Kilimanjaro (part 2)

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We awoke at 6 on the morning of our departure for Kili, enjoyed some hot milk straight from Wilson's cows, chapatis and fresh fruit and loaded our gear in to the car. We travelled down in to the main village centre, met the 7 porters/assistant guides/cooks and grabbed a private Dala-dala (not so crowded this time) that would take us to the Machame gate entrance of the Kilimanjaro National Park.

We got our first proper glimpse of the mountain top, given that it is usually consumed by clouds except for early in the mornings and late on some rare afternoons. It was breathtaking and so inspiring!




We signed in, completed the formalities and then set off with Wilson leading us and the porters already 20 minutes on their way to the 1st camp. Wilson set the pace, which was slow, steady and comfortable. We trekked through thick green rainforest in beautiful weather not spotting much wildlife, but hearing plenty of birds and made it easily to Machame hut at 3000m ASL by 2:30 in the afternoon. The porters had already set up camp as they had arrived at noon! These guys are absolute supermen and make the fittest of tourist climbers look utterly useless! Having trekked with the guys in Papua New Guinea, we were both already aware of the amazing fitness, agility and strength of the local people in such places of the world, but it was still jaw dropping to see these dudes (some as young as 20 and others as old as 64!!!) racing up the mountain, their feet not seeming to touch the uneven ground, backpacks strapped to their shoulders and huge rucksacks balancing easily..... on top of their heads!

In this photo, Amid is carrying the rucksack across his shoulders as he was (literally) running down this stretch of path. For the majority of the time, the sacks were balancing on top of their heads, no hands style!

We were impressed that at the entrance as well as at the camping points along the trip, the park rangers weighed the porters equipment in order to ensure they are not carrying more than the approved weight of 25kg. It is worth adding at this point that there is a $650 fee that is paid to the national park to cover the 'operating and conservation costs of the park and to pay the ranger's salaries'. Our joy at seeing the carrying weight of the porters being regulated turned to disappointment throughout the trip upon seeing poorly maintained facilities as well as local women and children entering the park unauthorised and sneaking out with firewood (all the while the rangers never seeming to move beyond their campsites).

All of the team - Amid, Omaru, Abdallah, Amidu, Roman, Eric, Meshi, Wilson, Jayde and I

The guys fixed us some hot freshly brewed tea as well as some coffee and milo and we had a fantastic conversation with Wilson about African politics, history and economics and also about his own family and local traditions. He is an amazingly intelligent man and his wealth of knowledge covering science, history and geography would silence some of the more educated people I know back in Australia. I think he summed up to me perfectly how high the African people are above their ill perceptions in the western world when he said that 'I know that some people think we are just monkeys and that our brains aren't as big as others' - referring to the archaic, dehumanising and racist attitudes of so many (I almost cowered in shame, knowing that someone very close to me has been known on many occasions to use such references...).

We slept relatively well, although a headache that would last 4 days was beginning to grip at my temples.

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