10th September - The Journey Begins

10th September, 2004
Weeks of hectic running around making final preparations have finally come to a head. The day of the flight has come, and everything that can be done has been done. Kim took me to the airport and it was only twenty minutes after I left her to go to the departure lounge that I was boarding the plane.

As usual, the plane flight was just being cramped and uncomfortable for the better part of 8 hours. I sat next to a guy called Steve, an American who along with some friends was embarking on some missionary work in Nairobi and the Congo. I was a bit worried this at first – fearing 8 hours of relentless preaching – but he was laid back kind of guy and the trip passed smoothly. At the end of the flight he said a prayer for me which I felt was touching.

The flight had another good moment: seeing enormous thunderheads rising from a near flat cloudbase to a height of 33,000ft. Each was lit up from within by a series of massive lightning strikes and the African pre-dawn sky made a breathtaking backdrop. Stunning – and a great image to start the journey on.

After some faffing at Nairobi I caught the connecting flight to Kilimanjaro and had my first glimpse of the hill. It’s big, very big. The tallest free-standing mountain in the world. Our plane was at it’s cruising altitude of 11,000ft and I was looking up at the summit. As I said – it’s a big hill.

Typical Africa. There was no driver to transfer me to the hotel and I had a brief altercation with one of the taxi drivers who wanted to charge me $40 for the ride into Moshi. Instead, I gave him $1 for the use of his mobile. Should’ve used my own really.

Eventually the driver from the Keys Hotel turned up and I began my trip through the Tanzanian countryside. The poverty is striking. Everywhere there are little brick houses – two rooms at most – most of which appear derelict. The land is flat, dry and brown. The locals (Masai) are nomadic so they tend to frequent an area for a few weeks, feeding the goats and cattle before moving on deeper into the plains. All along the great straight roads are people walking or cycling. There were very few private cards on the roads, but Toyotas and VW vans were everywhere.

The hotel was quiet. The staff and locals very friendly, but no sign of any other travellers at all. Late in the afternoon I met my guide Freddy and his assistant Clemence. They seem friendly and willing so I just have to trust that they won’t turn nasty at the top of the hill. Doing my research for this trip lead me to read many horror stories about travellers getting threatened along the route. All being well, this shouldn’t happen to me (being with a respected tour operator and all) but it’s easy to offend someone when you’re not up to speed with their customs. We’ve agreed that they’ll teach me some Swahili and I’ll try to learn.

Some travellers did turn up later in the afternoon along with 10 jeeps and 100 loudly chattering porters and guides. I didn’t manage to make contact since they were in a large group and all speaking Afrikaans. So, tomorrow the climb begins at Machame Gate.