{"id":46775,"date":"2022-08-11T08:59:04","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T06:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/shaheen-more-than-a-cat-with-nine-lives-20220810\/"},"modified":"2025-03-21T12:31:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T10:31:38","slug":"shaheen-more-than-a-cat-with-nine-lives-20220810","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/shaheen-more-than-a-cat-with-nine-lives-20220810\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaheen – more than a cat with nine lives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cI am done. There is nothing left in me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where my life is ending now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe the doctors were right, I have signed my own death certificate. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These were the thoughts that crossed the mind of Shaheen Soomar, a businessman from Kariega, in the 10 minutes he was allowed to spend on the summit of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing there, on top of the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain in the world, Shaheen could hardly breathe. But life has taught him lessons in perseverance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am more than a cat with nine lives. I survived 11 car accidents, been through nine kidney stones, had a lung blockage, suffered from a heart condition, been hijacked four times, and survived three armed robberies at my business,\u201d said Shaheen back at his award-winning Starlight Cellular business in Kariega.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring February this year, I suffered a minor stroke, my second stroke in three years. My doctors told me if you have a death wish, go climb that mountain, you don\u2019t know what you are heading for.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being involved in many charitable organisations, he was invited to join a Kilimanjaro challenge with the aim to raise funds to build schools and support rural education efforts in East Africa. The group consisted of ten people who all hail from South Africa, with some living abroad, but their hearts remaining in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"

<\/p>\n

Shaheen Soomar and his group at Shira Cave Camp, Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania. <\/div>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The slower the better<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was told, \u2018You always want to climb Everest, don\u2019t you want to conquer Kilimanjaro to help raise money for rural kids up in Africa?\u2019 And I blindly said, \u2018Yes, Kilimanjaro is 5 895 metres above sea level, which is basically half of Mount Everest. How difficult can it be? It should be a walk in the park.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve quickly learned that you can be as fit as can be and well- trained, it is not to say you will summit. Nothing can prepare you against altitude sickness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe thing with Kilimanjaro is that owing to the high altitude and thin air, it is difficult to breathe. You must go very, very, very slowly. The more slowly you go, the more friendly the mountain is towards you. The faster, the less you acclimatise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe toughest of all must be your mind, because if your body gives in, your mind must be the force to help your body carry on,\u201d said Shaheen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from acclimatisation, climbers must also adapt to drinking four litres of water every day. This is to assist with oxygen. After each sip one must blow the tube to make sure there is no water left to freeze and block the tube. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is so high we were above the clouds and were looking down at the planes on international flights passing the mountain,\u201d said Shaheen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"

<\/p>\n

\u201cEven where we slept there was a gradient. During the night you are sliding downwards and must continuously pull yourself up in your sleeping,\u201d said Shaheen Soomar.<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Only 50% will summit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rule to summit is to start climbing at 24:00. Shaheen summited at 08:30 and his total duration up and down on summit day was 18 hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing that you could ever do, can prepare you for what you go through physically and emotionally while summiting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was minus 20 degrees. All you see when you look up, is a pathway of people with headlamps climbing. As you look down, you see the headlamps of the path of people coming behind you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat night there were about 100 people. The ratio of people summiting is 50%,\u201d said Shaheen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are not allowed to sit and must keep moving to keep your body warm. The worst thing you could do is to close your eyes at that altitude because you can slip into a coma very quickly owing to the thin oxygen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs you climb, you see people falling over with altitude sickness. Guides tell you to not look at the people suffering and screaming from pain. You must keep your mind and head on your summit path.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singing helps the wandering mind<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo keep my wandering mind on track, I repeatedly sang an Indian song from my childhood days. The morning we started to climb the steep Barranco Wall, my Tanzanian guide Bukhari, who had already been walking with me for three days, started to sing the song with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shaheen said it is a love song and is about \u201csomething, something happens to your heart.\u201d Something indeed happened to his heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn day two, with my head above the clouds, I saw the summit for the first time. The excitement was a needed boost, although I knew the summit was still four days away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started to think of the mountain as a lady and said to myself, I am going to conquer you. I am going to win you. From then on, every morning I got out of my tent and looked at the summit. I told her: \u2018I am closer \u2026 I am coming\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life-changing experience<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are seven official routes up the mountain. Shaheen and his group of ten took the eight-day (six days to summit, two days to come down) Machame route which in total covers 62km. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are routes where you can sleep in lodges and huts. We took the rural route not only because it is the most beautiful scenic route, but also because it is a route without any luxuries to keep reminding us of what the children up in Africa are going through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is like constantly climbing the Campanile\u2019s staircase. It never levels. Even where we slept there was a gradient. During the night you are sliding downwards and must continuously pull yourself up in your sleeping bag.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Shaheen, honour must go to the guides. \u201cIt is impossible to summit Kilimanjaro without the inspiration and the motivation of the guides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter Kilimanjaro, you see life from a different perspective. People are suffering in rural Africa. We think we have problems in South Africa, but if you look at what\u2019s happening up there, we are blessed to have what we have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what was next on his adventure list, Shaheen said, \u201cI was invited to climb Mount Everest next year. I will think about it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Shaheen

<\/p>\n

Shaheen Soomar back at his Starlite Cellular office in Kariega with his Mount Kilimanjaro Mountain Climbing certificate. <\/div>\n
<\/span>Photo: Heilie Combrinck<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\"\"

<\/p>\n

Shaheen Soomar (in red) assisted by guides and porters on his way to summit Mount Kilimanjaro.<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI am done. 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- more than a cat with nine lives | UD Express (Uitenhage)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/shaheen-more-than-a-cat-with-nine-lives-20220810\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shaheen - more than a cat with nine lives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cI am done. 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