It's On Like Donkey Kong

My AmEx is a bit warm now, because I just booked my tickets.

Non-refundable too, so it's on!

Kayak was very helpful. Orbitz not so much. it would show me some good flight options, then say it wasn't available.... and show it to me again!!

I'm sure AMS (Amsterdam-Schiphol) is nice, but I don't wanna spend 5-6hrs there on the way home. I know DTW (Detroit) is dull, but it beats going through JFK.

Cheap fare probably means I'll get the crappiest seat on the plane. I'm thinking I'll need a small Rx for Ambien would be nice.

"Oooh, I'm jealous!"

Who said that to me?

National Geographic photographer David Evans.

I met him at an alumni event up here in DC last week, where he showed some of his pics and talked about life as a globetrotting photog.

Now, this dude's been all over the place: Chad, Brazil, Romania, China. For a living. And he tells me he's jealous of my Kili trek. Wow.

I got to pick his brain a bit about lenses. I was thinking about getting a wide-angle zoom. He suggested I look at fixed focal-length lenses, but said the jack-of-all-trades kit lens I had (18-135mm Nikon AF) might do just fine as a travel solution. Changing lenses in the bush can be risky.

I also asked him if telecoverters were worth it. The answer was pretty diplomatic: He didn't think so. (Then again, he can justify buying top-shelf telephoto glass and has no need for them). "But try it. If it works for you, great!"

So OK, I'll give the teleconverter a miss. Time to shop for a lens. :)

Trivia Dump

This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, but my brain is a shop-vac for pointless trivia. Planning for a trip just gives me more arcane trivia to pick up.

What I've remembered so far:

• Tanzania was formed in 1964 with the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar (hence "Tanzania")
• It was once a German colony
• Flying from DCA to JRO will take anywhere from 22-24hrs
  
• The unit of currency is the shilling.
• Current exchange rate: US$1 = 1,313 TZS
• Therefore, if you have $762 to your name, you can be a millionaire in Tanzania.
• Kilimanjaro is the largest free-standing mountain in the world, and is composed of three volcanic cones: Shira (extinct), Kibo (dormant and the tallest) and Mawenzi (extinct)
• The summit is called Uhuru Peak and is at an elevation of 5892m (19,331ft)
• Fastest ascent: 5hrs, 38min
• An average of 10 climbers die on Kili's slopes each year
• Three climbers were killed in a rockslide on the Western Breach in 2006. (Yours truly is going up the Western Breach.)
  

Kili Book Reviews, Part I

Kilimanjaro: The Trekking Guide to Africa’s Highest Mountain by Henry Stedman

I ran around looking for a recent-edition book on Kilimanjaro before I even booked the trip. A freind who climbed Kili recommended this as one of several books to read.
(Sidebar: Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro made the "do not read" list.)

The book is in its 2nd edition (2006) but he has a companion website with updates, and the 3rd edition streets in late December. I was initially disappointed to be getting an "old" version, but it was a great read and very useful.

It's a very thorough book, as Henry has climed Kili using every available route. He also covers how to get there, places to stay, things you'll see, the history of Kili and the tribes who live around it ... I'm hard pressed to think of anything he's missed.

Well, a Swahili pronunciation guide would be nice...