Dela

Today I woke up and there you were, like a simple question looking for an answer, and yes my legs are sore. I was thankful that this was the last time I would be waking up in a small tent and have to pack everything up.




Here is where the helicopter comes if you need to be evacuated from the mountain, just be sure to have your Visa card handy.


Only 6 more hours descending and we will be off the mountain.


The Marangu route is the easiest route on Kilimanjaro, the path is wide and level and you have the option to sleep in actual shelters. It is often called the Coca Cola route because it is packed with people and they sell Coca Cola at the various huts. So it made for a relaxing decent.


A glance back at Kilimanjaro’s summit and one thought comes to mind, “Why the hell wasn’t it that clear yesterday?”


This side of the mountain gets a lot more rain than the other side so the rain forests we walked though were much more impressive. Thick, lush, and beautiful.


You have to be careful on this part of the trail, there are quite a few kids that are supposed to be in school but rather hide out here, and as people go by they ambush you, taking anything from cameras to hats and then quickly disappearing in the forest. Romlie spotted them every time and called them out.






We even came across a few monkeys.


And some fire ants which were avoided, my legs were sore enough.


Once we got down off the mountain and in to a local village we ate at this guy’s house. It was family style and we had a nice sampling of real African food. I have to say it was all pretty tasty except for the beef, which had a lot of fat and other things attached to it. But it was also nice to stop eating once I felt full.




After lunch we headed to Moivaro Lodge and this place was great. Nice rooms, great common areas, good food, and a shower that had hot water. It felt great but also took some work to get the layers of filth off me. After dinner that night we sat around chatting with others over a beer, some had been on safari and some had been up the mountain, so it was a great blend of comparing Kilimanjaro notes as well as getting an idea of what to expect on safari. And what a treat, I got to sleep in an actual bed, mosquito net included.

VIDEO: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro