Sub Saharan adventures

It felt like an eternity had passed since we had driven as a team but finally we hit the road once again in high spirits. With little apart from a very brown looking blue Nile to keep us in Khartoum, we pressed on out of the shanty city into the increasingly fertile plains of Eastern Sudan. Will and Lev were more than happy to let the others sit behind the wheel for a while and we sped off cheerfully through peaceful villages and suprisingly green pastures towards the Ethipoian border. It came as a bit of a shock as we gained height that the vegetation grew higher and we had truly left the deserts of the Sahara behind and the ‘real’ Africa began here.

It was too late to cross the border by the time we arrived so we camped outside of a tribal village where the cow herders, dressed in their traditional colorful robes greeted us warmly. It made a pleasant change from the rickety hotels and we didn’t mind in the least bit when a thuderstorm came and drenched us to the bone. it was the first rain we had seen in weeks and therefore Graham must be forgiven for mistaking it for a pack of wild goats…

Injera- the ethiopian national dish

After relatively little hassle we crossed the border into Northern Ethiopia and drove to the historical city of Gonder where annoyingly, the famous royal enclosure was closed. A friendly local teenager going by the name of ‘Dood’ took us to celebrate our return to Christendom by having a solid dinner of Injera (a sour pancake topped with beans and very sloppy looking meat) and naturally a couple of beers in what was possibly the seediest restaurant in town. After we broke the news to him that we were’nt going to use his guiding expertise  since we needed to carry on south he agreed to accompany us a few hours down the road to a place called Bahr Dar near to the Blue Nile falls. The poor chap probably regretted the decision after a fall out with the motel owner resulted in a gun being pulled on him- but not us thankfully! Whilst driving over the central mountains we came across a Dutch chap called Ralph Tuijn, a legendary masochist who was competing for the world record cycling unsupported from Cairo to Cape town. He was averaging over 170km per day and was at this stage 10 days ahead of the current record! An impressive feat even given his previous triumphs such as cycling to everest base camp, across Siberia twice and rowing both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. He did at least concede that Graham was probably a little fitter though…

Ralph Tuijn

By now Ruth had been waiting in Addis for a week and we did another 15 hours driving to make it to the capital. Along the way we passed by some of the most incredible scenery many of us had ever seen. It was fantastically green with stunning highlands and impressive mountains and so unlike any of the preconceptions we may have had of the blighted country. Moreover the people were incredibly friendly and the whole place was so clean and tidy and would put most of Europe to shame. We didn’t see a spot of litter the whole time we were there.

The Rift Valley

At every highland village we were greeted by hundreds of villagers wanting to shake our hands and Alberto’s camera naturally went into overdrive as Graham’s natural charm won over the hordes of school children.

Ken with his pet bee eater

We arrived into Addis Ababa in the pitch of night and settled into a friendly hotel managing to cram seven people into a single room. The next morning we finally caught up with Ruth in the plush surroundings of the Hilton hotel where we also met Pam who had been hosting our latest arrival for the past week. Also joining the team is Alice who forewent a beach holiday in Tanzania to join in the expedition. Funnily enough, Russell, who up until now had been in the lead with the ginger beard growing competition decided to shave it all off. A coincidence? Unlikely.

Now up to strength in numbers we snaked ever southwards to the pretty lake of Lagado in the remote bushland of central Ethiopia where we camped in the garden of a local farmer. To his amusement we supplied 4 live chickens for dinner which Toby swiftly despatched and proceeded to spray Will with guts in the resultant bloodbath. Ruth in the meantime suprised everyone by revealing an enormous inflatable air mattress quoting the immortal lines ‘any fool can be uncomfortable’ only to be a little disappointed one day later when a huge thorn burst her bubble…

Bush camping

Suitably nourished we continued to descend into the rough scrub near to the Kenyan border where we spent another night but this time away from any villages. Under Stu’s guidance we built a fence using the local ‘bastard bush’ with its infamous needle like thorns to deter any unwanted hyenas that are known to roam in search of unwary travellers. After a disappointingly short time in this beautiful and memorable country we arrived at the frontier town of Moyale at the border with Kenya and crossed into the British commonwealth and were greeted with a familiar ‘Jambo’ by a huge Soldier in British Camouflage. From now on in we would be driving on the left hand side which will feel slightly strange! We stocked up with supplies knowing that the next few days would be some of the most challenging of the trip so far. Although the Ambulances are holding out up to now- this will be the real test of their capabilities. For the next 300 miles or so there was no road save a boulder strewn, corrugated dirt track running though a sandy desert with no access to water or food. .Moreover it is feted as the most dangerous road in East Africa- renowned for hostile tribes, roving bandits and a hideout for Somalian Pirates….next update from the equator!