So, I'm currently sitting in an internet cafe prone to power cuts so I apologise in advance for crappy typing as I'm trying to speedily get all my thoughts down before my computer crashes...

Alice, Mum and I are successful Kilimanjaro climbers! We made it to the top - 5895m (and sometimes feeling like twice that!). To sum up the trip I thought I'd jot down some pointers for future climbers...

• First of all, keep your windows shut in the van on the way to park gate, we came very close to being part of a scam involving a chameleon on a stick. The old 'shake the stick until the chameleon falls off into the van causing mayhem and then grabbing your stuff' tactic would have had both Alice and I if Mum had not been so on to it!
  
• Don't underestimate the size and toughness of a mountain even if heaps of people climb it every day - the summit climb was seriously the most physically and mentally challenging thing I have ever been through
• Learn to not ask people who are heading down the mountain as you go up what the climb is like. We learnt this after far too many 'very very hard' 'very long way' 'the path is lined with vomit' 'people were carried down on stretchers today' you get the point...
• Learn to resist the temptation to look into your water bottle, no you really do not want to see how grossly floaty filled the water is that your guzzling away!
• Take lots of thermals! It may be Africa but its still a mountain. For the summit climb I wore 2 layers of thermal pants, some thick ski pants, my walking pants and water proofs and was vaguely warm enough...
• Bring a hot water bottle. Sounds excessive I know, but when I lost the feeling in my toes (they actually went a freaky white colour) the hot water bottle was the only thing that got the feeling back into them...
• Do not climb the mountain with people who make you laugh - trust me, hiking up hill in high altitude is hard enough without being made nearly impossible by cracking up along the way - thanks Alice!
• Take ear plugs. Take lots. Take the strongest kind they make. I tell you, there was some kind of snore off going on at each camp. Starting off quite gently, each night the snoring progressed until the final night out cabin had a full on snorchestra! Seriously gross and make it pretty hard to sleep, especially when snoring turned to sleep hawking... mmm mm!
  
• Learn to accept the fact that there are no showers, your hair will turn disgustingly greasy (Alice shall model this look for you all later), you will wear the same clothes basically ever day and most probably smell pretty grotesque on your return... or it could be just us...
• Don't worry about having not enough to eat. We were fed so well that I'm pretty sure we made it harder to ourselves to walk uphill! It didn't help that you could by Mars bars even at 4800m ASL!
  

Basically it was 6 days with great company - both family and other climbers, gorgeous views, a few challenges (aka a HUGE mountain!). AL in all - an awesome adventure!