My Kilimanjaro, My Perseverance: Who Said Life Will Be Easy

By Monde A Mondi

The story is about the trip I undertook to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Climbing Kilimanjaro was not in my bucket list of things I wanted to do before the end of my time in this world, nor was I physically ready to be part of such a great venture. My experience of this venture related very well with how I see the world around me and how we as people engage and relate with the universe. Climbing Kilimanjaro became a perfect analogy on how to interpret the life we live. It was about the survival on this earth. Our interaction with people and earthly creation is fully captured in a matter of few days on the mountain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Mar 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9781728381855

Monde A Mondi

Monde surprised himself by first, agreeing to join the team and secondly, for reaching Uhuru on Mt Kilimanjaro. The experience inspired him to draw parallels between the life of growing up from rural part of South Africa and the experience of climbing this gigantic mountain in the African continent. This is his first project. It is meant to inspire young and old people to work towards conquering their personal mountains whatever they may be about.

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© 2019 Monde A Mondi. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/07/2019

ISBN: 978-1-7283-8186-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-8185-5 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

How the Climb Was Conceived

Was I Prepared?

The Journey Begins—Wow!

Tanzania, Here I Come!

Is It Happening, Really?

Arrival at the Starting Point

The First Night Out in the Bush

Is This Just Another Day?

The Third Camp: Is This the Taste of Things to Come?

Is This Just a Drive to Conquer or What?

Kibo Hut, Here We Come

Wow, the Last Camp, Kibo Hut

The Day Has Arrived; We Will See

Wow, Gilman’s Point

It Is Not Yet Uhuru—Stella’s Point

Welcome to Uhuru; Yes, It Means Freedom

Horombo, the Last Camp

The Last Walk, and the Last Steps towards Civilisation

Salvation Is at the Main Gate

Back at the Hotel, and Departing for Home

Summation phrases

Life Is about Choices

Be Cool, Calm, and Collected, but Inside You Must Paddle like a Duck

Respect and Humility

Everybody Has the Potential to Succeed in Life

‘Akulolizwe Lankenekene Eli’—Life Is Not a Bed of Roses; One Has to Man Up

Greet Them on Your Way up so That They Can Greet You on Your Way Down

INTRODUCTION

As a grown-up man reflecting through my journey of life, I believe I have experienced most of what life can throw at a human being. I have experienced beauty, fear, love, hate, joy, pain, laughter, despair, and many more. As with any human being, society has a way of warning you about all these experiences. Through listening to those who have traversed life before me, the elderly in particular will caution against the ugliness of this world in which we live. By climbing Kilimanjaro, one gets to experience all these feelings in just a few days on the mountain. President Mandela captures it nicely in his book Long Walk to Freedom:

I have walked that long walk road

for freedom, I have tried not to falter;

I have made missteps along the way.

But I have discovered the secret that

after climbing a great hill, one only

finds that there are many more

hills to climb.

Tata Madiba, as Nelson Mandela was passionately known by South Africans when he shared these wise words, was not driven by illusion or trying to boast about his mastery of the English language. The greatest illustration in his verse is that the success you experience today is a cause for celebration, but you should at the same time prepare yourself for more pain that life will throw at you in the quest for success. He is illustrating the real essence of life—a life that is characterized by ups and down, trials and tribulations, and suffering and celebration. What he has not made clear is what I experienced in this journey of trying to conquer mighty Kilimanjaro and the greatest mountain in the African continent. In the literal use of English words in this verse, he does not explicitly state that the uphill journey to your success might be tough, but the downhill journey is more excruciating if it happens.

I started the journey believing that if climbing Kilimanjaro could be achieved by other people, I would conquer it too. As I walked meandering through the mountainside, my body and soul were all set for the day of the summiting. I told myself that I had the courage and I was a man. I was ready for everything that life could throw at me. This was my test of bravery. I told myself that come the day of the summiting, I would stand on top of Africa, see the sun rise above Africa, throw my hands in the air, and dance to the songs of joy that I would be humming in my head. I never bothered to think about what test of life would be thrown at me and how I would deal with it. Only the obvious was on my mind: what I was told to prepare based on other people’s past experiences. No one could have known my coping experiences when I was faced with challenging situations. In Xhosa, people would say, ‘Isiziba siviwa ngodondolo,’ meaning that sometimes you have to feel the iron yourself to know how hot it is.

When we reached the base camp, the days of walking in the bush had taken a toll on me. I was physically not the same Monde that had started the journey a few days before, but my spirit and soul were still determined to push to the limit and achieve what I set to achieve: conquering the mighty Kilimanjaro. I could say, ‘I did it.’ My greatest test of life was passed. From the start, the journey was not easy. I learned a lot about myself, and I am convinced that if I set my eyes on something and condition myself to achieve, it is only I who can make it a success or a failure. I know the challenges of going up, and I have experienced the pain of coming down both from the mountain and in life in general. Everything starts somewhere, as it was with my journey I started at the bottom at Rongai Route.

HOW THE CLIMB WAS CONCEIVED

In November 2012, Phumeza paid us a visit to see our little Akuye. I had not seen Phumeza for some months; that was before she’d joined a new company. We spent the day talking about Akuye, Phumeza’s new job, and more whilst Mandisa prepared a special meal for a special friend. Soon it was time for Phumeza to leave, and I had to walk her out of the house. As we approached her car, Phumeza mentioned that she was organising a climb with some of her new colleagues, and the target mountain was Mount Kilimanjaro early in 2013. She told me that a sizeable number of people were showing interest. She went on to talk about other possible adventures that we could also undertake whilst in East Africa, such as visiting the savannah plains to see the much-talked-about animal run.

The mountain climbing caught my attention. I had never been this close to someone who was planning to or had ever tried to climb any of the seven highest mountains, although I had seen documentaries on mountain climbing. Most of these were accompanied by horrible stories of people dying or losing limbs. I knew Phumeza as a training fanatic but not an adventurer. Maybe Phumeza sensed curiosity in me, because while stunted by this revelation, all of a sudden Phumeza asked if I would be willing to join them. I was not sure if I had heard her correctly. I found myself asking her to repeat herself. Instinctively, I said, ‘Count me in,’ without thinking the whole thing through.

She told me about the training programme and the kilometres she ran in preparation for this adventure. ‘Monza, this December you and Mandisa need to visit us in Cape Town so that we can climb Table Mountain together in preparation for the climb.’ She went on to say, ‘Rabella will appreciate if you bring Akuye along. She loves kids, and she wants a baby sister.’ Rabella was Phumeza’s youngest daughter. I promised her that I would talk to Mandisa about the Cape Town visit, and I assured her that we would bring along Akuye. Because the engine of Phumeza’s car was already running, we said our goodbyes.

As I walked back to the house, I thought about the commitment I had just made, my lack of consultation with Mandisa, my state of fitness, and, worst of all my weight, which was over 108 kilogrammes as per my last health assessment two months prior. Wow, this sounded like Mission: Impossible—impractical for me to achieve. The inner me kept on saying, ‘Kufa ayayo magwalandini’—a Xhosa idiom used to urge men to go to war or face danger.

The briefing cum consultation did not meet serious opposition. Maybe it was the