A Much Needed "Day-t" Day (+ 'Bamburger' Burgers!)

Last night I felt light headed, headachey, and nauseous.

Tonight I feel still a little headachey and tired, I won't lie, but much more refreshed and happy.

I got home this morning after a quick stop at McDonalds (I was convinced my nausea was actually the result of a lack of food and too much caffeine) and then quickly threw on my Hugh Hefner-esque red silk PJs and hopped into bed with John.

 

It was our planned "day-t" day as John called it.

 

 

I fell asleep and he watched Pawn shop shows on TV.

I woke up around 1 and we found a channel that was showing every Harry Potter movie in order. We caught the end of the first and started watching.

I made the much-craved eggs benedict and for a first attempt it turned out pretty well!

I will definitely go back and fine tune it a bit though.

Then I fell asleep again for a solid 2-3 hours.

When I roused around 6:30 pm we got up and with some gentle insistence on John's behalf (I was in a lazy, lazy mood) we went for a 6.25 km run around the neighbourhood.

His pace is similar to mine so I see this running partnership working out!

We took a nice long shower then got dressed to go out for dinner.

 

One of my foodie goals in life is to make my way around the city and find the best hamburgers.

Every year a list is published declaring certain restaurants the best with regards to burgers and I want to try them all.

After originally deciding to try a sandwich place called Boar Sandwiches (which closed at 8 pm and there was no way we would make it there before it closed), we walked to Bamburger (at 2112 Yonge Street, just north of Davisville).

I thought long and hard about getting a burger just to compare it to the others that I've had but my recent healthy-ish kick added to my desire to try specific toppings led me to the turkey burger.

My turkey burger came stacked with the standard lettuce, tomato and red onion, and then my personal choices of tzatziki, black olives, hot banana peppers, sauteed onions, and pickles.

John got a bison burger with maple bacon, goat cheese, sauteed onions, and spicy chipotle mayo.

Both were very good. The bison was a lot more tender than either of us were expecting. It had a melt in your mouth texture and coupled with the soft creamy goat cheese... he practically inhaled the burger.

John also got fries which are handcut at the restaurant along with their homemade gravy. Also well worth trying.

 

My burger was $8.95 plus $1 for the sauteed onions (John's bison burger was $14.95 plus the bacon and the cheese were an additional $1.50 each). It can be a bit pricier than your average burger but they were delicious and our server was fantastic.

 

I would definitely go back to this spot to try some of the other burgers and even just to re-order the exact same thing I had for dinner last night.

 

If you're interested, the website and menu can be found here.

 

All in all, yesterday was much needed. For my tired body, my sanity, and for John and I to just enjoy each other's company for an entire day.

 

I'm also thankful for my mom, who can give the best advice and put things into a better perspective.

She and I have a date this afternoon to do some shopping, perhaps a few more episodes of GoT, then turkey!

 

 

 

Eggs Benedict

 

Things have been quiet here for a little while because I've been busy working and trying to sort out a bunch of things.

 

As always, I took on more shifts than I maybe should have.

I work tonight, then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night but then as of Monday morning I am on a mini-vacation until Friday the 5th.

 

I was supposed to be on a plane to San Francisco right now.

One of my good friends moved there earlier this year and since we don't get to see her too often, my best friend and I decided we would take off to visit her in sunny California.

We booked our trip in November, and then the holidays rolled around, then I was off in Tanzania for 2 weeks. When I got back I submitted my request for time off but it was denied, as the other nurse had already requested to be off for the long weekend.

I emailed, I phoned (sometimes a few times) and left messages, but no one was able (or willing in some cases) to work any of my shifts.

So here I am.

At least I'm making time and half to update my blog!

 

The story gets more depressing - after my disappointment at having to cancel my SF trip, I was invited to join a number of my girlfriends in the Bahamas! But one evening, after having spent the afternoon on the phone canceling one trip and rebooking another, I got the bad news that the Bahamas trip wasn't going to work out.

So I had a good cry in frustration then called Expedia back and canceled a second trip.

 

Small things to get upset about in the grand scheme of things but I've already been feeling pretty worn out and fed up with my nights-only work schedule here.

I feel like it's starting to take a toll on the quality of my marriage and on my friendships.

 

April will be a month of resolutions:

To spend more quality time with John and to make sure he knows how much I appreciate him.

To spend more time with friends and make time for the people I haven't seen in awhile.

To work less and take more time to be happy.

 

I'm really looking forward to being off next week.

I'm getting my hair done, I have a date with a good friend, and my sister and I are going to a baseball game. And that's only one day!

 

Tomorrow John and I are having a "day-t" as he calls it.

Once I've woken up we're going to have breakfast in bed with a movie, then go for a run together, then spend the rest of the evening being lazy and in love.

 

I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Also... this is all I've been craving for the past few hours.

 

 

I may stop and pick up some of the essentials on my way home in order to make this as some point this weekend.

I'm going to use Martha's recipe, found here (and here for the hollandaise sauce).

 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

Here's looking forward to a happy & healthy April!

 

 

Chicken Stew

Sorry I've been MIA again.

I have a bad habit of promising myself I won't work so much and then I accept shift after shift after shift.

Then I get too tired to do anything worth blogging about.

 

I was fortunate enough to have the whole day to myself (I'm at work now but I slept in til 11 and was lazy with a capital L) so after talking myself into NOT skipping the gym (I'm trying to go for runs more frequently again), I went for a walk to buy some vegetables.

I was craving a chicken stew.

 

This has got to be the easiest dinner I've ever made.

 

I also baked up some orange cranberry scones from a mix that I got in my stocking at Christmas.

They were so good that I essentially canceled out my run after the second giant slab I ate.

 

Since the weather is still winter-like and cold, this stew is perfect for warming you up.

 

 

• Cut 3 potatoes into small wedges. Cut leeks, zucchini, and cauliflower into desired size chunks. Chop kale into bite sized pieces.
• In a large pot, bring 1 can of cream of chicken soup to a boil and add in vegetables. Add in 1 packet of chicken broth (or a can if you have one) and 1/2 cup milk.
• Slice and cook chicken until ready. I used a pre-cooked chicken which made for peices that had the same texture as pulled pork. To do this you just need to boil the chicken until it's cooked and then pull it with forks.
• Serve over bean sprouts and dig in!

 

I promise to return with my safari pictures and stories! I would have done so this post but I didn't bring my travel diary with me and I want to share my exact words from the trip!

They're coming :)

 



 

Kilimanjaro: Day 6 - Mweka to the Finish

Sunday Feb. 10, 2013

Springlands Hotel, Moshi

 

Sleeping in until 7 am was a luxury. I slept literally until David knocked on our tent and brought us hot water. Breakfast was the standard except the ouji was a bit grainer and paler - but I still devoured it. We packed up our stuff and then the porters came together and sang 2 Kili songs for us. We got to shake hands with them but most of us went in for big hugs with lots of asante sanas.

 

 

Then we walked for about 3 hours to the end of the path where the buses were waiting. Along the way we saw black & white collubus monkeys (though hard to see very well because most of them were hiding in the trees) and blue monkeys. It made the trip feel complete.

 

We were very fortunate to have had good weather (a Swiss guy at dinner one night back at the hotel had told us he summited in a blizzard), to have all summited, and to have had such good people with us.

 

Back at the hotel we had time to shower (the most glorious shower I may have ever had), do a bit of laundry in the sink, and then to have lunch and some celebratory drinks. Haji, Nuru and Norbert came back to present us with out certificates and then a few of us cabbed into downtown Moshi to use the ATM. After tipping our guides and porters they left, and we continued to drink and reminisce until about 10 pm.

Now I'm in a king sized bed, very excited to fall asleep.

 

Things I would pass on to other Kili climbers:

 

1. Wear lots of layers. The temperature can change from wet snow to hot sun in about 30 mins.

2. Hiking poles saved our lives on slippery rocks many times - have them.

3. Get a perscription for diamox (acetazolamide). 3 of our 8 didn't take it and only one of those 3 didn't have horrible altitiude sickness. Everyone felt pretty awful at the top but I'm convinced the diamox is what kept me from feeling fine.

4. A lot of it is mind over matter. Yes, you will feel exhausted. Yes, sometimes you feel like you've reached your limit. But you haven't. When you stop and look around you and see the incredible views you're priveledged to, you realize the entire thing is worth it.

5. Be friendly. Your group are the people who get you to the top. Cheer them on and they will push for you to succeed too.

6. Respect and appreciate the porters. They will blow you away. They go twice your pace with no poles, often not really appropriate gear or clothing, and they carry 15-20 kg while they do it. They work hard for very little money. Say hello, learn their names.

7. Bring lots of meds. I almost single handedly supplied our group with ibuprofen. It is a must. You will likely get at least one headache. Bring imodium (I had the opposite problem but if you've got diarrhea you won't want to scramble up the Barranco wall), gravol, tylenol, tums (especially if you like to put hot sauce on everything like I do), etc.

8. Drink lots of water. The Swahili word for water is 'maji' and it is like magic.

9. Bring energy bars and snacks like trail mix. Our trail mix went over well with our guides. We also had candy and chocolate and people were always happy to see both of those things.

10. Bring good sunscreen and PROTECT YOUR LIPS. Half of us have very chapped lips from the sun or wind or both. It's painful. I've been rubbing everything on them to try and heal them faster.

 

And lastly - Enjoy every single moment. At times it felt like we'd never get to our destination (many, many times actually) but summiting is a blur and before you know it you're getting on a bus to come back to the hotel. Enjoy the views, the stars, the uncomfortable sleeps, the weird malaria pill dreams (I only had one), the amount of oxygen you realize you can take in at the lower altitudes, everything.

 

P.S. Bring things you can trade at the finish gate. I traded a flashlight for the two bracelets. But the winner was one of our group members who traded her bracelet for a beer!

 

 

 

Kilimanjaro: Day 5: Barafu to Uhuru Peak to Mweka

Sat Feb 9th, 2013

Barafu Camp (4600 m)

 

So.

We were woken up at 12 am and got ourselves ready before heading to the mess tent for ouji and cookies and tea/coffee/milo. We got out water and then we were off! 5-ish hours walking uphill at a slow pace in the cold. It was incredible when we first started because we could see the line of headlights leading up the mountain. The stars were absolutely awe inspiring. Once we got high enough we could see the entire city of oshi lit up. Such a crazy view. We took our breaks, we passed other groups (I got rudely spoken to by another climber for passing him even though my guide was physically pushing me), and we sang songs and made small talk. I tried to keep myself from thinking about how much further we had to walk by writing this entry in my head and thinking about what I would do when I got home (answer: take a hot bath and stay in it until the water goes cold, buy and eat an entire footlong sub). We saw two people being brought back down the mountain and we saw several people sitting to the side puking their little hearts out. One from our group threw up his breakfast. For the most part no one else really complained about the altitude - escept one or two (including John) who felt light headed, and one who felt tight chested. I popped an advil before we left and I didn't even have a glimmer of a headache/

 

 

After walking for 5 hours, the sun began to rise. Never have I seen a more beautiful sunrise in my entire life. From up that high it seemed almost magical.

 

We finally made it to Stella Point and that sign was a welcome sight after such a grueling walk. I thought to myself that this was what exhaustion felt like.

 

We finished watching the sun come up, switched off our headlmaps, and took a few pictures. Then we walked for about 45 mins around the edge of the crater to the summit. Beside us was the most beautiful and impressive glacier I've ever seen. Also the only glacier I've ever seen but I doubt many could top it. Walking to Uhuru Peak I started out with a burst of excited energy but before long I was walking 'pole pole' for no other reason than I was exhausted.

 

 

 

 Finally reaching the summit was an incredible feeling. Even more incredible was that all 8 of our group made it to the sumit. We got some nice group photos.

 

 

I was starving so I sat down and ate a granola bar. No one ese had any appetite. I obviously have reverse mountain sickness. Once we got our pictures and hugged our guides, we made our way back down - which took about 3 hours from summit to the camp.

 

At the top I had on 3 pairs of pants, 2 gloves and hand warmers, and 7 layers of shirts and jackets. By the time we got back to Barafu I was ready to strip down to my underwear. We essentially slid down a sandy, rocky hill for about an hour, then carefully picked our way down through rocks. Finally getting back to camp was an amazing feeling. We lay down for a nap then packed up. We have lunch then we will walk again for awhile to our last camp for dinner. Where I will sleep like a baby.

Such a tiring day but so rewarding. Haji told me at the summit, "so piece of cake, right? (I said no) I know, but if I told you how hard it was none of you would have gotten out of your tents."

8:00 pm

Mweka Camp (3100 m)

So we walked another 18 km to our final camp. That's crazy. We walked 40 km today. Haji said that to the summit and back was about 22 km. Insane! As we left barafu it started to snow and it snowed for about the first hour of our 5 hour walk.

 

Then it turned to rain, then it let up and we had some sunshine. The walk was all downhill but it was hard on our knees and feet and toes, especially after coming back down from 5895 m to around 4600 m. We talked a lot about our experience getting to the summit - a lot of people had hallucinations, would never do it again, etc. Personally, I don't think I'd ever do it again but I'm SO glad I did it. It was incredibly tough and easily the hardest, most challenging thing I've done. But it was also the most amazing. I'm so proud of myself for reaching the summit. I'm proud of our group for all getting there. And I'm proud of John for getting to the top.

The world's highest free standing mountain!

Then we hiked another 18 km down rocky trails on only a few hours nap (about 30 mins for me). I bathed my feet when I got here. Then we had crepes and potato/vegetable soup, rice with chicken and sauce and mango and bananas. It felt so nice to sit and eat and drink hot tea. Right now I'm in my sleeping bag, ready for a looooong sleep tonight. Shane negotiated with Haji and got us an extra hour of sleep in the morning. Wake up call at 7 am!

We're back down at a low altitude so everyone's in good spirits. Tomorrow after breakfast we walk for about 3 hours to the bus that will bring us back to the hotel. I'm sad that this adventure is coming to an end but I can't wait to take a shower and sleep on a mattress again. Plus - next up is the safari!

 

 

Kilimanjaro: Day 4 - Barranco to Barafu

Feb. 8th, 2013         5:15 pm

Barafu Camp (4600 m)

We're at base camp after a solid day of hiking 16 km uphill, downhill, and back up again. We woke up at 6, had our standard breakfast, then hit the road around 8. Climbing the Barranco Wall was...crazy.

I started out absolutely freezing and in no time I had warmed up. Parts of the wall required us to put away our poles and scramble up and across rocks. It was fun so long as you didn't look down.

(that's me with the yellow backpack)

Once we got up we went back down into a small valley, then back up out of it, and then back down into an even bigger valley and then up out of it! At the top we could see the tents at Karanga camp where we were having lunch.

(Looking ahead at the path we'd be following - this was only the small valley)

This lunch...we all cheered when it came in and we finally asked to meet the chef (Hans) to thank him. We had chicken, french fries, and coleslaw after potato ginger soup and bread. After lunch we walked another 3 hours to Barafu. The clouds came in overtop of us so in the span of about 30 minutes we went from hot and sunny weather to misty rain, to sleet and ice pellets. When we got to our tents we were cold and wet but now it's beautiful and sunny again. From Karanga to Barafu the landscape changed from alpine desert to... there's no name for it but it was all shale. It looked like someone had built stone houses then smashed them to bits.

(John capturing a photo opportunity and me capturing a photo of that photo)

I had a bit of a headache but I popped an ibuprofen and it's starting to go down. We're eating dinner now (leek soup with french toast, and spaghetti with vegetable sauce), then we sleep til 12, get woken up and push for the summit at 1 am!

Kilimanjaro: Day 3 - Shira to Barranco

 

Feb. 7, 2013.       7:40 pm

Barranco Camp (3940 m)

 

So this might be officially the earliest I've ever been in bed without having worked a night shift prior. We woke up this morning at 6 (standard), had tea in the tent, got our hot water bowls to wash up with, then met in the mess tent for breakfast. Ooji (the porridge), toast, omelettes, hotdogs, and mango. Then we got our bagged lunches and were ready to go.

 

We hiked 18 km today. Left around 8:15 and got to camp around 3:15. We ascended up to 4500 m from our camp at 3850 m to the lava tower (*Lava Tower may actually be somewhere closer to 4800 m - I've seen varying elevations) which is this amazingly huge rock that John said looks like an oversized Pride Rock (from the Lion King).

 

 

We started out the day warm and sunny (John was in a t-shirt) but then the clouds rolled in over us and it became incredibly misty. We descended from the Lava tower down a really foggy, treacherously rocky slope. But the rain started just as we were about 5 mins away from the camp so we avoided getting really damp.

 



Our group is awesome and really supportive of one another. The two feeling the altitude were in bad form today - tons of headaches and both threw up again. But they managed to rally and started feeling better. We were singing a lot of movie theme songs today and some Bon Jovi. At dinner I think we were all feeling a bit tired/feeling the altitude because we got the giggles really bad. It's nice to get along with everyone so well.

The terrain quickly changed as we left Shira camp (which has been my favourite so far). We woke up the clouds had drifted away and we got the most amazing view of the summit. Also of Mt. Meru in the distance.

 

 

 

It's too cloudy tonight to see any stars or even really to see the Barranco wall that we'll be tackling tomorrow. We caught a glimpse of it coming in and it looks terrifyingly large.

Once we got under way on our hike the heather-moorland quickly disapeared and we were in the alpine desert zone. The plants look exactly like what you'd expect to see in the desert. At a few points it felt like we were on Mars - red soil and only rocks.

Once we got back down to our camp we saw a ton of these strange trees that I've been calling Giant Pineapple Trees. Because they look like giant pineapples growing on trees.

 

 

 

 

So far John and I have been doing well. No headaches or sickness. John did have a bit of trouble finishing his dinner which is a common altitude issue. I apparently can't NOT eat and finished my plate plus the rest of John's. We had carrot soup and crepes, then pasta with a beef sauce which was delicious. We're being fed very well. Our lead guide seems pretty sure we'll all make it to the summit.

Speaking of that - tomorrow we hike 4 ish hours up Barranco wall then stop for a hot lunch. Then another 2 ish hour hike to our base camp. Oncethere we'll eat dinner then go directly to sleep. We'll be woken around 11 so we're ready to go at midnight and then we push for the summit doing about 1 km an hour. (*note: our guide lied to me and told me it was only 6 km from our camp to the summit. It was 11 km). 6 hrs to Stella Point then 1 hr to Uhuru Peak. I'm excited but so nervous.

So far this has been the most exciting and exhilirating thing I've ever done. Fingers crossed I make it to the summit!

Now... I guess to sleep! We've got a 16 km hike and a super big wall to climb tomorrow. Our guide keeps saying it'll be a "piece of cake" but we suspect he's lying to keep our spirits up.