February 13th and 14th, 2015 - Bahir Dar to Forest Camp, Ethiopia - 278 km

Sick again but only for a day...I know it was the Ethiopian food. Back on the bike the following day after a truck ride to the lunch stop.

The landscape is beautiful and the roads perfect and wide.  The Chinese know how to make roads, they were banked in such a way that you could cruise down a hill without braking for the turn at the bottom.

It was obviously 'market' day and looked quite festive.   There was a mass exodus of people carrying bundles on their heads and backs, donkeys were loaded up with bags of grain and cart loads of goods, people were herding goats, cows and sheep, carrying live hens and roosters (usually upside down with their feet bound and tied to a stick) all heading in the same direction.  

Kids and adults follow us to camp and watch us like we are a TV screen.  They bring drinks and cookies for us to buy, I think they do quite well.  A rope surrounds our camp and they are not to step inside.  This is necessary because they will follow and crowd you and want to handle your bike and equipment.  At least one armed (AK47) guy is hired to keep the locals away.

Beautiful and fun day.  The roads were torn up in quite a few places. 

Women on the sick truck, having a blast and representing 5 decades (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s)

Changing landscape: more trees, open water, small farms

Mass of people, animals and goods on their way to the market

At the forest camp

Onlookers at our camp

Armed guy hired to keep our bikes, etc. safe. Last year a couple of bikes disappeared overnight.

Teenager poses with his hen. The hen's legs are tied and a couple of minutes earlier it was being carried upside-down.

February 10th - 12th, 2015 - Gondor to Bahir Dar, Ethiopia - 177 km

Left Gondor for a two day cycle to Bahir Dar for a 'rest day'.  The Ethiopian scenery is rugged and beautiful.  We are seeing more and more greenery and big beautiful trees and some rivers and lakes.

Kids line the street to greet you, yelling 'you, you, you' 'money, money, money' and 'where you go?' Then they pelt you with stones and occasionally they try to poke sticks in your wheels or hit you with sticks, pinch you or slap you...some times they push you up a hill while robbing you or grab the back of your bike.  So far it is stressful but no serious injuries.

We arrived in Bahir Dar early in the afternoon, so had enough time to go to the Blue Nile Waterfalls. The trip there was so ridiculous that we couldn't help but laugh.  They stuffed a dozen people in a rickety old van and drove us for over an hour down a really bad dirt road.  The van was falling apart as we drove but the waterfalls was beautiful.

The hotel where we were staying was quite bad. Even with the lights on we needed to use our headlamps.  One guy woke to see a rat on the other twin bed in his room (about a foot away).  He screamed and it ran under the bed.  He ran to the front desk and told the receptionist.  The hotel guy got a broom and went to the room.  He swung the broom under the bed and the rat ran out frightening the guy.  He told the TDA guy to leave  the room and he did but left the door open an inch or so, so he could see what was going on.  There was a whole lot of running around and slamming of the broom.  Finally, the guy came out the room carrying a large dead rat on the end of the broom. He told the TDA guy he could go back into his room.  He said there was blood everywhere. The manager comped  him for one night but not the two nights.

Laundry Day 

Onlookers as we prepare to ride 

Typical Ethiopian Landscape

Beautiful Landscape

Kids are constantly trying to sell you something. 

Everyone on their way to the market

Donkeys and people are loaded with goods to sell at the market 

Women carry large bags of grain on their heads

Roadside shelter 

Big trucks and small bikes on the road: Right of weight

Relaxing in Bahir Dar: People-watching by the lake

Ethiopian colours

Cabbage Garden

Taking a boat across the Nile to get to the Blue Nile Waterfalls

Blue Nile Falls

Enjoyed a layered juice at a local shop, then went upstairs for Ethiopian food, injera (fermented bread with a spicy meat mixture)

February 8 & 9, 2015 - Gondar, Ethiopia - Two Rest Days

TDA is staying on the grounds of a very nice hotel in Goha (previously the capitol of Ethiopia, now with a population of 30K people).  The hotel stands at the top of a high hill overlooking the ragged City and a 16th century castle.  The view out the east is of the Simien Mountains and to the west the most gorgeous sunsets.  We are being spoiled by a hotel with a lodge-like appearance, an incredible deck, a bar (after a 'dry' Sudan), a beautiful swimming pool, comfortable beds, hot showers... so I've been told that this is usually the 'breakout' night after the long and hard biking/living conditions of the past 8 days.  Our group was a sick and tired bunch and likely a real disappointment to anyone expecting a party because we all had much needed showers, drank our rehydration solutions, had a light dinner and retired to our rooms to try and connect with our families and friends back home.  

I went into the city and quickly was overwhelmed with the crowds of people and the chaos... I was too hot and sick to do anything but  grab the necessary supplies and head back to the hotel.

Outskirts of Goha

Early morning view from my hotel

Trucks and equipment decon

Repacking all my stuff… somehow the pile seems to grow or the lockers get smaller

  

Enjoying a lovely breakfast outside on the patio

February 7, 2015 - Bush Camp to Gondar, Ethiopia - 100 km

I'm slowly on the mend but still not on my bike as I haven't been able to eat for a couple of days.  Many people are still sick with what seems like a couple of different ailments. The ride was very tough with a 2,600 m climb over 100 km in the boiling sun, so the handful of riders who finished looked ragged by the time they got in. 

Here are some photos from the previous days.

Small town we managed to get lost in about 300 m from camp.

On the road, fun until corrugation started, then pure hell.

The numbers donkeys, camels, goats and kids on the road are incredible.

Kids come running from every direction when they see us or our trucks.

February 3rd - 6th, 2015 - Farm Camp, Ethiopia

I've been sick the past four days but now on the mend.  I've been riding the truck (sharing what is called the 'dog pen' with other sick riders). So if you weren't sick when you got on the truck you will be by the time you get off.  I had projectile vomiting at the Ethiopian immigration entry point and again in front of their medical hut where they take everyone's temperature to make sure that they are healthy... and they still let me in.

 I can't emphasize enough how hot it is... 45+C and the wind blows hot air, so it's like being in a convection oven.  Here is one of the many villages ...this was taken near the Sudan-Ethiopian border...not sure which side.

Ethiopia is mountainous and much greener.  It is poor and more Christian (as opposed to Muslim), so the dress is a mixture of burkas, head scarves and western style. 

We wonder where the flagging tape that shows our way goes, I've seen kids walking around with it, some decorate their bikes, other make flowers out of it.   You are swarmed by kids (and adults too) as soon as they see you.  It is interesting at first but becomes too much very quickly. 

Still donkeys carry the burden, hauling water, wood, people, pulling large carts...  Each night we are constantly serenaded with donkeys braying, dogs barking and until recently the call to prayer which starts a half hour before sunrise.

February 2nd - Desert Camp, Sudan - 88 km

Last night we changed our tires to ones more suitable for off-road and sand.  We were to follow a desert road/track across the desert on our way to the Ethiopian border which we should cross in a couple of days.  It is hard to believe that we will soon be finished with Sudan (and I'm still EFI but I think the hard part for me will be Ethiopia).  It continues to be terrifically hot (+45°C in the sun and a mere 40°C in the shade).  The road was mainly corrugated and where it wasn't, it was loose sand and your tires would sink and if you were lucky you could fishtail through it or at the very least manage to unclip before going down.  My average speed was very slow. There were many falls.

We made coke/water stops at every opportunity and sat under a large shady tree within 5 km of camp to cool off and get some energy back. This evening after we set up our tents, we went to the Nile channel to bathe in the muddy water.  It is amazing what we now consider 'clean'.  This was a very tough day and tomorrow will be the same.  People in the villages are very interested in us and have no problem crowding us and staring.

Below is a photo of an overloaded truck carrying men; it appears that the men and women don't commonly travel together,  as you will see many truck loaded with men and the odd one loaded with women.