Ethiopia

15th June 2004

We leave at 7am to drive the 155km to Galabat and the Ethiopian border. We tried to get rid of all our Sudanese cash before leaving the country, so when we hit a police check after a minute of driving and ordered to pay 300 Sudanese pounds, we sweat. After some friendly sweet-talking, we are let off and quickly drive off along the stoney road until hitting another check point. This time we are not asked for money but instead have to make space in the back for one of the men needing to get to Galabat where leaving Sudan was straight forward, as was entering Ethiopia in the adjoining village of Metema. After changing some dollar 40kms down the road, we find a 100USD note hiding in the wallet – wahey! We experience our first Dora Wat (Dora = chicken, Wat = spicey curry) on Injera, a flat, maize-based, bathmat tasting, spongey pancake whilst waiting for the customs man to finish his lunch. The scenery has already changed. We trundle along a dusty road passing lazy farmers herding cattle to market, women with firewood piled high on their backs, big green trees and fields either side; not dissimilar to the Scottish highlands apart from the heather seen in the distance is rich, red, fertile soil. We climb up into the mountains feeling the temperature dropping, large birds circle ahead and then strong winds hit us, lightening in the distance, then torrential rain – are luck continues as we enter Ethiopia on the first day of the three month rainy season! We reach the very wet, university town of Gondor in the evening, find a hotel with hot shower, park the car and hit the town in search of beer. We sit at a bar enjoying a few bottles of the local Dashen beer with a baboon on a leash – all very random! After some more Wat, we meet some South African lads driving north in another bar and sip Dashen whilst chatting and watching Germany v Holland (1-1).

16th June 2004

We awake with thick heads and have our first Ethiopian coffees during a ‘spicy’ breakfast. After seeing the 13th century church and castle of Gondor, we visit the birthplace of Dashen beer and get a free tour of the immaculate brewery. The first half of the journey to Bahir Dar is a stoney track but the second half is superb tarmac. We drive along the palm tree-lined street into Bahir Dar, a small university town on the shores of Lake Tana and find the recommended Ghion hotel. We set up camp on the edge of the lake in the gardens of the hotel (40 birr), eat pasta, sip beer and watch the pelicans skim over the water whilst the sun sets behind trees.

17th June 2004

It rains in the night and sticking his head out in the morning, AD gets an early shower from the standing water on the roof of the tent. A fisherman paddles past in his papyrus boat being surrounded by pelicans eager for a morning bite. After coffee and cake, we hop in a boat from the hotel (75 birr each) and motor across the water to the east side where the Blue Nile enters the lake. The birdlife sitting on the black rocks in the lagoon is unreal; kingfishers, cormorants and Egyptian geese. One of the black rocks in the distance suddenly disappears under the water. We motor towards them and discover they are not rocks at all, but hippos!! We snap away and get within 10m of these wonderful mammals until they sink below and disappear. We continue across the lake to the Zege peninsula on the west side and walk up through the trees to Bete Mariam, one of the eleven 13th Century Orthodox Christian monastries dotted on and around the lake. The circular, wooden monastery on Kebran (island) Gabriel is at the top of the island after a climb up a stone stairway through trees. Inside, the walls around the religious central area (Holy of Holies) for priests only, are covered in natural dye paintings resembling stories from the Bible. Back on dry land, we decide to drive the 30kms to the 200m wide Blue Nile Falls. We first dodge the cattle across a 400 yr old stone bridge and walk up through a tiny village of running children to the sound of flutes being played in the huts. We felt like we were part of the Lord of the Rings film set and that a hobbit would run past any minute. Unfortunately, the time of year before the rainy season meant the 200m wide falls were a piddling 5m stream dropping into a large dry gorge below. The setting was still spectacular. We drive back and watch England beat Switzerland 3-0 and the exciting France v Croatia (2-2) match in the hotel with the over-excited locals.

18th June 2004

We set off east along the 300km Werota to Weldiya ‘highway’ towards Lalibela, a small town in the Lasta mountains home to eleven 13th century churches hewn into the volcanic rock. The stoney road takes us past farmers ploughing fields with cows towing wooden farm equipment, wreckage of tanks from the past civil wars and through villages sending out smells of incense and firewood. We ascend up a steep mountain pass lined with pine trees with a superb view of the volcanic valley below. The villages are so medieval as we descend into the valley under darkness and then up again towards the town. We see a brake light in the distance which turns out to be a Japanese lad bouncing up the steep road on a 49cc Honda Gorilla 2ft high motorbike (Monkey bike equivalent) – he’s been travelling around the world for five years on the thing and can still walk!! Nutter. As we enter Lalibela at 2630m, about 10 kids jump onto the vehicle shouting ‘you, you, you’ and offering the guidance services to hotels and around the churches. We found them fine but annoying but apparently when ‘Monkey man’ on the bike arrived in town, he was so scared that he pulled out a penknife and told them he was phsyco! We prepare a meal in the compound of the Asheta hotel and get the ‘tea boy’ to cut onions for us. As the heavens open, we dash for the roof tent.

19th June 2004

We are told about a once-a-year ceremony at St. Michaels church and walk to it early morning. Hundreds of people dressed in white dust sheets are assembled amongst the churches on a sloping rock face staring forward at a number of priests standing under brightly coloured umbrellas – a great place for some people photography. We spot priests sitting in tiny holes in the rock reading scriptures and bodies under sheets being carried on wooden stretchers; we saw a few being carried along the road to this town and apparently are AIDS carriers being brought to the ceremony for more years. On returning to the hotel, we learn about a cheaper hotel for 10 birr and move the car into the tiny parking area amongst straw huts and chickens. We find a small hut to watch the England v All Blacks game and afterwards walk around the huge market past cotton stalls, salt, maize, wheat, injera mix, burberry (local chilli and pepper spice) and honey sellers. Then we navigate the donkey and mule markets and laugh as a woman gets towed past by a run-away cow! The young lads who escorted round the market, take us to see Bet Giorgis (church of St. George), a three storey cross-shaped church chiselled from solid rock. We see other churches, walk through a pitch black tunnel linking a second group of churches and walk up to a high point to view the whole town and surrounding mountains. We eat vegetable wat in a local home and watch SA beat Ireland at rugby on DSTV. During the match, we meet two German lads and then Martin (the Brit from Wadi Halfa) and Japman suddenly arrive! We all catch up and after a meal in the rain, visit a local drinking hole to sample Tej, the Ethiopian honey alcohol served in vase shaped glasses and watch Holland v Czech Rep. (2-3). The drink is available in three alcohol levels so we opt for the strongest; the three local guys behind us must have had a Leo Sayer (all-dayer) cause they were slowly sliding sown the walls!

20th June 2004

We watch ‘Moneky man’ bounce off into the distance on his 2ft high bike and clear some space for a local boy who needs a lift en-route to Weldiya (180km south). We drive down and up the same pass and then hang a left along a misty plateau in the clouds; the boy in the back surprisingly sleeps as we bump along. As descending again, the lad jumps out in Weldiya and still has the cheek to ask for birr ! After a sandwich admiring the spectacular views by the roadside, we continue on the tarmac to Dese, a halfway town to Addis Ababa. We try a recommended Ghion hotel but are refused camping and end up in the compound of the Royal Pension hotel in the centre of town for 10 birr. After a walk around the town full of ‘red-lit’ knocking shops, a good meal and some beers, we crash early after a long day on the road.

21st June 2004

We’re woken early by the wailing of prayer calls and have coffee and doughnuts before changing some cash, filling the tank and heading for Addis Ababa, 375kms south. The road is good but under construction in parts and the scenery amazing again; green fields, straw huts and haystacks and large dry riverbeds. We climb up a steep mountain pass and through tunnels and stop for a sandwich on the plateau at the top. We reach Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia and at 2400m, the third highest city in the world and hunt down the Baro Hotel (40 birr) where the German lads have already beaten us. We are starving and have huge pizzas across the road before watching England beat Croatia (4-3).

22nd June 2004

We sleep in both feeling a little under the weather probably due to the altitude changes and cooler, wet climate. We meet two older South Africans travelling north and Ranger chats about our routes and picks up info whilst AD checks and cleaning the squealing brake pads. We stuff our faces at a local back alley restaurant and the rest of the day is spent writing an update and buying provisions. From here we hit the longest road in Africa (Addis to Cape Town!) and head for the Kenyan border.

To see the pics, click here!-------> Photo Link!