternoon.

Of course I was dissappointed that I couldn't summit, but certainly feel a sense of accomplishment in the effort. And, 18,000 feet is nothing to sneeze at, eh?

So, it's confirmed that I am no mountaineer, just a gal who likes to walk in the woods and mountains from time to time:-)

Sept 5 - Zanzibar Island

lori_slaughter — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:27:00 GMT

So I'm a bit behind in journaling, but haven't had access to an internet cafe and don't have the patience to type entries with the iPhone.

Sorry:-(

On September 5, my Irish friend, Esther and I went snorkeling off the coast of Zanzibar Island. It was my first time, but she was an old pro and helped get me started. The boatride out to the coral reefs took about 30 minutes. The water was nice and warm, but I struggled with the breathing tube at first. After about 5 or 10 minutes, I made peace with the snorkel and began to see a new and beautiful world below the water's surface. I never knew there were so many varieties of coral. And had no idea how large some of the reefs could get. The colors ranged from neon green and bluish-purple to subtle browns and mossy green. And the fish and sea anemones! So beautiful and diverse. I even saw an eel!

After snorkeling, Esther and I cleaned up at the hostel and headed out for a bit of shopping. She had to get rid of her shillings before flying home later that evening. After shopping, we had a lovely lunch at the Monsoon restaurant by the sea. They served traditional Swahili food with spiced rice and curried veggies. Monsoon was decorated in Zanzibari style, which is very middle-eastern. Lots of bright colors, fabric ceilings and large open windows.

We walked the streets of Zanibar looking for a clothing shop I'd heard about from the lady who ran the hostel in Dar es Salaam. Her daughter owns it and I wanted to check it out. In true Lori style, we got terribly lost in the neighborhood as the streets were narrow and had no signs. We wandered about for over an hour and finally found our way back to the main street without ever seeing the shop. It was 3:30 and my boat was scheduled to leave for Dar at 4. I was very grateful that 4 really means 5 in Tanzania! We hurried back to the hostel, grabbed my bags and rushed off to the docks where I said goodbye to Esther and waited for what seemed like hours to board to boat.

As soon as we hit the sea, the porter came around with little plastic baggies...very bad sign. The ocean was extremely rough tossing the boat up and down and sideways as well. Many people on board got sick during the 2 hour trip. There were two Italian men sitting beside me and we all kept looking at each other wondering which one of us would barf first! Luckily, we made it without needing the baggies, but I was a wreck the rest of the evening.

I was very thankful to get back to the hostel for a good night's rest before the long bus ride to Moshi the next day.

Sept 4 - Zanzibar Island

lori_slaughter — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 13:54:00 GMT

Ahhh...Zanzibar Island.

Today we drove to the spice farms outside Stonetown. The farms were incorporated into the villages, so we were walking through these little shanty towns to get to the fields to see the crops. In each village, the kids were trying to sell us things they'd made from plant leaves (rings, neclaces, etc.).

We saw cinnamon trees, clove trees, cardamom plants, pinapple trees, ginger plants, tumeric plants and peppercorn trees.

The women in one of the villages prepared a meal for our group. We ate lunch in an open air hut while sitting on the floor on mats. It was the best food I've had on the trip so far. Everything was so fresh. The brown rice had all the local spices and was absolutely delicious. There was also a yummy curry dish with potatoes and another local veggie (can't remember what it was), local version of spinach and flatbread. The meal was so simple and full of flavor. Wish I could cook like that.

After lunch, we visited a slave cave, which was just dreadful. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be trapped down there in that dark, damp place not knowing what tomorrow would bring. I know slavery still exists in various forms today, but still have difficulty understanding how humans can treat each other so horribly. Will we ever evolve to a state where our humanity trumps our greed?

On a lighter note, after touring the cave, we hiked down to a beautiful, secluded beach with white sand and went for a swim. The water was so refreshing and was a lovely green/blue color. We hung out there for about an hour and a half and then began the trip back to Stonetown.

This morning at breakfast, I met a nice gal from Dublin who's traveling on her own too. She and I hung out on the spice tour today and are planning to go to the barbecue together tonight. She leaves to go back home tomorrow.

During lunch, I met a French couple who climbed Kili last week. They said it was very difficult, especially the last day or two, but they were almost fully recovered and were glad they had done it. I also overheard an English couple who appeared to be in their late 50s talk about summiting Kili as well. If they can do it, so can I.

Well, I'm going to let someone else use the Internet. There's only one computer here.

Sept 2 - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

lori_slaughter — Fri, 4 Sep 2009 13:25:00 GMT

This evening, I finally arrived in Tanzania. My new friend Abuu was there to greet me with a wide smile. He had arranged a car to take me to the hostel. I was very grateful not to have to deal with ground transport after a very long day in the air.

The Kaya hostel in Dar was just perfect and appointed with everything a weary gal needs...bathroom, bed with a mosquito net and ceiling fan. Felicia is the owner and is a delightful 70 year old lady. She made sure I was settled in for a good night's rest. I shared the upstairs with a lovely couple who had two children. Unfortunately, I was too tired to go beyond introductions and didn't have a chance to learn more about them.

I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, but am excited to get out there!!!

Drinking Alone in the Moonlight by Li Po

lori_slaughter — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:32:00 GMT

Beneath the blossoms with a pot of wine,

No friends at hand, so I poured alone;

I raised my cup to invite the moon,

Turned to my shadow, and we became three.

Now the moon had never learned about drinking,

And my shadow had merely followed my form,

But I quickly made friends with the moon and my shadow;

To find pleasure in life, make the most of the spring.

Whenever I sang, the moon swayed with me;

Whenever I danced, my shadow went wild.

Drinking, we shared our enjoyment together;

Drunk, then each went off on his own.

But before agreed on dispassionate revels,

We promised to meet in the far Milky Way.

by Cicely Fox Smith, written in 1904

lori_slaughter — Mon, 3 Aug 2009 02:24:00 GMT

The Siren Dear, O homeland, and dear, O sweet land of mine, Dear, yea, very dear, O land of my birth; But O strong and strange the voice that comes singing With a wild song and a young song of wide ways of earth. Wakens the voice, when comes the time of quickening field and tree, The time that brings the bud and bloom, the swallow o'er the sea, When white upon the orchard-trees the blossom lies like foam, The stranger voice of singing winds across the fields of home. O wayward word of wandering, of far lands fair and vast, Day long desire of dreaming eyes across the sky line cast; O rover from the roving sea, and far untrodden shore, Whence knew the trees your olden song, the wild birds of your lore? Her speech is full of hope and strength, and hot-foot young desire, Strong is her soul as the salt sea, and fierce her heart like fire; O seagull's cry and seawind's song, and sunlit seas agleam, O wakening of the heart's desire and youth's eternal dream!

The Countdown is on!!

lori_slaughter — Sun, 2 Aug 2009 05:04:00 GMT

Today is August 1, exactly 31 days until my departure to Tanzania. Last Sunday at 2 a.m., I received a phone call from my new Tanzanian friend, Abuu Hasaan. He lives in Dar es Salaam and has kindly offered to collect me (whatever is left after 23 hours of air travel) from the airport and deposit me at my hostel in the city.

Abuu's call was well timed and has made the trip seem a little more real to me. Needless to say, my excitement continues to build.

I have one more round of shots to complete the series and have requested a scrip for Diamox. It's a drug that supports acclimatization in high altitudes. I'll keep it in my back pocket in case my body needs some assistance during the Mt. Kili climb.

While my plans are pretty solid for Tanzania and Uganda, I need to read a great deal more about lower and upper Egypt before September. There is so much to see and do, and I don't want to miss anything!!

I've studied a bit about the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, which will be absolutely beautiful and fascinating from a historical perspective. The sites currently on my agenda are the Gallipoli battlefields, the Archaeology Museum at Canakkale, Troy and the city of Izmir. There are also active dig sites that I want to visit before making my way to Istanbul.

While there is still much to do before my trip, I'm feeling fairly prepared, with the exception of the Mt. Kili climb. While my level of fitness is fairly high, the altitude (19,300 ft) remains my biggest concern.

Be Well.

Lori