Kilimanjaro - My Journey to the Roof of Africa

Mountain Inn, Moshi

Friday, January 11, 2013

I still wake up early in the morning and cannot sleep for hours. I'm definitely not done with jet lag yet. I had breakfast with Brian and Andie (Andrea), two of the New Yorkers and the Japanese guy who is leaving for Kili today. We decided to go into Moshi town this morning for a better Internet connection. All of the New Yorkers are sick now. Andrew and his father, Norm, went to Moshi this morning to see a doctor again. After breakfast, I got a half an hour leg massage because my legs are hurting even more than yesterday. The lady was really good. She hurt me like hell but I sucked it up because I have to be able to walk tomorrow. I paid $20 for the massage and gave her a $5 tip.

My laundry arrived this morning. They did a terrible job with that. They also managed to rip my pants along the zipper. My clothes smell a little less badly now so I didn't completely throw $14 out the window.

We decided to take a taxi into town. It only costs 7,000 shillings (less than $5) and it's much more convenient than the minibuses. We were dropped at Union Cafe which was full of foreigners. Brian and Andie each purchased a drink and used their wi-fi while I went to one of their computers. I spent an hour facebooking and was able to chat with Randy. My darling is a little depressed. I also learned that Livio is in the Serengeti right now. After facebooking, I went to a money changer and changed $50. This way, I also got a $50 bill back which I can use for porter #4 if I have to. I talked to Ms. Luizer last night about the porter situation. She just kept saying that they only provide two porters for Kili. I told her to talk to her guide because according to him we need four porters.

Walking back to the cafe from the money changer a guy tried to sell me a necklace or a painting or a hat. He followed me around for five minutes before he gave up. I probably would have bought the necklace had I liked it but after trying it on, I didn't really like it on myself. I'm sure I will have a chance to buy some souvenirs at the end. Right now, I don't feel the need to spend money on things that I don't really need. We returned to the Mountain Inn after I arrived back to the coffee shop. There was really not much to do in Moshi and Andie wasn't feeling very well.

In the afternoon, I sewed my pants then I ordered lunch. It takes at least 45 minutes for them to prepare the food because everything is freshly cooked. I read my Kilimanjaro book while I was waiting for my food. I ate with an Italian guy, Fabrizio, who arrived last night. Poor Brian was just watching us eat because his food was the last one to arrive. I ate a lot of rice with a mushroom, potato, and pea sauce and some salad that comes with every meal. I got sleepy after lunch so I spent the afternoon napping. I definitely still have jet lag. Now it's almost time for dinner. I should probably start packing but I think I will do that after dinner.

Before dinner, I got to talk to an American girl, Laura, who came back from Kili today. She was sitting by herself and I invited her to join us for dinner. She had absolutely no problem climbing to the summit. After talking to a few people who have climbed the mountain already, I'm no longer afraid of the climb. I will take it day by day and I have no doubt that I will reach Uhuru Peak.

Eight of us had dinner together: Andrew, Norm, Brian, Natalie, Andie, Laura, Fabrizio, and myself. I ate a lot again. We skipped the dessert because it was ice cream and we didn't want to take any chances. After dinner, we were briefed by Ms. Luizer. The New Yorkers decided to leave at 8am so I'll be an hour behind them. There is no need for me to get up an hour earlier. After the briefing, Andrew's friend, Mio, arrived from Japan. She seems like a very nice person.

I'm done with packing my stuff for the climb. I will finish packing the rest of my things in the morning. There is nothing left to do but take a long shower and then retire for the night.