Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Leaving....on a jet plane...

Right now, I'm somewhere over Kenya and very emotional.

When a couple of friends said I'd be leaving a part of me/my heart behind, I dont think I believed them. I do now.

I fell in love with the people in and around Mt Kilimanjaro. The joy they take in leading each and every one of us on our own personal joy, pkus the joy in their own hearts as they finished another successful climb was so beautifuk to watch.  Im so vrry glad I captured the songs on film, the dancing, the joy.

When a year ago I started showing the quiet symptoms of Parkinsons disease, I didnt say a word to anyone. Not till they had stuck around about 4 months. Then, I knew. I may be a bit of a hypochondriac,  but this wasnt in my head.

It was months before I mourned the diagnosis,  because of this trip.  I immediately got on board with this trip and I wanted nothing more than to get out and live!!! This week, I pushed my body to limits even I didnt know I could reach...and beyond.

I climbed over 15 hours two days in a row on Kilimanjaro!  I set my feet in the snows and ice that will be gone soon! I traveled 25000 miles roundtrip by myself!!

I have a new outlook on life, and new motivations to start our lives over in Cleveland next week!

29 hours to go on this plane, I still look like a swamp creature, but im ready for anything now.

The pilot flew over Kili (look up!), do here are some pics.

Addis Ababa

I love Ethiopian Airlines.  New planes, good food, lots of amenities.

What I do not like us the ADD airport!

They use a strange boarding system, planes load at the last minute and asking a question is impossible.

And theres no wifi, free or otherwise. No place to charge anything and TONS of people every where. Tonight while waiting I got to witness Muslim prayers IN the airport.

I'm such a sheltered American in so, so many ways. A lot of those ways, I didnt realize until this trip. What an amazing lufe experience!

Flight pics from my last night