My Baby is Eight!!

9 months and 6 days - that is how long it has been since I last blogged. So, what has happened since then? Well, Goodluck (Badluck) Jonathan is now our "elected" president, and I must say, his quiet looks do not belie his personality. He looks quite the "not-many-people-at-home-upstairs" kind of fellow. Anyway, as we Nigerians say, "It is well!" In less than 2 weeks, I will be on a plane to Tanzania. I plan to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, according to Wikipedia standing at 19,340 ft is the highest mountain in Africa & the 4th highest of the "Seven Summits" (the seven highest mountains of each of the 7 continents) whatever THAT means. Mountain na mountain, abi?Now, I am wondering what craziness has possessed me this time - yes, people, I do agree that I can be a little bit looney - but this time, even I must admit this is crazier than usual. I am not in any way fitter than your average sedentary Jane; nor am I particularly trim, athletic or even outdoorsy. So, how did I come about climbing Kilimanjaro? Honestly? I have no clue. In preparation, I have been going to the gym, doing cardiovascular workouts, strengthening my legs - I can do 4 sets of 15 reps of leg raises with 30kg on the machines; I can do the same for the arm exercises; I walk 4km at an average incline of 9.5 at an average speed of 4.6 km/h every other day and weekends I walk for 2 hours. And then the stretches. Those make me want to die! And each time I am at the gym, listening to Chris Brown's "Best Love Song" over and over, I ask myself the same question - "Feyi, are you mad?" Have I lost weight? Nothing significant, but I do feel healthier, I have more energy and my posture is slightly better. I am not looking to lose weight just yet. WHen I return from Kilimanjaro, then I will commence the weight loss program. I have a target weight loss of 8kg by the end of November, so when I start writing about my low-carb diet induced hallucinations, you'll know what's going on! Do I think I will make it to Uhuru Peak (the summit)? I hope I do. I hear Navratilova did not make it to the summit when she attempted the climb - she probably did one of the hard and challenging routes - and that is daunting. But, I have been reading posts of regular people who have and those are encouraging. I am scared and excited. I also have nothing to prove, nor am I attempting to raise money for charity (maybe I'll do that when I attempt to climb Mt Rainier in Washington State in the Pacific Northwest) so, if I am physically able to complete the mad challenge I have set for myself, then I will be content with the knowledge that I have tried. Ps: Just finding out that Kilimanjaro is volcanic - and not extinct. Hmmm Culled from Wikipedia: Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and fourth highest of the Seven Summits. Its highest point, Uhuru Peak, rises to an altitude of 5,895 m (19,341 ft) AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level). Kilimanjaro is composed of three distinct volcanic cones: Kibo 5,895 m (19,341 ft); Mawenzi 5,149 m (16,893 ft); and Shira 3,962 m (13,000 ft). Uhuru Peak is the highest summit on Kibo's crater rim. Kilimanjaro is a giant stratovolcano that began forming a million years ago, when lava spilled from the Rift Valley zone. Two of its three peaks, Mawenzi and Shira, are extinct while Kibo (the highest peak) is dormant and could erupt again. The last major eruption has been dated to 360,000 years ago, while the most recent activity was recorded just 200 years ago. Although it is dormant, Kilimanjaro has fumaroles that emit gas in the crater on the main summit of Kibo. Scientists concluded in 2003 that molten magma is just 400 m (1,310 ft) below the summit crater.[citation needed] Several collapses and landslides have occurred on Kibo in the past, one creating the area known as the Western Breach.