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 Once in a while, I looked up from my feet to see if I could see the top of the mountain, but every time it seemed so far away that I finally decided not to look again. The last 500 feet up to the crater rim consists of boulders and we were "scrambling" through there when the sun rose and covered the entire mountain in a fantastic orange glow.
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 Reaching Gillman's Point at the crater rim, we rested for a while and were now able to see Kilimanjaro's glaciers up close! The hard part of this climb is that you feel you are at the summit when you reach Gillman's Point, because it gets you over the "top." However, Kibo is one big, flat top and the highest point is Uhuru Peak - almost another 2 hours along the crater rim. So, off we went - running into a guy who had carried his girlfriend from Gillman's Point to Uhuru Peak and back. If he could do that, I should be able to at least carry myself there!
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 No longer walking steadily upward, my breathing had lost its rhythm. I was starting to get dizzy, and tried hard to concentrate on my steps - begging for that peak to come closer. And suddenly we were there - at the highest point in Africa - after 9 hours of walking. We took photos next to the famous summit sign. (I forgot to remove my scarf and look like a bank robber on the summit in every single photo!) We tried to be excited about making it. But quite honestly, all you really think is...I've made it - now get me down!
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 And down we came - much, much quicker than up! Back in camp at 12,000 feet I immediately felt better. There was so much air to breathe. I sat down on a rock, and looked back toward Kibo peak - so far away. It was hard to believe that earlier in the day, I had actually been up there - and slowly the feeling of accomplishment that never occurred when I was at the peak, came to me. I actually made it to the top of one of the world's seven summits!
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 Next stop was Tsavo East National Park in Kenya - known for its history of man-eating lions, elephant poaching, and unforgiving environment. But to me, it is the most beautiful and peaceful place I have ever been. If there's a heaven on earth, Tsavo has to be it. Maybe that fact that we had completed our Kilimanjaro climb also added to this calm and relaxed feeling. During our stay here we shamelessly enjoyed our safari chef's gourmet meals, good wine, and afternoons in the hammock.
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 In Tsavo, game walks along the Galana River replaced strenuous trekking. Accompanied by two guards from Kenya's Wildlife Service, we had special permission to walk east of Galana River - which meant that we had to cross the river to get to the other side. The Galana is home to hippos and crocodiles, so the river crossing was...shall we say, quite exciting.
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 We did meet the inhabitants of the river, but only when we were up safe and sound on the riverbanks. One day we sat for an hour watching a group of hippos hanging out in the water, eating, sleeping and doing whatever hippos do. Another day, we saw a group of 15-20 crocodiles feasting on a dead hippo in the river. We decided to cross the river a little further up from there, but as the guide said "Not to worry - they have just eaten."
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 I could have stayed in Tsavo forever. This was the real Africa - remote, raw, and endless plains humming of history. (Our safari camp was once the hunting camp of Isak Dinesen's lover, Denys Finch Hatton). In Tsavo we were exploring Africa the way it was meant to be - on foot and away from any tourist crowds, eagerly absorbing the sights, sounds, and scents of this most wonderful continent.
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