Enfim chegou a hora da montanha, nosso objetivo principal!
Logo depois do reforçado café da manhã, conhecemos nosso
guia Nechi, que nos levaria ao topo da África. Ele nos deu uma explicação do
que seria nossa caminhada e do que não podíamos deixar de levar.
Finally, it was mountain time. Our main goal!
Finally, it was mountain time. Our main goal!
Soon after the fortified breakfast, we met our guide Nechi, who would
take us to the top of Africa. He explained what our walk would be and what we
could not leave without.
café da manhã no Springlands hotel breakfast at Springlands hotel |
O resto da equipe já se organizava, recolhendo mochilas e equipamentos para carregamento do caminhão, que nos levaria até Machame gate. Não demorou muito já estávamos lá, no primeiro ponto de checagem para entrada na montanha.
Enquanto fazíamos o registro, os guias organizavam toda a
operação, que inclui separar barracas, equipamentos de cozinha, bagagem própria
e dos turistas, comida e até banheiro portátil. O guia é responsável por
escolher sua equipe e pela organização. O nosso grupo, eu e Daniel, teve o apoio de 7 carregadores, 1
cozinheiro e 1 guia assistente e o próprio guia.
The rest of the team was already getting organized, gathering backpacks and equipment for loading the truck that would take us to the Machame gate. It did not take long for us to arrive at the first checkpoint for entering into the mountain.
The rest of the team was already getting organized, gathering backpacks and equipment for loading the truck that would take us to the Machame gate. It did not take long for us to arrive at the first checkpoint for entering into the mountain.
While we were doing the registration, the guides organized the entire
operation, which included separating tents, cooking equipment, their own and
tourists’ luggage, food, and even a portable toilet. The guide is responsible
for choosing his team and for the organization. Our group, Daniel and I, had
the support of 7 porters, 1 cook, 1 assistant guide, and the guide himself.
organizando a equipe e equipamentos organizing staff and equipment |
climbers na espera climbers waiting |
Dia 1 - Com tudo pronto, Nechi deu a largada, um simples
“go” e começamos a caminhar, o que faríamos nos próximos 7 dias.
Saímos de Machame gate (1490m de altitude) em direção a
Machame camp (2980m), foram 5 horas de caminhada e 12 km percorridos dentro da
“rain forest”.
Era o dia de reconhecimento de área, verificar quem mais
estava na trilha e como poderíamos nos aproximar dos guias e da equipe. Antes
da saída, enquanto aguardávamos, já vimos 1 australiana e sua amiga New
Zelandeza, 2 americanas 18 e 27 anos, um casal de alemães que tinha subido o
monte Meru, 2 americanos, pai e filho que moravam no Qatar, ele engenheiro, um
casal de japoneses, uma turma de ingleses e 2 tchecos que também eram
engenheiros e moravam no Qatar. Ao longo da trilha fomos falando com
alguns, descobrindo como era a viagem de cada um, de onde vinham e para onde
iam. Todos são muito abertos e amigáveis nestes lugares.
Para puxar papo com os guias, usamos temas universais,
futebol e mulher e, portanto ter um homem ao lado facilita bastante.
O approach foi rápido. Em umas das paradas, estávamos
sentados à beira da trilha quando passaram as 2 americanas e seu guia com pinta
de jamaicano. Nosso guia falou algo para ele e eles começaram a dar risada e
continuaram a falar e rir. A gente não entendia nada, mas eu logo falei para o
Daniel, adivinha o que eles estão falando…. E o Daniel repassou ao Nechi que eu
tinha dito que eles estavam falando das meninas. Ele não titubeou e entregou
que tinha dito que era a chance dele de pegar uma mulher branca. Demos bastante
risada sobre este tema, que perdurou por toda a trilha. E assim quebramos o
gelo com a equipe.
Day 1 - With everything ready, Nechi gave the start by simply saying “go”. We started walking, and that was what we were going to do for the next 7 days.
Day 1 - With everything ready, Nechi gave the start by simply saying “go”. We started walking, and that was what we were going to do for the next 7 days.
We left Machame Gate (1,490m of altitude) towards the Machame camp
(2,980m); it was 5 hours of walking and 12 km covered within the "rain
forest".
It was the day of recognition of the area, to check who else was on the
trail and how we could approach the guides and the team. Prior to departure,
while we waited, we saw an Australian woman and her New Zealander friend; 2
American women, 18 and 27 years old; a couple of Germans who had climbed Mount
Meru; 2 American men, a father and a son who lived in Qatar - he was an
Engineer; a Japanese couple; a group of English people; and two Czechs who were
also Engineers and also lived in Qatar. Along the trail we were talking with
some of these people, learning how was the trip of each one of them, where they
came from, and where they were going to. Everyone is usually very open and
friendly in these places.
To make conversation with the guides, we talked about universal topics,
such as soccer and women and, therefore, having a man beside me made it a lot
easier.
The approach was fast. In one of the stops, we were sitting on the edge
of the trail when 2 Americans passed by with their Jamaican-looking guide. Our
guide said something to him, they began to laugh and continued to talk and
laugh. We did not understand anything, but I soon told Daniel: “guess what
they're talking about.” And Daniel told Nechi that I had said they were talking
about girls. He did not hesitate and gave it away that he said it was his
chance to get a white woman. We laughed a lot about this topic, which lasted
for the entire trail. And, thus, we broke the ice with the team.
rain forest |
a direita Shayo nosso guia assistente, bem calado mas muito gente boa Shayo, our assistant guide, on the right, don't speak too much, but very nice |
transição entre rainforest e moorland transition zone between rainforest and moorland |
indo fazer o registro no acampamento going to registration |
O dia a dia da trilha funciona assim: De manhã servem o café e saímos logo em seguida com os guias. O resto da equipe desmonta, empacota tudo e sai uma meia hora depois. Ao longo do percurso eles nos ultrapassam e remontam tudo no próximo acampamento.
Ao chegarmos, as barracas já se encontram montadas
com a mochila dentro e a comida está quase pronta. Logo recebemos uma tigela com
água quente para o banho. No sétimo dia já conseguia tomar um banho completo
com aquela bacia, só não dava para lavar o cabelo.
Em seguida e dependendo da hora, o lanche ou jantar. De
lanche tinha chá com pipoca, que era a salvação para as mãos geladas. No
jantar, sempre uma sopa de entrada e prato principal que varia entre: macarrão
com legumes, creme de legumes, arroz, frango frito, batata frita, sopa de
banana e até Ugali (comida típica local).
Neste dia o acampamento era dentro da mata e ficamos
procurando um lugar para ver o pôr do sol.
Acabamos por iniciar um papo com os guardas do parque, que
durou até a hora do jantar. O tema era; “where are you from”. O Daniel nunca
respondia e se divertia em dar 10 chances para o cara acertar. A brincadeira
durava quase uma hora e a turma de apostadores ia crescendo, mas ninguém se
lembrava do Brasil. Até que ele ficou tão conhecido, que no quarto dia ele
perdeu a aposta, o cara acertou na primeira.
The daily routine of the trail works like this: in the morning they serve breakfast and shortly thereafter we leave accompanied by the guides. The rest of the team disassembles, packs everything, and leaves about half an hour later. Along the way, they surpass us and reassemble everything in the next camp.
The daily routine of the trail works like this: in the morning they serve breakfast and shortly thereafter we leave accompanied by the guides. The rest of the team disassembles, packs everything, and leaves about half an hour later. Along the way, they surpass us and reassemble everything in the next camp.
When we arrived, the tents were already set up with the backpacks inside
and the food was almost ready. Soon we received a bowl of hot water for
bathing. On the seventh day, I was already able to take a full bath with that
basin; I just could not wash my hair.
Then, depending on the time, we had lunch or dinner. For lunch, we had
tea with popcorn, which was useful to warm our cold hands. At dinner, there was
always soup as starter and the main course could be pasta with vegetables,
cream of vegetables, rice, fried chicken, French fries, banana soup, and even
Ugali (typical local food).
On this day, the camp was inside the forest and we kept looking for a
place to watch the sunset.
We ended up starting a conversation with the park rangers, which lasted
until dinner time. The topic of conversation was: "where are you
from." Daniel never answered and had fun in giving 10 chances for the guy
to give the right answer. The game lasted almost an hour and the gang of
bettors grew, but nobody remembered Brazil. Until Daniel became so well known,
that on the fourth day he lost the bet when one guy got it right the first
time.
Dia 2 - O café da manha iniciava com um mingau de farinha, que eu não gostei, mas tomava um pouco, para não ficar com fome. Depois vinham pão, omelete, salsicha e laranja cortada. A minha salsicha ficava para o Daniel.
Day 2 - The breakfast began with flour porridge, which I did not like. Anyway, I had a bit of it so I would not get hungry. Then, there was bread, omelet, sausage, and sliced orange. Every time I gave my sausage to Daniel.
o primeiro sunrise nas montanhas |
Neste dia saímos de Machame camp (2980m) às 08:30h deixando a vegetação da “rain forest” e adentrando uma vegetação chamada “moorland”. Nunca tinha visto este tipo de paisagem e fiquei deliciada, queria fotografar tudo, mas não podia desperdiçar bateria (na barraca não tem tomada). Parecia um cenário de ALICE NO PAÍS DAS MARAVILHAS, árvores cabeludas, misturadas com pinheiros, flores gigantes, cactus que não tinham espinhos e árvores gigantes com flores gigantes no topo. Tudo muito mágico e lindo.
On this day we left Machame camp (2,980m) at 08:30 am, leaving the "rain forest" vegetation and getting into a type of vegetation called "moorland". I had never seen this type of landscape, and I was delighted by it; I wanted to photograph everything, but I could not waste the camera battery (the tent had no power outlet). It looked like a scene from ALICE IN WONDERLAND; there were hairy trees mixed with pine trees, giant flowers, non-thorny cactus, and giant trees with giant flowers on top. Everything was very magical and beautiful.
Daniel e Nechi na trilha de moorland Daniel and Nechi at moorland trail |
começamos a ficar acima das nuvens day started above clouds |
carregadores ao longo da trilha porters on the way |
lobelia deckenii |
Senecio Kilimanjari - a árvore gigante com flor gigante Senecio Kilimanjari - a giant tree with a giant flower |
não era só eu que tava cansada... it was not just me who was tired ... |
a árvore cabeluda hairy trees |
Paramos no “shira plateau” para um lanche rápido, seguindo
depois para o Shira camp (3840m de altitude). Chegamos lá em torno das 13:30h,
depois de percorridos 9 km e vencidos 860m na vertical. Essa caminhada foi mais
difícil que a do dia 1, o terreno era rochoso e mais íngreme. A temperatura
começou a cair. Como regra geral a temperatura cai 10C a cada 200m de acréscimo
de altura. O processo de aclimatação também começou ficar mais evidente, regra
geral é necessário 1 hora a cada 200m de desnível.
Depois do almoço tivemos um tempo de descanso. Por volta das
16:00h fomos dar uma caminhada até um camping desativado, com um ótimo visual
do “shira plateu”.
We stopped at the "shira plateau" for a quick snack, then, we headed to the Shira camp (3,840m of altitude). We got there around 01:30 pm, after traveling 9 km and gaining 860m vertically. This walk was harder than that of day 1; the terrain was rocky and steeper. The temperature began to drop. As a general rule, the temperature drops 10°C for each 200m increase in height. The acclimatization process also started to become more obvious; as a general rule, 1 hour is necessary for each 200m of elevation.
We stopped at the "shira plateau" for a quick snack, then, we headed to the Shira camp (3,840m of altitude). We got there around 01:30 pm, after traveling 9 km and gaining 860m vertically. This walk was harder than that of day 1; the terrain was rocky and steeper. The temperature began to drop. As a general rule, the temperature drops 10°C for each 200m increase in height. The acclimatization process also started to become more obvious; as a general rule, 1 hour is necessary for each 200m of elevation.
After lunch, we had some resting time. Around 4:00 pm, we went for a
hike up to a deactivated campsite, which provided a great view of the
"shira plateau"
Shira camp, a caminhada da tarde foi até o pico a esquerda da foto Shira camp, in the afternoon walk we went to the peak on the left side of the photo |
Me fala, dá vontade de sair de um lugar desses?!?!?!
Tell me: Would you like to leave a place like this?!?!?!
almoço, sopa de legumas e macarrão com legumes e carne, muito bom! tem um sabor meio asiático
Lunch: vegetable soup and noodles with vegetables and meat, very good! Tastes like Asian food |
a vista na caminhada da tarde the view on evening walk |
no fim da tarde já estávamos no meio das nuvens
in the evening we were already surrounded by clouds |
Geologia
A origem geológica do kilimanjaro está diretamente
relacionada a formação do “Rift valley” no período plioceno, há 1,5 milhões de
anos atrás. Nesta época a atividade vulcânica da montanha estava concentrada em
3 caldeiras; Shira, Kibo e Mawenzi, que se desenvolveram separadamente. Há
centenas de milhares de anos seus picos estavam a 5000m. Inicialmente Shira foi
extinta, depois Mawenzi. A erupção de Kibo cobriu a cratera de Shira com lava
originando o “Shira plateau”. A última erupção de Kibo foi a 100.000 anos
atrás, quando atingiu 5900m.
O pico Uhuru (5895m) é o mais alto do kilimanjaro, a
montanha mais alta da África e um dos vulcões mais altos do mundo. É também um
dos poucos picos que podem ser atingidos por trekkers sem equipamentos ou
assistência técnica. Desde 1973 toda a área acima de 2700m foi declarada parque
nacional.
Geology
Geology
The geological origin of Kilimanjaro is directly related to the
formation of the "Rift Valley" in the Pliocene period, about 1.5
million years ago. At that time, the volcanic activity of the mountain was
concentrated in 3 caldrons: Shira, Kibo, and Mawenzi, which developed
separately. For hundreds of thousands of years, their peaks were 5,000m.
Initially, Shira became extinct, being followed by Mawenzi. Kibo’s eruption
covered Shira’s crater with lava, creating the "Shira plateau."
Kibo’s last eruption was 100,000 years ago, and reached 5,900m.
The Uhuru Peak (5,895m) is the highest of Kilimanjaro, the highest
mountain in Africa, and one of the world's highest volcanoes. It is also one of
the few peaks that can be reached by trekkers without equipment or technical
assistance. Since 1973, the entire area above 2,700m was declared a national
park.
no caminho para Lava Tower the way to Lava Tower |
Dia 3 - Saímos de Shira camp (3840m) às 8:00h, com as nuvens abaixo de nós e o céu azul, aos poucos a zona de moorland foi sendo trocada por um caminho de pedra. As nuvens foram subindo com o calor e quando chegamos a Lava Tower (4600m) estávamos no meio delas, andamos mais um pouco e paramos para almoço as 12:30h. Estava ficando mais difícil devido ao frio e a aclimatação, tinha que puxar mais ar, respirar mais rápido e andar devagar ou “pole pole”em Swahili.
Day 3 - We left the Shira camp (3,840m) at 8:00 am, with the clouds below us and the blue sky; the moorland zone was slowly being replaced by a stone path. The clouds were rising with the heat and when we arrived at the Lava Tower (4,600m), we were in the middle of the clouds. We walked some more and stopped for lunch at 12:30 pm. It was getting harder due to the cold and acclimatization; I had to pull in more air, breath faster, and walk slowly, what is known as "pole pole" in Swahili.
Lava Tower 4600m - quase só vimos nuvens Lava Tower 4600m - only clouds |
Devido ao frio o almoço foi serviço na tenda, que já estava montada quando chegamos e com o salvador chá quente pronto.
Por volta das 13:15h continuamos em direção a Barranco camp.
(3950m), voltamos para a zona de moorland e de novo ao PAÍS DAS MARAVILHAS DE
ALICE. O cenário com as árvores de 500 anos (Senecio kilimanjari) era mais
surreal que antes, agora incluíam rios e pedras.
Depois de percorridos de 15 km e vencidos 760m de desnível,
dos quais 650m foram devolvidos, chegamos ao camping por volta das 16:40h.
Due to the cold, the lunch was served inside the tent, which was already assembled when we arrived, and the lifesaving hot tea was ready.
Due to the cold, the lunch was served inside the tent, which was already assembled when we arrived, and the lifesaving hot tea was ready.
Around 1:15 pm, we continued walking toward the Barranco camp (3,950m),
returned to the moorland area and were again in ALICE’S WONDERLAND. The scenery
with 500-year old trees (Senecio kilimanjari) was more surreal than before,
because now there were rivers and stones.
After traveling 15 km and gaining 760m of elevation, of which 650m were
returned, we reached the campsite at around 4:40 pm.
Nechi, Shayo, eu e as flores gigantes Nechi, Shayo, I and the giant flowers |
este deve ter 500 anos this should be 500 years old |
Este é, sem dúvida, o camping com a mais alucinante
localização. Estávamos no alto da montanha, com a vista para a planície abaixo,
cercados por uma cadeia de montanhas negras, parecendo o meio de um cratera e
em um dos lados, um cânion com cachoeira, emoldurado por um paredão de pedra.
Ao fundo o topo do kilimanjaro e seus glaciares. Pôr do sol, lua cheia ou nascer do sol, dão movimento a cena, ALUCINANTE.
This is undoubtedly the campground with the most amazing location. We were on top of the mountain, with a view of the plain below, surrounded by a chain of black mountains resembling the middle of a crater, and on one side there was a canyon with a waterfall framed by a big stone wall. In the background, we could see the top of Kilimanjaro and its glaciers; the sunset, full moon or sunrise gave movement to the scene. Simply AMAZING.
This is undoubtedly the campground with the most amazing location. We were on top of the mountain, with a view of the plain below, surrounded by a chain of black mountains resembling the middle of a crater, and on one side there was a canyon with a waterfall framed by a big stone wall. In the background, we could see the top of Kilimanjaro and its glaciers; the sunset, full moon or sunrise gave movement to the scene. Simply AMAZING.
o camping ao fundo a esquerda e o jardim de arvores gigantes a direita camping at the bottom left and the garden of giant trees on the right |
o cânion the canyon |
Tomamos nosso chá com pipoca e fomos dar um rolê pela área.
Durante o dia havíamos descoberto que as 2 americanas
estavam morando em Arusha, fazendo trabalho voluntário. Eu queria ter a
oportunidade de falar com elas e perguntar tudo sobre o assunto.
E foi sem querer, que no meio do role, avistamos elas de
papo com os 2 tchecos. Não tive dúvidas, fomos até lá.
Fui direto ao assunto, perguntei tudo que pude lembrar: como
era, como tinham chegado até lá, porque, o que faziam, idade…
Sara, 18 anos, estava entre o colégio e a faculdade e
ainda como não tinha ideia do que queria fazer, resolveu dedicar-se aos menos
favorecidos. Estava lá há 6 meses ia ficar mais 6.
Jacquie tinha 22 anos, tinha terminado a faculdade de
engenharia e resolveu viajar por 1 ano. Achou que o trabalho voluntário era a
melhor maneira de conhecer os lugares e as pessoas mais profundamente.
Particularmente acho que ela tem toda a razão. Ela tinha ficado 6 semanas.
Contaram que é tudo super bem organizado, que são super bem
tratadas no local de hospedagem, que davam aulas para crianças, que a realidade
é muito chocante, que muitas vezes são convidadas para ir a casa das crianças,
que tem escolas ótimas e outras nem tanto, que muitas crianças fazem a única
refeição do dia na escola e muito mais. Ficamos bastante tempo conversando com
elas e os tchecos, János e Attila.
Elas chegaram até lá através de uma organização guarda chuva
chamada INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER HQ (IVHQ), que as encaminhou para uma
organização local na Tanzânia, chamada TANZANIA VOLUTEER EXPERIENCE (TVE). A
IVHQ oferece programas de trabalho voluntário no Kenya, Kenya - Maasai,
Tanzania, Gana, Uganda, África do Sul, Índia, Nepal, Vietnam, Camboja,
Guatemala, Equador, Costa Rica, Tailândia, China, Brasil, Colômbia, Peru -
Cusco, Peru - Lima, Marrocos e México. Deve incorporar ainda Argentina, Sri
Lanka e Rússia.
Divagamos um pouco sobre porque apesar de toda a dificuldade
as crianças estavam sempre com um sorriso no rosto e a hipótese foi de que
naquele momento elas estariam recebendo algo muito bom comparado ao que já
vivenciaram.
Adorei ter conversado com elas e achar o caminho para esse
tipo de atividade. Gostaria de recomendar isso a todos que querem sair por ai
conhecendo o mundo, incluindo eu.
We drank our tea with popcorn and we went for a stroll around the area.
We drank our tea with popcorn and we went for a stroll around the area.
During the day, we had discovered that the two American women were
living in Arusha, doing volunteer work. I wish I had the opportunity to talk to
them and ask all about it.
And unwittingly it was, in the middle of the stroll, that we spotted
them chatting with the two Czech men. I had no doubt, and we went there.
I went straight to the point, and asked everything I could remember: how
was it, how they got there, why, what they did, what were their ages...
Sara, 18 years old, was between high school and college and still had no
idea about what she wanted to do; she decided to devote herself to the less
fortunate. She was there for 6 months and was going to stay 6 more.
Jacquie was 22 years old, had completed an engineering degree and
decided to travel for 1 year. She thought that volunteering was the best way to
know places and people more deeply. Particularly, I think she is absolutely
right. She had had been there for 6 weeks.
They said that everything is very well organized, they are very well
treated at the lodge, they taught children, and the reality is quite shocking;
often they are invited to go to the children's home; there are schools which
are great and others not so much. They said that many children have their only
daily meal at school; and much more. We spent a long time talking to them and
the two Czechs, János and Attila.
They got there through an umbrella organization called INTERNATIONAL
VOLUNTERR HQ (IVHQ), which referred them to a local organization in Tanzania
called VOLUTEER TANZANIA EXPERIENCE (TVE). The IVHQ offers volunteer programs
in Kenya, Kenya - Maasai, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, India, Nepal,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Thailand, China, Brazil, Colombia,
Peru - Cusco, Peru - Lima, Morocco, and Mexico. It should also incorporate
Argentina, Sri Lanka, and Russia.
We wondered a little about why, despite all the difficulties, the
children always had a smile on their faces, and the hypothesis was that, at
that time they would be receiving something pretty good compared to what they
have already experienced.
I loved talking to them and finding the way to this type of activity. I
would like to recommend it to all those people who want to go out there to see
the outside world, including me.
Attila, Sara, Jacquie, Cláudia, János, Daniel por trás da câmera Attila, Sarah, Jacquie, Claudia, János, Daniel behind the camera |
No fim de toda a discussão ganhamos um fim de tarde com vista para o topo do kilimanjaro, que aos poucos foi aparecendo no meio das nuvens!
Foi tudo muito especial, pela paisagem, pelas descobertas,
pela troca de experiências e pelas pessoas, que agora fazem parte da minha
vida.
After all the discussion we were given an evening with a view of the top of Kilimanjaro, which was gradually appearing through the clouds!
After all the discussion we were given an evening with a view of the top of Kilimanjaro, which was gradually appearing through the clouds!
Everything was very special; the landscape, the discoveries, the
exchange of experiences and the people who are now part of my life.
espelho da foto abaixo! this picture is the other side of the picture bellow |
Terminamos o dia com um jantar delicioso e uma lua cheia
maravilhosa sobre a nossa cabeça.
Eu e Daniel ficamos um bom tempo curtindo esse momento único
de nossas vidas, no cenário cinematográfico, das montanhas que nos cercava, o
pico do kilimanjaro branco iluminado pela lua cheia e a cidade bem abaixo e bem
longe.
We ended the day with a delicious dinner and a wonderful full moon over our heads.
We ended the day with a delicious dinner and a wonderful full moon over our heads.
Daniel and I stayed enjoying this unique moment of our lives for a
while, in the cinematographic scene with mountains surrounding us, the full
moon illuminating the white top of Kilimanjaro, while the city was far below
and far away.
a vista no local do bate papo the view from the local where the conversation take place |
Leia também:
Congratulations Claudia, you've done a god damn great job in translating to words these amazing days. I'm really glad to have taken part on this incredible journey with you. ;-)
ResponderExcluir... Looking forward to read your next chapters!!!