21st of June:
I got a bus from Nairobi city center and went to a place called Bomas of Kenya. This is a place which you can go to and learn about the different tribes in Kenya. Here I went around the area with a group of people and we had a guide to show us around and tell us about the different areas. In Bomas of Kenya they have replicas of tribal villages the way they were when they were very primitive.

 
As you can see these included things such as the huts they lives in. These had thatched roofs and some of them would have a back door for the animals to use because in some tribes the animals would sleep in the houses as well. They had many huts built for each tribes because there would be separate huts for the husband and there would be different huts for his separate wives, the number would depend on the tribe. Also in some tribes each of these huts would have a granary next to them to store the food in.

Most of these villages would also have things such as a place built outside to keep the animals inside if the animals didn't sleep in the house. This would be a sort of circular pen which would be built out of stick and grass. Each of these villages changed a lot depending on the different tribe that it was representing. For example in one tribe the doors to their houses were very low so intruders couldnt run into the house at speed, they would need to slow down to enter the door giving the owner the advantage. Some of these huts differentiated a lot in the materials used for building them as well.

After this we went to a large indoor area and people there did traditional dances for us in the different ways the different tribes danced. This was a very good show and went on for around an hour and a half showing many different styles of dance.

27th of June:
Today I headed down to Tanzania because for my one week holiday I am going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. To get down to Tanzania I booked a shuttle bus with Riverside bus company. To get over the border I had to buy a Tanzanian VISA which cost me 50 US dollars but for people from the United States it costs 100 USD. The process of getting across the border took quite a while because you have to get the VISA, a person has to check your vaccination card for yellow fever and a person has to check your passport to make sure everything is in order. All of these steps have separate lines which you must line up in so the entire process can take around half an hour or so.
                                                                                                                                    I made it to the area I am staying in which is called Moshi and is right at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. The company I booked the climb with, called Holly Adventures, booked me into a hotel in Moshi called Keys Hotel and when I got off the bus they met me and took me to this hotel. I spent one night here and went to bed early to start my climb the following morning. The accommodation price was included in my overall price for climbing the mountain.  

28th of June:
I got up early and was picked up by the people from Holly Adventure. They took me to a place where I could rent the gear I didn't have for climbing the mountain. These included a sleeping bag, walking sticks and two metal bottles of water, because they don't allow you to bring plastic bottles with you up the mountain in case you through them away. After this we picked up the members of the team I had which consisted of three porters, one cook and my guide. After meeting these people we got the rest of the things I would be needing such as food, but all this was already included in my price. We then went to the gate of the mountain to get started.

 After getting everybody ready for example weighing all the different loads the porters would carry, because each porter can only carry 20 kilograms we started the climb.

This climb up to the first hut was through a forest area and was filled with many plants and animals. The plants mainly consisted of huge trees which hung across the path and blocked out a lot of the sun light. The animals consisted of mongoose, dik dik and monkeys.

 This hike took around 4 hours and at the end we were at 2720 meters above sea level. This was called Mandara hut. The picture below is from this site and the building is where we ate our meals. This is a typical example of the areas where we would eat. All the food was included in the prices and I got three meals a day. They gave you a lot of food and it is important is try and eat as much as you can because you need all the energy you can get.

Next is a picture of the room you stay in. They consist of four beds but these beds only have a pillow and a sheet so it is important to bring a sleeping bag because it gets very cold at night.

29th of June:

I made my way up to the next hut which is called Horombo hut and is 3720 meters above sea level. This was a long climb and took me around 6 hours. This area of the mountain is called the hillside moon area because the trees thin out so a lot of light is allowed through and the area is very hilly.

When we got to the place where all the huts are the clouds and fog had settled in a lot. People say this happens almost every day after 2 o clock at this time of year. We spent one night here before moving on but some people spend an extra night here to clematis. 

30th of June:
I made my way up to the next hut which is called Kibo hut and is 4720 meters above sea level. This hike took around 4 hours and way through the alpine area. This area started out like the previous area but as you went higher up it changed a lot.

It then became full of rocks and there was very little grass or plant life because the elevation was too high up for many of them to grow. This resembled a desert like area to me.

In this area we went to bed very early because we had to get up at midnight that night to start the hike up to the summit.

1st of July:

We got up at around midnight and had a quick breakfast before starting the climb. It was night time outside but it was good because it was the night of a full moon which gave us a lot of light Therefore I didn't need my torch. The first part was the hardest because it was up a very steep zig zagging path of stones and before the end these turned into big boulders which you had to climb on top of and by this time I was very exhausted. However we reached the top of this which is called Gillmans Peak and I had heard that getting here is the hardest part and that it is a lot easier from here on which is true. There was also snow up here which was very different to see in Africa.

We then walked to the summit and got there at around 6;15 so it took us about 6 hours to reach the top. We were just in time for the sunrise which was very good.

It was very cold up here because of the height and the heavy winds so after taking a few pictures we left and started making out way down the mountain. This took us around another 2 hours.

When we got back to Kibo hut they only allow you to stay for one hour to rest because they want you to get down to lower altitude so you don't suffer from altitude sickness. Therefore after one hour we went down to Horombo hut and spent the night there.

2nd of July:

Today was also a tiring day because we had to make our way down to the gate of the mountain which took us around 6 hours. Luckily when we stopped for our lunch, which we stopped for every day as a break, there was a waterfall nearby which we visited and it was very nice. 

 When we got back to the entrance the car picked us up again and took me back to the Keys Hotel, a second night stay here was also included in the price. I said goodbye to everyone in my team and thanked them all. I also gave them a tip for their hard work. I booked a bus back to Nairobi from the hotel and went to bed early because I was very tired after the hike.

3rd of July:
I got my bus back to Nairobi. Getting back into Kenya was a lot easier because I didn't have to get a VISA again. When I was back here to went back to the same bed and breakfast I stayed in last time and I will be here for another week before going back to Kitale. Overall it was an amazing trip and it was a great way to spend my week holiday. I would advise everyone to lcimb Kilimanjaro but the day of the summit was very hard. Possible the most physically demanding thing I have ever done.