Escaping Away to Tanzania, Africa for Some R&R
From Washington DC to the Glaciers of Kilimanjaro
Last week I returned to Washington after spending 24 days in Tanzania Africa. I’ve done a fair mount of traveling but this trip to Africa was unique and virtually unsurpassable in regards to great getaways. The trip was incredible from the combination of seeing beautiful landscapes, being caught up in the chaos of overpopulated city streets, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, watching lions gracefully walk the vast wilderness of the Serengeti, passing time in the fish market of Dar es Salaam, frolicking around Stone Town in Zanzibar or making short acquaintances with Tanzanians who were nothing but welcoming, kind, unfussy and beautiful. However, my favorite memory was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with my brother. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever done, both mentally and physically. The first 4 days were full of beautiful landscapes and easy uphill walking BUT it’s the last day that gives the mountain a tough reputation. We left for the summit at 12 a.m. midnight climbing footstep by footstep in this indigo black light. It was at 2 a.m. when we were at 17,000 feet where you begin to feel the altitude. We became delirious, tired, cold and stumbled in our ascent as if we shared a bottle of rum. There were few climbers that were having fun at that hour and height – everyone looked like Jack Nicholson in the Shinning. Even our guide said he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. If he was losing it than, we were entitled to lose it. When we were heading back down after reaching the summit I passed this middle age lady and politely said "you are almost at the summit". She looked at me as if she wanted to cause me pain and then said "almost there – almost there! I thought I was almost there 2 hours ago. This is crazy." It’s too funny. It’s wild to think about what happens at that altitude. Those 6 hours of climbing felt like a half a day but when you reach the summit all of the ill feelings subside. You are on Africa’s highest mountain, on the equator but in artic temperatures. The glaciers, the clouds 10,000 feet below and the sun rising made it absolutely breathtaking. Tanzania has so much to offer. The mountain was our favorite part but there are 100’s of other things to do and learn from. Loic
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