Sat 6th Aug '16 - Day 8

Mount Kilimanjaro – Arusha

Day Six                                 Millennium Camp 3,950m – Mweka Gate 1,800m

Thankfully I feel fully recovered by morning though just walking to the toilets reminds me we’re still at almost 4,000m altitude so can’t get carried away and need to concentrate on breathing and not over exerting.

Following Daniel’s birthday yesterday today is David’s birthday and happily he also seems to be better - so we now have a fully fit team again.

Spirits are high during out regular multi-course breakfast (I’m sure they were at dinner too last night but I missed that…) and even the mist of the clouds which becomes a drizzle, halting only as we reach Mweka Gate, can’t dampen our mood as we reflect on our achievement.

Overall on the sickness front – Jason had it very bad on the way up, David too was in pain. Sean and I struggled on the way down. Clem and Daniel complained of lesser headaches and throughout all of this Shane bounced around like an Energiser Bunny breaking regularly in to song and responding most vociferously to Demi’s war cry or Team Simba, Simba Rrrrr.

There is a clear packed-mud path down which for the first few kilometres to Mweka Camp is a little treacherous underfoot, most of us slipping over at some point. Probably because we were going too fast.

Yet another cereal bar break at Mweka Camp where also everyone puts on their rain jackets for the first time. We keep heading down the dark red rutted path with irregular step after irregular step.

We’re now back in the rainforest and spot a Blue Ball Monkey and half a dozen Columbus Monkeys sat on the same branch of a tree with their white fluffy tails hanging down.

Clem stretches out his legs and takes off with Roman whilst Jason, Shane, Daniel and I march down with Demi whilst Sean and David take a few tumbles with John and come down 20 minutes after the rest of us on the 10km walk from Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate.

More High Five’s and handshakes on our success and John waits at a hut to record our achievement and get certificates. There is a final team meal of fruit and herbed tomatoes during which John and then Demi thank us for our efforts and tell the porters, who are all stood around us enjoying a warm beer what we (Daniel) have tipped everyone $1,400 and calls out his key men who it seems will receive a greater share if the tipping pot – Conni and Roman for coming to the top with us and Nicholas the chef. While most of us are enjoying our warm beers (which the locals think is normal “you’ve been cold up the mountain so have a warm beer to warm up”) Clem gets dripped on from a tree but mistakenly exclaims it as “sh*t of monkey” much to our amusement.

We pile back in to the awaiting bus (though some porters get kicked out by Conni and have to walk to the main road) and we leave the mountain behind stopping briefly in Moshi so Demi can convert the USD tip into the local Shillings and hand out to everyone on the bus.

As we finished a day early the Nejo Palace where we stayed before and where we’re due to stay is unable to accommodate us and so we get dropped at City Link Hotel just up the road from Nejo outside Arusha. Like many Tanzanian things first impressions are promising but no hot water in the shower, cracked paint broken paintings, unique flushing toilets uncover the true Africa.

On the way back we’d stopped also to buy beers, vodka (Smirnoff 1l for $11), Coke and Water, so we crack in to those in the hotel having found an ice machine at the bar.

Demi and John had mentioned a local place for dinner which we’re keen to try so after cold showers, and a thirty-minute wait in reception Demi (in van) and John (in taxi) ferry us to the QX Bar and order meat and chips for everyone. Its goat and it’s amazing. There was also deep fried green banana as a side to go with the chips. I think we ate about two goats. Best meal of the holiday.

After the messy finger food, a lady circles the table with a kettle and bowl to allow you to wash your hands. Brief panic as when I shake my hands to rid the moisture my wedding ring flies off in to the dust in the dark. Thankfully a few iPhone torches pop out and we find it before attracting to much attention.

Back in the hotel we hit the bar (despite having free chilled beers upstairs) where a pretty average and unenthusiastic duet are playing. The highlight over the din is when Demi requests a Happy Birthday song for David. This version requires six repeats and during verse 3 a large African man on crutches comes to the front saying it’s his birthday as well. He strongly tells the duet to keep playing on repeat and David has to semi dance/embrace his fellow birthday celebrator at the front of the packed bar. We retire upstairs for one more beer before flaking out around 23:00. Though actually Shane goes back to the bar and ends up in making new “friends.”