Breakfast is the same and the porridge is still awful but I smother it with jam and lots of sugar to mask the taste and eat it as fast as I can!
Today was tough mainly due to the heat, it was extremely hot and just zaps all of your energy. I think I was still suffering from heat stroke from yesterday so today I am completely covered, but still have my headache,was hoping it would have gone. Told the head guide Charles and he told me to take diamox which I did.
I can see Russ is struggling big time today so Simon and I give him as much moral support as we can, he has done brilliant so far and we will encourage him all the way to the top.
We're actually walking away from the mountain towards Mawenzi a beautiful jagged peak. Mawenzi is one of the three peaks on kilimanjaro. Mount Kilimanjaro is on our right bathed in sunshine, it actually looks like a bloody big ant hill, good job its not as the ants would be huge and the Anteater would be the size of a dinosaur! The vegetation is also really starting to thin out now. Although its been tough to this point the way to the top looks very steep. If we get that far it will be a long 12 hours to get to the top, I pray to stay healthy.
I spoke with Rachel early this morning as was not certain we would get a signal, even managed to get to talk with Ethan and Kian for a few minutes later on, then lost service for the rest of the day, but it was great to hear their voices, I read the photo book they gave me every night and it brings a smile to my face. I can't express how much I am missing them all and long to give them all a hug.
We eventually arrive at camp at around 1pm, after leaving at 8.30am this morning everything is set up as usual by the brilliant porters. We get a hot lunch consisting of soup, potatoes and salad, and plenty of hot tea. There was fruit for dessert, water melon today, pineapple yesterday, not bad considering we are at 4330m. We then get a welcome rest before we leave on the acclimatisation walk to 4550M, my head still hurts, I have taken everything there is yet nothing will shift it. I collapse in the tent for a well earned rest to try and shift it.
The rest was quick lived though and off we plodded, and I mean plodded, off on our acclimtisation walk. You are supposed to climb high and sleep low to help your bodies get used to the altitude. Not something that you want to do as you are so bloody knackered but you know you have to give you the chance of reaching the summit. It was very very steep, but we all made it and headed back down for 'wash wash' as they call it.
I'm not feeling particularly great so go for another lie down, that lasted 10mins before the first bout of diarrhoea which was quickly followed 30 mins later by another bout. This really is not pleasant at this altitude and I won't go into detail! Stephan gives me some tablets to take that should kill the bug. I was the butt of all jokes (no pun intended!) over the pasta dinner! It would seem that the side effect of diamox for me is to wee constantly, 15 times today so far and diarrhoea, so basically no more diamox for me.
Its now 8pm everyone is in their tents trying to sleep. Its cold tonight, bloody cold.
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