Visit to East Africa
- Preparing to Start -
Journal:
"September 7, 1998 - Kilimanjaro - We rise at 6am, shower, gather our things, and go downstairs to checkout and have breakfast. At breakfast we meet the other individuals who will be ascending with us - Roger, Chris, and Dianne - all Australians. 8am was our planned departure time from the hotel, this turned into 9am with another hour delay at the Zara office as the trucks were loaded. We have two guides because the Aussies are taking an extra day on the mountain to acclimate - high altitude sickness is the #1 reason 60% of the people attempting Kili never make the peak. Our guide, Éle, is 36 and has ascended the mountain over 200 times. The Aussies guide, Michael, is younger but has significant experience as well. Éle and Michael organize the loading while street sellers attack us trying to sell knives, spears, and artifacts, with hidden knives in them. All is loaded and we drive to the village of Machame, the base of the Machame-Mweka route that we are taking up the mountain. In the village a park warden jumps into the truck and we all drive to the trail gate where we sign in and assign porters to carry bags and food."
