We have been extremely busy in the last week traveling from place to place; all the way from Khartoum to numerous villages and towns in the highlands of Ethiopia. Now that we are in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, we wanted to share with you a taste of our journey into this beauty city. Here are some updates from all of us:

On the road again…
After ordering special parts and having them shipped in by expensive air freight from Saudi Arabia, we were informed by the mechanics that the issue was actually just dirty leaded fuel. It turns out there is no unleaded fuel available in North Africa. The repairs, had they been done correctly when the mechanics got the vehicle, it would have saved us a few days wait in Khartoum, but hindsight as always is 20/20.  Considering the beating the trucks took in the Nubian Desert, they really did perform beyond expectation.

The UN and Khartoum, Sudan…
The UN has a heavy presence here in Khartoum; their vehicles are everywhere. Ironically, the UN has a large compound located right across from the Sudanese military compound and are separated by no more than 50 feet on the same street. Both buildings face each other and are surrounded by thick protective walls laced with barbed wires overtop, and surveillance towers at each corner. The UN compound is painted white, in contrast with the Sudanese military compound which is of a dark sand color. The Sudanese government welcomes with opened arms our aid money but has been reluctant in allowing UN military on its turf.

A Drastic Change…
After waving goodbye to the bugs in our apartment in Khartoum, we were relieved to return the keys to this sub par government lodging, which reflected the poor standard of living of the average person in this city.  With temperatures routinely high (average 42 degree Celsius), people are more inclined to set up a cot under a tree on the roadside or in a courtyard, not because they don’t have homes, but because their homes are almost always inhospitably hot.  The power goes out routinely in the late evening, so many people head to the corner store to share a pop, some conversation, and any available breeze.

We soon realized we’d be staying in Khartoum an extra night and Shaunna booked us rooms at the Bougainvilla Guest House, owned by a Norwegian family who have been here for some years.  Ben and Mike were ecstatic to share a non-alcoholic Beck’s beer which was followed by a wonderful home cooked meal on their lovely rooftop terrace that we were all invited to.  Their hospitality and clean rooms refreshed our sagging spirits in preparation for the next leg of our journey. We hit the road early and proceeded south and drove through the last of Sudan’s desert into a region of grasslands and hillsides that was a prelude to the Ethiopian Highlands.  

The Ethiopian Highlands…
Crossing a rough stone bridge over a staircase rapid, we entered the ramshackle Ethiopian border town of Matema.  We were immediately engulfed by a myriad of sights and smells of goats, long-horn cattle, donkeys and their drivers.  The pot-holed street was lined on both sides with lively and colorful shanty shops.  Poor merchants were selling everything from flowing hand-made scarves to roasted meat.  Here we were met by Mr. Sisay, an Ethiopian tourism representative whose assistance Ben had previously arranged.  He led us to our campsite for the night within a fenced private compound.  After a simple pasta meal prepared by Shaunna over open coals, the evening entertainment began.  Singing, dancing and local instruments were heard late into the night.  We however crashed early to recharge for the next days travels.  Driving into Ethiopia we were welcome by lush fields of flourishing grasses waving back and forth at the blue sky.  The green pastures and open plains are home to the Amhara people who earn their living farming and raising cattle, goats and donkeys.  These animals are everywhere along this beautiful piece of highway accompanied by few herders. Remarkably, many of these herders are children, some of whom are four and five years old and judging by the smiles, have much fun on the job.

We drove the trucks hard up the switchback mountain roads to a peak of 2,560 meters. It was invigorating to get back into fresh mountain air and cooler temperatures.  We motored through a multitude of small country villages where children were all smiles and waves while walking home from school.   While passing over many mountain streams we saw women hand washing colorful fabrics while their children played and swam in the cool water.  Young woman washed their hair, bare breasted on the banks but scattered and laughed when Mike pulled out a camera.  As our altitude increased, the temperatures dropped.  It fell to a welcome 22 degrees Celsius in these lush fertile highlands.

Gondar; Ethiopia’s former Royal Capital
After a 6 hour drive, we stopped in the dynamic historical city of Gondar that’s engulfed by the mountains. As we slowly journeyed uphill into the city, the intertwining roadways made it difficult to pick up any speed. The streets were inundated with students in their dark blue and white uniforms making their way home.  The love for soccer was quickly reflected amid the average young boy wearing a European club soccer jersey from Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus amongst many under their white shirt uniforms.  The atmosphere seemed much more relaxed than in Sudan, as the average person was in a pair of jeans and a shirt, men and women alike, somehow following the North American trend. The side streets were horded with shops ranging from clothing to groceries to electronics and gift shops, giving little space to the street vendors and their fruit stands. The familiar sight and smell of cattle and donkeys reinforced to the ideal of a rustic cattlemen lifestyle, even within this small developing city.  We made it to the Goha Hotel, at the top of the hill, where we spent a two nights. Being in the highlands, we did not hesitate to reach for our sweaters as the chill of the evening, night, and morning. It reminded us of the early spring and late fall temperatures that we were no longer used to after spending time in burning hot regions.

The beauty of Lake Tana and the Monasteries
We spent a day in Bahardar, a city on the shores of Lake Tana; Ethiopia’s largest lake and the source of the Blue Nile, which flows from Ethiopia into Khartoum, Sudan, where it meets the White Nile to form the River Nile. Many people do not visit this lake because of its vastness or the beauty of the thriving tropical forests that surround it, although what we saw was beyond stunning. It is what lies in the numerous isolated islands on this lake that inspire people to visit this area; this is where some Africa’s oldest monasteries are found, some dating to as early as the 8th century. The 37 islands of Lake Tana shelter some twenty monasteries; we visited one of the monasteries on Zege Peninsula. After a thirty minute ride on a small motorboat, we arrived in the village of Ura Kidane Meheret, where we were warmly welcomed by the people. We walked for 15 minutes and reached the Ura Kidane Meheret Monastery, 1800 m above sea level where we learned all about what lies within the walls of this church. From beautiful mural paintings and pieces of religious art depicting stories from the bible to the tabot (a replica of the Ark of the Covenant), we all got a taste of the role of the church in the daily lives of the people of this Peninsula, who are mostly Orthodox Christians. It was interesting to learn that one of these islands kept the original Ark of the Covenant during the time when Axum was endangered. Ethiopia is filled with history and traditions that have been preserved from the early days, especially when looking at the Orthodox Church.

Into Addis Ababa
Our trip into Addis Ababa was smooth and easy going mainly because of the road and the scenic highlands that surrounded us. We drove for eight hours with a break in between, where we visited a market in a small village in the highlands. As soon as we left Bahardar, we noticed that we were not the only ones on the main road that one uses to travel through this part of Africa. There were many people walking along the road, and some even on the road. Our government official, Mr. Sisay, told us that it was Market Day and everyone was making their way from the countryside into the neighbouring villages to visit the market. It was overwhelming to see all these people; a mix of young and old, some carrying their goods on their backs, others herding their livestock. This road signifies a lot to Africans; it allows people from all regions to connect with each other. It is the road of life. Visiting the market was a great experience for all of us; seeing the dynamics of the people, the way in which business is conducted in this rural part of Africa and the strength of the people. Moving from section to section, we all absorbed what the market had to offer; the different spices, the corn stands and the livestock that was for sale. For this one day of the week, everyone and everything can be found in these markets. It was also quite interesting to see the strength of the women of the highlands; many of them were heading into the market with their commodities on their backs and their children next to them.

Our market visit came to an end before we knew it and we were on the road again to another small village where we spent the night before proceeding to Addis Ababa the next day. After a few hours of driving, we arrived in Addis and made our way to our hotel, which lies in the heart of the city. For the few days that we have been here, we have visited numerous places; from a flower farm in the outskirts of Addis to the African Union. We have more stories to tell and places to visit and our next few days here are packed with work; thankfully, it is work we all love and enjoy.

And here’s a  little something from Shaunna…

It felt although a huge weight had been lifted off my back as we crossed the border from Sudan into Ethiopia. One might assume the grounds for this buoyancy was that we were out of harms way and into a country where war was not ravaging the nation. But, this was not the case as evidence of armed conflict was not rampant in the areas that we traveled. One explanation as to why I felt like I could walk on water was because the average temperature dropped 15 degrees from a high of 48 degrees Celsius to the comfortable 28 degrees. Who would have thought that 28 degrees Celsius could feel like a fall day in Canada.

The energy of the people who surrounded me also added to my sense of elation. Within only minutes after crossing the border into Expedition Africa’s third country of visit I noticed a drastic difference between the people of Ethiopia and the people of Sudan. In Sudan the masses appeared to be politically controlled, and religiously and culturally conservative. From my perspective, which is that of a young liberated Western woman, it seemed that the Sudanese women were shut off from the world. Throughout the continent of Africa, in most societies women take on a secondary role - some, unfortunately more than others. It is hard to imagine that half of Sudan’s population seems to rarely leave the confines of their homes and participate in public life.

The night we camped in Matema, the Ethiopian border town was filled with laughter, dancing, and music. The people including the women were warm and cheery and they appeared to enjoy the life they have been given. Surprisingly, the people of Ethiopia are not the only gem in this African country. The lush rolling highlands of the region are one of the most picturesque views I have ever seen. With each passing hour as we drove further into the breathtaking highlands my spirits were lifted as high as the highlands of Ethiopia.

 
We Miss You, Mike.
Mike left us yesterday, making his way back to Ottawa, leaving just four of us here on the ground. We plan to leave Addis Ababa shortly and make it to Kenya for as early as November 1st. Until next time, regards from the Expedition Africa team.

Addis Ababa; Ethiopia