Slow and Steady

Day 8 - True Date 6/13/13

Today was, as anticipated, the shortest day of hiking that we would have this trip. Many of us awoke before was necessary and we were all at various stages of packing when the crew came by to offer us hot drinks. At this point the drinks were becoming increasingly pleasant because the temperature was definitely dropping. The next bit followed the

usual and expected pattern of washing up and completing packing before breakfast. During this time it was fun to watch the sun rise over the peak of the mountain that now stood (seemingly) only just above us as the mountain itself cast a shadow keeping us cool. As soon as the sun crested the mountain's summit there was a distinct increase in temperature and we were all able to shed at least one layer of clothing. Unfortunately, we began to discover that our group was plagued with zipper troubles including tent doors, sleeping bags, etc... all malfunctioning.

Breakfast was ready at about 9:00. It was, in my opinion (since I am the one writing and recording), the worst meal we'd had so far (but the bar is really pretty high). We were served porridge with raisins which was what you would expect and my favorite part of the meal. Then came french toast, regular toast, and a dish of hot dogs (or sausage?) and vegetables. After a relatively quick meal we did our usual final bit of packing and loaded our bags to get on the trail.

We set off from Lava Tower (14,950 ft) along the same path as our acclimatization hike yesterday. While the path might have been the same as what we'd hiked yesterday, many of the views were new, or at the very least, different. The sun was now on a more direct line to the part of the mountain where we were hiking so there were fewer clouds and more light. The glaciers on the mountain gleamed in the sun reminding me of the origins of Kilimanjaro's name. Kilema - meaning mountain and Nkyarro - meaning shiny (in reference to the glaciers).

The hike proceeded as expected. Very steep and the trail was composed of almost entirely pebbles and dust. This part of the hike really returned us to the old saying "pole pole", meaning slowly slowly. For me, the steps everyone took were very small, granting sure footing along the whole route. Every hundred

steps (ish) I'd take a couple more photos and have a couple more sips of water. Pole, pole. Another hundred steps followed by more water and more pictures. Slow and steady we progressed. The steepest part of this hike occurred just before reaching the day's camp. We crossed a relatively deep ravine and the scaling on the far side was nearly all rock. This was the first "scramble" we had on the mountain and required the use of our hands to help find footings and balance.

Just over this ridge we arrived at the Arrow Glacier camp (15,970 ft), our lodgings (location for tents) for the night. We arrived as the porters were still assembling the site. In total the day was only 1.7 miles and we gained just over 1,000 ft of elevation. We did this in 1 hour and 15 minutes bringing our total ascent time to 17 hours and 22 minutes.

After a 15 minute rest we began our day's acclimatization hike. We once again followed the route we would be ascending in the morning up the Western Breach. The hike was more steep than the rest of today (as well as anything else we'd done to this point on the climb) and this potion was less dust and more loos pebbles and rocks. The temperature had made a distinguishable drop and to make matters worse the clouds were again surrounding the summit. I

thought we maintained a relatively brisk pace for this short hike, taking only two breaks (the second of which was where we turned around). Some of the group had the first experiences of altitude sickness, feeling minor headaches, but certainly nothing major. After the second stop we returned the short way back to camp for the afternoon.

Lunch was a very different dish from what we'd had so far. It was our first (I think)

dish that is considered local to the area. Our first course was a "green banana soup". My best description is that it was a tomato cream broth with many vegetable chunks that included bananas (not a vegetable), green beans, potatoes, carrots and others. During lunch we were given the plan for the mornings ascent up to the ash crater as well as suggestions for clothing. After lunch activities included some playing cards, some sleeping bag repairs, writing, packing, etc. At this point the next events were dinner, bed and a 4 am awakening for the climb.

Dinner was ready just before 6:00. The first course was a vegetable soup that I perceived to be made from a chicken broth. Afterwards we were brought mashed potatoes and a vegetable dish. The dish was what I can describe most closely as ratatouille.Together they were quite tasty and extremely filling. After dinner we all prepared for bed and the morning. It seems everyone was trying to "call it a night" around 7:00 to account for the very early wake-up. Given the hour and the altitude we were all expecting it to be the coldest experience of the trip so far and did everything we could to be prepared tonight.

The sunset from this camp was the best yet. From an elevation close to 16,000 ft the view was already angelic. The site looked out over a seemingly endless and flat field of clouds. As the sun set to the west of our camp it dipped just below a ridge and dropped out of view before setting over the horizon. As it fell behind it gave the crest a magnificent orange glow. As your gaze panned left (south) the sky, with only thin and wispy clouds gradually faded from the bright orange to a dark purple. In the midst (and in a way mists from the clouds...) we could still see the peak of Mount Meru in the distance.

A City in the Clouds

Day 7 - True Date 6/12/13

OK! Not actually "in" the clouds and certainly not a "city" but some of the scenery of the day still makes the name feel applicable.

Today was the first of our shorter hiking days. The morning followed our usual schedule up to this point. We were awake by 7, with hot beverages and water to wash, and were given some time to dress

and pack as we shook off that groggy morning feeling. Most of us slept well, with the exception of 5:00 am when Liesje and Kelly started rambling to each other about various things that all the neighboring tents could hear. After being told to quiet down everyone returned to another hour or so of blissful sleep. Breakfast was served at 7:45 and consisted of fried eggs, toast, pancakes, and bacon. By 8:30 we were done eating, finished packing and on our way.

The hike began from Moir Hut (13,580 ft) with an immediate and steep incline. Summiting this first ridge took us nearly an hour and merited a break. From here we could view the trail we travel nearly all the way to Lava Tower, the campsite where we would be spending the night. We could also look

behind us down the slope. Unobstructed by any vegetation or major rocks we could see all the way down the slope we'd ascended and see our camp being packed up behind us. It was a great place for photos. We had views of the Kibo summit, the trail both forwards and back, and we could look off the mountain over seemingly endless fields of cloud. To the west we could also see the very summit of Mount Meru sticking up out of the clouds.

We continued our hike down part of the ridge, crossed a wide and shallow canyon, and scaled another ridge on the far side. This set of ups and downs repeated itself 3 or 4 times through the morning. During this duration we gained very little elevation overall, despite constantly feeling like we were climbing up and down. Wildlife and vegetation were extremely sparse, limited to only the white-necked ravens and some very durable lichen. On our initial ascent of the day we crossed out of the remnants of the "health zone" and were now officially in an alpine desert.

At noon we crossed a small brook to reach
the day's final destination, Lava Tower. The name Lava Tower refers to a 300 ft tall rock spire that sits at an elevation of 14,950 ft. To reach here from our morning camp we had hiked approximately 2.3 miles and 1,400 ft of elevation in about 3 hours. This brought

our total hiking time to 16 hours and 7 minutes. Lava Tower serves as a major hot spot for many other climbing groups. We ate lunch in the presence of 4-6 other hiking parties, making it quite a lively place and a led to large gatherings of white-necked ravens. By now the Kibo summit had clouded over, sandwhiching us nicely between a layer of clouds above and below us - hence - "in the clouds"...

Lunch was served a little later than usual at about 1:45. First, we had some form of lemon-chicken. It was very good, though I lack a more intricate way to describe it.

Then there were grilled cheese stuffed with vegetables and a ... meaty-veggie-non-cheese-filled hot pocket-quesadilla-calzone-like thing. Truthfully I have no idea what it was but I liked it. After lunch we got some time to rest until 4 when we would go out on a short acclimatization hike (which I do not include in the total mileage, elevation or hiking time).

Come 4:00 I, along with many other members of our

party, woke up from a nap to get ready for another bit of hiking. For this we did not need our full packs, but we were encouraged to bring water and our trekking poles so Harrison and I each took a pack. We were on the trail again by 4:15 and headed along the identical route that we would hike the next morning. It was quite steep and the ascent was nearly entirely along a trail of loose rocks, dust and pebbles. This made the climb slow and required many switch-backs and zig-zags. We received some great views of Lava Tower and the

canyon the traveled down the mountain on this side of the spire into the clouds below us. At about 5 we reached the end of our climb, about 300 ft above the campsite and after a short water break, returned down. The way down was equally as steep (shocking!) and required careful footing to keep balance. We were back in camp at about 5:30.

After returning Archer and I took a quick detour around to the back side  of

Lava Tower. Here we had the best-yet view or the canyon that was adjacent to our camp. We also found a large collection of ravens and discovered that the lichen/moss growing on the rocks could be really quite prickly. Not long after we returned to the camp for dinner. We were served a cucumber soup followed by a salad and spiced rice with beans.

As usual, we were told the plan for the day tomorrow. The hike would be a bit

shorter with another acclimatization hike so we would be allowed to sleep in a bit if we were so inclined (inclined like a mountain!). After dinner there was some party music played in the mess tent to get everyone's energy up and there was a mini (5 minutes?) rave. This was quick and fun and before long we all headed to bed.

The Ever Elusive Peak

Day 6 - True Date 6/11/13

Today was much like yesterday, though a slightly slower start. We planned to get up by 7, eat at 7:30 and be on the trail again by 8:30. We were again woken on schedule with an offer of hot beverage and warm water bowls to wash up. Breakfast began with porridge and was followed by fried eggs, toast and a type of sausage that was very reminiscent of hot dogs. The best part of the morning (in my opinion) was the view of Kibo from the campsite. Early in the day the clouds that would later surround the peak had parted and it was an unobstructed view of the summit.

At 8:30 we loaded our packs and hit the trail. We left the West Side Camp (11,450 ft) on the edge of the Shira Plateau. Our hike took us east away from Shira, across the plateau and towards the main mountain. The plateau itself is aptly named. For a few hours the hike was entirely flat with the rare rise or fall of the trail to traverse some minor ravine. After

the first hour of hiking we had hardly seen a cloud in the sky above us and when looking around the setting was a bit surreal. Behind us was the (relatively) shallow ridge of Shira and before us was the towering summit of Kibo. To either side there was the occasional rock mound, but the plateau extended to what appeared to be the horizon. From our vantage point, it simply looked like we were on a flat plane hiking towards a lone mountain. You would never believe from that view that we were above 10,000 feet and had been climbing for 2 days already.

When we reached the end of the plateau we began to deal with brief spurts of short but steep rock slopes. These slopes,

and most (if not all) of the rocks we passed on this hike (as well as the coming days) were all lava rocks formed when the volcanoes were erupting long ago. We experienced one large vegetation change before lunch. At the beginning of the day the plant-life was an assortment of shallow plants, flowers, grasses and shrubberies. However, just before lunch these plants became thinner and taller - mimicking a very sparse and scraggly and small forest. My favorite plant was a small, green, leafy one that protects itself by closing in the cold of night and reopening with the sun in the day.

At noon we stopped for lunch on the top of yet another ridge. Given the increase in wind strength we were now dealing with the porters had assembled the lunch table inside the mess tent. Lunch was fried chicken with fries, fruit and an avocado salad. We were told that the afternoon would be about another 2 hours of hiking and the terrain would become increasingly rocky.

Our route continued along various ridges of lava rock and grew a bit steeper (though quite shallow to what we'd experience in the days to come - we're comparing to a plateau right now after all). Every so often we would see a small cave in the rocks but they were often inaccessible and far from the trail so we did not explore them. We stayed to the left side of what seemed like the larges ridge around and our view of Kibo was frequently obscured, but was clearly closer when it was visible. While in the morning the peak seemed to be just another mountain in the distance, now it began to

dominate the view and loomed over us. My favorite part of this afternoon hike occurred about 30 minutes before camp. The ridge to our right opened inwards into a massive (but very shallow) arched cave with a steady flow of water down its back. The ground was muddy and covered in moss and seemed to not fit the rest of the area.

From there it was only a short remaining hike to where we would spend the night, Moir Hut. We climbed just over 2,000 ft today and crossed 6.8 miles. It took the group 5 hours and 15 minutes. We ended the day at an elevation of 13,540 feet and had hiked for a total of 13 hours and 7 minutes. At camp the group once more broke into their own tents to rest. Some people enjoyed the weather by resting on bed pads outside in the sun. The snack was again served at 4:30, where we gathered in preparation for dinner at 6.

Dinner's began with another soup, this time a tomato and ginger soup (as before it remained my favorite part of the meal). The soup was followed by spaghetti and a meat sauce with carrots on the side. For the first time this trip we were offered dessert which were fried bananas (or plantains - because who really knows which?) and they were quite tasty. Dinner today was accompanied by one of our more "normal" conversations which was a nice change of pace. We talked about sports, politics and in the end/over dessert people began exchanging riddles. My favorite riddle was told by one of the guides:

     "A man is walking along the road and gets thirsty. He keeps walking and becomes more and more thirsty.      Finally, when he cannot take it any more he finds a house, and he is so thirsty that he enters with purpose. Inside he finds the owner and asks for some water. Suddenly, the owner pulls a gun on the man and he runs out of the house. Why did the man leave?"

I'll leave you wondering... After the riddles, which pulled in the attention of many members of our crew, we headed to bed. It was another cold night (about 30 F and the first night the water froze) as well as cloudless and starry. I look forward to new views of Kibo in the morning.

We Meet Again Old Friend

Day 5 - True Date 6/10/13

Today was yet another early but good start to a day. We were woken by the porter crew at 6:30 and we were offered a hot beverage of choice, which was delivered to the tents as we dressed and packed our gear. The plan was to have breakfast at 7, followed by about 30 minutes to finish packing and resume the trail. Breakfast was a combination of toast, pancakes (more like crepes), eggs and bacon. So, with full stomachs we filled our water with the group's filter, loaded our packs, and set off for the day.

We continued from the Montane Forest Camp (obviously...) at 9,450 ft. The camp and much of the morning continued through the rain forest region of the mountain. The trail was easy to walk, not that steep, and the weather was quite pleasant. No more than 20 minutes into the hike I had a personal "disaster" as I realized that one of the water bladders in my pack was leaking quickly. While it was only due to a bad seal - and thus easily solved - it still made for a moment of disappointment. Before long the pack was fixed and the group continued through the lush plant life that surrounded the trail.

The rest of the morning continued quite smoothly. After about an hour the trail began to get steeper and we continued out of the rain forest region and into the "health zone". The change in zone is paralleled by a clear change in the vegetation. Previously the trail was surrounded by many trees (frequently overhanging the trail) and a lush undergrowth. Now however the trees were thin and short. The ground was often sparse between plants and the plants were all much smaller and "browner" as if more dried out. The trail led us past a multitude of beautiful flowers spectacular views of the forest behind us. One aspect of these views that seemed thematic for the day was our ability to see our trail both before us and behind us.

After about 3 and a half hours oh hiking our group reached the summit of a small plateau where the porters had stopped to prepare us lunch. We were offered the usual assortment of fruits and vegetables that included avocados, passion fruit, mango, etc. The main course for the meal was a beef (of some variety) burger and some pasta. It was quite tasty and was nice to just sit in the nice hot sun instead of hiking for a bit. Justin described to us a bit of what the afternoon hike would be like and before long, we got up to resume the trail.

The trail continued up many steep ridges. We were quickly told more details still, many of which were prompted by our groups inquiries. Kilimanjaro is a volcanic mountain formed from the merging of 3 different volcanoes, Kibo, Mawenzie, and Shira. The three are listed there in descending height order. Our climb today took us along the north side of Shira. Shira is the most western peak and by moving around it we would find ourselves in a very shallow saddle facing the main summit of Kibo. The specific path that we were taking was commonly known as the "elephant's back". The trail follows a narrow ridge that frequently alternates between rises and falls, some shallow and some steep. In speaking with one of the assistant guides I also learned some history about the name of the mountain, Kilimanjaro. It is believed to be an English adaptation to the locals term for it, which meant "shiny" referencing the summit's glaciers.

About an hour before reaching the final campsite for the day we rounded a final ridge of Shira and received our first glimpse of Kibo in the distance. The peak rose from what seemed like a level plain and climbed into its own set of clouds, masking the actual summit from view. It has been 13 years, nearly to the day, since I first had a view like this and it was good to be on the mountain again. We could see many of the glaciers that rose up the sides of the mountain and we would have similarly great views for days to come (non-stop). Only a few minutes further down the trail we all stopped and took some time for a few group pictures. We continued a bit longer onto the Shira Plateau to the night's campsite, the West Side Camp. In total we hiked about 4.9 miles and gained 2,000 ft of elevation in approximately 5 hours and 48 minutes. This brought our total ascent time to 7 hours and 52 minutes.

It was about 3:00 in the afternoon when everyone reached camp. We signed in and all first headed to our tents to change into more comfortable clothes. Archer, Harrison and I all spent some time reading, Sabrina worked in her journal and Kelly and Liesje took a nap. After a while I moved onto doing some writing of my own and Archer took a stint laying outside sun-bathing. At 4:30 most of the group congregated in the mess tent for a snack of popcorn and socializing before dinner.

Dinner began with a sweet potato soup. It was followed by a spinach and carrots, with a chicken-curry of sorts served on rice. Maybe it has been because the evenings all felt cold but the soup both nights so far has been the highlight of the meals (not to say the other food was anything to complain about). As usual, we had some ridiculous conversations (the details of which will be spared from this entry). After dinner was time for bed. There was a brief time for us each to admire the the stars. When there are no clouds, no trees and no lights you can really see a LOT of them!

Pole Pole

Day 4 - True Date 6/9/13

Today was the first day of the climb, we would finally begin the long trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. This was only one of many early mornings for the group. We met for breakfast in the hotel dining area for breakfast at 7. The meal available was the same as yesterday, and so was equally as tasty. After eating we all had a few minutes to finish packing our gear and meet in the main lobby by 8. We put our excess bags in storage, Justin helped us load the jeep and we were on our way.

 We hit the road for what would be approximately a 4 hour drive to the entrance gate of the mountain. We stopped fairly early in the drive to use a restroom while our guide, Justin, and our driver, Ayubu, bought us bottled water and ate a breakfast of their own. We did not have to stop again until about the 3 hour mark. Here we registered with the ranger station to climb the mountain and all gear (including ours personal bags and the camping equipment/food/etc) was distributed among the approximately 30 person crew who would

be joining us. The last hour of driving took us along very narrow and overgrown roads that could only be navigated by means of a 4 wheel drive vehicle. When we reached the trail head we had to wait for the crew to catch up because their vehicle had to stop before ours.

 Before long the crew of porters arrived and only a few minutes down the trail helped prepare a lunch for us. The setup was used throughout the mountain, including a set of lightweight tables and chairs. This meal we were provided with materials to make ourselves sandwiches and hot water for making beverages. We were also offered a plate of local fruits and vegetable. The unexpectedly sour passion fruit led to some very entertaining facial expressions.

After lunch we officially began the hike. We began from one of the gates on the western side of the mountain at approximately 7,500 ft of elevation. As we hiked we saw our first glimpses of African wildlife. Starting at lunch we were introduced to the white-necked ravens. These are large black birds with huge white spots on the backs on their necks. They've apparently grown accustom to following the trails along the mountains and scavenge food from what is left behind by the crews. Not much further down the trail (as we were in the rain forest region of the mountain we saw both blue monkeys and the black-and-white colobus monkey. They were frequently fair from the trail and obscured by the trees, but were easy to spot when jumping from branch to branch.

The hike this first day was quite steep with only a few breaks. The path was clearly well maintained with

irrigation canals for massive water runoff, steps on steep slopes to minimize erosion and well kept bridges over small streams and ravines. We spent the whole day in the rain forest belt of the mountain though in this area the tree density drastically varied. At times you could hardly see to the next bend in the trail while at other moments the foliage opened up into nice views revealing many, many shades of green. We also moved quite slowly (though this seemingly slow speed got slower still every day) as is the motto of the guides leading treks up the mountain. "Pole, pole" meaning "slowly, slowly." By the time we reached the campsite we had hiked for just over 2 hours. We covered approximately 3.9 miles and did 2,000 ft of elevation. We ended our day's climb at the Montane Forest Camp at 9,450 ft.

The crew had prepared the campsite for us by the time we arrived. There were tents for us to sleep in as well as a mess tent and portable bathroom tents (these were an unexpected luxury that were very nice to have). As a group we spent most of the evening in the mess tent, and today that included little more than eating and a bit of talking before eventually calling it a night. We were first offered a plate of popcorn as a snack. Dinner itself was a pumpkin soup followed by Tilapia with fries and a vegetable salad. The pumpkin soup was fantastic and all coming meals would be judged by it's deliciousness. After dinner individuals retired to their respective tents for the early bed that is so common when camping.

For the first of many nights, some of us remarked on how beautiful the stars were...

An Unplanned Day to Pool Ideas

Day 3 - True Date 6/8/13

As a group we had agreed to wake and meet for breakfast at 8:00 am. I slept soundly but a number of group members seem to have struggled through the night. One likely cause was remnant feelings of jet-lag. Otherwise, there were seemingly strange/distracting occurrences during the night. These included moments of blasting, party-like music that seemed like it was just right outside. Others heard dog fights and some sleep discomfort can always be credited to a new place.

As planned, we gathered in the upstairs of the hotel where a buffet breakfast was waiting. The items included fruit, cereal, toast, eggs, sauted vegetables, pancakes, etc. My favorite moment of the breakfast turned into a running joke for the trip. On the table there was an unlabeled bowl of soft edible cubes. Archer, with the impression that they were cheese downed one immediately, and it was not until halfway through his second that someone pointed out that it was in fact butter.

After breakfast we returned to our rooms to prepare for the day. Our expectations were that we would meet our guide to discuss packing for the mountain and then travel to a local secondary school to give donations and ... see a school. As expected, we met the guide at 10:00 next to the pool. However, he first informed us that the school was not available to visit today so we proceeded to planning and packing. The guide's name is Justin Kisota and he's done the mountain over 100 times (I take it that eventually the altitude doesn't matter). We looked at the map, talked about where we'd be camping and were told what we should expect on each day of the ascent.

From the meeting we each returned to our rooms to spread out our gear and supplies on our beds. When we did that Justin moved from room to room to look at what everyone was prepared with and make sure nothing important was missing. When missing items were found, he was able to rent them to the group (but overall we seemed nearly perfectly prepared). Once our gear was checked we all repacked our stuff. We separated the school supplies and the luggage for the safari to be stored in the hotel while we packed another duffle bag for the mountain. After that, we were free for the day with few plans.

Without plans, the day became one to hang out, get used to each other (not that we needed that), and relax before the 8 day climb. The sun was out and there were few clouds around. It wasn't long before we all congregated around the pool. Harrison, Archer, Liesje and Kelly all spent some time swimming, napping, talking, using hotel wifi, etc. Sabrina and I did much the same but I think both lacked any time swimming. We ordered lunch while there (from the hotel). In the evening we met for dinner upstairs. The hotel has a large variety of offerings including local food, Chinese, Indian, etc... After dinner we all headed back to our rooms for another early night. The plan was to be leaving for the mountain by 8 am...

Our last night of luxury for a while...(if you consider a week a while...)

On The Road (Air) Again

Africa Trip 2013 (June 6th-June 22nd)

The following 15 entries will all relate to a trip taken to Tanzania by myself, Sabrina Bluestone, Leisje Bluestone, Harrison Bluestone, Kelly Spector and Archer Biggs. To those who have not read these before, the goal is to be mostly informative and based around the events that took place rather than personal interactions and conversations that occurred. Feel free to add comments or thoughts, or share with anyone who is interested.

Day 1 and 2 - True Date: 6/6/13 - 6/7/13

As with most international trips the story begins at the airport. You could say the story begins with the ride to the airport, or the planning that preceded it, but lets say our story starts at the airport. The plan for the group was to meet in the check-in lobby of JFK airport and proceed from there as a group. Sabrina, Harrison and Leisje were the first to arrive, followed by myself and Kelly. Archer joined us about an hour later due to anticipated travel delays. As punishment he was forced to fly on the next two planes separated from the rest of us (but we'd have plenty of time as a full group in the days to come).

As a group we proceeded smoothly through check-in and security. On our way to the gate we all purchased some sandwiches for lunch. The discovery of a Shake Shack led to some excitement immediately before boarding and the group had some tasty shakes as we boarded the plane. The next 18 hours or so are where the "Day 1" and "Day 2" concepts become a bit hazy. Given the time zones and the continued flights etc, etc... Its always a bit difficult to tell where one day ends and another begins.

Our first flight left at about 4:00 p.m. from JFK airport (US time). We arrived 7 and a half hours later in Amsterdam airport. It was now 11:30 pm in the U.S. on June 6th, but 5:30 am on the 7th local time. The flight went quite smoothly (literally) as we only ran into two minor moments of turbulence. The in-flight movies (no individual choices) were Jack the Giant Slayer, Oz the Great and Powerful, and the Adjustment Bureau. It was a pretty light-hearted selection, though I'd say none of the movies were particularly stellar (The Bureau was my favorite). For me, much of the time was filled by resuming my work reading through Robert Jordan's series The Wheel of Time.

Having now arrived in Amsterdam we had between 4 and 5 hours before the next flight to Tanzania. We explored for a while, found our gate, and then returned to the main terminal to find some breakfast. I had an omelet with peppers, onions, bacon and cheese. It was served on a slice of delicious bread (bread in Europe is just like...better) and a cup of coffee. On our way back to the gate the group stopped to make a few small purchases in the side shops. As we waited outside the gate Harrison sat in some bubblegum. As unfortunate as that may have been it was entertaining. At 10:00 (ish) local time we boarded the flight to Tanzania. It was an 8 hour flight (mostly south) and brought us east one more time zone. Unlike the previous flight, I occupied my time on this ride by sleeping for nearly the entire duration. We arrived at 7:30 pm local (Tanzania) time. It was dark by now and the process was as you'd expect; paperwork, line, visas, line, baggage, etc. When we exit the airport there was a small delay as we waited for our ride, but then loaded a jeep without any problems.

The roads were dark (clearly), dusty and narrow. They were riddled with speed bumps and it appeared that passing was legal at any time. The drive from the airport to the hotel took us about an hour. We arrived at our location, the Ilboru Safari Lodge, and it was much nicer than I expected. We broke into our rooms and most people headed straight to bed. The plan was to meet for breakfast the next morning at 8 am and discuss the coming plans.

For reference, Tanzania is 7 hours ahead of New York, so if I ever mention a time and you're curious, go backwards 7 hours to get to EST.