The Up's and Down's of Mt. Kilimanjaro - Part 3

7 February 2016, Sunday

Rest and briefing day

I slept well and was quite content to doze all morning, something I don’t get to do with my work. But I forced myself to roll out of bed at 07:00.

Breakfast was a buffet offering the usual stuff; milk and cereal, toast, eggs, beans, sausage, fruit, and then of course they also had vetkoek (Fat-cake) and very greasy potatoes. Every meal has the option of potatoes.

At 11:00 we met with the Adventure Alternative Tanzania rep, as well as two of the four guides who would be climbing with us. This was for our pre-climb briefing.

They showed us the tents we would be sleeping in, and the sleeping mats they provided (better than I was expecting; it was a thin foam mattress rather than the hard yoga-type mat a lot of other companies provided). We also discussed the rest of the gear, and anything we might need to rent. They made sure of any special dietary requirements, as well as any medical conditions or injuries. In closing, they advised us to spend the next 24 hours getting hydrated in preparation for the climb. The hotel must make a killing selling bottled water!

One of the water bottles I had planned on using had some left over smoothie in it from two days previously. Needless to say it wound up in the dustbin. No soft plastic bottles are allowed on the mountain as people just toss them where they please, so I found myself hiring a water bottle (Nalgene), walking poles, and waterproof pants. Bye-bye Dollars…

After the briefing, the five of us headed into Moshi town for lunch at a restaurant called IndoItaliano. Indian x Italian.

It had a nice vibe and the food was very good, though rich. Normally I don’t eat Italian food (except for pizza), but decided to try the meatball marinara. It was the first time in a long time that I couldn’t finish a plate of food.

I have been going through phases of very mild nausea and headaches since arriving in Tanzania. I hope it is just a combination of nerves and the change in climate, and not the flu!

After lunch we explored some of the shops and stalls, and were hounded by peddler’s. South Africa is also full of them, but in Botswana people leave you in peace, save for the two who do go around town and try sell key rings, but normally you just need to tell them “No” once and they wander off. These guys on the other hand, were persistent to the point where I started to get angry (and I am a very patient person). One guy decided to try and sell me some paintings. He very cleverly noticed I was going to a bank and followed me, as that way I couldn’t use the “I don’t have any money on me” excuse. As soon as he opened his mouth, I said that I wasn’t going to buy anything.

“Yes, but let me just show you what I have!”

“No. I won’t buy anything; I can’t. I don’t have anywhere to put it. Maybe before I finish my holiday.”

“Yes, but a lot of these are done by children. I get them off the street and teach them to paint.
“Well that’s great. Good job. But I’m not buying.”

Eventually I got fed up, told him I had had enough, and walked off.

Eish. I got an earful then.

When in shops, the people would ask where we were from. At first, I said South Africa. “Ah, yes, do you know any Zulu? Can I offer you this? This is a very nice t-shirt. Lots of colours. Here is an elephant.”

And so it went on.

But then I decided to start saying I was from Botswana.

“Ah, yes, do you know any Zulu?”

“No.”

“Ah, but my cousin, my cousin. I give you a good price on this elephant.”

And then it became;

“Ah, yes, do you know any Zulu?”

“No, we speak Setswana in Botswana. Do you know Setswana?”

“No.”

And that was that.

One guy even asked if I know Malema. Like, uh, personally?

Once we got back to the hotel, I repacked my backpack for the umpteenth time. I would be carrying this pack for the duration of the trip, and a porter would carry my dufflebag with extra clothes and snacks(all 12 kgs of it). With about 4l of water, a first aid kit, jacket, waterproof pants, torch, notebook, snacks, wetwipes, tissues, and phone charging stuff, my backpack was heavy!

Stress has also caused an old shoulder injury to flare up, so I can’t seem to adjust the backpack so that is comfortable.

Hopefully once on the mountain I will find a good rhythm and relax!

Dinner was a delicious buffet. Along with the 5 of us, there was also a big group from another company doing the climb. Much easier to do a buffet than have a bajillion food orders to deal with.