npx1990

What a trip. While Kilimanjaro is high, 5,000 feet higher that the highest point in the lower 48, technically it is very easy, if you take the Marangu route, aka the Coke-a-Cola route. But dont kid yourself, you can come down with altitude sickness, so take it slow. Your guide will set the pace. And yes, you have to have a guide if you are climbing Kili. I went through Jambo Travels for the hike and safari afterwards. It took five days total. On the early morning of the 4th day, we summited. We had to start hiking at 1230 am to make the summit by 7. When we started we had headlamps, but turned them off to see all the stars that were out. Seeing stars at 16,000 with no moon or cities near by is amazing. I was also fortunate enough to see a sunrise at 18,000 feet. Basically it is looking at a sunrise during a red eye flight without the plane.

Bring lots of film, single dollar bills (for tips and buying stuff) and we brought extra clothes and gave them to the porters when we finished the hike. They really appreciated that.

I vitiated Bora Bora on our honeymoon in 2001 and was somewhat please with the island. While it is spectacular on postcards, it is kind of small. I would recommend, if you can afford it, to stay at a hotel that is along the reef and has the over the water bungalows. Those are SWEET! We wanted to have dinner at Bloody Mary’s or whatever it is called, but they were closed on the day we could go. Keep in mind that the food in French Polynesia is French with all those heavy cream sauces and what not.

If you do make it all the way over to Polynesia, I would also recommend visiting Moorea. It is tad more expensive than Bora Bora, but the snorkeling is way better and so in the weather. It rained every afternoon in Bora Bora. Not just a drizzle, but a beach clearing downpour.

Some general notes on French Polynesia, it is VERY expensive. $3.50 for a can of soda and the restaurant food in French Polynesia is French with all those heavy cream sauces and what not. We were expecting fresh fruit and fish, not so and the food is ala carte as well. Either rent a car or walk to a general store and by baguettes and peanut butter. That’s what we did

I was able to work for Antarctic Support Associates (ASA) back in the day, now it is Raytheon Polar Services I think. I was there from 11-13-90 to 12-26-90 and I will never forget it.

It was cold, but you are at the South Pole!

There really is not much there, just the base. There are scientific experiments there, but I was not involved with those. I was there to shovel the snow off of the geodesic dome that covered most of the buildings. Talk about job security.

If you have the $$$$ to get there as tourist, I would go. There are not too many place that have geographical signifigance in the world. If you dont have the $$$, try working down there.