Resting up in Arusha

So we are on our last of 3 days of rest in Arusha. Riders take off on Safaris, but for me Mt Meru looks like an attractive spot.

Kendra's ribs are healing up and although she hasn't been up to riding her bike yet, she also likes the look of Mt Meru. We're chopping up the tomatoes and cucumbers together at the lunch spot and we hatch a plan. Up and down Mt Meru in 2 days (normally a 3 day trip).

Kari and Jorg decide they want to come along aswell. We arrive in Arusha, organise some food, grab some dinner, pack our bags. First thing in the morning we're ready to head off on our hike.

The first day we hike up to the second hut (this takes a lot of convincing for the ranger that has to accompany us). It's a gorgeous spot. Down the bottom we see giraffes, zebras, warthogs, buffallo. A little higher we find some colobus monkeys. The vegetation gradually changes the higher we ascend.

We walk above the clouds.

Day 2 our plan is to wake at 3am and continue on to the summit, and then descend the entire way the next day.

3am arrives. Rain rain rain - go away!!! The rain is not the end of the world but because there is also thunder and lightning about we decide that perhaps ascending is not the best idea. Instead we sleep for another hour and a half. Then we hatch a plan to summit Little Meru instead (the smaller of the two peaks), and descend back and check out some more animals. We still ascended and descended 2000m... not a bad effort!!!

I love giraffes - I don't know how any animal can be so disproportionately elegant. Even when they run they do it elegantly - I think I could sit and watch a giraffe for hours!!!