Hello All!

Thank you so much for your support and your very kind congratulations!!! I'm currently in a hot sticky internet cafe in Laos typing on what feels like the worlds stickiest keyboard on the worlds slowest computer ever!!!! But yes... I MADE IT TO THE TOP OF KILI!

For those of you that joked with me that it was not a climb and would be a walk in the park, I assure you now that is very VERY wrong!!! It was easily the hardest 6 days of my life but I absolutely loved it at the same time!!!

When you read the literature it says you walk for around 6 hours a day! This is a lie! All the guides and porters work in very relaxed african time and a 3 hour trek until lunch most often meant about 6 hours!

Day 1- 4 was actually very enjoyable! We walked through so many different terrains starting with rain forests then clambering up rocks then towards the top it looked quite like how i imagine mars to look! Very rocky and very few trees and shrubbery. We did the Machame route so if any of you want to google it, it will give you a better idea of what it's like. I would like to tell you all about it day by day but this internet is unfortunately way too slow :( But anyway the first few weeks were good! I sung for the majority of the first 4 days (to everyones delight/horror - hopefully more in tune than my baby sister!!!!). I also did what i was told and drank loads, ate loads and tried to sleep as much as possible (which wasn't the easiest in tents!!!). As some of you may know, altitude tends to make people loose their appitite but guess what SHOCK for me it didn't and I ate about twice as much as most the boys!!!! SOme of the stuff the chefs and porters whipped up on the mountain was amazing! Fish, spag bol, beef stroganoff! SOoo good and 3 courses for EVERY meal!!! (in my element!!!)

The 5th day was the extremeley tough day! It was summit day and after going to bed at 9pm on day 4 (after over 8 hours of trekking) we set our alarms for 11pm to start trekking at midnight! It was pitch black and we walked in a line at snail pace with our head torches lighting the way! Towards the top was extremeley cold and snowwy! It was so exhausting that we needed breaks but as soon as you had a break, your temperature droppped so much!!! The weather was not particularly kind to us and decided to snow storm on us as we got to the final ascent. We were told we would reach the summit at 6am but did not end up getting there until half 9! The last hour or so from Stella Point was ridiculously hard! You couldn't see more than a few meters infront of you and it wsa freezing cold due to the thick snow! I (and many others) were extremely close to giving up! My arms and legs were unbelievably weak and I honestly felt that i could not keep going! Eventually however, i caught sight of the summit sign and instead of jumping with joy, i collapsed in a heap on the floor!!!!! Walking for 9.5 hours on 2 hours sleep in the dark, cold and snow is not cool!!!!! It was pretty emotional and everyone was crying (even all the boys)! BUt we all made it!!!!!!! :) It felt like an incredible achievement that all 30 of us made it considering the drop out rate is normally about 30%! A few had to be carried down but but we all made it and everyone is safe and well now which is what matters! :D

The pic on this entry is me (attempting to look happy) at the top with the sign :) After getting lost without a guide on the way down (woops) my group returned to camp about 2pm. WE had lunch then started off again at around 4 to get down to the evening camp! After being told it was a 4 hour trek down, we didn't get there until 11pm so without a doubt day 5 was the longest hardest day of my life! Up for over 24 hours, walking for over 20 and all on 2 hours sleep!YUK. I slipped in the mud just before we got to night time camp and cried like a baby until I got in to bed! Needless to say we all slept VERY well that night!

The last day was a lot more relaxed and was a stroll through the rain forest (although by now, the blisters were hurting pretty bad!!!!).

I know we had very tough extreme weather conditions but to be honest that just makes me so much prouder of what I (and the group of us all) achieved! It was so sooo tough but at the same time i made some really incredible friends, played some really childish games (it's amazing what you do to pass the time when your severely exhausted/bored) and had a fantastic time! The fact that I and everyone made it, made it an excellent start to my adventures away!

We had a spare day before leaving so me and the group that weren't travelling to Zanzibar for extended stay all decide to go on a safari to Arusha National Park. Within 5 mins of being in the park, our van was being charged at by a herd of elephants! It was terrifying and just added to what felt like another near death experience for the week! It was so much fun though... We saw giraffes too and zebra and warthogs and all that jazz!

As I said, I am now in Laos after 3 long sleepless flights from Nairobi! Very excited to start my work with the kiddie winkles! Luang Prabang is a really pretty town and one of the project co-ordinators kindly took me for a stroll round it after picking me up from the airport! There are 9 volunteers currently here who have been here for a varying amount of weeks so far! There are also 2 german girls who are arriving tomorrow who will be joining the project with me when I start on Saturday! It's a very cute little town. Theres lots of pretty temples and monks walking around everywhere! Everyone seems extremely friendly and kind and bows to you whenever you enter anywhere (makes me feel like a VIP!!!). You need to take your shoes off whenever you enter the shops cafes or restaurants which is very surreal! I'm meeting the existing volunteers at their hotel tonight when they finish for the day at around 8:30pm (long days!!!) and we're all going for dinner! Wish me luckkk! I'm excited for the Asian food! mmmmmm

MIssing you all loads! Sorry I can't reply to all your kind texts and messages, I'm on pay as you go so it's costing me a fortune!!! If anyone fancies topping me up... you know my number ;) haa

I wil try and keep this updated but just this entry has been a very long winded and painful ordeal!!! lol

Hope you are all doing well! I'll prob know my final degree results when I next update this so will let you all know! eeeee

Lots of love to all of you and thanks again for your kind words and support xxx