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

I gathered a couple of fellow (stranded) passengers from my flight and took a cab to do a tour of city and its museums. Cab driver was very friendly and we had a good chat about the country. Ethiopians are very proud of their heritage, and rightly so. They are proud of being the only un-colonized country in Africa, being decendants of King Solomon/Queen Sheba, being the cradle of early humanoids (Lucy), and Haile Selasse. The legend of Queen Sheba is that she was very beautiful, and ruled over Ethiopia in pre-biblical times. When King Solomon's fame was at its peak, she visited him in Jerusalem with her slave. King fell in love with her and her slave. While he slept with her slave, he couldnt sleep with the queen, as she was his guest. So ... read more