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Published: January 31st 2009
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I look like a Gringo
Not the most stylish on the mountain but I didn't get sunburn! Welcome back folks,
Our next adveture is Mombasa to Moshi (base town for Kilimanjaro treks) by bus and then to Mount Kilmanjaro. The bus journey was the ride of a lifetime! The 1st 4 hours were nice and easy, just a few stops by the Kenyan Police who had set up a toll in the middle of no where when suddenly the road ended and the next 4 hours were spent holding on for dear life dodging potholes and speed bumps (why one requires speed bumps on a dirt road is beyond me). The holding on for dear life was somewhat of a problem for me as I had the window seat and the window was only attach at the bottom. I didn't know if I should be holding the window to the bus or to pray Ralf grabs hold of me in case the window should fall out.
Then comes the Kenya to Tanzania border crossing. We got out exit stamps from Kenya and move on to Tanzania on a dirt road that seems to go on forever and we pass loads of young men on push bikes carrying bags of mangos that i do believe are larger
Lunch break!
If only I could sleep here... than me- the bags, not the mangos. My god, it must take incredible strength to cycle on this road, never mind carrying a bag that must weigh over 50kg. So we arrive at Tanzania border control and Ralf and I, being the only white people, we are pushed to the front because we will obviously take more time than the locals. I'm not worried one bit because I checked with the Tanzanian Embassy in London before I left. They said don't worry about getting the visa before you go, just pay 50 USD at the border. They have our pasports and entry declaration in hand and tell Ralf 50 USD and me 100 USD. I inform the officer of my conversation with the Embassy and he informs me that if I don't pay him whats he says I can go back to Kenya. My stubborness only goes so far, as much as it pained me, I handed over 150 USD for 2 visas ( I have since found out that this is absolutely correct- American and Irish nationals must pay 100USD).
We made it to the hotel safe and dirty and found that our room was equal to the latter. That's fine by me, we'll be camping and hiking for the next 6 days, the place will look like a palace when we get back.
Day 1 and 2 of the trek were pretty easy going. We start at 1200m- a level already higher than I have ever been. After 5 hours hiking we arrive to camp to find our tents erected for us, our bags carried for us, and meals prepared for us. Day 3 brought about a new challenge- high altitude sickness. 3 hours into an 8 hour hike my legs turned to jelly, my stomache ate itself, and my head began to implode. After going back to a lower elevation and swallowing a few painkillers, I began to feel better. Upon arrival to camp, we were greeted by the Barranco Wall... this is what the guides like to call Day 4 breakfast. Many people turn back upon sight of this wall. Ralf and I were the first ones to start (this wasn't because we are the most daring... it was more a strategic move by our guide because we had gotten a reputation in camp for being the last ones in!) Anyway the wall was only slightly challenging so all those people turned around for nothing. That days hike (8 hours again) brought us to the last camp before the summit attempt. In the 5 days prior to the summit attempt, I had not been able to digest food, 3 days prior, I had a combined sleep time of no more than 10 hours, and 2 days prior I had a headache like none I had ever experienced before. The summit attemp began at 12 midnight- only moments after me vomiting. For 2 hours my body fought my mind. I was so far beyond pain, that the words that pushed me across the finish line at the Dublin Marathon 'Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever' did nothing. My body completely shut down and I had to make the painful decision to turn around and hightail it back to camp. I was sobbing in my tent by 3 a.m. Ralf triumphanly reached Uhuru Peak at 7 a.m. and back down to cuddle me at 10.
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gina
non-member comment
if only you used the bridge
aww poor thing. but you know, sometimes there are things you just can't control. i went hiking up the zugspitze and went deaf for two days. it was THE WORST! and after a while, you start thinking, "maybe i'm going to be like this forever!" and that gets depressing. so, you didn't make it the first time. next time, no sweat. maybe your challenge didn't really lie in if you were able to climb the summit but how you handle yourself when you know you can't go further.