|
|
Diary - Ethiopia - Border to Addis Ababa (23rd Jun to 5th Jul)
|
The immense difference between Sudan and Ethiopia hits you as soon as you cross the border. From a scotching hot 45 degrees, flat, sandy country you enter a lush green countryside with rolling hills and the temperature drops into the twenties. The instant you reach the tatty border towns you realise how crowded and nosey everybody is going to be.
Crossing with the French (Due to the scorpion bite) meant that Katie wandered the offices whilst Steve was asked the same questions over and over, along with people simply leaning against the vehicles and looking. However there are benefits as it means people find you to change money. We are becoming happier with changing our dollars on the black market, to the point of preferring it as you get much better rates and no paper work compared to a bank.
Just when you think you might get a little bit of rest and relaxation after the intensity of the border crossing you instantly realise that it will not happen, ever. Although there is decent tarmac ahead of you, there are also thousands of people, goats and cows that litter the road. Where they are going we have no idea but what is clear is that they prefer to use the full width of the road instead of the sticky and gloopy mud that covers the landscape. This meant that the first day was always going to being difficult to get to our campsite, meaning we had to wild camp 30km short.
Wild camping was always something we are wary about in Ethiopia, more than any other, as there is very little land that you don’t see people. However with darkness creeping in around us we simply pulled onto the side of the road and planned to camp due to the tremendous thunder storm over us. Just as the darkness set in and we were about to set up our tent, three local men arrived and started trying to work out our plans. It was clear that charades was not common in Ethiopia, but we realised they understood when one guy left, to return with warmer clothes and his rifle. The plan for all three of them was to simply sit and guard us all night long. So feeling strange we climbed the ladder to our bed and led there laughing to each other as our protection chatted below. Waking up to the sound of more than just our three guards we quickly dressed and realised the number had swelled to six. Feeling bad because it had also rained over night and was the coldest sleep we had had since Jordan we popped the kettle on and offered Ethiopians some western instant coffee.
With our early start we arrived at our planned campsite, Tim and Kim Village in Gorgora before most other campers had risen. It was here we were able to relax, clean, sort and tidy Gweneveer (during a thunder storm!) We instantly reunited ourselves with others from Sudan but also with Quentin and Julie in there Unimog, along with three Egyptian kittens they had been smuggling! The campsite, a community based charity, is situated right next to Lake Tana with a true tranquil setting that made us stay longer than planned, five days in total. Distracting our time away from reading and sorting was the ability to have a swim (or bath!), watch the varied wildlife that included a hippo, watch Quentin slaughter and prepare a chicken, whilst also managing a spot of fishing.
Although having spent five nights in Ethiopia we still didn’t really have an idea of the people, culture or even the normal costs for things, other than hotel staff only get up to 15 Birr (£1) per day, or at least in the rural areas. We had decided that we would do what is known as the Historic Circuit in the north of the country before continuing south. So we packed and headed to our first town Gondar in search of the Internet and their Castle complex. We easily found somewhere to stay and headed into town to have a look about, only to be surprised to see a fully naked local walking through town as if it was normal (and speaking to others, it is a regular thing). With Steve now feeling a little inadequate we spent the afternoon looking around the Royal Complex, a series of castles and grand buildings that were used centuries ago. It is an interesting site and one that would not look out of place in England, but it does make you question what has happened over the centuries for them to still be living in wooden and mud huts.
You soon realise that normal time estimates for travel are irrelevant in Ethiopia and at the very best you can work on a 40kmh (25mph) estimate. This is partly the fact little is tarmac but more that the country is dramatic and covered in mountain sized hills. It has meant that so far we have spent a lot of time driving, a lot of days it being 5 hours plus. All this time Gweneveer feeling a bit poorly with lack of power and spitting out a lot of black smoke, suffocating all the people on the side of the road. (We have had done it deliberately sometimes to people who have annoyed us!!) Adding to our already concerned minds she then decided to shake loose a front spot light, which we heard smash into bits on a bumpy section.
Still we were not fazed and arrived in the North of the country at one of Ethiopia’s most historic towns, Axum. The locals we spoke to and met are really proud of their history and the sites that are in and around the town. Unfortunately we were not as impressed and not because of the immense sights we have already seen but because they really are not that impressive. We spent the day looking around, most of the time having an entourage of little helpers/watchers. A boy of about four years old spent two hours walking around town with us, telling people he was our guide. We preferred our afternoon of wandering around town, drinking coffee, chatting to locals and simply watching the people of Ethiopia go about their day than the sights.
It is strange staying in hotel rooms and not in our tent, especially when some days they have no power, some days they have no running water. It’s painful if you get a day without both, having to spend the evening under candle light and using a bucket to flush the loo! Unfortunately there is a lack of electricity in the country so different towns plan in different ways, either having power on alternate days for the whole town or limiting an area a day to have power.
On the day we left Axum we ended up realising how horrible it is to be discriminated against. Our plan was to stay in a non tourist town called Adrigat, however from the moment we arrived we got a strange feeling. We ended up making use of a local to find us a room, who was friendly and helpful, an exception to everybody else we bumped into. Each hotel we went to began with Furanji (westerner or white person) prices that are much higher and not worth it for what they are offering. We even returned to one as we had run out of any better possibilities only to be told the room had been taken. Of course this was a lie and confirmed by our helper, she just no longer wanted us there! Instead we continued south to Mekele and found a perfect room, with power, hot water, a balcony and even a TV. Finally we had reached a little bit of heaven!
It is surprising how the things you take for granted back home can be so wonderful when you go without them for a while. Even to the point that Steve had two showers in the one evening, just because we hadn’t had hot water since some time in Egypt. And for those that know Steve as a baby faced boy, he was even convinced to trim the stubble into a goatee beard! However it is only whilst we travel alone. |
|
We decided that we would have two nights in Mekele and have a day of simply relaxing, people watching and TV watching for the first time on the trip. It was good having a day of not doing a lot but still seeing and trying new things, such as pure avocado juice that is really thick it has to be eaten with a spoon. However even when sat drinking a quite coffee, people have a way of frustrating by making a bee-line for ‘The White Man’ and asking for money or anything else they think they could get. We do travel with a strict ‘Non Giving’ attitude as we hate people linking westerners with handouts and because nobody should get something for nothing.
Our next stop was probably Ethiopia’s main attraction, the churches of Lalibella. The town is far from special, still being covered in mud huts and very poor drainage, but 800 years ago eleven churches were carved out of solid rocks that are fantastic. Now normally we hate the idea of a guide at tourist attractions, but this time we made an exception as you hear it is a lot easier and less hassle if you have one. Our experience was really good and although not exactly cheap (150 Birr / £10) he did make it really interesting and made navigating the three sights simple, even through a tunnel with bats in. The other benefit is that you then see the priests and the church crosses, though after half a dozen they get a bit tedious especially when they tend to where sun glasses to protect their eyes!
Being the main tourist centre there are plenty of people trying to run plenty of scams. The ‘would you buy me a school book’ being the favourite, however if you do they return the book to the shop you bought it from and get some money for it. We also didn’t have a good time on the first night as the hotel room ended up being riddled with issues, mainly that the sink sprung a leak over the floor and would not stop. Instead we were given another room, that only had two single beds and the lock then didn’t work. By this time it was getting late so after lots of debate we slept in our tent. However come morning the manager was insisting we still paid the full amount (100Birr / £7), but Steve can be a stubborn bugger sometimes. Even to the point we attempted to leave, only to have half the gates shut in front of us and gathering a crowd around to see what was happening. A stand off was set, eventually ending in our favour (costing 50Birr / £3.50), though it is the principal that counts, not the money.
It has been interesting travelling so far in the country already, especially as it reveals so many different styles of living, starting with wood huts, then mud huts, to stone huts and brick buildings. However it is also amazing to see so much of the country is set up for farming, almost every inch, making you wonder why they are still getting food aid. Although the route we have taken from the border to Addis Ababa has taken us through some dramatic natural beauty, in hindsight we possibly would not have bothered. This is not to say we have not enjoyed our time, it is simply an exhausting route, not just because of the length but also because of the people and the disappointing sights. As all day long you hear “you, you, you, give me pen, give me money”. |
|
 |
| Wild camp guard |
 |
| Lake Tana |
 |
| Bath in the Lake |
 |
| Gondar Royal Enclosure |
 |
| Colder Steve |
 |
| Ethiopian Living |
 |
| Northern Mountains |
 |
| Waving Kids |
 |
| War torn north |
 |
| Axum Stelae |
 |
| Dusty Tracks |
 |
| Making driving fun |
 |
| Lalibela Priest |
 |
| St George Lalibela |
|