Photos-肯亞所見系列(6)-d

Photos-肯亞所見系列(6)-c

Photos-肯亞所見系列(6)-b

Photos-肯亞所見系列(6)-a

肯亞所見系列 (6)

Sunday, January 22, 2006

The Mountain hath no mercy (山是對我不會仁慈的)

SO much to write in such a small space yet I will try. I begin with the end rather than with the beginning. As I was whistling a tune coming off the daunting mountain that was Kilimanjaro, a mist appeared which blocked most of my view... It must have been my confusion or the speedy descent but I began to curse the mountain out loud. I began to tell it how Mt Kenya was much prettier and why can't it learn from Mt Kenya and clear up the weather. I was swearing and cursing and grinning in my little own Phil world when I felt the ground give way... I had stepped unintentionally into a pothole the size of my head and rolled my ankle inwards (i think the medical term is inversion but don't quote me on it). Either way, I took a diving header, rolled on the ground in slow motion and quickly realised I had developed a minor sprain. What took 4 and half hours to do merely took 5 hours now to come off the Mountain but Kilimanjaro had taught me a lesson. I gave my apologies to the mountain and continued my ascent after popping a few nurofen to ease the swelling. Strangely, the weather cleared and it was actually a pleasant descent with amazing views.

The night was still young after my last blog and I had barely 4 hours left before I had to hop on a plane onto Kilimanjaro. Nairobi seems to the best resting point yet we are never still here. There are always things to organise or events to plan. I rang Prof Sonnabend at around 3am my time after his secretary left his home number and we spoke for almost an hour. I could not believe how down to earth he was. HE is one of the few consultants who has never forgotten what it was like to be a student. He gave me the low down on all the fractures at Siaya and how they should be managed. Gave me further insight into the situation and even e-mailed me some papers. It was a fantastic conversation and I was truly grateful that he had replied to my e-mail around Christmas. It also gave me fighting spirit to get to Kili and make it back to Siaya to ensure all the changes would be carried out. I went to bed at around 4am feeling a sense of excitement at the ensuing adventure.

Morning came around 7am and we were off to the airport. I felt slightly nauseous from the lack of sleep but it was otherwise uneventful. Acetazolamide changed the taste of sodas and everything I drank with fizz appeared to lack any taste whatsoever. We arrived around 10 and made our way to picking up our Porters and guides. I did not get to know the porters that well on this trip as they were always running getting water and moving back and fro. They were truly busy souls. The packs were carried on their heads which is the convention here in Kili. Everything you see on the left was carried up the mountain. We eventually started hiking around 2pm which is quite late and commenced our trip up Machame Route. It took us about 3.5 hours of heavy walking through rainforest but we made it to Machame camp for night 1 of our supposed 7 day adventure.

It rained along the way but cleared by the time we arrived. It was beautiful at the campside. The atmosphere was invigorating and I felt refreshed. They set up a separate tent for us to have dinner in at night and it was quite nice but really I felt it was unnecessary carrying tables, chairs and an extra large tent all the way up to the mountain. I was satisfied eating in the tent and we left the extras down at Machame with the rangers. Early on day two we began the hike up to Shira Camp. This was where I was told I could not go the usual route up the Western Breach as tourists had been crushed and killed by rocks only a week earlier or so and the route was closed. Thus we had to go around Shira and head off to Barranca and Barrafu to head up to Stellar Point. Hakuna Matata I thought and we began discussing the quickest way up the mountain. We worked out that I could get up to Summit in 4 nights and come down on Day 5 to begin Safari which sped everything up for me considerably. It was only the Altitude sickness that had to be managed. My Warchest of medication was also holding stead and the temazepam at night made all the difference in terms of receiving adequate sleep. The toilets on Kili are very disgusting by the way and shallow as all hell. I broke my pant buckle using one of the damn things and had to go with a belt tight for the rest of the week.The next day we walked about 4 hours to get to Barranca. It was quite tiring but I did not feel a single bout of altitude sickness. I have to admit that I pre-empted most of the symptoms though and just took what I could to avoid feeling unwell. We were the first non-porters to reach Barranco and last to leave Shira as well. The porters were quite impressed but I had the meds to thank. After another peaceful night sleep we were up to Day 4 and headed off to Barafu where the summit was to be attempted. After 5 and a half hours we reached Barafu which was 4.6km above ground. Still there were no symptoms an I felt quite positive about the summit. It was a difficult last hour to Barafu but we made it safe and sound and ate a light dinner and went straight to bed.Midnight came and there was rustling at the campsite as every man and his dog attempted the summit. Pole Pole (slowly, slowly) could be heard all round as we made our way up a steep incline to Stellar POint. Western Breach (which was closed) is supposed to be harder but shorter and Stellar point route is longer but easier. However, it did not feel easier and 5.5 hours later we finally reached stellar point where it was only another easy 30 minutes until we reached Uhuru point where the summit was. Many people did not make it to Uhuru. One german woman was knelt down in the snow frozen staring straight ahead with tears in her eyes about 50 metres from Stellar point. She had hit the wall. My Backpack was a frozen solid piece of ice at this stage and everything was frozen solid. I felt like my toes and fingers were going to drop off.

Eventually we made it to the peak for Sunrise which only images can describe and my camera was frozen solid. Photos came out funny for the summit shot but it eventually defrosted once the sun came out. We quickly made out way (ran) down the mountain and reached Barafu by about 9:30am. We ate a quick breakfast and decided to get off the mountain as quick as we can. Besides the ankle rolling incident (the twist) there was little else and it was quite a pleasant descent (hard on the knees though). Eventually we made it down at about 3pm for what was to be a long day. More time was then spent getting a certificate and getting off the mountain and we eventually found a decent hotel by about 11pm after talking to my parents. I had discovered that the company I use to purchase some US dollars was based in London and of course the Bank rang my parents to tell them some purchased had been made in London. Needless to say my parents were freaked and thought someone had stolen my card or that I had been killed etc and I was of course without a signal up the mountain. They then decided to cancel my card immediately and dad paced up the down the balcony for days contemplating jumping off. All this was told to me the minute i got down the mountain and I realised that my family was like so many others and had a knack for the melodramatic. All sorted anyway and my adventure would continue after I calmed them down.The minute I stepped off the mountain something really strange happened. All the negative Altitude sickness that was suppose to happen had bypassed me but all the side effects from taking the medication had taken hold. The dexamethasone I was taking had blown my immune system to bits and I was afflicted with gastro and a respiratory infection immediately. Once again, the thought of my parents contemplating jumping off the balcony was too much and I thought I'd just ride it out (sorry mum and daddy). Of course, its Day 4 post coming off the mountain and everything has returned to normal but I was a sick burnt mess when I came off the mountain. My skin had been severely burnt rushing down from the mountain and my face had peeled in a dramatic fashion giving flakes of gray skin. I looked like a bit of a hairless werewolf in the sun way too long. It was quite a sight.

The next morning we began Safari with our excellent driver Patrick. The term itself was a mystery to me. I often thought of Safari as a exciting journey into the great abyss of the serengetti to hunt out animals and photograph them for our own self gratification. How wrong I was. Most of the reserves have clearly marked tracks and going Safaring is a lot like cruising for girls in a pub. IT really depends on what nights you are out and you are never guaranteed to score even if you put plenty of effort and time in. Luckily we saw plenty of animals on the reserves and it was amazing to get nice and close to the action.

We spent the first day at Lake Myanara which was an entire reserve based around the lake where animals would feed. The second day was spent at Ngorongoro crater which is visually one of the most amazing places I have visited. OF course my body was not in total agreeance with me but I struggled through and saw some amazing wildlife. The lodges were equally amazing and all situated up on the hills looking down at the reserve. ITs interesting looking at the people on Safari and Climbing Kili. They are all my parents age. You have better odds of completing kili at 50+ than you do being under fifty. I will definitely try and convince my parents to return if they are up for it.

Today we packed our things and flew back to Nairobi. It was nice to have a hot shower and enjoy some air-conditioning once again. It is always much more enjoyable once you've suffered slightly. Tomorrow I get my work in gear and on Monday I will return to Siaya to complete another week of work. Got an e-mail from Noel who will oddly be in Nairobi in the next few days. Hopefully we'll have some fun adventures. I am perfectly healthy now. Albeit a healthy tan and the flaking has stopped. My ankle has returned to almost its normal size and all signs of infections has left so do not worry mum and dad :) :) (# posted by Phil Huang @ 7:22 AM )


我會儘量試著在這小小的 blog “部落格”空間裡, 把所發生的這麼多的事情給寫出來. 不從最前面發生的事情講起; 讓我就從最後的結果開始說好了. 當我一路用口哨吹著某一首歌, 一路走下現在回想起來是令我敬畏的吉力馬札羅山的時候, 山中突然起霧; 轉眼之間, 就擋住了我大部份的視線…. 一定是由於一時的迷亂, 或是急於想快速下山的關係; 我開始大聲的罵起這座山起來. 我罵它為什麼不多學學肯亞山, 看看人家的景色; 那可是比它漂亮多了. 它最好趕快把這種爛天氣給放晴朗起來; 否則…. 沉醉在自己的 Philip 小世界中, 一邊露齒笑著, 一邊臭罵詛咒著這座山的我, 突然間腳下的地面不見了…… 我居然在無意中, 一腳踏進去和我的頭一樣大的一個大洞, 以致於我的左腳腳踝向內側扭轉 (我想醫學名詞叫這種情形是Inversion, 但是我不敢確定) [註: 是叫做這樣, 沒錯]. 總之, 我頭先朝下的跌了個大倒蔥, 一切都好像是我們所看到的慢動作電影似的, 我滾倒在地上. 剎那之間我馬上意識到, 自己的腳踝是有個小扭傷了. 我本來 4 個半小時就可以走下山的, 現在吉力馬札羅山打算要給我一個教訓; 這下子我可得要花 5 個多小時才能下山了. 我在心裡默默的向這座山道歉, 嘴中塞入幾顆 Nurofen [註: 醫藥學名是 Ibuprofen, 它可以消炎止痛] 消腫, 繼續走下山. 說也奇怪, 這時的天氣, 馬上霧散開始放晴; 接下來的下山路途是一路愉快, 風景也非常怡人.

當寫完上一篇的 blog 文章後沒幾天 [註: 應是當地 14/Jan 半夜] , 時間還很早; 剩下不到 4 個小時我就要去機場, 搭機飛往坦桑尼亞的吉力馬札羅市. 照理說, 奈羅比的 Serena 旅館, 應該是我可以好好休息的地方 [註: Serena 旅館是奈羅比最新的一間五星級旅館, 每間房間內都可以無線上網; 每晚的收費是 US$ 200]. 可是, 總因為有好多的事情需要去策劃和安排, 我卻沒辦法整天都逗留在房間裡; 反而是必須要進進出出旅館地去辦理事情. 我大概是在半夜 3 點鐘左右, 用 Sonnabend 教授醫師的秘書所給我的他家裡的電話號碼, 我和這位醫師取得了聯絡. 雙方在電話中, 也談了將近有一個小時之久. 我無法相信, 他是這般的平易近人和不擺架子. 他是少數的幾位主治醫師中, 從沒有忘記過到底一位醫學院學生的感受是什麼樣子的. 他把希阿亞區域醫院裡的所有骨折病患, 他們的近況和應該是要怎麼去治療的情形, 盡其可能的向我做很詳盡地解說. 他把醫院裡的醫療情況, 給了我很多的內幕消息; 甚至於還把一些文件和資料 e-mail 給我. 這是一個很棒的對談, 我真的是非常感激他在聖誕節左右的時候有回我發給他的 e-mail. 這也讓我決定在爬完吉力馬札羅山之後, 我要抱著努力一戰的決心, 再回到希阿亞醫院一個禮拜, 以確保所有應該要做的改變, 會被確實的執行. 帶著對即將要來臨的征服非洲第一高山的一種興奮心情, 我在 4:00am 左右上床睡覺.

早上大約 7 點鐘左右, 我動身前往機場 [註: 應是當地 14/Jan. 看來奈羅比的 Serena 旅館櫃檯職員在當晚告訴我們說他是在 12:30pm 退房一事, 並不確實]. 由於缺乏睡眠, 我覺得有點想吐, 但除此之外, 倒也沒有發生什麼特別的事. 我所服用的 Acetazolamide [註: 抑制碳酸酐酵素口服藥的正式醫藥名詞; 它專門用來治療青光眼或高山症. Philip 所服用的預防和治療高山症的Diamox 就是這種藥] 改變了蘇打水的味道; 看起來不管我喝的是什麼樣的碳酸飲料, 只要一入我口, 它就會變成是什麼味道都沒有了. 我大概在 10 點鐘時就抵達, 然後直接就去接我的嚮導和挑夫. 這趟爬吉力馬札羅山的挑夫由於總是到處走來走去的準備飲用水和其它一些的東西, 所以我並沒有多少時間可以和他們混得熟一點. 他們真的是很盡責的在忙碌著.

東西準備好了以後, 這些挑夫就把打包好的包裹頂在自己的頭上, 這種搬運的方式在吉力馬札羅是很普遍就可以看得到的. 所有的東西都是由挑夫用這樣的方式一路扛上山的 [註: 吉力馬札羅山主峰 Uhuru 的高度是海拔 5,890 公尺]. 我們終於在下午大概是 2 點鐘的時候啟程. 而如果我們是打算要走 Machame 這條路線在這個時候才動身的話, 已經算是非常晚的了. 我們走了大概有 3 個半小時崎嶇不平很難走的上坡山路, 穿過熱帶雨林; 終於在這趟應該是要 7 天冒險旅程的第一個晚上, 抵達了Machame 營區. 我們一路走來, 沿途都是在下雨, 不過當我們走到營區的時候, 雨總算是停了. 這個營區很漂亮, 氣氛不錯; 讓人覺得很舒服. 我也一下子就覺得精神又來了. 挑夫們卸下行李, 立刻搭起了另外一個獨立的吃晚餐專用的大營帳, 讓我們晚上可以在營帳內用晚餐. 這種享受雖然不錯, 但我覺得, 讓這些挑夫們扛著這些笨重的餐桌, 餐椅, 還有一大頂的營帳, 一路爬上這座高山來, 為的就是要吃這種氣氛餐; 這實在是一件沒有必要的事情. 因此, 雖然我很滿意這頓在大營帳內設立餐桌擺上餐椅的晚餐, 隔天早上我還是要求他們, 把一些多餘的餐桌餐椅, 都留下來送給了駐在 Machame 營區裡的守林員, 不要再帶走.

旅程的第二天 [註: 應是當地 15/Jan] 的一大早, 我們就開始往上走, 打算要到 Shira 營區去. 沒想到在 Shira 營區時, 我才被告知說, 由於一個禮拜之前有幾位爬山的觀光客, 因為多日豪雨山路鬆動的關係, 不幸被滾落下來的巨石給砸死; 所以接下來的旅程, 通常大家都是由 Shira 營區走到Western Breach 的這條路線, 已經是被關閉, 不能走了. 我們必須要沿著 Shira 營區走到 Barranco 和 Barafu營區, 再前往 Stellar Point 史特拉山峰. 我在心裡不禁暗自喊出: Hakuna Matata [註: 這是 在 Lion King這部迪士尼電影中, 可愛的 Timon 丁滿 和 Pumbaa 澎澎, 對獅子王 Simba 辛巴所講的一句非洲土話. 意指: 不要擔心, 事情總可以找到方法來解決的], 也開始和嚮導討論起, 應該是要走什麼路線, 才能在最快的時間內攻上山頂.

我們研擬出一條捷徑路線, 讓我在行程的第 4 個晚上就走到峰頂附近; 第 5 天的早上就可以下山. 這樣多出來的時間, 我就可以去多參加一項 Safari 狩獵之旅. 為了要趕上 19/Jan 出發的這團Safari 狩獵之旅的緣故, 剩下來的行程, 我們就趕路趕得非常厲害, 趕路我無所謂; 但是高山症的預防, 這我可得要想辦法來應付以對. 我放醫藥的寶箱, 有達到它的功能; 每天晚上睡前所服用的Temazepam [註: 這是口服安眠藥丸Restoril 的正式醫藥名詞, 它可以帶來高品質的睡眠, 或是治療有睡眠障礙的人], 也讓我這次的登山之旅可以有足夠的睡眠. 這和我上次攀登肯亞山時, 因患有高山症以致徹夜難以入睡的情況, 是完全地不同.. 我在這裡順便要告訴大家的是: 在吉力馬札羅山上, 如果想去上廁所, 它的糞坑是超級的淺; 那實在是有夠惡心的一件事. 我在其中的一間爛廁所裡扯掉了牛仔褲拉鍊上方的釦子; 只好在接下來的整個禮拜裡把腰帶都拉得很緊來度過.

隔天 [註: 應是當地 16/Jan] 早上, 我們走了大概有 4 個小時才抵達 Barranco. 走得很累人, 但是我卻一點兒也感受不到高山症的病狀. 我必須要承認, 我是事前已設想了所有可能會發生的病狀, 為了不讓自己有感受到任何的不舒服, 我是服用了很多藥物.

我們是最後一個離開 Shira 營區的人, 也是第一個抵達 Barranco 的非挑夫觀光客. 所有的挑夫們都覺得我很棒, 對我很佩服; 可是我知道, 其實這都是拜我事先所服用的那些藥物之賜. 經過一晚寧靜的睡眠之後, 我們繼續第 4 天的行程 [註: 應是當地 17/Jan], 往 Barafu 前進, 打算明天一早由那裡直接攻上峰頂 Uhuru. 經過 5 個半小時之後, 我們終於抵達了海拔 4,600 公尺高的 Barafu. 我還是沒有感受到任何高山症的病狀, 這讓我對隔天一早的攻頂之舉, 信心為之大增. 在抵達 Barafu 之前的最後 1 個小時的山路, 實在是很陡峭難走; 不過我們總算是安全平安的抵達. 簡單用過晚餐之後, 大家都直接就去睡了.

午夜一過 [註: 應是當地 18/Jan] , 就可以聽到整個營區裡到處都是沙沙唏嗦的聲音; 因為每一個人, 或是和他的狗, 都在準備, 打算要攻上山頂. 當我們在往 Stellar Point史特拉山峰前進的途中, 經過一處非常陡峭的山坡時, 到處都可以聽到有人在說: Pole Pole (非洲土語, 意為慢慢走, 慢慢走). Western Breach (因為落石的關係, 已經被關閉) 這條路線比較難走, 可是路程比較近; Stellar Point史特拉山峰這條路線, 雖然路程是比較遠, 可是它卻是比較好走. 不過, 雖說是路比較好走, 我卻覺得它並沒有多好走. 走了 5 個半小時以後, 我們終於來到Stellar Point史特拉山峰 . 從這裡, 我們只要再走 30 分鐘的山路, 就可以攻上峰頂 Uhuru. 並不是每一個人都可以走到峰頂的. 我就親眼看到, 在離史特拉山峰只有 50 公尺遠的地方, 有一個德國婦女跪倒在滿覆冰雪的路上, 兩眼熱淚盈眶地直視前方不遠的那座幾乎觸手就可及的史特拉山峰. 可惜, 她已經不能夠再走得動任何一步. 對她而言, 攻頂之舉算是功虧一簣.

在這個時候, 我身上的背包, 已經凍成像一塊大冰塊似的, 其它所有的東西也都結成像冰塊一樣的堅硬. 雖然身裹重衣層層保護, 可是我卻覺得自己的手指和腳趾彷彿是被凍得快要掉落下來似的. 最後, 我們終於攻上山頂, 趕上日出時刻. 那景色之美, 我只能用相機拍攝出來的畫面向大家敘述, 可是我的照相機卻已經結冰, 不能用. 在峰頂所照出來的照片, 畫面全都看起來很怪. 後來太陽升上來以後, 幸好相機也解凍, 又可以用了. 我們很快的就離開那裡趕快下山 (用跑的). 回到 Barafu 的時候, 已經是大概 9:30 過後. 我們很簡單地用過早餐之後, 決定要儘快的離開這座山區.

除了腳踝滾動意外 (扭傷) 事件以外, 下山的路程倒也還好, 幾乎沒有什麼特別的事情發生, 一切都很愉快順利 (雖然對我的兩個膝蓋來說, 一路可是苦了它們了). 經過非常漫長的整天行走, 下午 3 點鐘左右, 我們終於回到了平地. 這其中, 其實我大部份的時間, 都是花在要取得攻頂証明文件和趕著要下山的兩件事情上面. 最後, 我們總算在晚上 11:00 左右, 在吉力馬札羅市區裡, 找到了一間比較像樣的小旅館休息, 我也馬上打電話給父母報平安. 在電話中, 我才知道, 由於嚮導和挑夫只收取美金的關係, 我在出發要去登山的那天早上 [註: 14/Jan], 用老爸的信用卡附卡向 Travelex 預借了 US$ 500; 而 Travelex 總公司是在英國, 帳款扣除發生地在記錄上顯現出來的, 就變成是發生在英國預借了 US$ 500 現金. 發卡銀行馬上打電話給我爸來做確認, 並且告訴他們說, 有人用了我的信用卡在英國預借了現金. 不用說, 這可把我的父母給嚇壞了. 他們以為, 我如果不是信用卡被偷或盜用; 不然就是人被殺死卡被奪走了. 而因為我當時是一路在爬山, 音訊全無; 他們找不到我, 我對此事也一無所悉, 於是他們決定先將我的信用卡馬上給停掉. 聽說我爸還好幾個晚上下班後都在陽台上走來走去, 甚至於還考慮過要往下跳. 我一下山和他們取得聯絡以後, 他們在電話中馬上就告訴我這些事.

這也讓我體認到, 我的父母和全世界其他的父母並沒有兩樣, 那就是: 他們也很喜歡把事情戲劇化. 總而言之, 我把他們驚恐的情緒給安撫下來; 而我則繼續我的冒險之旅. [註; 在台北時間 19/Jan 清晨 7:00左右, 當地時間 18/Jan 2:00am午夜過後不久, 在我們再度和 Philip 通電話聯絡中得知, 看來他所找的這間旅館也不怎麼樣; 因為他當時正忙於自己搬運行李, 想要換到另外一間有冷氣空調的房間裡去. 只因為原來的那間房間裡的空調好像是壞掉了, 沒有在運轉. 他這時也才向我暗示說, 在他稍前下山途中 “There was a twist.” (事情有個轉折). 打死我也不會聯想到, 原來他所說的是發生了腳踝 “twist” (扭傷) 的意外. 看來吉力馬札羅山對他的臭罵詛咒所給予的報復, 並沒有傷到他的機智]

從我一踏下山的那一刻起, 有一件很奇怪的事發生了. 那就是: 在高山上, 所有應該要發生在我身上的高山症的病狀, 一件都沒有發生; 但是一回到平地上來, 我所服用藥物的所有副作用, 卻一下子全都顯現在我的身上. 我所服用的 Dexamethasone 藥丸, 可能是我吃太重太多了 [註: 據 Philip 後來在電話中告訴他姊姊說, 他一共服用了 4mg x 4 x 2天], 我身體的免疫系統遭到破壞; 以致於我變成胃酸太多, 呼吸系統也馬上有被感染的現象 [註: 意指鼻塞或流鼻水]. 我再次的又想到我的父母徘徊在陽台想要往下跳的那副情景, 我很怕如果我再告訴他們, 在和他們通電話聯絡的那一刻, 其實我人是正覺得很不舒服的話, 他們可能會更擔心或受不了; 所以我沒有告訴他們這件事. 我決定讓自己獨自想辦法來度過這種難過的病痛就可以了 (對不起, 爸媽, 我當時沒有告訴你們這件事). 當然了, 今天已經是下山後的第 4 天了 [註: 這篇文章是在 22/Jan 完成的], 我身體的狀況已經恢復正常. 不過, 老實說, 我剛下山的那一天 [註: 應是當地 18/Jan], 我身體的健康狀況其實是非常糟糕的; 全身都是病痛, 非常的不舒服.

由照片中, 你們也可以很清楚的看到, 由於急著要趕路下山和在峰頂的太陽光線反射在雪地裡的關係, 我的臉被嚴重的曬傷; 整張臉到處都是在脫皮, 就好像是一張很誇張的大花臉似的. 新皮和舊皮在我臉上交叉雜陳著; 舊皮焦乾斑駁脫落, 新皮灰白奇癢無比. 我看起來, 有點像是在太陽底下逗留太久的一位無毛狼人.

隔天早上 [註: 應是當地 19/Jan], 由很棒的司機 Patrick 開著車, 我們開始了 Safari 狩獵之旅. Safari 這個名詞, 對我來說, 一向就是很不可思議, 聽起來又好像是很神秘的一件事. 我以前都以為所謂的 Safari 狩獵之旅, 應該就是到一處一望無際的寧靜大草原上, 為了滿足我們自己本身的喜悅, 所做的獵殺動物或是攝取他們照片的一種令人興奮地旅程活動. 我真是完全把它想錯了. 大部份的動物保留區都在它沿路的車道軌跡上, 留有清楚的標記; 而且如果你想要從事 Safari 這種狩獵之旅的話, 其實它和你通常到 pub酒館裡去找女孩子玩這檔事是差不多的. 也就是說, 那可得要看你是禮拜幾的晚上到 pub酒館裡去, 而且不管你花了多少時間或是有多努力去試, 沒有人可以擔保你當晚一定會 “得分”. 很幸運的, 我們在動物保留區裡, 看到了很多的野生動物. 能夠在這麼近距離的觀察牠們的活動, 真是一種既神奇又很棒的經驗. 我們頭一天 [註: 應是當地 19/Jan], 是到 Lake Myanara 米亞那拉湖的動物保護區裡去. 這是沿著米亞那拉湖設立的一個動物保護區. 整個保護區裡的動物, 都會到這個湖邊來覓食 [註: 看來這天他是收穫不多]. 我們第二天 [註: 應是當地 20/Jan] 則是到 Ngorongoro crater 茍若茍若火山口附近的動物保護區, 這裡很顯然的, 是我玩過的地方中, 景色最神奇漂亮的. 當然我這個時候的身體還是非常的不舒服, 但我儘可能的打起精神來撐著. 同時, 我也看到了一些很棒的野生動物牠們活動的情景. 那些蓋在山坡上可以俯看到動物保護區裡景色的小房子, 也是同樣的很棒. 有趣的是, 我還注意到一件事, 那就是: 來參加 Safari狩獵之旅和攀登吉力馬札羅山的人, 大部份都是像我父母那種年紀 50~60 歲左右. 其實, 如果你想要登上吉力馬札羅山峰頂的話, 50 歲以上的人他們成功的機會是會比 50 歲以下的人更大 [註: 意指 50 歲以上的人因為動作遲緩, 比較不會得到高山症]. 如果以後我的父母有興趣的話, 我一定會試著去說服他們, 和我一起再回來這裡玩或是攀登這些高山.

今天稍早 [註: 應是當地 21/Jan], 我把行李打包好, 又飛回了奈羅比. 能夠又重新享受到熱水澡和冷氣空調的感覺, 真的是很好 [註: 他又住進了奈羅比的 Serena 旅館]. 先苦後樂的享受總是更為甜蜜. 明天 [註: 應是當地 22/Jan] 我會把一些事情都處理好, 然後下禮拜一 [註: 應是當地 23/Jan] 回到希阿亞區域醫院裡去工作實習再一個禮拜. 我收到 Noel 傳送給我的一封 e-mail, 說他過幾天會到奈羅比來. 我不知道他是為什麼要到這裡來, 不過, 我希望到時和他碰面時, 我們兩個人可以好好的 “歡樂冒險” 一下. 我現在的身體已經完全恢復正常了; 皮膚是健康的古銅色, 脫皮也停止了. 我的腳踝扭傷已經消腫, 幾乎已經回復到正常的尺寸. 我服藥後的呼吸道感染副作用也沒有了. 所以, 父母親大人, 請你們不要再為我擔心了. :) :)
(posted by Phil Huang @ 7:22 AM )


[後記]

看到文章的最後, 我覺得 Philip 的幽默感是又回來了, 所以他應該是一切都沒有問題了. 27/Jan 晚上, 他將會從奈羅比搭機, 經過杜拜, 再飛往美國波士頓, 展開另一段為期 4 個禮拜全然不同經驗的實習之旅. 哈佛醫學院要他在 30/Jan 當天早上去報到, 他已經在醫院的附近找好一間房的小套房落腳居住. 我在 15/Dec 寄給他的巧克力和針筒的包裹, Philip 一直沒有收到. FedEx 聯邦貨運公司在 24/Jan 早上, 打電話來說希望能夠有收件人在肯亞的聯絡電話號碼. 東西交給他們 40 天以後他們才想到要詢問或告知寄件人說東西還在他們的手裡, 看來, 我可以在 FedEx 經常打的那句廣告詞 “使命必達” 字句的後面, 另外加個大問號 “?’ 上去了.