Zanzibar 12/13 September 2007

I have to confess that I was more than a little worried about the arrangements for getting home. There didn't seem to be enough time to get from the hotel in the north of the island to check in for our flight from the airport in the south of the island. Popo, the tour leader, assured us it was ok - there were no tickets but that was fine.

And I have to say, it all worked a treat.

We were dropped off at the airport and taken by a Tanzania Air official straight through without checking in. Our luggage was whisked off through the x-ray machine and we were taken out to a little 8 seater single-engined Cessna. The pilots apparently asked Chris where we wanted to go and fortunately he said Dar es Salaam International (there's more than one airport then?). We hopped over the Indian Ocean between Zanzibar and the mainland and landed 25 minutes later.

Thereafter the journey home was a drag. An hour's wait before we could even check in for our next flight onward to Kilimanjaro. Fortunately, we were able to check the luggage straight through to Heathrow. Short stop-over in Kili before taking off (with great views of the mountain) to Addis Ababa.

Another long wait in Addis, where it turned out it was their new year as Ethiopia is on the Julian rather than the Gregorian calendar. In fact, it was their Millennium. So we saw in the New Year in a restaurant with the staff (who closed it after serving us) and a German missionary, drinking freshly roasted coffee, sharing chocolates I'd bought in the Duty Free next door, and watching the firework displays on their television.

The missionary informed us that she was on our flight and was returning to Rome. This was the first we knew that we weren't flying direct to Heathrow. So we took off at 2am and stopped over for an hour in Rome while the passengers were disembarked and staff came on to clean the plane around us. Finally made it to Heathrow at about 9.20am on Thursday morning. Five flights in 25 hours - exhausting. Definitely called for sharing the drive back to Bristol.

Zanzibar 11 September 2007

Went diving off Mnemba Atoll with East African Diving. http://www.sansibar-tauchen.de/eng/

Saw dolphins. Did two dives to about 20m. In spite of havng told them that we thought we needed 6-8kg of weights, the dive centre gave us 4kg (Jenny) and 5kg (Mark), which was inadequate, meaning we had to fin down rather than descend normally, and also made it nigh on impossible to do a safety stop at 5m on the ascent as we would have had to be head down and finning hard with all the air out of jackets to stay at that depth once our tanks were nearly empty. Not impressed.

That said, everything else about the operation was well run. The wanted to see our PADI cards to check our qualifications and the briefings were thorough.

Zanzibar 10 September 2007

On Monday we drove to the north of the island where we spent a couple of nights at the Smiles Beach Hotel. http://www.zanzibarmagic.com/english2nd/smilesbeachhotel.htm . We visited the turtle conservation project which hatches eggs and looks after the turtles until they are about ten months old, after which they are released into the sea. Some females are kept until they are more mature (about two years).



In the evening we went out in a dhow and snorkelled on a reef offshore then sailed back as the sun was setting.

Zanzibar 9 September 2007

Looked around Stone Town, saw the site of the old slave market and the house of Tippu Tip, one of the last and most successful slave traders. Saw one of the three houses reputed to be where Freddie Mercury grew up - the strength of its claim is no doubt enhanced by its location on the junction of the two main shoppng streets for tourists.

Visited a spice farm where we tried cloves, pepper, lemon grass, nutmeg (and mace which comes from within the same nut), ginger roots, tumeric and other spices - all fresh from the tree/ground/vine.

We saw how they climb the palm trees to collect the coconuts and drank coconut milk and ate the flesh from the shell. Had superb lunch with exquisitely spiced rice.





In the evening we shared a taxi with a local family and went in to Stone Town by way of the backstreets on the edge of the airport. After looking around, we had cocktails on the terrace of the Africa House Hotel and watched the sunset. A dhow came along with perfect timing to be caught in the final rays of the setting sun. We were a bit out off the foodstalls in the Forodhani Gardens and in the end opted to eat at the Africa House. The lack of street lights left the streets disconcertingly dark, so we took a taxi back to the hotel.

Arusha National Park 8 September 2007

On Saturday we went for a game drive through Arusha National Park. Unlike the Maasai Mara, this park is densely wooded, set among extinct volcanos which provide areas of flat open space, often with marshes.

We saw herds of zebra and buffalo, colobus monkeys and baboons, and at one point giraffe strayed onto the road ahead of us.

In the afternoon we flew to Zanzibar where we stayed at the Zanzibar Beach Resort. http://www.tanzania-adventure.com/zanzibar-beach-resort.htm

Kilimanjaro 7 September 2007

The descent from Mweka Camp is through rain forest. The garden furniture passes us (again) on the way down.

Most people seem intent on getting down as quickly as possible. The propsect of hot showers is enticing but there's so much beauty to be seen if you're not in too much of a hurry to stop and take it in, including some, such as the impatiens kilimanjaro that are unique to the mountain.

Our route has taken us round the south side of the mountain.

We celebrate our return to civilisation with a hot shower and a meal in Moshi. It's Jo's 25th birthday and in the evening David has organised a cake for her.

Kilimanjaro 6 September 2007

Set off at midnight. Can see the snakes of light ahead, higher up the slope.

Make it to 5270m by 4.15am but I feel disorientated and losing co-ordination. Altitude sickness. Reluctantly decide the only safe course of action is to descend.

Lose our way, briefly, on the way down, but reach the camp safely. After an hour I feel much better and we begin the descent to Mweka Camp.



Now we are out of synch with the crowds, it feels like we have the mountain to ourselves. It's so much more impressive with the solitude.

We stop for a Coke at the High Camp (3950m) and make the camp by noon after 12 hours walking during which we have climbed 670m and descended 2,170m.

The rest of the group arrives later in the afternoon, having made the summit (even Jo and Sarah who'd been nursed up by Erghet, the assistant guide).

Kilimanjaro 5 September 2007

A long slog of a day - 8 hours walking. Begins with the scramble up the Barranca Wall. There are so many people here that we frequently wait for bottlenecks to clear before we can continue. Across two valleys, filling up water bottles at the last stream before climbing slowly to Barafu Camp (4600m). It is, frankly, disgusting. Tents huddled together around foul smelling long-drop toilets.

David suffers severe altitude sickness and has to descend.

Eat a dinner of potato stew and huddle in sleeping bags, wearing 6 or 7 layers to keep warm. Try to get some sleep before the 11pm call to begin the summit ascent.

Kilimanjaro 4 September 2007

Woke up to find the tent encrusted in frost. Finding a tent which had working zips became the order of the day. Many were broken and this meant that kit you want to stay dry and unfrozen needed to be in the inner tent with you.

We ascended from Shira Camp to approximately 4450m where we stopped for lunch. The group then split in two - those who wanted could go the higher but more direct route to camp via the Lava Tower, others (includng us) chose the longer, lower route across two valleys to reach Barranco Camp (3950m).

From the camp we had good views towards the summit for the first time.

While shaving for dinner (well some of us have standards to maintain), I watched an eagle (7ft wingspan) soaring on the updrafts around the Barranca Wall.

Kilimanjaro 3 September 2007

Early start, packed before breakfast and join the queue of trekkers and porters trudging uphill. We are, however, rewarded with views above the clouds to Mount Meru.

Passed on the way up by garden furniture. This will become a regular, if dis-heartening, experience.

Climb into clouds as we approach Shira Camp (3840m). Worrying guide Maxon cannot locate our tents. Bodes well.

Kilimanjaro 2 September 2007

Drive up through banana plantations to the Machame Gate (1900m).

Bureaucracy runs to African time and crowds mill about aimlessly for a couple of hours before we can set off, led by head guide, Maxon.

The path takes us up through rain forest into the clouds from which we eventually emerge after 4 1/2 hours walking into moorland with heather 8ft high.

We reach our camp for the night at 3000m and face our introduction to the long-drop toilets. Unfortunately, with over 20,000 visitors a year, the long drop isn't as long as it once was and the smell defies description.



Night falls quickly, it is dark by 7pm, and there's nothing for it but to crawl inside the sleeping bags and try to get some sleep.

Kilimanjaro 31 August-1 September 2007

Overnight flight from Heathrow to Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines. http://www.ethiopianairlines.com/ Got our vegetarian meals in spite of having to swap seats with an elderly couple who were confused about row numbers!

Onward flght to Kilimanjaro where we're picked up and taken to the Mountain Inn.
http://www.kilimanjaro-shah.com/mountain_inn.htm

Meet the group: David, the Explore http://www.explore.co.uk/ tour leader, who confesses he's never climbed Kili; Ross, a self-proclaimed Scottish Wanker and referee: Sam, Irish; Colin and Katja, EU civil servants based in Munich; Jo, Sarah and Becks - sisters from Kent; Tez and Chris - a father and son.