Lackadaisical Sloth – by Jae

My nephew, Samson, has just started school in Australia. He brought home a book which Gwen assumed he was meant to be reading. She was quite shocked to turn to the following page (he is five!):Eric Carle's Sloth
She pointed out that she has gone 39 years without reading the word “lackadaisical”! (I have to say, it’s a word I love, but I did think there was an “s” after the “k” until I was well past 30.) Anyway, it is a beautifully poetic story by Eric Carle of Hungry Caterpillar fame, and seeing it reminded me of all the Kili reviews I’m reading which talk about how it’s important to go slowly. “Pole, pole” (pronounced pole-eh, pole-eh) means “slowly, slowly” in Swahili. Apparently it’s one of the most common calls of the guides and porters – presumably as they dash past us having packed up the previous campsite, to get to the next one, set up, and start preparing food, before we get there. No dashing for us though – to give ourselves the best chance of making it we will be dawdling and dillydallying from the low slopes. Mum has written about taking her watch off and just living in the moment. So we certainly won’t be lazy, but maybe – like the sloth – we will be relaxed and tranquil, and live in peace. For the first couple of days anyway!

4 thoughts on “Lackadaisical Sloth – by Jae”

  1. Yes – I’ve heard other people say lacksadaisical too. I always assumed (but this might not be right) that it came from “lackaday” which servants used to say in old plays. Isn’t it good that schools challenge very young children to enjoy the sounds and rhythms of language long before they read or understand all of the words?

    As for slothful walking, that’s what Martin and I are doing in Spain at the moment while he recovers from his various injuries, the latest of which is a broken arm. No danger of us walking too fast and getting dehydrated!

    PS do the porters on Kilimanjaro use mules or do they have to carry everything, including all that water, on their heads or backs?

    1. Oh no – a broken arm? I hope you’re both enjoying Spain, and Martin is recovering well.

      Yes – have a Google for porters on Kilimanjaro – they carry everything on their backs and heads. Quite extraordinary! Jx

  2. I have googled “Porters on Kilimanjaro”, Jae, as you suggested and I was horrified to hear that some of them are still going up in tattered clothing and with no training. It’s reassuring that your company is a reputable outfit.

    The National Geographic article about the porters is very good.

    1. It’s awful that that still happens. Exodus are very careful about ensuring EVERYTHING is weighed before a porter carries it with strict limit, and making sure we have the right ratio of guides. I’m planning to take out some Exodus branded clothes (with old strap lines) for the guides and porters too. Jx

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