12 PLACES VISITED: 1) Itungi, 2) Mbeya, 3) Makambako, 4) Iringa, 5) Morogoro, 6) Dar Es Salaam, 7) Nungwi (Zanzibar), 8) Stone Town (Zanzibar), 9) Arusha, 10) Moshi, 11) Kilimanjaro National Park, 12) Kilimanjaro Summit (Uhuru Peak).
11 OVERNIGHTS: 1) Room at “The New Millennium Inn”, Mbeya (Elev 1639m), 2-3) Room at the “YWCA”, Dar Es Salaam, 4) Room at “Jambo Brothers Guesthouse”, Nungwi Zanzibar, 5) Room at “Flamingo Guesthouse”, Stone Town Zanzibar, 6) Room at “Arusha Backpackers”, Arusha (Elev 1468m), 7) Cabin at “Horombo Hut 2”, Kilimanjaro National Park (Elev 3760m), 8) Cabin at “Kibo Hut 3”, Kilimanjaro National Park (Elev 4733m), 9-11) Room at “Arusha Backpackers”, Arusha (Elev 1468m).
1 CLIMB: Mount Kilimanjaro Summit.
2 SWIMS: Nungwi (Zanzibar) (2).
4 UNIQUE WILDLIFE: 1) Common Baboon, 2) Sea Urchin, 3) Star Fish, 4) Colobus Monkey.
BLOG POST TRAILER:
Welcome to the post of posts - in two parts! TANZANIA is so full of action and things to see and do that it needs two posts. It is the quintessential African country. If Tarzan and Cheetah were real they would live here. It is here that the word “Ungowa” was born - an old Swahili word that Hollywood bent and flexed from “come here” to and an entire TV language. I reckon it means “lets go!”. It is also here that I hit my 7th month away from home and on the truck.
This whole post and the next is Solo 12, the longest most ambitious trip by myself to date covering TANZANIA and KENYA! MALAWI was my last Southern Africa country and TANZANIA is my first Eastern Africa country. Finally, I was in the fabled “East Africa”! This post (Part 1 of 2) features Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro. Part 2 will cover my safaris in Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park including a visit to a genuine Masai village. The highlight of this post is definitely my 3-day assault of Mt Kilimanjaro, the “rooftop of Africa” - the highest peak in TANZANIA and all of Africa at 5,895m. Solo 12 began just over the MALAWI-TANZANIA border in a town called Mbeya. Not a nice town at all.
I left the truck here because I could catch a coach directly to Dar Es Salaam and gain a day since the truck would take two days. I was lucky to find a cheap hotel opposite the bus station. It was 4pm by the time I settled in so all I did was to find food and internet to upload Post 25. I was lucky again. Found a young guy in a computer store willing to lend me his hot spot. Sometimes this was the only internet available. I was ripped off that night for dinner (3 pieces of chicken for AUD15) but quickly forgot with a few glasses of wine and movie. The coach departed on time at 6am the next day and the journey to Dar was a long long long one. Fabulous landscapes across south-west TANZANIA and I decided to read a book Roberto gave to me to pass the time - the life story of John Hunter, one of the most famous game hunters in Africa post WWII. It was terrific reading about his exploits in TANZANIA since I would be visiting those very areas in a few days! Dar Es Salaam (Pop 4m+) is huge and spread out. Quite humid given its position on the Indian Ocean. After 14.5hrs on the bus I was glad to see a hotel bed again. It took me 45min to get into the city from the bus station and I was lucky to have a local riding with me to walk me to the hostel which was located next to the main post office in the middle of town. Terrific.
When I woke the next day it was a different place. From the isolation of the night before to a buzzing, noisy place full of cars and people. Like many older African cities, Dar was in desperate need of a face-lift. Too many old buildings, ugly overhead mess of wires, pot-hole roads and garbage on most corners. Dar should take a page out of Luanda’s book. It has a harbourside that is fenced off and full of freighters instead of a beautiful palm lined boulevard with cafes, shops and gardens - like Luanda. I walked around Dar extensively ending up at the fish markets at one end of the harbour.
These markets were very poor and smelly. Also visited the National Museum which is actually very large with great exhibits, covering the history of TANZANIA and all the flora and fauna of the country. Strangely this is another city without many large supermarkets or malls. I am told that most are in the suburbs. From Dar I bought a fast twin-hull fast boat to the island of Zanzibar some 81km and 90min away. I departed 7am the next day and this boat really did cut the water at 60km/h. Called “Kilimanjaro 4” it was actually quite expensive at AUD54. I found out later that low-cost airline “fast jet” was charging half this to fly!!! Bugger!!! I met a nice local on board who shared a taxi with me to the bus station of Stone Town, the main city on Zanzibar. I would visit here in two days time.
I bordered a covered but windowless ute with seats in the back to travel 2hrs to a famous beach at the northern tip of the island called Nungwi. This covered ute called a “Dulla Dulla” is nuts. The bench seats all round probably fit 12 and 22 climbed aboard with bags, children and food. People sat at my feet and there was the traditional elbows and BO in my face! TIA! As I travelled north I realised just how dreamy and tropical this island was. Palms and lush green everywhere. Then there was the water of the Indian Ocean - to die for! Emerald green, clear and calm. Nungwi was paradise. A small collection of local houses, hotels and bars right on the beach! It is a little crowded but it was low season and most places were empty. Posh and poor hotels all next to each other. There was exclusivity and this was good.
I only stayed one night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Swimming, internet and fresh fish - what more could I possibly want. I had hurt my calf running the sands of Lake Malawi so the swimming was good alternative exercise until the calf recovered. There would be no running until AFTER Kilimanjaro - I did not want to take any risks with my calf. I stayed a second night on Zanzibar but this time in the main town of Stone Town. This place reminded me of Fez in MOROCCO. Narrow, cobbled streets with vendors and a definite Arabic, Persian influence. Not as colourful nice as Fez but with similar character and feel. Visited the Slave Chambers, The Sultans Palace and the Old Fort. These places are simply not looked after and very sad given how touristy Zanzibar is.
Most tourists would be disappointed with the city sights and head out to the beach resorts instead. Stone Town definitely needs looking after. It also lacks restaurants and supermarkets for tourists. Just has the local markets. Not great for a city of 1 million plus people and that again in tourists! Lucky for me it was cheaper to fly to Arusha than catch the boat back to Dar and a 7hr bus to the same place. The flight was in a 12-seat Cessna 208 Caravan and took 100min to fly 430km given very strong head winds. The view of Zanzibar from the air was terrific - a true island paradise. Arusha (Pop 100,000) is a messy place and once again not well equipped for tourists even though it is home base for the Mt Kilimanjaro climbs and safaris to the Serengeti.
The town of Moshi is actually closer to Kilimanjaro and probably a better base, especially for a 3-day climb. Most climbs take 5 to 6 days. I took the “Marangu” route, otherwise known as the “Coca Cola” route since it is the most popular, often crowded with climbers in peak season. Marangu is a 5 day route and the only one that can be done in 3-days. I had booked and paid for a 5-day climb but was aiming to do it in 3-days - up and down. I met my booking agent Peter on arrival at the hostel from the airport. He was just as I had imagined him. Smiley face and very polite. We drove to a climbing store where I hired the cold weather gear I needed for the climb tomorrow. Lucky I flew to Arusha since I would not have had the time today to do all this stuff if I had caught the bus.
The hostel was the best I had stayed at - single bed room, very hot water, towels/soap, brekkie and of course a strong internet in a great rooftop bar overlooking the town. Supermarket just 350m away! Perfect for me. My climb began with a pickup from the hostel at 8am the next day in a minivan. I met my guide Thabit who was to become good friend over the next 3days. We drove 77km to Moshi to pick up our cook and three porters. I was the only climber. The entrance gate to the Kilimanjaro National Park was only 45km from Moshi. At 1pm on Sunday 12 June I took my first steps towards the highest peak in Africa and the world’s tallest “stand-alone” mountain. What happened over the next three days can only expressed in the detailed part of this blog post - please make a hot pot of tea and sit yourself down to read DAY 213-215.
For those truly hurt on time here is the bottom line of the climb: Ascent: 1800m to 5895m (4,095m) over 34km in 11hrs/54min compared to 13hrs/30min recommended time. Descent: 8hrs/2min compared to 9hrs/30min recommended time. The Guinness Book world record time up and down is 6hrs/45min!!!
PS: It is possible to do Kili in 2 days. You would stay at Moshi and drive to gate when it opens at 6am. Climb to Hut 3 and acclimatise and sleep there. Summit early the next day then trek all the way down. I would have done this.
BLOG POST DETAIL:
DAY 207 of 273, Mon 6JUN16, 241km, Solo12, Dorm at “Chitimbah Camp”, Chitimbah (Elev 466m) MALAWI to Room at “The New Millennium Inn”, Mbeya (Elev 1639m) TANZANIA. The sun rose today on Solo 12! If it wasn’t for my sore calf, I would have “sprung” out of bed! At least my heart did! I always get excited about my solo trips.
Total freedom. Total adventure. Total fun. Africa direct! This one covered all of TANZANIA, the only solo trip where every sleep in the country was solo. We set out at 7:30am. I liked the place but was glad to leave because it reminded me of my inability to run right now. I was determined to get well. No running for the next 2-3 days. Not running will hurt more but not doing Kilimanjaro will kill me! The landscape on the way to the border was very scenic. Lake Malawi was shimmering in the sun and with fluffy cumulus clouds above it. We started to climb again slightly and we could see the distant tall peaks of the Mbeya Mountain Range. We reached the MALAWI-TANZANIA border around 10am. By 1pm we had crossed over completely, had lunch and were on our way to Mbeya my drop-off point and start of Solo 12. Bring it on!
The landscape after the border was tropical - lush forests, palms everywhere and the humidity was starting to build. The villages and dwellings were mainly brick and tin roof and in slightly better shape than MALAWI but the West African theme still ran strong - lots of markets, street stalls and shouting and waving people. We started to climb, driving along a ridge with commercial tea farms and huge open valleys on both sides with huge lush mountains in the distance. It looked like a scene out of Jurassic Park! Very impressive. We drove higher and higher and topped out at a village at 2210m. By this time we had all rugged up again. Then a slight descent into Mbeya at 1700m, arriving just after 3pm. I farewelled my fellow travellers and stepped out into Solo 12!
My mission plan before sundown was: find accom, book bus, withdraw cash, find internet and buy food for tonight. The final mission was to upload Post 25. Mbeya (Pop 385,000, Elev 1672) is very spread out. The truck dropped me off at a place called “the junction” where the roads to Malawi and Zimbabwe meet. It is several kilometres from the centre of town so I had to catch a share van to get to my hotel which is opposite the bus station. After 45min of traffic chaos I alighted and walked another kilometre to the hotel. Dumped my stuff and off I went in search of an ATM. I asked about a big supermarket and internet cafe as I went. No go. No big supermarkets in the centre, just smaller shops and mini-markets selling canned food. I stopped by the Gazelle Safaris travel agency mentioned in Lonely Planet to check airfares - sometimes they are not much more than buses.
No go. Bus was AUD27 and plane was AUD147. Found ATM but it charged a fee of AUD8. I think ATMs in TANZANIA will all be the same. I found the only internet cafe in town but they had no WIFI so I found a young man working in a PC shop that was willing to let me use his hot spot. Offered to pay, as I always do, but he declined. It was terrific. Post 25 went up in minutes and I sent all the emails I prepared yesterday requesting quotes for Kilimanjaro and Serengeti. What a relief. Food-wise I struck out badly. Bought three pieces of chicken with hardly any meat on them for AUD15 - total rip-off and bomb-out. I thought I was buying them for AUD1.50. I was one zero out. I also think they gave me the tourist price. No local could afford this. The exchange here is also very high and hard to divide in your head. Thank goodness I bought some canned beans, chickpeas and mushroom - these saved me.
I proceeded to the bus station and bought my ticket to Dar Es Salaam leaving at 6am tomorrow. There were 3-4 hot kebab stalls in the area - this is where I should have bought food. Broke my own rule - invest half your available time in reconnaissance (seeing what’s out there and finding the right place) and the remaining time to seal the deal (go to the right place and make the purchase). What I noticed the most about completing my afternoon mission was the poor use of English - not many people knew it. Far far less than other ex-English colonies. My room was small but comfy with its own shower. The water was not hot, just tepid. Settled down to my failed dinner and a movie but propped it up with plenty of wine. Mbeya was not a great place. It was poorly organised, too spread out and with no defined, tourist friendly centre. Its lack of bigger supermarkets and internet cafes was not good for a city of its population. Definitely not a place to visit - just overnight to get a bus out to “Dar”.
DAY 208 of 273, Tue 7JUN16, 821km, Solo12, Room at “The New Millennium Inn”, Mbeya (Elev 1639m) to Room at the “YWCA”, Dar Es Salaam TANZANIA. The “luxury” coach to Dar left at 6am on the dot. Amazing. No Africa time. No fill-up time. It was night and the coach was half full. Did not take long to fill it up with some suburban stops and then it was off like a bullet. Fast. Maybe too fast. Our driver overtook everything in sight. Sunrise was terrific. I sat i the first row and the glow of the sun poured in. At the moment I thought of how far I had come and how accustomed I had become to the rough and tumble of Africa. Sydney seemed like another planet away. This was going to be a 12-14 hour bus trip to do the equivalent of Sydney to Melbourne. Blog was up to date so I decided to read a book that Roberto gave me about the life of John Hunter, one of the most famous game hunters in Africa.
I would also spend some time reading my first quote and answering the emails I downloaded yesterday. Then it would be cat-naps in between. My hostel was booked in Dar so I did not mind the sunset / night arrival. Landscape out of Mbeya transitioned from surrounding mountains to a high flat plateau, high at 1500m and featuring scrub with distant mountains on the horizon. Much to my surprise we passed the truck at exactly 8am (approx 150km out of Mbeya) - I waved but they did not see me. My coach quickly puled away - goes to show you how much faster they are and the key to gaining a day by skipping two bush camps and travelling direct to Dar myself. Then we had a short stint of gravel as the road was being widened. Pee stops were few and far between. First at 9:30am, 3.5hrs into the trip and the next at lunch break at 12:30pm, 3hrs later. I decided to slow my drinking so I would have to go all the time.
By noon we had travelled the 320km of our 821km journey - only 500km to go. It was cloudy until lunch and it even sprinkled a bit. After lunch we descended off the plateau at 1500m down to a valley at 500m surrounded my mountains with acacia hugging their sides. The temperature and humidity increased immediately given the loss of altitude. It was an inhospitable place, thick with bush and mountain. Thank goodness the road was great and our driver went back to hot rod mode. At least we would make up time for the road works and goods trucks that slowed us down in the mid-morning. I was enjoying my little red book on John Hunter. This book was an 1957 original and I stored it with my Mac to guard it with my life - Roberto would be heart broken if anything happened to it.
He wanted me to take it with me to read because John Hunter spent most of his years in Kenya and Tanzania. His best adventures were in Ngorongoro and the Serengeti - the two places I would be going to visit and sleep at after Kili on Solo 12! I still get sleepy reading and cat napped my way past half way in the book. Outside we were treated to a baobab tree forest - first tome I had seen one. It looked so African. The city of Morongoro was at foot of giant lush green mountains whose tops were shrouded in cloud. We got here at 4:30pm with another pee break. Our last break was at Morogoro at 6:30pm by which time the sun had set but not without a show of coloured outlines on the many fluffy cumulus that hovered above us. We were 60km from our destination and that time appeared to go slow. I couldn’t read anymore since there were no lights or aircon on this “luxury” bus! I decided to blog instead under the light of my own computer.
The lights of Dar Es Salaam (Pop 4.4m+) or “Dar” as it is known to locals, appeared around 7:30pm and at 8:30pm we pulled into the busy Ubungo Bus Station. Driving one hour through suburb after suburb confirmed my expectation of a very spread out city given the population of over 4 million. It was also quite warm and humid given its sea level location by the Indian Ocean and proximity to the equator. After 14.5hrs on this coach, this trip was not over. The city and my hostel in it was still 8km away. The taxis were all asking half the fare I paid to get here in the first place! It was the type of monopoly that I cannot stomach. I felt good so I decided to take the public “Transit Bus” to the hostel since I knew there was a stop within walking distance of it. The Transit Bus was very good. It is new. It comprises two dedicated lanes with bus stations in the middle of the main freeway that leads into town - a bit like the eastern Bay Area of San Francisco. The idea of using the middle of the road clears the way and keeps the buses moving. Despite this it still took 45min to get to the hostel. I was lucky to find a young man next to me who walked me to the hostel - it was dark and the company was advisable. My hostel was in the centre of town, right next to the post office and at night the city looked modern with several skyscrapers nearby. It was deserted where I was. It was 9:30pm when I arrived and I knew I would struggle to find hot food at this hour.
I dumped my gear in my prison cell style single bed room and hit the streets. An old guy who worked at the hostel called Valencio told me that all the supermarkets were shut and I should try a pizza place only 5min walk away. Deal. I found it and returned to my room with a hot 12inch super vego pizza. After another cold shower (humidity made it bearable) I settled down to a movie and my pizza. Terrific. Sleep was easy after today's 16hr door-to-door epic!
DAY 209 of 273, Wed 8JUN16, 0km, Solo12, Room at the “YWCA”, Dar Es Salaam TANZANIA. It was good to wake up to a whole day in one place. It was very bright and sunny outside - not a cloud in the sky and very clear for a city centre. I needed to book my climb and safari today - that meant internet. Hostel did not have one but the Ramada Inn towering over the hostel next door did! They also served excellent coffee. I managed to review my 3 quotes and pick a winner. I sent 8 requests. Why do people not want business? I was very relieved to book exactly what I wanted and the price is what I expected. I started my walking tour of the city at 11am with a spring in my step despite my recovering calf. It was not sore when I walked but only if I touched it or ran. I decided no running for now until the pain was totally gone. I walked down the main drag of “Azikiwe Street”, past the “Askari Monument” and to the “National Museum of Tanzania”. The city was infinitely better than Lilongwe and Lusaka but not as polished as Luanda or Brazzaville. There were too many older buildings falling apart in between new skyscrapers.
There was also some rubbish around and too many ugly overhead wires and transmission boxes. Getting directions was tough - few people understood or spoke English despite being colonised by them. I figured this is because colonisation took place after WWI which was late compared to other African nations and Swahili has been around for hundreds of years, very strong and universal. The National Museum was great. It was being renovated. It is large and features many exhibits: the history of TANZANIA and Zanzibar (which was a separate nation until 1964), life story of Dr David Livingston, life stories of Missionaries and Explorers of TANZANIA, the German and English colonial periods, the rise of Independence, current political parties, the flora and fauna of TANZANIA and the Rock Art of Africa.
The best exhibit and what the museum is famous for is the “Fossils of Olduvai Gorge”. These comprise preserved foot steps, teeth, bone fragments and part of a skull of pre-historic cave man that occupied TANZANIA some 3.6 million years ago and is world famous as providing the missing link between the very first hominids (human like apes) and those just before “homo sapiens” of our own species. These were discovered over a period stretching from 1924 to 1978, the most famous being “the Tuang Child Skull” of a 12 year old boy. The gorge itself was first explored by Europeans in 1911.
There are also fossilised remains (mainly horns and jaw bones with teeth) on display from animals that lived between 1.8 million and 400,000 years ago including relatives of the baboon, rhino, warthog and oryx. I spent a good 2hrs here before venturing into the very sunny, very warm and humid atmosphere outside. The weather seems like northern Queensland.
My next stop was the Fish Market which was a pleasant walk along the foreshore to the eastern most tip. It stunk. More than any other fish market I had been two. Did not spend a lot of time here for this reason. Fish is cheap. I asked. AUD4-10/kg. Most were around AUD6/kg. Straight from the Indian Ocean and plenty of them. Walked back along the foreshore into town. The foreshore is completely undeveloped and full of parked vessels and rubbish.
It is a mess. City Council here should visit Luanda and take notes. India Street was my favourite because this is the real city. Old, rustic, ugly overhead wires, crumbling colonial buildings, mosques, eateries, mum & dad goods stores and lots of Arab and Indian origin people.
Dar takes me back to MOROCCO but it still lacks the richness and variety of architecture and food - it is like a poor Moroccan cousin. Dar also lacks proper supermarkets. There are only 3 in the city and they are poorly stocked - believe me I went to all three to try to find wine, cheese and olives and barely scrapped in. There are also hardly any restaurants in town except the posh hotels which sell expensive western dishes anyway. I had to resort to cans and KFC for tonight but enjoyed them both. I returned to the hostel at 4pm and hit the internet next door for a fabulous flat white and to complete the booking of my trip. Another cold shower and it was can, KFC and Moonraker time!
DAY 210 of 273, Thu 9JUN16, 131km (81km by boat), Solo12, Room at the “YWCA”, Dar Es Salaam to Room at “Jambo Brothers Guesthouse”, Nungwi Zanzibar TANZANIA. Today was Zanzibar day, an island in the Indian Ocean famed for its Arabic background, tasty food and emerald-green waters. It all began at 5:30am in time for Valencio to drive me to the 7am twin-hull fast boat to Zanzibar. AUD54 to do the 90min, 81km trip is a bit stiff when you consider that I will fly from Zanzibar to Atosha, some 500km away for AUD121. The twin hull catamaran was fast. Cruising at 60km/h under a cloudy sky but calm seas. After taking some shots of the Dar city skyline as we pulled away I then resumed by air-conditioned “business-class” reclining seat and blogged away.
Back out to the deck as the Stone Town peninsula loomed. At first glance it was identical to pulling up into MOROCCO all those months ago when I crossed over from Gibraltar. Definite Persian/Arabic architecture and very colourful. I met a local guy called Abdulla in the queue out of the boat who was kind enough to share a taxi with me to the Stone Town “Dulla-Dulla” station where you catch these small trucks with covered but open bench seating to most towns/villages on the island.
Abdullah worked for one of the resorts and for the last year decided to run his own travel agency booking accom, travel and safaris on the island and throughout TANZANIA. I farewelled him and got on the Dulla-Dulla to Nungwi at the very northern tip of the island. The dulla is actually a small Toyota Hiace truck converted over for the job. And what a job! There must have been 30 people in this thing crammed to the rafters! People sitting even in the middle at the feet of the seated! I cannot imagine the pain of an accident! The women were meticulously dressed in colourful silky Hijab.
The baby girls even had eyeliner around there eyes in the traditional Arabic/Persian style. The men were scrappy. Old dusty clothes. What a contrast! The 45km to this very popular village took 90min because of the constant hopping on and off of locals and the bad road. Nungwi (Pop 7,000) is full of resorts, chalets, beach-side restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and diving/water sports centres. It is the most popular spot since you have the choice of swimming on the eastern or western side of the island. It was a 15min walk to my very simple guesthouse room and I was pouring with sweat when I arrived. My jaw dropped when I saw the beaches and water. Emerald-green waters with bands of differing colours lapping bright white sand. I was going to love it. But business first. Had to call my brother to try and pay Peter for my climb and safari by international EFT.
My place had no internet but eventually I found what was to become my favourite spot on the island - the Baraka Bungalow Bar and Restaurant. This was a covered, well-stocked place, set right on the sand just 20m from the water’s edge. The internet was great. Peter had sent me his banking details and I caught Nick 30min before he was due for a meeting. It worked. I was so relieved. Would not have to race around Arusha making 12 withdrawals and running the risk of Citibank blocking my card! I even managed to fit in a long chat with Nick Drinias. I had arrived 10:30am and it was now 12:30pm and time for a swim. Business was concluded. And what a swim it was. The water was a unsettled since the wind had picked up and there was a small current but the view underwater was great.
Sea Urchins and Star Fish everywhere! The dive shop guy told me where to swim and to watch out for the urchins since they were venomous. I had plenty of depth between myself and them so I was OK. I managed to swim 2km in these conditions and was extremely please since I could not run because of my calf. The timing of my injury, if it just had to happen, was great because I was at a beach and could swim in place of running. This was I could let my calf recover and keep up my anaerobic fitness for Kilimanjaro. After the swim I grabbed my camera and went for a long walk to the northern tip to shoot this magical place. Around 5pm I showered, grabbed my Mac and sat down to cold beers and internet at my favourite place. Got up occasionally to shoot the setting sun. What a scene. What a life. This was it.
It then occurred to me that Zanzibar afforded me my first swim in the warm Indian Ocean! Zanzibar (Pop 1.3m+) is truly an exotic tropical island with some world-class facilities. The Hilton was only a few palm trees down for me with a few hundred dollars difference per night. This is the nice thing about Nungwi - posh and poor were all mixed up together with no barriers or exclusive zones. Everyone could walk everywhere. The bar I was at had set up all their dining tables and chairs on the sand just metres from the water that looked like liquid gold under the glow of the setting sun.
Yet another icon of Africa that would stay with me for years. Also on the sand was a huge coal fire BBQ and a big table next to it laden with fresh seafood - a huge whole yellow-fin tuna, huge whole red snapper, lobsters, crayfish, jumbo prawns, calamari, octopus and a number of smaller whole fish. I ordered some grilled tuna, cut fresh from the fish caught today and plenty of octopus. Along with chips, veggies and rice this seafood feast cost only AUD15. Took it to my room and shared it with James Bond! The movie that is. What a day. Very satisfying and there was more to come tomorrow in Stone Town!
DAY 211 of 273, Fri 10JUN16, 45km, Solo12, Room at “Jambo Brothers Guesthouse”, Nungwi to Room at “Flamingo Guesthouse”, Stone Town Zanzibar TANZANIA. This morning’s 8am swim was much tougher than yesterday's. I expected it since the wind was howling all night long. There was a lot of plant matter in the water as a result but it was still emerald-green, warm and clear. The sea lice were also biting rampantly today. I got some bites yesterday but today they ate me alive.
As a result I cut down to 1.5km and developed a rash from all the bites later in the day - thank goodness it is not itchy, just unsightly. Breakfast was included in my AUD13 room so I had a Spanish Omelette, Tanzanian coffee and fruit. Not bad. A quick visit to the internet to verify that my super cheap USD121 flight to Arusha was actually real and it was - spoke to the small charter operator I was booked on and they confirmed. The reason for my check was that sky scanner.com had selected some agent in Bulgaria who booked me with “Flightlink” based in Dar. This and the “cheaper than a boat and bus” ticket warranted a check. Skyscanner had come through for me again. I left this idyllic beach at 10am. If it was’t for Kilimanjaro I would have stayed here longer.
I was lucky. The Dulla-Dulla from Stone Town was dropping someone off close to my hotel so I got on almost immediately and avoided the sweat melting 15min walk to town. The ride back was totally West Africa. There were 1000 people piled in (30 with seats for 20). Ridiculous but an experience. I managed to blog most of the way. The locals inside couldn’t believe how I could balance the Mac at the end of my knees and actually type. A younger kid next to me was watching intently. By noon I was in Stone Town. Caught a taxi to my guesthouse (a very cheap and basic hotel room with share toilets/showers). Got the taxi because I wanted to make face to face arrangements for him to pick me up for the airport tomorrow. Dumped my gear and by 12:30pm Stone Town was mine to take. By foot, I mean.
My first port of call was “The Old Slave Market” and the Anglican Cathedral, both in the same compound. Reason for this is that the Anglicans now take care of the slave quarters and monument. This was the centre of slave trading by the Europeans and early Arabs/Persians in the 18th Century until it was stopped by the third Sultan of Zanzibar in the late 1800’s. Not as gruesome as GHANA/BENIN/TOGO Slave Coast but as much unforgiving. Stone Town (Pop 207,000+) takes me back to Fez in MOROCCO.
The same narrow cobbled streets with Moorish type buildings and ugly overhead wiring. The only difference is that the buildings here are much older, more unkept / falling apart and back and white. Fez buildings are very colourful and better kept. Another very obvious and unavoidable characteristic of this town is the constant propositioning by lone males on the street. “Hello my friend”, “What is your name”, “Welcome”. They were desperate for money and “being a guide” was one way they could get it. Nothing wrong with that since the streets of the Stone Town are narrow and plentiful and you can get lost between you have a map, all you need is the occasional finger in the air to point you int he right direction.
My favourite reply to the most asked question of “Where would you like to go” or “What would you like to see?” was “a wine shop please” and this quickly shut them up because I knew that there is hardly any around being a staunchly Muslim town and they mostly did not know ad would not be see taking me there. Worked well. The “Darajani Markets” further on were fairly lame. Much like the West but fewer stalls and the produce not as plentiful. Ironic for an East African country. The journey from the markets to the “Beit El Sahel” or Sultan’s Palace was the toughest. Lots of narrow, windy alleys and no street names.
Eventually with the help of a few fingers I got there. What a disappointment. It is falling apart. It was built in 1828 and home to all 12 sultans of Zanzibar. The last who was exiled to England after union with TANZANIA in 1964 is still alive! Zanzibar was colonised separately from TANZANIA and independence came in 1963. I took a tour of the palace. The National Museum is right next door but was closed that day. The Old Fort, built by the first Sultan in 1700, is next to the Museum and there is nothing inside it except arts and crafts stores and a very pathetic restaurant with only one person in attendance and no customers. Stone Town is a melting pot of people with blacks, Arabs, Indians and mixes of the three due to cross-marriages.
The result is some very exotic looking people. There are no supermarkets in town, just mum and dad mini-markets selling only the basics. I was never able to find a liquor shop. From here it was easier to make my way back to my hotel. I stocked up on some tinned food since I was unsure of restaurants in my area. Just before my hotel I met a lovely Indian lady who had spent two years in Cardiff, Wales so her English was great. She was able to point out the internet cafe and restaurant closest to me hotel - great. The staff in my hotel did not have a clue. It was 3:30pm when I got back and the shower was like liquid comfort even though it was cold. The hotel WIFI was not working so I went to the internet cafe but it was full.
I returned to my room to blog and partake of wine, cheese and olives. At around 6pm I made my way to the restaurant that the lovely Indian lady had recommended. It was minutes away and very well stocked with great spicy local food. I just made the “Ramadan Rush” - it was just before sunset and the muslims were queuing up to buy food to satisfy their day-long hunger. Even those that were away from home had food with them so that after prayer they could eat something. There would be nothing left if I had turned up even 5min later - the hungry queue behind me was enormous.
On reflection Stone Town was a very poor cousin of Fez and not really great place for tourists. The sites are unkept and you are hassled by every man on the street to show you around and they have no qualifications. Restaurants are few and there is probably only one place hidden away somewhere where you can buy booze. Pass. Good to see but I would not spend much time there - head out to the villages on the island where the beaches are beautiful and booze is easy to get. Lucky for me I had enough wine to last me my movie. I was now dry but my hostel in Arusha is 650m away from Shoprite which has everything I need! That’s why I chose this hostel!
DAY 212 of 273, Sat 11JUN16, 448km, Solo12, Room at “Flamingo Guesthouse”, Stone Town Zanzibar to Room at “Arusha Backpackers”, Arusha (Elev 1468m) TANZANIA. Tonight was the first humid restless night in a long time. Tossed and turned. Fan was hopeless - hardly any breeze. Worst of all the mozzie net did not reach to the floor so the little bastards got in and feasted on me. In the morning not only had my ocean lice bites from my swim flared up but they were surrounded by even bigger mozzie bites. I was also kept up by cats and chickens and a rooster that crowed before sunrise. Consolation was that I was able to sleep in since my taxi pickup was at 10:30am. Up at 8am, had some fruit and coffee as part of the room on the rooftop of the hostel which was nice - cool breeze up there.
I also noticed big water tanks on top of every dwelling which could only mean no official dam or water supply. Found this hard to believe but being an island this could be true. Then I went to the internet cafe to answer some emails. Back at 10am, in plenty of time for my taxi to the airport. A small airport in bad shape but at least it was on time. Ten of us boarded the 12-seat Cessna 208 Caravan, the largest Cessna makes and with one big engine at the nose.
Clear view of the pilots and instrumentation as you can see from he photos in this blog. We took off at 11:40am (10min late) and what a view we got of Stone Town and the reefs of the coast of Zanzibar. Terrific. We got clear skies until we hit the Tanzanian coast some 30-40km beyond and then it was mainly cloud until Arusha. At times the cloud cleared and the landscape below was very hilly with ochre dirt and few trees. I sat in the back but used the zoom lense of my Lumix to read the aircraft’s instruments. We cruised at 18,500ft (about the same height of the mountain I was in this plane to climb! Poetry in motion!
Cruising speed was 146 knots (270km/h) but we had a very strong head wind and instead of a 60min flight to cover the 230 nautical miles (426km) we took 100min arriving at 1pm. The landscape around Arusha was unusual. Lush green farms with sudden conical hills that looks like volcanoes. In the distance Mt Meru (Elev 4562) towered above the city of Arusha. Landing was great. Peter, the guy who booked my climb and safari sent Ben to pick me up and 20min later we were at my hostel. I met Peter there along with Thabit who was my guide up the mountain. Peter was exactly as I imagined him. Short with a huge smiley face. Habit was also very welcoming and fit as a fiddle. One look at me and I could see he was comfortable.
PHOTO TO LEFT: is the GPS tracking system. The red blobs Kilimanjaro and you see the town of Moshi marked just to the bottom left.
Even though Kili is not a “technical mountain” (i.e., do not need ropes, picks, cables), it is a long distance to get to the top, meaning you spend lots of time in high altitude and most people take it for granted and don’t make it. I paid Peter the rest of my trip in cash at the hostel and then we drove to a hiking shop where I hired the serious gear that I needed for the mountain since there would be snow and temperatures would range from 15C to -15C. Snow jacket and pants, balaclava, beanie, gloves etc. Habit also wanted to see my pack and the clothes I had brought with me. He was VERY impressed with the nylon/lycra stuff. He just looked at me and said - this is right you have done this before - good. I also told him about my calf. I was the only guy going up so he said you go as fast or slow as you want. Unreal. I would not risk my calf but if it behaved I would go faster. By now it was going on 3:30pm and it was time to tour Arusha.
Sadly it is a dump. I though it may have some character and be looked after given its high tourism but not so. Once again, no restaurants, only one big supermarket with little hot food and nothing really for the tourist even though EVERYONE comes here to see Kili and the Serengeti. The worst thing about the city is the constant accosting you get by vagrant males on every street corner and in-between. And they get angry when you say “you are very kind but no thank you, I have already paid for my safari”. One guy said to me “why are you not a friend?” and I said to him “friends do not ask for money” and he backed off immediately. There was really nothing to see. I walked around town, visited the ATM and headed for the hostel. The two restaurants I visited were very poor. Food looked shit. Back at the hostel I discovered it had a roof-top restaurant but the waiter could not even describe to me what was in the menu. No go. I would eat my emergency supply of canned tuna and veggies.
What a shame. A tourist haven and no take-away hot food. What did please me was the ultra hot shower at the hostel. A welcome relaxation after the grit of this city and the extensive re-packing for the mountain. There was a lot stuff that I would lock-up at the hostel. After some blogging I settled down to my cans and movie at 8pm.
DAY 213 of 273, Sun 12JUN16, 122km, Solo12, KILIMANJARO CLIMB DAY 1, Room at “Arusha Backpackers”, Arusha (Elev 1468m) to Cabin at “Horombo Hut 2”, Kilimanjaro National Park (Elev 3760m) TANZANIA. Today was the day I would start my ascent to the heavens to meet my maker! Kilimanjaro reaches 5,895m into the sky. Maybe not the heavens but if I sing opera loud enough, maybe He will here me and sing back! The good news is that I have been close to this altitude before - Mt Chacaltaya in BOLIVIA, where I summited at 5,395m.
My sleep last night wasn’t the best because the hostel is on the main road an it is very noisy. Like Nigerians, Tanzanians shout to each other even when carrying on a normal conversation. There speech is animated with arm waving and spitting. Not as pronounced as the Nigerians which borders on the scary! Brekkie was included but very simple - cereal, fruit, sweet-bread made from corn, boiled potato pieces and a cylinder-shaped doughnut. Coffee and hibiscus juice. Can't say I have a had a breakfast like this before. I called Nick Drinias to give him my respect for his father’s one year memorial today and timed it feel - everyone was at his mums house and had just finished the memorial seafood lunch as the Greek Orthodox tradition. I spoke to Nick Harris, Orlanda, my mum and brother.
It was a great way to get that extra encouragement for my climb. How strange it must have been for them to be lunching amongst family and friends in a familiar environment whilst taking about madman Ungowa about to climb to the top of Africa in the cold and snow! What a contrast. My brother told me that they were just discussing Kili when I rang. What timing. Peter and Thabit arrived at 8:45am. I farewelled Peter and went off with Thabit and our driver Frank towards Moshi. It was a cloudy damp day. No rain. We passed many lush farming fields with mountains in the distance. Kili was obscured in cloud. Moshi was only 78km away and it was 10:45am when we arrived. The entrance gate to Kili is only 37km from here so most people use this as their base. It was defiantly more touristy and better equipped with restaurants than Arusha.
However, it is still quite unkept with lots of muddy streets and a good share of street rubbish. Thabit stocked up on boxed lunches here and water which we ate on the way to the gate. A food lunch of egg, roast chicken drumstick, two samosas, yoghurt, apple, tea cake. Arrived at the gate just on noon. It was cloudy and cool with some damp but not windy. Suitable for long sleeve and short pants lycra. Thabit registered us and paid the park fees and we started our assault on Kilimanjaro at precisely 12:52pm. There were six of us: we even filmed an intro at the gate: Tahbit the Leader/Guide, Michael the Cook, Charles, Paul, William, the three porters and myself. The porters went on ahead using the service road. Thabit, Michael and I took the regular Marangu hiking trail, otherwise known as the “Coca Cola Trail” since it is the most popular being the shortest and fastest. Indeed, it was an easy path and slope cutting through thick rainforest with the occasional mist. We saw a Colobus monkey with thick black and white fur resembling fluffy dice on the rear view mirror of an ozzie V8 street car! Much to my surprise "Maneara Hut 1" emerged in only 1hr/53min out of a published 3hr trek. We had covered 8km to rise 900m. At this rate Thabit was highly confident we would reach and overnight in Hut 2 and enable us to do the entire ascent and descent in 3 days, instead of 5! This was Roberto’s dream and I was living it! At least, so far! I was very excited.
Furthermore after extensive discussion with Thabit on our way to Hut I quickly realised my mistake - if I had stayed in Moshi instead of Arusha and left Moshi at 7am, I could have done Kili in just 2 days and 1 overnight - what a shame! Thank goodness my calf was fine and I felt great. The trek to Hut 2 was definitely harder. It is a published 3.5hrs over 11km. Still, nowhere near as steep or hard as My Cameroon but definitely more distance. Mt Cameroon was a 3100m rise over just 11km. Kili is a 4100m rise over 34km hence a much better slope but more resilience required. Cameroon is a sprint whereas Kili is a marathon. At 3000m we rose above the carpet cloud cover and the sun hit surface with ample blue sky.
We could even see the snowy summit from here - great encouragement! The views are great. The rainforest stops and scrub and scattered trees persist. More rock and lots of smaller volcanic lugs around. The air temp felt like 17C but in the sun it was 19C. By the time the sun started to set the cold set in and the temperature plummeted to 10C. I arrived at Hut 2 just sunset at 6:30pm a full 10min in from of Thabit. I was proud but wanted a better time. 3hrs/13min to cover the 11km and 1000m rise against a published 3hrs/30min. On arrival I could not feel my fingers and they started to really hurt, especially at the nails. The air temp was now zero and I rushed into the kitchen hut to place my fingers over the boiling water. Eventually they thawed but my goodness was it painful. Cannot imagine frost bite or the agony of snow.
I would now keep my gloves in my day pack. Lesson learned. Hut 2, like "Maneara Hut 1" is actually a collection of many wooden huts with A-shaped roofs that can sleep a maximum of 80 souls. Light is supplied via solar charged car batteries and all cooking is done with gas. There are no log fires since the cartage and bring of wood is not allowed. I settled into one of the many 4-person huts at 7pm and proceeded to blog until food was brought to me at around 7:30pm. It was simple but tasty - stewed fish with fried rice followed by local fresh mango which was very good having a characteristic cinnamon spice taste. Our porters did not arrive until 8pm so I was quite cold without sleeping bag and thermals. I had to make do wearing all my lycra and nylon layers. Finally when my pack and wine came it was good times again. Well timed - just after dinner. I smuggled in and completed my blog inside my bag and with plenty of rose to warm me up.
There was no wind outside just deadly quiet. The temp kept dropping to the extent where you just have to crawl inside your bag to be warm and comfortable. I dragged my laptop and camera into the sleeping bag so that they would not malfunction in the cold. Removed the camera battery since is deflates quickly with the cold and I had just charged it up. Had spares anyway. I was surprisingly noticed after so much climbing in one go. I was just thankful that my calf was not even murmuring and that I was still not affected by the altitude - I had found something I was good at! By 10pm I called it quits looking forward to the summit tomorrow - hard to believe it had come so quickly!
DAY 214 of 273, Mon 13JUN16, 0km, Solo12, KILIMANJARO CLIMB DAY 2 - SUMMIT DAY!!!, Cabin at “Horombo Hut 2”, Kilimanjaro National Park (Elev 3760m) to Cabin at “Kibo Hut 3”, Kilimanjaro National Park (Elev 4733m) via Uhuru Peak (Kilimanjaro Summit) TANZANIA. I was so excited. Summit Day today and on-track to complete Kili in 3 days! It was freezing. Minus 10C to be exact. I had to dress very quickly to prevent my fingers from going numb. Also needed clothes to get tot he toilet outside. The morning was so clear and crisp. The light of the sun at 6:30am cast an eery golden glow over the clouds below - yes we were above the clouds as if in a huge aircraft! One of my porters, Charles brought some hot water to my A-Frame wooden cabin so I could thaw my fingers and wash my face. At around 7:30am he brought brekkie to my cabin. Plain omelette with toasted bread, peanut butter and fresh mango and watermelon! Also tea and coffee were already in my room from yesterday evening but I welcomed this morning’s fresh thermos of hot water. As usual Thabit was right on time and we were able to start for Hut 3 (Base Camp) at 8am as planned. The climb from this Hut 2 to Hut 3 (Base Camp) is my favourite because of the terrain. It takes you across the three peaks of Kilimanjaro over a very vast gently sloping alpine terrain of just different colours rocks and soil.
The sky was blue and the cloud layer below very visible. It was also the easiest part, more of a trek than a climb and just as well since we would head to the summit almost immediately after arriving at Hut 3 (Base Camp) in order to complete the whole thing in 3 days. This was the critical part: Hut 2 to Hut 3 in the quickest time to leave room for Hit 3 to Summit return to enable overnight in Hut 3 today. Tomorrow (Day 3) would be all downhill. We did it. It took us 2hrs/28min to walk the 8.8km from Hut 2 to 3 against the recommended 3hrs/30min. We had one whole hour up our sleeve and Thabit was very happy.
Hut 3 was set out differently. There were several large brick dwellings with “stukko” or insulated walls and wooden roofs and interior rooms. Each dwelling had 5 rooms and each room slept 12 and the dining tables were inside next to these rooms. This is because an average night here is -15C and down to -30C with wind. The only source of heat are the human bodies inside since wood fires are prohibited and gas or electric heaters are too dangerous inside and consume way too much energy to be carried up each time. This is when your sleeping bag becomes your best friend! It was cold inside but bearable only in the bag! Hut 3 (Base Camp) to the Summit is definitely the hardest part. The first half of it is a bitch since the slope is steep and it is mostly loose pebble - it is like walking on beach sand at a 30 degree slope. About half way up a strange thing happened.
I was very short of breath. I had gone hard at the start so I could maintain our one hour advantage and seal the three-day deal! What I did not realise is that I was now above the oxygen line and there was not enough oxygen in the air to feed my hungry muscles! There was no sickness or headache or dizziness or fainting. Just gasping for air. I had to slow down. By the time we got to the caldera edge I was exhausted and felt like I was a little drunk. No pain or headache but a cramp in my guts like I had “the stitches”. The caldera itself took my mind off what was going on with my body. Kili is one giant volcano. This explains why it is a sole mountain appearing in a sea of gently undulating farming plains so close to the Indian Ocean. There is basalt and pumice everywhere. The caldera itself is bare. Only soil and rock. No water, no ice. As we trekked around the rim of the caldera we had spectacular views of the ice sheets clinging to the front face - something to can see from the bottom and even the town of Moshi that is in front of Kili.
The sky around and above us was clear and the only clouds were around the two smaller peaks to the east. How lucky. Many climbers see nothing - just fog and mist all round. I was truly thankful. The summit is quite a sight. Unlike Mt Cameroon, where the summit literally “sales you in the face” as you turn a corner, this one was clearly visible from afar and as a result gave you an adeline rush and “pulled you in” like a magnet. What a fabulous, heavenly view. A clear 360 degrees. The summit itself is a marked by a signpost - 6 horizontal pieces of wood with writing on them, propped up by two slanted wooden braces. No built stone mound with face plate. No pile of rocks. Just a “silly” signpost that you might find at a border.
Believe me, I was not disappointed. I was there. I WAS AT THE ROOFTOP of not only TANZANIA but of the entire CONTINENT OF AFRICA. It was actually the highest altitude in my life - only 100m more than a peak I climbed in BOLIVIA. This spot on the ground where I was standing was 15 metres shy of 6000m - the top of Everest is at 9000m!!! I actually wept as I kissed the wood of the signpost. I was so tired and short of breath and so glad to be there. Thabit was a champ and expert. He constantly talked to me on the caldera trying to work out if I had altitude sickness or just shot of breath. I assumed him it was the latter and he had to make up his own mind about believing me or not. Altitude sickness is very different from shortness of breath. The former hurts (there is pain in the head and chest), the latter has no pain, just panting. I had the latter. Thank goodness. Thabit kept asking me - does you chest feel tight? He was angling for the former which may result in a hear attack if you do not immediately descend. He believed me and I made the summit.
Later that night back at Base Camp I asked him why he took the risk with me. His reply was - "you come fast yesterday so I know you strong and you crawl to top now slowly so heart good”. Thabit was an experienced guide and a friend of this mountain and I was lucky to have him. We spent too much time at the summit. Almost 45min (16:45 to 17:15) so I could shoot all my crazy-arse scenes for “Ungowa Africa 2016 - The Movie”. I also stripped down to show my Ungowa shorts and as a result caught a cold which I did not realise then but would feel for the next 2 days! What I will do for Hollywood! By this time the sun was starting to set and Thabit urged me to leave. No worries. I had all my footage and was as “happy as Larry” - who is “Larry” I thought? Can’t be “Larry David” because he is such a grumble bum and is NEVER happy!
I would never know. I now concentrated on putting one foot after the other to get down before it got too dark and too cold. This is where Thabit excelled again! The caldera rim was fine - did that by myself but when we got the point of the sandy front face it was now dark and only Thabit had a head torch. He put himself in front of me and said “hold my shoulders” and we literally slid down the whole face!!! A half moon was perched above us so it was not all so dark. I couldn't believe where I was and what was doing. Not sand-boarding but “mountain-boarding” over the oxygen line! This is the stuff of adventure. This is living.
This is the life. This is Africa! We walked into “Kibo Hut 3” (Base Camp) at 7:44pm. The locals there were amazed and came up one by one to “knock knuckles” - that’s when you form your hand into fist and knock it front on, fist to fist with your recipient. “Congratulations” was the incantation to match the fist slamming! I was elated. This elation warmed me up, fed me and got me to some food and my sleeping bag. I insisted that Thabit have some dinner with me. This sis not normally the practice. Stuff the practice! This man was an angel on my shoulders and I wanted to celebrate with him. PHOTO BELOW: looking inside the caldera of Kilimanjaro.
We gobbled down a great spag-bowl (Spaghetti Bolognese) with heaps of my Californian Rose - yes you read it this correctly! Thabit really enjoyed the wine and I his company more than any other. From Hut 3 Base Camp to the Summit we had ascended 1155m over 6.8km in 4hrs/20min against a recommended 4hrs. First time I can remember where I went SLOWER than the published time BUT only by just!!! I was happy given the 3 days was now almost signed, sealed and delivered. Well. Not exactly. That night I ran a fever, a headache and tossed and turned in the cold…. Would I make it down tomorrow to seal the third day?
DAY 215 of 273, Tue 14JUN16, 122km, Solo12, KILIMANJARO CLIMB DAY 3, Cabin at “Kibo Hut 3”, Kilimanjaro National Park (Elev 4733m) to Room at “Arusha Backpackers”, Arusha (Elev 1468m) TANZANIA. I struggled overnight with a fever and a headache! It was not altitude sickness but a cold from being on the summit for 45min instead of the usual 10min. It was the cost of show business and I was glad to pay it! I struggle out of bed at 6:30am at -15C. This was actually a luxurious sleep-in for mountain climbing. Once again the hot water and same brekkie came to me inside this large dwelling. I managed to consume several “disprins” (aspirins) before brekkie and this gave me enough relief to push of at 8am with both Thabit and Michael, my cook.
Today was better than yesterday, weather-wise. Clear blue skies and no clouds anywhere, venue below. I could clearly see the Tanzanian farmland around the mountain as well as the town of Moshi below. The descent was controlled. I was not going for speed but surety. An uncertain fast 3 days versus a certain slow 3 days was good enough for me. We left Hut 3 at 8am and the journey to Hut 2 was much much better than I expected. My “summit” cold was melting away and enjoyed the favourite part of my climb. Even better looking than on the way up. Hut 3 to Hut 2 took us 1hr/21min against the recommended 2hr/30min. I was so glad. Another hour up my sleeve despite the discomfort of last night! I put it down to the fantastic weather - a warm sun beating down on me and scenery that you could put on a tender steak like the finest pepper sauce! Only a short break at Hut 2 and it was off to Hut 1 just after 10am. Good timing according to Thabit even my “delayed demeanour”! The 11.2km journey to Hut 1 took me longer than the recommended time of 2hrs - 32min longer! This is the part my headache came back slightly.
At Hut 1 I downed a few more aspirin to make the home base slide to the Gate and The Car!!! It worked. I made it in 8min less than the recommended time of 2hrs. In all, I was satisfied with Day 3 since not only did it get me down to earth but it secured my 3 days of Kili and a total of hrs/2min down against a recommended total descent time of 9hrs/30min - not bad with a guy with a 45min summit cold! Thabit still cannot believe to this present day how a mad 68kg Ozzie-Greek could sit on a summit, 6km above the Indian Ocean for 45min in -5C (it was warm that day!!!) and walk down the next day in 8hrs! I told Thabit - it is the Rose!!! Unlike Cameroon the van was there waiting at the gate and ready to take me and my whole team home to Moshi and Arusha:
Thabit (my guide), Micheal (my cook), Paul, William and Charles (my porters). It was a “dreamy” ride back to my backpackers oasis 122km away. I was very tired but elated with the 3-day conquest of a giant sleeping volcano called “Kilimanjaro”. I could see it, clear as day, all the way home. Another rare treat according to Thabit for this sit of year - clear skies, no clouds, just a giant sleeping volcano on the landscape! What a celebration it was that night. I had my “third wind” and unpacked, submitted laundry and emailed before retiring to a fabulous chicken dinner that I picked up in Moshi and another fine James Bond film!!!
FINAL BOTTOM LINE STATS FOR THE KILIMANJARO 3-DAY CLIMB VIA THE MARANGU ROUTE:
Ascent: 1800m to 5895m (4,095m) over 34km in 11hrs/54min compared to 13hrs/30min recommended time.
Descent: 8hrs/2min compared to 9hrs/30min recommended time.
The Guinness Book world record time up and down is 9hrs/20min!!!
DAY 216 of 273, Wed 15JUN16, 0km, Solo12, Room at “Arusha Backpackers”, Arusha (Elev 1468m) TANZANIA. Overnight last night was the FIRST time in this WHOLE trip TO DATE that I shoved my blu-tac in my ears and an airline face mask over my eyes and said to myself “sleep in as long as you are able”.
Today was 100% rest and recovery day in the Arusha Backpackers hostel which the way is my favourite off-truck accommodation to date. Why? Easy! Good size room with plenty of light and my own single bed. A fan and plenty of light. Toilets and showers just out the door. The best hot water ever! And I mean ever! Soap and towel provided. Brekkie provided (very simple). Great WIFI - good enough for phone calls and to get this blog post up! Centrally located - big supermarket with cheap hot food 350m down the road and a main street of banks and buildings including a camera repair shop another 350m in the other direction.
What more could I ask? The only downside was “central” means “noisy”! That’s where the blu-tac helped… heaps! So much for the sleep-in. I woke at 8:30am and went into action. Booked my bus from Arusha to Nairobi KENYA, booked accom in Nairobi, booked bus from Nairobi to Kampala UGANDA where I would meet the truck and Riza!!! Her personal issues were resolved and she was coming back to complete the trip. The “Culture Club” was back. With a vengeance. I was very happy. Happier than a 3-day Kilimanjaro! I dropped off my Lumix TZ70 to be repaired for the SECOND time! It malfunctioned at the summit - I was pissed off but do not blame the camera - I got a cold for heaves sake! Met Peter (my booking agent for this incredible climb and safari in Solo 12) and settled the tips and have him back my hired mountain gear. I was now set for my safari leaving 9am Fri 17 June. The rest of today was devoted now to completing this blog post. Began at 3pm after shopping for tonight’s movie feast and actually began eating at 9pm!!! Tomorrow would be rest day number two before my safari.
DAY 217 of 273, Thu 16JUN16, 0km, Solo12, Room at “Arusha Backpackers”, Arusha (Elev 1468m) TANZANIA. Today I completed this post. Culled photos from around 750 to 250. I also withdrew some money today to pay for tips for the climbing team. The day outside was like yesterday. A little cloudy and misty in the morning but opening up to a fine sunny day. I also picked up my Lumix TZ70 at 4:30pm. It worked! When I submitted the camera for inspection yesterday around noon, the technician insisted on replacing the entire lens and focusing assembly. He was young and lazy and I convinced him to just “service” the camera, i.e. clean the lens and focus mechanism of incumbent dust - this is what happened last time this camera was repaired. The TZ70 is a great camera functionally and technically but it is weak and subject to dust it has big openings and not made for rugged conditions. I have two of them and switch between them to prolong their life. No Go. This technician was a dud. Claimed the lens was broken. It wasn't. I would now try Nairobi and then Kampala. The one good thing about the repair centre is that they let me use their WIFI for free while I waited. It was super fast and I uploaded this post in minutes. I then booked my accom in Kampala and downloaded a Microsfot update. Unreal.Once again I was so relieved that this post was up so I could now focus on Part 2 starting tomorrow...
PS: A LITTLE ABOUT TANZANIA:
TANAZANIA (Pop 52m), formerly Tanganyika, is a powerhouse of national parks and wildlife and home to Mt Kilimanjaro (Elev 5896m), Africa’s highest mountain and the highest “free standing” mountain in the world! There s evidence of early humanoid cave men walking around here around 3 million years ago. Seafaring merchants from Arabia, Persia and India sailed here in the 15th Century in search of gold, spices and ivory. They settled in Zanzibar and Dar Es Salaam first, then inland and formed the famous “Swahili” civilisation. The Arabic Kingdom of Oman also settled here and took over basing themselves on Zanzibar Island. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to settle here in the 17th Century and it did not take long for the British and Dutch to follow.
Ironically it was Germany that first colonised Tanganyika in the 19th Century but the League of Nations handed over control to the British after WWI. Independence came to the mainland in 1961 and to Zanzibar in 1964 after the First President signed a deal with the leader of Zanzibar after he toppled the Sultan in a conflict that lasted several years. The first President ruled until 1985 under a one party socialist government. In 1992 the constitution was amended to allow multi-party politics and the first free election was held in 1995. Currently politics and government are stable but the economy is suffering like most in the South. 43% of the population is Christian and 37% Muslim with the rest following African Traditional Beliefs. The main staple is “ugali” (stiff doughy maize) and marinated meat kebabs feature heavily given the Arabic background.
The greatest offering of TANZANIA is its wildlife packed national parks including the famous Serengeti. There are over 1000 species of bird. The other feature are the Swahili and Masai tribal villages, some of which have not seen a white person.
PPS: INTERESTING FACT ON AFRICA:
Africa is only 20% jungle and most of it is around the equator and in the Congo. The dominant landform is actually “Savannah” or grasslands covering nearly two thirds of the continent. CO2 emissions per person in Africa are four times lower than the world average. Only 5% of Africa’s arable land is actually irrigated - the rest relies on rain to grow crops.
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