Hopefully this works – our current connection has youtube blocked so I can’t preview it. These are a few memories from our stay in Ethiopia, which ended with a 2 day run to Nairobi to meet the next team of Surfers.
Despite dire warnings of hours-long queues at both sides of the border, we arrived at the exit of the Uganda-Rwanda border in less than one hour total. Talking fluently mix Swahili, French and English (Swahenglench?), the young policeman in charge of the barrier slowly and painstakingly checked our carnets, insurance and passports to ensure everything was in order. With the rain just beginning, he suddenly remembered something.
“Gatey Passi. Vous hitaji Gatey Passi.”
Half an hour later, we returned. How could we have missed that the first time?
Gate Pass, duely issued and signed by Stevos, the Chief of Police. The other side was pre-used, with yesterday's date.
[Thanks to Ian again for this picture - we didn't realise the policeman would actually retain the pass in his files..]
A couple of hours outside Nairobi towards the Ugandan border, Hell’s Gate National Park made a convenient stopover for a night. Our first real taste of “safari” as such, the park has abundant plane herbivores but no large predators. Unusually (in the absence of Buffalo) this means it’s perfectly safe to get out and wonder around; guided walks through the canyons are a routine part of a visit. It’s even possible to hire a bike at the entrance and pedal yourself around for the day!
When we say “safari,” of course, I should mention that we’ve already seen an elephant, countless impala, baboons, grant’s and thompson’s gazelle, dik-diks and other small antelopes. But nothing beats a herd of zebra for awesome-power.
Finding ourselves in an internet cafe without any pictures, just a quick update of the last few weeks.
With Ian, Chris and Jason driving Ben, we made our way from Nairobi to Kampala, where we spent 5 days with Kees and Ilonka and their family. Kees kindly lent us MAF hanger space to work on the trucks for 2 days, during which we got a lot of the mechanical problems sorted out.
We then continued to Rwanda, and back into Tanzania through the Serengeti. Ian, Chris and Jason left us in Arusha, and by now should be home; we have spent a couple of nights here and are now continuing on slowly to Zanzibar, where we will meet Henry & Kathie for the next leg.
Stay tuned!
Cashing in on tourists? Only in Kenya.
At the equator, it’s commonly believed that water swirls oposite ways down a plughole depending which side of the line you stand.
It’s also commonly believed that black cats give you bad luck, the month you were born in can predict your personality, and there’s a real chance that you will win the lotterly one day.
Sadly, none are true.
This kid needs one.
The border into Kenya was our easiest yet; simple to manage without the help of many persistent “fixers,” with the officer on the Kenyan side pleasantly surprised that we already had our visas. The vehicles were temporally imported for one week free of charge.
We stayed directly beside the border, in Moyale, in the catholic mission (donation welcomed), with no facilities except a welcoming, quiet and secure place to park for the night. Perfect – wild camping in the middle of a town.
After a good nights sleep it was then time to hit what can only be described as the worst road yet (and our first man – he stepped out in front of us, shouting and waving his arms at us, fully intending to be hit). The pot holes were enormous, the ruts deep and the corrugation sufficient to rattle everything loose in the car. We arrived in Marasbit, the mid-way point of the bad road, around 2pm and decided that was enough for one day. The wonderful Swiss-run ‘Henry’s camp’ provided a sane safe-haven for the night. En-route Ben’s aircon and Fin’s radio had failed.
The next day stared well, seeing an elephant, several antelope and a troop of baboons on the side of the road, but ended badly with two pretty sick cars. After 130 miles of the worst roads in, Africa Ben’s radiator failed, leaking all the coolant and then overheating as a result. We filled up the radiator and carried on only for a rattle to develop in the roof tent, so we stopped and spent two hours on the side of the road to temporarily fix the mounting. We carried on slowly stopping every 30 minuets or so to top up the water in Ben’s radiator. The last 80 miles to Isiolo was on a good road, I was never so glad to see tarmac! We arrived in the town around 3pm hoping to find a new radiator but we had to settle for a repair job, which involved Andy taking the radiator out and re-fitting it on the side of the road, much amusing (and impressing) the locals!
Having to get to Nairobi that evening to pick up our next group of drivers the next morning, we left Isiolo around 6.30pm. Before long it become obvious that Fin had a serious ATF leak. Stopped and refilled it with what ATF we had in the car and carried on. Managed to buy 5 more litres of ATF outside Nairobi, arriving in the city around midnight, in the pitch black with major road works and diversions everywhere. Despite having good directions to the Stegen family’s house, we were unable to find our way. Lost, with low ATF, in the middle of the night, in one of the most dangerous cities in Africa, a taxi stopped and offered us help; we followed him to a nearby hospital where Oliver met us and we followed him the final 7 minutes drive to his house.
We were never so glad to see someone in our lives, both in tears from pure exhaustion. Not a good evening!