Saturday, May 11, 2013

Mountain Inn, Moshi

Sunday, January 6, 2013


I slept really well but not for very long. I was done sleeping before 7am so I got up to eat breakfast. The only other guest in the hotel, the girl who stays in the room opposite of mine, ate at the same time. Breakfast was pretty good. First, I got juice and fruit then eggs with three pieces of toast. I also helped myself to tea and coffee. I ate everything they gave me because I need the energy for tomorrow.
 
The hotel is very quiet since I'm the only guest right now. Three other people are supposed to arrive today but they'll leave tomorrow for Kili. Since I'm the only guest here, there was no problem using the only computer in the hotel. The Internet connection and the keyboard are not the best but at least it's cheap: $1 for 60 minutes. I let the world know that I arrived safely to Tanzania.
 
I went for a walk on the countryside for an hour. I quickly picked up a young guy who wanted to accompany me. I walked with him for a while but I turned back when I started feeling his company too bothersome. He wanted to see me later on today but I quickly turned him down.
 
It's about lunch time now and I'm going to head to the garden restaurant. It will probably start raining soon because I hear the thunder and the wind has picked up, too. Unfortunately, I couldn't see Kili today because it was covered by clouds. It was raining on the mountain today.
 
I had a huge lunch for $10 (including tip). I ordered fish and a vegetarian dish with garlic naan from the Indian menu. It took a while to prepare but it was delicious. I decided to take a nap after lunch. My nap was so successful that I only woke up on time for dinner. I had very disturbing dreams during my five hour nap.
 
Dinner was huge: appetizer, soup, main course, and dessert. I tried really hard to finish everything but I could not eat all the fish and French fries they gave me. I met the other three guests at dinner time and talked to them a little bit. They are from Pennsylvania. One of the girls just flew in today and they are already leaving for Kili tomorrow. They are doing the Machame Route in six days.
 
After I finished my dinner, Roheel Shah from Shah Tours gave me a briefing regarding my Meru climb. I met him and his dad at lunch. His dad, Mr. Shah, is the owner of Shah Tours. They are of Indian descent (that explains the Indian menu at the hotel which is owned by Shah Tours). Roheel just climbed Kili about a week ago and he says it was very hard. This was his second attempt and his first successful climb.
 
After the briefing, I went back to sleep. I woke up several times during the night and I had weird dreams again. There was no electricity all night so I had to use my headlamp to go to the bathroom.
 
The pool with the restaurant in the background
 
The bathrooms and changing rooms by the pool
 
Mural depicting Kibo (left) and Mawenzi (right), the two highest peaks of Kilimanjaro
 
The beautifully landscaped grounds of the hotel
 
The reception area
 
Store fronts on the countryside
 
People waiting for the dalla-dalla (minibus)
 
My companion showing me a termite mound
 
Fruit and vegetable stand
 
Country road
 
The locals call this Christmas tree
 
House on the countryside
 
Country road
 
Another beautiful Christmas tree
 
Children posing for my camera near the hotel
 
 
 

 


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