Epic World

A 125-day adventure by Eric Read more

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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Pa' Lungan
August 29, 2016 in Malaysia
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Pa' Lungan
August 30, 2016 in Malaysia
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Bario
August 31, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Miri
September 1, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
On our final morning we walked around the rice fields and stopped to explore a long house. Nobody was in the long house so they must have been out working. We said bye to our hosts and caught a flight to Miri and stayed out of town at Treetop Jungle Lodge. The owner was originally from South Africa and loved to talk. It was an interesting set up with long house on stilts over the pond. Lots of mosquitos and a resident cat. It had a great outdoor shower.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Mulu National Park
September 2, 2016 in Malaysia
We spent 4 days in Mulu National Park, Borneo. This is a popular destination with many guided tours. The main draw is the giant cave system that you can explore with a guide for a fee. Our tour included 4 caves. They varied from small with elegant stalagmites and stalactites to giant caverns with rivers running through them and giant rock formations. The first night was also capped with a bat show where we saw millions of bats leave Deer Cave to go out and eat. Two things we found interesting: 1 when the bats leave the cave, they fly in a horizontal tornado like pattern to avoid predators, very neat to watch; 2 there are virtually no mosquitos in this part of the jungle because the bats eat over 15 tones of bugs a night. The caves were interesting, but we find they didn't really hold our attention for long. The real draw for us was a hike to an interesting rock formation call the pinnacles. Like it sounds, the pinnacles are many large, pointed rocks located near the top of Mount Mulu. To get there we had a fun boat ride and an easy 2-hour walk. Leeches were supposed to be bad here, but we only got one tiny one. We lucked out with no leech bites in all of Borneo. The hike on the following morning was 2.5km and very steep. The top section was a lot of ladder work and a bit of climbing which we enjoyed. The decent was very difficult. Extremely slippery and steep. We took our time as we were worried about injuring ourselves before Kilimanjaro. Our guide did all the cooking but was pretty standoffish once he had done his work. The biggest problem we faced was the bees at camp 5. They were drawn to sweaty clothes, and we didn't bring any soap to wash them. I'm sure the locals have a good laugh at the tourists as they run away from the bees.

Flight to Mulu, met our guide, bought lunch at the restaurant, rejoined our guide to tour Deer Cave and Lang Cave followed by bat show. The accommodations were nice in national park. We had our own lodge to ourselves.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Mulu National Park
September 3, 2016 in Malaysia
We had an early breakfast then met our guide at 8:30 for a boat ride to a longhouse village, Clearwater Cave and Ladyfoot cave. The boat ride was a lot of fun. After lunch we continued by boat to the trailhead and walked 2hrs (9km) to camp. Easy walk, no leeches. Arrived at camp at 3:30. We went for a swim and then it rained all afternoon. The guide made all meals but wasn’t very social. Early to bed since there wasn’t much to do. Our beds all had bug nets.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Mulu National Park
September 4, 2016 in Malaysia
Pinnacles hike today. Up was easy, last 400m was on ladders and was a lot of fun. Down was treacherous and very challenging. The view from the top was okay but not especially rewarding.
Back at camp for 2pm, lots of bees, wish we had soap, Spent most of afternoon in the bug nets.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Mulu National Park
September 5, 2016 in Malaysia
Easy hike out. Boat ride was quick as the water level was higher after the rain and we were going downstream.

Dropped off at D’Cave homestay and ate our packed lunch from our guide. We walked back to park (only 10 minutes) and explored the Paku loop and waterfall. We wasted away the afternoon with some beers at the bar and dinner at a restaurant. There were a few different small restaurants to eat at just outside the park.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Singapore
September 6, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
A long travel day. We caught a flight to Miri, then a connection to Kuala Lumpur and finally a connection to Singapore. We arrived late in the day ended up in little India for a Roti John dinner before calling it a day. Accommodations are expensive so we went with a hostel. Each bed is like its own private coffin. Very claustrophobic.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Singapore
September 7, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
We are back in a city. Man is it hot outside. We explored ION Orchard Mall for some air conditioning. A tour of Chinatown gave us some insight into the history of the city followed by a dim sum lunch. We explored the waterfront by the Marina Bay Sands Singapore Hotel and caught the evening light show. We completed the day with wings at Clarkes Quay.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Singapore
September 8, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Today we toured Little India with a guide in the morning, followed by a quick walk-through Arab Town.

It is such an efficient city and so easy to get around by transit. Each day has been filled with a tour, lots of walking, eating and an evening light show. There are so many shopping malls here it is crazy. The highlight for me had been the flower dome and cloud forest dome. These are basically giant bio domes filled with gardens. The Cloud Forest mimics lush vegetation of the tropical highlands and has a tall waterfall. The designs, layouts and plants are awe inspiring. We spent 4 hours walking around the area. The whole park area is self sustaining, and they have these super trees (25 -50 meters tall) in the outside garden which collect rain for water and sun for energy so the net cost on the environment is zero. They are also covered in vertical gardens which blend them in to the surrounding gardens. The super trees light up in the evening time with a popular light show.

In the evening we hopped on the subway and head to Geylang and had a relaxing dinner and drinks at the Tuckshop along the Geylang river. Felt like being at a trending bar back home.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Singapore
September 9, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
We explored Canning Fort Park and looked for Funang Mall for a cheap camera, but it was closed. A trip to Singapore isn’t complete without a stop at Raffles Long Bar for a Singapore Sling. That was a fun experience but what an overpriced drink.

We caught a flight back to Kuala Lumpur. We have a stop over before we continue to Tanzania.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Kuala Lumpur
September 10, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Back at the 1000 Miles Hotel last night. We really like the location and the price. We did some laundry and headed to Chinatown for Lunch. We wandered around Merdeka Sq followed by a coffee and roti break. Our visit to Asia is now over. We caught a bus to the airport and an overnight flight to Tanzania.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Arusha
September 11, 2016 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
We landed in Arusha, Tanzania early and were picked up by our hotel’s driver and taken to our accommodations. These roads are in ruff conditions. It was a long dusty ride for a relatively short distance. Arusha is one of the main jumping off points for Kilimanjaro and safari trips. The town is really driven by tourism. After cleaning up, we had lunch. They wouldn’t let us leave the hotel without a guide. It felt like a bit of a money grab, but a guide was helpful. Our guide Moosa took us to the central market and the grocery store. We had to find a bank to make multiple withdrawals to get the cash we needed. We had a basic peanut butter dinner. Feeling a bit trapped here in anticipation of our trip. Settled for some old episodes of Lost and early to bed.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Arusha
September 12, 2016 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Met our trekking companions in the lobby. Ken and Molly from Virginia, Denise (daughter) from Indianapolis. We did a bus tour to the cultural centre and drove around town. The cultural centre was really a fancy tourist shop. Lots of interesting local artist work.

We sorted our trekking gear and relaxed with a beer while watching rabbits hop around on the lawn. At orientation that evening, we met our guide Good Luck and weighed our gear. Given all our trekking, the gear we brough was pretty light. We ended up renting a heavier winter coat for Rebecca. Tomorrow the trek begins.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Mount Kilimanjaro
September 13, 2016 in Tanzania ⋅ ☀️ 0 °C
Day 1: MACHAME GATE (5,700') to MACHAME CAMP
9,350’ ~2850m ∙ 6.8 mi ∙ 5-7 hrs
After a restful night and an enjoyable breakfast at the hotel, you will be met by your Climb Kili guide and other mountain crew where we will transfer you from the hotel to the Machame Gate. We now leave the park gate and walk through the rain forest on a winding trail up a ridge. Lower down, the trail can be muddy and slippery. Gaiters and trekking poles are a good idea here. At Machame Camp your tent will be set up and personal belongings will be ready for you as well as dinner.

Our trek begins. We met our mountain crew and set out on a 3-hour drive to the Machame Gate. We met our final group member Giselle from Dubai, born in India. A warm sandwich lunch with chiapatta. We left the park gate and walked through the cloud forest section on a winding trail up a ridge. We set our own temp for the first hour, but our assistant guide God Bless took over and set an excruciating slow pace. His English is not great, but we tried to chat. We basically slowed down to 1km/hr. This is to help with adjusting to the altitude but boy was it slow. The trail started as a wide dirt road and narrowed after 1km. We chatted with the different members of our group. Conversations lessened as people got tired. Porters slowly passed us throughout the walk, and we took many short breaks. The temperature was not bad and no reactions to altitude yet. We arrived a busy dusty camp. We were surprised how dusty it was and expected more gravel. Camp routine was arrive and be shown to your tent. Everything is set up by the porters before you arrive. Change and relax, wash water is provided, tea and snacks (popcorn and cookies), followed by dinner.Read more
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Mount Kilimanjaro
September 14, 2016 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ -3 °C
Day 2: MACHAME CAMP to SHIRA CAMP
12500’ ~3810m ∙ 2.8 mi~5 km ∙ 4-6 hours
After breakfast, we left the glades of the rain forest and continue on an ascending path, crossing the little valley walking along a steep rocky ridge, entering in the moorland zone covered with heather, until the ridge ends. The route now turns west onto a dry river gorge. We reach our camp in time for rest, dinner, and overnight at the Shira Camp.

Slow and steady wins the race. Same pace as yesterday. The trail took us up into mooreland. It was a short day and we ended up getting to camp 2 for lunch. We rested a few hours and had a short walk to acclimatize further. The crew sang us a nice song when we arrived at camp about coffee and other things that would taste good during the climb. We really enjoyed our climbing companions. There was a US family, mom and dad were 62 and 71 respectively along with their adult daughter. We were also joined by a lady from Dubai (29) whose only training was some apartment stairs, she suffered. The porters on our trip were all really nice. We had about 20 porters including guides, cooks, and toilet engineer. Things are so regulated now that the max load they can carry is 20kg (including 5kg of their own) but they still work really hard to make sure you get up the mountain.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Mount Kilimanjaro
September 15, 2016 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C
Day 3: SHIRA CAMP to BARRANCO CAMP
13,000’ ~ 3962m ∙ 5.6 mi~10 km∙ 6-8 hrs
Today you depart Shira Camp in the morning taking the path which rises up gradually towards the Kibo peak, as we continue, our direction changes to the southeast towards the Lava Tower, also known as the "Shark's Tooth." Shortly after the tower we continue down to the Barranco Camp at an altitude of 13,000ft~ 3962m. Dinner and overnight stay at Barranco Camp.

Same pace but a bit longer hike. We enjoyed a lunch break at the Lava Tower to acclimatize and descended to camp. We were reunited with our Climb Kili friends (Chris and Joy) doing the Lomishi Route. Their pace is much faster. Wish we hiked with them. Our camp is dusty as always but we followed a river down the last section and ended up in a valley in front of Barranco Wall. It looks like a nice steep climb for tomorrow. The most technical of the trip. A lot of time at camp again so we rested and relaxed and visited with Chris and Joy.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Mount Kilimanjaro
September 16, 2016 in Tanzania
Day 4: BARRANCO to KARANGA CAMP
13100’ ~ 3992m ∙ 2.2 mi~3.2 km ∙ 4-5 hrs
Today we conquered the great Barranco Valley and went up the Barranco wall, an adventurous stretch that ushers us into the arctic zone of Kili. The Barranco wall was the most technical portion of the climb. A short section where we had to scramble up a wall in single file (maybe a V1). We continued the trek on the South Circuit path through the Karanga Valley. A few nice vistas today.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Mount Kilimanjaro
September 17, 2016 in Tanzania
Day 5: KARANGA CAMP to BARAFU CAMP
15,300’ ~ 4663m ∙ 2.2 mi~3.5 km ∙ 4-5 hrs
Today we had a slow pace to Barafu Camp. From Barafu we had excellent views of Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. Barufu Camp is situated on an exposed ridge and the temperature is dropping. We continue to acclimatize, rest, relax and make necessary preparation for the summit day ahead. Early to bed for a couple hours sleep before we start our approach at midnightRead more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Mount Kilimanjaro
September 18, 2016 in Tanzania
Day 6: BARAFU to SUMMIT to MWEKA CAMP
19,340’~5,895m ∙ 13 mi~21 km (5 km ascent/ 12 km descent) ∙ 7-8 hrs ascent~4-6 hrs descent
Tonight is the night! A midnight start to conquer the highest point in Africa. This section of the route is considered one of the steepest on the non-technical paths of Kilimanjaro. It is a 6-7 hour hike to Stella Point in order to see the sunrise. We continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. We head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This can be the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. From Stella Point you can see the summit; just 1 hour to Uhuru Peak and the rooftop of Africa! We then descend down to Mweka Camp for dinner and celebration.

All our hiking throughout the trip has paid off and made Kilimanjaro easy in one sense. The hiking was short and not very steep and on well groomed trails. We only actually walked 62km over 7 days. The troubles came from the painstakingly slow pace. We walked at 1km/hr or less most days. One member in our group was 72 and even complained about the pace. The pace had a means to an ends as the slower you go the better you acclimatize. I don't think we broke a sweat on the first 5 days. The real challenge came on summit day. We were awoken at 11pm to start our final approach a midnight. Thankfully we had accidently planned our hike to coincide with a full moon so visibility was very good. I didn't even use my headlamp for most of the night. The difficulty came from a few things; 1 lack of sleep, we had little or no sleep; 2 it was very cold and windy, maybe minus 20 with the wind chill; 3 we walked so slowly our extremities got cold and it was a mental drain walking for 9 hours. 7 up and 2 down. Thankfully the sun was up on the descent and we were able to strip off layers quickly. Our whole team completed the climb which was great.Read more
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Mount Kilimanjaro
September 19, 2016 in Tanzania
Day 7: MWEKA CAMP to Exit Mweka Gate
5,400’~1645m) ∙ 6.4 mi ~10.3 km ∙ 3-4 hrs
A morning walking to Mweka gate reflecting of the past weeks experience with our Climb Kili vehicle waiting to transfer us to our hotel for a very welcomed shower. We can finally walk at a reasonable pace and sped down the mountain to the exit. We knocked the dust off our boots and hopped on the bus. We had a lunch stop where our crew sang songs, and we were able to enjoy a cold beer and our accomplishment. Back to Summit Safari Lodge for the night.Read more
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Serengeti National Park
September 20, 2016 in Tanzania
Safari Day 1
Following the hike we headed for a 3 day safari with the US family (from our Kili hike) and Joy and Chris from California who also just summited Kili. The safari was way better than I expected. There were so many animals and the accommodations we stayed in were fabulous.

Early breakfast and depart at 6:30am to Arusha Airport for our 8am flight to Serengeti National Park. The group had some issues with additional expenses that Climb Kili tried to charge but the American’s were all over that and got it sorted out for everyone.

On arrival at the Serengeti airstrip we were picked up by our guide and enjoyed the rest of the day game viewing in the park. The Central Serengeti offers superb game viewing all year round due to its abundance of resident animals. Specifically, the Seronera River Valley in the Central Serengeti is a ‘must see’ on every safari regardless of the specific month of travel. Game viewing in Central Serengeti is at its best during the dry season (June - November) as resident animals are more concentrated in the immediate area due to the lack of water on the plains. Resident herbivores include impala, buffalo, hippo, warthog, topi, hartebeest and giraffe. Resident carnivores include lion and leopard. The guides all communicate by radio so when they see an animal all the drivers are notified which allows for lots of sightings. Today’s highlight was seeing an elephant 2 minutes after it was born. It was trying it’s hardest to walk. It was so cute and the herd was very protective.

Dinner and overnight at Kilima Valley Tented Camp. We had a whistle in our tent that we were supposed to blow if we had any animal issues. Otherwise, we were just in a tent in the middle of the Serengeti. We had a huge king size bed in our tent, it was definitely glamping. We were able to enjoy a beer and a well-cooked meal with glorious views of the Serengeti. Quite the experience.Read more
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Ngorangoro Crater
September 21, 2016 in Tanzania
Safari Day 2
We continued our drive through the Serengeti and our search for the Big Five. The term “Big Five” originally referred to the difficulty in hunting the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo. These five large African mammal species were known to be dangerous and it was considered a feat by trophy hunters to bring them home. The rhino was elusive, not many in the park, and we spent a long time waiting near a potential sighting spot. From there, we had a long bumping ride as we exited the Serengeti and headed to the Ngorongoro conservation Area.

We stayed at Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge overlooking a the Ngorangoro Crater which was very reminisce to the Eagles Nest in Germany. It felt like a high-end rustic alpine hotel at the top of the crater. The balcony had binoculars stations looking down into the crater to watch the animals. The crater is a hotbed for animals. We had a buffet dinner at the lodge and stayed up late drinking whine with Chris and Joy. It was a really fun evening. To top it off, there were zebras outside our window as we went to bed.Read more
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Epic World Eric Schaefer
Ngorongoro Crater
September 22, 2016 in Tanzania
Safari Day 3
After breakfast we descended into the Ngorongoro Crater floor and enjoy game viewing. Often called the eighth natural wonder of the world, the Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact crater in the world. About 2 million years ago the Ngorongoro volcano erupted, and its walls collapsed. The volcano floor sank to create a natural enclosure with its 600m tall walls. Now, at over 19 kilometres wide, Ngorongoro Crater is filled with great areas of acacia forest, hippo filled swamps and open grasslands. These different habitats contain over 30,000 animals – including elephants, warthogs, flamingoes, magnificent birdlife, the rare black rhinoceros and all the predatory cats. The Maasai can also be seen grazing their cattle alongside the buffalo and wildebeest.

We saw lots of animals in the crater. The highlight was a pride of lions gorging on a hippo kill. It was just like a live discover channel show. It was a bit funny because the hippo was killed right outside the washroom station in the park and the park attendant got in trouble for trying to shoe the lions away. He eventually got the rest of the day off.

The Safari was way more fun than we anticipated. However, after 3 days of being driven around on those bumpy roads, we were ready to move on. In early afternoon we made our way back to Arusha. We said farewell to our new friends after the Safari and caught a late flight to Dar Es Salam.Read more
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