Clean at Last!

We made it!!

We just returned to Moshi after completing a 6 day trek to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world! 5895m to be exact.

We set off with high spirits and clean clothes. The first day was easy peasy climbing through beautiful rainforest, that kind of resembled a forest in Vancouver (except for the palm trees) and ended at 3000m above sea level. Our team consisted of 6 porters, 1 guide, 1 assistant guide, waiter, a cook and an assistant cook. They were all wonderful at keeping us as comfortable as possible considering the circumstances. The food was great- we had amazing breakfasts every day consisting of porridge, tea and milo, omelettes, toast and peanut butter, and Darl got weiners. Lunches were also great- bagged for the hike and usually peanut butter, crap loads of margarine, and green pepper. Yes, this may sound gross but actually quite satisfying when you have a mountain appetite! Some of the other meals were delicious home made soups, coconut rice pilaf, pasta and veggies, and crepes with jam for dessert. Ooh and we also got tea time every afternoon with popcorn, peanuts and cookies! The best part was all the fresh fruit! To stay hydrated so we could ensure our success with the summit, we had to drink 4 L of fluids every day.

Day 2 we ascended above the clouds to Sheera base camp. Here we had views of Kili and Mt Meru and we were at an altitude of 3600m. By the end of the day, we left the rainforest and began walking in a whole new world. We were then in "Moor Land"- where the trees were covered in a moss-like substance and they looked like they were shedding. The vegetation was unlike anything we had ever seen before. Day 3 we reached 4600m before descending to 3950m so we could begin to get used to the air up high. I started to feel pretty dizzy on the way up and decided to begin altitude meds. Darl was still feeling great though. The scenery changed once again to rocks. There were sharp, thin rocks that looked like litter heaps everywhere and the sun and wind were extremely harsh. By day 4 I was feeling pretty crappy, after a cold night with no sleep. But we had to suck it up because that night we would begin our serious leg of the journey up to the summit.

At 11:30pm we were up, had drank our tea shivering in the tent, put on all the clothes we owned, and headed up towering Kili with our trusty guides Mr. Temo and Mr. Moshi. Each step felt increasingly more difficult as our fatigue and lack of oxygen took effect. I was particularly hurting early on, and Darl had to help me up even simple rocks as I bitched and whined that I didn't care about the top anymore. I had nausea, felt like I might crap my pants, and the cold was still cutting through my millions of layers. Darl, the eternal optimist, continued to feel great as we stumbled through the dark, only the moonlight to show us the way.

With about 45 minutes and 200m elevation to go, things went all wrong for poor Darl. All of a sudden, after 4 days of Darl feeling solid and strong, without any ill effects from the height, he became extremely disoriented. He popped a diamox (altitude med) with hopes that it would treat how he was feeling and we carried on. At this point, all of my self-pitying went away and all my attention was on my honey. When Darl's eyes started rolling into the back of his head, we knew things were getting serious and his time was up. After some persuading, he agreed to head down before things got any worse and Mr. Moshi helped him, rather aggressively, back to base camp. Darl felt like a dog on a leash, half conscious, as Moshi pulled him along. We said our I love you's and I continued up with Mr. Temo. I reached the Uhuru Peak, 5895m, at 5:45am. It was pitch black, -20 degrees plus wind chill, and I was ready to go to bed! I got a quick picture beside the sign and we bolted back down, watching the sunrise as we went. It wasn't nearly the climax I hoped for without my partner beside me :(

The next two days we motored down the trails back to the park gate and raced to our hotel to get a much deserved shower after 6 days of extreme filth!

I think I am sick of extreme activity for the next little while... All I can look forward to now is some baking at home and watching tv! Yay, homeward bound in less than a month!!

Jambo!!

Jambo from Dar!!!

We are now getting ready to leave the capital of Tanzania after chilling here for a week.

My parents arrived at the end of June and we had such a great visit with them!! They were much more hard core than we ever imagined, right off the bat we went for a walk in the downtown streets of Dar Es Salam and my mom and I drank tea with a street vendor. He even gave it to us for free! And everyone here called my mom "Mama" and Dad "Papa''. It was great! They were treated with much respect and kindness everywhere we went (well most places!). We also went to a real African market and Dad got to practice his bargaining skills African style! Unfortunately Dad kept referring to the Tanzanian Schillings as "play money" and seemed to think that any price asked for was reasonable. So Darl and I had to suck it up and give up on our fine-tuned skills of getting a deal.

After Dar we took a 10 hour bus ride to Arusha in search of a safari tour in the Serengeti. We lucked out and found a great company quickly and were off the next day for three nights, four days of camping in the jungle! We even had an elephant wander onto our campsite one night and every night we could hear scary sounds from wort hogs, hyenas, and other mysterious creatures. Darl was frightened but I held him closely!

Our tour guide was great and he helped us to spot cheetas, lions, baby lions, millions of wildebeests migrating, millions of zebras running to a water hole, hippos galore, giraffes, amazing birds, monkeys and the list could go on forever!

After my mom finished hugging our guide and cook a million times, we carried on with our adventure and travelled to exotic Zanzibar island for some R and R. Here we stayed in a peaceful village on the beach called Jambiani and spent our days by the pool, walking on the beach, and eating seafood. Wine was difficult to find, but we did get creative, we even snuck booze in a water bottle into one strictly no alcohol allowed restaurant! Dad and Darl had some good bonding time over gin and juice and Darl almost had my Dad hugging him (but not quite). hehe. We also went snorkelling and Dad tried fishing using a string and stick on a home-made sail boat made from rice sacks and mango trees. Good times enjoyed by all as we watched mom try to get back on the sail boat after snorkelling! She resembled humpty dumpty!

Now since my parents left, we have been trying to get used to life without them again. We have been chilling in the city, organizing our next trek up Kiliminjaro, and finding interesting street food once again. We have been staying at a great Indian run guesthouse downtown and enjoyed the final world cup match with tonnes of people from around the world. Although we were cheering for Netherlands, we still enjoyed ourselves!!