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jambo,
tanzania, moshi, mt. kilimanjaro. that s where i am right now.
chilling after my private 5 days
safari through the bush of africa ... africa the purest, off the beaten track, hinterland, lost, call it what you want, but
a good experience: most of the time waiting for rides,
hardly anything, what you can call a road, stuck with 25 other people
in minivans for 11 people, or on the back of pickuptrucks with a couple of cows and chicken, sleeping underneath the stars
on deck of a nightferry on the second biggest lake of the world, lake victoria, hitchhiking, dirt, no sights of mzungos (white
man) for 5 days ... damn what a trip. but finally managed it to make my way from the congonese border of uganda to the main
place in tanzania - mt.
kilimanjaro, the highest mountain of africa. quite stunning.
in uganda i did some gorilla
tracking. after 3 hours following their tracks through thickest rainforest ala diane fossey (gorillas in the mist) we finally
found a group of ten mountain gorillas lead by the 500 pound
heavy and 35 years old silverback - a male mountaingorilla
koloss. on a distance of 5 metere we were allowed to spend one hour with them ... far too short, as they are amazingly cool
animals, but due to protection of human diseases, no chance of an extend (only 6 people a day are allowed, i kind of was lucky
again to even get a permit - 1 left for the next 2 months and this even in my time schedule hehe).
very cool trek.
so
back to moshi, where i am right now. been enjoying the weekend very much and after meeting many locals in the bars and clubs
in town, my decision bout not climbing mt. kili kind of crumbled.
3 days ago it was a 5-6 day trek, for 700 dollars, on
the coca cola route, and a definite NO for me to spend so much money and to climb it as i am not really a fan of physical
trekking exercises.
now, things changed: it will be 4 days, 400 dollars, my guide, porter and cook will be people i ve
been drinking with the last 3 days, the route changed from the easy coca cola route to the shorter but tougher whiskey route
and i will leave tomorrow.
damn -- altitude sickness, physical exercise, no training ... will i make it to the top, or
am i just nuts.
well, i think what really got me into it, is this bet i have with my guide ... i ll promissed him, that
if he brings me to the top, i ll strip down naked and make the picture of the year --- he thinks it is easy
to bring me
up to the top, but at -20 degrees celsius he doesnt really believe that i ll do the pic. well, apparently he doesnt know austrians
very well hehe.
1st day: 900m to 3700m
2nd day: 3700m to 4700m
3rd day: wake up at 1 am, ascend to the top, picture,
descend
down again
4th day: will be put somewhere in between according to
my acclimatiosation to the altitude difference.
damn,
thats the plan.
damn
better stop thinking bout that trip hehe, better go to
sleep.
no more party for
me tonight i guess.
well, i mean, at least i dont pay 20 dollar rescue fee without a reason.
yours,
hans
mesner
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