At 3:45 am on tues, June 25, after countless in flight meals, movies, cat naps and fortunately not too much wine (ok, so I haven't gone cold turkey yet!), I finally arrived in kilimanjaro international airport outside the city of Arusha, Tanzania. I have always loved those airports when you descend out of the jets onto the Tarmac (vail and Jackson hole being perennial favorites!). The air was crisp and breezy, though with skies cloudy as told by the absence of the night sky display i had hoped to see, in stark contrast to the sweltering heat of the Istanbul jetway or the stuffy cabin air in flight (ok, so Turkish airways was more pedestrian on this leg of the flight, but at least I had a bulkhead). I was quickly greeted by the smiling customs agent ("jambo") who was kind enough not to think my visa photo was too awful. Even my luggage arrived in one piece, minus only the team fox stickers I had plastered all over it...Emerging from "customs" I was met with a sea of dark welcoming faces bearing signs, including one with the KIA Lodge and my name. After awaiting another guest, we embarked on the bumpiest, darkest 1mile journey down a rutted road and entered the gates of is peaceful lodge. Disconcerting at night, unable to properly assess my surroundings, I was escorted to my room, complete with the iconic mosquito netting and more surprisingly air conditioning. After a long needed and mostly hot shower, I finally got to sleep at 530, rejecting the temptation to stay up until sunrise. Waking just in time for lunch served in an open air gazebo style building, amidst flora and fauna (well, at least birds with many unfamiliar sounds, one of which sounds uncannily like a background noise in a favorite don omar song), I'm off to explore the grounds and re pack my bags for the umpteenth time, still unsure what I'll need and what I won't...maybe the guides can help with that:)
More later, at least for as long as I have power and connectivity!
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