Marangu Falls! By Maddie Bauerly, Noah Amundson, JJ Pfieffer

Today we woke up at about 7 am and ate breakfast at 7:30. We had eggs, poached or fried, watermelon, crepes that we put nutella on and toast with local peanut butter and honey. Overall, breakfast was very good and everyone enjoyed it. After breakfast we packed up backpacks and stuff for our expedition to the falls. The ride there was fascinating and we got to open up windows so we could wave and greet people on the streets. We were excited to wave to them because we always got a wave or a greeting back. The landscape here is so cool and there were mountains and fields all around. Everyone enjoyed just watching as we rode the dala dala bus.

Our first stop was the entrance to the hiking path to Mount Kilimanjaro. We got a short tour and took group pictures by the signs at the Mountain. Then, we drove a little ways back down the mountain to where we would enter the caves. We got a history lesson on how the Chaga dug the caves and about their culture. The cave was very deep and we had to climb a ladder down into the tunnel. Tall people had to duck more than others did because the tunnels were pretty short. Once we got back up from the caves, we started walking to the waterfall. The walk was long and we had to go by a farm and a forest like trail through banana trees and tall bushes. The trail was super cool and we really enjoyed the views and the experience. There was a stray dog and lots of passer byers that we greeted. We got our lunches and started heading to the falls. They gave us walking sticks so we could hike down the trail easier because it was all super slippery and very steep. Once we got to the bottom of the trail and saw the falls, we all got super excited and were all amazed. The waterfall was huge and the wind and mist was crazy strong. After finishing our lunch (mixed feelings about our meal), we got changed and ran into the water. The current was strong and the water was very cold. Lots of people tripped and fell because walking on slippery rocks with a current is difficult. We spent a good amount of time in the water and taking pictures and videos. Once we dried off and headed back up the steep path to the bus. The hike back up was exhausting and we stopped several times to catch our breath. Once at the top, we changed back into our dry clothes. It was cloudy for the majority of the day so while we were waiting for people to change, we sat outside on a stone wall and soaked in the sun. It was very hot and humid all day, too. We got on the bus and drove to the main road, where we dropped off our tour guides that had been with us all day. The bus ride back was as interesting as it was on the way there. Most people were really tired from the day and because we didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. So it was kind of funny to see every crash on the ride back to the lodge. We had free time up until dinner, so we all just chilled on the roof or around the lodge. The girls were up by the roof most of the time, soaking in the sun and listening to music. Hallie got a little sunburnt and so did some other girls. There were school kids walking home and the girls would come down from the roof to talk to them. Noah, Riley, Cade, and Devon, known as the boys of room 10, went to meet Moses and Jimmy who showed them locals. The locals brought corn to be ground up into flour and the boys helped them. They boys of room 10 also rode David’s bike. Before dinner, a lot of people showered and got cleaned up. We had rice, mashed potatoes, and a meat sauce that was almost like a beef stew. We also had tiny bananas that we picked up on our ride back from the falls. The majority of the group enjoyed the meal, but we were all really tired. After dinner and the meeting, most people went to their rooms to sleep. Overall, today was very fun and such an unreal experience at the falls. Everyone is doing well, we are looking forward to tomorrow and our first day of work!

By Maddie Bauerly, Noah Amundson, JJ Pfieffer