We went up Table Mountain in a Cable car! I could not say we climbed it because we did not. It is a must do if you visit Cape Town because the views are awesome. We had to get a uber to take us up to the tram. After that it was all waiting. We had to get tickets and then go up an elevator to get to the tram. The floor of the tram rotated as we went up the cliff. I found this a little un-fair because you chose the spot you wanted only to go round in circles. The ride up was pretty scary and I was relieved to finally be on solid ground. We did a small walk around the top and there was a small sign that was very interesting to me. It had a map of table mountain and the city below. Around the rim there were arrows pointing North, South, East, and West. I found one pointing to New York, Washington state, Paris, Oslo and many more! I enjoyed looking at it but I had to go for a family photo. We took photos of everyone and me and Bardez climbed over the fun rocks. When it was near sunset we were contemplating weather not not to stay for sunset when we heard a message: “ To our guests at Table Mountain the last cable car will leave at 7:00pm exactly”. They were saying if you did not get on this cable car, you would have to hike down. In the dark! This was outrageous! How could they say they were going to leave you on the mountain if there were too many people! We were saying well we can stay a little longer but a wave of people were surging to the cable car. We decided going down was better than being left behind so we got on the tram.
The ride down was way less scary than I thought. I had been very nervous about it but we arrived safely. The overall experience was very pleasant and positive. I would totally recommend it to anyone!
Staying at the Zanzibar Pearl was super fun! They greeted us with fresh juice and hand towels to clean our hands when we got there. The Hotel was very nice, and the rooms were beautiful. On each bed, there were flowers and two straw hats. We did not get to take the straw hats home, but we did get to use them on the beach. The beach was super beautiful, and the sand was super fine and soft. There was a lot of seaweed on the beach from the tide, and there was also some garbage, but it did not bother us. It seemed like low tide lasted all day, and high tide only came around 4:00 pm. High tide was the only time we could play in the waves because at low tide, there are not even waves, and the water was down to the reef. When it is high tide, the waves are really fun to play in, and it is entertaining to get washed up on the beach.
Our Days of Play in the Indian Ocean
The communication between guests and staff at the hotel was challenging. One of the ladies at the restaurant named Gift was nice and friendly. One funny problem was that most mornings we asked for a plate of mangos and pineapple and they would say that they did not have those things. I would say, “that’s funny because I had those yesterday” then they would bring them.
Scuba Diving at Mnemba Island
On one of the days, we went Scuba diving at Mnemba Island. You do not actually go onto the island but rather above the reef that surrounds it. The water was pretty cold for me. I am always nervous about dives but I think once I get under the surface I feel better on the reef. There was a lot of fantastic fish and colorful ones too. The two exciting things that we saw were an eel and a turtle! The turtle was super giant and majestic looking its eyes were brown and big and it was super cute. We did two dives and the second one was the better one. I had a terrible start because my fins were rubbing my toes then I had to go to the surface to fix my goggles then when we went back down I was much more confident and happy.
Boarding the board to Mnemba Island
Hotel Review of the Zanzibar Pearl Boutique Hotel
The Zanzibar Pearl was an excellent hotel and provided a relatively good experience the people were friendly, and the food was good, and the venue was beautiful. One thing I would say is if you can not sleep on a hard matters, the mattress at this hotel are incredibly hard. The hotel has things it could work on and things to improve on, but I would still recommend it with five stars.
Gluten Free Pancakes!Tiniest paw print!They still have cow and donkey-drawnn carts.
Our time at Hotel Verde was fantastic! The rooms were elegant, and the bathrooms were beautiful. Each room had a small deck with a super comfortable chair. The food in the restaurant was not good, the restaurant was empty and lonely. We ate at the hotel restaurant one night and went out the next.
Playing at the hotel.
The hotel had a pool, gym, spa, playground, and water park open on Saturdays. Bardez and I played in the pool and playground for one of the afternoons. The playground was more like an obstacle course than a playground, which made it even more fun. The pool was not warm, but it was probably about 70 degrees. I loved playing in the pool and the playground.
A Day in Stone Town
On our first full day, we went into stone town. We went on a walking tour around the town. Imron was our guide, and he was hilarious. We were looking at a weaving shop that had an actual loom, then the other people on our tour arrived. The time was amazing, andI learned so much! We went into the old fort and saw a big stone auditorium. On our tour, we learned about the doorways and the town’s history. We also visited a museum about the history of slaves on the island and one really surprising thing I learned was that there were black slave owners! this had never occurred to me. In the museum there was a story about a woman who was unjustly sold into slavery, she was freed and given money for compensation. She was asked what she would do with it and she said “I’m gonna buy a slave.” This was shocking! I asked why and mom said that she thought it was the culture to own slaves.
Hotel Review
I would give this hotel four stars. It was not terrible but the food was bad and the rooms were very smelly. My dad once said something along the lines of, if your experience is 99.9% amazing but there is one big thing that is not amazing it will lower the whole experience. Not being able to eat at a hotel is hard but it was kind of good because we got to go to other fun restaurants and eat their amazing food! I would recommend trying a different place in stone town if you ever visit. I’m sure there are other amazing hotels in the area that are waiting to be used. I would go back to stone town and see other amazing things!
After Amboseli, we drove to Anusha in Tanzania. A quick lesson on how to say Tanzania. Most people say it like Tan-Zu-Knee-yah. It is Tan-zAnia. With an A sound like in the word and. On our drive to Arusha, we saw many Maasai villages and drove through a lake! The lake was dry, but as we were driving, it looked like there was water. It was a mirage. The weirdest thing was that while we were going, it looked like there was water behind us! The drive to Tanzania was long and hot, and when we finally reached the border, Masai ladies were trying to sell us things, and they were very pushy. We had to go into the customs building and fill out some forms. The drive from the customs office to our hotel was also long. We were staying at Mt. Meru Hotel. The hotel was pretty good, the rooms were excellent, and the food was delicious. The one food item I always ordered was the chicken wings, which were marinated in honey sauce and came with fries. These made the hotel experience unique. The hotel also had a backyard with green grass to play on. That part was perfect.
Preping for Kilimanjaro
Porter was probably carrying 40-60 lbs on his head.
Packing for Kili was long and hard. we had to make sure that we packed everything because if we did not have warm clothes, we could not summit, and if we did not have proper gear, we could not climb. On our first day at the hotel, we met our guide Thomas. he was a kind-looking man who also looked like he knew how to climb a mountain. Our guide Thomas did a gear check to see if we needed any gear, and we did. I needed a coat, ski pants, socks, a bag, and other things.
Second waiting day
On our second day at the hotel, I and Emmy and I stayed at the hotel and worked on blogging while mom, dad, Bardez, and Zeb went shopping for gear. Packing was not too hard, and it was over pretty fast. We also had to pack the things we were not taking on kili into our standard bags, which would stay at the hotel.
Leaving for the mountain
The following day we did not have to wake up too early, but we did not get to sleep in extensively. We were leaving for Kilimanjaro (also known as Kili). We had breakfast in the hotel, and when it was time to go, we discovered that we had 22 porters! Porters are people who carry almost all your stuff up the mountain on their heads.
Branches on the Bus
Playing cards with Moses on the Bus ride.
We had to take a bus with all our things, porters, and guides to get to the mountain. We had Thomas, the head guide, Razack, the assistant guide, and Barnabus, the other assistant Guide. There was also a chef that supposedly knew how to make Gluten Free but did not know how to make it delicious. Before starting the bus ride, we took a group photo with everyone. The bus ride was super long but pretty fun! About an hour later, we stopped and got ice cream bars and snacks, aka lunch. We played a lot of card games too. Near the end of the ride, Moses and Barnabus made up a new card game called Branches. It’s too complicated to explain, but maybe someday it will be played by thousands of people.
When we got to where we would start hiking, we had to wait several hours for all of our porters to get their loads weighed and for us to get permits to climb. While we were waiting, we also ate lunch on the grass. Lunch was pretty good, we got chicken fries and a juice box.
Hicking
Last Green Grass!
The first five minutes of Hiking were not too hard, and we soon reached the Lemosho gate. After Lemosho, Hiking got into a steady rhythm. Steep uphill gradually or steep downhill. Flat steep uphill, more uphill, repeat. Bardez, who did not have a pack, soon went ahead, Emmy got ahead, then Zeb. Soon it was me, my dad, my mom, and some of the Guides. Porters were regularly passing us and moving swiftly ahead to get to the first camp before us.
I am finally, Getting to camp.
We got to camp at dark, and I quickly went into my tent to do Washy Washy. You take a shower using wipes. Dinner was pretty good, but I was tired and wanted to get to bed. We had to do a medical check before going to bed, and I did that and then went to bed. Sleeping was fine, I woke up not once, and I slept in, aka I did not wake up before sunrise.
On the second day of Hiking
Our second day was the snapping point. We hiked for maybe one and a half or two hours then we came into our next climate zone. Kilimanjaro had five climate zones, I can’t name all, but the second one we were in was harsh. It was hot for a while, and there were so many hills. There was the elephant’s back. We thought the company would provide lunch on the hike, but they did not, so we went for five hours on some bars and sugar juice. It took us a very long time to get to camp, but we did in the end. The camp was super dusted so that everything would be dusted. Even though I would get dirty again, I still did Washy Washy. Washy is the act of trying and failing to penetrate the thick layer of dust and dirt on your skin that you accumulate from the trail. After washy washy, I still had a roaring headache from no lunch on the track. To clarify, we did get lunch, but it was around 3:30 that we got it. I took a nap in our tent because of my headache, and when I woke felt terrible. I did not want to go to dinner, but dad urged me to. There was soup at dinner, but I did not want to eat it. I sat at the table for some time and eventually ate one bite. The soup was the only delicious thing we ate on Kili. After about ten spoonfuls, I felt better and started eating more. After I had food and much-needed water, you felt much better, but I was still super grumpy. While eating, I found out that Mom was in her tent feeling terrible,
The last day
The following day mom told me we might go down because we were all still feeling pretty bad. We did a family meeting, and I struggled to get to the meeting spot. We decided to get “rescued,” which means you get packed like sardines into a tiny vehicle with eight other people. The hike to the pick up point was not too challenging though I was fatigued the whole way. We had to wait a long while for the vehicle to get there.
Walking is Better Than Driving
When the vehicle arrived, two rangers were helping someone into the shotgun seat. We were yelled at to come over, and when we looked inside, there were already eight people in the size person vehicle! We were shoved in, and when we found out Thomas, our guide, was coming, we were beginning to think about ditching the car. The car was going about 60 Mph on a gravel road with tight turns and steep inclines. The drive was probably 15 or 20 min, but it was terrible. There was a massive lack of deodorant; the whole car reeked of Body Odor and a complete lack of Oxygen.
I tried to open a window, but the rangers said I had to close it because of the dust. There was no dust. Eventually, I got to open some of the windows a tiny bit, and it freed us up a bit. I was thinking on the way down; I bet 90% of rescued people’s ailments are from this car ride. We eventually reached the destination of the ranger station and got to exit the vehicle! I was so glad. At the ranger station, we had to wait for our next car, and I was okay with that because we got to meet some people who were going to start their climb that day. They were super friendly, and we enjoyed talking to them!
Having to come down was not a failure but a learning opportunity to see that we needed more training and better acclimatizing to complete the climb and summit. I don’t think I would strive to submit again. I would be so proud of Bardez if he summited, and I believe someday he will! he was the best climber out of all of us and was the fastest! I think he would do super well on the mountain. I enjoyed the first day and would do it again but not the second. For those who are serious about mountain climbing, go for it! If you want to do something exotic, raft the grand canyon. It is much better.
We are going down!Going Up!LeavingAfter four hours of strenuous Hiking, we tried our best to look happy. We had no idea what car we were going to be rescued in. We just loved playing cards.Bardez just really loved the mountain with its dirt and dust. He also wanted to look like the boy from Duma.Ready to start but love the grassDinnerFamily PhotoWe loved playing cards on the bus with MosesI am a tired but happy climberWow, this porter was carrying so many things!
