Kili or Bust

Wednesday, August 11th
Moshi to the Marangu Gate, 3 hour hike to Mandara Hut at 9,000 ft / 2700m elevation

We are up early. Who can sleep when you know you are ready to embark on a trip taking you to the highest peak in Africa? We have breakfast at 6:30 am. We have been advised to drink from 3-4 liters of water a day so my backpack has two full tall bike water bottles and one liter of Kili Spring water. I am carrying one extra empty bottle just in case i want to carry more water as the trip advances. I have a Power Bar a day for an extra energy boost and my rainjacket and rain pants packed. We carry what we need in our daypacks till we get to our destination for tonight. Our duffle bag that the porters will carry has to be 15 kilos or under. I've weighed mine and it is under. My duffle has a down sleeping bag, polypro vest, polypro all weather jacket, long underwear, baklava, wool socks, hiking boots. I decided to hike in tennis shoes today and save the boots for later.

We all pile into a van with our guides and head out for the trailhead. The drive takes a little over 2 hours on pretty good roads. We arrive at Marangu gate, fill out the forms and are off by noon. I am so very excited. It is an easy hike today, only 3 hours. We hike through a lush tropical forest. Most of the time, we are hiking in the clouds with moisture dripping from the trees. We are treated to the sight of a Colubus Monkey overhead as we hike. What a gorgeous creature. We arrive at Mandara Hut around 3pm. We are treated to tea and popcorn when we arrive. There is time to just wander about and visit with some of the other groups. The hut is a very nice wooden structure with it's own solar cells on the roof and batteries under the deck. This gives us some light for awhile when night falls. The hut has simple bunk style beds with foam mattresses and pillows (fairly clean, considering). Our hut has 4 beds so we all can be together. It's a short walk to the choo (toilet) that is a pit squat type affair. We do a short scenic cruise to see Maungu Crater and then it's dinner time at 7pm. The food is excellent. We have plenty to eat and it is tasty, filling and nutritious. Sleep will come easy tonight..

Tuesday, August 10th
Mwanga to Moshi (37 mile bike ride)

"I'm in Moshi. Will begin the hike up Kili tomorrow.
Trip so far: Awesome scenery, red dirt and sun, laughing, gentle people, no water in the hotel, steep, rocky, gruesome dirt bike trails, glorious tailwinds on smooth tarmack. Almost no food one night and yummy gourmet the next.
We've seen and done it all and made it through the first leg of this incredible trip.

I'm tired and run down. Fighting a bit of a sore throat from lack of sleep, diesel fumes and dust, dust, dust. We're in good spirits. Our Kili group will consist of two guys and two girls. Chris W, Chris P, Brit and i: we are a team


Sorry no time to say more.
Peace and love, Mary"

We decided to sleep in since it's a short biking day today. The ride was easy. The transition to major tourist attraction (Kilimanjaro and safaris) is dramatic. The stores and shops change in appearance and the souvenir shops increase in number exponentially. We have to ride on some dirt roads to get to Zara headquarters, and i can't believe how we are all riding these bumpy roads so much more confidently now. Zara is big business. She, Zara, runs the Spring Land Hotel where we are staying tonight as well as the Kilimanjaro treks and Wildlife Safaris. The hotel is an oasis as well as a barrier to real Africa. People from around the world are staying here in a little cocoon and it is so unreal compared to the places that we've stayed in the last couple of weeks. Our main concern is having a "goodbye dinner" with our good buddies and guides. The hotel has no room for our guides tonight, which stinks. We talk about having them stay in our rooms, but we don't want to cause trouble. The hotel finally agrees to let Jerome and Emmanuel stay to have dinner with us and then be driven to another hotel where reservations have been made. We are disappointed, but at least we can have a farewell dinner.

This evening is more than just a dinner. We quickly have to box up our biking equipment to stash away in the huge hotel storage room. We dig through our suitcases that have been forwarded here and get out all our trekking gear. I rent a sleeping bag, really warm coat, baklava, extra gloves etc. to supplement what i've brought from Japan. A hot shower and shampoo are really necessary since this is it for 5 days while trekking on Kili. We have to attend a briefing so that we know what to expect tomorrow. Wow, we are leaping from one adventure right into the next without any kind of breather at all. I'm tired and hope that i can get some rest on the first few days of trekking.


Monday, August 9th
Hedaru to Mwanga (67 mile bike ride)

I'm in heaven riding rolling hills on real pavement today. There is some wind and some sun. It's a long day, but this is my kind of riding. We are staying at a really nice hotel with an enclosed courtyard. The hot shower before a great dinner makes us feel almost human again. Britt is in nirvana with her own room WITH a TV set. It seems like i'm always tired. I just can't kick the feeling of exhaustion. Not enough sleep, tough riding, and a lack of fruit and veggies.


Sunday, August 8th
Manolo to Hedaru ( a very long 38-mile bike ride)

Luckily, I've made a miraculous recovery overnight because this is one of the toughest days of bicycling that i've ever done. Rough and rocky dirt roads to climb and descend are a real challenge today. There are women walking everywhere with buckets of water on their heads. It's steep walking or riding. There are herds of goats and cows to maneuver around and through. The steep rocky trail was just too difficult and Brit and Chris W. walked almost the whole way down. I resorted to walking more than a few times. Just when things began to look better the road turned to sand. 　How can i explain how frustrating it is to push a fully loaded bike in 10-inch-deep sand? I guess you just have to try it. Then there appears some decent (not so rocky, sandy) dirt road but THE THORNS! Emmanuel spent a 1/2-hour patching 10 holes in Jacki's front tire only to discover when he went to reinstall it on the bike that the back tire was also flat. We were averaging about 2 mph almost the whole day. The heat was intense when the clouds parted. We were ever so grateful for any cloud cover drifting by. I lost it at the end of the ride when i could hear the roar of cars on a road just paralleling the dirt one we were on. I almost pushed the bike across some horrible thorny terrain to reach this asphalt mecca but i kept my wits. Finally we hit pavement and a tail wind. Yahoo. We stayed at the Angelina Inn. Private rooms are good and a bucket bath, well, ok. There's a strange lady running this place. She doesn't seem too concerned about getting us water and/or dinner. Luckily, Jerome catches on quickly and we hike on down the road to get us a good meal. Another late night.


Saturday, August 7th
Lushoto to Manolo (21 mile bicycle ride)

I can't remember the ride today. I know that it was beautiful, shady, and in the rainforest. I know that we climbed uphill through the rainforest, but i was much to sick to enjoy it. So many kids yelling greetings at us "Jambo" - hello - to "Mzungu" - foreigner - to "Give me money." Women laughing hysterically when they discover that it's a white woman on a bike. It's overwhelming and hard to take when i'm not feeling well. I arrive in town just behind Jerome and wait at an intersection to direct the others.

This is a small, very poor village. 50-80 kids quickly surround me. I try to shake hands or at least do a high five with as many as i can. "Hi, how are you?" What's your name?" Some run away when i try to talk to them. All in unison mimic me putting chap stick on. What a kick! Our Guest House tonight is the most primitive yet. Tiny Xmas lights, solar powered, last a few hours. Dinner is cooked over a charcoal-filled bucket. We take turns sitting around the fire for some warmth. Kids rush in with buckets of water for us from who knows where. It is very murky water. The choo, toilet, is filthy and spiders are everywhere in it. The mattress and pillow in my sparse room are extremely worn and dirty. We only get one light blanket each. Our hostess finds some extra kangas (dress fabric) that we can drape over our beds for a little added warmth. I am so tired that i nap for an hour or so while dinner is being cooked. Dinner, ugali and stew, is very good and filling. I retire right after dinner exhausted.