Category Archives: Africa

Arusha is rising from its slumber as we make our getaway. The weather is still gloomy when we leave Arusha to spend five days in the bush.

Despite the abundance of these attractive men around, the ones that share the daladala with us are of the different kind. Fortunately, none of them are carrying any livestock this morning.

Moshi is not small. In fact it is spread out on many directions and there are no real roads connecting one end to the other. Mud splattered name boards are everywhere.

I glance at the certificate and freeze. The summit date is wrong. They have missed it by a day. Siraji assures me that it happens all the time. “No matter,” he says calmly. “You don’t worry.”

The drive to Marangu Gate is of importance. It is a clear day too, which bodes well for our first day of climb. I look at the town scrubbed clean from the last night’s rain.

The drive to Materuni is all uphill. The scenery is beautiful, full of green trees, bananas, cassava, taro and many other vegetable varieties

It is past 1 p.m., local time. I breathe in Africa. It smells of Mother Earth. I press my feet to the ground and look up at an overcast sky and inhale again

It is the twelfth day of December, the mention of which has no particular relevance to what goes on in my mind, but I mention it because it is odd that such a thought should, after all, pop into my mind so early in the a.m.