I've thought a lot about how to write about this experience and I'm still not sure what exactly to say. It was definitely an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. Can I say that it was all positive? No. Can I say that I hated it or regret that I did it? Definitely no. Am I willing to do it again? I don't know, ask me again next year! So I have many mixed feelings about it. Overall, it was very challenging for me both physically and mentally and I was not able to keep it together the whole time as much as I liked. Haha. I definitely cried (multiple times) and I definitely laughed. I will definitely remember summit day as one of the hardest things I've ever done. I will also remember that while I was with it, I was definitely loopy. I was also very very cold! I think I will also always regret not trying harder to reach the official highest summit, Uhuru. But then again, I know how hard it was for me to even walk and I couldn't even feel my fingers, so perhaps I made the right decision. I guess I will never know. In the end, I think for me it was the whole journey and the great people with me (both the krazy kids and the porters/guides) that made the experience one worth remembering. I look back on the experience now with fond memories and I am able to laugh at myself but I do know that there were moments where I didn't think I would make it.
On a more positive note, it was really really truly beautiful the whole way up. We chose to do the 6 day Machame trail (38.5 miles from gate to gate) which is known to be one of the most scenic routes (and I just googled it, one of the more difficult routes!!) and it definitely didn't disappoint, even when it was misty and cloudy. There was something new to see every day because you go through 5 diverse climate zones: rainforest, moorsland (no idea what that means), alpine desert, rocky stuff you have to scramble over, and straight up freezing cold glacier. (In case you can't tell, I made a few of these up).
Also, we had a small village with us the whole time because... wait for it... we had 44 porters/guides with us! I didn't even know that was possible! But honestly, we couldn't have done it without them.
All 54 of us!
All other pictures are posted to facebook!
1 comment:
Hi! I am Nerissa, a Filipino living in Italy.
I just started a website dedicated to the lives of all those living in a country other than the one where they were born. Thru PeopleAbroad.org I intend to increase connections, awareness, and understanding among people.
Sorry for taking some of your precious time. If you are not interested please stop reading it now and forgive me for my intrusion.
I would like to ask you to contribute to the website by writing one post with photos and/or videos about any region of the world. Your post will be linked to your personal websites, blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter account, and/or anything else you like, in order to promote your own activity.
I could also publish some of your posts as a summary and link them to your website where your articles could be read in full length. If possible, I would also like you to write your story (bio - where you live and how you decided to live your life abroad) – example: https://www.peopleabroad.org/nerissa-filipino-living-in-italy/.
To contribute, it is not necessary to live in a different country from where you were born, but simply to know a bit of the world by having lived, studied, or traveled.
This website is still under construction, I do not have yet made it available to search engines for indexation. I am just starting and that is why your help is essential.
All the best,
Nerissa
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