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Mount Kilimanjaro, Mwenga Route, Tanzania
Wednesday, February, 20th, 2013

Day #7 - Mwenga Camp to Mwenga Gate
Time Stated: 0753
Time Ended: 1200
Total Distance Hiked: I'm not totally sure.... I didn't keep track on this final day

It seems so far away now....but we were just there.

I kind of woke up on day #7 feeling like the previous 6 days were a dream. It was hard to believe that in a few hours, the trek that seemed so daunting a week ago would be over. The day started at 0630 with the usual morning greetings from Frankie. The moment he called us for breakfast was the moment I realized I would forever be missing his smiling face in the morning. Breakfast was the usual except I’m pretty sure this morning’s porridge didn't contain millet (not that it makes a big difference but it was certainly nice and sweet). 

Our final little camp.

The final meal we would eat as a group.

After breakfast, as we finished packing, all 18 men who had helped us make this trek stood before us for the first time. They applauded us for our great effort but I assure you it was them who deserved the applause. I’m not sure I will ever meet a harder working group of men. There is no way I get as far as I did without them. Plus most people will know I’m a bit of a princess so they turned mountain camping into 5 Star mountain camping and it suited me just fine.

The whole group of boys.

Arshad took this one so Lola, Greg, Alex and I could get in it too.

A wonderful farewell song from the boys.

We left camp at about 0753 and I have to say I was a little sad to be seeing it end. I was a little thankful for the lung injury as it continued to slow my pace today and allowed me to experience just a little bit more of the mountain. At about 1200 we crossed that final gate line and our Kilimanjaro Trek officially ended. I can tell you, the change was amazing; from the quiet and isolation on the mountain back to the hustle and bustle of an African market place. People selling stuff and just hanging around. People were also looking to trade for things. Many of the porters were looking for things like hats and head lamps. My extra head lamp was hidden in my bag or I would have happily traded it for some African memorabilia.

Another look at that peak........I'll see it again.

The trail looking a little more flat and green today.

Stopping to check out the little black and white monkeys.

Ahhhhh......flat trail. A very welcome sight.

Another little black and white monkey. How in the world do they keep those tails so clean?

The emergency numbers. This list was available at every camp. We actually had mobile service most days on the mountain. I was pretty impressed....although I kept my phone off for all those days.

After all the final paperwork was filed we loaded up on the buses and made our way back to the hotel. The area we traveled through was quite different than the arrival route. Lots of bananas and coffee plantations. But still lots of little shacks and walk up “pubs” spotted along the roadside. Of course there were also a few giant houses that seemed so out of place.  I managed to spot the Kilimanjaro medical centre and medical school as well. But of course I was mostly watching the people….just everywhere were the people. I think no matter what else I see and do over my remaining days in Tanzania one of my lasting memories will be of watching a group of schools boys in their school uniforms, running and laughing and realising that they were running and laughing because they were chasing a tire. The simplest thing was bringing those children so much joy. I kind of feel like we’ve lost that in so many other parts of the world….and it’s a real shame.

Once back at the hotel there were a few pressing matters to take care of.......the biggest being our first shower in 7 days. Lola's bag had arrived while we completed the climb and we had some unpacking and re-packing and a few other things to do.We had a final session with Arshad to finalise any paperwork and of course tip the group. As you can imagine, the porters make most of their money from us in the form of tips and at this point there was nothing to do but be very generous. They deserved every cent and more. We said some final goodbyes and then it was off to start the next part of our journey.

The afternoon consisted of lunch and laundry (they have a great laundry service so Lola and I didn't even attempt to wash things for ourselves) and then it was off to the town of Moshi to get some cash and do some shopping. Shopping turned out easier than cash. My Saudi bank card stopped working (not that surprised, I was told it might get blocked) but luckily my Saudi credit card worked just fine (for the most part, bank machines here are a little like slot machines....you never know when they might give you money.) But we managed to check out a few craft shops and dress stores. I was really interested in the dress stores. I'm always looking for long dresses made of nice light material to wear in Riyadh (especially in the summer when temperatures are around 50 C) and of course this is a great place to find them.

We headed back to the hotel for a quick briefing about our safari and sorted some gear and then we got back into the shuttle and headed back into town. I managed to get a couple dresses.....and a bunch of art work. Yes I managed to spend a whole lot of money without even trying. We ended the night at a local reggae bar. Do not be concerned that 2 young western girls were hanging out alone at a reggae club. The driver from the hotel was there, as well as one of the mountain guides from Zara....and a few of their friends. They were all very nice and polite and we were able to enjoy a nice beer. It was very interesting as Lola and I were at the table next to all these guys and one by one they would come up and introduce themselves to us. It was like they didn't want to scare us as a group so only one of them would talk to us at a time.

Eventually we grabbed a cab back to the hotel and finished up preparing for the start of the next leg of our African adventure.

It think it's about time we all went on safari.

Julie