Sat 30th Jul '16 - Day 1

Sydney – Dubai – Nairobi – Kilimanjaro – Arusha

Woken rudely by a 02:00 alarm we quickly ready in the dark for our taxi which arrives promptly, whisking us to the airport, Sienna sat in stunned silence except to oddly point out boats of which there were none. We actually arrive at the airport before it opens at 3am.

Brief alarm at Emirates check-in as Sienna’s ticket wasn’t valid for both flights but soon overcome. Meet Daniel, Clem, Sean and Shane – the latter duo having flown down from Brisbane & Cairns respectively the night before.

Soon boarding the plane, Kate, Sienna & I at the bulkhead and the 4 others at the back who are quickly blocking their screens from each other so they can play poker against one another. Sienna does well (mostly) on the flight, making friends with one-year-old Jack sat alongside us.

At Dubai Kate and Sienna board a flight to London Heathrow and the remaining five of us take a five-hour Emirates flight to Nairobi, Kenya.

This time Clem is sat on his own and the four of us quickly decide to bring down the poker blinkers and collude to take him down.

In Nairobi in order to transfer for our last flight we are told to go to Gate 6. And then to Gate 13. Then told Gate 22 – walking quite some distance in the process. Whilst getting our boarding cards for our hopefully named Precision Air flight, a man wearing crocodile shoes who we’d just overtaken arguing with security, waltzed to the front of the queue saying “Sista Sista.” He needed tickets, Business Class to Hong Kong tonight slapping down a wad of cash. He was almost a caricature being as he was covered in gold rings, bracelets and necklace, cowboy hat atop his head and crocodile bag with its face attached to the front slung over his shoulder.

We left him to board our 80 seat propeller plan for the one-hour hop over the border to Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania. I pass out before we even taxi from the terminal and awake only when the lights come on after pulling to a stop. In the interim Clem and Daniel had been ushered to the front to balance the weight of the plane…

Thankfully our duffel bags also arrive with us and after three very brief immigration queues our guide John is waiting for us. After much backslapping, handshakes we pile into our suspension free mini-van to take us the 45 minutes in pitch black to the hotel. At one point Shane asks if I’m tired and my open mouthed head just lolls to the side.

At the Nejobugg Palace Hotel in Arusha, Jason (Daniel’s brother) and David (his friend) who arrived from LA the night before greet us in reception.  Clem and I end up with the short straw room – no towels, no toilet-roll, no pillow cases and a leaking shower. The hotel is an odd mixture of swish looking on first appearances but holes in the wall, loose cables and a layer of dust from passing trucks on the road. It feels unusual to have arrived and not be able to see any scenery or visualise exactly where we’re staying. That will come in the morning.