2 hours after I left Addis Ababa, I made it to Kilimanjaro airport. YES!! Finally!! When I left Japan, it was in the middle of winter.

But as Tanzania is in the other side of hemisphere, it was so hot and sunny in contrast.

-----------　　Trouble #1　　---------- I was so happy to get there safely but fased the 1st trouble right after I made it... Before I went through the custom, a lady; one of the customs officers

stopped me and asked me to open my suitcase. Then she checked inside. The customs officers were suspicious about 3 big plastic bags in there.

The one with a skiwear top, the one with a bottom, and the one with a sleeping bag. She asked me about the skiwear if they were new or old, so I answered her that I got them

5 years ago. and it was ok. But, there was a problem with the sleeping bag. I told her honestly that I got the new sleeping bag for this trip a month ago. It wasn't the right answer...after all...

I learned from her that Tanzania is a poor country so some foreigners come there with some basic items made in their countries to sell them illegally so the customs officers

have to keep in order. So when the customs officers find new items on visitors, they have to take them away from them or make the visitors pay the duties on them. Oh!! One Sour Apple!!

But, I, who have never experienced it before, couldn't just swallow it. So I complained to them A LOT. I couldn't behave myself...

Then a man came to me and took me to another room and he showed me a custom list on PC monitor.

Oh!! I couldn't believe it!! The sleeping bags are in the list!! No way!! Even though they gave me an explanation, I couldn't get it! So I explained to them

that my Kilimanjaro treck guide "Tammy"was waiting for me outside and I was gonna call him and bring him in there. Then I met him and went back in there with him.

They were talking about it in Swahili language so I had no idea what was going on. After all, He also shared me tha bad news, "Syuhei, she is right!

you have to pay the duty. I'm sorry for not being able to help you..." So there was nothing I could do. So I had to swallow it... Boo...

At that time, I remembered a story from a blog that a group of climers brought their new shoes for their guides and porters as souvenir

when they went to climb Mt.Kilimanjaro in the past, but the customs officers took all shoes from them then. About 20 pairs of shoes!! 20!! Oh... No...!!!

-----------　　Arrived at the Hotel 　　----------

The driver drove Tammy and me from the airport to Moshi, the town at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. On the way, the sky was getting clear

so we could see Mt. Kilimanjaro from the window. When I was talking with Tammy, I asked him being worried, "Can I conquer Mt.Kilimanjaro too??" "I'm here for you."

Tammy went. "We sure will make you stand on the top of Africa!" What A Man!! I liked it! I heard Tammy had experienced a porter and a chef before he became a guide. On top of that,

he completed all routes to the peak. He has more than 200 successful trips under his belt. How superhuman of him!

It took about 50 minutes to get to the hotel. When I finished checking-in, I met Franziska. It was the 1st time to see her since 2013, when I home-stayed her place.

She recommended the hotel to me strongly. No Doubt!! It was very beautiful and so Africa!

I can sleep at last!! Right away I went into my room, I went to bed to get ready for the adventure until dinner...zzz A curtain on the bed frame isn't just a decoration. It protects me from mosquitoes. In Japan, the mosquitoes always like me, but they didn't in Tanzania. Why??

-----------　　Trouble #2　　---------- The dinner time came. African chicken curry with bone was very delicious!

But... when I was having it, suddenly the lights went off. Yes, as I learned from Franziska that Tanzania is a poor country, it doesn't have enough electricity to cover everyone in the country...

So we got hit! Lost the power! No power for about 20 minutes... About 20minutes later, it came back on again. But I could sense that something wrong would happen again so I got back to my room after dinner soon.

Then, when Iwas taking a shower in my room, I got hit again... So, in the dark room, I had to take a shower with cold water, not hot water.

But Tanzania was in the middle of summer, so I didn't feel the water was too cold luckily. After taking a shower it turned back on and went off again for the 3rd time... and On and off again, on and off again...Enough is Enough!!

When I got back to my room from the restaurant, I felt a little hot, so turened on an AC. But...even though the power came back on again, it didn't get turned on and neither wifi.

So I went to the front and told the reception about it. Then she said, "We couldn't turn the power on any more and had to turn off the dispensable power in the hotel. Sorry..."

I had my 1st experiences in Africa country a lot. Hmm... Good Night...zzz

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