Life is never simple when you are in internet cafe's that cut you off after a certain time!! here is the rest of the climb: day 5 - the important one!! I can't seem to load the photos for now, but have some great ones for when it works!!

Day 5: (well, part of it still day 4 if you want to be technically correct).

The alarm came at 11.30pm, the moment I had been lying in my lovely warm sleeping bag dreading. I knew this was going to be the difficult bit. We donned around 5 layers of clothes trying desperately to keep out the -20 weather. Beautiful days leading up to here had suddenly been replaced by a very windy one which is why the wind chill kept the temperature so low. We crept out of our tent to biscuits and tea, which we could not really face, and then began our ascent. It was pitch dark, so we were using our trusty head torches to light the way for us, guided by Goddy and our assistant guide. Immediately this was hard work, the dark and altitude made a horrible combination making Sean vomit and me feel as though I had just had the flu and not a single ounce of energy. Amazingly enough just putting one foot in front of the other at such a slow pace was a massive task and all consuming energy wise.

The cold was bitter on our faces, even though I had over layered and took a layer off. Climbing like this for 6 hours is the most difficult thing either of us have ever done. We didn't do ourselves any favours and rather than take a thermos we packed our water bladders in our coats to keep defrosted. No luck, all our water froze within minutes. Unable to get fluids in, and without food (our choice of chocolate bars backfired as they too froze solid and inedible) we were feeling particularly rough. In addition to the vomiting Sean was also struck with a dodgy tummy - not ideal in freezing weather with loads of layers on. Goddy was worried and even warned me that is he vomited again he would be forced to take Sean back as he felt it unsafe. Doubt Sean would have gone quietly though as he just kept going. Finally at 6 am we reached Stellar Point which feels like you have climbed to the top of Kili, but isn't quite there. We watched the sun rising in the African sky which was beautiful. I had in mind to stop here and head down as I had had enough.

Sean said "let's go on" and perhaps due to a lack of energy to say no I found myself following him on the road to Uhuru peak - the summit. Although we could see the peak and it looked very close from Stellar Point it took an hour, all be it easier climbing, to reach the summit. Sean was struggling to breathe and making the most horrible gasping sounds like he has emphysema. Despite being at the top of Africa with a view over the plains and surrounded by stunning glaciers, my priority was just to get down! Thankfully Goddy had seen this before and ensured that he took photos of us at the top and of the scenery for our album, because despite thinking we would be dancing for joy and signing Johnny Clegg's song 'I'm sitting on the top of Kilimanjaro' we were just too knackered.

Descending although clearly easier was still not a piece of cake. It was a 3 hour journey through slippery scree to our camp. There was little sense of achievement, just absolute relief that it was done at that point in time. After a rest at camp and a good feed on potato stew, we descended for a further 3 ½ hours to Mweka camp - our final stop. Although tired, we felt like different people having finished our task and being out of the high altitude.

Day 6: Rising early we set off at a pace - we had the promise of a shower and a drink that was not chlorinated river water! Descending through rainforest we were lucky enough to see little monkeys in the trees. By 10 am we had reached Mweka gate, where we collected our certificates and were taken back to the hotel. Phew! Enough of an adventure for now.....bring us the beers!

We are now back in Nairobi, starting a 3 day Masai reserve tour tomorrow, so bye for now!!