I finally made it to my hotel in Arusha after flying in to the Kilimanjaro airport. The plane landed at 9:50 pm. We had arranged for a shuttle to pick us up to deliver us to a nearby hotel, where we would then catch a ride around the corner to our final destination, the Outpost Lodge. As we began to load into the shuttle I looked into one of the vehicle windows where an African woman was staring at me. When we caught each other’s eyes her lips turned instantantly to a smile. I grinned back widely at her. This moment really touched me and I felt instantly connected to her. The shuttle ride was pretty bumpy. I’m not sure if this was more because the roads hadn’t been repaved for years or because the shuttle was in desperate need of new shocks. I strained to look out the window, and even though it was dark I was able to make out a few outlines of dogs and donkeys. Luckily I looked to my right just in time to see the dark grey silouhuette of Mount Kilimanjaro against the light blue horizon. It was massive! It still hosts glaciers, although in the past 15 or so years the glaciers have melted, losing 25% of their mass. Because of this I feel a sense of immediacy to see what I can of them, as this may be my only chance. I can't wait to catch a glimpse of the mountain during the day time. As we traveled along, I found that I had so many new questions. Were the houses we passed pretty typical residences for the area? Were they all hooked up to an energy grid like the ones along the road were? Were the residents born in this area or did they emmigrate from the country? Were their livlihoods depenedent on the running tours up and down the mountain or the day trips to the Serengeti? Where did they get their water? As curious as I was to make out all that I could beyond the scratched, hazy shuttle window, I couldn’t stay awake another minute and dozed for the remainder of the shuttle ride. It’s good that I’m tired. It will help me sleep through the night and adjust more easily to the 8 hour time difference. As we pulled up to the hotel 4 men, some dressed in the classic red plaid Masaai robes with stretched earlobes, stood to help us unload our bags. These men and a few others form the hotel staff, and it is their responsibility to help their guests get situated in their rooms and to guard the hotel premesis at night. My room is quaint, but it is certainly not “roughing it.” I have a comfortable bed, running sink and shower, and a flushable toilet. I even have a tv! The room reminds me so much of the adorable suites DeMark and I stayed in while we were in Costa Rica. I got a quick tutorial from Dominic on how to set up the bed net and have only to cimb under the netting to get some much needed sleep for the evening. Falling asleep will be easy.
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