| We agreed in advance that, at the hotel, we'd wash up quickly
(though
we all desperately wanted long showers) to meet in the garden bar at
the hotel so we would work out the tips we would give to our support
crew. All the guide information you will find about Kili (and
similar treks in Tanzania) tells you to figure your tips collectively
and chip in together. Donations of used gear are always welcome,
as well. |
| While tossing back a few Kilimanjaro beers (until they ran
out of cold
Kili and we had to switch to Serengeti), Gloria and I worked out the
tips with occasional input from the others. Gloria was in charge
of tips as such because she works in finance, and I did the spreadsheet
because I had my computer at hand. For the seven of us, we came
up with a figure of USD $320 apiece -- the resulting $2,240 was divided
unevenly (in each case, slightly more than the upper end of the
"suggested"
ranges in the guide) among the guides, assistant guide, and 19
of the 22 porters. We singled out three porters -- Joffrey, who
doubled as waiter at mealtimes, Ema who acted as an extra guide on
summit day, and the poor guy whose name I cannot recall who had to port
the chemical toilet -- for
a little extra. I gave my old but still quite servicable Smith
sunglasses with the interchangable lenses to guide Robert, whom I did
not see wearing sunglasses, and a pair of glove liners that were just a
little too small for me to James. We all collectively put a bunch
of other stuff into a big plastic bag for Simon to distribute as he saw
fit. |
| A note about tips: one thing I had read and heard about
Zara (the tour operator
who
subcontracts to Ultimate Kilimanjaro, the US-based company through
which we all booked) is that they absolutely forbid their staff from
"grubbing" for tips while on the mountain. Other operators either
do not have this rule or it is not observed. I find that kind of
thing extremely unpleasant. I am pleased to report that the Zara
staff did not in fact even mention tips on the mountain, nor did anyone
ask me for anything at all. Anything I gave away, including
sharing of food on the trail with porters and guides, was gratefully
accepted, but it would be a huge mistake to give anyone a cash tip for
some service performed on the trail. (I have heard stories where
this kind of thing led to bad feelings later. If you go on a trek
like this, just don't do that.) |
| Gloria collected the cash and the tip form -- the form is so
that all the porters can see just what part of the money was to be left
to
them, to avoid any questions of impropriety when the money is
distributed by the head guide (a pretty good system) -- and we broke up
to go get cleaned up. I took a good but quick shower and then hit
the pool for a 15-minute swim. The pool at Springlands is the
only swimming pool I've used in Tanzania that isn't as warm as bath
water. (And many times the ocean is even warmer!) It was
quite refreshing. After that, another quick shower, then a little
unpacking and repacking, then it was time for my massage
appointment. ("Hit the quads hard," I told the masseuse, and did she
ever. Ow.) After that, yet another shower. (I don't like
wasting water in Africa, and these weren't long, luxurious showers, but
I had been "saving water" for a full week and I felt it wouldn't hurt
anything to get a little extra clean this one day.) |
| We all met up again for drinks before dinner, then moved over
to
dinner, then when they kicked us out of the dining area, back to the
garden bar for more beer. Around 9:30 pm, people started fading
and excusing themselves for bed. I didn't linger, myself. I
flopped down on my bed, fired up my computer to watch "RED" (which I'd
bought on the street in Dar for a little over two U.S. dollars) and was
asleep even before Bruce Willis kicked the first ass. |
