Lalibela to Aksum
Jerusalem Guesthouse in Lalibela was extremely good and can certainly be recommended. Rooms were big, clean and first prize in Africa certainly are clean toilets and showers. We were all very apprehensive about staying in another hotel after our two previous night’s disasters. Camping definitely preferred but because of Ethiopia’s dense population it was impossible to find camping spaces. Lalibela is a must seen on a visit to Ethiopia. The religion cultivated from the Lalibela, Axum and Gondor area are very fascinating, interesting and very, very alive. Our visit has brought so many unanswered questions to reality.
We left round 9am on route to Makele. The day’s driving included a 165km dirt road with a further 150km stretch of tar. As we left the beautiful, high lying, world heritage site of Lalibela, with it’s cobble stone streets and rich history of religion and power battles between families we started our decline with an awesome view of a beautiful mountain range, and from then it was range after range and valley after valley for the next 165Km. Spectacular views all the way. Population a lot less than along our previous routes. The people of this region live under harsh conditions yet many a hill have been cultivated. It must take those who work the fields, still very primitively, most of the day to climb either up or down the mountains depending on where their villages are situated.
Roger and Jo unfortunately had a fall round one of the thousands of ends. The bikes back tyre slipped on loose stones and they bought a piece of Ethiopia. Fortunately they got off lightly and were helped by a very kind local guy half Jo-Anne’s size. For Roger it was his second fall on the trip and he is a bit ‘ eina’.
All the bikers regrouped at Korem and waited another hour for back-up vehicles before deciding to head on to Makela because of the smell of rain in the air. Not even 20km’s on our way we had to stop for raincoats. The next 130km’s were wet; trying with endless mountain passes that never ended. The KTM’s were searching for fuel since there was no fuel on route. Doug and Charl eventually bought some fuel for a ridiculous price on the black market and Roger proudly did 91Km on his reserve tank. The KTM basically stalled without fuel right in front of the first fuelling station on entering Makele.
We booked into the Atse Yohannes Hotel, once again a bit of a disaster. No water in the whole hotel. We waited for the back-up vehicles. The day definitely had it’s problems since Ian’s roof rack broke loose and he and Mike had to make a temporary plan to reach destination.
We all had supper, nothing exciting, had a drink on the veranda and headed for bed. Rudi and myself had water in our room by then but no working toilet. The others had working toilets but no water in the showers. What a disappointment after Lalibela.
The next morning Rudi and Roger went off to try and find out about the possibility to enter Eritrea. Although we managed to get visas before we left South Africa the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea have been closed and nobody not even the United Nations could give them ay useful information. Eritrea plan s had to be ditched. What a disappointment that was!
The guys then had to do maintenance on the roof rack and we only managed to leave Makele for Axum after 1pm. The only good memory of Makele was awesome chilli burgers that were ordered as take away.
We left town only after 1pm. As we climbed the hills out off Makele we started smelling rain. The vegetation now changed completely, from lush green hills before Makele to dry, desert like terrain. The styles of the houses changed from grass and brick huts to stone built houses with flat roofs that have gravel and grass on the roofs. Goats were even grazing on top.
Not even 10Km out of town the rain started pouring down, thunder and lightning enhanced by the rocks and mountains around us. We pulled off and stood at a roadside shop for most of an hour waiting for the rain and thunder to subside. A huge surprise was awaiting us around the next corner after we left. The Chinese, as in most African countries, are busy rebuilding roads. Our first mountain pass after the rain storm was a very steep, wet and slippery one with a huge truck being stuck right in the middle of the road. Here I and JO-Anne had to hang on for dear life slipping and sliding upwards past trucks, bulldozers and Ethiopian’s shouting at Rudi for passing the obstacles on the right and not left as per Ethiopian road rules. The next couple of kilometres were rather tough on both the cars and bikes since the climbing and descending of passes just got more intense as we proceeded. Together with the intensifying of the passes the beauty also intensified. It was absolutely beautiful nature scenes.
Ethiopia is just an awesomely beautiful country. Unfortunately there is almost no place along any stretch of road through the whole country where there are no people to be found and the poverty is overwhelming sad.
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