Day 81, 2011/07/21 Khartoum to desert near Atbara
Dave and Naomi, need to sort out their Syrian visa so, I am off to the internet cafe again today. With my blog almost up to date, I am left with nothing really to do but surf and catchup on some reading.
I return early to discover that both Dave and Naomi have managed to secure their Syrian visas. We decide there and then that, another night in Khartoum is no longer and option and that we should make an early start by leaving immediately for Moroe and Atbara. Needless to say, it is hot and the putting on the gear is not fun however,the thought of finally getting out of Khartoum is simply too overwhelming and none of can resist.
The north is heavy laden with trucks and buses so we do not make much head way before night overcomes us and we are forced to setup camp near the side of the road. We decide to stop very close to the road since, there is loads of very thick beach sand which would make my life a nightmare. While waiting for the sun to set, a pickup truck arrives with a number of armed military guys on it. They immediately confront us and want to know what our intentions are and, why we stopped here. The guns are at the ready, so it is a little nerve racking. With our broken Arabic, and their broken English, we eventually explain to them that we intend to bush camp one night and mean no harm to anyone. After consulting our passports, they are appear far more relieved and the mood changes drastically, to the point where they actually become apologetic for disturbing us. It is amazing what the correct attitude can get you in life, regardless of the situation.
Sunday 31 July 2011
Day 80, 2011/07/20 Khartoum
Day 80, 2011/07/20 Khartoum
With all my paper work in order, I decide to find the Internet cafe and update my blog which I have not done since Nairobi. In addition, I also have to upload a number of pics. The Internet cafe also has air-conditioning, soot offers some relief from the heat. Needless to say that, I end up spending almost the entire day there.
With all my paper work in order, I decide to find the Internet cafe and update my blog which I have not done since Nairobi. In addition, I also have to upload a number of pics. The Internet cafe also has air-conditioning, soot offers some relief from the heat. Needless to say that, I end up spending almost the entire day there.
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| Day 80, 2011/07/20 |
Day 79, 2011/07/19 Khartoum
Day 79, 2011/07/19 Khartoum
After the previous days disappointment at the depart of Alien Affairs, we have decided to make sure we are there first thing. Also, Dave wants to go past the SA embassy and also have car checked out so, we decide to go by car instead. Nothing like air-conditioning after another kak night's sleep! It was even hotter than the previous evening and what made it even worse was the fact that there was absolutely no wind what so ever! It got so bad that I eventually ended up sleeping out in the open with my sleeping mat on some concrete slab somewhere. Daveand Naomi also did not sleep terribly well either and so we decide that we will have to rethink our sleeping arrangements for the evening. Anyway, before we can do that, we need to get to Alien Affairs. The process is actually relatively quick and easy, and by 1030 am we are done. Dave recalls some lovely coffee shop he read about in the lonely planet, so we end up going there for a late breakfast. The pastries turn out to be out of this world! All those Greek and middle eastern things with nuts and honey and filopastry. Once breakfast is done, it is off to the South African embassy. Dave needs one of those really questionable letters that state precisely what his passport does, ie that he is who it say it does and, that he is a South African! Yeah, he needs it for his Syrian visa. On arrival at the embassy,we soon discover that no one will be in today. Another case of what the fuck do these people actually do besides get paid lovely salaries at our tax payers expense? Anyway,nothing we can do but return tomorrow then. I am so comfortable in Dave and Naomi's car that, I proceed to sleep most of the time. It is just such a relief to have my body temp back at manageable levels that my mind just decides that it can now eventually just turn itself off, and I eventually manage to catch up on a couple of nights bad sleep.
On returning to the campsite, Dave proceeds to service his car, while I decide to run some necessary repairs to my bike. Dave has never serviced a car in his life before however, he does a very good job for a beginner. Trust me servicing a car/bike in 40 degree heat is not fun, but it ain't like we had any other options.
Naomi on the other hand has this brilliant idea of erecting a make shift sleeping area on the grass using a sheet of taupolin and our mozie nets. Been closer to the water and less sheltered, we hope it will offer a cooler nights rest.
After the previous days disappointment at the depart of Alien Affairs, we have decided to make sure we are there first thing. Also, Dave wants to go past the SA embassy and also have car checked out so, we decide to go by car instead. Nothing like air-conditioning after another kak night's sleep! It was even hotter than the previous evening and what made it even worse was the fact that there was absolutely no wind what so ever! It got so bad that I eventually ended up sleeping out in the open with my sleeping mat on some concrete slab somewhere. Daveand Naomi also did not sleep terribly well either and so we decide that we will have to rethink our sleeping arrangements for the evening. Anyway, before we can do that, we need to get to Alien Affairs. The process is actually relatively quick and easy, and by 1030 am we are done. Dave recalls some lovely coffee shop he read about in the lonely planet, so we end up going there for a late breakfast. The pastries turn out to be out of this world! All those Greek and middle eastern things with nuts and honey and filopastry. Once breakfast is done, it is off to the South African embassy. Dave needs one of those really questionable letters that state precisely what his passport does, ie that he is who it say it does and, that he is a South African! Yeah, he needs it for his Syrian visa. On arrival at the embassy,we soon discover that no one will be in today. Another case of what the fuck do these people actually do besides get paid lovely salaries at our tax payers expense? Anyway,nothing we can do but return tomorrow then. I am so comfortable in Dave and Naomi's car that, I proceed to sleep most of the time. It is just such a relief to have my body temp back at manageable levels that my mind just decides that it can now eventually just turn itself off, and I eventually manage to catch up on a couple of nights bad sleep.
On returning to the campsite, Dave proceeds to service his car, while I decide to run some necessary repairs to my bike. Dave has never serviced a car in his life before however, he does a very good job for a beginner. Trust me servicing a car/bike in 40 degree heat is not fun, but it ain't like we had any other options.
Naomi on the other hand has this brilliant idea of erecting a make shift sleeping area on the grass using a sheet of taupolin and our mozie nets. Been closer to the water and less sheltered, we hope it will offer a cooler nights rest.
Day 78, 2011/07/18 Khartoum
Day 78, 2011/07/18 Khartoum
I had to sleep with my fly sheet off my tent, just to make sure that I could get some air to circulate while sleeping. There was a lovely breeze halfway through the night which,did bring some relief from the heat however, it also managed to blow loads of sand into my tent. Lovely! I am not the best person on little sleep, and just throw in some heat, and It is nothing less than hell!
One of the requirements on visiting Sudan is that, after crossing the border you are required to register as an alien, yes an aline at the department of Alien Affairs in Khartoum. Always thought I was a little strange however, never thought of myself as an alien! The biggest problem with registering as an alien, is actually trying to find the department of alien affairs. It would appear that, the office has moved location several times over the course of the last couple of years so, we have a number of GPS coordinates of where it may be. It is now just a case of trying to find the correct one. After consulting a very reliable blog we decide to try find the place. We opt for trying to find it with the help of a taxi. After negotiating Khartoum traffic in an unairconditioned car, we eventually find the place.not bad for the first attempt. However, as luck would have it, we arrive too late to have it done today. Lovely! The office closes at 2 pm and it is now 3 pm! Does this not just sound like typical government departments for you. So we will gave to return tomorrow.
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| Day 78, 2011/07/18 |
I had to sleep with my fly sheet off my tent, just to make sure that I could get some air to circulate while sleeping. There was a lovely breeze halfway through the night which,did bring some relief from the heat however, it also managed to blow loads of sand into my tent. Lovely! I am not the best person on little sleep, and just throw in some heat, and It is nothing less than hell!
One of the requirements on visiting Sudan is that, after crossing the border you are required to register as an alien, yes an aline at the department of Alien Affairs in Khartoum. Always thought I was a little strange however, never thought of myself as an alien! The biggest problem with registering as an alien, is actually trying to find the department of alien affairs. It would appear that, the office has moved location several times over the course of the last couple of years so, we have a number of GPS coordinates of where it may be. It is now just a case of trying to find the correct one. After consulting a very reliable blog we decide to try find the place. We opt for trying to find it with the help of a taxi. After negotiating Khartoum traffic in an unairconditioned car, we eventually find the place.not bad for the first attempt. However, as luck would have it, we arrive too late to have it done today. Lovely! The office closes at 2 pm and it is now 3 pm! Does this not just sound like typical government departments for you. So we will gave to return tomorrow.
Day 77, 2011/07/17 Wad Medani to Khartoum
Day 77, 2011/07/17 Wad Medani to Khartoum
One lesson we most certainly learnt the previous day was that, the noon day sun is a killer so, it is best that we either travel during the earlyhoursofthe morning or, in the late afternoon. With that it mind we decide to make an early start. Up by 6 am and gone by 730am means that we are able to arrive in Khartoum by noon. Dave and Naomi decide to leave me at the one option we had for accommodation while they investigate the others. I find the air-conditioned room with the Internet so am more than willing to just sit and wait while they decide on which option is better. Not that their are really many to choose from, from a camping perspective in Khartoum! After chilling for about two hours, Naomi calls me to let me know that they hve decided to stay at the Blue Nile Sailing Club, a very common overlanders camping site, in the centre of Khartoum and, on the banks of the Blue Nile river. The only problem is that I am about 10 km away and need to get there in the blazing heat of the midday sun and, through Khrtoums traffic! Once again, it is not a pleasant experience, especially the last 2 km,through some bumper to bumper traffic, and through some busy intersections. However, finally i do arrive to a waiting Naomi with a lovely big bottle of water inhere hand.
The Blue Nile Sailing Club, is a rundown establishment, which is purely managed. It looks like a boat scrapyard rather than any sailing establishment. There are broken boats littering the car park, where the overlanders are forced to pitch their tents. As for the ablution facilities, I do not think they have been cleaned in ages! In brief, a real dump! But beggars can not be choosers I guess. I decide to pitch my tent next to Dave and Naomi's car, just to make things more practical. The heat of the afternoon was so hot and overwhelming that, we manage bearly to play a couple of card games. To tell you the truth, I have never been this hot in my entire life! We are talking of temperatures in excess of 45 degrees, IN THE SHADE! And with no option of air conditioning available, It is anything but pleasant. The down side to all of this is that, we are here for a couple of days at least, we have some administrative things to do, before we can head north to Egypt.
One lesson we most certainly learnt the previous day was that, the noon day sun is a killer so, it is best that we either travel during the earlyhoursofthe morning or, in the late afternoon. With that it mind we decide to make an early start. Up by 6 am and gone by 730am means that we are able to arrive in Khartoum by noon. Dave and Naomi decide to leave me at the one option we had for accommodation while they investigate the others. I find the air-conditioned room with the Internet so am more than willing to just sit and wait while they decide on which option is better. Not that their are really many to choose from, from a camping perspective in Khartoum! After chilling for about two hours, Naomi calls me to let me know that they hve decided to stay at the Blue Nile Sailing Club, a very common overlanders camping site, in the centre of Khartoum and, on the banks of the Blue Nile river. The only problem is that I am about 10 km away and need to get there in the blazing heat of the midday sun and, through Khrtoums traffic! Once again, it is not a pleasant experience, especially the last 2 km,through some bumper to bumper traffic, and through some busy intersections. However, finally i do arrive to a waiting Naomi with a lovely big bottle of water inhere hand.
The Blue Nile Sailing Club, is a rundown establishment, which is purely managed. It looks like a boat scrapyard rather than any sailing establishment. There are broken boats littering the car park, where the overlanders are forced to pitch their tents. As for the ablution facilities, I do not think they have been cleaned in ages! In brief, a real dump! But beggars can not be choosers I guess. I decide to pitch my tent next to Dave and Naomi's car, just to make things more practical. The heat of the afternoon was so hot and overwhelming that, we manage bearly to play a couple of card games. To tell you the truth, I have never been this hot in my entire life! We are talking of temperatures in excess of 45 degrees, IN THE SHADE! And with no option of air conditioning available, It is anything but pleasant. The down side to all of this is that, we are here for a couple of days at least, we have some administrative things to do, before we can head north to Egypt.
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| Day 77, 2011/07/17 |
Day 76, 2011/07/16 Metema to Wad Medani
Day 76, 2011/07/16 Metema to Wad Medani
Who would hVe expected it to rain in Sudan, after all everything is so dry. It did not only rain during the evening, it stormed, and so hard that I thought i would be blown away with my tent! I left my clothes and boots outside, on my bike, and was expediting the worst with regards to them being wet. However, with the nature of the dry weather in Sudan, it did not take them long to dry, and by the time we hit the road, almost everything, except my boots, are bone dry. The road to Gedaref, os approximately 100 km and lovely tar. By the time we get there, it is starting to get hot,so we decide to stop for some lunch. We find a local eating place near the main bus station, and enjoy some really amazing Sudanese cuisine. Then it is back on the bike towards Wad Medani. He'll, what a nightmare ride. The temperature got so hot that, together with all my biking gear, I thought I was going to die! I guess having a black helmet, in this heat, does not make things easier either. Just put it this was, riding at noon through Sudan was not a very bright idea. Eventually, we arrive it Wad Medani towards the late afternoon. The problem with Sudan is that,there is almost NO tourist infrastructure here so, finding a hotel is bad enough, let alone a campsite! We proceed to try find the hotels mentioned in our travel guide and those on our GPS which, would have been fine if I was not wearing all my biking gear and, it was not 45 degrees in the shade! So eventually, after asking a number of locals and, after driving around town, we find a hotel which is nothing more than a dump. The stinch in the rooms was just too overpowering and even thou they had aircon, the 100 pounds they wanted was a little too hefty. So,we decided to head out of town and see if we could simply bush camp in the desert. The only problem was that, the road now followed the blue Nile so, the chances of finding a solitary spot, with no people, was almost impossible. Eventually, we managed to spot a lovely patch of green grass next to a tree, behind what appeared to be a truckers stop/restaurant. We asked the owner if he minded if we pitch our tents on his patch of grass and he was more than willing,and would not want any payment for it.once again, a sign of how hospitable the Sudanese are as people. We pitched our tent right next to a deep well which, they use to pump water to irrigate their fields. It was interesting sight to see how the entire system worked, the kind of stuff you have heard about for years in books and seen on TV for which you finally seeing in real life. Tents pitched, and showers taken, we decide to support our hosts restaurant and coffee shop for dinner. We are once again treated to some lovely Sudanese food and hospitality, and we finish the night off smoking a shisha pipe.
Who would hVe expected it to rain in Sudan, after all everything is so dry. It did not only rain during the evening, it stormed, and so hard that I thought i would be blown away with my tent! I left my clothes and boots outside, on my bike, and was expediting the worst with regards to them being wet. However, with the nature of the dry weather in Sudan, it did not take them long to dry, and by the time we hit the road, almost everything, except my boots, are bone dry. The road to Gedaref, os approximately 100 km and lovely tar. By the time we get there, it is starting to get hot,so we decide to stop for some lunch. We find a local eating place near the main bus station, and enjoy some really amazing Sudanese cuisine. Then it is back on the bike towards Wad Medani. He'll, what a nightmare ride. The temperature got so hot that, together with all my biking gear, I thought I was going to die! I guess having a black helmet, in this heat, does not make things easier either. Just put it this was, riding at noon through Sudan was not a very bright idea. Eventually, we arrive it Wad Medani towards the late afternoon. The problem with Sudan is that,there is almost NO tourist infrastructure here so, finding a hotel is bad enough, let alone a campsite! We proceed to try find the hotels mentioned in our travel guide and those on our GPS which, would have been fine if I was not wearing all my biking gear and, it was not 45 degrees in the shade! So eventually, after asking a number of locals and, after driving around town, we find a hotel which is nothing more than a dump. The stinch in the rooms was just too overpowering and even thou they had aircon, the 100 pounds they wanted was a little too hefty. So,we decided to head out of town and see if we could simply bush camp in the desert. The only problem was that, the road now followed the blue Nile so, the chances of finding a solitary spot, with no people, was almost impossible. Eventually, we managed to spot a lovely patch of green grass next to a tree, behind what appeared to be a truckers stop/restaurant. We asked the owner if he minded if we pitch our tents on his patch of grass and he was more than willing,and would not want any payment for it.once again, a sign of how hospitable the Sudanese are as people. We pitched our tent right next to a deep well which, they use to pump water to irrigate their fields. It was interesting sight to see how the entire system worked, the kind of stuff you have heard about for years in books and seen on TV for which you finally seeing in real life. Tents pitched, and showers taken, we decide to support our hosts restaurant and coffee shop for dinner. We are once again treated to some lovely Sudanese food and hospitality, and we finish the night off smoking a shisha pipe.
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| Day 76, 2011/07/16 |
Day 75, 2011/07/15 Gorgona to Metema and Sudan
Day 75, 2011/07/15 Gorgona to Metema and Sudan
We have been told by both the Italian and the German couple that, Sudan is beyond hot. They said that, the day time temp is about 45 degrees in the shade, and at night,it drops to only 38. Not one for hot or humid weather, I am not looking forward to it. We make a relatively late start, and need to back track to Gondar before heading towards the border. The road to the border winds its way through some relatively pristine, un farmed lands towards the border at Metema. The altitude slowly drops from over 2000 m down to about 600 m. With the change in altitude, comes a corresponding change in climate. Cool wet weather, slowly gives way to hot dry weather. Not the kind of stuff you like when you have to wear loads of biking gear, and have to spend time running between offices at a border post! The Ethiopian side of the border post is quick and easy however theSudanese side talked for ever! The fact that,it is a Friday afternoon,is perhaps to explain for it. The people are all at Mosque, and we are forced to wait for different people at various stages of the process. Needless to say, the ordeal become a four hour one! In that heat, and with the biking gear on, it is not pleasant. As a result of the our late start, and combined with the delay at the border, we soon realize that, we have no other option but to bush camp. 30 km from the border, with a setting sun on the horizon, we eventually decide to leave the road. We are lucky and find what appears to be a disused gravel pit. With the sand dumps obscuring us from the road we proceed to setup camp.
We have been told by both the Italian and the German couple that, Sudan is beyond hot. They said that, the day time temp is about 45 degrees in the shade, and at night,it drops to only 38. Not one for hot or humid weather, I am not looking forward to it. We make a relatively late start, and need to back track to Gondar before heading towards the border. The road to the border winds its way through some relatively pristine, un farmed lands towards the border at Metema. The altitude slowly drops from over 2000 m down to about 600 m. With the change in altitude, comes a corresponding change in climate. Cool wet weather, slowly gives way to hot dry weather. Not the kind of stuff you like when you have to wear loads of biking gear, and have to spend time running between offices at a border post! The Ethiopian side of the border post is quick and easy however theSudanese side talked for ever! The fact that,it is a Friday afternoon,is perhaps to explain for it. The people are all at Mosque, and we are forced to wait for different people at various stages of the process. Needless to say, the ordeal become a four hour one! In that heat, and with the biking gear on, it is not pleasant. As a result of the our late start, and combined with the delay at the border, we soon realize that, we have no other option but to bush camp. 30 km from the border, with a setting sun on the horizon, we eventually decide to leave the road. We are lucky and find what appears to be a disused gravel pit. With the sand dumps obscuring us from the road we proceed to setup camp.
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| Day 75, 2011/07/15 |
Day 74, 2011/07/14 Gondar to Gorgona
Day 74, 2011/07/14 Gondar to Gorgona
Awake to grey skies and rain. At least I am not camping, and do not need to pack up a tent. We have decided to visit a lovely overland site called Kim and Tim's next to Gorgona. It sonly 65 km from town so, a reallyshort trip today. Theroad is however dirt, and i am a little concerned following the rain the last 12 hours. However,I am willing to give it a bash. It turns out to be not nearly as bad as i predict. Only a couple of very short stretches are whist call 'snoty'. The rest is. Lovely, smooth dirt road. Kim and Tim's tunes out to be really lovely. The type of quality you would expect from a venue in South Africa. Lovely, clean a tiredly. A pleasant change from the run down places you find all over Ethiopia. With rain threatening, I decide to sleep in one of their incomplete rooms, while Dve and Naomi decide to camp. In the campsite, we meet an Italian couple,with their lovelytwo kids. Luca, and his wife, are trying to overland to Pakistan, with not much luck.all the borders appear to be closing before them,so they are resorting to a grey long way round to get there. They are a really an amazing source of information. Being experienced overlanders, they have an endless supply of info abbot where we are going. A little later, a German couple also arrive, they are on their way Southand have just come from Sudan. I manage to catch up on some journalling.
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| Day 74, 2011/07/14 |
Awake to grey skies and rain. At least I am not camping, and do not need to pack up a tent. We have decided to visit a lovely overland site called Kim and Tim's next to Gorgona. It sonly 65 km from town so, a reallyshort trip today. Theroad is however dirt, and i am a little concerned following the rain the last 12 hours. However,I am willing to give it a bash. It turns out to be not nearly as bad as i predict. Only a couple of very short stretches are whist call 'snoty'. The rest is. Lovely, smooth dirt road. Kim and Tim's tunes out to be really lovely. The type of quality you would expect from a venue in South Africa. Lovely, clean a tiredly. A pleasant change from the run down places you find all over Ethiopia. With rain threatening, I decide to sleep in one of their incomplete rooms, while Dve and Naomi decide to camp. In the campsite, we meet an Italian couple,with their lovelytwo kids. Luca, and his wife, are trying to overland to Pakistan, with not much luck.all the borders appear to be closing before them,so they are resorting to a grey long way round to get there. They are a really an amazing source of information. Being experienced overlanders, they have an endless supply of info abbot where we are going. A little later, a German couple also arrive, they are on their way Southand have just come from Sudan. I manage to catch up on some journalling.
Day 73, 2011/07/13 Lalibela to Gondar
Day 73, 2011/07/13 Lalibela to Gondar
The couple David and Naomi that I have met in Nairobi, are going to be in Gondar and they are looking for some fellow travelers to travel with. This is precisely the typeof peoplei have been looking for since Isiolo in northern Kenya. They are also a very nice couple and have similar time scales to what i have. That means I will have to join up with them in Gondar and we can then head north together. The road to Gondar is 360 km, of which the first 65 km is dirt. It is a nice dirt road however, it has some hair-raising mountain passes. I would prefer not to do it alone however, the option of doing it with someone,does not really exist. The thought of doing it alone, keeps me awake most of the night however, I do manage to get a good nights rest. I am up early and hit the road at about 7am. The dirt is far less stressful than I think and do it within an hour and a half. One thing I have learnt on this trip is that, stressing about something can be such a waste of time, it is actually just better to think less and just do! I rejoin the tar on a high level Plato of about 3200 m. The weather is lovely and cool, and the road fairly straight and flat. However, this soon changes and it becomes lovely and twisty, with some real sheer dropoffs of a good couple of hundred meters. The kind of stuff that makes my vertigo kick in, and my head spin. So needless to say, I am very cautious and take it very easy. Eventually, I drop down from the high plato to a modest 2000 m. I arrive in Gondar at about 2 pm and meet up with Dave and Naomi for lunch. Good to be around people again, and just nice to have people I can chat to besides myself. Have some time so, Dave and Naomi give me their castle tickets and i head off their for the afternoon. The visit to the castle museum is much like many others I have had to endure in Africa. Some old relic which is being used for the purpose of extracting money from tourists,with almost zero maintenance being applied to it,with no information boards to describe what it is you actually looking at. I guess the later,is the way they guarantee that you are forced into hiring a local as a travel guide. Well that is the way you support local tourism I guess! Anyway, the skies eventually open, and the rainy season exposes itself for the first time on my trip, with endless rain which lasts into the evening and throughout the night.
The couple David and Naomi that I have met in Nairobi, are going to be in Gondar and they are looking for some fellow travelers to travel with. This is precisely the typeof peoplei have been looking for since Isiolo in northern Kenya. They are also a very nice couple and have similar time scales to what i have. That means I will have to join up with them in Gondar and we can then head north together. The road to Gondar is 360 km, of which the first 65 km is dirt. It is a nice dirt road however, it has some hair-raising mountain passes. I would prefer not to do it alone however, the option of doing it with someone,does not really exist. The thought of doing it alone, keeps me awake most of the night however, I do manage to get a good nights rest. I am up early and hit the road at about 7am. The dirt is far less stressful than I think and do it within an hour and a half. One thing I have learnt on this trip is that, stressing about something can be such a waste of time, it is actually just better to think less and just do! I rejoin the tar on a high level Plato of about 3200 m. The weather is lovely and cool, and the road fairly straight and flat. However, this soon changes and it becomes lovely and twisty, with some real sheer dropoffs of a good couple of hundred meters. The kind of stuff that makes my vertigo kick in, and my head spin. So needless to say, I am very cautious and take it very easy. Eventually, I drop down from the high plato to a modest 2000 m. I arrive in Gondar at about 2 pm and meet up with Dave and Naomi for lunch. Good to be around people again, and just nice to have people I can chat to besides myself. Have some time so, Dave and Naomi give me their castle tickets and i head off their for the afternoon. The visit to the castle museum is much like many others I have had to endure in Africa. Some old relic which is being used for the purpose of extracting money from tourists,with almost zero maintenance being applied to it,with no information boards to describe what it is you actually looking at. I guess the later,is the way they guarantee that you are forced into hiring a local as a travel guide. Well that is the way you support local tourism I guess! Anyway, the skies eventually open, and the rainy season exposes itself for the first time on my trip, with endless rain which lasts into the evening and throughout the night.
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Day 72, 2011/07/12 Lalibela
Day 72, 2011/07/12 Lalibela
For those who do not know, Lalibela is famous for its stone churches. Much like the churches of Petra, these churches have been cut out of the solid rock. What posses people todosuch a thing,literally in the middle of nowhere, could have only been as a result of Devine inspiration. I decide direst thing in the morning to visit the churches. The entire town is build on a steep hill so I am forced to negotiate some steep inclines to find the churches. I managed to somehow get into the first church without a ticket however, eventually a security guard discovered me and i was forced to leave to find the ticket office. By this stage, i had seen enough to create my own mind. What was however very interesting to see was the religious intensity of the local inhabitance. They were extremely observant and were very religious. They would kiss the floor, and the pillar when entering an leaving, they did the sign of the cross repetitively, many times. Very interesting to see that,in an area so close to Islamic influence that,these Orthodox Christians have managed to establish such a firm footing. Today also happens to be celebration time, their fasting for thirty days has come to an end and, they are now able to eat meat again. So shame, ido not envy being a chicken or a goat in this village today!
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| Day 72, 2011/07/12 |
For those who do not know, Lalibela is famous for its stone churches. Much like the churches of Petra, these churches have been cut out of the solid rock. What posses people todosuch a thing,literally in the middle of nowhere, could have only been as a result of Devine inspiration. I decide direst thing in the morning to visit the churches. The entire town is build on a steep hill so I am forced to negotiate some steep inclines to find the churches. I managed to somehow get into the first church without a ticket however, eventually a security guard discovered me and i was forced to leave to find the ticket office. By this stage, i had seen enough to create my own mind. What was however very interesting to see was the religious intensity of the local inhabitance. They were extremely observant and were very religious. They would kiss the floor, and the pillar when entering an leaving, they did the sign of the cross repetitively, many times. Very interesting to see that,in an area so close to Islamic influence that,these Orthodox Christians have managed to establish such a firm footing. Today also happens to be celebration time, their fasting for thirty days has come to an end and, they are now able to eat meat again. So shame, ido not envy being a chicken or a goat in this village today!
Day 71, 2011/07/11 Dese to Lalibela
Day 71, 2011/07/11 Dese to Lalibela
The GPS says it is only 260 km to Lalibela however, I know that the last 60 odd km is dirt. I thought i would not have to do anymore dirt on this trip as, besides personal safety traveling alone, I do not want to expose my bike to any additional wear and tear that it does not need to. However, there is no other option of i want to get to Lalibela. I hit the road at about 7 am. The previous mornings early morning mist has reminded me of the fact that, too an early start can actually be counter productive. The scenery is once again spectacular. I must have done 20 long Tom passes one after each other and, except for the sheer number of people, I have the feeling of being in Lesotho, in the Drakensberg. Eventually, the road takes me up to an altitude of 3500 m where, i discover this never ending plane. It is cold up here and, my heated grips are a very welcome accessory on my motorbike. What is most surprising, is this plato just appears to go on for ever and, the cold does not appear to deter the people and their ability to farm. Very amazing to experience. The road is actually beautiful straight and flat and, i am able to ride at 100 km/h very comfortably. After consultations with the locals, i decide not todo the shorter more direct route to Lalibela, I got told that the road isn't pleasant so, I end up doing an additional 70 km detour. Eventually, I turn north off the main tar and onto the dirt road. I take a look at the GPS screen which shows the road ahead andi almost have a heart attack! I have never seen such a twisty road in my life,and the thought of it being dirt is not comforting! However, I percevier. The road is extremely steep so intake things carefully, there are some sheer drop offs that my vertigo kick in and my head spin. However, nothing like a low gear and both hand and foot on both breaks to make sure that I crawl down the hill. The first 15 km are hair-raising however, I manage to negotiate it well. It also helps that the road is nicely graded and in perfect condition. The road eventually levels off and besides the odd up and down hill it is lovely road all the way to Lalibela.
In Lalibela,i find the Lal hotel where thou expensive, all of $36 dollars a night, I decide to spend the next two nights.
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| Day 71, 2011/07/11 |
The GPS says it is only 260 km to Lalibela however, I know that the last 60 odd km is dirt. I thought i would not have to do anymore dirt on this trip as, besides personal safety traveling alone, I do not want to expose my bike to any additional wear and tear that it does not need to. However, there is no other option of i want to get to Lalibela. I hit the road at about 7 am. The previous mornings early morning mist has reminded me of the fact that, too an early start can actually be counter productive. The scenery is once again spectacular. I must have done 20 long Tom passes one after each other and, except for the sheer number of people, I have the feeling of being in Lesotho, in the Drakensberg. Eventually, the road takes me up to an altitude of 3500 m where, i discover this never ending plane. It is cold up here and, my heated grips are a very welcome accessory on my motorbike. What is most surprising, is this plato just appears to go on for ever and, the cold does not appear to deter the people and their ability to farm. Very amazing to experience. The road is actually beautiful straight and flat and, i am able to ride at 100 km/h very comfortably. After consultations with the locals, i decide not todo the shorter more direct route to Lalibela, I got told that the road isn't pleasant so, I end up doing an additional 70 km detour. Eventually, I turn north off the main tar and onto the dirt road. I take a look at the GPS screen which shows the road ahead andi almost have a heart attack! I have never seen such a twisty road in my life,and the thought of it being dirt is not comforting! However, I percevier. The road is extremely steep so intake things carefully, there are some sheer drop offs that my vertigo kick in and my head spin. However, nothing like a low gear and both hand and foot on both breaks to make sure that I crawl down the hill. The first 15 km are hair-raising however, I manage to negotiate it well. It also helps that the road is nicely graded and in perfect condition. The road eventually levels off and besides the odd up and down hill it is lovely road all the way to Lalibela.
In Lalibela,i find the Lal hotel where thou expensive, all of $36 dollars a night, I decide to spend the next two nights.
Day 70, 2011/07/10 Addis Ababa to Dese
Day 70, 2011/07/10 Addis Ababa to Dese
The GPS says it is only 380km to Dese, my overnight stop to Lalibela. However, I had bad experiences already in Ethiopia where one battles to maintain a good average speed, and something as short as this can become an eternity. Initially, I get horribly lost leaving Addis Ababa. Tracks 4 Africa, do not have all the streets and I ended up heading out of town on the wrong road. After some hardcore, follow your nose navigation, i manage to find the correct road and head out of town. The roads are truly amazing! Double lanes, with some huge traffic circles. And to think that private car ownership in Ethiopia is almost non existent. So except for the odd minibus taxi, bus and truck, i have all the roads to myself. The initial 200 km is at fairly high altitudes, so lush and green. The occasional mist, or low lying cloud makes for some very cautious riding. Then afte, the altitude drops, and the scenery becomes hot and dry. Much like what was the case in northern Kenya. Camels as transport also makes their appearance, and I start to feel like I am now in the middle east. Eventually, after a very long 9 hours, I arrive in Dese. It is very busy place, and finding accommodation turns out be a nightmare. All the places appear to be full! Nothing like being tired and hot,with all your biking gear on and riding from hotel to hotel looking for accommodation. Anyway, eventually find a room in a run down hotel called Ghoin. I am not complaining! And after a lovely big plate of pasta, i get some good old R&R!
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| Day 70, 2011/07/10 |
The GPS says it is only 380km to Dese, my overnight stop to Lalibela. However, I had bad experiences already in Ethiopia where one battles to maintain a good average speed, and something as short as this can become an eternity. Initially, I get horribly lost leaving Addis Ababa. Tracks 4 Africa, do not have all the streets and I ended up heading out of town on the wrong road. After some hardcore, follow your nose navigation, i manage to find the correct road and head out of town. The roads are truly amazing! Double lanes, with some huge traffic circles. And to think that private car ownership in Ethiopia is almost non existent. So except for the odd minibus taxi, bus and truck, i have all the roads to myself. The initial 200 km is at fairly high altitudes, so lush and green. The occasional mist, or low lying cloud makes for some very cautious riding. Then afte, the altitude drops, and the scenery becomes hot and dry. Much like what was the case in northern Kenya. Camels as transport also makes their appearance, and I start to feel like I am now in the middle east. Eventually, after a very long 9 hours, I arrive in Dese. It is very busy place, and finding accommodation turns out be a nightmare. All the places appear to be full! Nothing like being tired and hot,with all your biking gear on and riding from hotel to hotel looking for accommodation. Anyway, eventually find a room in a run down hotel called Ghoin. I am not complaining! And after a lovely big plate of pasta, i get some good old R&R!
Day 69, 2011/07/09 Addis Ababa
Day 69, 2011/07/09 Addis Ababa
Jerry joins me and we both head off to the coffee shop and Internet cafe. I am back early and attempt to assist Jerry with his charging problem. After some googling, we manage to assertion that, it is most probably his alternator circuit playing up.
Later that evening, Kim and Tim arrive. They run a over landing spot near lake Tana. They teach me how to play Shulin.
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| Day 69, 2011/07/09 |
Jerry joins me and we both head off to the coffee shop and Internet cafe. I am back early and attempt to assist Jerry with his charging problem. After some googling, we manage to assertion that, it is most probably his alternator circuit playing up.
Later that evening, Kim and Tim arrive. They run a over landing spot near lake Tana. They teach me how to play Shulin.
Day 68, 2011/07/08 Addis Ababa
Day 68, 2011/07/08 Addis Ababa
Well much like the previous day, I am up early and off to the Internet cafe. Although, I first make. Quick stop at the pastry shop for a good morning breakfast. Nothing like a slice of cake and two Machiatos, to start the day.
Afternoon on the way back to Wim's, I decide to go film the intersection I crossed coming into town on Wednesday, just show people what they are like, since words alone can not describe it.
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| Day 68, 2011/07/08 |
Well much like the previous day, I am up early and off to the Internet cafe. Although, I first make. Quick stop at the pastry shop for a good morning breakfast. Nothing like a slice of cake and two Machiatos, to start the day.
Afternoon on the way back to Wim's, I decide to go film the intersection I crossed coming into town on Wednesday, just show people what they are like, since words alone can not describe it.
Day 67, 2011/07/07 Addis Ababa
Day 67, 2011/07/07 Addis Ababa
Well, my body clock is in early mode, so I am up at first light. I head into town to find the bank and the Internet cafe. The Internet cafe is very cheap and, the Internet nice and fast, which enables me to update/upload all my pics and videos.
In the afternoon, walking home, I discover the amazing Ethiopian coffee shops with their array of pastries! Wow, I am hooked! Later that afternoon, Jerry nd Lisa, one of the couples from Jungle Junction, arrive at Wim's. Lovely to see a familiar face.
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| Day 67, 2011/07/07 |
Well, my body clock is in early mode, so I am up at first light. I head into town to find the bank and the Internet cafe. The Internet cafe is very cheap and, the Internet nice and fast, which enables me to update/upload all my pics and videos.
In the afternoon, walking home, I discover the amazing Ethiopian coffee shops with their array of pastries! Wow, I am hooked! Later that afternoon, Jerry nd Lisa, one of the couples from Jungle Junction, arrive at Wim's. Lovely to see a familiar face.
Day 66, 2011/07/06 Awasa to Addis Ababa
Day 66, 2011/07/06 Awasa to Addis Ababa
I was up before the crack of dawn. The desire just to get going was very overwhelming and I just wanted to get to Addis Ababa, so i could rest for a couple of days. This would be my four consecutive day of riding, under quite stressful circumstances, and I needed to get some rest. First thou, I needed to find a safe place, that I could feel comfortable in, and I am sure Wim's Holland House would be the perfect place. The first 200 km to Addis were on really amazing road. Been almost flat and, nice and wide made for some descent speed. However, the last 70 km were a nightmare! There were just trucks, trucks and more trucks! Never seen soo many on a single stretch of road in my life before. Throw into the mix some impatient, asshole, SUV motorists and need I say more! Overtaking with oncoming traffic took on a whole new level. I eventually just resorted to driving down the shoulder of the road to do my overtaking, just because it was the only saf option. After winding my way through the trucks, I eventually made my way to Wim's Holland House. I was soo exhausted that, I took the only room with an on suite bathroom. I think I deserved it!
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| Day 66, 2011/07/06 |
I was up before the crack of dawn. The desire just to get going was very overwhelming and I just wanted to get to Addis Ababa, so i could rest for a couple of days. This would be my four consecutive day of riding, under quite stressful circumstances, and I needed to get some rest. First thou, I needed to find a safe place, that I could feel comfortable in, and I am sure Wim's Holland House would be the perfect place. The first 200 km to Addis were on really amazing road. Been almost flat and, nice and wide made for some descent speed. However, the last 70 km were a nightmare! There were just trucks, trucks and more trucks! Never seen soo many on a single stretch of road in my life before. Throw into the mix some impatient, asshole, SUV motorists and need I say more! Overtaking with oncoming traffic took on a whole new level. I eventually just resorted to driving down the shoulder of the road to do my overtaking, just because it was the only saf option. After winding my way through the trucks, I eventually made my way to Wim's Holland House. I was soo exhausted that, I took the only room with an on suite bathroom. I think I deserved it!
Day 65, 2011/07/05 Moyale in Kenya, to Awasa in Ethiopia
Day 65, 2011/07/05 Moyale in Kenya, to Awasa in Ethiopia
What I did know at the time of checking into my hotel room was that its room window overlooked the mosque. Well need I say anymore! I was waken up at 4 am bright and early! I could have sworn that, the loudspeaker was outside my window, because it was extremely loud! Anyway, i was up early and packed and ready for the boor post by 7:15 am, only to find that the Ethiopians only open their border at 8 am, and Not terribly sharp either! Anyway, so I sat at the boor post waiting and observing the goings ons. Moyale is a very interesting city. Unlike most border posts where you have city A on the one side and city B on the other Moyale expands both sides of the border, almost like former East and West Berlin. In addition, there are kids on the Ethiopian side who attend school on the Kenyan side. Yes! And they cross in the morning and cross back in the afternoons. And no they do not have passports or any identification documentation, the simply cross. Wow, i was blown away by the whole concept. I wonder where else on earth that happens. What happens during parents evenings? Do the parents then also just come across the border?
Anyway, eventually formalities are sorted on the Kenyan side and it is off to the Ethiopian side. What immediate strikes me is the fact that I now have to drive on the right hnd side of the road. Never driven, let alone ridden on the right hand side of the road, it certainly is going to be a challenge. The passport and customs formalities are reasonably straight forward and I am officially,official in Ethiopia! Yeah,finally what a nightmare getting this far. After a quick visit to the bank to exchange some Dollars and to the petrol station for some badly needed fuel, I effectually hit the road. It is amazing how traveling alone, in a new country can pit one's nerves on edge. With no comfort zone, no one to turn to incase of help means that every sound, sluggish response, etc of the bike is analyzed, over analyzed and given, in many cases way too much of one's energies. However, I guess this is normal for anyone traveling alone into the unknown where one is dependent on a vehicle for their prosperity. Anyway, traveling on the right hand side turns out to be a lot easier than I initially thought, especially when vehicles come from the other side. They have this way ensuring that you know which side you should be on. The roads in Ethiopia, are really good. They are relatively narrow but good, which is more than can be said about northern Kenya. There is also very little traffic on the road except for odd bus and truck. The first 200 km are really good and I make good going, eventually stopping in Yovalle for lunch. I try my luck at Ethiopian cuisine, and get served a hot pot, on hot coals containing lamb and chilies. Wow! I am pleasantly surprised. The meal however gets served with local bread called enjera/injera. It is like a sour pancake, that is the best way to describe it. It will certainly take some getting use to. After filling up both the bike and my stomach, I hit the road. 300 km to Awasa, should be relatively simple, if the roads remain the same.
One again, never assume anything in Africa, and the next 300 km turn out to be very frustrating. The roads remained very good however, the quantity of people along the road just grew exponentially! The first 200 km were at relatively low altitudes, and hence very dry and hence relatively sparsely populated however, the next 300 km were at altitudes of over 1800 m which means wet and lushes vegetation. Hence, the people and village were everywhere, and in addition, the people may not own cars, bicycles, or motorcycles however, they use the road to walk on. No, not the side of the road, the road! Also, they tend to simply use the road, especially in small villages, as the place to congregate and chat. So the hooter is used extensively to make sure people are made aware of my arrival.
The hilliness of the terrain, together with the number of pedestrians along the road mean I make relative slow progress and, it is a stressful, exhausted Claudio that eventually arrives in Awasa. Luckily, the previous night, I managed to do some research on Awasa and where to stay so, Adenium, which happens to be on tracks 4 Africa, is the place. Thank god for that since nothing like arriving late, in this case 18:00, and still having to find a place. The place looked more like a bar than a motel/hotel but I was happy to be safe. Trying to communicate with the staff was a nightmare, and I could clearly see that, they have very little contact with tourists. I quickly ordered a beer and some food, and because of the lack of mutual understanding, I simply just went with what ever they mentioned first. Well needless to say that, that was not a smart decision. The meal arrived with this big lump of raw mince. After several attempts, I eventually managed to persuade the waitress to cook it for me which,I could clearly see was going against the grain. The meat eventually came back semi cooked, and I manage to settle for that however, the raw taste with the injure bread which, I have not yet got my taste buds use to meant that, I did not eat much dinner.
So it was early to bed for me, even if I was still hungry, at least I was tired. The rooms light would not work,so I called the staff who quickly arrived with a step ladder and a new bulb. The light bulb they unscrewed, was RED, and that is when the lights went on in my head! I was actually staying in the brothel rooms of bar. Now in understand why there were no showers, and why there were all these scantly dressed ladies at the bar. Needless to say, the thought of sleeping on that bed, with the bedding which I am sure had not been changed for a while, was not the most comforting thoughts. So needless to say, I had a very restless nights sleep!
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| Day 65, 2011/07/05 |
Anyway, eventually formalities are sorted on the Kenyan side and it is off to the Ethiopian side. What immediate strikes me is the fact that I now have to drive on the right hnd side of the road. Never driven, let alone ridden on the right hand side of the road, it certainly is going to be a challenge. The passport and customs formalities are reasonably straight forward and I am officially,official in Ethiopia! Yeah,finally what a nightmare getting this far. After a quick visit to the bank to exchange some Dollars and to the petrol station for some badly needed fuel, I effectually hit the road. It is amazing how traveling alone, in a new country can pit one's nerves on edge. With no comfort zone, no one to turn to incase of help means that every sound, sluggish response, etc of the bike is analyzed, over analyzed and given, in many cases way too much of one's energies. However, I guess this is normal for anyone traveling alone into the unknown where one is dependent on a vehicle for their prosperity. Anyway, traveling on the right hand side turns out to be a lot easier than I initially thought, especially when vehicles come from the other side. They have this way ensuring that you know which side you should be on. The roads in Ethiopia, are really good. They are relatively narrow but good, which is more than can be said about northern Kenya. There is also very little traffic on the road except for odd bus and truck. The first 200 km are really good and I make good going, eventually stopping in Yovalle for lunch. I try my luck at Ethiopian cuisine, and get served a hot pot, on hot coals containing lamb and chilies. Wow! I am pleasantly surprised. The meal however gets served with local bread called enjera/injera. It is like a sour pancake, that is the best way to describe it. It will certainly take some getting use to. After filling up both the bike and my stomach, I hit the road. 300 km to Awasa, should be relatively simple, if the roads remain the same.
One again, never assume anything in Africa, and the next 300 km turn out to be very frustrating. The roads remained very good however, the quantity of people along the road just grew exponentially! The first 200 km were at relatively low altitudes, and hence very dry and hence relatively sparsely populated however, the next 300 km were at altitudes of over 1800 m which means wet and lushes vegetation. Hence, the people and village were everywhere, and in addition, the people may not own cars, bicycles, or motorcycles however, they use the road to walk on. No, not the side of the road, the road! Also, they tend to simply use the road, especially in small villages, as the place to congregate and chat. So the hooter is used extensively to make sure people are made aware of my arrival.
The hilliness of the terrain, together with the number of pedestrians along the road mean I make relative slow progress and, it is a stressful, exhausted Claudio that eventually arrives in Awasa. Luckily, the previous night, I managed to do some research on Awasa and where to stay so, Adenium, which happens to be on tracks 4 Africa, is the place. Thank god for that since nothing like arriving late, in this case 18:00, and still having to find a place. The place looked more like a bar than a motel/hotel but I was happy to be safe. Trying to communicate with the staff was a nightmare, and I could clearly see that, they have very little contact with tourists. I quickly ordered a beer and some food, and because of the lack of mutual understanding, I simply just went with what ever they mentioned first. Well needless to say that, that was not a smart decision. The meal arrived with this big lump of raw mince. After several attempts, I eventually managed to persuade the waitress to cook it for me which,I could clearly see was going against the grain. The meat eventually came back semi cooked, and I manage to settle for that however, the raw taste with the injure bread which, I have not yet got my taste buds use to meant that, I did not eat much dinner.
So it was early to bed for me, even if I was still hungry, at least I was tired. The rooms light would not work,so I called the staff who quickly arrived with a step ladder and a new bulb. The light bulb they unscrewed, was RED, and that is when the lights went on in my head! I was actually staying in the brothel rooms of bar. Now in understand why there were no showers, and why there were all these scantly dressed ladies at the bar. Needless to say, the thought of sleeping on that bed, with the bedding which I am sure had not been changed for a while, was not the most comforting thoughts. So needless to say, I had a very restless nights sleep!
Day 64, 2011/07/04 Marsibit to Moyale
Day 64, 2011/07/04 Marsibit to Moyale
The knee feels a lot more painful the night after the day before. However, it was not going to prevent me from pushing onto Moyale. After a quick breakfast, I am on my bike by 6:30 am. The initial 30 km are actually lovely dirt, and am able to ride at 70 km/h very easily. Approximately, 30 min out from Marsibit,the road turns ugly. Well I guess I have too define ugly. It becomes very rocky and pebbly. So one is affectively riding on marbles. This would be ok except for the fact that the tricks and buses,who frequent that road, have dug huge big trenches in it. That together with the fact that, the terrain either side of the road is nothing but large lumps of volcanic rock mean that,you have no alternative but to ride in these trenches. On the bright side,these pebbles are easier to ride then thick sand would be. I decide to ride most of the time standing up on my foot pegs, trying to prevent any unnecessary falls like the previous day. The pebbles persist for what appears to be an eternity, well 100 km to be precise. At times I thought it would simply never end! Eventually I arrive in a small town called Torbit, which contains a small community of camel herdsmen. After a quick coke and some water, i get reassured by locals that the remaining 120 km to Moyale is nothing like the pebbles I have done and, is infect a stunning road. Well, was I to be disappointed! They of course were being relative, to the road i had just done and not to the quality of dirt roads in general! Needless to say, i was subjected to a further 120 km of corrugation for my sins! So needless to say, i was pretty exhausted by the time I managed to arrive in Moyale. It was already 15:30 by the time i rolled into town, and I was really not looking forward to camping. 9 hours of that kind of road demanded some luxury, i was pointed in the direction of a hotel in town.the building was really something else. It was a big 5/6 story building. Everything was tiled and really looked like the Tagmahal relative to the rest of everything else around it. It turns out to be on R125 a night, including breakfast.
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| Day 64, 2011/07/04 |
Day 63, 2011/07/03 Isiolo to Marsibit
Day 63, 2011/07/03 Isiolo to Marsibit
To say I did not sleep was an understatement. Also came down with a bad stomach bug so spent most of the evening on the toilet. In addition, the heat and the mosquitos also mad things unbearable. All that with the thoughts of was I doing the right thing made for a very stressful night! I was up at 5 am and packed ready to ride by 6 am. After a quick breakfast I was on the road by 6:20 am. The first 120km were stunning tarred road, and I managed to knock them off in no time. All was going well. I arrived at the start of the dirt at 8 am sharp, and after dropping the pressure of the tires I set off. The corrugation were a nightmare and because I was in bike conservation mode, i kept speed down. I would have normally done that road at 80 km/h but since I was alone, in the middle of nowhere, I yielded to the side of caution and road at approximate 30 km/h. After the first 30 km, the landscape opened up and flattened out. What a number of fellow drivers had clearly become irritated with the condition of the road and hence, they had taken to driving next to it. There were a number of alternative paths running next to the road itself, creating a spaghetti network. These side roads, where easier to negotiate except for the patches of thick sand which were spotted intermittently. So for anyone on two wheels, this can be challenging. Eventually, i also became very frustrated with the corrugation, and decided to join the others. Progress was going well on the side roads until I hit a thick patch of sand and came tumbling town. In other falls on this trip,i have always had help on hand to assist me in picking up my bike since, it is soo heavily loaded that, I am unable to do this on my own. However, with no one in sight, I was left to my own device and after a couple of unsuccessful attempts, i had to resort to unpacking my bike bike. Once all the heavy items had been removed, like the top box and Jerry can, the bike was reasonably easy to righten. After that fall, I decided it was simply to risky for me to attempt the thick sand on my own and that, i would have to stick to the heavily corrugated road regardless. So my progress was forced to slow. That however, was not the only incident for the day. About 20 km after the first fall, i was driving into a small town. The road was soo badly corrugated that, I decided to keep right and follow the bicycle tracks on the side of the road. The road appeared to be less corrugated on and I rode slowly into town. My attention was momentarily distracted by the sheep herders who were all traditionally dressed. While distracted, I did not see the thick patch of sand in the middle of the road. Needless to say, at the slow speed I was traveling, my front tire simply slid away and i came tumbling down. Since, i was not paying attention, i was unable to kick my legs out as I normally do and hence, my left leg got caught between the bike and the gravel road. The road managed to twist my ankle backwards putting large amounts of stress into my knee. To say it was a little uncomfortable, would be an understatement! At least there where locals around so even with my knee in pain, i was able to get the bike back up without too much effort or pain. At least the damage to my knee was not too bad, and I could still ride without any pain. So at least I was able to complete the remainder of the road to Marsibit without any further incidents. In total, the last 100 km took me in the order of 4 hours, which meant an average of 25 km/h. Not bad going I thought and, except for the two small falls, the bike was still looking strong.
The overnight accommodation was at a place called Nomads. Its option of having safe parking, together with a restaurant, warm showers and DSTV for the price of R100 per night meant that it was a no brainer!
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| Day 63, 2011/07/03 |
To say I did not sleep was an understatement. Also came down with a bad stomach bug so spent most of the evening on the toilet. In addition, the heat and the mosquitos also mad things unbearable. All that with the thoughts of was I doing the right thing made for a very stressful night! I was up at 5 am and packed ready to ride by 6 am. After a quick breakfast I was on the road by 6:20 am. The first 120km were stunning tarred road, and I managed to knock them off in no time. All was going well. I arrived at the start of the dirt at 8 am sharp, and after dropping the pressure of the tires I set off. The corrugation were a nightmare and because I was in bike conservation mode, i kept speed down. I would have normally done that road at 80 km/h but since I was alone, in the middle of nowhere, I yielded to the side of caution and road at approximate 30 km/h. After the first 30 km, the landscape opened up and flattened out. What a number of fellow drivers had clearly become irritated with the condition of the road and hence, they had taken to driving next to it. There were a number of alternative paths running next to the road itself, creating a spaghetti network. These side roads, where easier to negotiate except for the patches of thick sand which were spotted intermittently. So for anyone on two wheels, this can be challenging. Eventually, i also became very frustrated with the corrugation, and decided to join the others. Progress was going well on the side roads until I hit a thick patch of sand and came tumbling town. In other falls on this trip,i have always had help on hand to assist me in picking up my bike since, it is soo heavily loaded that, I am unable to do this on my own. However, with no one in sight, I was left to my own device and after a couple of unsuccessful attempts, i had to resort to unpacking my bike bike. Once all the heavy items had been removed, like the top box and Jerry can, the bike was reasonably easy to righten. After that fall, I decided it was simply to risky for me to attempt the thick sand on my own and that, i would have to stick to the heavily corrugated road regardless. So my progress was forced to slow. That however, was not the only incident for the day. About 20 km after the first fall, i was driving into a small town. The road was soo badly corrugated that, I decided to keep right and follow the bicycle tracks on the side of the road. The road appeared to be less corrugated on and I rode slowly into town. My attention was momentarily distracted by the sheep herders who were all traditionally dressed. While distracted, I did not see the thick patch of sand in the middle of the road. Needless to say, at the slow speed I was traveling, my front tire simply slid away and i came tumbling down. Since, i was not paying attention, i was unable to kick my legs out as I normally do and hence, my left leg got caught between the bike and the gravel road. The road managed to twist my ankle backwards putting large amounts of stress into my knee. To say it was a little uncomfortable, would be an understatement! At least there where locals around so even with my knee in pain, i was able to get the bike back up without too much effort or pain. At least the damage to my knee was not too bad, and I could still ride without any pain. So at least I was able to complete the remainder of the road to Marsibit without any further incidents. In total, the last 100 km took me in the order of 4 hours, which meant an average of 25 km/h. Not bad going I thought and, except for the two small falls, the bike was still looking strong.
The overnight accommodation was at a place called Nomads. Its option of having safe parking, together with a restaurant, warm showers and DSTV for the price of R100 per night meant that it was a no brainer!
Day 62, 2011/07/02 Isiolo
Day 62, 2011/07/02 Isiolo
Once again, no overlanders! Neither at Gaddisa or at the other campsite. Nothing like boredom and frustration to drive a person to make rash decisions. Many of us in the modern world would think heading into the unknown, with an old bike, which may break down, with a weld job that i am not certain will hold out, to an area where you know there is no cellphone's coverage, through terrain which is known to break cars, bikes and trucks alike! However, I was reasonably confident that, even if I did break down, there would be at least a truck or two which i could load my bike onto. So not the end of the world. There were however were stories of bandits on the road. After discussions with a friend I made in town called Kalla, we mentioned to me that the bandits were on the tarred road and very isolated and, as long as i did not stop for anyone, I would be fine. He also said, the fighting that had been experienced in the region s between locals for control of grassing land. The drought and forced the local farmers to search further a field for pastures for their cattle. And since there are no fences, they wonder into each others territory. Hence, the conflict. However, I have been told that they shoot between themselves and do not care for the Umzungu(white) tourist.
So departure set for tomorrow,Sunday, if I find someone or not. I have decided not to tell Joni or my mom back home because, I know they will worry unnecessarily. However, I have decided to tell David, so that at least someone is aware of where I am incase things go pear shaped.
Being Saturday,it was also Super Rugby semifinal weekend, so with the help of Kalla,was able to find a place with DSTV. The initial venue, was at a pub where the locals chew Miraa. It is a drug/herb that locals chew, much like dagga back in SA. The only problem was that people tend then to spit out the chewed leaves and directly onto the floor. I opted to skip this one are head for the Isiolo Transit Hotel,where there was a lovely bar which, i had all to myself. Pity the Stormers could not cpm to the party and the rugby was disappointing.
Once again, no overlanders! Neither at Gaddisa or at the other campsite. Nothing like boredom and frustration to drive a person to make rash decisions. Many of us in the modern world would think heading into the unknown, with an old bike, which may break down, with a weld job that i am not certain will hold out, to an area where you know there is no cellphone's coverage, through terrain which is known to break cars, bikes and trucks alike! However, I was reasonably confident that, even if I did break down, there would be at least a truck or two which i could load my bike onto. So not the end of the world. There were however were stories of bandits on the road. After discussions with a friend I made in town called Kalla, we mentioned to me that the bandits were on the tarred road and very isolated and, as long as i did not stop for anyone, I would be fine. He also said, the fighting that had been experienced in the region s between locals for control of grassing land. The drought and forced the local farmers to search further a field for pastures for their cattle. And since there are no fences, they wonder into each others territory. Hence, the conflict. However, I have been told that they shoot between themselves and do not care for the Umzungu(white) tourist.
So departure set for tomorrow,Sunday, if I find someone or not. I have decided not to tell Joni or my mom back home because, I know they will worry unnecessarily. However, I have decided to tell David, so that at least someone is aware of where I am incase things go pear shaped.
Being Saturday,it was also Super Rugby semifinal weekend, so with the help of Kalla,was able to find a place with DSTV. The initial venue, was at a pub where the locals chew Miraa. It is a drug/herb that locals chew, much like dagga back in SA. The only problem was that people tend then to spit out the chewed leaves and directly onto the floor. I opted to skip this one are head for the Isiolo Transit Hotel,where there was a lovely bar which, i had all to myself. Pity the Stormers could not cpm to the party and the rugby was disappointing.
Day 61, 2011/07/01 Isiolo
Day 61, 2011/07/01 Isiolo
No other overlanders arrived overnight at Gaddisa, and after a visit to the other website, which also had no overlanders, it is off to the Internet cafe for another days catching up with the rest of the world.
Found some local food spot, which served beans and rice for lunch. That with a couple of samosas and a glass of real freshly fruit juice made for a perfect lunch. Especially when the whole thing costs you in the order of about R10!!! Yes the juice was only R2!
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| Day 61, 2011/07/01 |
No other overlanders arrived overnight at Gaddisa, and after a visit to the other website, which also had no overlanders, it is off to the Internet cafe for another days catching up with the rest of the world.
Found some local food spot, which served beans and rice for lunch. That with a couple of samosas and a glass of real freshly fruit juice made for a perfect lunch. Especially when the whole thing costs you in the order of about R10!!! Yes the juice was only R2!
Day 60, 2011/06/30 isiolo
Day 60, 2011/06/30 isiolo
After the previous days events, to say I got almost no sleep would be an understatement! All the various scenarios were playing out in my mind, and incase I did not remember them, I reran them again and again!
David needed to head back to Nairobi, there was no other option for him. He also said, he was not 100% certain he would necessary return to Ethiopia. He would may just want to go back to SA via Uganda, Rwanda, etc. That would most definitely be a change in my plans and most certainly the safer option available. However, i did have my heart set on getting to Egypt and, although my head was saying go back with David, I feel like I needed to pursue my goal and get to Egypt. We decided to hence part ways, he would head back to Nairobi and sort out his shock and i would stay in Isiolo and wait for other overlanders to travel north with. I must admit, it was not an easy choice. David and I have managed to form a good bond and working relationship over the past two months. For two people who knew almost nothing about each other, we have gotten on remarkably well and have actually worked together extremely well. The loss of your support structure is a real shock to the system. Up until now, except for my ride from Arusha to Nairobi, we have been traveling together. So, now the removal of that security net is a real shock to the system! Anyway, I needed to now settle in to finding others to travel with, jut incase David did indeed decide to not do Ethiopia and travel back to SA. I decide to visit the other campsite in town, to see If there are other overlanders there who may be keen to travel north. However, luck is not on my side and I am left to trying to find the nearest Internet cafe and see if I can put an advertisement on HorizonsUnlimited website.
Spend most of the day catching up with all my emails etc.....
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| Day 60, 2011/06/30 |
After the previous days events, to say I got almost no sleep would be an understatement! All the various scenarios were playing out in my mind, and incase I did not remember them, I reran them again and again!
David needed to head back to Nairobi, there was no other option for him. He also said, he was not 100% certain he would necessary return to Ethiopia. He would may just want to go back to SA via Uganda, Rwanda, etc. That would most definitely be a change in my plans and most certainly the safer option available. However, i did have my heart set on getting to Egypt and, although my head was saying go back with David, I feel like I needed to pursue my goal and get to Egypt. We decided to hence part ways, he would head back to Nairobi and sort out his shock and i would stay in Isiolo and wait for other overlanders to travel north with. I must admit, it was not an easy choice. David and I have managed to form a good bond and working relationship over the past two months. For two people who knew almost nothing about each other, we have gotten on remarkably well and have actually worked together extremely well. The loss of your support structure is a real shock to the system. Up until now, except for my ride from Arusha to Nairobi, we have been traveling together. So, now the removal of that security net is a real shock to the system! Anyway, I needed to now settle in to finding others to travel with, jut incase David did indeed decide to not do Ethiopia and travel back to SA. I decide to visit the other campsite in town, to see If there are other overlanders there who may be keen to travel north. However, luck is not on my side and I am left to trying to find the nearest Internet cafe and see if I can put an advertisement on HorizonsUnlimited website.
Spend most of the day catching up with all my emails etc.....
Day 59, 2011/06/29 isiolo to Marsibic
Day 59, 2011/06/29 isiolo to Marsibic
We up at 5am to make sure we can avoid too much riding in thereat lf the day. After a huge breakfast, we hit thread at 630 am. The road north is stunning.it looks like it has just been finished, and in addition, there is almost no traffic. Wow, what a pleasant change from Nairobi!
It is however not far into the days riding that things start to go wrong. After a brief stop just outside Archers Post, aim unable to get going. There is a horrible noise coming from my engine. I decide to remove the gain guard cover to the front sprocket, only to discover my worst fear. The sprocket nut had come loose, but not that, in the process, the sprocket and damaged the teeth on my shaft to the point where it would require a new one. My first thought was that my trip was now over. There was no way I could continue with the bike in this state. However, David proposed a brilliant idea, he said, why not just weld the sprocket onto the shaft. And when I am finally back in Jhb, they can then worry about replacing the shaft. Locals arrived from the neighboring town, and it was not long and we managed to find a welding machine. The welder and his machine lived and worked as the maintenance guy in a school. After asking permission from the principal, a really nice guy called Simon, it was off to weld that sprocket. The guy didnothave any complete welding rods so, a half decent attempt was made, and I was able to get going again. All for that early start! But anyway, we were back on the road and that was the important thing. After several stops, to make sure that the welding was infect holding, we arrived at the end of the tar. The next 100 km, we were told, would be really horrible dirt. How bad can it be? Well really bad. The corrugations were hectic and is that was not bad enough, there were stones and patches of soft sand to contend with. We decided to travel one behind the other with a delay enough to make sure that we did not eat each others dust, and an interval of 10 km was agreed upon. We would thus stop after every 10 km and make sure the other s fine before proceeding. At the first stop, all went according to plan however, at the second, David just never arrived. I was eventually forced to back track and eventually found him parked under a tree. He was shaking his head. A quick loom at the side of his bike revealed the problem. The heavy duty shock he had had fitted before leaving Jhb could not take the harsh conditions of the road, and hade blown! What now. David said that, his bike was almost totally unridable without a shock and that his only alternative was to head back to Isiolo and then Nairobi. I also looked at my front sprocket and found the poor welding job was also Nootka looking to kosher! So we decided to head back to Isiolo. There is something so kak about heading backwards rather than forwards, especially if you need to backtrack! And the ride back gave us loads of time to think about where to from here.
On arrival back at Gaddism Hotel, It was not long before I was referee to another welder. This guy was in the neighboring property, and was busy building a school for handicapped kids. At lest this guy had a brand new welder and loads of welding rods. In addition, he had a mask which, the previous guy did not. 15 min later, and i had a permanent sprocket-shaft! The welding looked so solid, that i think the motor will break before it does.
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| Day 59, 2011/06/29 |
We up at 5am to make sure we can avoid too much riding in thereat lf the day. After a huge breakfast, we hit thread at 630 am. The road north is stunning.it looks like it has just been finished, and in addition, there is almost no traffic. Wow, what a pleasant change from Nairobi!
It is however not far into the days riding that things start to go wrong. After a brief stop just outside Archers Post, aim unable to get going. There is a horrible noise coming from my engine. I decide to remove the gain guard cover to the front sprocket, only to discover my worst fear. The sprocket nut had come loose, but not that, in the process, the sprocket and damaged the teeth on my shaft to the point where it would require a new one. My first thought was that my trip was now over. There was no way I could continue with the bike in this state. However, David proposed a brilliant idea, he said, why not just weld the sprocket onto the shaft. And when I am finally back in Jhb, they can then worry about replacing the shaft. Locals arrived from the neighboring town, and it was not long and we managed to find a welding machine. The welder and his machine lived and worked as the maintenance guy in a school. After asking permission from the principal, a really nice guy called Simon, it was off to weld that sprocket. The guy didnothave any complete welding rods so, a half decent attempt was made, and I was able to get going again. All for that early start! But anyway, we were back on the road and that was the important thing. After several stops, to make sure that the welding was infect holding, we arrived at the end of the tar. The next 100 km, we were told, would be really horrible dirt. How bad can it be? Well really bad. The corrugations were hectic and is that was not bad enough, there were stones and patches of soft sand to contend with. We decided to travel one behind the other with a delay enough to make sure that we did not eat each others dust, and an interval of 10 km was agreed upon. We would thus stop after every 10 km and make sure the other s fine before proceeding. At the first stop, all went according to plan however, at the second, David just never arrived. I was eventually forced to back track and eventually found him parked under a tree. He was shaking his head. A quick loom at the side of his bike revealed the problem. The heavy duty shock he had had fitted before leaving Jhb could not take the harsh conditions of the road, and hade blown! What now. David said that, his bike was almost totally unridable without a shock and that his only alternative was to head back to Isiolo and then Nairobi. I also looked at my front sprocket and found the poor welding job was also Nootka looking to kosher! So we decided to head back to Isiolo. There is something so kak about heading backwards rather than forwards, especially if you need to backtrack! And the ride back gave us loads of time to think about where to from here.
On arrival back at Gaddism Hotel, It was not long before I was referee to another welder. This guy was in the neighboring property, and was busy building a school for handicapped kids. At lest this guy had a brand new welder and loads of welding rods. In addition, he had a mask which, the previous guy did not. 15 min later, and i had a permanent sprocket-shaft! The welding looked so solid, that i think the motor will break before it does.
Day 58, 2011/06/28 Nairobi to Isiolo
Day 58, 2011/06/28 Nairobi to Isiolo
After having to wait for over an hour at the insurance brokers to get my COMESA 3rd party insurance sorted, David and I eventually hit the road. It is almost 10am, and we hopeful that traffic shoo,d be a breeze. And how wrong we were. The A2, leading north, is under construction, and leaving Nairobi, is nothing less than a nightmare! How anyone negotiates in any of these African big cities without a GPS, god only knows! Because of all the construction work, there are major traffic detours which, are of course not on the GPS! The detours are not your standard detour we are all use to, oh no this is detour African style. I.e. There are thousands of mad drivers just pushing and forcing their way so they can get there before you. In addition, the one detour actually physically routed us onto the oncoming carigeway into oncoming traffic. That would have been fine if there were barriers between the different streams of traffic, or if the oncoming traffic did not decide that your lane was actually quicker for them and hence came flying towards you at speed! Hell, and they tell me Cairo is worse! I can not believe that. I guess seeing will be believing! The toad construction continues for over 50 km, through the slums of Nairobi. There are continues diversions off the tarmac,where everyone is just pushing and trying to get ahead. Trucks also do not believe that because they are slow moving traffic that, they need to keep to the left hand side of the road, so we are continuesly having to dodge between cars and slow moving trucks. Eventually, the road clears and we are able to finally adopt a more chilled riding style. The road is fairly nice and the scenery lovely. Just like mount Kilimanjaro, mount Kenya is covered in cloud so, we are unable to take any pictures for posterity. Perhaps next time! The altitude is also impressive, and we spend most of the day way above 2000 m, even peaking at 2700 m. The decent into Isiolo is steep, and within 20 km, we are down to 1200 m altitude. The landscape here is so different to the rest we have thus far experienced in Kenya. It is very, very dry, suchlike the Northern Cape. Not that we are complaining since, it is a welcome relief to that wet miserable weather we have had to endure in Nairobi over the last couple of days. Once again the GPS guides jato our overnight stop, a place called Gaddism Hotel and campsite. With the desire to get up and going early, we decide to take a room rather than camping.
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| Day 58, 2011/06/28 |
After having to wait for over an hour at the insurance brokers to get my COMESA 3rd party insurance sorted, David and I eventually hit the road. It is almost 10am, and we hopeful that traffic shoo,d be a breeze. And how wrong we were. The A2, leading north, is under construction, and leaving Nairobi, is nothing less than a nightmare! How anyone negotiates in any of these African big cities without a GPS, god only knows! Because of all the construction work, there are major traffic detours which, are of course not on the GPS! The detours are not your standard detour we are all use to, oh no this is detour African style. I.e. There are thousands of mad drivers just pushing and forcing their way so they can get there before you. In addition, the one detour actually physically routed us onto the oncoming carigeway into oncoming traffic. That would have been fine if there were barriers between the different streams of traffic, or if the oncoming traffic did not decide that your lane was actually quicker for them and hence came flying towards you at speed! Hell, and they tell me Cairo is worse! I can not believe that. I guess seeing will be believing! The toad construction continues for over 50 km, through the slums of Nairobi. There are continues diversions off the tarmac,where everyone is just pushing and trying to get ahead. Trucks also do not believe that because they are slow moving traffic that, they need to keep to the left hand side of the road, so we are continuesly having to dodge between cars and slow moving trucks. Eventually, the road clears and we are able to finally adopt a more chilled riding style. The road is fairly nice and the scenery lovely. Just like mount Kilimanjaro, mount Kenya is covered in cloud so, we are unable to take any pictures for posterity. Perhaps next time! The altitude is also impressive, and we spend most of the day way above 2000 m, even peaking at 2700 m. The decent into Isiolo is steep, and within 20 km, we are down to 1200 m altitude. The landscape here is so different to the rest we have thus far experienced in Kenya. It is very, very dry, suchlike the Northern Cape. Not that we are complaining since, it is a welcome relief to that wet miserable weather we have had to endure in Nairobi over the last couple of days. Once again the GPS guides jato our overnight stop, a place called Gaddism Hotel and campsite. With the desire to get up and going early, we decide to take a room rather than camping.
Day 57, 2011/06/27 Nairobi
Day 57, 2011/06/27 Nairobi
Well I can not tell you the relief I experienced when David arrived with the DHL package which contained our passports and our Ethiopian visas. After more than two weeks of killing time, we were finally able to contemplate moving forward.
We decided not to rush off to Isiolo but, to take the day and pack and get ready for the following days departure. After performing the necessary updates to blogs/emails/etc we did some final minute shopping. With some hot, dry conditions to look forward to,decided to purchase a 5l water bottle which, I securely fastened to the side of my bike. Just perfect so that git rests on my passengers foot peg.
After an early dinner at Glitos, very similar to Nandos in SA,it is off to bed with lArge expectations for the next days travel, after soo much time being idol.
Well I can not tell you the relief I experienced when David arrived with the DHL package which contained our passports and our Ethiopian visas. After more than two weeks of killing time, we were finally able to contemplate moving forward.
We decided not to rush off to Isiolo but, to take the day and pack and get ready for the following days departure. After performing the necessary updates to blogs/emails/etc we did some final minute shopping. With some hot, dry conditions to look forward to,decided to purchase a 5l water bottle which, I securely fastened to the side of my bike. Just perfect so that git rests on my passengers foot peg.
After an early dinner at Glitos, very similar to Nandos in SA,it is off to bed with lArge expectations for the next days travel, after soo much time being idol.
Day 56, 2011/06/26 Kisumu to Nairobi
Day 56, 2011/06/26 Kisumu to Nairobi
David is feeling loads better. Amazing what a single rehydrate can do. After a quick breakfast at the Kisumu airport, we are back on our bikes to Nairobi. The initial road is a little frustrating, with loads of cars, buses, taxis and pedestrians. However, the road eventually clears, and the riding is great. After Ahero,the scenery becomes spectacular. Every corner, is a picture postcard moment,with endless tea plantations. The endless, lush green is an amazing sight. In places, the tea plantations go on as far as the eye can see, and in others, they terminate is amazing forests. Really amazing to behold. Finally, it is back onto the A104 and onwards to Nairobi. The driving just appears to get worse by the second and the last 200 km into Nairobi must be the most hairassing thus far on the trip.
The cars and trucks have a very interesting mechanism they use for allowing people to overtake. The vehicle been overtaken, will indicate to the vehicle behind if it is safe to do so by indicating left, and if not he will indicate right. Simple, and it does work, until the truck driver gets it wrong that is. David and I were traveling down this hill when a truck driver decided to indicate to the car behind him that it was safe to overtake. He changed his indicator from right to left a little too soon. The driver being a typical Kenyan driver, did not check to see if the truck driver was infect correct, and just proceeded to pull out from the truck and right into my path. Not a pleasant thing to see this car appear from behind a truck all of a sudden while you traveling at about 80 km/h. Idiot!! Well those are Kenyan drivers for you. Always in such a rush. Anyway,that was not the only incident on the way back to Nairobi. The overtaking and driving was frighting. People barged me off the road, especially those driving big fancy SUVs. The bigger, and the fancier, the bigger the asshole driving it. Trust me not fun, especially when it started to rain, and this did not however stop them from driving and acting like idiots. To cut a long story short, David and I were so relieved when we got to the Jungle Junction in one piece, and still alive.
However, our arrival at the Jungle Junction, coincided with a massive thunderstorm. More like a cloud burst if you ask me. It rained so much that, the jungle Junction campsite, became nothing more than a huge mud pit. So camping was out of the question. Everyone turned their attention to the rooms/beds available in the house, which were all taken, by the time David and I attempted to secure one. The prospects of sleeping on the couch did exist however, that would require waiting for everyone to first go t bed, and then only would you be able to goto sleep. Not my idea of a comftable nights sleep. Lucky, by 8pm, the people who had precooked the dorm beds did not show so, David and I were able to a good nights rest.
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| Day 56, 2011/06/26 |
David is feeling loads better. Amazing what a single rehydrate can do. After a quick breakfast at the Kisumu airport, we are back on our bikes to Nairobi. The initial road is a little frustrating, with loads of cars, buses, taxis and pedestrians. However, the road eventually clears, and the riding is great. After Ahero,the scenery becomes spectacular. Every corner, is a picture postcard moment,with endless tea plantations. The endless, lush green is an amazing sight. In places, the tea plantations go on as far as the eye can see, and in others, they terminate is amazing forests. Really amazing to behold. Finally, it is back onto the A104 and onwards to Nairobi. The driving just appears to get worse by the second and the last 200 km into Nairobi must be the most hairassing thus far on the trip.
The cars and trucks have a very interesting mechanism they use for allowing people to overtake. The vehicle been overtaken, will indicate to the vehicle behind if it is safe to do so by indicating left, and if not he will indicate right. Simple, and it does work, until the truck driver gets it wrong that is. David and I were traveling down this hill when a truck driver decided to indicate to the car behind him that it was safe to overtake. He changed his indicator from right to left a little too soon. The driver being a typical Kenyan driver, did not check to see if the truck driver was infect correct, and just proceeded to pull out from the truck and right into my path. Not a pleasant thing to see this car appear from behind a truck all of a sudden while you traveling at about 80 km/h. Idiot!! Well those are Kenyan drivers for you. Always in such a rush. Anyway,that was not the only incident on the way back to Nairobi. The overtaking and driving was frighting. People barged me off the road, especially those driving big fancy SUVs. The bigger, and the fancier, the bigger the asshole driving it. Trust me not fun, especially when it started to rain, and this did not however stop them from driving and acting like idiots. To cut a long story short, David and I were so relieved when we got to the Jungle Junction in one piece, and still alive.
However, our arrival at the Jungle Junction, coincided with a massive thunderstorm. More like a cloud burst if you ask me. It rained so much that, the jungle Junction campsite, became nothing more than a huge mud pit. So camping was out of the question. Everyone turned their attention to the rooms/beds available in the house, which were all taken, by the time David and I attempted to secure one. The prospects of sleeping on the couch did exist however, that would require waiting for everyone to first go t bed, and then only would you be able to goto sleep. Not my idea of a comftable nights sleep. Lucky, by 8pm, the people who had precooked the dorm beds did not show so, David and I were able to a good nights rest.
Day 55, 2011/06/25 Eldoret to Kisumu
Day 55, 2011/06/25 Eldoret to Kisumu
We have a leisurely start to the morning. We have decided that, we have come this far and need to at least see lake Victoria. The millage to Kisumu,on the banks of lake Vic,is only 160 km, so we decide on a late start. Also, the Sharks are playing against the Crusaders in the playoffs, so we decide to watch that game first before setting off. David however, is not well. Last night's curry is not sitting well, and I can clearly see he is looking very bleak. I try to insist that we stay another night, so that he cAn sleep off the stomach bug but, he insists he is fine enough to ride and that we need to move on.
After we watched the Sharks get bulldozed by the Crusaders, it is back on our bikes. The road to Kisumu is lovely,and once again there is a dramatic change in altitude. We go from almost 2300 m down to about 1200 m. On the way,we come across a number of tea plantations. IhAve never scene a tea plantation before and the sight of all that lush green is amazing to see.
In Kisumu,which looks like a real port town, except the fact that is on a lake and not on the sea, is a real bustling place. We battle to find or accommodation since, our GPS wants to route us over the lake. But, we eventually find the Kisumu Resort and decide to make that our overnight stop. It is really rundown place and since David is not feeling and looking at all well, I decide to upgrade us to the cottage accommodation option. There is a wedding reception at the resort, and David and I hope that the music will not keep us awake all night. Thank god the party is soon over, and we are able to have a peaceful nights rest.
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| Day 55, 2011/06/25 |
We have a leisurely start to the morning. We have decided that, we have come this far and need to at least see lake Victoria. The millage to Kisumu,on the banks of lake Vic,is only 160 km, so we decide on a late start. Also, the Sharks are playing against the Crusaders in the playoffs, so we decide to watch that game first before setting off. David however, is not well. Last night's curry is not sitting well, and I can clearly see he is looking very bleak. I try to insist that we stay another night, so that he cAn sleep off the stomach bug but, he insists he is fine enough to ride and that we need to move on.
After we watched the Sharks get bulldozed by the Crusaders, it is back on our bikes. The road to Kisumu is lovely,and once again there is a dramatic change in altitude. We go from almost 2300 m down to about 1200 m. On the way,we come across a number of tea plantations. IhAve never scene a tea plantation before and the sight of all that lush green is amazing to see.
In Kisumu,which looks like a real port town, except the fact that is on a lake and not on the sea, is a real bustling place. We battle to find or accommodation since, our GPS wants to route us over the lake. But, we eventually find the Kisumu Resort and decide to make that our overnight stop. It is really rundown place and since David is not feeling and looking at all well, I decide to upgrade us to the cottage accommodation option. There is a wedding reception at the resort, and David and I hope that the music will not keep us awake all night. Thank god the party is soon over, and we are able to have a peaceful nights rest.
Day 54, 2011/06/24 Eldoret
Day 54, 2011/06/24 Eldoret
Well since the rain prevented us from getting to the cheese factory yesterday, we decided to visit it after a brief visit to the internet cafe. The cheese factory is relatively small in size compared to the textile factory of yesterday, and employes far less people. Nancy, who has been working there forever ten years shows us round. The technology is actually relatively simple compared to the textile factory. Andmy favorite was by far the big storage cooler room. The smell of cheese in there is to die for! Anyway, after the visit, we do a quick tasting and we purchase way too much cheese. Then it is a quick pop in to the store for some fresh bread and then off to Naiberi for a late lunch of cheese and bread. My favorite!
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| Day 54, 2011/06/24 |
Well since the rain prevented us from getting to the cheese factory yesterday, we decided to visit it after a brief visit to the internet cafe. The cheese factory is relatively small in size compared to the textile factory of yesterday, and employes far less people. Nancy, who has been working there forever ten years shows us round. The technology is actually relatively simple compared to the textile factory. Andmy favorite was by far the big storage cooler room. The smell of cheese in there is to die for! Anyway, after the visit, we do a quick tasting and we purchase way too much cheese. Then it is a quick pop in to the store for some fresh bread and then off to Naiberi for a late lunch of cheese and bread. My favorite!
Day 53, 2011/06/23 Eldoret
Day 53, 2011/06/23 Eldoret
A quick compilation of an itinerary and we are off to town to find an Internet cafe. After managing to send off all the additional info, it is off to a clothing factory. The factory is owned by the same family that owns the campsite. It is family run business, which employes over 1500 people. And wow, what a place. They make gurseys for schools. They are woolen gurseys, and make for a wide selection of schools. The factory has some really old machinery, some dating back to 1958! Yeah, and since spares are hard to come by, there is a whole engineering section where, there are fitter and turners with their laves. They can fix almost anything apparently. Well it can be see by the fact these old machines are still up and running and producing output. In addition to the gurseys, they also produce blankets from the off cuts. It is extremely impressive that, even in this day and age of Chinese production that, these factories are still able to survive.
A quick compilation of an itinerary and we are off to town to find an Internet cafe. After managing to send off all the additional info, it is off to a clothing factory. The factory is owned by the same family that owns the campsite. It is family run business, which employes over 1500 people. And wow, what a place. They make gurseys for schools. They are woolen gurseys, and make for a wide selection of schools. The factory has some really old machinery, some dating back to 1958! Yeah, and since spares are hard to come by, there is a whole engineering section where, there are fitter and turners with their laves. They can fix almost anything apparently. Well it can be see by the fact these old machines are still up and running and producing output. In addition to the gurseys, they also produce blankets from the off cuts. It is extremely impressive that, even in this day and age of Chinese production that, these factories are still able to survive.
Day 52, 2011/06/22 Nairobi to Eldoret
Day 52, 2011/06/22 Nairobi to Eldoret
It is difficult to get out of my con fort zone that I have managed to establish in my 10 days in Nairobi but, we can just sit here and wait. Without a passport we are not able to cross any borders so, we are limited to Kenya. David and I decide to venture out of Nairobi for a couple of days, while we wait for our passports.
We have done more than enough beach and sea so, we decide to head inland and west. What we are not aware at the time, is this is the main truck route from Kenya to Uganda. However, before we leave, we do coffee at the coffee shop and confirm why we are not able to track David's passport yet online. We discover that, the courier driver ran into problems after collecting David's passport. He was arrested and his car was impounded. All we needed, to delay this process once again! Anyway, nothing we can do about it. Frustration goes on!
The weather is overcast, and it is not long before we encounter soft rain, thick mist and cold. Yeah cold! We soon hit 2600 m above sea level so, it is not surprising that the temp is so low. The bike also does not like this altitude had I can feel that it is very sluggish. The weather at least improves, and the sun is a welcome warmer. The altitude does not diminish, at we touch a max of 2900 m during the course of the day. We reach another milestone, we finally drive past a road sign that signifies that we are crossing the equator. Wow! It is a great feeling. Never thought I would have gotten this far. We stop for a couple of photos to confirm that we did manage to make it thus far.
The driving in Kenya is really shocking, and it is not long before I experience the most ridiculous scenario. A vehicle, which is overtaking a vehicle which,in turn is over taking another! Yes! And the fact that I am in that guys lane appears to be my problem! And I am forced off the road to avoid an accident! The first time it happens,it happens to be a car, overtaking a truck, which is overtaking a truck. It is not long thou when I experience it again. This time it is a truck, overtaking a truck, which is overtaking a truck! Hell, nothing like seeing three trucks coming your way to make you shit yourself! Anyway,you get to deal with it after a while. You soon discover that, hooting and cursing gets you nowhere!
There are soo many trucks on this road that, the Tarmac has been warn away. There are tacks warn into the tar. Soo deep that, the truck drivers literally do not need to steer, all they have to do is accelerate and break. The problem is actually for us bikers since, it creates a nightmare when overtaking. And because of nature of the terrain, very hilly, and the sheer quantity of trucks, there is loads of overtaking to be done. Each time you overtake, it like climbing pavements, and also at speed, which is nerve-racking! Anyway, we survive and eventually get to our campsite, Naiberi. A realty stunning place. It is a well known over landing spot for trucks and also a popular wedding venue. Really stunning.
On arrival, I receive a message from Joni, my much better half. Apparently my dad has run into problems at the Ethiopian embassy in Pretoria. Apparently my bank statements are not good enough and, they also need a complete itinerary. No, not just of my stay in Ethiopia,but my ENTIRE TRIP! What the hell for? Enough to drive one to drink! Anyway, will have to compile one and send it through tomorrow with, my credit card statements. Hopefully,that will make them happy!
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| Day 52, 2011/06/22 |
It is difficult to get out of my con fort zone that I have managed to establish in my 10 days in Nairobi but, we can just sit here and wait. Without a passport we are not able to cross any borders so, we are limited to Kenya. David and I decide to venture out of Nairobi for a couple of days, while we wait for our passports.
We have done more than enough beach and sea so, we decide to head inland and west. What we are not aware at the time, is this is the main truck route from Kenya to Uganda. However, before we leave, we do coffee at the coffee shop and confirm why we are not able to track David's passport yet online. We discover that, the courier driver ran into problems after collecting David's passport. He was arrested and his car was impounded. All we needed, to delay this process once again! Anyway, nothing we can do about it. Frustration goes on!
The weather is overcast, and it is not long before we encounter soft rain, thick mist and cold. Yeah cold! We soon hit 2600 m above sea level so, it is not surprising that the temp is so low. The bike also does not like this altitude had I can feel that it is very sluggish. The weather at least improves, and the sun is a welcome warmer. The altitude does not diminish, at we touch a max of 2900 m during the course of the day. We reach another milestone, we finally drive past a road sign that signifies that we are crossing the equator. Wow! It is a great feeling. Never thought I would have gotten this far. We stop for a couple of photos to confirm that we did manage to make it thus far.
The driving in Kenya is really shocking, and it is not long before I experience the most ridiculous scenario. A vehicle, which is overtaking a vehicle which,in turn is over taking another! Yes! And the fact that I am in that guys lane appears to be my problem! And I am forced off the road to avoid an accident! The first time it happens,it happens to be a car, overtaking a truck, which is overtaking a truck. It is not long thou when I experience it again. This time it is a truck, overtaking a truck, which is overtaking a truck! Hell, nothing like seeing three trucks coming your way to make you shit yourself! Anyway,you get to deal with it after a while. You soon discover that, hooting and cursing gets you nowhere!
There are soo many trucks on this road that, the Tarmac has been warn away. There are tacks warn into the tar. Soo deep that, the truck drivers literally do not need to steer, all they have to do is accelerate and break. The problem is actually for us bikers since, it creates a nightmare when overtaking. And because of nature of the terrain, very hilly, and the sheer quantity of trucks, there is loads of overtaking to be done. Each time you overtake, it like climbing pavements, and also at speed, which is nerve-racking! Anyway, we survive and eventually get to our campsite, Naiberi. A realty stunning place. It is a well known over landing spot for trucks and also a popular wedding venue. Really stunning.
On arrival, I receive a message from Joni, my much better half. Apparently my dad has run into problems at the Ethiopian embassy in Pretoria. Apparently my bank statements are not good enough and, they also need a complete itinerary. No, not just of my stay in Ethiopia,but my ENTIRE TRIP! What the hell for? Enough to drive one to drink! Anyway, will have to compile one and send it through tomorrow with, my credit card statements. Hopefully,that will make them happy!
Day 51, 2011/06/21 Nairobi
Day 51, 2011/06/21 Nairobi
With the passports on their way to South Africa, there is really nothing we can do but wait. So we decide to have one more chilled day in Nairobi. We spend most of the day in the coffee shop updating our blogs.
With the passports on their way to South Africa, there is really nothing we can do but wait. So we decide to have one more chilled day in Nairobi. We spend most of the day in the coffee shop updating our blogs.
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