We awoke feeling good and well-rested!  Had breakfast, signed the book at the Ranger Hut, then handed out our tips to the crew and took some photos.  We sang some songs with the crew in Swahili, part of which we understood ("Jambo Kilimanjaro!") but all of which were very festive.

We packed up in the mud, and started our descent to Mweka Gate.  The path was improved in the steeper places with wooden steps, really wooden risers for the most part, and the going was fast, using our poles for balance and to maintain a rhythm.  Greg and Barney walked ahead; Ray and Fredy allowed us to set the pace and followed behind.

We made very good time, and felt great.  It was moist in the forest, and a few times we had our first real rain.  The path began to level out, and we chatted with Ray and Fredy as the trees grew higher and the path wider.  Less than three hours from camp, we came to the Mweka Gate, signed the book, and collected our certificates.  We eschewed the overpriced souvenirs that a herd of people tried to sell.

Our final lunch on the trek was in a little patch of grass by the road down from Mweka Gate, surrounded by banana plants and curious children.  We made our farewells to the porters, who left in high spirits, hanging onto the truck that had come to pick them up.  Richard arrived in a Jeep to pick us up, and the five of us (B, G, R, F and R) set off for Moshi down a muddy road, past shacks, shops, Coca Cola signs, banana plants, and lots of people.

We managed to get some additional cash for the remaining tips in Moshi, then said a very grateful goodbye to Ray on the road to Arusha.  Fredy accompanied us, as promised, to the Cultural Centre in Arusha to look at Tanzanite.  This large emporium has all kinds of African artifacts for sale,: wooden giraffes from pocket- to man-size, fabrics, trinkets, paintings, and very explicit statues.  But it was Tanzanite we had come for, and we proceeded to the counter where one of the owners was displaying these gems - found only in Tanzania - to a group of about a dozen tourists.

He was extolling the virtues of a particularly attractive and large Tanzanite when we arrived and moved up to the end of the second row.  He gave the price: $13,000.  All but the American couple at the end of the counter immediately melted away, and this last couple stayed only for a minute or two.  Funny, we thought, they must have been frightened away by the price - they should have realized that it was a very large stone.  It was only that evening that the alternative thought struck us.  Just think: 9 days on the mountain without a shower, 2 3/4 hours of heavy walking that very day through a sultry rainforest, still wearing the same outer clothes that we had started the trek in, and pretty serious upset stomachs - it boggles the imagination!!

As we were finalizing our purchases, a timid voice came from behind: "would you think I could get by, please?"  Funny - plenty of room for a little old lady to squeeze past.

Fredy and Richard took us to the entrance to the Coffee House Lodge, where we said our goodbyes.