7 July 2011 – Axum and crossing into Sudan
Today we are to travel from Aksum to Gonder via the Siemien Mountains which we knew would be one of the most spectacular drives done so far, but I do not think that any of us expected it to be as spectacular as it was. Although we knew that most of the drive would be on dirt & over numerous passes, as the distance was only about 230kms, we all had breakfast & set off at a reasonable time. We had paid $50.00 per room which included breakfast, but when we were leaving the waitress & the manager asked for payment for breakfast as they said that the rate did not include breakfast! As both Adri & Jo-anne had confirmed a number of times with the manager the night before that the rate included breakfast we refused to pay. This incident unfortunately spoiled what otherwise had been a very pleasant stay with very nice staff - once again it proved how communication in English can difficult in the north of Africa.
We struggled to find our way out of town as there were road works and the way out was blocked with no alternative shown. Cheryl & I eventually followed a “tuc tuc” (small scooter taxi) out of town. Although the road was dirt, it was good and straight for the first 50 kms, but thereafter changed dramatically.
We descended down a steep pass with many hair pin bends, which was made more difficult due to the road construction by the Chinese. The road works themselves were spectacular as the new road was literally carved out of the side of the mountain and built up over ravines. We often had to wait for construction vehicles working in the road and at times avoid rolling rocks! At one point we had a lengthy wait due to a heavy duty truck getting stuck. The cars eventually managed to squeeze past. The bikes also found the going difficult due to sections being covered in thick mud.
After many hours of slow driving the cars managed to find a secluded spot on the road to have coffee and “lunch”. What was special about the stop was that we had the most magnificent view of the Siemien Mountains. I do not know how to describe the mountains other than to say that they are amongst the most spectacular mountains that I have ever seen!
The bikes at this stage were well ahead of the cars, but Mike, Cheryl & I continued expecting that the passes had now ended - little did we know what lay ahead!
This last pass started at the bottom of a huge mountain, which we all thought that the road would
go around - but it went straight over the top. Apart from hair pin ends, the road became very narrow in places with sheer drops on the side. At times we felt a bit uneasy, especially pulling the trailer. It was also nerve racking for the bikers and many times we thought that Adri & Jo-anne would be waiting for us to pick them up. How they managed to stay on the back of the bikes I do not know! The pass was built by the Italians and is truely an engineering & road construction feat. I just hope that they leave the pass as it is and do not allow the Chinese to tar this section. We just kept on climbing with no visible way up the mountain. There is no pass in South Africa or Lesotho that can match this one.
When we eventually reached the top we still had some 30 kms to travel to Gonder over some bad dirt due once again to road construction. Cheryl & I eventually arrived in Gonder after dark.
Rudi & Adri had found a very nice place to stay called The Fazil Lodge. The rooms were clean and they had a “lapa” where they served their own roasted coffee which is grown on the property.
Unfortunately both Charl & Adri were not feeling well and as they thought they may have contracted malaria, Adri tested both of them. Fortunately the tests proved negative.
The owner of the lodge, Ephraim, showed us a very festive restuarant that evening, which was suspended over a road. The music, contemporary & local and the food was very good. After that the owner took Cheryl, Roger, Jo-anne, Doug b & I to a small “shebeen” where live Ethiopian music was being played by a small band, using drums & a home made “violin / harp” made from horse’s hair. We had a great evening, eventually getting home at around 1.00am! It was one of the few evenings where we had experienced true local culture.
8 July
Today the plan was to drive from Gonder to Gedaref, which is in Sudan, and meant a border crossing. The East London crew decided to leave early, but the Ladybrand crew decided to take a short tour to some castles, an old Orthodox church & Queen Sheba’s bath. The main reason for seeing the castles is that Roger’s dad was based for a while in Gonder during the second world war, when the Italians were using one of the castles as their HQ. It was quite something for Roger to be where his dad had been many years before. The trip was well worth it and left us with the feeling that Gonder was one of the best towns which we had visited in Ethiopia.
The road to the border was good tar and decended to the plains of Sudan. Unfortunately Charl came off his bike when a goat ran in front of him. Apart from scratches to his bike and grazes & a sprained ankle to himself, he was lucky not to be more badly hurt.
When we arrived at the border we found that the East London crew were still there as they had arrived at the Ethiopian border just as they were knocking off for lunch! We then all went through together, but it took us over 5 hours due to inefficiencies & delays on the Sudanese side. When we eventually left the border post we knew that it was too late to drive to Gedaref. As a result about 10 kms from the border the bikers found a disused quarry away from the road. They also cleared with some Sudanese army guys that it would be okey for us to camp in the quarry.
We were hidden from the road and set up camp in the quarry next to some water. This was our first bush camp and we all agreed that it was fantastic to be on our own in the open. A great evening was had by all!
Our Ethiopian evening
| Abject Poverty |
| Another night camping in the desert |
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