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Kilimanjaro Trek 2005 | |
sam and pippin |
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November 7, 2005
Today I am a flood of emotions. I walked down to the campsite this morning at 10 to see the truck off - I had decided not to last night, as I'd already said goodbye to everyone I needed to. But in the middle of the night, I remembered that I forgot to pay Gen for my copy of the rafting DVD, so I decided to go on down. The people doing the lion walk this morning weren't back on time, and then they waited longer still for the t-shirts to arrive (we had trip t-shirts made up), so it was a full hour before they finally pulled out. I was just about ready to go, but all of a sudden they all jumped on and finally started moving - one last round of hugs to all and then I stood there waving my arm off for a full five minutes as they drove down the long driveway and then turned out onto the street and drove past me again. My friends inside were blowing kisses and Steve blew the horn a few times, and then they were gone. To my surprise, I had a huge lump in my throat and I had to fight back tears for a second. I didn't expect to feel at all sad about leaving the truck, but the past couple of week have been really good. I've gotten a lot closer to several people, much of it as a result of our anger and frustration with the crowd of drinkers. It's ironic how they seemed to ruin our trip at one point, but instead drew the rest of us closer together. It's like we've all bonded over it, and had our own trip together.
I also don't think much of Lyndal, but I have the utmost respect for our Kenyan crew, Steve and Hesbon, and I find myself already missing them tonight. It used to be our habit to catch up on the day together after dinner and wash-up chores were done. I often tried to ask some questions about their families and their culture, as I've rarely had the opportunity to spend so much time with Africans, and I wanted to take advantage of the chance to learn. Plus I miss Hesbon's cooking! My favorite turn on the duty roster was being "cook's help," when I could chop veggies and tell stories with Hesbon and the rest of my team.
Anyway, I swallowed the lump and went off to spend my last Zim dollars (plus all my small American bills) at the craft market. I probably could have done better on a couple things, but overall, I bargained pretty well. I checked a few prices with Katrina at the hostel before I left this morning, which is always helpful. I had been looking for a tablecloth for Debbie and Hendrik, to round off their wedding present and I finally found a nice, large batik print. Later, I got offered a second tablecloth for only $6, which I just couldn't pass up, so even though I didn't need it, I got it as well. Someone else will get a surprise Christmas gift now! The only thing I still have on my list is fabric, which Tony's sisters requested. Oddly enough, they were the only people who responded with a Christmas wish when we emailed everyone before leaving, and now here I am at the end, and still haven't found it. Last year when we came, fabric was the only thing you could find, and now this year, it's a whole different story.
By noon, I started my way back to the hostel, stopping for a sausage pastry and a soda at the grocery store - a poor excuse for lunch, but for $1, you can't get much. The walk back was really hot, and my shirt was completely soaked by the time I got in, but no time for a shower, so I packed everything in my bag and had just finished when my transfer arrived. Luckily I am giving a few of these souvenirs in my bag to Debbie and Hendrik, because I'm completely out of room now!
My flight left from Livingstone, so we crossed the border back into Zambia without any problems. I have a 3-year multi-entry visa - the only kind available to Americans, so it wasn't any problem. Had I known we could get a waiver when the truck came through, I could have saved a lot of money by not buying it, especially since coming back today, it would have been $25 for a day visa. But these are things you aren't told back home, so no sense fretting over it. The Livingstone airport is almost as small as the one in Sioux City, iowa, except that is has one gate for international flights, and the other for domestic. In Sioux City, you don't get any international flights! The best part about it was that security was a breeze. One metal detector, one look at my passport when I checked in, and that was it. No taking my shoes off, no hand search of my bag, no triple-ID checks. The plane was very empty, and I had the entire exit row to myself, which made me wish the flight was longer. That's got to be a first!
Upon arrival in Johannesburg, I rang the hostel from the airport and soon met my ride - we're only 3 km's away here, so the shuttle ride is free, which is nice. Of course, the downside is that getting into town becomes absurdly expensive from here. Luckily when I got in, I had an email from Debbie with their address and phone numbers, so I gave her a call to confirm plans to come tomorrow. It was rather a relief to finally get it confirmed, as I've not been sure until today how to reach them, and always had a plan B in the back of my mind on what I would do in Jo'burg for four days on my own. I'm really looking forward to spending some time with her again, and meeting Hendrik.
Tonight I'm feeling a little sad about leaving my friends this morning, but terribly excited about going to see Debbie tomorrow, and it's making me exhausted! Even though it's only 8:30, I'm going to head for bed.
Riding Jumbo in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe .