Arrival Day
We touched down in the dark of night.
It was a bumpy descent from above, down through the thick and beautiful clouds. From high above, looking down, I noticed only a few lights below…not the usual lit up cities and towns below blazing with electricity that we get so used to in the states. That was my first visual sign that I was about to step foot into a brand new world and my first reminder of how much excess we truly do have in the USA.
There will be many more on this journey I am sure.
“Ladies and gentleman, Welcome to Kilimanjaro” were the first words I heard over the loud speaker.
I am here.
I have arrived.
We have arrived.
Hello brand new continent.
Hello brand new world.
Hello brand new people.
Hello brand new opportunity.
Hello Tanzania. I have been waiting to meet you!
Upon exiting the plane, Daryl and I meet up again and head toward customs.
Daryl is one of my teammates from the Seattle area that will climb with me. We originally met at Logan airport at the Covid testing site there because we were required to have a second, rapid Covid test within four hours of boarding the flight. We have been together ever since and I must say, it has been nice to have a familiar face along for the journey with me.
It’s hot and very humid as we step off the plane. Think tropical hot and humid. I’m dripping sweat under my mask and the layers of clothing I wore for travel. But my God, I am so happy to be here...my own two feet on this brand new sacred ground.
This place feels so unknown, yet so familiar.
As I take my first breath of fresh air under the night sky, I look ahead and see the sign for Kilimanjaro Airport.
Once through customs, we are greeted by two local men who work with Embark, the travel outfitter we will be climbing with. They guide us to a large safari like jeep type vehicle, load all of our gear in, and we are off.
Our drivers teach us “Asante” and “Karibu” and I find myself, having traveled for hours and feeling slightly delirious, unable to get the two straight…so I grab my iPhone and make a note.
Asante = thank you
Karibu= welcome
We drive along in the dark of night, past villages, people on bikes and in their cars. We pass gas stations and some shops. The air is filled with brand new smells, almost like a mix of smoke in the air and some kind of food being grilled or cooked alongside the road, the smells wafting into the windows as we pass by. There is even a hint of local vegetation or flowers that I think I smell too.
Our drivers explain that we will be going through a check point amd when we do, the lights will go on in the vehicle for the officers. They are looking for goods that perhaps people are smuggling without paying tax on or even items that are illegal.
We breeze right through because we are in a “tourist” type vehicle, or at least that’s what I understood the driver to say.
After about 45 minutes, we arrive in the small town of Moshi. We pass a dance club with a DJ, lights, and open air stage just as we enter town, music blasting. “That looks so fun!”, I say.
Daryl and I are greeted at Parkview Inn Hotel by our leas guide for the trek, Freddie and one of our teammates, Jeff from Cincinnati. Everyone is so kind and happy. Jeff later told us that Freddie waited nearly six hours for Daryl and I to arrive so he could greet us. I am humbled and feel blessed already to have Freddie as our leader.
I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
After a quick chat with everyone in the hotel lobby, I head to my room to settle in, call back home to my little loves, my family, and my own love, and then I thank the Universe for an amazingly beautiful trip around the world before my head hits the pillow and I’m out like a light.
I wonder what the daylight will bring?