How do you put up a tent again?

Ethiopia

 

After our 4 nights recovering in Addis Ababa we thought we were in for a tough time in Ethiopia as we were entering the rainy season plus the whole country is elevated anywhere from 1000-3000 metres which makes it a lot cooler as well. Fortunately the rain seemed to be quite predictable and fell in the afternoon/evenings and the temperature stuck around 20 degrees which was perfect. We dashed up to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana where a few of us went on a walk to visit a waterfall on the Blue Nile which was nice but would have been more impressive at the end of the rainy season. Just in case we had forgotten where we were, a local using a tyre to make his way down the river reminded us just what a special continent we were in.

An old Portuguese bridge from the 1600's

The waterfall along the Blue Nile which covers the whole cliff in wet season

River transport

 

 

From Bahir Dar we drove to Lalibela, but before we got there we had to traverse some of the most beautiful scenery Ethiopia could throw at us. These pictures from a lunch stop we did along the way just don't do it justice but I’m gonna make you look at them nonetheless.

Lunch stop on way to Lalibela

Christina "animal lover" Withers

Eating with the locals

 

 

The drive to Lalibela was long and windy but well worth it. I’ve not been a big fan of visiting churches since my 2007 European Church & Scaffolding Tour Extraordinaire but this place is UNESCO heritage listed and is a bit different from your usual church. Chiselled out of rock in the 1200’s it is compared to Petra in Jordan so we spent half the day exploring with our guide around the complex which is still in use today, giving us the opportunity to share the experience with locals. From Lalibela 12 of our 17 passengers went on a 5 day excursion to Axum and the Simien Mountains leaving myself and just 4 others with the truck.

The main church at Lalibela

Praying inside

St Georges church

 

 

With just 5 people in the back of the truck the trip to Gondar (not Gondor all you Lord of the Rings fans) was very pleasant with enough room to stretch out and sleep most of the way. We had 6 nights in Gondar while we waited for the rest of the group to catch up and the hotel here was the best yet, with separate bathrooms, room service, restaurant, pool, and a bar. The bright neon lights which showed it was very much a Chinese constructed building were just a bonus. The only real thing I can say I did here apart from watch movies, the world cup finals, and eat was to visit the old castle in the middle of town. Originally constructed by old Ethiopian Kings it was added to each generation and eventually taken over by different colonial powers until it was bombed when the Italians used it as a HQ during WWII. It has been partially restored but for the most part was still complete, and being in the middle of town it made it easy to explore the city as well.

The castle in Gondar

Luxury accommodation in Gondar

 

 

Once the rest of the group re-joined us and had a day to recover we made our way to the Sudanese border. The moment we left the hills of Ethiopia and crossed into Sudan the temperature went from 20 during the day to 35+. Perfect timing for the girls as we were entering a strict Muslim society where they had to cover up when out in public. The heat is now here to stay for the rest of this trip where it is expected to average around 39 in northern Sudan and Egypt and possibly as high as the mid 50’s in the desert. Guess we picked the wrong time of year to visit. Braving the heat we crossed the border without too much fuss and bush camped at the foot of a rock escarpment. We had stayed in hotels for 15 nights in a row through Ethiopia which was completely foreign to us and it felt a little strange setting up a tent again. As I found myself at the top taking pictures while everyone else was erecting their tents the wind started to pick up and before we knew it tents and tarps were blowing here, there and everywhere which was quite hilarious with a bird eye view from the top until I felt I was about to be blown away myself. Eventually we got everything set up and had dinner as the wind died down just to be awoken again at 3:45 by another sandstorm which went until 6 when we all had to get up. With sand in every orifice we packed up, bags beneath our eyes and moved on to Khartoum.

Back to bush camping after 15 nights off

and the wind starts to pick up

Nick chasing down Dennis' tent

Sonja taking photos while struggling with her tent

Christina protecting her Sansbug

 

 

We meandered into Khartoum early in the afternoon. As is the case in most places we go the locals developed an interest in our truck which sticks out like a model at a Star Wars convention. One commuter however got a bit more then he bargained for when he rear ended the car in front of him at some traffic lights as he was taking a picture of us on his phone. Now if you did this at home the first port of call would probably be to quickly hide that phone and get out and apologise to the driver in front and start exchanging details. Said driver found us much too interesting however and continued to take his once in a lifetime shot before we drove off, only getting out after we were out of range, having a brief look at the front of his car with the other driver who didn't seem perturbed at all and both driving off still gaping at us and few seconds later.

Lord Kitchener's Gunboat in our camp on the Nile

Our post apolyptic campsite

 

 

We have 3 nights in Khartoum to have a look around, our campsite right on the river just a few km’s from where the Blue and the White join to form the Nile. We have a fixer here helping us with all manner of things including registration which you need to do in addition to getting a visa and exchanging money. The official cash rate here is US $1 = Sudanese £5.8. I am only mentioning this because on the black market here you can get US $1 = Sudanese £9.7, 168% better than the bank rate. Although we have occasionally got a better exchange rate on borders, especially in West Africa this is by far the biggest and displays the shortage of foreign currency within Sudan. In a few days we will leave to drive through the Sudanese desert to Lake Nasser and into our final country, Egypt.

 

 

 

 

more...