ETHIOPIA
27.01.08 - We were rather rudely awoken at 3.30am to what we thought was a mosque, the noise carried on until about 9am, and we later found out that it was in fact a church but were assured it is only like that on a Sunday. Decided we would have a walk around town and find somewhere to have breakfast, whilst we were walking we saw Reg & Natasja drive past, we had quick chat then off to eat. Found what we thought was a very nice rooftop restaurant, so we went in via the posh downstairs restaurant, we sat there for 15 mins waiting for the 1 menu to become available, then 10 mins later the waiter came to take our order only then telling us that the only thing available on the menu was pizza, we promptly left and found a very busy café, where we tucked into egg sandwiches and cake (which was really the only thing on their menu!). We returned to camp and were met with Chris & Janet emptying their van out into a room as their van was off to the mechanic again. So a quick trip round to the mechanics revealed disaster, they require a full engine reconditioning after the bodge job done it Atbara, they are now awaiting news of the cost of the parts. Later we went for another walk around town the atmosphere here is very friendly, with good music and smiley faces making it a very enjoyable walk. We later found out that in Ethiopia it is the 18th of January which is the 5th month of the year 2000 and that their clocks are 6 hours behind the time we thought it was which makes no sense with regards to daylight etc, we were aware it was the year 2000 but the rest was a surprise, I noticed a couple of clocks in the shops had strange times but just thought they had stopped!! That night we all went to an Italian restaurant for a meal with not an Italian in sight!
28.01.08 - Went to the garage with Chris & Janet to check on their car as Troy is the only one of the group with any mechanical knowledge. After looking at all the bits laid out, there was no doubt it needed serious work. Went to breakfast at the Hash Bar where we had egg sandwiches again, chocolate doughnuts that tasted of bubblegum, juice so thick you have to eat it with a spoon and coffee so strong that you could strip paint with it, but it was all very nice. Next we and Reg & Natasja went off to the Royal Enclosure which is a 17th century castle dating from 1631, we spent a good few hours looking round and thoroughly enjoying the fact that there was only a few other people in the grounds. We then went back to camp for steak and chips (very good chef in hotel) and a little rest. Later in the afternoon the 4 of us walked to the souq as the lonely planet book said it was worth seeing, however this turned out to be a real disappointment made only worse by a large group of young boys following us around the whole market obviously up to no good and trying the usual tourist cons. We did manage to buy a tin to go in the dutch oven to bake with so the trip wasn’t totally in vane. Got back to camp to hear the bad news from Chris & Janet the spares will cost more than expected, so with a bit of a subdued atmosphere we set out to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant where we ate by candlelight because of a power cut, which was just as well as if we could have seen the food we probably wouldn’t have eaten it!! After 5 of us scratching round our meals and Natasja enjoying everyone else’s it was back to camp to treat Troy’s fungal feet and an early night.
29.01.08 - We thought we would head down to Bahir Dar for a few days while Chris & Janet’s car is being fixed as we didn’t fancy spending any longer in Gonder. The morning was spent shopping and packing up, we left about lunchtime. The road down to Bahir Dar is all tarmac so the journey only took a coupe of hours. Chris and Janet were travelling in our car as we are the only ones with back seats. We reached the Ghion hotel late afternoon, Chris & Janet booked into a room while we found a nice spot to camp surrounded by trees overlooking Lake Tana. Ate in the hotel restaurant that night, a few beers then bed.
30.01.08 - Spent the morning hunting the market for a fishing rod for Troy & Reg, managed to buy some line but were told that nowhere in Bahir Dar sells rods, so it was back to camp to make some. Troy found a large branch which he perfectly homed with much dedication into a large branch which he tied some line to the end, whilst Reg made a rod using an old aerial; he fixed the line reel to it which made it look quite like a rod just a pity it didn’t turn. Lunchtime we were all booked onto a boat trip around Lake Tana and to visit the monasteries. Unfortunately the calm lake from the morning had turned very choppy by the time we left; the crossing to the first island was very wet indeed as every time we hit a wave it would splash us. Troy & Reg were also complaining the boat was going too fast and that no fish would be able to catch up with their lures!! Reached the first island and got off to have a look around, however none of us were particularly impressed, all the monks were away on another island for a festival so we just got to see some empty stone buildings and a very small church. We were back at the boat quite quickly and told the driver we did not want to go to the other monastery, just to take us to see the hippos, he seemed a little surprised at our lack of interest! By now the lake was calm again so had a nice cruise around, still not catching any fish, then we got to the hippos. We were taken much closer than I had expected and we could see them very clearly when they popped their heads out of the water. We were all very excited at seeing our first wild hippos in Africa and took far too many pictures, allot of them turned out to be just water as their heads went under quicker than we could take them. Nice boat trip back to camp then time to eat, Troy & Chris then proceeded to make up for their lack of beer all in one night and we ended up listening to music and chatting till very late in Chris & Janet’s room. A very pleasant evening was had by all.
31.01.08 - Decided on a relaxing day, Troy & Reg set off very early as intrepid explorers to scout out the shores of Lake Tana, with branch and aerial in hand. They ended up 100 yards away at the end of the hotel fishing with two Rasta’s who were there on ‘business’ some of which they were smoking at the time!! An hour later we were eating two of the boniest fish known to mankind, but hey if you kill it you eat it. Chris took a trip back into childhood so the rest of the day was spent in the hotel grounds as close to the toilets as possible.
01.02.08 - Drove to the Blue Nile Falls, decided to do the long walk to the falls and then take the boat back. The walk was really nice although it showed us how unfit we now are from so long sat in the car. We were told that as this is the millennium year they are diverting less water to the hydroelectric plant so the falls are much bigger than they would normally be. We found the falls to be very impressive, was very nice to cool off in the spray after the hot walk. The boat trip back is very short but nice. We all enjoyed the day very much
02.02.08 - Today was the drive back to Gonder as Chris & Janet’s car was meant to be ready. Left fairly early (for us anyway) and got back to Gonder about lunchtime, went straight round to the garage only to find the car still in pieces, they are now told it would be ready Monday. Went back to the Belegez Pension to stay for the night and to enjoy more of the food which we missed badly whilst in Bahir Dar as it was not as good, a tip to anyone do not order chips in the Ghion Hotel. Met up with Simon & Marjon the Dutch couple we met in Khartoum, they are also waiting for their car to be repaired.
03.02.08 - We decided that we did not want to go to the Simen Mountains or Axum after all so left Gonder for Lalibela with Reg & Natasja while Chris & Janet who still wanted to go to Axum stayed behind to wait for their car. The first part of the journey was back down the tarmac road but as soon as we reached the turnoff the road changed dramatically to the worst road you can imagine, it has dirt, rocks, corrugation and huge potholes. It was very slow going we managed to get about half way before we decided to try to find somewhere to camp for the night. This was very difficult as it is all through the mountains so there is not much flat land and what there is has houses. The country is very over populated and even stopping for the toilet or food is impossible without being mobbed by people wanting pens, money, water etc. This does become very frustrating and tiresome. We finally found a spot near the edge of the cliff which did not appear to be near a village so only had a few people stop on their way back home; as it started to get dark they soon left. Unfortunately as we pulled off the road Regentas got a flat tire, Troy and Reg tried repairing it a couple of times but in the end realised it was one for the repair shop and changed the wheel instead.
04.02.08 - Set our alarm for 6am in the hope that maybe we could get up and toilet before the locals turned up, how wrong were we. Troy opened the tent and had a torch shined into his face from a couple of men already outside our tent asking for food. Troy told them we had no food and that they should feed us, they soon moved on only to be replaced by more onlookers as we packed up. Back on the very bad road until we reached the junction for Lalibela, the road changed to a smaller road but with corrugation which seemed as smooth as a billiard table after what had come before. Another 64km winding through the mountains we finally reached Lalibela. We checked out a couple of places but settled on the beautiful Tukul Village Hotel where we were allowed to camp on the grass in their garden, whilst I worked on Troy to let us have a room the following night. We were recommended to try the Jerusalem Hotel where we had a poor lunch; however we later had a terrible dinner at the Lal Hotel. Had a few beers in the bar at the hotel, then off to bed for a very quiet night, which was very welcome after the noise of the churches in Gonder and Bahir Dar.
05.02.08 - Overnight I had managed to talk Troy into letting us have a room, so after a quick trip to the bank I went to our lovely room for a nice long shower. Troy, Reg & Natasja went off to see the churches which are not my thing so I gave them a miss. Troy says Egypt has its Pyramids and Ethiopia has its monolithic churches, he found them to be fascinating as they have been carved out of rock outside and inside. At the moment they are being covered by a roof to stop further deterioration which does spoil the overall effect. St Georges currently has no canopy and can be viewed from the hill and is a phenomenal sight, when you take into consideration when and how it was done, taking 40 years and apparently 10,000 men to create the whole complex. Thought we would give the Jerusalem a second go for dinner, however the place is definitely living on its past reputation. Then it was back to our wonderful room for the rest of the evening.
06.02.08 - Left for the long drive toward Addis, found on the map a road which cuts across rather than going the 64km back to the bad main road. After a bit of help from the locals we found the road, it turned out to be a nice drive up into the mountains, did some proper off roading which Troy really enjoyed. It took about 3 and a half hours to reach Delbi where we met up with the bad main road again, although the road is better than it was the other way coming into Lalibela. Managed to make it to Weldiya where we checked into the Selam Hotel which is a total contrast to our previous night.
07.02.08 - Got up and started to realise that I may soon pay dearly for the cheap meal we had the previous night. It’s amazing what spaghetti with tomato sauce (which I thought was the safest thing on the menu!) can do to a body and a toilet! After 4 quick visits we left the hotel to continue our drive to Addis. I progressively started to feel worse, however thinking I may just be hungry we stopped for lunch, as soon as the food was brought out I realised it was not hunger pains after all. Five minutes after having my face in the toilet sink (the toilet was too disgusting even to be sick in); I led in the back of the Land Rover to wait for everyone else to finish eating. We had to stop several times on the road where I did my impression of the exorcist, which the locals obviously thought was a good movie as well as they stopped to watch until Troy got very angry with them. We managed to make it to Robit where we stayed in a hotel car park in our tents; they allowed us a room to use the toilet. I went straight to bed when we got there, Troy and Regentas cooked for themselves as they suddenly did not fancy any more of the local fare.
08.02.08 - This morning it was straight out of the tent and into the back of the Land Rover again, on an interesting ‘tarmac’ drive to Addis, at one point I even asked Troy if we were still on tarmac as it was as bumpy as a gravel road. Reached Addis early afternoon and spent a couple of hours trying to find a hotel, however all the decent and affordable hotels were fully booked, so we ended up in the Wanza Hotel where we camped in their small secure courtyard. Went out for a wonderful meal in the ‘Chop House’ unfortunately the best meal we have had in a long time and I could only manage half of it as was still feeling rough.
09.02.08 - Today was all about lazing around in bed and trying to recover, which Troy also used as a good excuse to drink beer and laze around as well.
10.02.08 - Today was all about food! The Lonely Planet describes ‘Leah’s Place’ as a great British restaurant which does a full English and pasties and pies. So at first light it was off to find it, only to get there and find it is closed on a Sunday (should have read the book more closely), luckily however we did pass the Ten-Ten Chinese Restaurant so decided to go there for dinner instead. The plates of food that came out were enormous and Troy ate till bursting point, unfortunately I could only pick at my meal as my eyes were bigger than my belly after recent days. Fantastic food, hope it stays that way, scoring a massive 9 out of 10 (this one is not in the Lonely Planet). Took a very slow walk, back popping in places for some window shopping on the way. Then it was back to the tent to lay down and recover with a good movie (Bruce Willis died again!!). Not too hungry after the indulgence before so it was just a bowl of soup for tea and finally some freshly squeezed orange juice at the New York New York Restaurant.
11.02.08 - Today was all about disappointments! Went back to Leah’s Place to find no Leah, no English breakfast and no pasties or pies, just the local fare. We left without eating with Troy telling them to take the flag off the restaurant as nothing in there was British. Decided to head to another part of town, but ended up at the Hilton where they have fast but expensive internet (ouch), but worth every penny after the frustrations of dial up. Strolled to a few other cafes mentioned in the Lonely Planet which all looked a little grubby, so ended up back at New York New York where we had a disappointing meal but great orange juice. Troy’s meal came out cold and all of us had fries that were like bricks. We were enjoying the walk so much we walked down to Kaldis Coffee shop where we had some very disappointing ice-cream however a great cup of coffee. Spent the rest of the night sorting out photos for the website, time got away with us so it was a couple of mini mars for tea/supper then to bed.
12.02.08 - Spent the day working on the Land Rover, Troy had to tighten another wheel bearing and clean out the filters which have become clogged with dust from the roads. I decided to wash all the dust out of the inside, even though this is a pointless task as it will be dusty again as soon as we leave Addis, at least we would have a few days of not getting dirty every time we touch anything. Later we went out for a meal and to the supermarket to stock up of supplies. When we returned to our hotel we were given a note that had been left in reception for us from a Spanish couple Sisw and Cristine who had seen our car and wanted to know whether we had any waypoints for a Land Rover dealer as they required some parts. We replied to their letter and left it with reception for them to collect. As the evenings are getting very chilly the last few days, it was into the tent early to watch Sherlock Holmes.
13.02.08 - First thing Sisw who had left the note arrived, they have come the same route as us and are eventually travelling down to South Africa, but are spending 6 months doing volunteer work in Ethiopia first. Had a chat about routes and car problems and then arranged to meet them later for a meal. Decided to walk back to the Hilton today to use their internet again as we have finally sorted our photos and the dial up connections are just too slow to even bother with, got to the Hilton only to find their internet is running incredibly slow so ended up leaving. Next stop was the Land Rover shop where Troy wanted to get a few prices for some spares. As we were feeling in an energetic mood we then thought we would walk to Adams mall where I had heard that they had fast internet, however when we got there we were told they too only had dial up connection so again didn’t bother. Went into Kaldi’s coffee shop for dinner and to prepare for the long walk back, finally got back to hotel late afternoon our legs aching as have had very little exercise since we set off in November. Later the 6 of us went to the Cloud Nine Restaurant for a very nice meal.
14 to 16-01-08 - Very lazy days. Valentines Day was spent trying to find fast internet again, the Hilton was still slow but managed to update the website whilst drinking very expensive orange juice. Went out for a nice meal in the evening to The Chop House where I could actually enjoy the food this time. Troy however was starting to feel a little rough so proceeded to eat and drink as much as he could as it was going to be our last night in Addis. The payment for Troy’s indulgence was spending the next couple of days flitting between the tent and toilet; needless to say we decided to stay a little longer in Addis. Two days of doing very little, Troy feeling a bit better the itchy feet definitely taking over we decided to head south.
17.01.08 - After a bit of shopping and last minute chores we left Addis quite late, so didn’t drive as far as we had intended and stopped at the Bekele Mola Hotel Langano and camped on a beach on the shore of Lake Langano, Troy watching the fish jumping longingly wishing he had a rod! The price for camping was 92birr which we argued was expensive but as Troy was still not feeling 100% and the view was stunning we decided to stay, settled down for an early night as had very little sleep the night before due to the usual Sunday 3am church speaker that lasts for 6 hours. Our peace did not last long though as a group of locals decided to have a beach party complete with camp fire and very load music that went on until the early hours.
18.01.08 - After a bad nights sleep, got up and went to complain about the noise and get a reduction. An argument ensued to which they chained the gate so we could not leave until we paid the full amount. They were very rude and would not see our point at all, so we eventually paid as there was no way we could leave, without busting the gates and damaging the car, but we let them know exactly what we thought of them. Then it was a long drive to Arba Minch, the first part of the road was new tarmac but the second half was more potholes than road (and that is not an exaggeration!) Whilst driving I noticed from the corner of my eye a bird hit the window, I looked out to see if there was any blood but in the end assumed it had not hit hard enough. About 15mins later I turned to talk to Troy and was shocked to see the bird in the car it had managed to fly in through the tiny gap in the window and past both of us without us knowing. How we have no idea!!! Typical we were in the middle of a village and didn’t want to stop so could only watch in horror as it started pooing everywhere whilst trying to get out of alpine windows, not noticing the other 4 windows we had now opened for it. We finally managed to stop and Troy caught the bird pulling out two of its tails feathers in the process (these are now souvenirs of the trip). Troy thinks it was a Little Bee Catcher but he is colour blind, I have no idea but it looked very happy when it finally flew away. Reached Arba Minch late afternoon after a very tiring drive where we went to the Bekele Mola Hotel (hoping it was no relation to the other one) where we set up camp in the garden with a magnificent view of the Nechisar National Park and lakes.
19.02.08 - Caught the local ‘bus’ which is a Toyota Hiace Minibus which they manage to cram at least double the amount of people that it is designed for, but at 1 birr a ride it is better than a taxi, we went into Arba Minch town to change more travellers cheques as we had now decided to visit the National Park. We also found an internet café to check for updates on the current situation in Kenya. We decided we would spend another night at the hotel as it was such a peaceful place which is certainly a rarity in Ethiopia. Spent the rest of the day relaxing, and watching the Baboons that had wondered into the garden
20.02.08 - Drove into the National Park only to be turned away and sent to the ticket office about 3km away. Got our tickets and returned, things looked promising as there were several Baboons at the entrance. Our first stop was the ‘springs’ which turned out to be nothing more than a creek with kids playing in it. Left there and drove towards the plains where we assume the animals would be. The road started off ok but deteriorated badly into a road that you would only drive if you didn’t mind damaging your car and had done an advanced off road driving course. We were finding the road manageable but Regentas were not happy and decided to give up. We turned back without getting to the plains, saw a warthog on the way back through but that was about it. Tried to get to the campsite as we had paid to camp in the park for the night, however the track was so overgrown we were unable to make it there either. Fed up we left the park to go back to the hotel to stay another night, on the way we stopped at the ticket office to ask for a refund for the camping as we were unable to get to the campsite but they refused saying that as the ticket had been torn off at the entrance it had been used, however the ticket was dated the 20th and it was only late afternoon so when had we managed to sleep there???? Finally gave up and went back to hotel for a shower and food.
21.02.08 - Left early as Regentas wanted to get to Konso early enough for the market, the road out of Arba Minch starts off as good tarmac but then changes to detours where the road has not been finished yet. Reached Konso about 10.30am where we then had to say our goodbyes to Regentas who were continuing on through the Omo Valley, where as we were heading straight to the Moyale border. Thought we would make it to Yavello and stop there the night but made such good time decided to head straight to Moyale. Reached the Bekele Mola Hotel at about 4pm, the place is much more basic than the one in Arba Minch but is only for one night. Things seem very quiet without Reg’s farting and the general hum of them about, they were great travelling companions and we hope to see them again soon.
22.02.08 - Drove to Ethiopian immigration which was painful, they had a new computer system and the only person able to work it was not around, so in the end Troy had to input his own details himself and then talk them through step by step to do mine. Customs was easy, they took the paper we were given when we arrived, they asked for our carnet but we told them it had not been signed in as was not required, they were happy and we left. Across the border to Kenya we already had our Kenyan visa so immigration and customs took minutes a stamp in our passport and carnet and we were away, asked about car insurance and were told we could only get it in Nairobi, so what happens if we have an accident between now and then??? Drove to where we were told the convoy starts, however when we got there they said it had already left and to try and catch them up, a little concerned as we had heard this road was very dangerous we drove off on our own. Not far down the road we were stopped at another road block where we were told to follow a truck that was already there. Once the truck was loaded up with people it sped off leaving us in its dust. The first part of the Moyale road was not too bad although the truck found it easier than we did, we finally caught up with it when it broke down, unsure whether to wait or carry on Troy asked one of the armed guards and he said it was fine to drive on (what kind of convoy is this?!) As we progressed the road got steadily worse with corrugation and some pot holes big enough to swallow the Land Rover until we eventually arrived at another checkpoint, the guard with a knowing smile asked us how the road had been and told us to look forward to the rocks of the next part. Ok this road is BAD the next 100km we crossed the most boring terrain possible being shaken to death, huge chunks gouged out the tires and not one piece of scenery apart from boulders to take your mind off it. Eventually reaching Marsabit and stopping at Henry’s Rest where Troy assessed the damage to the vehicle from the road. The damage done as said before (that we know about so far) is big chunks of rubber missing from tread and the rest a little bit chewed, a bolt in the drivers door catch snapping and the nuts from one of the exhaust couplings being shaken loose and disappearing somewhere on the road. That should give Troy something to do tomorrow!! Henry’s Rest is about 500 yards off the main road, you camp in a small compound at the back of his property which has a seated area with electric a small cottage if you wish to stay in it, an outside kitchen sink, clean toilets and hot shower a washing machine and our favourite thing a bakery that bakes the most delicious bread and muffins, you can also get a beer and coke here. Henry is very friendly and goes out of his way to help you, i.e. supplying us with nuts and bolts for the Land Rover. All in all a 5 star place.
Final thoughts - An absolutely beautiful country scenery wise, after that it all goes wrong. We and 90% of other overlanders we have met have all said it is their least favourite country because of the people spoilt by overpopulation and handouts for the last 20 years, of every 100 people we met 95 of them had their hand out saying give me, give me, some in a very aggressive manner. Even asking for directions they would expect money, the constant badgering got so on your nerves you became impolite and aggressive to them. We were very glad to cross the border into Kenya for some peace from the constant hassle. They have no need for gifts to be taken out to them by tourists, the people are getting lazy and the country is floating on a sea of aid which now seems to be an industry rather than a charity, anyone taking pens or anything else is just adding to the problem.
