Tues., Sept. 27, 2011
Marangu Hotel, Tanzania, Africa


The nine 2011 Ascent for Alzheimer’s team members have touched down in Africa and have already experienced a massive change in culture. The team disembarked the plane and entered the airport, only to have the power go out several times, slowing the visa process down quite significantly. However, given the limited technology needed to process the visas – taking fingerprints was the most advanced part of the process – the team was quickly back on their way to getting settled in Marangu Village.

“You could tell you were in a developing nation” said Dan Levitt, the team’s phone spokesperson for the day. But the team was immediately reminded of their Canadian status when they saw a calendar on a nearby wall in the airport featuring a picture of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police member. “September happens to be Canada month so we all felt very at home,” said Dan.

The team visited a local village school today with the help of a local guide. “We delivered 10 care packages and the vice-principal of the school took them, and she will distribute them to the kids who make up her grade school,” explained Dan. The team was then able to visit a few of the classrooms in the school and tour some local farms which harvest corn, coffee, banana plants and avocados before heading back to Marangu Village. “It’s been a nice day in Tanzania,” Dan added.

“It’s been warm; it feels somewhat sub-tropical,” he said of the weather conditions in Tanzania today. The weather report for nearby Arusha over the next few days looks to be a mix of partial sunshine with a shower in places with highs of up to 28°C.

The Ascent team will hike Mt. Kilimanjaro via the Rongai route. They will ascend the mountain from the northeastern side along the border between Tanzania and Kenya, which offers a sense of unspoiled wilderness.
 
On day one of the ascent, the team will be setting out by jeep to Nalemoru Gate (6,000 feet) and then start their hike towards the Kikelewa Caves, where they’ll spend their first night on the mountain.

The next call home from the team is scheduled for tomorrow after they settle in for the evening.