A very useful gift

The other day I received the best gift in the post ever.  I’d had to wait a while to collect it and anticipation was building as the friend responsible had already hinted that it was something special. I took my little red card to the sorting office and excitedly opened the unassuming envelope. After one look I was chuckling in the street and getting some very odd looks.  This amusing item linked to one of the main questions I have been asked about the Kilimanjaro trek.

The first questions are obvious – When? Why? Who with? The next most common question tended to be asked in hushed tones, usually accompanied by a surreptitious look over the shoulder, "What about going to the loo?” I must admit this question was one of my early concerns and has since been thoroughly researched. In short there are 3 options:

1.       Long drop toilets – as far as I can work out these are basically holes in the ground with a shed around them.  Could prove tricky with tired legs but hopefully all the squats at the gym should help.

2.       Our porters will carry a portable toilet with us – I think this is a seat over a bucket enclosed in a tent. Very glamorous!

3.       A big rock or bush to hide behind. Not at all elegant.

I can deal with all these options but was very concerned about night time ventures.  You are advised to drink a lot and one sign of good acclimatisation is needing the loo a lot, especially at night. I have no sense of direction at the best of times let alone in pitch darkness halfway up a mountain so was distinctly worried. I had visions of never finding my tent again or walking off the edge of a cliff! This gift provided a solution. It's not pretty or glamorous but to me is an essential item of kit: The 'Discrete Foldaway Urinal'!

Not something I had even heard of or even considered but there it was! Don't worry, I'm not going to explain how it 'works', I'll leave that one up to you! All I will say is that I'm very happy that I won’t be visiting a stranger’s tent in the middle of the night or plummeting to a painful death! Thanks, Cath!