Blogs from Mount Kilimanjaro, North, Tanzania, Africa - page 9

I woke up feeling good, thanks to the painkillers last night. The first thing I did was call up my parents in India to tell them that I managed to get my ass on the top. My mom sounded very excited. Cellular coverage was very impressive during my entire climb. I saw Ambrose texting at Uhuru Peak. If only mobile companies in US would visit developing countries and see for themselves how good the coverage is. Then it was time to have a group photograph with my crew, pay the tip and listen to Jambo song/dance routine that other climbers were doing. My crew was really good - they seemed quite happy with the tip. I've heard hrror stories about how people have tipped more than 30% to guide/porters/cook and they were still dis-satisfied. Uhuru peak ... read more

I woke up early for all the same reasons, and was greeted by a memorably beautiful sunrise. I also caught the glimpse of Kibo (Main crater rim) and Mawenzi peak. Mawenzi was covered with snow, which is apparently unusual. Within minutes, cloud covered them again. we started at 8:15. First 1/3rd of climb was steep. Toughest part was crossing Mawenzi Ridge. Vegetation was getting sparse. Once we crossed the ridge, almost all vegetation disppeared. For next 5 kms or so was "Saddle Zone". A barren, cold desert area between Kibo peak and Mawenzi peak. the place was relatively flat, barren and windy. Ambrose told me that I was lucky that it was cloudy. If it was sunny, wind would have been much harsher and I would have likely gotten sick. Walking wasnt easy still. It started ... read more

I woke up to rooster's call around 5. Soon, it was prayer time at a nearby mosque, which was followed by bell tolls from a nearby church. By 6, I was very awake, despite long travel. John and Ambrose came at 8:30, right after breakfast. I had 2 fellow climbers from Australia - Sue and Barbara. They were to climb just one day and head down on 25th. We drove to Marangu Gate (2 hr journey) but I couldnt catch a glimpse of mountain because of clouds. We drove through Moshi to Marangu. Moshi is a beautiful town, that reminded me of hill-stations in Central India. Lush green, red soil, and somewhat tropical vegetation. There were tons of gulmohar trees blooming with red flowers. They called its bloom "Christmas bloom". I was also amazed to see ... read more

What an experience! Sorry for the ridiculously long blog... I promise it gets more exciting toward the end. As mentioned previously, the four of us (myself, Doug, Sarah and Jared) had decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. We had talked about it in November of 2008, and had been training (lots of hiking!) since then. Coming into the climb, I felt like we were prepared and that we would succeed in our endeavor. Our family and friends had confidence in us and we had all our necessary gear. Day One Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa (19,341 ft) and the highest freestanding mountain in the world. It is composed of three different volcanic peaks, the highest being Uhuru Peak, which we would attempt to summit. To climb Mount Kilimanjaro via the Marangu (aka Coca Cola) ... read more

Monday, March 23, 2009: We left the school of preaching at 7:30 this morning. Kamarabi was our driver and he drove us to Moshi. That is about 40 miles, maybe, but it took us quite a while to get there. Around Arusha and Maji Ya Chai it's really green and tropical, but just a little ways farther it turns into what you picture Africa as-- desert. We saw a lot of homes that didn't have windows, doors, roofs. The reason is, if you have a lot of money (or any money) you are automatically obligated to give some to your relatives if they ask it of you. So many people start to build a house with their money. Then they run out and can't finish it, but they don't have money left when their family asks ... read more