So Wednesday 9 of us headed off from Nkhata bay for Ruarwe. The first mission was to stock up before we left - our plans were dampened when (what we thought was) the only off license in the area was closed for stock take. But that wasn't enough to put us off so 2 of the guys went hunting and after a short while returned victorious with a crate of beer, a bottle of vodka, a bottle of Gin and a bunch of Power number 1 sachets. Then with another crate of cold beers ...

So the trip across the Malawi border was relatively non traumatic (all things are relative).I got on the dala dala at Mbeya, had a little discussion with some men who insisted I buy a ticket, which happened to be 1500Tsh more than I was expecting to pay (which is less than £1 but these things are all about principles). So I stood my ground and said I'd just get off the bus and get the next one - suddenly I didn't need a ticket and the fair was the 3500Tsh I was ...

So I arrived in Mbeya from Iringa on Wed afternoon - this trip was nowhere near as interesting as the previous and was only a mere 5 hours. I decided to stay at the local church youth hostel where the guidebook stated "all the backpackers ended up", this is only true if I am the only backpacker in Mbeya (which may actually be true although I did meet a couple of Austrian girls today). The hostel is .... fine, I have a double bed, a really decent mozzie ...

So I spent an extra day in Moshi recovering from my Kili hike and organised my bus to Iringa for Monday. I wasn't sure what to do about a bus to Iringa as there was conflicting information. The most legitimate/safest company had closed down which left Hood or Sumry. According to the guidebooks one should definitely steer clear of Hood - making trips in two legs instead if necessary - however some websites recommended Hood (the Tanzanian tourist board and Wiki tra...

So I rocked up at Peter tours office at 9 o'clock (filled with apprehension and excitement) and we headed for the Machame gate (1800M). When I arrived there I met the team of 6 staff (including my guide Praygod, a chef and 4 porters) who would have to walk up the mountain too just so I could have a jolly. I was really surprised by the number of people at the gate waiting to start the climb and was even more surprised to learn it was a quiet day (they have up to ...