What Time Is It?
The morning after we arrived in Tanzania, I noticed my travel watch had stopped working. After years of reliable service on innumerable trips, the battery finally chose to die at the beginning of the biggest trip of my life. For the next 16 days, I would ask Sue a thousand times, “What time is it?”. Surely, it was to be a test of our new marriage.
We were married on Saturday, September 22, 2012 in Ithaca, NY. The first day of fall, our favorite season. Drove back to Boston on Sunday. Packed on Monday. Departed Boston Logan airport on Tuesday. Arrived in Tanzania on Wednesday.
Why Tanzania?
Early in our courtship (do people still use that word? doesn’t matter, it works for us), we discovered we had each had a desire to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (Kili). At 19,341 ft (5895 M), Kili is Africa’s highest mountain, the world's tallest freestanding peak, and considered to be climbable by mere mortals. It became the obvious choice when we eventually started talking about a honeymoon. Say, since we’d be in the area, how about an African safari too? Hey look, the island of Zanzibar is right around the corner, let’s check it out. All conveniently in one country, Tanzania.
The Plan
Unguided climbing of Kili is not allowed. From a seemingly endless list of trekking companies, ZARA Tours in Moshi, Tanzania rose as one of the best so we booked a combo Kili + Safari package with them. We were on our own in Zanzibar so we chose to go with a small local lodge in Kiwengwa on the east side of the island.
Ready, set, go: Redeye from Boston (BOS) to Amsterdam (AMS), connect to the Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO). Climb Mount Kilimanjaro for 7 days. Go on Safari for 5 days. Fly to Zanzibar (ZNZ) and relax for 3 days. Fly to Dar es Salaam (DAR), redeye back to Amsterdam, connect to Boston Logan. Easy.
The Prep
Lots of prep needed for this trip. It was really 3 trips in one: high mountain hiking/camping, arid safari, tropical beach. Plus, travel in a developing nation added extra considerations like medical and monetary planning.
Got our vaccinations updated: Tetanus, Tuberculosis, Typhoid, Polio and Hepatitis; entering Tanzania from the USA didn’t require Yellow Fever vaccination so we skipped it.
Picked up prescriptions for Malaria prophylactics (Malarone), altitude sickness (Diamox), altitude sickness emergency (Decadron), and diarrhea (Cipro).
Suspicious of ATM access and success, I brought a significant amount of cash to cover tips (large amount needed for Kili guides and porters), sundries, and other costs. Credit cards are not accepted in many places, but everyone readily accepts US dollars. Having so much cash to protect was stressful.
Purchased travel insurance with mountain rescue provisions, as required by ZARA.
And, of course, there was a ton of gear needed for the mountain climb. Much of it, like technical clothing for severe winter conditions and routine camping items like headlamps and water bottles we already had, but it was the endless list of little things, like first aid bits, croakies, pee contraptions, insect repellent, sun protection, etc that consumed time to pull together. Most importantly, the hiking boots needed to be comfortable for long daily hikes ascending and descending.
Inauspicious Start
Dark. Quiet. Hushed passengers looked at each other in the Delta cabin. The plane had just died after being pushed out of the gate at Logan. The pilot rebooted the plane and tried to start the engines again. Dark and quiet again. Back at the gate, the problem was diagnosed as a bad auxiliary power unit (APU). However, surprisingly, it was okay to fly with a bad APU so they got the engines started by some other means and off we went to Amsterdam. More than an hour late. We originally had two hours to make our connecting KLM flight in Amsterdam. Now, it was going to be tight. When we arrived, we rushed through the Amsterdam airport, a very nice airport by the way, and reached the tail end of boarding for our flight to Kilimanjaro. Made it!
Long Flights
The BOS to AMS redeye flight was 7 hours. We slept when we could. The AMS to JRO flight was 9 hours. Tried to match surface features to the flight data map in the headrest display. Flew over the Croatian and Greek coasts. Flew along the Nile River for quite a while. Dusk set in and darkness took over quickly after. Kudos to KLM for providing hot towels before each meal; these became one of our new favorite luxuries. And the food - they served so much that we were stuffed by the end of each flight.
Arriving in Tanzania
The Kilimanjaro Airport is in the middle of nothing. No lights. No reference points. Touching down at night could only be felt, not seen. In contrast to the dark arrival, the singing school children and Maasai tribes people on the tarmac were uplifting and brought smiles to our faces. The daily KLM flight is a big deal - it’s loaded with a fresh batch of tourists. Inside the terminal, the appearance of chaos was disorienting but fortunately there was a ZARA rep holding a board with our names. He helped us obtain entry visas ($100 each). Then the wait for the baggage. And the sinking feeling that grows as the last of the suitcases and duffles are plucked from the platform and yours have not appeared yet. Bags didn’t make it from Amsterdam; have to wait for tomorrow’s flight. Oh well, no climbing Kili tomorrow.
Driving to Moshi
ZARA’s homebase is the town of Moshi, an hour away. We climbed into an old diesel-powered minivan with a couple of Germans and an American from California. At the airport gate, a local woman climbed in and got off a few miles down the road. A few miles later, the driver stopped for about a gallon of fuel. Such is the way in Africa - basic transportation and limited means. Speed bumps every few kilometers; no need for speed enforcement cops like in the USA. People appeared as shadows along the edge of the road until the headlights fully illuminated them. People were sitting, leaning, and walking around every building we passed. Mostly men. Then we hit Moshi. Moshi was busy at 10pm. Traffic seemed random. People everywhere. Tight, packed streets. Dusty. Mr. California wanted to stop at an ATM to get cash. Tried one and the attempt failed. Drove to another, failure again. Sure glad I brought so much cash. We headed out on a rutted dirt road skirting the southern part of town. Eventually, we came to a high wall and solid steel gate. It opened and we parked just inside. We’d arrived at Springlands Hotel, ZARA’s hotel in Moshi. It was an oasis of lush plants, soft lighting, and breath-of-fresh-air relaxation.
Hoping For Signs of Improvement
The Imam across the street woke us with a pre-dawn Islamic prayer, courtesy of loudspeakers pointed our way.
Our first morning in Tanzania did not start well. Sue was ill. She had started to feel poorly on the way to JRO and today, she was barely responsive. Flu-like symptoms but, strangely, no fever. No interest in breakfast so I went alone. Nice buffet in large outdoor dining room with omelettes cooked to order, jumbo hash browns, hotdog-like sausages, baked beans, millet porridge, sliced tropical fruit, toast, juices, and robust coffee. Upon returning to the room with some food for Sue, I found her slumped on the bathroom floor, unconscious. She had fainted and was dehydrated. I helped her drink some water and climb into bed. When she looked comfortable, I went to the hotel store for more bottled water. Back in the room, she had moved and was laying crookedly on her stomach with her face twisted sideways and eyes slightly open. Her whole body was rigid. It looked like she was dead. What?! I couldn't think. What is going on?! I grabbed her and then realized she was breathing. Yes! I rolled her onto her back and cradled her head while pleading, “WAKE UP!” over and over. She was having some kind of seizure and it was scaring the crap out of me. She slowly came to and was able to take some water. The rest of the day cycled back and forth between taking small bits of nourishment and water, and napping.
I discussed our itinerary options with the ZARA director. We couldn’t climb until Sue was strong. And we were stuck until our luggage showed up. Maybe we could shorten our Safari and move it ahead of the climb. “Hakuna Matata” (Swahili for “No Problem”).
Our missing luggage showed up at 10pm. Yay.
Recovery
Wake up call at 5am from the Imam again. Sue felt a thousand times better this morning and devoured breakfast. A young trainee in the dining pavilion, Juma, was eager to teach us Swahili. “Habari za asubuhi” for “How are you this morning?” As we got up to leave, “tutaonana baadaye” meant “see you later”. We got to know Juma pretty well. He is now a facebook friend. Sue regained her strength throughout the day. Plenty of rest and food worked wonders. At dinner, Juma taught us “tutaonana kesho” (see you tomorrow), “usiku mwema” (good night), and “lala salama” (sleep well). Every night since, Sue and I giggle "lala salami" to each other.
-------------------------------------
Honeymoon in Tanzania
Part 1: Arrival
Part 2: Safari
Part 3: Kilimanjaro
Part 4: Zanzibar
Part 5: Memories
The morning after we arrived in Tanzania, I noticed my travel watch had stopped working. After years of reliable service on innumerable trips, the battery finally chose to die at the beginning of the biggest trip of my life. For the next 16 days, I would ask Sue a thousand times, “What time is it?”. Surely, it was to be a test of our new marriage.
We were married on Saturday, September 22, 2012 in Ithaca, NY. The first day of fall, our favorite season. Drove back to Boston on Sunday. Packed on Monday. Departed Boston Logan airport on Tuesday. Arrived in Tanzania on Wednesday.
Why Tanzania?
Early in our courtship (do people still use that word? doesn’t matter, it works for us), we discovered we had each had a desire to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (Kili). At 19,341 ft (5895 M), Kili is Africa’s highest mountain, the world's tallest freestanding peak, and considered to be climbable by mere mortals. It became the obvious choice when we eventually started talking about a honeymoon. Say, since we’d be in the area, how about an African safari too? Hey look, the island of Zanzibar is right around the corner, let’s check it out. All conveniently in one country, Tanzania.
The Plan
Unguided climbing of Kili is not allowed. From a seemingly endless list of trekking companies, ZARA Tours in Moshi, Tanzania rose as one of the best so we booked a combo Kili + Safari package with them. We were on our own in Zanzibar so we chose to go with a small local lodge in Kiwengwa on the east side of the island.
Ready, set, go: Redeye from Boston (BOS) to Amsterdam (AMS), connect to the Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO). Climb Mount Kilimanjaro for 7 days. Go on Safari for 5 days. Fly to Zanzibar (ZNZ) and relax for 3 days. Fly to Dar es Salaam (DAR), redeye back to Amsterdam, connect to Boston Logan. Easy.
The Prep
Lots of prep needed for this trip. It was really 3 trips in one: high mountain hiking/camping, arid safari, tropical beach. Plus, travel in a developing nation added extra considerations like medical and monetary planning.
Got our vaccinations updated: Tetanus, Tuberculosis, Typhoid, Polio and Hepatitis; entering Tanzania from the USA didn’t require Yellow Fever vaccination so we skipped it.
Picked up prescriptions for Malaria prophylactics (Malarone), altitude sickness (Diamox), altitude sickness emergency (Decadron), and diarrhea (Cipro).
Suspicious of ATM access and success, I brought a significant amount of cash to cover tips (large amount needed for Kili guides and porters), sundries, and other costs. Credit cards are not accepted in many places, but everyone readily accepts US dollars. Having so much cash to protect was stressful.
Purchased travel insurance with mountain rescue provisions, as required by ZARA.
And, of course, there was a ton of gear needed for the mountain climb. Much of it, like technical clothing for severe winter conditions and routine camping items like headlamps and water bottles we already had, but it was the endless list of little things, like first aid bits, croakies, pee contraptions, insect repellent, sun protection, etc that consumed time to pull together. Most importantly, the hiking boots needed to be comfortable for long daily hikes ascending and descending.
Inauspicious Start
Dark. Quiet. Hushed passengers looked at each other in the Delta cabin. The plane had just died after being pushed out of the gate at Logan. The pilot rebooted the plane and tried to start the engines again. Dark and quiet again. Back at the gate, the problem was diagnosed as a bad auxiliary power unit (APU). However, surprisingly, it was okay to fly with a bad APU so they got the engines started by some other means and off we went to Amsterdam. More than an hour late. We originally had two hours to make our connecting KLM flight in Amsterdam. Now, it was going to be tight. When we arrived, we rushed through the Amsterdam airport, a very nice airport by the way, and reached the tail end of boarding for our flight to Kilimanjaro. Made it!
Long Flights
The BOS to AMS redeye flight was 7 hours. We slept when we could. The AMS to JRO flight was 9 hours. Tried to match surface features to the flight data map in the headrest display. Flew over the Croatian and Greek coasts. Flew along the Nile River for quite a while. Dusk set in and darkness took over quickly after. Kudos to KLM for providing hot towels before each meal; these became one of our new favorite luxuries. And the food - they served so much that we were stuffed by the end of each flight.
Arriving in Tanzania
The Kilimanjaro Airport is in the middle of nothing. No lights. No reference points. Touching down at night could only be felt, not seen. In contrast to the dark arrival, the singing school children and Maasai tribes people on the tarmac were uplifting and brought smiles to our faces. The daily KLM flight is a big deal - it’s loaded with a fresh batch of tourists. Inside the terminal, the appearance of chaos was disorienting but fortunately there was a ZARA rep holding a board with our names. He helped us obtain entry visas ($100 each). Then the wait for the baggage. And the sinking feeling that grows as the last of the suitcases and duffles are plucked from the platform and yours have not appeared yet. Bags didn’t make it from Amsterdam; have to wait for tomorrow’s flight. Oh well, no climbing Kili tomorrow.
Driving to Moshi
ZARA’s homebase is the town of Moshi, an hour away. We climbed into an old diesel-powered minivan with a couple of Germans and an American from California. At the airport gate, a local woman climbed in and got off a few miles down the road. A few miles later, the driver stopped for about a gallon of fuel. Such is the way in Africa - basic transportation and limited means. Speed bumps every few kilometers; no need for speed enforcement cops like in the USA. People appeared as shadows along the edge of the road until the headlights fully illuminated them. People were sitting, leaning, and walking around every building we passed. Mostly men. Then we hit Moshi. Moshi was busy at 10pm. Traffic seemed random. People everywhere. Tight, packed streets. Dusty. Mr. California wanted to stop at an ATM to get cash. Tried one and the attempt failed. Drove to another, failure again. Sure glad I brought so much cash. We headed out on a rutted dirt road skirting the southern part of town. Eventually, we came to a high wall and solid steel gate. It opened and we parked just inside. We’d arrived at Springlands Hotel, ZARA’s hotel in Moshi. It was an oasis of lush plants, soft lighting, and breath-of-fresh-air relaxation.
Hoping For Signs of Improvement
The Imam across the street woke us with a pre-dawn Islamic prayer, courtesy of loudspeakers pointed our way.
Our first morning in Tanzania did not start well. Sue was ill. She had started to feel poorly on the way to JRO and today, she was barely responsive. Flu-like symptoms but, strangely, no fever. No interest in breakfast so I went alone. Nice buffet in large outdoor dining room with omelettes cooked to order, jumbo hash browns, hotdog-like sausages, baked beans, millet porridge, sliced tropical fruit, toast, juices, and robust coffee. Upon returning to the room with some food for Sue, I found her slumped on the bathroom floor, unconscious. She had fainted and was dehydrated. I helped her drink some water and climb into bed. When she looked comfortable, I went to the hotel store for more bottled water. Back in the room, she had moved and was laying crookedly on her stomach with her face twisted sideways and eyes slightly open. Her whole body was rigid. It looked like she was dead. What?! I couldn't think. What is going on?! I grabbed her and then realized she was breathing. Yes! I rolled her onto her back and cradled her head while pleading, “WAKE UP!” over and over. She was having some kind of seizure and it was scaring the crap out of me. She slowly came to and was able to take some water. The rest of the day cycled back and forth between taking small bits of nourishment and water, and napping.
I discussed our itinerary options with the ZARA director. We couldn’t climb until Sue was strong. And we were stuck until our luggage showed up. Maybe we could shorten our Safari and move it ahead of the climb. “Hakuna Matata” (Swahili for “No Problem”).
Our missing luggage showed up at 10pm. Yay.
Recovery
Wake up call at 5am from the Imam again. Sue felt a thousand times better this morning and devoured breakfast. A young trainee in the dining pavilion, Juma, was eager to teach us Swahili. “Habari za asubuhi” for “How are you this morning?” As we got up to leave, “tutaonana baadaye” meant “see you later”. We got to know Juma pretty well. He is now a facebook friend. Sue regained her strength throughout the day. Plenty of rest and food worked wonders. At dinner, Juma taught us “tutaonana kesho” (see you tomorrow), “usiku mwema” (good night), and “lala salama” (sleep well). Every night since, Sue and I giggle "lala salami" to each other.
 |
| From our hotel room, Mt Kilimanjaro poking through the clouds |
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| Our front lawn at Springlands Hotel in Moshi |
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| Recovering by the pool at Springlands Hotel |
-------------------------------------
Honeymoon in Tanzania
Part 1: Arrival
Part 2: Safari
Part 3: Kilimanjaro
Part 4: Zanzibar
Part 5: Memories
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