Our last day on the mountain. After breakfast, the guides and porters sang us a song. We call it the "Kilimanjaro Song", but it's really a song that almost everyone in Tanzania knows. You can adapt the lyrics to wherever you are. It was great to see everyone singing and dancing. A great treat for the last day.
The trail to the Mweka Gate was the nicest one of the entire trip. The last 30 minutes were basically on a gravel road. Matt and Karla walked most of it with Patrick. He was curious if we'd be ambassadors (his phrasing) for Tanzania once we got back home. We both told him we'd be great ambassadors for the country - which he was happy to hear. This is a picture of our group and all of our amazing guides...which are a big reason we love Tanzania. The guides - from left to right - Issa, Abdulla, Nass, Iddy, and Patrick.
Through the entire hike, there had been little need for all of the med kits (we had 3 among our group). Until about 25 minutes from camp when Karla got a little too caught up in her conversation with Patrick, slipped, and hit her knee on a rock. Well, at least the med kits got used...and she'll have a little scar to remember her trip by.
Once we got down to the Gate, we signed out and waited for Iddy to get our certificates. Little did we know that Tillya, Malisa, and Iddy had a surprise for us. We were told to go behind a row of shrubs...where Adam had set up our table and chairs from the mess tent and had 2 bottles of champagne waiting for us!! It was so cool! We're still not sure if that is a standard for Calabash if all of the hikers summit, but we didn't care. It was so unexpected and so generous - we were ecstatic at being able to share one last moment (or so we thought), a champagne toast, with our guides.
We said our goodbyes and got in the Land Cruiser to head back to Arusha. On our first day with Malisa, he mentioned to us that a local favorite brew was a banana beer. None of us had the nerve to try it before the climb, so said we'd try it after the climb. Malisa remembered that and asked if we wanted to stop for banana beer on the way back. Although we were really tired (and really wanted a shower), we hesitantly agreed. He drove us about 5 minutes to Kibosho (yes, the same village we were at the first day - we didn't know how close we were to the ending gate!) and took us to the bar...where our guides were!
We all tried the banana beer. It felt like college because it was served in huge plastic cups that you passed around and everyone sipped out of. The banana beer was, um, an acquired taste, so we let the locals drink the majority of it while we drank our Kilimanjaro and Serengeti beer. One of the best moments was when Adam came by. He was going to order, but we insisted he sit down so we could serve him. Jeff got him a Coke, set it front of Adam, and opened it for him. He loved it!! After him serving us for 7 days, getting him a Coke was no big deal. He was up before us, asleep after us, and had to deal with us never going to sleep when he told us.
So, our one last moment with our guides was actually in a bar in Kibosho having a celebratory beer. Perfect ending to a great hike.
On the drive back to Arusha, Malisa commented on the fact that we were all smiling and laughing. Apparently some of the groups he picks up are the complete opposite - miserable, grumpy, tired, etc. Yes, we were tired, but we were having the time of our lives.
When we got to the Arusha Hotel, we all took really long showers and rested for a bit. Tillya came by to congratulate us and tell us the plans for the rest of the trip. Then we met at the hotel restaurant for our celebratory dinner and drinks.
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