Southern Ethiopia and across the Equator

13 March 2007 (part two)

Well it would appear that the reason why all the hotels in Arba Minch are occupied is that there is a tourism conference in town. The knock on effect of this is that we have no chance of going to see the Mursi tribe unless we can get south to Konso. Only 100km so it should not cause too much of a problem but the road is being rebuilt so we follow a dirt track most of the way with the main entertainment being from locals chasing the truck and shouting Faranji (foreigner), you you give me money or more pleasingly just smiling and waving. At one point a group of teenage boys stop bathing in the local stream and start running naked after the truck rolling deliberately in the dirt, we eventually manage to prise Fran away from the windows and cover the rest of the distance but it is nearly 2 o’clock when we arrive at what is little more that a dustbowl of a town with a couple of hotels and some bars selling warm beer and even warmer Tej – more importantly no fresh veg or food options so we eat out in the hotel. After thinking we may be able to get to see the Mursi it turns out to be the same story from Konso and no one can take is the 200km into the Mursi region. Things are becoming a little fraught with frustrations bubbling a tad. Suspect new blood on arrival in Nairobi will give the whole group a lift, one or two certainly seem to need it more that others.

14 March 2007

With a plan formulated we head south towards the Kenyan border. Covering good ground we clear the dodgy part of the road to Yabelo which seems almost like an oasis ….. pepper steak on the menu. Having made such good progress we can have a leisurely lunch before heading south on a tarred (huzzah!) stretch of road to Moyale some 220km away. Just when we think we will reach Kenya for tea and crumpets disaster strikes and we break down 65km from our destination and in the middle of absolutely nowhere. In the next 2-3 hours we see about 5 vehicles none of which are willing or able to help or equally importantly – going in the right direction. It would appear that the fuel injection system is completely shot and so we eventually flag down a bus and pay 10 birr a piece to go to Moyale. An entertaining journey which stops at all the tiny hamlets en route – either to drop people off or pick up drinks, firewood etc. Not your standard bus journey. The vast majority of the passengers are chewing chat leaves - a mild narcotic that tastes much like privet (I only tried one leaf Mum!) and the bus is stacked with bags of the stuff.

Booking into a hotel still on the Ethiopian side of the border Stu goes in search of a truck to tow the green machine down to Moyale the following morning; once this is arranged we all head off for some delicious (??) fasting food which actually turns out to be very tasty although Dave is more than a little disheartened by the lack of fresh chillies.

I have the short straw of sharing with young Tom again but suspect he has similar feelings about the arrangement as my feet have taken on a strange vinegar smell. Not sure if it is my feet or my sandals that are rotten but suspect it may well be both.

15 March 2007

A bad night’s sleep as we have dropped down out of the hills and it’s a lot warmer. The added bonus to this is that we get to take on the dreaded mosquito again and our room seems to have Ethiopia’s full quota in it. With a mosquito net full of holes any connection with sleep is fleeting with the gnawing of flesh or the buzz of a mozzie little more than seconds away. By the time I wake up I have collected over 100 bites mostly on my elbows and back. Lets hope the doxycycline does its job – apologies for the next bit but blame Tom who suggests that my elbow with so many bites and lumps ‘looks like a fat bird’s arse’ – you can take the boy out of Newark but not Newark out of the boy. Still a 2 omelette breakfast cheers me up no end. Whoever would have thought that we would all put weight on in Ethiopia? Slightly odd though as the orange juice is served hot with loads of added sugar? Moyale is exactly as described in the Lonely Planet guide – a ‘Wild West frontier town’ split in two by the border. Herds of goats wander the streets all looking rather relaxed but then this is Lent and the season of fasting means they are safe for a while longer. Some are even chewing on chat leaves which I suspect just adds to what is already goat Nirvana! At 11 o’clock our truck passes, towed somehow by one of the locals. I say somehow as this truck looks like it would not make it 20 yards let alone go and tow another vehicle across the southern plains of Ethiopia. No progress as yet with repairs. We suspect that a new fuel injection system will have to come from Addis or Nairobi….then we just have to find someone to fit it. I think we might be here for a while! Still we can see Kenya from here and the promise of a diet of meat meat and more meat is tantalizingly close.

A few phone calls to mechanics etc suggests that the problem with the truck relates to the fuel pump and not the fuel injection system. This is good news as the problem is easier to fix but we need to find the resident expert on fuel pumps and he has gone missing for the day, last seen on the Kenyan side of the border chewing chat. We give up for the day and head out for a meal – find meat! – and are joined by a rather worried looking bloke called Tom (does a lot of nice work for charity in London) who is travelling north from Nairobi. Unfortunately he had not realised that visas for Ethiopia must be obtained beforehand and, not wishing to do the 5 day Nairobi to Moyale journey twice over, had been smuggled across the border by locals. Needless to say he was extremely nervous, saying he had never been so scared in his life, and keen to meet up with the party of Americans he had hitched with. We send a very helpful young local lad (Dan but we seem to call him Stan) off in search for them and buy him a beer. We find out that there are flights from Moyale (Kenyan side) to Nairobi which sound very tempting. Unfortunately they are reserved for the WWF. Tom and I have a plan to get past this restriction….I am going as a Panda, he is going as Hulk Hogan! Highlight of the evening is that the local gin does not agree with our Tom. For some reason it turns his face and all his mozzie bites bright purple. The added bonus is that we get no hassle at all that night. Everyone stays well away!

16 March 2007

Our pump specialist finally shows at 9.30 in the morning and has the truck started inside of 10 minutes. It takes a while longer to check that all is safe for the dodgy road ahead. Peter has already told us stories of how the Moyale to Marsabit section is just rocks and has, on a previous journey north, seen every tyre including spares shredded! We leave for Kenya shortly after two. The crossing is very straightforward and made entertaining by the Kenyan official who just laughs a lot as he takes $50 off each of us for a visa and then tell us how great Nairobi is on a Friday night bemoaning the fact that he is stuck in Moyale which is dead.

Camp is pitched in the Police compound and we head for the Prison officers Bar and Canteen. It rains so we decide to stay put a lot longer that we might do normally and all of us are more than a little worse for wear before we finally make it to our tents in the early hours. Two highlights….Tom ploughing through a table full of bottles and the re runs of Deal or No Deal on Kenyan TV???

17 March 2007

This area is not the safest with bandit attacks against vehicles a problem for the Kenyan authorities and the tourist industry. Normally trucks leaving Moyale heading south go in a convoy with an armed escort but as we are on our own today we get two armed guards to ourselves….Jackson and Kennedy – somebodies Mum liked the names of American presidents (just glad it wasn’t Bush and Reagan). Kennedy sits up front while a smiling Jackson sits in the back with us. Unfortunately we don’t get to fire or even hold his gun or play with the grenades that are part of an impressive collection of armaments strapped to his belt. Most of the morning is spent catching up on sleep but we make reasonable progress covering 100 of the 250km by lunchtime. Lunch is the traditional Kenyan fare of goat stew with Chapattis at a small shack literally in the middle of nowhere (Sololo). It does have a few rooms which are little more that corrugated sheds with beds but have been brightened up with imaginative names…..Chicago, London, Hong Kong, Soweto and The Gaza Strip!

Back on the road for the afternoon but slowed by a shredded front tyre which takes a while to repair in the baking heat. It is easy to see why this area of Kenya has been described as ‘Hell on Earth’. There is nothing but rocks, sand and the odd Acacia tree. Whirlwinds send plumes of dust spiralling 100s of feet into the air and the sun beats down relentlessly. Rocky bumps and ridges in the road see us all (apart from Dave and Jackson) sat at the front of the truck as the alternative is to spend most of the journey airborne! We eventually make it to Marsabit at 6 saying goodbye and thank you to Jackson and Kennedy and an early night is had by all!

Peter and Jackson fixing the rather shredded front tyre...

18 March 2007

Up and off by 7 and across the Kaisut desert towards Archers post and the Samburu National Park. Peter reckons that this 260km stretch of road is better but none of us are too convinced and any improvement is marginal. We stop at a a Police Road block at Laisamis where we there are rumours that a truck ahead of us has been attacked by bandits. We are keen to play it safe so wait for another armed escort to join us. This time it’s a rather elderly looking pair and the man in the back of the truck could well be in his eighties and is armed with a very old Enfield rifle…. Had he held a pitchfork it would have been a Kenyan version of Dad’s Army. He sits down with the gun across his knees pointing straight at me. Having seen the age of the gun and its owner and knowing how bumpy the road is I politely ask him to move. He happily obliges pointing it at a nervous looking Tom instead.

The 260 km to Archer’s Post is pretty uneventful and the only people we see on the road are traditionally dressed Samburu tribesmen and women who, almost without fail, wave as we pass. Stopping in Archer’s post we leave our armed guards and head to our campsite on the banks of the River Ewaso Nyiro. A very pleasant spot looking across into the Samburu National Park. We are pleased to hear that we can swim in the river because it is shallow. Unfortunately when it is deeper you cannot swim as you can’t see the crocodiles coming for you.

Samburu women in Archers Post

We are only half a mile away from the Samburu women’s village which was set up a few years ago by many Samburu women who wanted to make a stand against the domestic violence which was common in Samburu familes. They moved out en masse and formed a village free from the abusive men folk and remain there today. Pretty impressive and groundbreaking given the male dominated society they lived in.

19 March 2007

Early morning......

It’s Su’s birthday today. The old girl is 27 and still has most of her faculties! As a special treat we get up at 5.30 with the plan to be in the Samburu National Park by 6.30. Unfortunately the driver we have hired for the day is on African time and arrives at 6.50 but the upside is that we have time to watch the sunrise and enjoy a leisurely cup of tea. The vehicle we have for the day is an open top land rover which allows great lines of sight for game viewing. In a busy morning we spot Gemsbok (aka Oryx), Gerenuk (Giraffe necked antelope only found in this area of Africa), the Gravy’s Zebra (not to be confused with the common Burchill’s Zebra or Mountain Zebra) some vicious looking Eagles, Dik Dik, Thompson’s Gazelle, Mongooses (yes that is the plural), Impala, some angry looking Buffalo and loads of Elephant (at very close quarters) as they bound past us on the way to the river. The sight of Elephants running is always entertaining and to see toddlers at play in a group eventually totalling over 30 is something no-one with a pulse should ever tire of. We did have doubts about our driver who does not seem to spot much and this is confirmed when he almost drives straight past a lioness sunning herself on the riverbank. Luckily the group behind him is eagle eyed although in trying to get too close too quickly he scares her off (the only down-side of the morning). With the sun getting very hot we head for the Samburu Game Lodge for a relaxing 4 hour lunch overlooking the river where a troop of baboons provide the majority of entertainment while we have a Sailfish or Spring roll starter followed by Burger and Chips. A bit pricey but all things are justified under the ‘but its Su’s birthday’ banner.

With rain looming we head back out onto the reserve at 3 and run straight into a herd of elephant…..think we annoyed the matriarch as we got a head shake which makes us hang back a little. We cross paths with a British camera crew the leader of which is wearing a green head band and an inane grin and gives me a slightly disturbing double thumbs up sign. They then tell us there a couple of lions mating by the river. The rain is falling heavily now but we eventually track both female and male lions although the male is looking fairly grumpy and hiding in the undergrowth. More great spots in the afternoon including the odd tortoise (Stu missed the photo as it was too quick for him), a jackal, plenty more ellies and probably the highlight of the day the rather rare Reticulated Giraffe (not Rothschild or Massai)….I nearly forgot….Dave as usual gave added value….not sure if its his colour blindness, senility or a combination of the two but the first animal he spotted was a large truck; after that he would be sat eagle eyed on the lookout for animals while we were already taking photos….the classic shouts of oooh look a buffalo and oh it’s a giraffe….half a minute after we had all been frantically taking photos had us in stitches. Dave as ever just shrugs and takes it in his stride.

Gravy's Zebra

Giraffe Necked Antelope....Gerenuk

Baby Ellie runs to meet Mum....

Buffalo (male)

Dik Dik (bottom of the food chain and suitably nervous about it)

Lioness

A reticulated giraffe (male)

Male Impala

Back to camp to find that our tents have collapsed in the downpour and that they stand in 2 inches of water and are caked with mud. Never thought that my sleeping bag could smell worse than it did. Will not be using it again until it’s spent a good few hours in a washing machine….have ruled out as too expensive the option to get it sent by courier service to my Mum. Once the tents are dried, swept and re-erected we get on with the serious business of Su’s birthday. A few drinks, party hats and a cake somehow baked on charcoal and the evening is a success. Only downside for Su was the lack of Gin although the owner did tell us that vodka was exactly the same!!

Not nearly enough candles!!!

20 March 2007

Tents are packed (still slept covered in sand) and we head to Isiolo where we get lunch, tarmac roads and a new phone for yours truly. I have a theory that the last Pope had done an Overland trip of Africa….it would explain why he kissed the tarmac whenever he got off the plane….I feel pretty much the same at the moment…..just the sight of tarmac has me jumping with joy (not at the kissing the road stage yet but time will tell)! Anyway, enough of this nonsense, after lunch its off into the foothills of Mount Kenya where the landscape changes dramatically with open golden fields, lush green trees and cool mountain air it feels more like England in early May! We reach our destination the Timau river lodge nestled a few thousand feet up the 5199 metre slopes of Mount Kenya (Africa’s second highest, and snow capped, peak). I was up for climbing Mount Kenya but unfortunately the peak is only accessible to experienced mountaineers so I settle instead for a drink by the waterfall and a river which runs through a lush green oasis, sprinkled with log cabins, ponds, ducks, geese, chickens, peacocks and Labradors. Definitely more like England than Kenya. My own log cabin represents a luxury upgrade with a double bed and en suite with hot shower….not to be sniffed at when it costs 500 Kenyan shillings (just under £4). Early to bed….sleep like a log!

My lodge....

Mount Kenya from our lodges!

21 March 2007

Wake at 7.30 and go to the viewpoints to get a few photos of Mount Kenya in all it’s glory. The rest of the morning is spent blogging and tucking into steak and chips for lunch (yes chips again). An evening curry with popadoms followed by banana fritters and custard…..first custard for 4 months….so good! Not a lot to say about the day so will pass on a little tale regarding Kenya’s athletic prowess…..since the 1960s Kenya has produced more world class athletes, more world record holders and more Olympic medallists in long distance running than any other country. The majority of Kenyan runners come from one ethnic group, the Kalenjin. This athletic ability has attracted the attention of coaches, physiologists and even geneticists, none of whom have been able to agree on a reason for the Kenyan domination of running sports. In 1990 physiologist Bengt Saltin took some members of the Swedish national athletics team to a High School near Eldoret (North West of Nairobi). The local kids repeatedly trounced the national champions of Sweden, and Dr Saltin estimated that there were at least 500 schoolboys in the region who could beat Sweden’s best athlete in a 2000 metre race….

22 March 2007

Off south to Nairobi but not before stopping in Nanyuki which lies bang on the Equator.

Photo opportunities are limited due to the number of Americans stood posing in front of the sign and the number of locals trying to charge us to show how water goes down a plug hole differently depending upon which hemisphere you are in….will save that one for the grander sign (and when we have a lot more time) in Uganda. Reach our camp site on the south eastern side of Nairobi around 2. Internet not very good but at least the Satellite TV works.

Addis and the Rift Valley (and a few photos!)

Fasilidas castle in the Royal Compound at Gonder....

The Royal Baths in Gonder ..... water to follow once finished. One of the rock hewn chuches of Lalibela.... St Georges church and the view from Lalibela.....

The Aksum equivalent of the Rosetta stone.....

The largest standing monolith in Aksum's Stele field. The tomb of the false door in Aksum (no hidden levers).

A budgie, parrot bird like thing in the hills above Gonder. The hills North of Gonder....

7 March 2007

A lazy day on the banks of lake Tana. Spend most of the morning trying to get my laptop to work properly as it either wont start up or freezes as soon as I start typing. Needless to say the continuation of this blog is very much dependant on a working laptop and I certainly don’t want to stop now I have got this far. Other than that its been time spent sorting photos for Tom and Dave and getting washing done. Did go for a walk round Barha Dar but did not really achieve much.

8 March 2007

Very much heading back on ourselves so its back to the top of the Blue Nile gorge for the evening. A strange old place and we are all slightly nervous as Dave is cooking. While a very good cook Dave has a reputation for making things ‘a little cheeky’. For those not familiar with Dave’s cooking this means sneaking in as many chillies as he can get away with and then telling everyone he has put two in the pot when four have gone in. He is the only person I have ever met who can order the hottest of curries and have a pile of ten raw and vicious chillies as a side dish. Tonight Dave is strangely subdued and the chillies are kept at bay an we retire to the bar for the evening where Tom and I try to liberate the 5ft ‘Sensations’ advert which is a cardboard cut out of Miss Ethiopia. There is no doubt she would be a great accessory for our journey and would fit nicely in the back window of the truck. Unfortunately, while the bar staff are keen to do a deal, the manager is somewhat less than cooperative and refuses to discuss terms so she stays put. One of the locals does offer us her phone number should we want to contact her on our arrival in Addis but the real thing is no substitute for the cardboard 2 dimensional version so we politely decline.

9 March 2007

A bumpy ride back through the stunning Blue Nile gorge and it takes us nearly two and a half hours to do the 37km of valley sides. The steep ascent on the far side of the valley sees the petrol cut out such is the angle of the truck. Peter is left to hitch a lift to the local town while we sit and play cards. Arriving in Addis around 3 we have a special treat…..yes it’s a trip to Bimby’s supermarket! Lots of goodies including proper cheese for the first time in months. Unfortunately Mrs Greenfield there were no pastries although Tom and I did search high and low eventually having to make do with some of Mrs Ball’s Hot Chutney. A South African classic to be recommended for anyone travelling to the Cape. A farewell party is being held at the 7 room hotel so we camp on the small lawn. 5 locals are emigrating to Israel and the send off is lively and very good natured and even though the Amharic language barrier is significant we are made to feel very welcome. Much to our amusement Su fights the almost overwhelming urge to get up and dance when two locals serenade her for almost half an hour. An evening out for curry at the Amber restaurant where the whole bill for food and drinks for 7 is less than £18. Why on earth would you emigrate from Ethiopia?

Su resisting the almost overwhelming urge to get up and dance!

10 March 2007

The journey south from Addis leads us through dry open plains and it certainly feels more like the stereotypical Kenya rather than the Ethiopia we are used to. Our plan to stop at one of the Rift Valley lakes (Langano) takes a knock when the three hotels we try are either too expensive or not finished so we push on another 100km to the Unique Park Hotel on the shores of Lake Awasa. A very nice welcome from the staff in the hotel and the huge Maribou Storks that sit in the trees outside. This however pales into insignificance when we discover that the bar has satellite TV from South Africa which can only mean one thing ….. Six Nations! Pure bliss although none of us can quite get our heads round Dave’s rather divided loyalties. Born in England he supports Scotland but has an Irish passport. This means he wants Scotland to win but does not mind when they lose to Ireland and when the Wales v Italy game comes on he wants Wales to win but has a lot of Italian friends so is not bothered when they lose. All very odd and he is ridiculed for the full 160 minutes….not that he is bothered a jot! Bangers and Mash for tea….

Early morning in Addis........

Camels oin the way South to Langano......

11 March 2007

I decline the offer to travel 20km to see the Rasta museum in Shashemene (too much Bob Marley for five lifetimes) and spend some quality blog time in the leafy bar area watching the weaver birds and footy on the telly. Right…been here a while so time for a few Ethiopia facts. 5 times the size of Great Britain Ethiopia has three main languages – Amharic (baffling), Tigrinya and Oromo although a fair number speak English (good job really)! Part of a region that is known as the Cradle of Humanity Ethiopia is unusual among African countries for never having been colonised in the great European scramble for Africa in the 19^th and 20^th centuries despite being overrun by Mussolini’s troops in 1936 (they stayed until 1941 before eventually reversing their tanks all the way home). The only other African country that can boast such independence is Liberia. After the overthrow of Haile Selassie in 1974 a clique of junior army officers imposed a military dictatorship. Mengistu Haile Mariam emerged as leader of the Derg, the new governing party. He threw out the Americans (if only!), instituted some radical reforms, banned church activities and appealed to the USSR for economic aid. Months of chaos and excess followed as the country slipped into disorder. The Eritreans stepped up their guerrilla campaign and the Somalis invaded and claimed the Ogaden desert. While the regime was at the point of collapse it retained power through the massive intervention of Soviet and Cuban troops. 1990 saw the end of the cold war and Russia withdrew troops from all fronts, another major famine ravaged the country and the Derg collapsed. Despite battles on all sides and 6 million facing famine the new regime somehow managed to turn the corner moving Ethiopia towards democracy and the first ever Parliamentary elections in 1995. If you want to know more…get an encyclopaedia or go to a library! 30,000 words plus….the blog continues.

The rest of the afternoon is pretty lazy and spent watching Spurs throw away a golden opportunity against Chelsea in the cup quarter final. My request to watch the Rugby afterwards is declined as ‘Ethiopians prefer National Geographic’ this I can cope with but when the channel is turned over so they can watch Melrose Place my level of understanding drops a little. Eventually we manage to catch the last 25 minutes of the match! Hugely worthwhile and nice to take the Grand Slam off the French. Still not sure who Dave was supporting but as usual with Dave there was a hint of Garlic and Onions in his allegiance. To the Tower with him I here you say!

12 March 2007

Some kindly sole has waltzed off with my phone so the first port of call is to the Internet café in Shashemene (given to the Rastas by Haile Selassie) to report it stolen before heading south west on a very dodgy road to Arba Minch which sits on the southern tip of Lake Abaya a rich and fertile area with banana and tobacco plantations and livestock a plenty. One suicidal cow tries to throw itself under the truck by making a sharp left when we are less than 5 metres away. Not sure how Peter avoided it! On arrival in Arba Minch we try out 5 hotels before finding one with any space. The one Overland Club used last time is now a beauty college. Tom is still keen to stay there but there is only so much they can achieve when still learning their trade! And, more importantly Tom and I are cooking tonight…the first time we have cooked on charcoal. Not the quickest of operations and the chilli and pasta takes a good two hours. Good scran though even if I do say so myself.

13 March 2007

Wake at 5 to the sound of the local church who are competing with the local Mosque in the call for prayer. Two hours of singing/wailing which is blasted out to the entire town through loud speakers strapped to the tower. Luckily our hotel is only 30 yards away so we feel the full benefit! Our plan today is to go and see the Mursi tribe. They may be familiar to you at home as they are the ones who wear the lip plate. At the time of writing cost seems to be a major issue as the want $150 a day which is extortionate given Ethiopian prices.

Not been kidnapped yet.....

27 February 2007

A leisurely morning of tea and toast sat overlooking Lake Tana followed by a four hour drive to Gondar. It takes a little longer to get there than we might have expected as the hill climb involves some tight turns as we wend our way through a range of scenery including some impressive tors (not sure that is their correct Ethiopian title). Passing the Dashen brewery (Peter reckons they do free tours) we arrive in Gondar at our hotel, in a prime location in the centre of town. Unfortunately only the location is prime. The hotel certainly is not and an upgrade is out of the question as we are all convinced that the tents are a higher spec than the rooms. We head into town and book our flights to Lalibela and Aksum and once again get stung for a double the expected price. It seems that all Ethiopian airlines flights have gone up after a hike in the price of petrol. Still we are all keen to see what are expected to be highlights of Ethiopia and given the state of the roads going north and west driving is out of the question.

Once booked we head to a local where draft beer is only 2.5 Birr and that is pretty much that for the rest of the day other than some dodgy pasta and tomato sauce back at the hotel.

28 February 2007

After paying for flights confirmed the previous day we sort out a guide (Binny the rasta) for the Royal Enclosure and the Bath of Fasilidas. Gondar has been called Africa’s Camelot and was the capital of Ethiopia from its foundation by Emperor Fasilidas in 1632 until 1886. Lying within 70,000 m.sq. the Royal Compound encompasses six lofty castles and a range of other buildings serving a many purposes such as the royal archive, house of the musicians, the lion cage, the horse zoo, sauna bath, house of the spinners (no not the ones of Michael row the boat ashore fame!) etc. The earliest and grandest of the edifices is that of Emperor Fasilidas, which is 32 metres high with a battlemented square tower. After lunch we take in the Baths of Emperor Fasilidas which lie a kilometre away to the west of the city. Restoration work is underway courtesy of some generous Norwegians and it’s it’s easy to imagine how impressive it will all look when full of water again. The afternoon is spent blogging and getting ready for the following morning’s flight west to Lalibela.

1 March 2007

Up early and off to the airport. A 50 minute flight over some stunning scenery to Lalibela the second capital of the ancient Ethiopian empire in the North and graced with the most beautiful setting on the mountains of Lasta. After knocking one hotel on the head we settle in to the Helen Hotel our baser for two nights. Su and I decide to get organised and head to the Tourist info to plan the following day’s tour of the rock-hewn churches. All very straightforward and follow this with a wander round the town. A winding cobbled road which snakes round the hillside. Followed by children all the way who just want to practice their English which makes a nice change from the frequent shouts of you you give me money that we have heard elsewhere in Ethiopia. The evening is spent trying to find anywhere that serves meat during lent. A tricky one and even though we ordered past with a meat sauce I am still not wholly convinced that we were successful.

2 March 2007

The lonely planet sums Lalibela up by saying if the Middle East has Petra then Ethiopia has Lalibela. Perched at an altitude of 2630 metres Lalibela also remains an isolated place and a centre of pilgrimage. We are lucky enough to be visiting on the monthly St George’s day celebration so the place is awash with robed priests and monks floating among the dimly lit passageways and tunnels of the medieval churches; from hidden crypts and grottoes comes the sound of Amharic chanting. It feels like we have stepped back centuries and is an utterly amazing place. Our guide for the day is like some strange Monty Python character (Spanish Inquisition sketch), hugely knowledgeable and enthusiastic but with a wide eyed look and a voice that fluctuates between various octaves. What makes Lalibela’s rock hewn churches is that most are cut straight from the bedrock, so their roofs are at ground level. Originally called Roha (means clean) the town takes its present name from the 12^th century King Lalibela. Legend has it that the king established the capital here according to divine instructions revealed in a dream. All 11 churches were built within one century; some says another legend, with the help of angels. A fantastic day with a lot of walking in the baking sun although we did escape undercover in the various churches, alleyways and tunnels (one of which was over 30 metres long and absolutely pitch black – boys own stuff!). Did feel a little embarrassed leaving my rather smelly sandals outside each church but then the girls were castigated for not covering their shoulders and had to potter off and purchase shawls.

Back to the hotel for another night sharing a room with Tom (aka Mr Methane) and a sampling of Tej a cross between cider and wine and made (if my memory serves me correctly) from Honey amongst other things.

3 March 2007

Another flight. This time from Lalibela over the Simien Mountains to Aksum which lies near the border with Eritrea. Pleasant flight but told off at the airport for not confirming as there are only 11 people on the plane and we make up 7 of them. It’s suggested that without us the flight might not have taken place. At the time we do not give much thought to why the flight is so empty but find out a little later that day. The 3^rd of March is my Nephew Sam’s 7^th birthday so regardless of cost a call has to be made home. Unfortunately there is no one in at my sisters so I leave a message saying happy birthday to Sam adding that I am in Northern Ethiopia right on the Eritrean border and head off to the Internet only to spot on the BBC website that 21 people have been kidnapped in the Afar desert (less than 35km away). Not sure how we did not know this before but explains the empty plane. A quick phone call home again to confirm that I am ok. A wander into the centre of Aksum for a tea and a pastry (just for you Mrs Greenfield) its always a surprise when you have to move your chair outside the café to let a camel past. A tour of the market….lots of spices, camels, donkeys and goats and then off to watch the Man Utd v Liverpool game. As you might expect so far from Manchester there are loads of Man Utd fans all with the basic qualification for supporting their team – never been near Manchester, can’s play the game and don’t know much about it. I pin my flag to the Liverpool mast and am a tad upset when the spawny Mancs clinch it in the last minute. This is made all worse by a crowd of excited youths who take to the streets waving Man Utd posters. Is there no escape? Suddenly the Afar desert and the risk of kidnap does not seem quite so unpleasant (I am joking of course!).

4 March 2007

It is difficult to imagine that Aksum was ever the capital of a great civilisation yet the little town is littered with the ruins of palaces, underground tombs, stelae (monoliths to you and I) and inscriptions. We start our tour for the day with the huge granite monoliths, or steles of the Stele field. These are basically the biggest gravestones you will ever see with huge underground chambers housing the long since robbed graves of Kings. One monolith, sadly broken, measure 30 metres and is the biggest in the world. Weighing 517 tonnes you can imagine the finger pointing that went on 2000 years ago when it collapsed as soon as it was erected. Mind you with a foundation of 2 metres what did they expect. Not sure how the rest stayed up to be quite honest. All very impressive and it is with good reason that it all feels a bit like scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Every Ethiopian Orthodox Christian believes the Ark of the Covenant resides over the road in the St. Mary of Zion church. According to local tradition it was smuggled from Jerusalem by Menelik I although no-one is allowed to set eyes upon it. Queen Sheba’s pool is still used by the locals who wash themselves and clothes in the ‘holy’ waters. Elsewhere we are shown King Kaleb’s palace and the underground Tomb of King Basen (one of several we see). Lots of boulder pushing fails to trigger and poison darts, hidden doorways or rolling boulders but it’s good fun trying even if our guide, David, seems a bit bemused by it all.

It’s difficult to get your head round the number of monuments and relics that still lie around the town. I am fairly sure that you could keep a thousand archaeologists busy here for years to come there is so much left unexcavated. In the early eighties a couple of tenant farmers found the Aksumite equivalent to the Rosetta stone. A six foot table with three different ancient languages all detailing the same passage. It remains where it was found but now sits in a tin shed with a geriatric guard keeping watch. In the afternoon we head for the Queen of Sheba’s Palace (do you think she was ever asked….who do you think you are….the Queen of Sheba?) and the museum which is soon to be moved to a much grander building behind the stele field. Watch the sun setting over the stele field with a cool lager from the hotel on the ridge above before walking home after dinner while trying to get Michelle to say Ethiopian rather than Ethionopian….it doesn’t work.

5 March 2007

Woken earlier than expected as we have had a phone call from the airport asking us to check in early. Suspect the recent kidnappings have made them more than a little twitchy. Eventually leave at 11 for a bumpy flight south over the Simien mountains back to Gondar. Great views of Africa’s 4^th highest peak Mount Ras Dashen (4620m) on the way. Now does anyone know what the 3 highest are? Will leave that one with you! Arrive back in Gondar and decide not to bother with the planned tour of the Dashen brewery after partaking in too much local gin the night before. Instead we head back to camp for a leisurely afternoon before a burger and chips (major find in fasting season) and bed.

6 March 2007

I did mention at the end of the last blog update that it was the 6^th month of 1999. Well according to the Julian calendar it is. Anyway, plans to celebrate my 32^nd birthday again are scuppered by our continued misunderstanding of the Ethiopian calendar. It would appear that as there are 13 months in the year none of them have 29 days in them. We are still checking this one but fairly sure this is the case. The strange thing is that no-one can tell you for certain….

Hire a mini bus for the morning and head for the hills. Not quite the Simien national park but impressive all the same. A good one hour walk/climb and much hilarity as the small boys with us spot Tom’s complete lack of balance and offer him a staff so he doesn’t fall over as often. Various harsh comparisons to Heather Mills McCartney are made. Not sure how he got to the top of Mount Cameroon…have not seen any photographic proof yet!!!

Head back south to Bahar Dar for a couple of nights and then it’s back through the Blue Nile gorge to Addis. Not the Brunel gorge as previously reported due to Peter’s rather strong Kenyan accent. To all those worried about our welfare while up in the border region with Eritrea please be reassured that we are all safe and well, clear of the troubled area and heading south. More to follow and apologies for the lack of photos. SOme good ones but the internet connection is tripe.