So much for planning - Kili, Day 1

In an ideal world, you would spend the night before you start climbing Kilimanjaro resting nearby. You'd have a nice, starchy meal, go to bed early, and start the day off nice and early.

Instead, we got up at some ungodly hour to catch a shuttle to the airport in Dar Es Salaam, where we were promptly shaken down for all of our cash. THIS WILL FEATURE PROMINENTLY LATER ON. Evidently when Precision Air says that they take credit cards, they don't mean for payment.

Plus, they'd bumped us to a later flight. I guess we either paid enough, or looked distressed enough that they "talked to the supervisor" and got us back on the right flight. Appropriately stressed, we landed at Kilimajaro airport (JRO) and were met by the folks from Tropical Trails. We drove straight to the Machame Gate signing over traveler's cheques the whole way. (I can't affect an English accent in the blog, but I can use their spelling).

Once at the gate, the guide gave us our water and set about putting the expedition together. Evidently they hire most of the labor there on the mountain. We walked about 10k (6.2 miles), with a vertical climb from 1800m to 3000m (roughly 6000 ft to 10000 ft) above sea level. It wasn't particularly strenuous, but it also wasn't particularly interesting.

Hey, look! Rain forest. For hours. Without animals. With mud. Lots of mud.

Plus it was misty, so I didn't get a view of Kili all day. That night, though, while dealing with the 3 liters of water I was told to drink that day I got a breathtaking view.

Here's the two of us at the sign by the Machame Gate, describing the stops on the path: