Good bye, Kibo (by Darina)

Saturday 25th September 2010

Our last day on Kilimanjaro starts early at 6 o'clock. It's still slightly dark but soon we can see the the sun rising and casting its rays around our camp. We're still fairly high (3700m) and the view over the clouds is magnificent.

We are enjoying the last day of the routine - tea to the tent, green washing bowls, packing the rucksacks, going for the breakfast. But that's where the routine ends. After the breakfast all the porters and guides are waiting for us outside the tent and the tipping ceremony starts. The porters sing a couple of songs (and the national anthem) and then Nilam and Jason present our tips. It's quite emotional when you realise our whole trip was dependant on these people. And they took an excellent care of us - feeding us, supporting us, carrying our bags, building our tents. I am very grateful to all of them for making it possible for us to have this fantastic experience while spending our time in the Kilimanjaro National Park. Thank you!

And then it's time to get on the route down. We are leaving Kibo and Mawenzi behind us, still standing there - proud and majestic. The route is a totally different experience and not only because we're walking downhill. We are now on the Machame Route (also called Coca-cola route) and we are passing people who are on their way up. This feels strange. After four five days of meeting very little people on our route, the traffic on this one seems enormous. Our normally very well organised group is not organised anymore either. We are walking more or less on our own, occasionally meet altogether and then splitting again, depending on the pace which everybody finds comfortable. We are walking through sunny and cloudy patches, at one point it looks like it's going to rain. The vegetation is changing too, the bushes are replaced by little trees and bigger trees and by the time we reach our half-way point - Mandara Huts - we walk through the rain forest. What a change this is!

We have a short break at Mandara and some of us get really excited as there is a little shop there selling Coca-cola (hence the nickname of the route). I am happy with just a little bit of a sit down as the constant downhill walking is killing my knees (even though I wear the knee supports). The path wasn't as pretty as on the picture, most of the way it was just stones, rocks and tree roots. But we made it up to here and there is about two three more hours of walking to Marangu Gate, our ultimate goal of today.

Mandara has a special feel for me for another reason. It's a place when my phone finally gets a signal and manages to send a few texts - to my father, to my friends and to Chris Powell who has been a valuable source of information and support to us! And what's more, we get a response from him - unfortunately being denied to climb to the top of Zugspitze due to bad weather. Still it feels like his spirit is here with us!

And now it's time to continue with our track, through the forests and on the paths that are a little bit more enjoyable and comfortable. The nature around us is rich in colour and very lush although I am starting to be a bit impatient and hoping for getting to the finish of the route soon. I am really looking forward to having a beer too. I am dirty, full of dust and dirt, sweaty and thirsty. Although I have enough water in my Camelbak I don't feel like driking it, I had enough of water in the last few days!!! The route seems to be never ending but finally we do get there and we walk through the Marangu Gate (usually the starting point) and we are back to civilization!

There is a registrations office at Marangu gate where we have to sign a ledger to confirm we made it back ok - as I expressed it "We have just logged off Kilimanjaro". It's a bit sad moment as this is where it ends. We are officially back and out of Kili, the special place we had the honour to visit and experience. But we are grateful for being alive and being able to have a little break. We shop in the souvenir shop, we get beer and we sit down. What a feeling!!! Congratulations everyobody, you've done well!

Our certificates are being prepared while some of us are shopping for souvenirs, some of us are having more beer, some of us are sending postcards. Our guides are there too, we even meet Salomon again, who looks healthy and ok. This is a bizzare moment but we are all very happy!

And then our bags are loaded on the bus and we all are on the way away from Kili...

First we stop in the Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort where we pick up our luggages that we left there almost a week ago and we are also re-joined by Gary who so mysteriously left our camp on the summit night. He doesn't mention anything about that night and we don't ask. We are now on the way back to Arusha and the Moivaro Lodge. Some of the guides are in the bus with us and we drop them off on the way, depending on their places of living.

We reach Moivaro Lodge in the early evening. It's dark. Everybody is looking forward to having a shower so we agree we meet again for dinner in about an hour and half. It's strange to be back here, in Moivaro where we started a few days ago. At that time we were full of expectations, maybe a bit scared but a lot more excited and now we're a few days older and full of amazing and unforgettable experience. We've made new friends, we achieved something great, we fulfilled a dream, we overcame a challenge...

I just hope the shower is not going to take away the little dust speckles of Kilimanjaro memories...

The re-union at the dinner (sans Gary) is like a glamorous makeover. Everybody squeaky clean and in different clothing than Berghaus/Helly Hansen/North Face outdoor kit. The beer is being ordered, the burgers are being eaten and we have our own little Certificate ceremony. (It's necessary to note that the Niagara guy whom we met again at the Marangu Gate was on the bus with us to Moivaro Lodge but then he disappeared and we never saw him again). More beer, laugh and talking about Kilimanjaro. That's our last evening together in Africa...