Kilimanjaro success

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, I successfully reached the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro having taken just over 5 hours to reach Uhuru Peak from the base camp at Barafu. I was delighted to reach the summit. It was still dark and very cold when we arrived - somewhere between -10 and -20. It was a very tough night. I was fortunate enough not to suffer for any form of altitude sickness but was completely knackered by the time I reach the top due to the lack of oxygen (approximately 50% of what we breathe at sea level). All-in-all it was a great experience and one that I would like to do again at a later date if I get the opportunity. Thank you very much to everyone who sponsored me for my climb. So far I have raised just over £800 to go towards Friends of KCMC. I can certainly say that the money will go a long way to help make a difference. 

Here are a selection of photographs from my time on the mountain.

Day 1: Machame Gate to Machame Camp. Following my guide Freddie through the forest.

Porters carrying equipment.

Machame Camp at the end of day 1.

Day 2: Machame Camp to Shira Camp.

Looking back towards Machame Camp.

Arrival at Shira Camp.

Looking out towards Mt. Meru.

Day 3: Shira Camp to Barranco Camp (via Lava Tower). Freddie in front of Kibo on our way to Lava Tower.

Descending from Lava Tower after a lunchtime stopover.

Basking in sunshine at Barranco Camp.

The sun sets after another glorious day on Kilimanjaro.

Day 4: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp. Brief pause having climbed up the Barranco Wall......a 300 metre high wall at that.

Day 5: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp (base camp). Looking out to the east towards Mawenzi.

Day 6: 0545hrs - Arrival at Uhuru Peak after just over 5 hours of climbing. One very happy (and tired) final year medical student, just another day at the office for Freddie - he's been up there over 600 times!

Sunrise from Uhuru Peak. Another group make their way to the roof of Africa in the distance.

Looking towards Uhuru Peak  and the Kibo crater from Stella Point on our descent.

Kili so far

All is going well. Had a really good day today. Trekked up to 4637 metres. Now back down at 3976 metres. Feeling good at the moment. Two more days to go till I reach base camp. Afraid that the phone signal is not as good as I'd hoped.

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me. I can assure you that the money is going toward a good (and much needed cause). Lets hope I can reach the top.

All ready for the off...at least I hope so.

I will be leaving to start climbing Kilimanjaro tomorrow. I have had a great time here at the hospital and I am sad to be saying goodbye. The weather forecast is looking good for Kili - only a little rain forecast tomorrow and light winds for the next few days. I am hoping that I should be able to give everyone daily updates as I go up the mountain - apparently there is very good phone signal up there - but we will see. I must get off to go and finish packing.

Hospital update

So I am coming close to the end of my time here at KCMC. Things have been really good here and it has been a great experience. It has however highlighted the problems that are faced daily in medicine in not only Tanzania but Africa as a whole. This has further reinforced my desire to raise money for the Friends of KCMC charity by climbing Kilimanjaro.

• For the last year, KCMC has been without a functional CT scanner - their 17-year-old one has broken (I presume beyond repair) and costs $1.5 million for a new one. Patients have to go to Arusha to have a scan - if they can afford it - the cost being $200.
• When I arrived, the lab had been unable to carry out electrolyte levels for 4 months. This situation has not improved since, but rather got worse. We are still without electrolytes and now no longer are able to do liver function tests and some other basic blood work. This changes on a daily basis depending on whether the machines pass the control tests for that day.
• The ECG has been out of order for the last few days. This has been a vital piece of equipment, particularly in the absence of electrolyte tests as the ECG can pick up changes in the heart as a result of imbalances in sodium and (more importantly) potassium levels.
• For the last 6 weeks, there has been a 19-year-old on the ward with Hodgkin's lymphoma - a disease of the lymph glands which, if treated optimally, has a survival rate of between 80-90%. Sadly, for the last 5 out of 6 weeks, he and his family were unable to afford the cost for the complete regimen of chemotherapy for him. He deteriorated and at one point a week ago, we thought he was going to die. Thankfully, he improved with some steroids in a last-ditch attempt to give him some time. Thankfully, over the last week, his family have raised enough money to get him to the Ocean Road cancer centre in Dar es Salaam. This is a government run institution and, once there, his treatment will be free. Although he is still very sick, he might still pull through. Whether I will every find out this outcome I do not know.

It is a sad reality that these problems are ones that we simply do not see back at home. This short list is far from exhaustive of the challenges and short-comings I have encountered thus far. We are more fortunate with the NHS than we might first think.

If anyone has not yet sponsored me for my Kilimanjaro climb, and would like to, then can I refer you to:

http://www.justgiving.com/James-Nathan

Asante sana  (Thank you very much)

Safari

Some photos from safari. The stories are too long for me to write now and do any justice so they will have to wait till I return. But for now, enjoy...

I promise there is a leopard in the tree.

Ngorongoro Crater

Lake Chala

After saying goodbye to Lucy and Laura early on Saturday morning, the rest of us headed off to Lake Chala for a short camping trip. We left Moshi and took a dalla-dalla and taxi before arriving in somewhat unusual weather - by that I mean it was cloudy. Lake Chala is a crater lake situated on the Tanzanian-Kenyan border. On the Saturday afternoon we went for a brief walk out through the scrubland before coming back, having dinner, then getting a good night's sleep in our tents. 

We woke up early on the Sunday morning to set out on our hike around the lake. It was cloudy and slightly chilly but the sun soon started break through the clouds and coupled with constantly having to duck and dive below thorn bushes meant that we all quickly warmed up.

A few hours later we were informed that we had crossed the border into Kenyan. We then reached an old abandoned lodge which we had first seen directly across the lake from our campsite. This presented us with a problem - a locked gate at either end of the lodge. To gain access through the lodge, we would 'officially' have to enter Kenya - basically a 1000 Tanzanian shilling 'back-hander' to the gate keeper. An hour or so later, we re-entered Tanzania and found our way back to the campsite. 

All-in-all, a great weekend had by all but sad to see Lucy and Laura go. Off on safari tomorrow till Monday. More updates to follow on my return.

Lake Chala from the campsite

Looking out towards Kenya from the crater rim

Kilimanjaro seen from Lake Chala - left: Uhuru peak, right: Mawenzi peak

The border between Tanzania and Kenya can be seen as a line running through the scrubland

After a steep climb down, we reached the water's edge

Stormy weather

Its been a mixed week weather-wise in Moshi. On Tuesday afternoon we were engulfed by a massive sandstorm which whilst being rather spectacular, was a pain - literally. This was followed up on Wednesday evening by a huge thunderstorm. We had all been invited for dinner at Alfred's house - one of the local taxi drivers who is very friendly to all the doctors, students and other ex-pats in Moshi. We were treated to the best food we have had thus far in Tanzania - all enjoyed in pitch darkness with frequent flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder.

Postcards are all sent......lets hope they all arrive.

Public Holiday

So we have a public holiday here today in Tanzania. Sadly that seemed to mean that that Swahili church service did not take place this morning. Nevertheless we made the most of it and Enoch and I went up onto the roof of KCMC to get some great views of Kilimanjaro.

T.I.A

We have officially run out of water. Houses all across the doctors compound a gradually running out. We're uncertain as to whether we have been cut off or if the supply has dried up. To make matters slightly worse, our fridge is more like an oven. Fun times :-)

Lushoto and the Usambara Mountains part 2

We had an amazing lunch at Irente Farm. Homemade rye bread, cheese and jam. Irente Farm is a conservation area owned and run by a Swedish lady and her husband. They have been trying to reintroduce many of the indiginous trees back into the area. Much of the Usambara Mountains are populated by eucalyptus trees which were originally planted for their quality timber. After lunch, we then hiked on to the Irente viewpoint on the western edge of the Usambara Mountains. We were greeted by astonishing views out overlooking the Maasai plains. It was hazy (because of the heat) but nevertheless a beautiful sight. At an altitude of approximately 1500 metres, on a clear day, I am told that you can see Kilimanjaro from Irente - 130 miles away! Our second night in Lushoto was far less eventful than the first - no more exploding water pipes. We had managed to arranged a taxi to take us down into Mombo and then catch a fast bus back to Moshi. Our driver however had other ideas and decided to pick up two locals en-route which turned our journey into one more like that experienced in a dalla dalla. The bus journey to Moshi was infinitely more comfortable than our outbound trip even though the driver felt it necessary to absolutely floor it along the Dar-Moshi highway. All-in-all, an amazing weekend had by all with some of the most amazing scenery I think I have ever seen.

Lushoto and the Usambara Mountains

We left early on Friday morning to catch a bus to Lushoto - about 130 miles south-east of Moshi. About 5 hours into our journey we arrived at the town of Mombo at the foot of the Usambara Mountains. We then began our ascent into Lushoto along a single-track road with sharp hair-pin bends. This was slightly daunting - made worse by the fact that there were no barriers to stop you plummeting off what was essentially a cliff and that the driver felt the need to travel at 50 mph and not used his brakes nor slow down for traffic.

Lushoto was absolutely beautiful - lush, green, hilly countryside, unlike anywhere else I have been before. At an altitude of approx. 1400 metres it was cooler with a nice constant breeze which was refreshing. This also meant that sleeping was more comfortable and warranted the need for a warm blanket. All was well until 4am on Saturday when one of the water pipes in our bathroom decided to explode and send 'clean' water cascading everywhere. Unable to find the stopcock nor anyone who could be of assistance, I spent the next 2 hours making certain that the bathroom was not flooding. Thankfully, shortly after 6am there was a power cut and the water stopped flowing for the time being.

We then met up with a group from the hospital in Muheza (where I had previously applied to do my elective) and went hiking for the day. We were led by three fantastic guides from the Friends of the Usambara Mountains Cultural Tourism Centre. The morning consisted of hiking through villages and farmland then further on up into the rainforest. We then emerged from the forest and climbed to the top of Magamba Peak. 

Sadly, shortly after this, my camera battery died and I had left my charger back in Moshi. So for now, I'll be saying goodbye, but more to come when I can get the photo off my phone and write about our afternoon hike to Irente Farm and viewpoint as well as our trip home today.

From left to right: Lindel, myself, Laura, Jaye, Fiona, JR, Enoch, Turbo, Talia and Lucy.

Had an interesting couple of days with regard to medicine. Had some great teaching yesterday from one of the British doctors (Dr Howlett) who has been at KCMC intermittently since 1983. He spoke to us about the causes of paraplegia in East Africa. One of the major causes is konzo - a disease associated with high-dietary intake of cyanide, primarily from the cassava plant. Dr Howlett himself helped to describe this disease in the Lake Victoria region during several outbreaks throughout the 1980s. More stories to come, but for now, a few more pictures...

Ultimate frisbee

At the Marangu Gate

Dinner