I keep a diary while I was away so I am just going to copy that in here and post some pictures along the way.
Day 1 - 26th/27th August 2010
After a very relaxing aromatherapy massage and a lunch of fresh bread and homemade soup, I took myself off to bed for a nap in anticipation of a long nights travel. I surprised myself and managed to sleep for 3.5 hours. I had tea with Chris and gradually he and the children went off to bed leaving me a 4 hour wait for the taxing in which I'm sure I walked miles with all my nervous pacing.
2am arrived with my taxi dead on time. He was a lovely man but had very strange ideas about speed. He stayed determinedly on 45 mph through the multitude of roadworks on the M1/M25 then put his foot right through the floor on the sections in between while explaining that it wasn't worth his livelihood to get a ticket.
I arrived at the airport at the same time as John (who I had met for a training walk through Discover Adventure's (DA) forum). Gradually more of the team turned up, easily identifiable by their DA labels on their bags. It wasn't long before we started introducing ourselves and chatting about how nervous/excited we were.
After and hour and a half we started to get a little concerned as the DA Trip Leader hadn't turned up. Meera's parents insisted she phone the emergency number we had been given, only to be told that the leader Dave wouldn't be meeting us until the following day. We now needed to book ourselves in and make our own way to Kilimanjaro airport - aaarrrghhhh, as if I wasn't nervous enough already. Booking in was no easy feat as it turned out that 9 of the 15 had no e-tickets on the system and by the time we had got it all sorted it was practically time to board the Amsterdam flight. The flight was busy but passed quickly and we were soon in a coffee bar at Amsterdam airport having a drink bought for us by Mark - none of the rest of us had the forethought to bring Euros for this leg.
We were soon onto the next flight with KLM airlines. It was very long and boring but I can't fault the airline. the staff were helpful (allowing us a row of seats each in case we wanted to sleep) and the food was really good.
We touched down in Kilimanjaro airport at 9.20 pm in 24 degrees heat to find a massive queue for the visa desk, and the trip doctor waiting to take us to our hotel. We could only feel sorry for Doctor James as he had only come down Kilimanjaro that afternoon and had hardly slept for 2 days. the office had had to draft him in due to the absence of Dave (trip leader).
The hotel was much nicer than expected and after a quick dinner it was off to bed.
Day 2 - 28th August 2010
After a much needed sleep and a cold shower (not by choice!) I met up with the rest of the team for breakfast. They are:
Gaynor and Lynn - sister-in-laws from Neath
Libby and Ellen - friends from London
Brioney - Mental Health Nurse from Leeds
Fraser and Jo - Friends from Wakefield
Mark - Venture Capitalist from Cambridge
John - Horsham (met previously on training walk)
Berathy (Bee), Sherrill and Steve - friends from London
Meera - Training to be a Doctor in London
Bikram - Just about to start St Andrews University and from London.
Team around the pool and the lovely gardens
The pool and monkeys in the garden
We had a quick briefing from the Doc, the main news being that Dave was due to arrive at 4pm and would brief us fully. We all jumped into the minibus and headed off into nearby Moshi for lunch. The only restaurant the DA staff use is the IndioItaliano Restaurant which had a bizarre mix of curry, pasta and fresh pizza on the menu. the food was good though and it gave us chance to find out more about each other.
We did some shopping in Moshi, most of us quickly getting used to the constant hassle from men trying to take us to their sister's shop or trying to sell us souvenirs on the street. Some great bargains were had by all!
The team at lunch and celebrations in Moshi High Street
Once back at the hotel we were briefed on how things would work over the next week - beginning with a 6a.m. breakfast the following morning. An early dinner and an early night was recommended and most of us were off to bed by 9.30.
Day 3 - 29th August 2010
Day 3 dawned bright and early with a monkey making a right racket outside my window. After another cold shower I took my bags out to the hotel reception and label one to be transported to the next hotel, one for the trek and my day pack which I would take on the coach myself.
After a quick breakfast of freshly made omelette and toast we were soon ready to leave. the weather was appalling and rain gear was recommended all round. After a 30 minute drive we arrived at the Machame Gate entrance tot he Kilimanjaro National Park and were signed in for the trek ahead.
Warnings and rules at the gate
Ahsante Tours, our local guides and porters, provided us with water to fill our camel packs and a packed lunch for the journey. We met our main guide Whitie again (we had briefly met him before at the hotel) and were all given roll call numbers (mine was 2) and off we went.
Sherrill and Steve looking very wet and Ahsante Tour Guide Whitie
We had been warned that we would walk very slowly and that Whitie would set the pace. Under no circumstances were we allowed to pass him. By the time we reached the lunch stop, we had all realised why the pace was so slow, the reduction in oxygen was already apparent and I already had a headache.
Tent Porters
The porters didn't seem to have any such problems and were trotting past us at regular intervals with backpacks on and large loads balance on their heads.
The packed lunches provided were quite substantial and included a wrap with roast potatoes and beef inside, a fruit drink, chocolate bar, small cake and a banana. It was nice to stop and rest for a bit, if only to catch our breath. The lunch stop was our introduction to the fables Long Drop Toilets about which there are hundreds of posts on the Internet. I can honestly say they were the most revolting I had ever seen. They were dark and smelly and absolutely infested with flies. Jo and I decided the best way to conquer them was to loosen all the lower clothing in readiness, take a very deep breath then rush in, do your business and come back out to breath and return our clothing to the correct position. Yuk.
We head off on the two hour trip to camp after taking paracetamol for the ever present headache. By this time the rain had stopped and we had all stripped off and stowed several layers of clothing. The path is still meandering through the tropical zone heading into cloud forest. Here there are Impatiens Kilimanjari - an orange flowers indigenous to the mountain, and loads of different types of moss.
We soon walk into a clearing to find camp - all our tents are pitched waiting for us and there is fresh popcorn and hot drinks in the mess tent for all. We are advised at this point to get our beds ready as altitude makes everything more effort and we probably will not feel like it later on.
We soon settle don to a game of 'wink murder' with the murder victims dieing in the most dramatic way possible. Steve was a clear winner when he threw himself backwards off his stool - we thought he'd cracked his head open but he's just a very good actor.
Dinner was fab; soup followed by a chicken stew, rice and peas and finished with fresh avocado and hot drinks. Most of the team were in bed by 7.30, with a couple of the party people singing and chatting until 8.30. I spent the night worrying about waking Lynn up on my frequent visits to the toilet tent but i needn't have feared - she slept through it all.
Tent Porters
The porters didn't seem to have any such problems and were trotting past us at regular intervals with backpacks on and large loads balance on their heads.
The packed lunches provided were quite substantial and included a wrap with roast potatoes and beef inside, a fruit drink, chocolate bar, small cake and a banana. It was nice to stop and rest for a bit, if only to catch our breath. The lunch stop was our introduction to the fables Long Drop Toilets about which there are hundreds of posts on the Internet. I can honestly say they were the most revolting I had ever seen. They were dark and smelly and absolutely infested with flies. Jo and I decided the best way to conquer them was to loosen all the lower clothing in readiness, take a very deep breath then rush in, do your business and come back out to breath and return our clothing to the correct position. Yuk.
We head off on the two hour trip to camp after taking paracetamol for the ever present headache. By this time the rain had stopped and we had all stripped off and stowed several layers of clothing. The path is still meandering through the tropical zone heading into cloud forest. Here there are Impatiens Kilimanjari - an orange flowers indigenous to the mountain, and loads of different types of moss.
We soon walk into a clearing to find camp - all our tents are pitched waiting for us and there is fresh popcorn and hot drinks in the mess tent for all. We are advised at this point to get our beds ready as altitude makes everything more effort and we probably will not feel like it later on.
We soon settle don to a game of 'wink murder' with the murder victims dieing in the most dramatic way possible. Steve was a clear winner when he threw himself backwards off his stool - we thought he'd cracked his head open but he's just a very good actor.
Dinner was fab; soup followed by a chicken stew, rice and peas and finished with fresh avocado and hot drinks. Most of the team were in bed by 7.30, with a couple of the party people singing and chatting until 8.30. I spent the night worrying about waking Lynn up on my frequent visits to the toilet tent but i needn't have feared - she slept through it all.
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