New York vs. London

Central Park & Hyde Park, subways & tubes,  The Rockefeller Christmas Tree & Winter Wonderland, The Empire State building &... and what’s London’s comparison? The Shard perhaps…?!

For the past two days as I wandered the streets of New York completely awe inspired I couldn’t help but compare it to London. This blog is by no means objective, having lived in London for six years and visited New York for just two days but even in that short (and rather cold!) visit I discovered so many reasons to love The Big Apple as much as The Big Smoke.

Transport

Yellow taxis outside New York's Grand Central Station

For everyone’s complaining Transport for London isn’t too bad, the underground is easy enough and the buses take you where you need to go. I had no idea how I was going to navigate the NYC subway system but luckily the friend I was staying with gave me step by step directions. Having downloaded the NYC subway app to my iPhone (I have the London underground app on there too of course) I counted down the stations on route.

Even travelling into the centre of Manhattan at peak commuter time I was nicely surprised at how calm everything was – a far cry from watching trains roll past unable to squeeze on to one with all the London commuters. The trains and stations seemed much older and more rickety though, surprising as they were built forty years after London’s underground opened.

Morning commute in London at Waterloo Station

In general I was struck by the quietness of New York, from the films and TV shows I had imagined a loud, noisy, congested city with the iconic yellow taxis beeping, traffic jams, basically just a lot of mayhem, but the roads are so much calmer than London's with our black cabs and red buses rushing from A to B.

Taking the bus through Brooklyn at 8:30am however ensured that I didn’t go away with a completely rose tinted view of the NYC Transport system. Here the all too familiar scene of cramming a few too many people into a small space reminded me of my morning commute in London catching the big red bus from Waterloo, hoping to be at the front of the well ordered queue to ensure a seat but more often than not running to jump on just before it pulls away. 

As we meandered through Down Town Brooklyn and the crowds dispersed the bus driver was so friendly, chatting away; eager to give me tips for my sightseeing.I don’t think I ever spoke to the bus driver of the 243 that I took every day to work for the past 2 years.

Cupcakes

Magnolia Bakery in New York

Being a big fan of both cupcakes and of Sex and the City, I couldn’t come to New York without a visit to Magnolia Bakery (Carrie and the girls’ favourite in the show.) The branch on the corner of 49^th and 6^th was a welcome treat after the awesome views from Top of the Rock. The quaint set-up and relaxed atmosphere drew me in as I ordered my red velvet cupcake.

Now don’t get me wrong, it was good but London’s Hummingbird Bakery with its trendy demeanour and delicious choices of cake does make a better red velvet, I think it’s all down to the cream cheese icing...

Park Life

Sunset on London's Clapham Common

I love London’s parks; wandering past the deer in Richmond Park, admiring the views from Primrose Hill, walking though Clapham Common on a crisp Autumnal day, picnicing in Green Park on my birthday, the list goes on…

The only park I had time to visit in New York was Central Park. 

My first glimpse of it was from the Top of the Rockefeller as I saw New York stretched out ahead of me and the very straight rectangular green space etched in to the heart of the city. 

Arial view of New York's Central Park

A very different view to that of Hyde Park, which can be seen beautifully from Galvin at Windows restaurant at the top of The Hilton on Park Lane, with its more fluid shape, leading to other Royal Parks. 

Hyde Park has The Serpentine, Central Park The Lake. Both have the beauty of the nature surrounded by the hustle of the big city. In Hyde Park it’s easy to forget you’re in the middle of the capital city; at its heart not many buildings can be seen and the buzz of the traffic is reduced to a gentle dim. In Central Park with the skyscrapers rising above the trees, which were quickly losing their leaves for winter, there is no escaping the fact you’re in the middle of a huge metropolitan city; but would you want to..?

Christmas

Winter Wonderland in London

Leaving London in November I missed one of my favourite festive activities; Winter Wonderland. Hyde Park is transformed into, quite literally, a winter wonderland for six weeks every year. There’s fairground rides, German market stores, mulled wine, ice skating and my favourite; a mini London Eye giving a great view of the city from the warm little capsules. To me Christmas isn’t Christmas without wandering around Wonderland with a cup of mulled wine on a crisp winter’s evening. 

New York's famous Christmas tree and ice-skating rink

To New Yorkers Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the 80ft Christmas Tree at the Rockefeller Centre.

I visited the Rockefeller on my first day in New York and was a little disappointed to find the tree not quite ready and the ice rink not quite open. Luckily it was that very night that the lights were being switched on so the next day after a long day of sightseeing I headed back to the centre of town to see for myself the world-famous tree. In order to get the true experience I had a coffee (no mulled wine to be seen…) while I waited for it to get dark and wow am I pleased I did. The 45,000 lights were truly incredible and the whole scene reminded me of so many movies. A truly different scale to Winter Wonderland, but both absolutely wonderful in getting everyone into the festive spirit.

For more info on New York read my Top Picks blog.

My next challenge...

Trekking in Namibia

Last year I trekked through the Namib Desert, this year I climbed the highest free standing mountain in the world, what could be my challenge for 2013...?

I’m going to live in a jungle for three months with no wifi, no showers, no toilets, no drinking, no salt & vinegar crisps, the list goes on and on...I’ve been accepted as a Project Manager for a Raleigh International expedition in Borneo.

Having worked in the international development sector for over five years I am incredibly picky about which charities I will support. I chose Raleigh as I believe they make a lasting difference in the countries they work in. They work with local partners on sustainable projects such as securing clean water supplies for villages that had none or building kindergartens and providing teacher training so children have an access to early education. I don’t know the specific project I’ll be working on yet but I’m really looking forward to getting out to ‘the field’ and implementing some of the live saving and changing projects I’ve fundraised for over the years.

Raleigh volunteers in Borneo

Raleigh works with volunteers aged 17 to 24 to develop key life skills and confidence while making a difference to the world. Some of the volunteers will be from Borneo and some from disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK who are on a bursary programme, others will be taking a gap year before or after university. Supporting the development of the young people taking part in the project will be my main responsibility in Borneo.

The main challenge I face before I leave is fundraising. Even in a management position I have to raise £1,950 to take part in the expedition. This is in addition to paying for my own flights, vaccines, equipment, first aid training and all of the other costs associated with moving to Borneo for three months.

Cake bake!

I have been overwhelmed at people’s generosity, kindness and support. Donations to my online fundraising page have come from far and wide including very generous donations from my cousins in Canada who I haven’t seen in 20 years (has it really been that long...?!) Thank you to everyone who has donated. I’ve fundraised for VSO and UNICEF recently so I’m really touched my wonderful friends, family and colleagues are still willing to put their hands in their pocket and donate to yet another good cause.

Cake bakes are one of my favourite fundraising mechanisms and with 110 free cupcakes from Hummingbird Bakery and baking support from some of my lovely colleagues I raised £169 selling delicious goodies in the office.

More office fundraising and a jumble sale last week has raised over £200 with a few IOUs still to come.

Auction flyer

As well as the generosity of friends I have also been really grateful for the support of a couple of caring businesses. Handpicked Hotels have donated a nights bed and breakfast with an evening meal and wine for two at one of their beautiful country hotels. The Knightsbridge branch of Venture Photography  has donated a family photography shoot with £400 to spend on the images. I’m auctioning these fantastic prizes to help me reach my target. There’s still time to bid – all you need to do is email me (alyrenerosser@hotmail.com) with your bid by 7pm on 16^th November. (If you are outbid before then I’ll email you straight away to let you know.)

If anyone would like to make a donation directly then please visit my fundraising page

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me in my next challenge.

Walter’s Boda Tours of Kampala

Walter

The best way to see Kampala is by motorbike, or Boda Boda as they are called in Kampala. I was lucky enough to have a brilliant boda driver when I lived here; Walter.

Walter was always on call to ferry the muzungos from place to place and over the six months I spent living in Kampala while on a VSO  placement he became a good friend.

As well as working as a boda he also established Walter’sBoda Boda Tours; using his enthusiasm, intelligence and knowledge of the country to drive and guide tourists around the city.

Kampala on Walter's boda at night

Returning to Uganda this year it was fantastic to see how his business has taken off! Walter now has ten boda guys who work for him and they run a range of tours around the city and beyond to Jinja, Entebbe  or even as far as the equator

I’ve been lucky enough to take a few tours with Walter so far. The city tour is my favourite and takes in the sights such as the Gadaffi Mosque, built in 2006 it’s the second largest mosque in Africa. The views from the top are breathtaking, overlooking the whole city and all the hills with Lake Victoria as the backdrop.

View from the Gaddafi Mosque

From the mosque you can see most of the landmarks the tour takes you to such as the Kings Palace, churches and the Baha’i Temple (although as I lived a few minutes’ walk from this we omitted it from my tour..)

Driving to the Gaddafi Mosque

The tours were a great thing to do when friends came to visit – it make sightseeing much easier and Walter as a guide always puts a smile on everyone’s face.

The King's Palace

Rolex for breakfast

Seeing how fantastically his business has taken off over the past year I was keen to do another tour on my return this time. He runs a great tour of the lake..

Unfortunately due to other commitments on my part I wasn’t able to do the full tour but Walter still made sure I saw as much as possible in the limited time.

We had breakfast at his favourite rolex stand. Rolex is a traditional Uganda/Kampala food of eggs with tomato wrapped in a chapatti – I can’t believe I hadn’t had one until now. It was delicious!

Walter at Lake Victoria 

After helping me with a few errands we drove out to the lake past Munyonyo. It was wonderful to see everyone going about their day to day lives, cleaning vehicles, running businesses and fishing for Nile perch and tilapia.

What a feast we had of a huge fresh tilapia barbecued and served with a large helping of chips and salad.

Finishing lunch just as a big storm hit the lake we raced back to town avoiding as much of the rain as possible and getting me back in plenty of time for my flight home.

Lunch of freshly caught tilapia

Next time I visit I’ll make sure I take the full Lake Tour as I would have loved to sail the boat over to the island and explore further.

For anyone heading to Uganda I’d recommend a day or two in Kampala and give Walter a call on +256791880106 to arrange your tour or visit his website.

School for Life

Greeted with big smiles at Katuuso Primary School

Arriving at the School for Life school at play time was perfect timing. We were greeted with big smiles from the children and joined in their games of catch and skipping and watched them play the African game of choice, rolling tyres up and down.

One of the 80 children benefiting from School for Life

School for Life is an incredible grass roots organisation set up by a good friend, Dave, and his business partner, Annabelle.

Visiting Katuuso Primary School to see firsthand the impact they are having on the lives of children and the local community was an incredible experience.

Opened in 2011 the school began with one class. The children attending are entitled to their schooling here for free although a 20,000 Shilling (about £5) donation is asked for as a gesture of their commitment and to assist with the running costs of the school. The children here receive outstanding education with the primary class of 40 children having two teachers dedicated to them (class sizes in Uganda are often 70+)

Getting a great education

The class rooms themselves are wonderful and bright; great learning environments for the children and a stark contrast to other African schools I have visited.

Both staff and children are full of smiles as the bell rings and they line up ready to go back to class after playtime.

Currently in the middle of expanding, construction is underway on new class rooms and a library. Every detail of the project is thoroughly thought through; the bricks are all handmade on site which is not only cheaper but also much better for the environment. The construction workers are employed from the local area to give income back into the rural community.

Queuing to go back to class

The borehole, one of the first things implemented at the school, is also for the use of the whole community. Providing safe drinking water for the children and their families.

Dave shows us the borehole 

As if this wasn’t enough Dave also showed us the new agricultural plots. Crops of maize, beans, cabbages, etc are peaking our through the red dirt – all planted to assist with the school feeding programme. The children receive breakfast, morning tea and lunch so growing the crops at the school is ideal to provide the food. Cash crops of chillies are growing well and coffee will soon be grown and sold as a further income stream.

Dave showing us the new crops

Great learning environment for the children

I’m so impressed with everything School for Life is doing to support the children in Katuuso Primary and am looking forward to hearing about their expansion plans.

School for Life is an Australian registered charity and relies on donations  to implement its amazing work. Lots of luck to them in their fundraising and in everything they are doing for children in Uganda.

Team UNICEF Climb Mount Kilimanjaro

Team UNICEF ready to go...

I’ve just climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with a fantastic group of UNICEF Fundraisers! We are all exhausted but incredibly proud of challenging ourselves for children. 

And what a challenge it was; from the heat of the African sunshine to sub-zero temperatures the team conquered the mountain and have raised over £100,000 to support children throughout the world.

We made it to the Roof of Africa!

The past eight days have been some of the most challenging of my life, but definitely some of the most rewarding. Climbing 5,895 meters is an extreme challenge but the wonderful Team UNICEF took each day their stride in preparation for the summit. United by raising money for children we worked together to fulfil lifelong dreams of standing on the Roof of Africa. 

There were times when we didn’t think it would be possible as we meandered around the mountain, each day climbing higher to acclimatise ourselves to the altitude. Using every ounce of physical and mental strength the majority of the group made it to the top. For some the effects of the altitude were too severe to summit but everyone who attempted is a hero for the children we're supporting.

Summit of Kilimanjaro

We were lucky enough to meet some of the children UNICEF supports in Tanzania and see examples of how the funds raised can support children throughout the world.

Tippy taps at Olmorog Vety Primary School

At Olmorog Vety Primary School we saw how, with UNICEF’s support, the children now have access to clean water, hand washing facilities and decent toilets. Such a simple everyday activity like hand washing is taken for granted in the UK but 92 per cent of schools in Tanzania lack functional hand washing facilities. Ahimidiwe, pictured right, proudly showed off their new and simple tippy taps. These, combined with hygiene education, can be directly responsible for saving the lives of children who otherwise could die from such an easily preventable disease as diarrhoea.

The trekkers also enjoyed playing games with the children such as football, the sack race and the lesser known; ‘catch the chicken’ game – which was lots of fun!

UNICEF Tanzania has recently piloted a project to give young people a voice. We visited The Young ReportersNetwork where children from the Moshi region have the opportunity to learn and practice journalist skills, giving them the confidence to discuss difficult issues such as HIV and AIDS, teen pregnancy and disabilities. We were all incredibly impressed with the children’s knowledge and confidence as they interviewed some of the team for their next radio programme.

Joining in the fun at Olmorog Vety Primary School

Visiting these projects assisted in the team’s motivation to climb the mountain and to continue fundraising for the world’s children on their return home.

Thank you to everyone involved and to everyone who has supported us to fulfil our dreams and transform children’s lives.

Top tips for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Team UNICEF

Having just completed Trek Kilimanjaro for the World’s Children I wanted to share my top tips to make climbing to The Roof of Africa a bit more comfortable...

• Pack Light

Packing for the trek seemed just as challenging as all the training. Sticking to the strict 15kg weight limit was hard work but when on the mountain I still found I’d brought a bit too much. Don’t worry about extra clothes or a ‘clean’ fleece – everything you wear will stink so just pack one of everything and you’ll be fine.

Also remember that you need to re-pack every night so don’t squeeze everything into your tiny bag as this will be so much harder to do in the small tents at 6:30am every morning..!

• Let there be light

Light is so important as it gets dark early and trying to pack up your tent with just one head torch can be challenging. I always take small disk lights camping with me and swear by them. They are light and small but those extra rays of light will make all the difference in your little tent

• Hydrate

It is drummed into you every day of the trek but make sure you drink lots. Everyone’s different in the amount they need to drink, at my tiny 5ft 1 though I still put away at least 4 litres a day. There’s nothing worse than suffering from headaches, tiredness, etc just because you didn’t drink enough.

Drinking from the camelback

A couple of tips I’ve always used in making sure I keep hydrated is to add rehydration salts to my water carrier – it makes the water purification tablets taste a bit better and keeps you on top of hydration.

I always recommend a platypus or camelbak  Having the tube easily accessible makes it so much easier to constantly keep drinking rather than having to stop to take your water bottle out of your bag. It also helps when you’re backs aching from carrying all the water to make yourself drink in order to make your load lighter...!

I bought an insulated tube  for summit day but the tube still froze. I managed to get a litre of water down though as I carried a smaller platypus inside my jacket to prevent it from freezing.

Keeping warm in the tent

• Keep warm

A hot water bottle was one of the best presents I received before the trek and it made the world of difference in the night.

• Tidy up

A top tip passed on before the trek was to bring nappy sacks as mini rubbish bags in the tent. Ideal for collecting all the wet wipes, plasters & rubbish in the tents each day.

Trekking in the sunshine

• Pack for the hot as well as cold

I brought lots of thermals, fleeces a big down jacket, gloves & scarves which were all really useful later on the trek but the first few days were beautifully warm. This was wonderful apart from only having one stay-dry T Shirt. I’d recommend a long sleeved, light weight stay-dry T Shirt for the first few days, this will keep you cool and also protect you from the strong African sunshine. (don’t forget your sun cream!)

• Enjoy it.

Apart from a few hours trudging up the mountain in the dark on summit day I enjoyed every second of the trek. Go at your own pace; slowly, slowly. Take in the beauty of the country and enjoy the once in a life time experience.

How many people does it take to climb Kilimanjaro?

Welcoming the trekkers back to camp each day with song and dance

One of the roles as charity rep on the UNICEF UK treks is to collect the tips for the porters. When the details of the trek were being finalised last year I questioned Across the Divide (the agency who organise our treks) when they stated that there was a $240 compulsory tip in addition to the general ground costs. I thought a tip was optional and I guessed some of the participants would argue the same. I was assured that while the Tanzanian team were paid a fair wage they also rely on their tip money as a source of income and that they would earn every penny of it.

Tents were put up in all weather for our return to camp

As I collected the tips no one gave them begrudgingly and some kindly donated extra. The team looking after us have been unbelievable. From waking us up with a cup of tea in our tents every morning, setting up camp, preparing hot water, carting tables & chairs up the mountain for us to enjoy a civilised breakfast lunch and dinner every day, the list goes on and on...

So how many people does it take to get a group of 26 trekkers and 5 team up the mountain...? 107! We had 86 porters and 2 chief porters who carry all of our kit as well as the ‘essentials’ for the camp. It makes me feel guiltily to think of the heavy jars of jam, tomato sauce, hot chocolate, peanut butter, etc we were tucking into on the mountain.

Lunch time!

The 5 man tent crew not only carried the tents but also ensured they are all put up ready and waiting for us as we staggered into camp each day.

As well as our fantastic cooks, there were also the cooks who cooked for the porters, the med-bag carrier, guides, assistant guides and the list goes on...

Splitting the tips was a challenge as we had to ensure that everyone received a fair amount and that we didn't insult anyone by getting the hierarchy confused.

After much too-ing and fro-ing we got the tip just right, or so we had thought; unfortunately there had been a little confusion with the amount of porters when it came to handing out the tips, but the wonderful participants quickly put their hands in their pockets to make up the deficit and continue to show their gratitude to this awesome team.

Handing out the tips

Everyone is so grateful for the powerful team who were all responsible for making our dreams of standing on The Rood of Africa a reality. We really couldn't have done it without them!

A day on Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro!

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life – but apart from a few dark hours on summit day it is one of the very best experiences I’ve had. Taking the Rongai Route Team UNICEF took eight days to complete our adventure. My favourite day of the trip was as we headed to Mawenzi Tarn on day four.

Clear view of the mountain

We awoke to a clear view of ‘the hill’ as our Expedition Leader lovingly refers to the highest freestanding mountain in the world.

 A few of the group begin to feel the effects of the altitude at 3,600 meters with headaches and nose-bleeds. Luckily nothing serious though as we set out with the African sun beating down on us as we begin our steady assent. ‘Pole Pole’ means ‘slowly slowly’ in Swahili and is repeated many times today as the air thins we have to pace ourselves carefully.

Trekking to Mount Kilimanjaro

It’s such a beautiful walk today and a reasonable challenge similar perhaps to climbing Snowdon but with the altitude effecting our energy levels. The views are breathtaking as we walk above the clouds they look like cotton wool cushioned beneath us.

A slightly steeper assent and the air becomes cooler, adding a few extra layers of clothing for warmth we begin to descend to our campsite. The bright yellow tents are a welcome site, as is the knowledge that we’ll be staying two whole nights so there’s no need to pack/re-pack our kit bags.

Trekking above the clouds

We have a free afternoon, some of the team take a nap, read, or write their journals. I tool a gentle stroll to admire the views in the clouds. I couldn’t resist leaving a memory of UNICEF on the mountain so created a UNICEF sign out of rocks.

Leaving a UNICEF memory 

Some of the more energetic in the group set up a game of cricket, with strictly no running to preserve their energy for the rest of the climb! This quickly gathered spectators as people emerged from their tents looking rested.

High altitude game of cricket

Before we knew, it was time for dinner and another delicious concoction was created. It’s amazing the food that can be produced from ingredients the porters have carried on their backs and cooked with limited facilities.

The team have gelled so well and every meal time we share stories, dreams and ambitions. It’s such a wonderfully diverse and interesting group and I feel very proud to be part of it. Each of us doing our small bit to support UNICEF and the children like those we were lucky enough to meet at the beginning of our adventure. Thank you to everyone who has supported us.

Climbing Snowdon

Kilimanjaro Brochure

It’s just 10 weeks until I set out for UNICEF’s Trek Kilimanjaro for the World’s Children As part of my training I wanted to climb Snowdon. Luckily a couple of mates were up for the challenge, including my travel buddy, Lizz. Lizz summated Kili last year so has lots of tips and advice to offer. In fact she and her sister, Kat, feature on the front cover of our brochure 

Friends, old and new, set off to Wales early Saturday morning. British summer wasn't playing ball and as we crossed the border into Wales the heavens opened! After a five hour drive we aimed for the car park of the Pyg Track. Even in the pouring rain it was full so we drove further down the mountain, meaning we began our hike by walking two miles up to the beginning of the track.

Ready to go

To be honest the first twenty minutes or so were really hard work and made me realise I need to up my training for Kili. But after I’d got into the swing of it I began to really enjoy it.

The rain subsided for a while and the atmosphere on the mountain was jovial. Snowden is the most popular mountain to climb in the UK and taking the well trodden route up we met lots of fellow trekkers. Some were in training, some raising funds for charity, some taking the dog for a walk and others achieving a lifelong ambition.

Half way 

Unfortunately the rain didn't give us much respite and as we were approaching the summit it poured heavier and heavier. As well as physical training for my challenge this was also a good opportunity to test out my kit. My ‘waterproof’ jacket is not waterproof enough to handle the Welsh rain so I'm not going to risk it on Kili.

The wind picked up and the clouds were swirling around us. I actually thought I would be blown over! We could barely make out the trigpoint in the mist but as we carefully made our way to it we were really proud to have made it to the top!

We made it!

Grateful for the cafe at the top we dug into pastries and warmed up with hot chocolate. Unfortunately there was no view to admire though.

View from the top

The first half of the walk down was mostly in the rain so we had to pick our way carefully as everything was becoming even more slippery. As we overlooked one of the lakes below the late afternoon sun began to peak through the clouds for a while.

Sheep!

With just another half an hour to go I almost landed flat on my face. I tripped but luckily Lizz was there to break my fall. All that was going through my mind when I fell was “oh no, I’m going to knock Lizz off the mountain.” Apparently at that same second she was thinking, “oh no, Alyrene’s going to break her nose.” Luckily neither happened and after a lot of giggling we continued to the base.

2.5 hours up, 2 hours down and 1,085 meters climbed! What a great achievement but there’s still a long way to go to reach the 5,895 meters summit of Kilimanjaro.

If anyone would like to join me and the rest of the UNICEF Trekkers on my next adventure we’d love to welcome you to the team. For more info email trek@unicef.org.uk or sign up today!