Mbeya Cafe

I'm sitting at a table in a cafe. It's mid afternoon on a cloudy day. There is a nice green lawn in front of me and over a small fence to my left there are views across the Southern Tanzanian highlands. I can see some rainclouds forming around Mt Loleza.

Yesterday we farewelled Malawi. At the border we didn't have any US currency for the Tanzanian Visa ($50USD). Despite our best efforts in Karonga (the last bank town in northern Malawi) we couldn't get hold of any and we told this to the immigration officer. He was sympathetic to our plight and quickly onto his phone to his dealer. Ten minutes later we were in his back office changing Kwacha for Greenbacks. I couldn't help musing at the official sign above the guys desk - Black market money changing strictly illegal. Overall it was a much smoother border crossing than our last.

The staff are mulling around chatting. I'm the only customer and I've only troubled them with a bottle of coke. I can hear the faint whistle blast from a distant train. We'll be on one tomorrow heading for Dar Es Salam on route to Kilimanjaro. We attempt the mountain in a week or so. I'm a little anxious. Travellers we've met have said that it's the last day that is the tough part. It starts at about 11PM and finished about 4PM the next day. Climbing through the night is what gets you, it's freezing cold they say. A successful ascent should see you summit between 6AM and 8:30AM no later. My uncertainty is mostly around altitude sickness. The mountain peaks at 5900mtrs. None of us have ever been that high, I have no idea how we'll react.

The rainclouds around the mountain are clearing now, some blue sky is peaking through. I'll take it as a good sign.