“Hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's comin' in, 12:30 flight
Her moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

I stopped an old man along the way
Hopin' to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say
‘Hurry, boy, it's waiting there for you’“
Africa, by Toto

JRO is the airport code for Kilimanjaro Airport which is located in the shadow of the legendary mountain.  Perhaps a nod to the song “Africa” by Toto – our flight of choice arrives at night,- usually between 8 and 9 PM.   The Dutch blue KLM Dreamliner rolled to a stop near the airport terminal, and The doors opened to a staircase right onto the tarmac. As we made our way down the steps with our camera equipment in tow, we looked up and around to get the first sense of our destination. Despite bright lights illuminating the area, we were struck by how DARK the night sky was. We paused at the base of the plane to draw a breath and our 30 hours of travel weariness evaporated as we inhaled the sweet clean smell of Kilimanjaro air.   

We are torn.  Should we pause and enjoy the moment or hurry to a better place in the arrival queue.  Knowing that Makinda awaits just a few feet beyond.  We turn toward the terminal with one last look at our beautiful airplane against the night sky. “Hurry boys it’s waiting there for you”.