Kilimanjaro Expedition 2012: Day 7- When A Flushing Toilet Is A Novelty

Gemma, a buddy of Kat and myself, had mentioned that my blog included lots of references to toilets, so I thought I might prove her right again by including the subject of toilets in the title of this blog.

For the first time since the trek began, I had slept like a baby and not waking up once through the night! Perhaps it was because of the hard work of the previous day, or it could also be because of the fact that we're down at 3100 metres, where the air is richer with oxygen as compared to the past couple of days. Nevertheless, we still had to get up early so that the porters could take down our tents, and then there was the delicate matter of tipping.

I've always hated the intricacies of tipping, especially when there's no set rule such as a 10% charge off the total cost. I've read on several blogs that the matter of tipping requires some negotiations with the guide, and there's actually an interesting guide on tipping on this website which I'm sure would be useful for those of you who are planning a trip to Kilimanjaro. Thankfully, our tips have already been factored into the cost of our trip, and when Swee Chiow announced the tips to our entourage, they were happy enough to break into song and dance. It was a joyous display, and understandably so because we were the last big group of the season and with the rainy season upon us, this would be their last wage for a couple of months. I thought I'd captured all the singing and dancing, until I reviewed the clips and was horrified to see that only 1 miserly minute of the 6 minutes was captured. Nice... I must've left some of my already miniscule brain up on Uhuru Peak. Am sure it wasn't even much of a snack for the little four-striped mice anyway.


We weren't told of this beforehand but you could bring along your old (but working) trekking gear along as a gift to any deserving guide or porter. The locals hardly earn enough to buy the necessary gear, so if you don't want your gear anymore, it'd be much appreciated by them. Since I was thinking of getting a water proof hat when I get home, I decided to give Joseph my hat since it would be hot and sunny when the season opens.

It looks like a boulevard of nature, doesn't it?

I was glad that I brought along my knee support and I'd slipped it on just for the psychological boost, but because I'd transferred the weight to my left knee so as to take the strain off the right, my left knee was starting to hurt as well. Fortunately, there were less steps on the final day, and it soon gave way to long downhill slopes. The narrow trails gave became wide semi-paved tracks where we were told is used by the rangers' 4x4 vehicles, until finally.. the ranger's hut that marked the end of the trail! We had arrived! After 7 days on the trail, out of civilisation and seeing the same faces everyday, it sure felt good to exit the trail. We had to wait around to sign out off the trail (we had to sign in at the end of each day at the ranger's hut, which I thought is a great idea to keep track of trekkers), so we went to the toilet, which turned out to be a bit of a novel experience for us. Seven days ago when we first started using the field toilets, it felt so weird not flushing after we were done (we were half expecting the person after us to yell at us for not flushing), and it just didn't feel clean not washing our hands under running water although we used wet wipes or/AND anti-septic wipes. There was a bit of silly exclamations of "Ooh!" and "Aah!" at the flush and running water, but I'll tell you that it did a bit of getting used to, like remembering to wash our hands before we walked out from the toilet. 

We'd finally arrived!

It was also at this point when we started being swarmed by groups of hawkers peddling everything from handicraft, maps to even boot cleaning. With the season closing, they were desperate to earn the last bit of dollar and were following us everywhere we went. Even when we were on the bus, it didn't stop them from knocking on the window to get our attention. 


Although we had started the trek from Arusha, we finished in the town of Moshi (Machame Route is a circuit), which has the reputation of being Tanzania's cleanest town, thanks to some very draconian (and Singaporean style) measures. We stopped in Moshi for lunch (had some local fare and really quite enjoyed it) before making our way back to Arusha, and then we got caught in the middle of a roving political rally. Ok, here's the lowdown on the action that took place: the incumbent Member of Parliament had passed away, and hence the by-election. His son was standing to replace his father, and they are from the political party, CCM, which has been the ruling party since independence (the party was founded by the first prime minister of Tanzania). The previous prime minister was passing through Moshi to rally support for their candidate, and coincidentally, the strongest opposition, Chadame, was also passing through. It was a very interesting half hour as we got caught in the middle of the convoy, where one side of the road lined the supporters of CCM, while the other side of the road were the supporters of Chadame. Although it was a highly charged affair, but you can also sense that it was largely good natured. Our guide was telling us that the CCM is supported largely by the older generation who are grateful for the what the CCM had done for them since the days of independence, while the younger generation are craving for change and hence support Chadame. I was struck by how similar the political situation is with Singapore.

Here's a picture of me with our guide, Joseph. This picture probably gives a good idea of how gaunt and worn out I'd looked

When we finally got back to the hotel, it was many fond farewells as the students took photos with their guides and bade them farewell. I grabbed my bag and got to the room to have a nice shower. The first shock that I had was when I took my shirt off: I had lost so much weight!! I honestly got quite frightened! Haha! In fact, fast forward to a couple of days later, Kat actually wasn't able to recognise me at the airport. The next shock was when I blew my nose, and large clumps of dried blood clots came out. As much as it sounds gross, it was painful as hell because it was kinda like ripping off the scabs to start the whole process of scabbing again. This process kept going even a week later. And after a week on the trail without shower facilities, it took me 2 washes before my hair felt squeaky clean, and I was glad that I had my wash cloth with me and it served as a loofah of sorts to scrub me down. I've probably never had a such a long shower before, but it felt so good. 

Climbed it, drank it

After the shower, I made my way down to the restaurant where I reveled in the fact that I now have a choice of food, rather than having to eat whatever was cooked. As I enjoyed my dinner and looked out at the pool, I took the time to reflect upon the last 7 days, and what I had learnt. It was unbelievable how the last 7 days had gone by just like that, and although I was delighted that I had summited, I had learned a great deal of humility. I'd seen how the mountains are no place for the ego, as it is an unforgivable place and will break you down no matter how strong or fit you are (or think you are). I'm so thankful for the support that Kat and dear friends have given me, such as Joanne Soo (part of the first all-female Singaporean team to summit Mt Everest) who kept encouraging me by sharing her own stories when she was preparing for Everest, and also to Swee Chiow for his little nuggets of technical advice that had gotten me through. Of course, the guides and porters who made it all possible for us. And finally, Mother Nature for being kind to us and allowing us to summit in the mildest of conditions. I honestly cannot imagine the kind of conditions that I had read about, the blustery wind and the snow that was expected during that time of the year. 


So there you have it, my big adventure for 2012. Well, there's still my Technical dives in June, but that's found on my scuba diving blog. In August, I'll be tackling Mt Kinabalu again, but this time, Kat will be with me as I told her that it'd be a shame for her not to tackle her country's highest peak. Who knows? She might get bitten by the trekking bug and join me for future expeditions. To be honest, I'm so thankful that she's not only my partner in life, but also my activity partner. There were so many occasions on the trail when I wished she could see what I was seeing.