We are climbing the Marangu Route up Kilimanjaro and today's hike was through the rainforest—great big trees dripping with green moss, a beautiful light mist descending, waterfalls, monkeys...

Turns out the Internet connection is fleeting so I can only post a short note and not so many photos.

When we arrived at our camp (we are staying in the mandara hut), we got settled in with our bunk beds and sleeping bags and then our porters brought us hot tea and the best popcorn on earth. Mmmm.

We went for another short walk to see a very beautiful crater and then it was time for dinner. Now I'll admit, I was not expecting much in the way of food on this trip (although perhaps seeing the porters who walked by us carrying a thousand pounds of groceries on their HEADS might have tipped me off...) so it was a very pleasant surprise to be served an AMAZING meal of rice, vegetable stew, cooked cabbage and beef stew (or fish for the non-meat eaters). Full-on YUM.

And we're all getting used to the idea of the ladies tree...

We'd like to give a very big thank you to myescapades.ca, who so generously donated the girls' Kilimanjaro treks—thank you Firdosh for believing in the vision, and Glenn for making it happen.

We are sleeping tonight at 9,000 ft.

All is cool.