My sister got to experience the mother of all adventures early this year and like everyone of you reading this i thought “are you crazy”.. Okey help me out here, she is my sister, like i come right after her, she is the only one in our family that is that adventurous (except my mom that will tell you tales of her youth) but then again when she heard my sister was going she had a fit. Anyway it is very hard for us to admit she is our sister oohh because me and my brother have no bone what so ever for adventure, i mean if laying down on the beach somewhere is adventure thats my forte, thats  my story and i’m sticking to it.

Back to what i was initialy saying, as much as i was appalled on her behalf, and i suffered numerous calls from my ancestors just to know if she is okey i mean come on how would i know, she is on the mountain people! I was so happy for her, nervous as well but very excited after she returned that is, she couldnt move a muscle she lay down on my living room and i remmebr thinking whew you are bold and brave and i ams soo proud because i would have died, Period!. She wrote a piece i will share below and well i hope this from her angle will give you the excitement it did me and have it on your bucket list, in my oppinion she went on behalf of us all so lowkey i have experinced Kili through her, i would like to think  you’ll better than me (:

 

BETTY–

At the peak of Africa

Earlier this year (feels like many months ago, and not two months ago!)I fated my life- all thirty years oft- and hiked up The Kilimanjaro mountain. It was a gift to myself for surviving, living for 30 years so far, and I thought to myself, ‘why not celebrate in an epic way!?’
First, I think of myself as adventurous in my family and among most of my friends. So, I was not surprised when most of the friends that I thought would join me on this celebratory quest bailed out. one at a time, (Friends, I have forgiven all 4 of you!)But also vengeance does come around – I had also bailed on other friends the precious year from doing this same hike, oops!
Two months prior to the hike, I had already consulted the company I was climbing with; my main contact was good at updates and answering my numerous questions, and boy, could he sense how nervous I was as the date drew close.( i would recommend him any day btw) I went from a couple of questions a month to several missed calls, SMS and whatsapp messages in a day. I really wanted to be sure to cover each and everything before disappearing for eight days on Kili (that’s how long we hiked up and down that big beautiful mountain) leisurely pace, they called it, looking back i couldnt agree more.

Back to a couple of months before kili climb- I had started on a workout regime, mostly cardio and aerobics. Luckily we had a gym instructor at work that I fully took advantage of ( he was well aware) I was destined for 5,895 meters above sea level. I also did long walks on a weekly basis- 2-5kms, mostly Saturdays or Sundays when I’d just disappear for a couple of hours, walking up and down hills around the villages in karatu, with or without company, I’m a loner walker unlike my siblinsg who i bet if they ever worked up the nerve to walk would drag me along, I found out during this time; A walker who
likes to take pictures lots along the way and mumble to myself.
Monday 13 January was day one, I had had long phone conversations with my mom, grandma and brother, you would think i was going to war, all supporting me in this crazy ‘thing’ as they called it; my dad didn’t believe me at all; my sister, who’s ever supportive but never in it, was nervous for me as she came to see me off, and so she can call everyone in the family back to confirm I had actually gone, i know i put her on a hot seat because now everyone would blow her phone.

Met up with the rest of the group I was to climb with, Australians, great group, mostly friends and family that had travelled together right before this hike. After quickly warming up to each other (that’s what you do when you know you are in this together for the next week and a day!), the fun started. Off on Lemosho route!

Wait, did I mention a ton of items I had brought in my duffel and backpack (all legit for kili, mind you and did i also mention that i am a 5″4 barely)? Luckily there was a porter to do the heavy lifting, and I had to worry about my backpack which
contained the necessities. Out there these included water- whole 3 liters in a camelbak, sunscreen, camera-if i survived i needed proof for my future generation-, power-bank- I brought 2 of these with me because God forbid my mother misses me on the line enh she will call the Mountain authorities if there is such a thing), snacks, rain gear, lip balm- i was not about tpo be ashy out there in the mountains, sanitizer, wipes, water bottle and
more snacks.
Every trek and camp was different. I had a tent to myself. The views along the way were dazzling, ranging from deep forests, rocks, rivers, shrubs, ash and the snow at summit. The meals were fulfilling and the porters ever jolly. Some days were hard to trek ahead than others- my hardest were day 4 and 6; Specifically Barranco wall and summit night. Lord, did I need your grace and everything I had! The wall is exactly that, with crevasses and rocks that you climb over and up. It took me 2 hours to get to the top, it’s like climbing and hanging on a side of a cliff. Luckily on this day there was so much mist I could only hear the river and water fall from down below… no matter how I describe, you won’t get how massive and scary this bit is until you get there. Bottom line, I did not shit my pants- I fear heights.
Summit night was wearisome. Started off at 11:30 pm and got to Stella point at 6:20 am, at this point you have 170m to Uhuru peak. It’s the most excruciating minutes’ walk on wards- this is the point you hear voices in your head, “this far is enough. I can’t die here’. I went from cold, teeth chattering to hot, pretty bothered in all the layers I had on. I had to take numerous 2 minute stops along the way for water sips (before it froze), snacks and bush breaks. Not to mention how fast your digestion works up there…
well, let your imagination run wild.
From my experience, nobody told me how summit night would roll out or the descending. It took us a day and half to get to Mweka gate, to friends and pizza for late lunch. That ever downhill slope left my thighs sore for a whole week. From summit the movement is similar to skiing downhill, in ash then it changes to pebbles and rocky bits, and to slippery surfaces here and there. I did not know I could apply such breaks with my limbs mind you  i’m that driver, that holds the brakes so hard you would think ’m driving a tank! Suffice it to say I made it. Fair and square, and I have a certificate and lots of pictures to show for it. And I lived to tell about it.

Now friends (my family knows to stay out of it) ask if I would do it again… perhaps in another 30 years then let’s talk about it.

Cheers

 

 Everyone who’s reading this may know about my fascination with books, i have probably ranted about it or annoyed my friends while at it but i love a good book, i think it runs in the family my dad has always loved books more on the John Grisham end and then my sister UGHH she is a book guru that one i tell you so in comparison to them im somewhat the least interesting but then again my mom loves her religious books and well my brother i love him to death but let’s not even go there with him, with a mindset of books equal school and im not having it, i can’t blame him hey i love reading only for fun when it’s required f me its a hustle.

 

Most people also look at it from that perspective, but allow me to give you this new perspective, see the things you enjoy doing like let’s say shopping, making new recipes or drawing, makeup the same way you look at them with a sense of admiration is the same way books should be looked at, a form of art, heart stroking and well with all eagerness to know what the author tells.

Me and a friend of mine where talking just the other day (this is where i got the idea for this post, bless her) and she said she missed reading and was slacking, well i couldn’t help but think “me and you both girl” sometimes life gets busy and we put aside these things that really make and define us as us, I love a good fictional, romance or even a nice crime tell anyday, i used to read till dawn and no one understood me but i would give up sleep for a good book, i was fascinated, but it’s a shame that i have been reading “The proposal by Jasmine Guillory” who of late has been a good read as i have read a few of her books both softcopy and hardcopy.

Speaking of hardcopy and softcopy books, is it just me or does anyone else enjoy a good hard copy than the soft copies, i love the fact that i smell the papers read the words page by page turning as i really get in character and see it from a writer’s perspective, also gives me a reason to use this bedside lamp my sister got me and not to forget the excuse to use everything and anything as a bookmark, but hey soft copies are life savers as well being in a town where i am yet to finding a good book spot they have been saving me and bless bless the free sites as well ie “All Novel” which i would recommend, i have a friend that just started selling books from Nairobi her Instagram Handle is  @lee_books12 they are absolute phenomenal, she has different genres in there, in Daresalam my favourite is A Novel Idea at Slipway that is absolutely a go to.

Sooo i got off track there for a bit anyway so me and my friend thought of starting our little book club, and as much as she can’t really stand sassy romance she is willing to give it a try hehe in the spirit of open mindedness and i plan to make it an ‘I told you’ moment, so i thought i would share with you a few tips on ideas to either start your book club or refresh the old one, keeping in mind that you all need to know one another and what your book interests are and keep that in mind as you go through with this, it’s very important, it may sound like a cliche but a book choice can as well be your identity.

Have A Theme For Each Month

Anyone agrees with me that themes are among the most fun and easy book club meeting ideas. There are so many ways you could go with this and even get really creative with it, the whole point is to enjoy while reading. For example you could get

• A different genre every month, maybe your book club gravitates to one type of genre in which this would be a great way to spice things up but maybe it would be different genres.
• Read your way around the world with a different country or a different “type” of setting (city, beach, country, space etc.)
• Read a book set or written in from a certain decade, here you can pick a different book award list for each month (Pulitzer, Printz, Edgar, Newbery, etc.) Also could count the Goodreads Awards winners if you want.

 

Read It & See It Book Club.

Here you and your members pick a few books or even come up with a list of books to movies, books that you have read and now have movies to them, you watch them and  see if you loved reading it or watching it. I have done this before, my favorite being the “Twilight series” by Stephen Meyer i enjoyed both reading and watching them also The fault in our stars by John Green that left me sappy and sad too but i quite enjoyed it. I have also had books read that i have enjoyed so much such as 50 shades Trilogy (aheem talk about intense) but i didn’t love the movies as much although i enjoyed them as well.

This experience can add  great element to book club and will be fun to do and get to watch together if you are in the same area, gives a chance to hang out together, eat, drink and watch the movie together.You don’t even have to do the most recent set of book to movies — just pick 12 books that are movies and have a book club movie night at someone’s house that’s if you are all close enough!

Have a “Books &_____” Club.

Like many of you out there, i bet this is one that my book club will enjoy the most, hey dont even judge we need this, So pretty much here one may come up with an idea so as to make the book club a fun meeting and get some inspiration, this could be

• Book & Wine club – See when i said this will appear even more interesting, you get to choose a different type of wine for every book club! This could be fun to also join a wine subscription, i guarantee you after a few sips, there will be laughter sharing and getting more in character.
• 
• Book & Beer club — For the people that are quite into beers this could be your chance to hit two birds with one stone, have your read and a fun way to try new beers!
• Book & Cookies club — Fro the oven junkies, i know a few people that would bake away their problems if it came to that, and boy do i envy them , so for yu like me you could do tryouts as well , it would be fun to have a different type of cookie every meeting or attempt to, as they bake you read away and eat as well.
• Book & Craft club — Just like they have paint and sip (Which i would love to try, i am just going to put it out there Zakia and Betty, please lets soon. I can’t paint to save a life let alone sketch, now to think of doing it while siping you guys are about to witness art suicide), So with the same mental concept, maybe you talk about a book while you work on a craft or do something like knitting.
• Book & Tea/Coffee club — There a few people that come in mind here, i have friends that are into tea so much they would love this, drink a new tea with your book or take coffee. There’s nothing more cozy feeling than books & a mug in hand, i’m not a tea person at all but i could always do milk hey!

• Book & Nail Do- This si for the ladies out there that are into this form of selflove, you can’t tell me that doesn’t scream ‘All of us ladies’ a good pedicure and manicure can put the doctor away, i for one know a new color on my nails and i feel ever refreshed and ready to conquer anything. So you could have someone do your nails and foot rubs as you share the book on the list, how cool is that!

Tackle A Book List Together.

You as a bookclub can have  section that you want to cancel off, like 100 books to read before you die   or the penguin selection of 100 must read classic  books or even Good reads books one  that you want to tackle as a book club, to make this even more interesting you can come up with a table with the top books you would love to read, illustrated as below. There is even a must read 2020 section you might want to consider.

Book Club Bucket List 

 
Follow along with a celebrity book club

Some people might find this quite interesting, lets say maybe you don’t want to pick the books you read for the year and want to follow along with a celebrity’s book club picks. Some people have recommended the Reese Witherspoon book club and hear she picks some great ones. Other options can be the Emma Watson Book Club, Emma Roberts Book club as well among many others.

I got to share ‘Six’ ideas to start with, we are all starting along with them together and i will definitely write on a follow up and the more i learn as i and my friend go through the book club, can’t wait to share many more ideas with everyone.

 Cheers