Doha Airport

​Wow! I have never seen anything like this!  I have been to many airports but this one takes the cake!  

It’s opulent- beautiful art pieces, a whole section with water and trees, huge bright signs, looks like something out of this world! 

There is so much to look at and see that 8 hours goes by pretty quickly. 

I don’t know if the photos will show up… 

Montréal to Doha, Qatar

We left Montreal at 10:05 in Qatar airways. When you get to your seat, there’s a pile of stuff waiting for you. There was a blanket, a pillow, headphones, and a little bag of goodies, containing a sleep mask, socks, earplugs, a toothbrush, and a teeny tiny tube of toothpaste.

The stewardesses are all very petite and pretty with black hair. They wear burgundy pants with a white shirt covered in little designs. When it comes to serving dinner, they wear a little navy blazer over their shirt.

At midnight we had dinner. I chose the ”roasted chicken and potato wedges”. why the quotation marks? Well, I saw pieces of pre-cooked chicken covered in melted cheese and doused with the gravy put a few peas on top and voilà. That was my dinner.  No potatoes and no what I imagined roasted chicken looks like. There was a little bowl of salad, which was OK and for dessert. It was a mousse of some kind. There was also a bottle of water.

By 1 o’clock I still could not sleep so I started a movie called Ambush. My 1:30 my eyes were tired and so I managed to fall asleep. I got a few hours of sleep with waking up every so often because of inconsiderate people who push and hit you on the way to the washroom or wherever they’re going. Too many inconsiderate people on earth.

When I woke up, I finished my movie, which was just OK. 

For “brunch” I took the vegetarian noodles as I couldn’t handle the surprise chicken again. They were like overcooked Tai noodles. They were edible. There was also a little cup with fruit and a cup of yogurt. The bun was cinnamon raisin. 

This is a very long flight … 12 hours long. Let’s just say I much prefer the 18 minutes late we had yesterday ha ha. The worst part is it’s not over. We have an eight hour layover in Doha, followed by another six hour flight to Kilimanjaro.

• I’m shocked at many people are wearing masks… on the whole airplane there is less than 10 people wearing one!  

Ottawa to Montreal

After Denise dropped us off at the airport, there were no issues. It was our first time through the new security and it was quite effective.

Our flight to Montreal took 18 minutes, yes only 18 minutes!  We spent 2+ hours at the Ottawa airport to fly 18 minutes and then spent 5+ hours at the Montreal airport. That’s a long time! 

Once we arrived, we decided to have dinner at Carlos and Pepe‘s Mexican restaurant. They had a good food- I shared Quesedillas with Heather. Our waiter was quite the character. A female waitress came by with a tray of glasses of water and offered them to us so we said sure! When our waiter came back, he seemed quite offended that we had glasses of water as he said, that water is not yours, you didn’t order it. We replied water is free in a restaurant. He said well you didn’t order it. We were thinking “What??” 

Once dinner was over we made our way back to our gate at which point we heard an announcement about our Doha flight. Something about if our boarding pass was given by a different airline we had to go to the desk to get new passes and get our paperwork vwerified. 

It is now 9 o’clock and our flight departs at 10:05. I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully I will get to sleep on the flight that will be more than 18 minutes. 

I’m on the app- I have no idea what it will look like… fingers crossed! 

The Big Day is Here!!

 Here we go!  3 hours to go before my sister picks us up to drop us off at the airport!  

This morning's to do list:

• Go drop off the mouse we caught over night in the woods.
• Fill the bird feeders.
• Clean out the filter in Sophie's shrimp tank.
• Water plants.
• Clean out the fridge -don't want to come back to growing science experiments!
• Pack and weigh my bag one last time.  Removed a few items. 13kg - I have a bit of leeway. 
• We had enough rain so I don't need to water the garden.
• Drop off key with neighbour.
• Relax and wait for our ride.

Un autre dodo!

One more sleep before we head out for a wonderful adventure! 

On the "menu" today:

• Last minute purchases - second battery for Sophie's camera - I'm bringing her camera because she has a giant lens I can use during the safari.
• Move my camera clip to Sophie's camera (I can attach it to the shoulder strap of my backpack for easy access.
• Pick up bird seeds to fill the feeders before leaving.
• Feed Houdini (last mouse before we go! Wouldn't want him to get hungry).
• Remove zucchinis that are ready.
• Drop off key with neighbour.
• Visit with sisters.
• Double check I have all the needed wires.
• Empty my phone's gallery - I had 8000 photos.  They are now all on my computer needing to be dealt with when I return.
• It never ends... does it?! 

Packing is a Process

I'm typically a last minute packer unless I'm headed for an epic adventure that takes planning to be successful.  Packing for an adventure is a process.

My process started a while back with just ideas rolling in my head.  I know the following:

• We will have hot days, rain, wind, and freezing cold days.
• There will be nasty disease carrying insects.
• Many risks like slippery rocks, perhaps plants, falls, trips, bruises, infections.
• and of course, high altitude which you can't really prepare for or know how it will affect you.  

The risks are numerous on any adventure but you can't let that stop you.  You just need to prepare as best you can!

Last week, I started taking out all the stuff I thought I might need.  I took out the clothing I want to bring, make sure I have bug spray, sunscreen, snacks...All this stuff on my bed, on the floor, in a basket, move it from here to there,  there to here, to everything on the floor so I can sleep in my bed.  This goes on for a few days.  Not the most efficient way but it's what works for me at this point of the planning.

Yesterday, I organized everything on my bed: 

• A pile for the safari after the climb: no black or white, no bright colours, no shorts, no tank tops that leaves me with a pair of beige pants, a beige t-shirt and a grey t-shirt.  Easy.  
• A pile for the climbing days: I have 2 pairs hiking pants (one light one heavy duty), 2 long sleeve merino wool shirts,  1 pair of merino wool long johns, 2 merino wool t-shirts, socks, underwear, gaiters (to keep pebbles out of boots), rain jacket, rain pants, puff jacket.
• A pile of treats and nutrition:  I have skittles, beef jerky, almonds, chocolate, Tailwind for my water, salt tablets, dried fruit, Endurance Tap, and maple candies for the porters.
• A pile for my backpack: my puff jacket, rain coat and pants, medicine (Malaria, altitude, Pepto Bismol, Advil, Tylenol, allergy, Immodium, script for severe diarrhea), treats for flight, hydration pack, empty 1L water bottle, camera, wires for phone and watch, earphones, battery pack, book and journal.
• Already in my duffle bag: sleeping bag, mat, inflatable pillow, liner.
• Other must haves: Hiking boots, trail shoes, 
• Other: bag of toiletries, toilet paper, mitts, toque, winter underwear, buffs, balaclava, swimsuit.

That's where I'm at for now.  I'm sure some things will be taken out, others will be swapped.  As I said a the beginning, it's a process! 

Bags to organize our clothes.

The orange bag will be packed and
repacked multiple times.

This is the clothing and other stuff that
needs to be reduced to fit in the bag.

miscellaneous stuff that may
or may not come.

Kilimanjaro Bound!

 I haven't been great at journaling the prep for our Kilimanjaro trip!  We are leaving in 11 days and I am very excited!  We have been waiting for this trip since before the Covid pandemic hit!  

So far, we've been training as a group doing hikes and stairs.  Training on our own cycling, running, walking.  I feel ready and look forward to this lifelong dream to come to life! 

After climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, we will be doing a 5 day safari - two birds one stone!  2 things off my bucket list!