Day 17 – Kilimanjaro

After a nice breakfast we went to a nearby lodge that was run by ‘Adje’. The lodge had a big swimming pool and nice sunbeds that we all enjoyed. Since the hobby of Adje appeared to be cooking, we were served some home-made bitterballen, while sunbathing at the poolside and for lunch we had kroketten, sate, and plenty of other lovely local and not so local food. All in all very relaxing.

Later that afternoon we continued our trip to a camping site on a coffee farm at the foot of mount Kilimanjaro. During this trip we would be driving on a (good quality) highway and see a maasai on foot emerge from the fields and crossing the road. Compared to the truck, the African bus that we were using for transportation, also allowed for better observations of the driving styles in this part of the world. In principle people drive on the left, although this appears to be a guideline rather than a solid rule. If you prefer the middle (usually the part where the most asphalt remains),the right (when crossing corners or when the asphalt is better there), or the shoulder on the right (just cause you can or because it is better than the asphalt), that’s fine as well. Provided of course that there are no other cars, cyclist, pedestrians, donkey wagons, hand-pushed wagons, cows, goats, or other living creatures that might get killed or objects that might damage your car. In case you do decide to stick to where the guideline suggests you’d be, and serious shit is potentially going to hit the fan, a short honk of your horn is all it takes to warn off your fellow road users (human or animal). Here, hysteric honking is not required, a brief notice is sufficient to inform others that you are most likely not going to move, so it’s probably wise if they do. Quickly!

When we arrived at the campsite, our tents were already up. That sounds like a luxury, and it was, although my tent had a malfunctioning zipper allowing for horizontal entry only. Also, we were used to being able to stand erect in our previous tents, which was not at all possible in these tents, getting dressed while lying down was therefore a new experience added to the long list of new experiences during this trip.

The peak of Kilimanjaro was clearly visible in the afternoon sunlight when we arrived and this of course required an elaborate session of picture-taking. My fellow group-members were all posing with Kili in the background, but all looked very surprised when I mentioned that I thought it was ironic that there were all posing, while I was the only one working in the modeling business. Things became more clear when I mentioned I was in the computer-modeling business, but nevertheless I had to give my best for the cameras as well.

Diner this day was prepared by local women again and served at a local farm. Again, the dishes were very tasty, diverse, and plentiful. I asked whether I could have a look around the farm and see the animals, which was okay. The construction of the farm was straightforward and in that sense very functional and effective. When three planks suffice to separate the cows from the rest of your house, no money or efforts need to be wasted on unnecessary additional planks or construction features. The pigs were kept in a slightly elevated construction way from the farm, when I got there I understood why their quarters were not included as part of the main building. Let’s just say they smell better after they are baked or fried.