Lacey (Ned's sister) came to visit us in Tanzania for three weeks! Yeah! So without really trying we were able to give here some real Tanzanian experiences, like eating ugali and fried fish, riding in a crowded dala-dala, and riding on top of a dala-dala because it was already full.
(This is Lacey on top of a bus, we were trying to make it home before dark)
For our first big adventure we decided to climb Mt. Meru, the mountain which is right in our own backyard. It was a four day hike up and back the 4562.13 meter (14,967 ft.) peak. No, it was not Kilimanjaro, but arguably a more technical and more beautiful climb. Might I add- this is higher than any point in the continental US…although much easier to summit because there was no snow.
(There is a herd of buffalo in the background of this photo)
Day 1 – The tour company picked us up at Havilah around 10:30am and after throwing our bags on top of the van we were off to Arusha National Park. During our short drive thru the park we saw giraffe, zebra, buffalo, wart hogs, baboons, and an assortment of birds. After registering and a quick lunch we were off. We started at an elevation of 1500 meters and climbed to 2500 meters the first day to Mariakamba Hut. The weather was nice, we felt good, and slept in some decent cabins.
Day 2 – A sizable breakfast of burnt oatmeal, crumbly bread, eggs, and sausage and we were off for another 1000 meter climb which involved a lot of stairs. The morning was misty and damp, but after climbing above the cloud layer we had some great views of the peaks of both Mt. Meru and Kilimanjaro. We made it to Saddle Hut, rested for a bit, and hiked up to Little Meru (3801 meters) to help us acclimate to the higher elevation. We returned to Saddle Hut for the night.
Day 3 – We roused ourselves out of bed at 12:30am to start our climb. In the dark, with headlamps, we made our way pole pole (slowly) to the top. It was definitely hard going at times, and the higher elevation made our hearts have to work bit harder. The trail involved a lot of scrambling over rocks as we ascended, but we made it to the peak just after sunrise and had a magnificent view of Kilimanjaro rising above a blanket of clouds. (Check out the photos!) We returned to Saddle Hut for food and rest, and then continued down to Mariakamba Hut for the night.
This is the sunrise from behind Kilimanjaro, the only item we could see over the clouds at 6am!
3 of us at the summit! (very cold)
Day 4 – The last day we opted to take the longer route back to the ranger station, which was a pleasant walk thru the forest. We saw a few colobus monkeys and got quite close to a giraffe. We made it safely by mid-day, had a warm lunch, and were awarded certificates for our achievement. Our soreness and tiredness were overshadowed by our feeling of accomplishment, so after returning home and taking warm showers we headed out to a local lodge for a celebratory dinner. Emily enjoyed the trip so much that she tried to convince us to start up Kilimanjaro the next day.
That trip will have to wait for another day because next week we are off to the Serengeti!
We have been in Tanzania for 8 months and have finally taken a proper safari! We were waiting to take the trip in case family was able to visit, and thankfully Lacey and Kristen (her good friend from Portland) were able to join us! It was not the best time of year to see the 'great migrations', but even so we saw every animal that one is supposed to see, and had the best and closest views one could ask for! 
Ned & Lacey checking out a Leopard.
This is Kristen explaining water conservation policies to the Maasai people of the Ngorongoro Crater. Well not really... she is actually caving in and buying beaded souvenirs.
Ngorongoro Crater: This was a fantastic spot with flamingos, hippos, wildebeast, and zebras all sharing the same lakefront property.
