A place where laughter is a part of life

A place where laughter is a part of life
Photograph: www.bixby.berkeley.edu

06 August 2011

The Roof of Africa


Kez and I made it to the roof of Africa (Mount Kilimanjaro 5895m) and it was fabulous!  The first five days were so easy compared to my previous treks in the Himalayas (Annapurna Circuit 5416m and Kala Patthar 5643m) because we had the luxury of chill out time or afternoon naps.  Days six and seven threw up some challenges and great fun.  From Barranco camp we were faced with a "mini scramble" over the Great Barranco Wall... well at least that's what our guide, August, liked to call it.  I spent much of the day debating his choice of terminology and personally thought it was more like "beginner's rock climbing"  which was no small feat given that I'm terrified of heights!  I wish I had photo evidence that did justice to my efforts but quite frankly I was far too busy trying not to fall to an early grave.











We kicked off at midnight on day six for our push to the summit with just over 1000m altitude to climb and reached Uhuru Point in time for sunrise.  There's never words sufficient to describe the feeling when you make it... perhaps a mix of elation, achievement, relief and absolute awe at the surroundings.  The glaciers on Kilimanjaro are nothing short of magical!


The trek from the summit was a very different experience to Nepal.  We "scree walked" down the rocky slopes at a cracking pace.  It's like ski-ing on your boots and it was such wonderful fun!

A highlight for me was the food!  Our cook, Patrick, had a mighty knack for turning out delicious meals over a little gas stove in a tent.  And our waiter, Alex, guaranteed laughter on a daily basis.  He spoke brilliant English but was intent on teaching me Swahili so meals came paired with his wonderful grin and an always entertaining chat where my comprehension and replies left much to be desired.

With another high altitude achievement under our belt, it was time to celebrate and what a great night it was!

I'm a big believer that every mountain conquered warrants some quality relaxation and Zanzibar definitely hit the spot.  Five days at Fumba Lodge was the perfect setting to spend lazy days reading, eating, drinking and laughing ourselves silly.











With our energy renewed we headed to Stonetown to explore it's maze of lane ways, get in some shopping and hit the local nightlife.  We wrapped things up in Dar es Salaam and begrudgingly headed back to reality.












If my photos inspire you to take on the trekking challenge or spend lazy days in Zanzibar, I'd highly recommend Gladys who made all our travel arrangements (www.gladysadventure.com)... she's got a wonderful team, she's a total sweetie and she'll cater to your every whim!

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