Mira and Shawn back in Seattle, Tibi (hopefully?) on the way

Sometime yesterday Mira and I got on a plane leaving Tanzania. Tibi had a ticket for the same flight, but somehow his "name wasn't in the system". We argued with the airline, but we weren't able to get him on the flight. So, Tibi had to spend an extra night in Africa. Hopefully he is currently on his way home... Tibi, if you are reading this, drop us an email, will ya? Thanks :)

Some other random thoughts:

- We spent the last two days on Bwejuu beach on the east cost of Zanzibar, doing absolutely nothing. We were "breathing just to breathe". Bwejuu is a great place. Just palm trees, sand, and Indian Ocean, as far as the eye can see. If you haven't already done so, I recommend clicking on the "zanzibar.net" link on the right, and click on "Image Gallery". Take a few seconds to check out some of the pics, and go on a little vacation in your head :)

- We could never have climbed Kili without the help of our guides and porters. These guys are incredible men. In case you didn't know, the trek was fully supported: the porters cooked, carried most of our gear, set up tents, etc, etc. I didn't even have to boil my own water (it's sort of embarrassing, really). The porters carried very heavy loads on their heads, and pratically ran up the mountain. They cruised up it like they owned the place. I tried to imagine keeping up with them, carrying my little day pack, and wondering how long I would last before I passed out. I currently have a theory that these guys are actually mutants, and don't require oxygen; that is, they don't actually need to breathe...

Anyway, they are tough and strong. Where I come from we would make hockey players out of these guys

- I once heard a smart guy named Dave say that it's "not where but who you're with that really matters". Tanzania is no exception. It was the first time I traveled with Mira and Tibi, and they turned out to be awesome travel companions: patient, resourceful, fun, and able to have a sense of humour, even when we were stuck in an airport :)

- Oh, I forgot to mention further evidence to support my theory that the guides/porters aren't human. On summit day, we trekked for 10 hours (from high camp to the summit and back) at altitude. I packed lots of food and several litres of water. Our friend Richard packed enough power bars to feed a small African village for several days. And what did the two guides that made the trek with us pack? Nothing. NO FOOD, NO WATER. Unbelievable. Don't try this at home :)

- I'm really craving a bowl of Reese Peanut Butter Puffs right now. Everytime I travel abroad, I can never eat cereal (for various reasons), which is a fairly serious departure from my daily routine. If I had any milk in the house, I would be eating cereal right now...

- Rumour has it our photography team (ie, Tibi & Mira) will post a few more pictures. Come back sometime and check it out. Much more interesting than my blabbering