Movie Review: The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Think about Kili in fiction and the first thing that comes to mind (and what everyone invariably suggests you read when you say you're going) is Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro. Well, I'm not exactly itching to read more Hemingway, but a movie is another matter.

Sure enough, The Snows of Kilimanjaro was made into a movie. Well, it and bits of a few other Hemingway stories and some of Hemingway's own life chucked in for good measure. The 1952 flick stars Gregory Peck as a writer whose life more or less flashes before his eyes as he struggles with an infected leg while on safari in Tanzania.

Blockbuster didn't have it on DVD, but Netflix did. Let me just say that the DVD is horrendous and clearly done on the cheap. The film may be 60 years old but I've watched much older films on disc that looked better than this. The picture is blurry and grainy, and the sound is muddy. I almost turned it off just for that. Plotwise, it was alright.

Verdict: Maybe worth a rental if you can stomach the crappy print

Biel on Kili

I sat down to watch The Late Late Show this evening, only to find last night's show was preempted by Letterman, which in turn was on late because of basketball.

I fast-forwarded it a bit, just to make sure Craig Ferguson wasn't completely pushed back. I see Dave holding up a photo of people trudging up a snowy peak... that looked a bit like Kili. The guest? Jessica Biel.

Rowr! Gotta watch this. (Note: The clip isn't up on the CBS site, or anywhere else that I can find, so use your imagination.)

Turns out, Biel was one of a gaggle of celebrities humping it up Kili to raise awareness for something (in this case, clean water). The whole ordeal was captured in a documentary for MTV (really). She said it was very hard ("I don't like walking.") but she summited. Well, if a softie like that can do it... :)


There is a website for the Summit on the Summit, but it's hideous. It's mostly a commercial for its sponsors (HP, PUR and Eddie Bauer, among others), nevermind the foul usability. Google it ... if you dare!!

Naturally, it didn't tell me what I wanted to know: who guided the trek. It took a bit of digging, but the company guiding them was Thomson Safaris. High-class outfit, which is what I expected, because all these beautiful people aren't the type to rough it, even for a good cause.

Kili Book Reviews, Part 3

Kilimanjaro - The Trekking Guide to Africa's Highest Mountain - 3rd Ed.
by Henry Stedman (January 2010) 
As I've mentioned before, I really liked Henry Stedman's Kilimanjaro. It had pretty much everything I wanted in a guidebook, written with a certain wit that made it informative and entertaining. I bought the 2nd edition right before I booked my trip. I prefer to have the latest edition (the 2nd came out in - eek! - Dec 2006) but I couldn't wait. 

The 3rd edition streeted on this side of the Atlantic about 3 weeks ago. In short, it is every bit as good as the 2nd, with lots of updated info on the park, trekking companies, hotels, etc. This remains a phenomenal guide. It is also the most recently updated of all the Kili books I could find. If you're going this year or next, this is a must-buy.

I e-mailed Stedman last December mentioning that the Swahili glossary was great, but how about a rudimentary pronunciation guide to go with it? He wrote back straight away (much to my surprise and delight) and he said he liked the idea, but the 3rd edition was just on its way to the publisher for printing. So sadly, my idea didn't make it to print this time. If he can slide it in the 4th edition - and I'm betting there will be one - it will be the best printed Kilimanjaro guidebook. 

Stedman's website is also very useful and worth checking out. It has some content straight from the book and space for updates between editions, so you can give it a look if you're on the fence about buying the book.

Kili Book Reviews, Part 2

Northern Tanzania: The Bradt Safari Guide with Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar - 2nd Ed.
by Philip Briggs (Aug. 2009)
I really liked Henry Stedman's 2nd edition of Kilimanjaro and started looking around for a more safari-centric book on Tanzania. I found it in the Bradt Northern Tanzania guide. It's great for me because it covers where I will be going, including Zanzibar. As far as that goes, it's an excellent companion to the Stedman book.

The book is arranged by destination (Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Zanzibar, etc.) with excellent copy on each. It explains what you are likely to see and when. There are some great maps and a smattering of color photos.

The only real downside: ads. Seriously. I buy the book and there are @#$% ads in it too?! At least two of the full-page ads can be ripped out entirely without hurting the editorial content. I'm tempted to take a Sharpie to the rest of em.

Advertising notwithstanding, it's a great book.

Reason to Avoid JFK #3

As if being short a runway wasn't enough reason to avoid JFK International...

Child's play at air traffic tower sparks inquiry

NEW YORK (Reuters) – An investigation is underway into why a young child, apparently under an adult's supervision, was allowed to direct air traffic at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, U.S. authorities said on Wednesday.

In transmissions broadcast by local media, the young child -- whose age is unknown -- can be heard directing pilots for departure, apparently under the supervision of an adult. The incident reportedly happened two weeks ago.

At one point an adult voice can be heard telling a pilot: "This is what you get guys when the kids are out of school."

Reason to Avoid JFK #1 ... and #2

I'm flying to AMS via DTW rather than JFK. Sure, DTW has all the charm of a convention center, but I figured trying to connect through JFK on a summer afternoon wasn't a smart idea. There's reason #1.

Turns out, this decision was unusually prescient, since they're gonna be short a runway for a few months...

AP: JFK runway closure to rattle nerves, wallets 

With about one-third of JFK's traffic and half of its departures being diverted to three smaller runways, planes will wait on longer lines on the ground for takeoffs and in the air for landings. Delays at one of the nation's largest airports will ripple to cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orlando.

[snip]

JFK is already one of the nation's most delay-plagued airports. [emphasis mine] It ranked 28th out of 31 major airports in 2009 in on-time performance, according to the Department of Transportation. A delay at JFK, especially one early in the morning, can push back flights across the U.S.

The longest delays occur at peak hours — from about 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. ET and between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.