Africa VI: Shira Camp - Barranco Camp

Day 3: Shira (3840 m) - Lava Tower (4630 m) - Barranco camp (3950 m). Hiking time: 7 hours


Woke up in the freezing morning to take photos of the stars...


And as you can see, it was well worth it..


The snow capped peaks against the starry sky.


The magical moment before the sun rose.


And the sky just kept changing colours..


This is probably the only toilet in the world set against such a majestic backdrop.


Where the sky and the ground met..


And we continue to climb... and climb.. and climb...


Cool dude.


Our porters overtaking us. (Even though we set off hours earlier..)


Man on the Moon?

This was probably the most tortuous part of the climb. I was probably having the worst headache of my life. It was just incapacitating. It reached its zenith at lunchtime and I threw away most of my uneaten food. While my friends continued up to Lava Tower, I had to make my way straight back to the next campsite. And the rain did nothing to lift our morale. We were all wet, cold and miserable by the time we reached the next camp...

Africa V: Machame Camp - Shira Camp

Day 2: Machame camp (2980 m) - Shira camp (3840 m). Hiking time: 6 hours


Pre-dawn at Machame camp. Above the sea of clouds.


Friends trying to blow mist into the cold morning air..


Stella point as seen from our campsite.


Ivy trying to take a photo on my tripod.


Our campsite above the clouds.


And the sun rose from behind the peaks of Kilimanjaro..


Panorama of the view around. Enlarge to see properly.


One of the many stops we made on our way up. These stops are the only respite in between the arduous climb from camp to camp..


Group shot. Still looking alive! (at this point..)


Our guides. Climbing is like taking a stroll for them.


On the rocks.

The thin air then gave me such a splitting headache that I stopped taking photos and starting taking painkillers. Every step sent a thump right to my head. I told myself "I'm going to give up. I'm not doing this anymore" with every step I took. But somehow, I reached the next camp..

Taiwan XX: Sunrise at Alishan (阿里山)

Finally, battling the sleep monster, we reached a vantage point to view the sunrise (which was predicted to occur at around 5.20am)


Moments before the sun rose..


The glorious sunrise which we had woke up at 3am for..

Taiwan XVII: Dawn at Sun Moon Lake (日月潭)

The sky moments before sunrise


Reflection of the boats and the dock in the water


Doesn't it look so calm and peaceful?


The morning sun upon the lake

Taiwan XV: Another Dawn at Cingjing

Moments before the sun rose over the mountain tops


Panorama of the valley of terraces. Click to enlarge!

Taiwan V: Sunrise at Cisingtan (七星潭)

We woke up at 4am to catch the sunrise at 5am..


The sunrise over the Pacific Ocean..


Ivy picking up stones along the seaside


Jumpshot!


The obligatory group shot


Acting cool


More cool-acting..


Breakfast at the hostel! (We went back to sleep after that)


Acting like a Tai-Tai