JRO

We landed on time at JRO, which for some reason was shown on the in-flight tracker a good 100mi SE of where it actually is.


Anyway, now that I was in the back I thought it wold take some time to deplane. But one of the FAs said we could go out the back door. Sweet!

I was on the tarmac in a blink and was the third person into the termina. More importantly, I was the first person to the visa window, which is straight ahead and a bit to the left. (There are three booths for immigration, or those already with visas, to the left.) A quick stamp and $100 later I was officially in TZ. 

It was also a short wait for my bags - both arrived intact and otherwise unmolested - and I was the first passenger out of the terminal. Wasn't even stopped for a bag check by customs. Waaay faster than I thought. So fast I'm sorry I didn't time it.

My thoughts/observations:

For KLM 571 at least - the very back is as good as the very front.


I imagine the yellow fever rules are still in force (must show proof of innoculation if coming from a "yellow fever endemic country"). My flight came straight from Europe, so I didn't need one. I had my yellow book in my shirt pocket - for all my other pokes - but they didn't even ask. Henry Stedman in his 3rd edtition of Kilimanjaro said it was almost compsory, noting that immigration sometimes asks, whether a passenger requires it or not. I thought his warning was a tad alarmist.

From my vantage point in baggage claim, I'd say the majority of the people deplaning at JRO got their visas in advance. I chatted with a Canadian who sat right behind me and he said he wished he hadn't gotten his in advance. (Getting it ahead of time means mailing your passport, two pictures and some documentation to a TZ embassy or consulate. For the added expense of the pictures and express postage both ways, you get a slick full-color visa printed in your passport.) So a lot of those folks paid more for a convenience that never really materialized.

He was surprised I got through so quickly since I had to buy my visa. Well, it's always fast when you're first in line. :)

Weighty Concerns

I finished packing and weighed everything. I prefer to travel light, but it's hard to do "light" on Kili. Even harder when you have to drag your Kili gear for a week after the climb.

I was up til 1:00am weighing and figuring things. What will stay at the hotel and what will go up the mountain. What will be given away or consumed. What has to stay with me at all times. What I can really leave out.

My two duffels weigh 27lbs and 24lbs. Yeah that's a lot. But that includes 6-7lbs of stuff I'm taking over to donate to a school: markers, chalk, pens and - since it's World Cup season - a youth-size soccer ball with an air pump. I took out a fleece, a vest and an extra t-shirt. Only 2lbs or so, but that's progress!

My daypack, which I'm carrying on, is around 18lbs. This includes most of my camera gear and my netbook.


My mountain weight is probably OK. The guide will shake out my gear the day before, so if I need to shed stuff he will definitely let me know. I have a personal porter who can carry my daypack for me, but I'll probably have him carry my tripod (9lbs, with a not-very-light panoramic head) most of the time. If the pack gets to be too much, he gets the pack and I'll get the tripod.

Oh yeah, there's also a 33lb baggage limit on internal flights. I will have shed some weight by then (the donated stuff, snacks, gifts) but I'm going to be over that limit by a weighs. (ha!) 

Carol from Kiliwarriors says there's no scale at the bush airstrip and it's pretty much an honor system. It's also ultimately up to the pilot whether to take excess baggage in the first place. She said previous clients have been over the limit by a little bit and it hasn't been a problem. I will find out firsthand just how strict that rule is.