Sunrise at 0520
Day 5: Mbahe Village / Departure
Rest, recover, and relax at Mbahe Farm House. Enjoy delicious “homebrew” coffee, grown and roasted on the farm, meals made with fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden, and perhaps take a refreshing swim below the Moonjo River waterfall that sits on the property. It is the perfect spot to relax after your adventure walk on Kilimanjaro! For those returning home you will be transferred to the Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your flight. Those staying in Tanzania will start your next adventure today.
the lounge
And then I get dropped off back in Moshi at the Moivaro Coffee Plantation where I will join the OAT group….. 10 of the group has been in Kenya, the other five should be totally and completely time whacked from getting on a plane yesterday in the US and changing planes in Schipol this morning…
Reality:
Tanzanian coffee tasted wonderful at 0600 this morning. I actually got a great nights sleep (amazing how much a few drugs can help) and felt if not refreshed, at least as if I could face the day. This morning’s porridge turned out to be oatmeal. This is what the visitor’s prefer I was told. But bu it was balanced out by fresh papaya, avocado and oranges. As it turns out, Mhabe Farm is on the top of the hill (no surprise) and it was a bit of a slip and slide down to the road where I met my driver.
On normal roads it would not be that far, but it was 2 1/2 hours to Arusha. It was interesting to see Moshi during the day and pass by the Kilimanjaro Airport when it was actually daylight. Otherwise, I had watched the transition from rural to town to definitely city. The stores along the road changed from wooden structures to partial block to solid buildings that you could find anywhere in the world. The Boda stations became more frequent but otherwise didn’t change. The bus stations also more frequent, but the fruit and vegetable stands remained unchanged so that you can still easily buy bananas, broiled maize on a stick (corn) and everything else from tomatoes to avocados.
Arriving at the Moivaro Lodge about I dropped my gear, took a shower and washed some clothes as well as my shoes. The last I put out in the sun hopefully to dry.
Meanwhile, roadwork in the area means no Wifi for a while. + my phone has now decided that it will not connect to anything – thank you very much.
I meet the group tomorrow – the rest arrive tonight – some via Amsterdam, the rest from a safari in Kenya..
