Kilimanjaro Expedition Dispatch
January 22, 2012 – A Day to Exploring Arusha
The team has all arrived in Arusha safe and sound with all of their luggage which is always a blessing. We woke up to a beautiful, sunny, warm day here in Arusha ready for a full schedule. We first had our briefing where Julius, the trip leader, gave a good description of the plans and what to expect. We all sat in the gardens and enjoyed a good talk and the excitement started to grow towards the upcoming trip.
A potato vender in the Arusha Farmer’s Market
We then visited each other’s rooms to make sure that everyone had all had the right gear and was well prepared for the climb. Everyone passed with flying colors; they all followed the gear list and had everything needed for the climb and all the possible conditions they may experience.
We then went for a walk around Arusha. We visited the clock tower which is considered the very centre of Africa, were approached everywhere by locals trying to sell us all kind of things and stopped at the farmer’s market where the colors and the scents of the fruits and vegetables were quite amazing – we couldn’t believe how red the tomatoes were!
The next stop was the Maasai market which is always interesting and full of souvenirs. Terri, our professional shopper, was in her element with all her skills for bargaining she bought amazing pieces and had a lot of fun at the same time.
Rafael, originally from Brazil but now living in Toronto, was a bit more shy in terms of shopping, but he couldn’t resist and also did some shopping. Tim, Terri’s husband, enjoyed watching his wife in action.
We saw interesting scenes during the day, including many live chickens for sale stored on the top of a bus. Perhaps the most interesting moment of the day was watching a parade of Maasai boys going to get circumcised. They all go together at a certain age and the entire procedure is done really fast. The boy is not allowed to cry or even flinch his eyes; he has to remain calm and quiet and show no fear. After the procedure they are sent home to rest and recover. Then a ceremony is done and they are called warriors.
We finished the day at a local Italian restaurant and went to bed to get ready for tomorrow, our first day on Kilimanjaro.
Julius at our morning meeting
A relaxing briefing in the hotel gardens
Terri sorts her gear.
Tim examine’s Rafael’s rain shell.
Erick and Arnold, the trip wouldn’t happen without the organization of these two.
Julius leads the group on a walk through Arusha.
This clock tower is located in the latitudinal center of Africa.
Spices from Zanzibar
Souvenir’s galore!
Terri is an inspired shopper.
Interesting wood carvings
Tim waits outside leaving the shopping to the experts.
Maasai boys on the way to becoming warriors.
Rafael makes a new friend.
Leila joins the team at Pepi’s for dinner.