tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49183947097467599632024-03-05T00:54:53.162-08:00Until Proven Otherwise"Working in the Emergency Room is as close as you can get to living in a Vonnegut novel." --N. TeismannBen-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.comBlogger365125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-53745303544291826122012-10-28T21:55:00.003-07:002012-10-28T21:55:56.917-07:00Vamos Gigantes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
October 28, 2012: The Mission celebrates the Giants winning the World Series.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYtM1TMDJ1al9PSkzq5uNCRvDMIaRYNzDWyetYnqEwTwtI5PkUqcM0jws-mQ2D0zHz3v2dt2Iv8SygoK78rjEEFV7mFh-HH8Vzwxjv8pX-Bo5I9I4BCyWSsljIomu04zBg2tN5Cpniibp/s1600/SFPD+Mobile+Command+outside+Mission+Pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYtM1TMDJ1al9PSkzq5uNCRvDMIaRYNzDWyetYnqEwTwtI5PkUqcM0jws-mQ2D0zHz3v2dt2Iv8SygoK78rjEEFV7mFh-HH8Vzwxjv8pX-Bo5I9I4BCyWSsljIomu04zBg2tN5Cpniibp/s320/SFPD+Mobile+Command+outside+Mission+Pie.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MAxFRsFabtk/UI4MB1tHRwI/AAAAAAAADHk/_b3ffepSMzA/s1600/Trying+to+get+through+the+crowd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MAxFRsFabtk/UI4MB1tHRwI/AAAAAAAADHk/_b3ffepSMzA/s320/Trying+to+get+through+the+crowd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-67969266021030375232012-08-06T06:30:00.002-07:002012-08-06T06:30:54.139-07:00Big monthQuite a month has gone by since my last post. Finished residency (freeeeeedom!!!), epic party thrown by Wife-Bob, two weeks driving across northern Europe with Mom-Bob looking for the family roots with surprising results (of which more soon), started a new job that's been putting a smile on my face. Yesterday Wife-Bob got back from an action-packed adventure in Alaska (her 50th state visited!), and this morning she's off to her first shift as a senior in the ED at the county. Life is good. Elaborations forthcoming.Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-33360834235311432722012-06-29T09:59:00.001-07:002012-06-29T09:59:35.751-07:00DoneIn 1999 I started taking premed classes. This morning, 13 years later, I just got home from the last shift of my residency. Feels pretty damn good to be finished.Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-30774185047093465172012-06-28T10:02:00.004-07:002012-06-28T10:02:59.907-07:00One... more...shift...The overnight shift tonight will be the last shift of my entire residency. Can hardly believe it....Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-27384154398996161742012-06-24T20:29:00.000-07:002012-06-24T20:29:39.674-07:00Around the Bay Area: Pulgas Water Temple<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpynbbOP3GiBYqorBIiCSC9H97wu6GzrGKpyLCyCeK7xesK1xWW3g0pGU_-7xAcBZaLdmZbDO-300JGqju39OmdZ9yL76QvUNUwMHhLWHnsm7bYZk1L4vX0vicHANFbT916vz1rOMWrnN/s1600/09.+Pulgas+Water+Temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpynbbOP3GiBYqorBIiCSC9H97wu6GzrGKpyLCyCeK7xesK1xWW3g0pGU_-7xAcBZaLdmZbDO-300JGqju39OmdZ9yL76QvUNUwMHhLWHnsm7bYZk1L4vX0vicHANFbT916vz1rOMWrnN/s320/09.+Pulgas+Water+Temple.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-87006740718605048412012-06-21T13:32:00.003-07:002012-06-21T13:32:21.797-07:00Around the Bay Area: Moon over the avenue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ELsCZf5XQo/T-OEz-qhe8I/AAAAAAAAAt0/slIxYSX1rNs/s1600/08.+moon-over-the-avenue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ELsCZf5XQo/T-OEz-qhe8I/AAAAAAAAAt0/slIxYSX1rNs/s320/08.+moon-over-the-avenue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-37463719030672521372012-06-20T13:43:00.001-07:002012-06-20T13:43:16.902-07:00Thought experimentIf your 85-year-old grandfather came to the emergency room at 9:00 pm, unable to swallow and not having been able to eat or drink anything for the past two days, would you want him to be admitted to the hospital?Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-25560074059048247812012-06-19T12:38:00.003-07:002012-06-19T12:38:24.471-07:00Around the Bay Area: Ohlone Way<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaagF00tX3glawZXOJNdq0W9-nuVXUEYXvlvSI-4xp5L8ug3AEEBfK53_ciWkU7A2ZcHfI3_hnbtzgITt_i4hipVvIEMxUrWmAf_Yvlk-S1AU4Tpz6ny213hNbo0jKpLHgmoREqwbCoYd/s1600/07.+Ohlone-Way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaagF00tX3glawZXOJNdq0W9-nuVXUEYXvlvSI-4xp5L8ug3AEEBfK53_ciWkU7A2ZcHfI3_hnbtzgITt_i4hipVvIEMxUrWmAf_Yvlk-S1AU4Tpz6ny213hNbo0jKpLHgmoREqwbCoYd/s320/07.+Ohlone-Way.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-31912499476338482992012-06-18T22:40:00.001-07:002012-06-18T22:40:15.617-07:00Professional satisfactionEvery so often a case in the ER is the perfect balance of a pleasant patient who is genuinely interested in their own disease process, wants you to teach them more, and for whom you can provide effective treatment. Got two of those in a row the other night and left work feeling like a doctor.Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-12882704257789129182012-06-17T16:59:00.000-07:002012-06-17T16:59:07.873-07:00Around the Bay Area: Sunrise after night shift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OIJPgOx3wQs/T95vJ1B9yjI/AAAAAAAAAtc/jNX3kpNdjkU/s1600/06.+sunrise+after+night+shift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OIJPgOx3wQs/T95vJ1B9yjI/AAAAAAAAAtc/jNX3kpNdjkU/s320/06.+sunrise+after+night+shift.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-8791420469956606112012-06-15T12:39:00.003-07:002012-06-15T12:39:56.996-07:00Ziba's first piano lession<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-be5ZPGAHPCA/T9uPh3N-zsI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/NPwywWbaytk/s1600/first-piano-lesson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-be5ZPGAHPCA/T9uPh3N-zsI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/NPwywWbaytk/s320/first-piano-lesson.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-32958827846885402762012-06-14T16:45:00.003-07:002012-06-14T16:45:38.294-07:00Around the Bay Area: Treasure Island Administration Building<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y46rCF28D6Q/T9p3mp5WdCI/AAAAAAAAAtE/x0iktNBxxtA/s1600/05.+treasure+island+admin+building.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y46rCF28D6Q/T9p3mp5WdCI/AAAAAAAAAtE/x0iktNBxxtA/s320/05.+treasure+island+admin+building.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-4249655536947770372012-06-12T13:49:00.001-07:002012-06-12T13:49:11.387-07:00Isn't that a little personal?Life in emergency medicine can be a little strange sometimes. I just checked the schedule for our department conference this week. Looks like the highlight will be the Anorectal Small Group Discussion. I guess we'd better be sure to wear clean underwear....Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-42953360497395438292012-06-11T13:02:00.002-07:002012-06-11T13:03:16.461-07:00Around the Bay Area: Oaktown Spice Shop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oHJsIBOhA4OGsHkXeE10vZXU_wFQJ-FQTyvP3Bya8VsVVeuhXP18SvWmEZyl3-oifbU1xs8Rfc13jHX6gK0I7E73SbsF9Lxm5X5QRbqYXd6Ii2cARlwqdOdCOGqWTQTuq0PHPAYzjFSz/s1600/Oaktown-Spice-Shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oHJsIBOhA4OGsHkXeE10vZXU_wFQJ-FQTyvP3Bya8VsVVeuhXP18SvWmEZyl3-oifbU1xs8Rfc13jHX6gK0I7E73SbsF9Lxm5X5QRbqYXd6Ii2cARlwqdOdCOGqWTQTuq0PHPAYzjFSz/s320/Oaktown-Spice-Shop.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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(<a href="http://oaktownspiceshop.com/">http://oaktownspiceshop.com/</a>)<br />
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</div>Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-71811562566463096902012-06-10T13:31:00.001-07:002012-06-10T13:31:14.675-07:00TargetedWhile planning for the upcoming trip with Mom-Bob to Poland and Germany, I was searching for a way to get from Krakow to L<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">ü</span>beck by train. Today I get a banner ad on my Sudoku website promising best prices on rail tickets from Krakow to L<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">ü</span>beck. Helpful, annoying, or creepy?Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-75851313747205633992012-06-09T13:09:00.002-07:002012-06-09T13:11:24.028-07:00Ghanaian connectionMany traditional Ghanaian names are based on gender and the day of the week that you were born. For example, Kofi Annan's first name indicates that he was a boy born on a Friday. The other night in the ER I took care of a little girl whose day name is the same as the wife's, and whose brother's was the same as mine. Mom was delighted to find out that we had gotten engaged in Ghana while Dr. N was working there.Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-42167012229864209212012-06-05T13:50:00.000-07:002012-06-05T13:50:19.238-07:00Around the Bay Area: Lucky Alley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0egRhalvQ4M/T85w_UCJj4I/AAAAAAAAAss/kMWU7FROgus/s1600/lucky+alley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0egRhalvQ4M/T85w_UCJj4I/AAAAAAAAAss/kMWU7FROgus/s320/lucky+alley.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-86668744147641267632012-06-04T16:07:00.002-07:002012-06-04T16:07:35.691-07:00On the radio againYesterday I had radio in the car tuned to the local classical station and I just had to smile, remembering my <a href="http://ben-bob.blogspot.com/2012/05/on-radio.html">post from the other day</a>. What was playing? That old warhorse, the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto....Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-28532916855998037952012-06-02T09:16:00.000-07:002012-06-02T09:16:14.989-07:00Around the Bay Area: Old and new<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-41206098892890945322012-05-31T17:49:00.001-07:002012-05-31T17:50:53.911-07:00On the radioI've had a long love-hate relationship with classical radio. When I was growing up in a small town in Iowa it was the only way to get exposure to new concert music. Nobody believes me, but for most of the time I was growing up there was no record store in my home town, and of course this was long before iTunes and Spotify (or the web, or digital recording, for that matter). Listening to an unfamiliar orchestral composition meant driving 45 minutes to buy a cassette tape, so I would spend hours listening to Minnesota Public Radio. And I had no idea how lucky I was; MPR remains to this day by far the best-programmed classical radio I've ever come across.<br />
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Since then I've lived in several upscale media markets, but classical programming on the radio has been, for the most part, extremely disappointing: endless forgettable baroque recordings, tedious repeats of the warhorses of the repetoire, a skittish approach to anything written after 1900, and lame DJs who seem to know nothing about the music they're playing. (Embarrassingly ignorant compared to, say, the sonic nerds DJing at the average college radio station.)<br />
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But sooner or later I always wind up craving the local station for the clock alarm or driving music, and so after swearing off the low end of the FM dial for a while I eventually always tune back in. Fortunately, a formerly commercial classical station in the Bay Area (few playlists are more banal than the rotation of a commercial classical station!) has switched to a listener-supported format, and these days it's not bad.<br />
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Of course, in this day and age I can easily access a huge cross-section of the "classical" repetoire on line. Still, I find myself fascinated by the radio stations. A big part of it is how random the programming of the average "classical" station is. Almost every other format on the dial is meticulously targeted. Multiple subsegments of pop, adult contemporary, MOR, oldies, hip-hop, high-wattage smooth jazz versus low-wattage late-night bebop -- most music stations deliver reliable product, and often with a great deal of wit and depth in their stylistically-focused selections.<br />
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The classical radio playlist, on the other hand, is usually a ridiculous pastiche. In one sitting you can hear a baroque dance suite, light 19th-century piano music, maybe a single movement of a Mozart symphony, a contemporary film theme arranged for guitar, a warhorse of a Tchaikovsky piano concerto or a Mendelssohn violin concerto, and so on. Historically and stylistically speaking, the classical station is far more eclectic than a station that played, for example, Britney Spears followed by Dixieland followed by Kraftwerk followed by Bing Crosby followed by Radiohead followed by... well, you get the idea. The sloppiest Pandora channel has more coherence than the typical classical FM playlist.<br />
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And yet, even though I periodically give up in despair, I always wind up tuning in again sooner or later. Maybe I'm fascinated by 400 years of Western culture's essential musical heritage being neglected and forgotten to a degree that would never be tolerated for Shakespeare or Van Gogh or Rodin. Maybe I'm drawn to train wrecks. And maybe it's just that I love the music and the repertoire as a whole. But eventually I always find myself sitting behind the wheel in traffic, listening to a DJ who seems to know nothing about music introduce a piece in mangled French or German with information so minimal that it would be unacceptable in the most basic music appreciation class. I miss MPR, but hope springs eternal that someday I'll find something just as good somewhere in the lower frequencies of the local FM market.Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-73905111875402826702012-05-30T17:33:00.003-07:002012-05-30T17:33:34.139-07:00Around the Bay Area: Fogbank<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-72368458581418605062012-05-26T15:07:00.001-07:002012-05-26T15:07:40.587-07:00Solar eclipse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-21606083292197081832011-12-31T15:53:00.000-08:002011-12-31T15:53:13.716-08:00The year in travel2011 turned out to be a better year for travel than two residents could have had any right to expect: we managed to travel on four continents this year! We saw in the new year in <a href="http://ben-bob.blogspot.com/2010/12/feliz-ano-2011.html">Mexico</a>. In the spring we traveled in <a href="http://ben-bob.blogspot.com/2011/05/pictures-from-north.html">Scandinavia and the Baltics</a>. This <a href="http://ben-bob.blogspot.com/2011/06/impressions-of-bali.html">summer</a> I was <a href="http://ben-bob.blogspot.com/2011/06/bikinis-fruity-drinks-carnage.html">working</a> in <a href="http://ben-bob.blogspot.com/2011/06/leaving-bali.html">Indonesia</a> for a month and Dr. N was able to come for a week of vacation. Finally, last month we were in the <a href="http://ben-bob.blogspot.com/2011/11/fires-of-creation.html">DR Congo</a> for a research project (full Picasa album <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/106774665137434170598/DRCongo?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMDS_tvdgr6wgAE&feat=directlink">here</a>).<br />
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Pretty incredible, actually. Wonder what we'll be able to do when we're finally finished with residency?<br />
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Happy new year, everyone.Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-29701648196269495982011-11-21T00:38:00.000-08:002011-11-21T00:38:11.689-08:00Is there a doctor on board?It finally happened. In 30 years of flying, including many intercontinental flights, I've never been a passenger on a plane where the flight crew asked for medical personnel. But while our plane was delayed on the ground in Brussels, the announcement came over the PA. (This has happened to Dr. N before, but it was the first time since she's been a doctor.) The flight attendants looked a little surprised when the two of us stood up, and we were overkill anyway: two other medical folks were already at the patient's side. Looked like wooziness after low blood sugar, normal vitals, and the patient walked back to her seat. So, no dramatic improvised chest tube at 40,000 feet -- this time....<br />
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(Historical note: long-timers at this blog may remember that one of the <a href="http://ben-bob.blogspot.com/2007/06/do-we-land-this-plane-or-not.html">earliest ben-bob comment threads</a> was on <a href="http://ben-bob.blogspot.com/2007/07/do-we-land-this-plane-or-not-part-2.html">this very topic</a>.)Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918394709746759963.post-19459997853322695962011-11-19T05:41:00.000-08:002011-11-19T05:43:14.669-08:00The fires of creationWe're in Kigali, Rwanda at the moment, getting ready to start flying back to the US tonight. You may have seen <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15722488">images</a> of Mt Nyamulagira <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15793261">erupting</a> near Goma on Lake Kivu in eastern DR Congo, where we've been working. Although the eruption posed no threat to the city or to the gorillas in the nearby national park, it did inspire us to go see a very rare volcanic phenomenon.<br />
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Mt Nyiragongo is the tallest volcano near Goma and dominates the northern skyline. Its crater has the distinction of containing one of the world's very few <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava_lake">lava lakes</a>. So, a few days ago we set off with an expedition of 8 other volcano tourists, a guide, three armed park rangers, and a crew of porters, to ascend to the rim of the crater, over 11,000 feet high.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Soof4sHrLWQ/TsevC_xul3I/AAAAAAAAAqI/RZbJjCX5SNM/s1600/park_rangers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Soof4sHrLWQ/TsevC_xul3I/AAAAAAAAAqI/RZbJjCX5SNM/s320/park_rangers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The trail winds through dense jungle, over profusions of jumbled volcanic rock, through areas mostly denuded and still recovering from the eruption nine years ago, and various other ecosystems.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MOd5QTtxIQI/Tseu8yCn3MI/AAAAAAAAAqA/hE1MTrId-mI/s1600/through_the_jungle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MOd5QTtxIQI/Tseu8yCn3MI/AAAAAAAAAqA/hE1MTrId-mI/s320/through_the_jungle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
At each stopping point, we were higher and higher: above nearby small volcanic cones, faraway major volcanoes, and finally above the propeller planes coming in to land at Goma's airfield. It was a demanding climb; one of the other hikers developed altitude sickness, and by the last scramble up 45-degree rock fields above the vegetation line, it was all I could do to keep hauling myself up step by step.<br />
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But arriving at the summit made it all worth it. Standing on the rim of the caldera, you can look down into a seething lake of magma almost a kilometer across and over 500 meters (1600 feet) below the rim. It's a truly profound experience, seeing the forces that have shaped the surface of the earth since before there was life on this planet.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJ1dzABn7n2hY6_OtJ3pwLGuiRzX-sJKrvqHdGvR6R2hQrkO6Twwd3BsQ85y9vwsf5igjuOadhDFTppVvfeKnlJ1-FgyWTnFXM_y9AR5xu2UowCjOBNaivFMk1GoTd0HB95aHQM9Ustug/s1600/lava_lake_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJ1dzABn7n2hY6_OtJ3pwLGuiRzX-sJKrvqHdGvR6R2hQrkO6Twwd3BsQ85y9vwsf5igjuOadhDFTppVvfeKnlJ1-FgyWTnFXM_y9AR5xu2UowCjOBNaivFMk1GoTd0HB95aHQM9Ustug/s320/lava_lake_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
From our vantage point a couple of kilometers away, the lake generates a sound almost like a heavy surf. The surface of the lake is a pattern of darker, slightly cooler plates that are constantly changing shape and occasionally subsumed into hundred-foot-high lava plumes. Overhead, the glow from the lake turns the column of smoke and steam orange.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhM6bVGUDLLNM-8lOyY2ltoCr6W0xfj83kCqTspEHHKIpZISOl7lDDFoX5cFdbay8mjzhm4Gkk_-Lae93EXWehCNbmaIEGlunj5Ctyx_03R9RVi_m-FJ8stjXrmkkOQiLYYeXHn2eB3O5/s1600/lava_lake_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhM6bVGUDLLNM-8lOyY2ltoCr6W0xfj83kCqTspEHHKIpZISOl7lDDFoX5cFdbay8mjzhm4Gkk_-Lae93EXWehCNbmaIEGlunj5Ctyx_03R9RVi_m-FJ8stjXrmkkOQiLYYeXHn2eB3O5/s320/lava_lake_2.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9dbD_ZSiZY/TsevMexRGqI/AAAAAAAAAqg/ysvPv97V6Co/s1600/at_the_summit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><br />
We spent the night at the summit in little shelters and awoke to a brilliant sunrise over another nearby volcano. The climb down was also challenging, but it's hard to imagine a more moving sight as the goal of a two-day trek.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9dbD_ZSiZY/TsevMexRGqI/AAAAAAAAAqg/ysvPv97V6Co/s1600/at_the_summit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9dbD_ZSiZY/TsevMexRGqI/AAAAAAAAAqg/ysvPv97V6Co/s320/at_the_summit.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw0szbOx0Sv6nU5I0QRAbhrQlcndDAD1r44bHNNfbrI4BvGvzBTZPJJUHt3w3h9_is2HV9pCMfDE9rMfJ3QCg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Ben-Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315173193847202647noreply@blogger.com1Kigali, Rwanda-1.950106 30.058768999999984-2.0190305 29.979169999999982 -1.8811814999999998 30.138367999999986