Kilimanjaro – Day 4 – January 6th

I froze to death last night. I was so cold that halfway through the night I had to take my sleeping bag and join my cousin on his bed. My sleeping bag is useless. Another sleepless night.

At 6:20am in the morning I watched the sunrise. It was the most breath-taking, beautiful moment of my life (thus far). There was a blanket of clouds just beneath us and in the distance you could see the sun rise in a clear sky. It was truly magical. I watched as it lit up the world and heated the air.

When I turned around I could see the scree for the first time. At that moment I thought – these people are crazy. Are we really going to climb that thing? It was enormous, monstrous, beautiful, frightening, a challenge I’ll never forget.

Today’s hike took the life out of me. I realized the limits of my mind and my body and I got a good idea of what hell might be like – I do not want to end up there.

Today’s hike was 9.4km – up to 4700 meters above sea level. We hiked through an alpine desert, which they called ‘The Saddle’. It was absolutely brutal. Not only was the sun beaming hot but there was nothing in sight. Just a few rocks and it seemed to go on forever – which also made it difficult when we had to pee. Fortunately there were a few toilets along the way.

This was the day that I learned how to count to 10 in Kiswahili, and if it weren’t for that I may not have made it to the Kibo Hut. I would count over and over again while I watched the steps of one of the guides, Stanley, in front of me, who kept saying ‘Pole Pole’. I never knew walking so slowly would make me so tired.

At one point I had to even give my daypack to one of the guides as it was slowing me down. About three quarters of the way there we could see the hut in the distance, and it seemed that no matter how long we walked for it just didn’t get any closer. It was absolutely brutal! In the last twenty minutes I started to feel overwhelmed with exhaustion and I didn’t think I would make it. Fortunately, with Stanley’s help, I did. I sat down and the first thing I saw was a woman storm out of the sleeping hut and throw up. That was the longest day of my life, followed by the longest night of my life.

I started to get even more sick as the time passed. We were supposed to have some tea and go to sleep. The plan was to wake up at 11pm and start the rest of the climb. You have to make it to Gillman’s Point by around 6:30am and then climb to Uhuru Peak before it gets too hot – otherwise you just can’t breathe and it becomes extremely dangerous.

I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t lay down. I couldn’t sit up. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even throw up after a while, cause I had eaten nothing. When everyone got up to eat dinner, I took one bite and I couldn’t taste a thing. I had lost all ability to taste! That was when I made the decision that I could not go any further. I would have only felt worse and would not have made it to the top.

Kiyan was the first to come back after an attempt to climb the scree, then Sameer. Masi and I had stayed behind. I was up the entire time just praying that the sun would come up so I could climb back down the mountain. I had to wait until one of the guides could take me so at 7 in the morning I left the rest of them and headed down. After about half an hour I was feeling brand new – and I was starving! I had to wait at Horombo till the early afternoon for the rest of them. But I was happy to find out that Kamal had made it to the top.

Making the decision to quit was really difficult for me. I felt like a failure, like I had done something wrong. After many tears I started to think and I realized something – I had gone father, pushed myself father, than I had ever been. And that is an accomplishment in itself. I know I’ll be back and that’s what matters.

That afternoon and night we didn’t have too much energy to joke around or play cards for too long. I think we were all just anxious to get back to Moshi.

Kilimanjaro – Day 3 – January 5th

I had a horrible sleep. There was a vent above me and I was getting the cold draft and the noise from our neighbours. Plus I had to pee several times, which was a scary experience because we were still in the rainforest and who knows what kind of animals could creep up on me in the dark. In the middle of the night there were monkeys dancing around on the top of our hut.

And it was cold! Piece of advice for future climbers: when they say to bring a -5 degree sleeping bag, please do.

When I got out of bed at 6am I was able to watch the sunrise which was spectacular. We had breakfast in the main dining hut. Masi brought her own butter, which really was the tastiest thing we had the entire trip. We had chai, omelettes, and papaya.

Today’s hike was 11.7km and we started at 8:20am. The first bit of the hike was rainforest and then it started to clear in to woodland. About halfway through the hike we could see the clouds directly in front of us. It was as if we could just reach out and touch them with our hands. We could see people ahead disappearing in to them, and then we were walking in them! I could feel the chill of the clouds all over me.

About two hours before we reached the next hut – Horombo – we sat down for lunch. It started to rain so we quickly took out our anoraks. But then it started to hail so we had to continue walking. I ate the rest of my lunch while hiking.

Horombo is at 3780 meters or 12,340 feet above sea level. I was higher than I had ever been. We arrived at 2:15 in the afternoon.

On the hike, and even at the hut, you could see the Mawenzi peak – which is the other Kili peak. People climb it too but it is not as high and much more dangerous. The volcanic rock is very brittle and you could fall. If you do, there is no rescue team to come and get you.

During the hike I had to pee at least 7 times. I have now learned the art of peeing in the bushes. I even managed to not get any on myself! But I do recall several things poking at me in the process. You get used to it, and when you have to go you just have to. We were drinking up to 3 litres of water a day!

The sleeping huts are much nicer at Horombo. There are 3 bunk beds and more space to walk around. We had chai, peanuts, popcorn and biscuits as a snack.

We were able to get reception at this hut so we made a quick phone call to Naguib Masa and Anjum Masi. We didn’t want to sleep too early so we played cards – for hours! I think the altitude was getting to our heads because we were all in a very silly mood – laughing at everything until we were in tears. I think we all really bonded that night.

At around dinner time I watched the sunset. It was unreal. It is an incredible feeling to feel like you’re on top of the world.

Kilimanjaro – Day 2 – January 4th

Today is Gulnar Masi’s birthday so in the morning we sang for her at breakfast. Her cake consisted of a piece of bread with some flowers on the side and a candle in the middle – better than nothing I guess!

That morning I still couldn’t believe that we were starting the climb. I remember about six months ago when I started to plan this trip. It was all just a dream in my head and now I’m here!

We took a shuttle bus with everyone else from the Inn to the Kilimanjaro National Park gates where we waited about an hour and a half to register and give our things to the porters. There were 5 of us, 10 porters, and 3 guides! I was shocked to see the amount of things the porters were going to carry up the mountain. All we had to carry was our day packs which mostly had water in them.

We were taking the Marangu route, also known as the ‘coca-cola’ route because it is supposed to be the easiest. I’m really not sure there is an easy way up this enormous mountain. We were doing the 5-day trip.

We finally started our climb at 12:05. We walked through a beautiful rainforest. It was hot and humid. We saw colobus and blue monkeys.

It wasn’t an easy climb for me. It totalled 7.9km, 790 meters up (from 2000m to 2790m). I believe that’s 9,000 feet. Luckily I didn’t have to pee until about 20 minutes before we reached Mandara – the first hut. I think taking a pee in the rainforest would have been a bit uncomfortable LOL. We arrived at 3:10 and I was very happy to get to the hut.

We were served chai, popcorn, and biscuits as snack and we devoured them. We then spent some time in the hut just arranging ourselves. The hut had four beds, one bunk bed and two on the floor. It was small and cosy (actually cramped).

We could see the clouds in the distance below us. It was a great view and apparently at the next hut it is even better.

Day 1 of the hike was over!

Kilimanjaro – Day 1 – January 3rd

This morning we woke up early and got in the car by 7am. We had finished all of our packing the night before. Masa drove us to the Silver Springs hotel in Nairobi where we caught the Impala Hotel Shuttle. We stopped in Arusha at the Impala hotel for lunch before continuing on to Moshi.

The drive was long, bumpy, and dusty. By the time we reached the Moshi Mountain Inn at 3:30 we felt dead. We sat down at the bar and had some cold sodas.

Dad called during dinner to wish me luck. He told me not to worry, that if I didn’t make it to the top to not feel bad because I at least tried. At that point I thought, I wanted more than anything to stand at Uhuru peak on Wednesday. I was excited and nervous.

We spent a long and hot night trying to sleep – there were no fans and Moshi is incredibly hot.

Mt. Longonot

On the 29th of December we headed out to climb Mt. Longonot to practice for the Kilimanjaro climb. By now Mom, Sophia, and Ali had left for Dubai so it was only Gulnar Masi, Kiyan, Sameer, and Kamal (my aunt and cousins).
The mountain is between 7 and 8 thousand feet above sea level. It took an hour to get there and an hour and a half to climb it. It’s actually a volcano. About halfway up I started to struggle and had to take several breaks because of the altitude and the heat. It was worth it though because at the top you have a view of the vast land surrounding it and Lake Naivasha in the distance. Plus you can see the inside of the crater, which is small enough that you can see the entire thing but large enough that the last place you would want to be is in it!
Kiyan and I ran down most of the way – I’m really not sure how much dust I swallowed but my clothes were filthy by the time I got down.
Apparently the scree of Kilimanjaro is 5 or 6 times Mt. Longonot.

Serengeti (endless plains)

After the crater safari we drove to the Serengeti, which means ‘Endless Plains’ – and for a good reason. Everywhere you looked it seemed to go on forever, and most of it was very dry (it’s summer time here). Unfortunately we didn’t see much at all but were lucky enough to see a leopard in a tree! We watched as it came down halfway, posed for us, then climb down and disappear in to the bush.
We also came across some warthogs (pumba!). They are the funniest creatures I have ever seen, and for those of you who have seen the Lion King – they are exactly like how they are in the movie.
Before that day I could never understand what was so special about going on safari, but after seeing the animals up close I can appreciate their beauty.
We stayed at the Serengeti Serena hotel – another outstanding hotel which had individual huts as rooms. The next day was a long drive back to Arusha where we stayed the night at the Impala hotel before heading back to Nairobi the next day.
Something funny the Tanzanian driver told us (I imagine most of you born in East Africa will have a good laugh):
“Swahili was born in Zanzibar, matured in Tanzania, died in Kenya, and was buried in Uganda”

Ngorongoro Crater

You can see a thousand pictures of this crater, but you can’t possibly appreciate it until you’ve laid eyes on it yourself.
We left at 6am on Dec. 21st and headed to Namanga, which is the town at the border of Kenya and Tanzania. We got our visas, changed drivers (to a man named Sifoni), and headed to Arusha where we stopped at the Impala hotel for lunch.
Tanzania is so beautiful. As soon as you cross the border you can see a change in scenery. It is so luscious. We drove in a safari vehicle, with no air-conditioning, but lots of room. We drove to the Ngorongoro Park gates where we had to pay $50USD each to enter. We drove to a lookout point where we saw the crater for the first time. It was spectacular. It’s massive – spreading over 250 square kilometers. We then settled in to the Ngorongoro Serena hotel. Please look it up on the net, the place is amazing. Our rooms had king size beds that faced a balcony that had a perfect view of the crater. We were at 7,000 feet – Nairobi is at 5,000 feet – when I went sky diving I jumped out of the plane at 10,500 feet.
At night we stood on the balcony and watched the stars – I don’t remember ever seeing so many and the sky looked enormous. In the morning we were able to watch the sunrise over the crater. It was stunning.
That day we went for a safari with Sifoni. The drive down to the crater was scarier than the drive through the Rockies. When I looked out my window I could see the tires were just inches from the end of the road.
Seeing animals in the crater is almost guaranteed because, except for the elephants, they can not get out of it due to the steep crater highlands that surround it. We saw tons and tons of zebras, hart beasts, gazelles, and impalas. We also came across some gorgeous lions and cheetahs.
We stopped at a picnic area that is by a hippo watering pool for lunch before heading to the Serengeti.

Salt Lick Lodge

After Mombasa we stopped for a night at a place called Salt Lick Lodge, which is a lodge that is built around a man made watering hole (so tourists can dine and watch the animals). The rooms are individual huts built on stilts. When you are in the reception area or the dining area you can look outside and watch the animals drinking water just meters away! There was also an underground tunnel leading to a lookout point that is so close to the watering hole that when the elephants came around we were just feet away!
We went on a safari that afternoon and saw elephants, buffalos, impalas, etc. etc. The next morning we went back on safari especially to visit a place called Lion Rock, where most people get to see lions. It had a beautiful view, but unfortunately we only saw one lion at a distance.

Mombasa – a trip down memory lane (for Mom)

One day while in Mombasa we took a day to visit the town to see the places Mom grew up in. We had to take a ferry to get off Mombasa Island and to the main town. As we were waiting to drive on Anjum Masi was telling us how at times the engine would break down and the ferry would float for hours before getting fixed. A few minutes after we boarded, the engine stopped! What a coincidence! About a half hour later another ferry came next to us and literally pushed us towards shore! A few minutes before we reached the engine magically turned on again. It was hilarious.
Our first stop was the Aga Khan Academy, which had been built after Mom had left but was worth a tour. The campus had a primary and secondary school. It was the nicest school I had ever seen – so nice even I would go back to high school! They had everything – an outside auditorium, a huge field for sports, a gym, etc. etc.
The next stop was Mom’s primary school – the Aga Khan primary school. Which was exactly the same as when she attended it. We got to see the very same classroom that she sat in. We then went to see her secondary school – the Aga Khan secondary school. Both Anjum Masi and her attended this school and it was really nice to see how happy they were to visit it again together. We also saw the nursery school which was next door to it where they all attended, including Sameer and Kamal.
The next stop was one of the homes that Mom lived in which was converted in to a nursery school so we were lucky enough to go inside. Although it was renovated, Mom still remembers which room was hers and what it had looked like before. We even saw the famous mango tree that she used to climb – which was now much taller than when she played on it over 40 years ago!
We then headed to the Manji Villa, which was built in 1958 by Mom’s father and his brothers. It still looked exactly the same, except 50 years older! Mom told us she always believed the house was built for her since it was made in the year she was born (sorry Mom, gave your age away!). We weren’t able to go inside but it was still really cool to be able to see where Mom was born and lived for many years of her childhood.
Then we walked through Old Town Mombasa. It looked like a small European city with narrow pathways in which you couldn’t drive and cute little buildings and shops everywhere. We saw the port, which had been used for over a thousand years! We also saw Fort Jesus.
We met the rest of the family for dinner at a place called Mubin’s. It was a hole in the wall and you could only sit outside, but it had the most delicious mishkaki, kebabs, and fries. Then we were off to a restaurant called Yul’s (back on the island) to have their famous homemade ice cream. Delicious.
Then, randomly, I bumped in to my friend Nadim! What a small world.
The rest of the trip consisted mostly of us relaxing by the pool or on the beach. One night we ate at a beautiful restaurant on the beach called Nomad’s.
On the way back we dropped Masi’s parents off at their home in Makupa flats – where is an all-Ismaili complex. We laughed while we looked through all her old albums and saw pictures of Mom, Dad, the Masi’s, and our cousins when they were little.

Mombasa – out for a ‘free’ drink!

After a day of snorkelling and swimming in the pool, and after I took a long shower to get the sand out of my hair – Masa, Sameer, Sophia, Ali, and myself went to a bar called Leonardo’s. It was supposed to be the first stop of a few bars. Unfortunately the night was cut short! We sat for a bit sipping on Dawa’s before being interrupted by three men with guns. They were robbing all the tourists. We were told to get under the table and at first I had no idea what was going on, until I turned around when a man running by had dropped his handgun. Luckily we didn’t have much on us but he managed to take Masa’s phone and any money we had on us. Two minutes after the men had run away the police showed up and we sat up. It took a few minutes to realize what had happened. Another tourist was still hiding under her table, and some were furious. I was just happy we were all safe. The bartender decided we didn’t have to pay for our drinks – anyway we didn’t have any money left! We headed back to the resort and had a good laugh with Gulnar Masi. I don’t think any of us will be heading to Leonardo’s again!

Snorkelling in Mombasa

The day after we arrived in Mombasa we took a dhow and went snorkelling about an hour from shore through a company called Pilla Pipa. Along the way to the reefs we got to see a group of dolphins swimming in the water.

It was not the clearest day but the water was beautiful and the fish fascinating. We were so close to the coral reefs that at some points if I stood up I would be touching them! I saw all sorts of fish, including stingrays.

We were also lucky enough to swim to a sandbar and hang out in the middle of the Indian ocean for a while. Even Mom got in the water!