Successfully summited the Kilimanjaro last week!
Thank You: The Village That Made Kilimanjaro Possible
As I'm about to embark on my adventure to Kilimanjaro, I wanted to take a moment to thank the incredible people who made this trek possible. You know that saying about it taking a village? Well, this is my village.
Folks at Home
Thanks to The Missus for being such a sport from the moment she heard about this crazy possibility. She joined me on all those practice hikes even knowing she wouldn't be able to do the actual trek herself. That's love, right there. ❤️
Thank you to my mother and #OhBoy, who have graciously kept their apprehensions to themselves and supported this adventure. They've been wonderful about us being away for hours every Saturday, letting me chase this dream.
The Team at The Quad
From the moment I told Coach Chow at The Quad about this trek, she was genuinely excited for me. She made sure I connected with people who had already conquered this mountain and assigned Coach Yogesh to create my training plan.
Coach Yogesh truly understood the limitations of my situation and location, crafting a plan that worked perfectly for where I was. Thank you!
Later, Coach Roshini became my accountability partner, checking in regularly and keeping me motivated when the going got tough.
Thanks to all of them, I feel so much more prepared and confident about taking on this challenge!
The Generous Souls Who Shared Their Time
Through The Quad and other networks, I connected with folks who had successfully summited Kilimanjaro. Each one of them graciously spent time with me on calls, sharing what to expect and how to prepare. Every conversation added a different dimension to my understanding and training.
Thank you Aswani Kumar Yerguntala, Saraswathy Natarajan, Filbert Pradeep and Amany Khalil! I promise to pay forward the kindness you've shared with me.
And a special thanks to Zohra Merabet for connecting me with Amany!
The Gear Angels
Being in Egypt meant I didn't have access to much of the trekking gear I needed. So I asked friends who were traveling to Cairo to help me out. These amazing people made sure I had everything I needed:
Anusha Srinivasan — who ordered exactly what I wanted
from Amazon.ca
Diya — who carried those items all
the way from Canada to Cairo
Sufian — who brought
me the things I needed from India
I'm well-dressed and properly equipped for this climb because of all of you. 🙌
My Team at NFN Labs
Thank you to my colleagues for letting me take a two-week break and being genuinely excited ever since I told them about this possibility. We've talked about it in our weekly calls, and they've stepped up beautifully, picking up the work I'm leaving behind for the next two weeks. Having that support and enthusiasm from your team means everything. 🙏
My Kilimanjaro Crew
And finally, the most important group—the team that made this all happen and with whom I'll be spending every waking moment of the next 10 days:
Rajan Mittal — the man who got me into a regular hiking
routine in KL, took me to Mt. Rinjani, and now to Kilimanjaro.
Rakesh Aravindan — our forex partner and the ultimate
chill pill of the group.
Wong Chin Wai — our super
motivator and the master of fine print details.
Naman
Gupta — the one who gave us serious FOMO in our training plan
and pushed me to train harder than I had initially planned.
All the best to us — The High Five! 🏔️
Packing for Kilimanjaro
Next week, I’m finally heading to Kilimanjaro. We’re taking on the 8-day Lemosho route, and I’m both excited and nervous about what lies ahead.
I’ll do my best to post updates along the way if network coverage allows. If not, I will do a full recap once I’m back home with stories to tell.
For now, I wanted to share my packing list with you. Over the past few months, I’ve poured over countless blogs and YouTube videos from fellow trekkers, gathering insights and learning from their experiences. This post is my way of paying it forward—hoping it might help someone else preparing for their own Kilimanjaro adventure.
Below is everything I’ve packed for this 8-day journey. I’ve tried to strike a balance between being prepared and not overpacking (though I suspect I may have erred on the side of caution).
Gear List Kilimanjaro - 8 day trek.pdf
Whether you’re planning your own trek or just curious about what it takes to climb Africa’s highest peak, I hope this list gives you some useful insights. Wish me luck—I have a feeling I’m going to need it!
Last weekend I had to skip my usual practice hike since we were hosting guests. So instead of my weekend routine, I decided to head out for an evening weekday hike — and I'm so glad I did.
I had the entire Wadi Degla completely to myself. Even though I've explored these trails more than a dozen times now, the limestone landscape never fails to take my breath away. There's something magical about having this vast, ancient valley all to yourself.
This time I left my weighted backpack at home, which meant I could move much quicker along the familiar paths. Without that extra load, I managed to push myself up and down the hill seven times without completely exhausting myself — a personal best that left me feeling pretty accomplished.
And then came the reward for all that effort: one of the most stunning sunsets I've seen in weeks.
This was my second-to-last training hike before the big Kilimanjaro adventure. I'm hoping to squeeze in one final hike this weekend before I head out next week.
The quiet evening, the solitude, and that incredible sunset — sometimes the best adventures happen when you least expect them.
🥾Hiking at St. Katherine Protectorate 📍
It has been two weeks, since I hike Mt. Katherine and Mt. Sinai at the protectorate. This was a preparatory hike for the Kilimanjaro trek that is coming up in June. My team mates were all doing weekly long distance treks in Malaysia and the US. I felt a bit left out and hiking loops at the Wadi Degla, didn't seem like I was doing enough.
Day 1 — Hike to Mt. Katherine
Since I was doing this alone and I had to be back at home for Easter, this was a quick in and out of trip to the Sinai region. We started very early in the morning and saw the beautiful sunrise on the way.
Once we crossed the Ahmed Hamdi tunnel, the landscape was so very different from the other side
After reaching Fox Camp, where a guide was arranged for me to take me up the mountains and bring me back. The hike was supposed to start at 10am, but guide had some transportation issues and we eventually started out at 11.45am. Not the ideal time to start a hike, but if I had to return the next day, this was the only option. Coincidentally my guide was named Musa (Moses) as well.
The terrain was very different and I huffed and puffed for a while until I found my rhythm. I had to remind myself that I need not race or do this fast. The aim was to do it and come back without an injury. And I think this would be the mantra for Kilimanjaro as well — Pole, pole (Swahili for slowly slowly)
Couple of hours later, we reached the valley where would be resting later in the night. The Wadi (valley) was a little green pasture were a few families were doing farming. The fertile piece of land was a welcome sight for the dry features around it.
We unloaded a lot of our stuff, took only water and snacks and started up Mt. Katherine after a very short break. The way up was daunting to say the least, but I had to do this to see how I would be able to hold up in Kilimanjaro.
By this time my shoulders were aching, which I later realized was because of me not swinging my arms. And walking 4h straight was causing cramps all over — quads, adductors, hamstrings. Musa, my guide, was very supportive and kept the spirits up. He even helped me stretch my hamstrings, when it was cramping real bad.
We finally reached the summit just after sunset. But the twilight was such a wonderful sight.
After a short 20 minute rest, we started walking back down again. Not sure whether it was the adrenaline from summiting or just gravity, the walk down felt refreshing and easy on effort. The knees and the ankles begged to differ though!
They had provided me a room with just a mattress on the floor and some blankets. I was more than happy to have it in this wilderness. I just crashed after a few quick stretches.
Day 2 — Hike to Mt. Sinai
The next morning, I was well rested and felt that I have a new pair of legs.
We started the hike at 5.20am and reached the summit in about 2h without a stop. I think the body was getting used to the rhythm by now and I realized that walking slow in Zone 2 heart rate, helped me walked longer without gassing myself at the end of the hike.
By the time I summited, the tourists who had done the night trek to view the sunrise had left and I had the summit all to myself. We had some nice breakfast at the top. I was able to do a video call with the folks back home.
After resting for about an hour, we started walking back down to Fox Camp.
My guide said he had a different path planned for me, instead of the usual ones that tourists took. We stopped by Elijah’s garden and crossed a mountain from there to join the path we took the previous night.
Finally after 3.5h, we reached Fox garden at about the same time we started from there the previous day. Mission accomplished!
After a quick shower and a quick lunch, I started back to Cairo.
Got myself a new pair of Hiking boots for the upcoming Kilimanjaro trek! This one is Altra Lone Peak 9 Waterproof Mid. And along with it is a new pair of Darn Tough 1466 socks.
Last weekend, a bunch of women officers from the Embassy of India in Cairo joined us in our weekly hike of Wadi Degla. Lots of fun conversations and chats along the way. Here is all of them after the hike.
🥾Hiking at Wadi Degla Protected Reserve 📍
Well since the movement from Kuala Lumpur to Cairo, we have been looking for hiking spots here. And except for the Wadi Degla the city has no other place to offer. Wadi Degla is a limestone valley which seems to have formed from water flowing — whether river or sea is unclear, as people have different stories.
As you can see from the photos below the landscape is the exact opposite of what we had in Malaysia. But it has its own charm. You are exposed to the elements — wind and sun. On a winter morning, the cold air is bone chilling. But it also makes the sun bearable. The walk in the valley makes you humble in the vastness of the landscape visible in front of you. It is a form of meditation.
We intend to make the most of this space (also it is the only one 😋) and make it a weekly routine to explore new trails here.
🥾Hiking at Bukit Dinding 📍
After a while, I explored a new trail this morning — Bukit Dinding. I was also in a new part of KL city.
The trail was mostly cemented path. It started with a good incline and then smoothened out. It is a moderate trail, that beginners can do. There is good tree cover all through, so you can do this later in the day as well. There were a lot of locals, some of them doing it for fitness and some of them were training for trail running.
After a while I got bored of walking in the cemented path and got into one of the trails that was marked for mountain bikes. That lead me to one of the many inner trails for hikes. I took the “green” trail to the peak. It was a nice walk through the trees. I was alone on this trail and had the forest for myself 😍!!
I walked back down on the cemented path. There was a “pink” trail as well which was supposed to have a good view of KL skyline. Maybe next time.
🥾Last practice hike before Mt. Rinjani 🌋
On Sunday, we did our last practice hike before the next week's trek at
Mt. Rinjani. We decided to start 6am at Bukit Gasing, since we wanted to
practice the use of head lamps and hiking in the dark.
The hiking in the dark went well and 4 trips of the stamina hill was the
limit for me. Otherwise, I felt happy at the way I finished the trek. We
completed the 7km loop in 4h. I feel confident about next week's trek
now.🤞🏼
The hike was immediately followed up by a breakfast at
Kanna Curry House,
Petaling Jaya 📍
🥾Hiking the Gasing Loop 📍
As a practice for the upcoming Mt. Rinjani trek, we attempted a longer
hike at Bukit Gasing last Sunday. This was my 3rd time hiking at Bukit
Gasing and it is one of my favourite spots in the city. It is
challenging, but it is also straining. It has plenty of trails, so you
are never bored doing the same route.
We started at 7.30am
and did a longer loop, with multiple trips of the stamina hill.
While the hike was fairly manageable, the weather was extremely humid
that day. The dresses were all soaking wet by the end of the hike at
11.30am.
We will be doing one more practice session next weekend here, before we
set off to summit Mt. Rinjani!
🥾Hiking Taman Tugu
After a break on last Thursday, resumed our Thursday Hikes with
the fellow diplomatic spouses here in Kuala Lumpur. With most of them
beginners, this was a perfect spot to get them started, after warming up
at TTDI in the earlier weeks.
It was just us in the entire
trail, till be hit the last check point. The day was humid, but
otherwise the trek was good.
It was a good start. I hope in
May they all get to a level of doing the Gasing Loop!
🥾Hiking Gunung Bunga Buah 📍
As a practice for our upcoming Mt. Rinjani hike, we did a long duration
practice hike. We started at 6.30am from KL and then started the hike
from the trail head at 7.30am.
This was my first time on such
a long trail and I was also testing out a lot of my new gear — Hydration
Vest and Flask, Compression Pants, long sleeve shirt and new socks. All
of them worked well without any complaints. 🙌
The initial
part of the trail till the entrance of Bunga Buah was really good. We
were walking through the clouds.
The trail after that was full of ups and downs, but what made it really hard were the roots. One had to be very watching where to place the feet and vary of tripping over the broken roots. I was the slow one in the group, inspite of being the youngest. You realise soon that age is just a number and fitness is more of what you practice in your day to day life.
I did not push myself to be fast, but I was not lagging too behind either.
The views were great and the hike got cooler as we reached the top.
Overall it was enjoyable, but I don’t think I would put myself through those roots, until I am practicing for a long hike like for Mt. Rinjani.
At the end of the hike, I finished tired but not sore. I was smiling and strong. I am now hopeful of managing the long hike at Rinjani.
We wiped ourselves and then had a nice lunch and beers at the Chinese restaurant nearby
Some stars aligned on my hiking luck and I found myself having a spot with a hiking group that had planned everything for summiting Mt. Rinjani ⛰️ this April.
So every weekend is a practice to build up strength for the 3 day trek of Mt. Rinjani. This picture was taken this weekend’s hike 🥾 at Bukit Gasing.
🥾 Hiking Bukit Gasing, Kuala Lumpur
This Sunday’s hike was at Bukit Gasing, with the same set of hiking friends as last week and a few more.
It was lovely hike. We finished the entire hike of 5.25km in about 2.5h. The trail is well maintained and the suspension bridges, add a bit of fun to the hike.
One thing, I really love about Kuala Lumpur is the access to hiking spots within the city!
🥾Hiking Gunung Datuk, Negeri Sembilan
Yesterday I went hiking up Gunung Datuk with a friend and his hiking group. This was my first long hike in KL and in a while too.
We started climbing about 7.15am and summited around 1h 45m later. The initial part, with the rocky trail and the jutting out roots was the hardest part.
The strong winds at the summit gave us a welcome break from all the exhaustion. After a quick round of snacks, we went up to the viewing point and clicked a few pictures.
We came back down in 1h 15m. While climbing down was less exhausting, it was strenuous on the knees. The hiking poles were put to good use to transfer some of the weight on to them!
Overall it was great hike. Looking forward to do many more in the coming months!
#MalaysianDiary
With a week off at school for Deepavali, #OhBoy and I are using each morning to a different activity. Yesterday we went off for a short hike at Kiara Hill Walk.
#MalaysianDiary #Hiking