Princess

I woke up at 7:30 this morning, excited for a relaxing day of sightseeing. The bus picked 14 of us up at 8:30 for our waterfall and coffee plantation tour. After an hour, we were among the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro, among the Chagga tribe. We got out of the bus and walked to the tour guide's home to meet his family, then began a walk to the waterfall. Or so I was led to believe.

Two hours later, we arrived at the waterfall, after vigorous hiking through a dense tropical jungle. There was no path, the guide was making it as we went. He stopped to show us special flowers and plants and to take pictures of bugs and animals. Now, walking through the jungle is something I have always wanted to do. I have always dreamt of being in an authenic, non-tourist environment to just be alone with nature. Today, though, was not a walk. It was an uphill hike that left me gasping for air and sliding down mud banks into creeks.

The tour guide picked tomatoes off a wild tree, and they were delicious. He cut 4" pieces of a branch and showed us how to make a toothbrush. I felt like I was in Survivorman or Man vs. Wild. It was fun, but physically not what I expected at all. I am glad I took Motrin this morning with my malaria medication, because my back was quite sore.

I must say, though, that the sights were unbelieveable. The views were amazing. The authenticity was unparalleled. Once we reached the waterfall, it was such a breathtaking view, I wanted to cry. I have never seen anything like it. We walked towards the bottom of the falls to the small lake, and sat on rock to have lunch. I drank my water quickly, and the food was gross, but I knew I needed fuel for the way back. Some people went swimming, but because we were up so high, it was much cooler, and the water was freezing. For an hour we sat with the mist spraying on us, and I couldn't help but shiver and complain about the cold.

Well, God showed up with his sense of humor, and while we were gathering up our belongings to head back, it started to rain. It was cold rain, but I was trying to stay under trees to stay dry. 5 minutes later, it was downpouring. I was getting soaked by feezing rain, and the whole trail had turned to mud. I can't describe what it was like, trying to find footing up the side of a mountain, with no traction. The walking stick I was carrying saved my life numerous times today. My backpack was soaked, along with the contents. I was absolutely miserable.

It stopped raining when we got back to the tour guide's house, and he showed us how to make coffee. We made our own- from picking the beans, to shelling, roasting, grinding, and drinking it. It was very interesting, and I took a lot of pictures all day.

I can't remember a time that I was more proud of myself than today. I am shocked at what I was able to do and withstand. Other volunteers have labeled me as "the princess", and made fun of me while I was having such a hard time, little do they know how big a step hiking is for me. I'm usually wiped out after walking 4 blocks (right Kyle?). I was sweating and exhausted, hiking uphill both ways, in pouring rain, going back and forth between hot and cold, in a jungle on the other side of the world, alone. Which princess, exactly, does that? Me!

So, while I was walking and they asked me what I was thinking about, I told them I was trying to figure out how I could put this experience into words for my blog. I soon decided that I can't, so I will share my pictures when I get home, and can only hope you can use your imagination a bit. So, in lieu of that agenda, I started thinking about what I'm going to buy myself when I got home as a reward for being awesome.

I haven't showered yet, and am starving, waiting for dinner. I plan on eating, showering, and spending the night in bed with a book. Tomorrow's plans- NONE!