First day in Dar Es Salaam

st day in Dar Es SalaaWell, my first day in Dar Es Salaam is coming to an end, and I've really enjoyed it so far! We arrived late last night (I'm travelling with one of the guys who'll be doing the Kilimanjaro trek with me - Stephan), and to tell you the truth, I was pretty nervous... I don't know, I guess it's something about arriving late at night in an unknown city where I feel completely uprooted, and having only very little sleep after having travelled approximately 24hours... But we arrived at our hotel safely, and went to bed, and as the music from the minaret from the Mosque right down the street from where we are sounded, I started the feel the exitement of my new adventure.

So we woke up early this morning, had breakeast and walked around to visit Dar Es Salaam for a while, it was a beautiful sunny day, but very hot and humid. We walked all the way down to the water, to the fish market which was bustling with people and activity, very impressive! Then we walked back towards city center, stopped by the botanical garden (have I ever been to the Montreal one?), and then as we were walking down one of the streets, a young vendor tried to sell us his batikas. We chatted for a while, and ended buying one each (I still don't know if I got a good deal or not, but we got him to go down by 50%, so I was happy with that), we ended up going to a local lunch place with him and his friend, and they were both very nice, and very helpful. Then, the rain started... oh my goodness. The vendor's friend, Simba (and he says Hakuna matata non stop too - how lion king is that!), said it would stop in 15 minutes. 2 hours later, he specified he meant in African time! Anyways, the streets were completely flooded, and when we finally decided it was raining little enough for us to venture out, we were waking with water up to our knees. It was crazy!

Anyways, it's been an hour now, and the sewer system seems to have worked it's magic, and the streets are walkable (as opposed to wadable) now. Tomorrwo we will probably spend the day here again, and then head to a town called Lushoto afterwards, which is half way between here and Moshi, the town where we meet to do the Kilimanjaro climb.

Fondation des Skieurs Handicapés de l'Estrie

Depuis quelques années, je suis impliquée auprès de la Fondation des Skieurs Handicapés de l'Estrie en tant que bénévole au programme de ski alpin d'hivers et coordonnatrice-bénévole au programme de ski nautique d'été. C'est une organisation à laquelle je tiens beaucoup à cause de tout ce qu'elle apporte aux personnes handicapées, mais aussi en raison des beaux moments que j'ai vécu avec eux et de la façon dont mon implication a enrichie ma vie.

For all these reasons, I am proud to be bringing a specially-prepared memento of the Foundation with me to the top of Kilimanjaro, and take a picture with it once I reach the top.

Furthermore, now that I have surpassed my objective of $5000 for CARE Canada, I would be greatful if all future donations were made to the Eastern Townships Disables Skiers Foundation. The link to the website is indicated in the "links" section below.

Thank you for all your support and donations! C'est ce qui m'aidra à atteindre le sommet!