Khartoum, Sudan to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 8-24 February

We finally had our papers in place and everything we needed to exit Sudan and enter Ethiopia. Can’t say we were too sorry to leave Khartoum which was so incredibly hot and mossie ridden. Can’t complain about costs in Sudan though, everywhere we have camped was free for the entire country – as we bush camped all the time - except the campsite in Khartoum which cost £9 total for 4 nights stay!

We stocked up at the one big supermarket, again, a loose sense of the word and headed off south east towards the border with Ethiopia. We had two more lovely nights bush camping, still with Peter and Traudl and enjoyed open roads, wide spaces, vast expanses of space etc.

Here are photos of the meat we DON'T buy (check out the tail still on!), the fruit and veg that we do buy every day and us enjoying more bush camping....

The border crossing into Ethiopia was pretty uneventful, although a little long as the customs guys decided to take their lunch break as they saw us approaching up the dirt track. Getting out of Sudan was a case of popping from shack to shack, avoiding the donkeys, in order to get the right signature on the right bit of paper. On the Ethiopian side Metema village is a crazy border community – everyone wants to change your money, stare at you, beg from you etc. After about 3 hours we had everything in place and stopped to enquire about the price of beer – BEER – hurrah!- and drove on towards the town of Gonder.

It was stunningly beautiful scenery driving to Gonder, just climbing non -stop up the mountains and rejoicing as the temperature gauge began to drop. Although we were apprehensive about all the trouble on the roads – local kids throw stones at faranji (foreigners) cars and it is not unknown that people throw themselves (or their kids, or goats, or dead relatives) under your car wheels in order to claim compensation. However we drove at a sensible speed and circumvented all the cows, kids, people, goats, sheep, donkeys and horses on the road and didn’t have any problems. I must say my heart began to beat faster and felt much lighter and i felt exhilarated to be finally back in Africa. And Africa “proper” surely is Ethiopia, it is mostly a Coptic Christian country so alcohol is available, women are not second class and hidden away, things are a little more chaotic, people are everywhere (as mud and stick huts are everywhere) and animals rule the road.

We arrived late into Gonder and found a tiny pension (local hostel) which allowed our 2 cars to park in their central car park and camp. We went straight out to eat as we had nothing in the car – we went to a local eatery and the food has changed completely from Middle Eastern influences. Now local food is served on njeri – a huge brown flat pancake type thing- and you eat with your fingers. The most common topping is a bean paste, or you can have cubed meat (as it’s commonly served raw and we have seen what the butchers shop looks like we have avoided that option!), or various others. Peter and Pieter dived straight into the local beer – and did so with broad smiles! It is excellent and we are now travelling wtih a crate of our own. In that restaurant you pay close attention to the hand washing ceremony (important as you don;t get cutlery for your njeri) and there was a pet duck wandering around.

Scenes of Gonder: Pieter's favoured local beer, fresh avocado and mango juice, the local scaffolding

The next day we went out for breakfast and enjoyed delicious porridge and fantastic macchiato – as i sat there and looked around me and the hustle and bustle i just can’t explain the emotion to be back in Africa. Gonder is stacked with history – just who would have known that there were stone palaces and castles in Ethiopia? And many of them in Gonder. We paid to wander around them, each one built for a different Emperor and the kids ran around rather uninspired as they
claim “Scottish ones are bigger”!! Archie and Euan made friends with a couple of local girls

The adults just marvelled at European type castles which already existed in the middle of Africa.

We went for sundowners at a posh hotel outside of town and the most exciting part of the day was the drive there in a "tuk tuk" (part motor bike, part taxi and prevalent from Egypt to here) – the kids were shrieking with delight as we buzzed our way up the steep hill.

Back to our little compound camping and off early the next morning as both boys vomited all night and guess who was on clean up duty? As our facilities were negligible we decided to set off immediately south to a campsite we knew was run by a Dutch couple. This campsite was right on the banks of Lake Tana, in Gorgora; a terrible road to get there but once there you enjoy peace and quiet and no more hassle from the local kids (“pen,pen,pen”, “money,money,money”, “you, you, you”). There is no running water because 3 of the local villagers are employed at 19Birr a day (about £0.60) to carry water from the lake. Mara immediately came to report that the toilets were spotless, sparkling AND even had toilet paper! They don't flush but you pour lake water down to flush. You can choose to wash either in the quaint bamboo hut where there is a tin bucket on the roof which you unleash with a twist to be blasted with fresh lake water, or you can meander over the rocks to a little enclosed bay on the Lake and wash there. We bathed in the lake every day (yes bilharzia is present but you should hopefully be ok if you stay in for less than 10minutes and don’t bathe anywhere near the local animals.....hmmm....will keep you posted on that one).

We stayed 3 nights and chilled out and did home schooling

and washing and enjoyed meeting Brian from North Berwick and his girlfriend Jan. He is following the route of Ewan MacGregor’s Long Way Down for charity, but has the additional challenge of being in a wheel chair. He thought we were brave doing the trip with 3 kids – in comparison, hardly!

From Gorgora we drove to Lalibela in a day – a long day’s drive full of absolutely incredible scenery that just takes your breath away – mountains and gorges and forests and huts and animals and climbs of up to 4000kms.

We found another hotel which allowed us to camp in their car park and we had 2 nights and 1 full day exploring. Lalibela is famous for ancient Coptic Churches dating from the 12th century which are carved into the rock. Not just the facade is carved into the rock, every Church is entirely free standing....wow.

Lalibela was a bit tiring though – it was a super busy wee place and we were hassled a lot, although in a different way to Egypt. Our second night in Lalibela brought sadness, it was our last night with Traudl and Peter as they were then travelling North and we were heading South to Addis Ababa. We had a meal together and the next morning Mara leapt out of bed to draw them picture and write them a letter. We have made life-long wonderful friends who were such a pleasure to travel with and made our last 3 weeks even more memorable.

From Lalibela it is too far to get to Addis in one day. The first 50kms from Lalibela are on quite a bad dirt and stone road ( we have had a number of trailer problems with dirt roads and things just rattling clean off). We had to pause for one night in the small town of Kembolcha – and it took 8hours to reach there. We negotiated to stay in the grounds of a hotel again as so far bush camping has been impossible as there are just hamlets of huts absolutely everywhere.

After an early start and a further 7 hours drive on mostly tarmac and through a bizarre tunnel with no lights and a crap stoney, bumpy road, we reached Addis. We are staying at an overlanding camping spot – where we are 4 vehicles squished into a grassy compound. Great people though, everyone on the same type of trip and even another family with a child! We set up camp and all ate pizza together – our first “faranji” food in quite some time. The car has had an oil change and had the brake pads checked (up and down climbs through the Rift Valley of 4000kms we thought it prudent) and the trailer had its bearings looked at and some welding done (as expected, it’s not handling the corrugated roads very well!).

At least i have been able to buy a few things in Addis – a bottle of gin for £2.20 (i list the important things first!), fruit other than bananas, a little slab of cheese and bread. The kids are in heaven to have a wee friend to run around with and we will try and look in on a charity before we leave. Next issue is to try and find internet access – it has not proved easy so far....posh hotel here we come.......



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