The flight from Heathrow was scheduled to land at Mombasa first then back to Nairobi, however there was some diplomatic dignitary in first class, who was not prepared to wait for the usual circuit, so the plane went direct to Nairobi.
Arriving early just meant we had to hang around and wait for the transport. Seeing several other people hanging around, it was safe to assume they would be our companions on this adventure.
The first encounter with the locals was when we stopped at the Kenyan equivalent of a service station ... an adobe building selling selling bottled drinks and a row of corrugated iron long drop cubicles.
The next memory is arriving at the border with Tanzania, here a long queue and when we eventually got to the border guards first was the check out of Kenya, then check into Tanzania, in between you "had" to go to bank, and change a minimum of $100 US for each person in to shillings.
Next we continued down the road to Arusha, and the next encounter of the journey. As we drove from the border we went past the first mountain of any real size ... not sure what it is called, but it was noticeable (believed to be Mt Longido 2629m).
The hotel at Arusha was suffering from the economic situation of the country at the time. The Hotel came from the days of the empire - the French empire - in this cases. It only remained in existence today because of the airport built by the French as part of overseas aide.
The hotel had full menu service, making great promises .... but everything was "off" except the meal of the day!
The hotel was an old colonial house with some bedroom bungalows in the garden, very much as I remembered from my "childhood".
Arriving early just meant we had to hang around and wait for the transport. Seeing several other people hanging around, it was safe to assume they would be our companions on this adventure.
Eventually the minibus arrived, and we loaded in. The van then headed for Tanzania, down the main road, good tarmac to start with but gradually got worse.
The first encounter with the locals was when we stopped at the Kenyan equivalent of a service station ... an adobe building selling selling bottled drinks and a row of corrugated iron long drop cubicles.
The next memory is arriving at the border with Tanzania, here a long queue and when we eventually got to the border guards first was the check out of Kenya, then check into Tanzania, in between you "had" to go to bank, and change a minimum of $100 US for each person in to shillings.
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| Kilimanjaro hiding in the clouds |
The hotel at Arusha was suffering from the economic situation of the country at the time. The Hotel came from the days of the empire - the French empire - in this cases. It only remained in existence today because of the airport built by the French as part of overseas aide.
The hotel had full menu service, making great promises .... but everything was "off" except the meal of the day!
Then back in the van for the last stretch to the Hotel at Moshi. As we got closer we could see the massif on the skyline above the flat plains.
The hotel was an old colonial house with some bedroom bungalows in the garden, very much as I remembered from my "childhood".
The hotel was run by an old Spinster, and a number of staff, but really only existed for those on the way to the mountain or returning. It was also the organising unit for the guides and porters required for the climb - the regulations determine the number of local guides per party and the volume of local porters. 1 porter per two people, and 1 guide per four, with an additional head guide.