When we came down the mountain and got back to the hotel, we were all exhausted and so ready for a shower. Since I had a double room with dad though, I had to wait and shower afterwards. It was still great. Going a week without a shower just makes you appreciate it so much more.  After we all got cleaned up, we went and all got our certificates and a well-deserved celebratory Kilimanjaro beer.  The next day a big group of us went into Moshi town.  Once again, we got swarmed by the locals trying to sell us something or other. Despite that, I still really enjoyed town.  The day after that, Tuesday, 4 of us went on a safari to Tarangire National Park.  I really wanted to see a lion or leopard, but no dice. We did, however, see heaps of elephants, loads of impala, and a few giraffes, zebras, warthogs, dikdiks, and yellow monkeys. At lunch time, we were sitting at a table and looked away for 5 seconds and a monkey stole our biscuits! We were thankful it wasn’t our cameras, but I was looking forward to those biscuits. After lunch, we came across a group of elephants not 10m away from the truck.  We stopped and watched them bathing and washing themselves in a mud pool.  It was the most incredible thing. On the way home we stopped off at Kilimanjaro airport to drop off dad.  It was really sad saying goodbye to him for the second time; it was awesome to break up my trip with parts where I was with family. When we got back to the hotel, we found out the only bus to Nairobi left at 6am the next day, and not 11am as we had originally planned, so we had to pack and it was an early night.  Amy and I then took the bus from Moshi to Arusha to Nairobi, and I slept pretty much the entire way. We got to the hotel and just chilled that afternoon, I booked my flight while Amy lounged by the pool. The next day we went to the elephant and giraffe sanctuaries. At the elephant sanctuary we watched the baby elephant orphans being fed, and they were so cute! We also saw an orphaned rhino at that sanctuary as well. We then moved on to the giraffe sanctuary, where we got to feed the giraffes. They are such gentle creatures. Both Amy and I “kissed” a giraffe (we put the piece of food in our lips and the giraffe took it) and it was pretty disgusting.  We then went to do some errands, and then went back to pack. Since I booked last minute I wasn’t able to get a direct flight, or even a close to direct flight to Australia, so I’m at the Nairobi Airport now, waiting to board to go to Amsterdam. After Amsterdam I fly to Malaysia and then to Australia. Here’s to yet another long day of travelling.

I LOVE AFRICA.
I arrived in Moshi, Tanzania at about noon on March 11th, after approximately 30 hours in transit.  After picking up my stuff and taking a cab to the hotel, checking in, I promptly laid down on my bed and just passed right out until 4. Then I just laid by the pool with my book and relaxed until dinner, when I ate and then went straight to bed.  Dad came in around midnight, so I got up, it was great to see him after a little more than a month away. We skyped with my mum, and then went back to bed at around 1. After a very lazy morning, we got up and took the shuttle into town where we were rushed at by several locals all trying to sell their goods.  It was pretty crazy to see.  After touring around town for a while we came back to the hotel and went to the orphanage just down the road and gave them the pencils and notepads.  We came back to the hotel to meet our group. We had 9 people including me and my dad, and then 2 more came with us, as they were doing the same trek as were did.  We had Kim from East coast Canada, Katie from D.C., Fleur from the Netherlands, Allen, absolutely wild coincidence, is from Guelph, Caroline from Sydney, Vanessa from Sydney, and Conor from Ireland.  The two that joined us were Frank and Amy from the UK, also trekking as a father/daughter duo.
So, Day 1 was harder than I planned, we were told it was a gradual grade, but some parts seemed very steep. We covered 18 km in just about 5 hours.  Vanessa's luggage was late arriving, so we started without her, but she got to camp only about 20 minutes after us, so she must have been gunning it. I have so much respect for the porters after today, seeing them carry everyone's luggage.  It turned out that everyone was syrprised at the steepness of today's climb though, which made me feel a little better.  I'm a little worried for tomorrow though, because the guides say it is very steep.  So I'm thinking if I thought today was bad, tomorrow will be hell.  After about 15 km I was thinking "And I thought this was a good idea because...", but then I reached the Moorland, out of the rainforest , and the views are just stunning.  I saw the beginning of the peak today and it was magnificent. The altitude of our first camp is 3000m ASL and the peak is 5895 ASL, so after Day 1, we are halfway there.  I can't wait to see what day 2 brings.
Day 2: It seems I have caught some sort of "bug" up here, I'm having trouble keeping anything down. It started after dinner last night and continued on to today.  I'm not sure whether the altitude is having a hand in that though, or if it's just me.  My cough that had cleared up down in Barcelona has come back to haunt me as well, only it's much more difficult to get a good breath in order to cough.  So, needless to say, today was tough.  They weren't joking when they said it would be steep. It was: we only hiked 6km today, but nearly 1 km up in altitude. We left camp this morning at 8:30am and arrived at camp by about 2 or 2:30, so we have been relaxing all afternoon.  Our guide, Edwin, has taken everyone out to the caves, but unfortunately, I sat up and my heart-rate skyrocketed and I felt I was going to be sick, so I'm still back at camp while everyone is exploring caves.  I went over on my ankle today as well, so it's probably smarter for me to just stay and chill anyway.
Day 3: Today I felt much better.  Very fatigued due to lack of calories the day before, and maybe 1-2 hours of sleep last night, but overall much better.  However, we climbed just short of 1km in altitude, so that was tough.  We started at about 3800m and climbed to the Lava Tower at 4600. That was very difficult.  And then we started to descend, that was slow going due to the pressure on my knees and ankle. We walked through the Barranco Valley and have just stopped at about 3900m, so hoping tonight will be a better sleep.  The Barranco Valley is just beautiful, lots of little mice scurrying everywhere.  We have stopped at the ominous "Wall." It is the Barranco Wall and will be the most technical part of the climb. However, it is just after 7pm and everyone is going to bed because tomorrow will be a very long day.
Day 4: Today was rough.  It said at the beginning that people with sore throats or chest infections should not go above 3000 m. Naturally, I ignored that warning, and my cough has gotten much worse, but we are at base camp now. Today we trudged up and down, up and down, and it was not easy on my knees or ankle. We walked up the Barranco Wall (which was really awesome) and down the Karango Valley. We are now stationed at the Barafu huts at about 4500m. We are here only to rest and eat though, as we start the final ascent at midnight. The end is near, and let me tell you, it feels kind of good. Everything you do winds you up here, even just walking to the toilets. It's just about 6pm as I'm writing this, so in about 6 hours we begin the daunting task of 5895m.
Day 5: We got woken up at 11pm and got ready. For me, that meant 2 pairs of pants, 4 layers inside my coat (along with a 5th inside my day pack), a balaclava, a headband around my ears and a hat. We departed base camp of 4500m, ready to make the climb to 5895m at midnight, officially St. Patty's Day. Little did I know this would be the most taxing ordeal of my life. After about 2 hours, the altitude and fatigue were so bad for me that I had to pass my pack along to a guide. As if the nausea wasn't bad enough, my coordination was way off as well. I felt as if I was just hammered and couldn't walk or see straight. It was awful. However, if it weren't for my dad being with me and a constant support, I probably wouldn't have made it. As it was, I made it up to Stella Point for the sun rise, which was absolutely breathtaking. We then made the final trek up to Uhuru Point. It was such a rewarding experience, and I think the fact that I struggled so much just made it that much better. After a few photos we began the trek down. Seeing the slope we climbed up in the day light made me feel a little better about my struggles going up. It was so steep, and so far. Finally we made it back to camp where we all practically fell into our tents because we were all so exhausted. We slept for a little over an hour before we started our descent. All exhausted, we left again and walked for about 4 hour straight downhill from 4500m to 3100m. It was such a long day, we walked for probably 14 hours. Very rough, yet rewarding.
Day 6: Still a very steep downhill grade, we walked for only 3 hours today and made it back to the hotel by about noon. The shower I had was amazing. It was so good to go 6 days without one just so you realize how much we shouldn't take it for granted. Overall, it was just an incredible experience, and I would definitely push anyone considering doing it to just do it.

Barcelona is the most beautiful city I have been to.  The architecture is so wonderful, and the city is just gorgeous.  I could be saying that just because I didn't have to wear my winter coat at all, but I genuinely loved it.  Not that I didn't love the other cities, but I don't know, it just seemed different here.  The first day I got to Barcelona I was a little lost.  Usually at the train stations or airports they have free little maps and booklets with things to do, where to stay, the usual stuff, but not this one. So I had no idea where I was or where I wanted to go. Not a good start after a terrible nights sleep on the train. Eventually, after finding the hostels around the train station started at about 50 euros a night, I decided to take advantage of the shuttle service to Passeig de Gracia, which is the centre of the city.  I found a hostel there where all 3 nights in total were less that 50 euros. I spent the first day just walking around the neighbourhood, familiarizing myself with street names and buildings and such, and of course made a trip to the grocery store to stock up on a few items. It was an early night that night, and the other people in the room made sure it was an early morning as well, being very noisy when they packed up and left.
The second day I took the metro about halfway and walked the other half to Parc Montjuic. Essentially it is a big park with lots of gardens and museums and the Olympic Stadium on top of a huge hill.  I figured I better get some practice in walking up hill, so instead of taking the gondola up I walked it. Good news, I'm still in decent shape for Kili.  I had heard Barcelona was bad for pickpocketing, and had my first (and only so far) experience with it.  An old lady came up to me and was selling roses for the celebration of the Flamenco (or something... hahah) and it was basically a give whatever you wanted to.  I didn't understand what she was saying, so I opened up my wallet in front of her and started going through my change. She pushed my hand aside and grabbed a 0.20 euro coin, and very stealthily grabbed a 50 euro bill. Thank goodness I looked in my wallet about a minute later. I chase her down and started yelling and making a scene and she gave it back and told me to leave. I guess she figured it'd be better to shut me up then have me follow them around all day scaring all their "customers" away. I learned my lesson though, and I won't be so stupid next time. That afternoon I decided to venture down to the sea side. I walked down La Rambla which is a big street with lots of street artists, and souvenir shops and just in general really neat. I had put on my swim suit but couldn't find the actual beach, so I sat by the water front with all the boats. Of course since I was planning on going to the beach I had left my camera back at the hostel. All the fresh air really tired me out, and I was a little sick with a bad cough, sore throat, and a runny nose, so I decided rather than pushing it by going out at night I would just stay in, get lots of rest and get better for Kili.
The third day, my last day, I started out by walking back down to the sea side. I took a different route though, and saw several beautiful buildings. Eventually I got down to the sea, and typical, I found the beach but didn't bring my swim suit. It was nice just to sit on the sand in the sun though. March 9th, and I got a sun burn! Amazing. I decided that afternoon to walk to see the Spanish Arc de Triomfe. While not quite as magnificent as the one in Paris, it was still very impressive. I walked through the garden that was beside it, and it was very nice. All 3 days that I was in Barcelona were sunny, clear, blue-skies with temperatures between 15-20 degrees. I didn't get to a bull fight, which I wanted to, but I found out that the bull dies at the end of it, which I didn't think happened, so I think I'm ok that I missed out on that.

On Monday, I took the train bright and early with Jannine and William into the city.  I went to the Louvre Museum, and spent at least 4 hours there, there is way too much to see in that museum.  Naturally I had to go and see the Mona Lisa, and the Venus de Milo, but I think my favourite part was the Ancient Egypt part.  There were so many sweet sarcophagus' and tombs.  Made me wish I had lived back then so I could have had one of them.  After the Louvre, I walked down to the Notre Dame Cathedral.  It is such a beautiful church and there is so much history to it. I didn't have a chance to climb to the top of the bell towers, but that was ok, the inside of the church was beautiful enough. When we got home I had to pack again.
Tuesday was another early morning, and this time I brought all my stuff into Paris with me.  I left it at Jannine's office and took off. I went to the Trocadero Aquarium, which was pretty sweet. They had some grey tip reef sharks, nurse sharks, zebra sharks, and grey sharks. The one thing I was disappointed with there was the "touch basin".  At other aquariums that I've been to, in the touch pool they've had really cool creatures, like skates, or crabs. However, in Paris it was a koi pond, like you'd see at the Mandarin restaurant or something. Other than that though, it was pretty good.  After the aquarium, I went and walked up and down the Champs-Elysees.  Every single store was out of my budget, but it was really cool walking into stores like Cartier or Louis Vutton and just seeing everything.  I will admit, however, that window shopping isn't as much fun by yourself.  After that I went back to Jannine's office and waited until she was done work, and then we went to the train station.  I caught an overnight train from Paris to Barcelona.  There was a really annoying woman in my section, her phone kept going off like every 2 hours when we were sleeping, and she would answer and was pretty much yelling into her phone. I was not impressed. However, I'm in Barcelona now, and just trying to decide what to do, whether I want to go to the beach today or tomorrow.

Ahhhhh beau Paris!
On Friday, Jannine (mum's cousin) took the day off and showed me around Paris a little bit.  We walked down the Champs-Elysees, and walked up L'Arc de Triomphe. L'Arc de Triomphe was originally constructed to evoke terror and impose sheer military power.  It does just that.  It's a fantastic building, and a trip to Paris would not be complete without it.  After this we made a team decision to not go up the Eiffle Tower because of the weather.  Instead, we went to a free photo exhibit showing pictures of old Paris.  That evening, William (Jannine's son, my age) and I and a bunch of his friends went to the movies to see Chronicle.  Funny, I hardly go to the cinema at home, and since I've been away I've been twice.
On Saturday, it was my 19th birthday.  I had a very lazy morning, laying in bed until about 11:30.  I skyped with my parents later that afternoon, and then had to get all dressed up for the surprise Jannine and family had planned for me.  The boys were all wearing suits, and looking very handsome.  Turns out my surprise was a dinner cruise on the Seine River.  It was very beautiful to see all the buildings and monuments of Paris all lit up.  I couldn't have asked for a lovelier night.  The only thing that could have made the spectacular night even better would have been if my immediate famjam could have been there with me.
Today, Sunday, Jannine and I went into Paris again, this time with a full agenda.  We took advantage of the nice weather and right away went up the Eiffle Tower, we walked up to the second floor, which is approximately equivalent to 43 floors of something.  After that, we took the metro up to see Moulin Rouge.  We decided it was better to skip the interior though.  We walked up to see Sacre Coeur after that, but didn't go in.  We grabbed a bite to eat at a cafe, and then made our way to Pere Lachaise.  Pere Lachaise is a huge cemetary where there are no regular tombstones, only extremely extravagent ones.  A few famous people are buried here, the main one being Jim Morrison of the Doors.  Naturally we went to his tomb first.  I was expecting this huge monument, but it turned out to be very discreet..well about as discreet as you can be with flowers, cigarettes, photos, and bottles of rum all around it.

I found virtually the cheapest hostel in town, at a rate of 15 euros a night.  There were 4 bunks beds, so more room for activities. The first day in Amsterdam I tried really hard to find the Rijksmuseum, but I just kept getting so turned around so I spent until about 7pm just walking around and familiarizing myself with the area.  The next day I got up early and went to visit the Rijksmuseum (finally found it!) and I saw all sorts of neat paintings, including the famous one, "The Nightwatch". That afternoon I did something my dad has never done during the 4 times he's been to the Netherlands: went on the Heineken Brewery tour.  It was pretty sick.  That night I went out with some guys I met on at Heineken's, we did an organized Red Light District Pub Crawl.  Altogether we went to 6 pubs, all in the Red Light District, and it was actually really interesting to see it at night.  I had walked through it during the day the day before but it was much more lively at night.  The late night called for a late morning, and that afternoon I walked about 4 km in the opposite direction of all the tourist attractions, and was very happy I did it.  I walked through what was called Westerpark and it had a whole bunch of sculptures in it and it was very pretty. Eventually I was able to get to an area where I could actually breathe, no smoke in the air (cigarettes or otherwise ;) ) and it was great.  That night I went to the coolest bar in Amsterdam.  It's called the Icebar (see what I did there?).  It's a bar that's made up of 35 tonnes of ice. Even the glasses were made of ice.  We were given a coat and mittens at the door, so we were all prepared for the -10 degree climate in the bar.  In the morning I packed up (yet again) to move on to Paris.  I'm in Paris now after a long journey on the train, and thoroughly enjoint (see what I did there?) Amsterdam.