Addis and South

After Lalibela, I braved the shocking (but soon to be improved) road south to Addis Abeba. The 'New Flower', as Addis Abeba would be called in English, is certainly no rose. That said, it is quite a nice city by African standards: very safe, a pleasant climate and reasonably clean. With a population of about 3 million, it's a comfortable size as well.

One noticeable feature of Addis is the thorough mixing of rich and poor. There do not appear to be rich suburbs and poor suburbs - everything's jumbled up together. This makes for some interesting juxtapositions - the Hilton is surrounded on 3 sides by a slum, for example.

I had a parallel experience to this when I got hungry one evening and popped into an Italian restaurant for dinner. I was unshaven and dressed in some pretty rough threads. I could tell the reception was reluctant to let me in, but eventually I was given a little table to myself in between two banquet tables. On one banquet table was a large group of Europeans; on the other table a large group of very well-to-do Ethiopians. While I waited for my spaghetti with truffel sauce and a glass of red wine to arrive, I listened in to the conversations around me and realised I was in the esteemed company of the US Ambassador to Ethiopia and his entourage! So there I was, a slum surrounded on 3 sides by Addis Abeba's elite.

As a tourist, you are exposed to Ethiopia's poverty on a daily basis. Perhaps only India is on a par with Ethiopia in this regard. It is very 'in your face': nobody hesitates if they want money from you - they just come up to you and demand it. Not only children but also unemployed or even employed adults. I think even the toughest of travellers eventually get a bit worn down from being constantly treated as a walking bank. Partly because of this, I decided to move on from Addis and head south to Kenya. Looking back, I really enjoyed Ethiopia, but at the time, three weeks were enough.

On the Trail of St George

The legend of St George slaying the dragon is one of the most well-known in Christianity and is beautifully honoured by the rock hewn church of Bete Giyorgis in Lalibela, Ethiopia. Built in the early 13th century by King Gebre Mesquel Lalibela of the Zagwe Dynasty, it is hewn directly from the rock in the shape of a St George cross. Although smaller than I expected, it is perfectly formed. Inside are several paintings depicting the legend and a monk to watch over things. Although there are several other churches at the Lalibela site, all pale in comparison to Bete Georgis. It was a long and tiring voyage to get here from Gondar, but worth it.

Trekking in the Simiens

In a sudden burst of coincidences, I met 6 of my fellow passengers from the Wadi Halfa ferry in a matter of hours. On the bus from Tis Abay to Bahir Dar, I met the nameless Japanese guy - I kept my distance though, as he was suffering from a bad case of bedbugs. When we arrived at Bahir Dar bus station, the three South Africans were there. And they put me on the tail of Dominik and Marianne, who I tracked down when I arrived back in Gondar 3 hours later. These coincidences happen so often that I start to wonder whether 'coincidence' is really the right word!

Anyway, Marianne and Dominik and I decided over dinner to go trekking together in the Simien Mtns. The Simiens are a 4000m+ massif a few hours drive north of Gondar. They are famous for the spectacular views where the land suddenly drops away 1000m to 2000m into the valleys below. Sort of like Rigi on steroids, for anyone who's been to this famous Swiss lookout point. There is also wildlife to be seen: baboons and ibex are the most common.

The climax of the trek was my ascent of Mt Bwahit at 4200m. It was the highest peak I've ever climbed, and good training for my planned attempt on Pt Lenana on Mt Kenya later on in the trip. On the final day, I decided to hitch a ride with the locals on the back of a truck. I was tired of walking and it was a quick way to get back to the start of the trek. Bouncing along at breakneck speed on dodgy roads with a cliff on one side and a steep drop into the valley on the other is always a good way to remind yourself that you're really living!

Substance Abuse at the Blue Nile Falls

Arriving in Gondar was like arriving at an oasis in the desert. Sudan was great, but it had a been a somewhat desperate existence: snatching a quick and secret drink or bite to eat out of sight of other people so as not to offend anyone during Ramadan, and no chance to party or to drink a beer. Ethiopia is completely different. Beer is cheap and good, there are cafes everywhere where you can find some cake and coffee or fresh juice, and the people love their music. Reggae, specifically Bob Marley and Lucky Dube, are favourites on the stereo.

After a couple of days of rediscovering some of the little pleasures of western culture, I made my way south to the town of Bahir Dar on Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. It's a beautiful lake, with a few islands and lots of Christian monasteries to be explored. Not far away are the Blue Nile Falls. These were once one of the most famous sights in all Africa, but the diversion of a lot of water to a nearby hydroelectric powerplant has significantly reduced their impact. Nevertheless, I was pretty impressed.



I ended up staying the night in Tis Abay, a nearby village. I got a lot of hassle from the touts but two boys were particularly friendly and they ended up being my hosts for the evening. We bought some qat, a bitter-tasting leaf which you chew and keep in your cheek. It is popular throughout the region, and as far away as Kenya and Somalia. It is supposed to give you a mild buzz, but I guess I was not doing something right as I ended up bits of leaf all through my mouth and no noticeable buzz. Hmmm. At the same I took a few shots of the local brew and also 3 cups of Ethiopian coffee. As you can imagine I was pretty wired after that and had some trouble getting to sleep!

Sometime during my evening of mild substance abuse, I mentioned I was an electronics engineer. That triggered several guys to rush off and fetch their electronic appliances that weren't working, and suddenly I had a lot of work to do. I called for a multimeter, thinking that would put an end to things but it didn't: someone conjured up a multimeter and in virtual darkness before a group of about 10 men, I was expected to fix two VCD players and a TV. Under quite a bit of pressure and with a not-so-clear head, I found the problem with the first VCD player in a matter of minutes. The static suddenly changed to pictures and music everyone broke out singing and dancing. It was a great moment. Unfortunately, the other two devices had much more serious problems and with such simple tools I couldn't do much. I felt my star fading a little, but it was still a nice feeling to have been helpful.

The Ethiopian Experiment

I'd never intended to go to Ethiopia, but because of the heavy flooding in southern Sudan and Uganda, it started to look like a good idea. With an Ethiopian visa in my pocket, there was nothing left to detain me in Khartoum. I decided to head east to Gedaref and Gallabat, on Sudan's border with Ethiopia.

My first taste of Ethiopia was the bus ride from Metema at the Sudan - Ethiopia border to the town of Gondar. It was a very enjoyable ride climbing up through fertile, hills and leaving the desert of Sudan behind me. The temperature dropped to something more comfortable and for a few minutes it even rained. I leaned out of the window to touch it and to smell it, the first rain since leaving Europe. The children were friendly, the scenery was beautiful and I felt excited to be entering a new country.

The Pyramids of Meroe

My Swiss friends Dominik and Marianne from the Wadi Halfa ferry showed up at the Blue Nile Sailing Club and so we decided to visit the Meroe Pyramids together. They are situated about 3 hours drive north-west of Khartoum on a hilltop, looking much like a row of crocodile teeth. The pyramids are in fact a royal burial ground dating from the period800BC - 280BC built by the Kushites. Meroe was the southern capital of the Kushite Kingdom. They are smaller and more numerous than the Egyptian pyramids, on which they are based.

We arrived in darkness just after sunset and walked in what we hoped was the right direction until we found a suitable place to camp on top of a sanddune. It was a perfect, warm, cloudless night and before getting into my tent, I took great pleasure in staring up at the Milky Way - looking like a big smudge across the sky. We guessed the pyramids were somewhere nearby, but it would not be until sunrise that we would find them

Sure enough, the sun rose and we spotted the pyramids about 500m away from us. We spent the next few hours playing Indiana Jones. It really felt like that, as we had the entire site to ourselves. Afterwards, we headed to the main road and flagged down a bus back to Khartoum.

Roadtonairobi Returns!

After a long absence, roadtonairobi returns! In fact I was always here, but African internet speeds got the better of me. I hope I still have some loyal readers left!

Khartoum - Capital at the Confluence of the Nile

I've arrived in Khartoum, Sudan's dusty desert capital the first milestone in my journey since leaving Cairo. It's a big. spread-out city located at the confluence of the Blue and White Niles.

I'm staying at the very cool Blue Nile Sailing Club, haunt of the local expat community and wealthy Sudanese businessmen. I just roll my sleeping bag out at night and sleep on the grass under the stars. I'm the only traveller at the moment, but I'm hoping that will change. There is a rather impressive view, as you can see below. Not bad for US$3 per night!



By tomorrow I should have my Ethiopian visa. I then plan to do an overnight trip to the pyramids at Meroe, about 2 hours from Khartoum. From there, I'll head to Ethiopia.

Following the Nile Bend

Between Wadi Halfa and Khartoum, Sudan's capital, the Nile makes a giant S bend through the desert. I decided to travel from village to village by bus and visit some archeological sites along the way. This often required taking a ferry to the opposite bank of the Nile, which was always quite an experience. The ferry was invariably overloaded with cars, trucks and people and completely at the mercy of the current when out in the middle of the river.

I stopped in the towns of Kerma, Dongola and Karima. Jebel Barkal (Arabic for Holy Mountain) near Karima together with its pyramids was particularly impressive (see below). I also enjoyed clambering around on the abandoned old Nile steamers tied up on the river bank on the outskirts of Karima. They are fading memories of a bygone era. But the best thing was meeting the local people, many of whom could speak quite good English, and enjoying their hospitality. It is currently Ramadan and I have often been spontaneously invited to dinner, or just had a nice conversation. The kids in the photo below seemed to think I was famous...





Another highlight was bumping into Gareth Morgan and his team of overland motorcyclists from New Zealand. Their website is here. Dongola out in the Nubian Desert is a funny place to run into anyone from New Zealand, let alone six people!

The heat is quite oppressive and it put me off staying out in the desert for longer. I decided to take a bus to Khartoum and start organising a visa for Ethiopia, my next destination. I arrived in Khartoum this morning, October 1.

Aswan to Wadi Halfa

From Aswan, it's an 18 hour ferry trip up Lake Nasser to Wadi Halfa in Sudan. I boarded in Aswan on Monday 24 September with a ragged mob of other foreigners (Swiss, Greek, German and South African) plus hoards of Sudanese and Egyptians. The ferry was soon full to capacity and all available deck space was occupied by either baggage or human bodies. Below decks was cooler but equally crowded. The South Africans and I secured a reasonably shady spot on the deck and made ourselves comfortable. We finally set sail as night fell. The temperature cooled, the moon came out, and all the stress of boarding slowly drifted away as we chugged slowly up Lake Nasser. This was aided by some whisky and coke which the South Africans had smuggled on board in a plastic bottle, and which they generously shared with me.

We sailed through the night. The next morning, Abu Simbel came into view, Ramsses II gazing sternly upon us. Mid afternoon we reached Wadi Halfa (below). It is Sudan's northernmost desert outpost, essentially just a giant, dusty waiting room full of people just arrived on the ferry or waiting to depart. I'd have to wait 24 hours for a bus to Kerma, 300km further up the Nile.

By Felucca down the Nile

While waiting for the ferry to Wadi Halfa, I decided to take a felucca ride on the Nile. Feluccas are the traditional sailing boats used for transportation on the Nile. It turned out to be a great idea. We were a group of 5: Miles and I from NZ, Jeremy from Australia, Angelika from Germany and Jasmine from Canada, plus our two Captains, Captain Rambo and Captain Saeed (I think).

Jeremy has been sailing with these guys for a few weeks, learning the ropes of how to sail a felucca. It's nice way to spend time in a beautiful place.

We all got on very well and had a very chilled out time, as you can see from the pictures.


This evening I said goodbye to the others and took a minibus back to Aswan. They are sleeping another night on the boat, but I have to be at the port in Aswan by 10am tomorrow for my ferry to Sudan. I'll write more when I arrive in Khartoum in a week or so.

Aswan on the Cheap

I arrived in Aswan to find that there's still only one ferry per week down to Wadi Halfa in Sudan, and it doesn't leave until Monday afternoon. My name's on the list and tomorrow I'll buy the ticket, so my place is assured. It's all on, I just have to be patient.

I have time to kill until Friday. As I've been here before, I'm not motivated to go and visit all the tourist sites such as Abu Simbel again. But there are plenty of other things to do, especially as night falls and the restrictions imposed by Ramadan temporarily come to an end. Even at midnight there are still many people out on the street, shopping, chatting, drinking chai, or smoking sheesha.

This evening I took a felluca ride on the Nile at sunset up past Elephantine Island. Totally relaxing and chilled. Tomorrow I plan to explore the west bank of the Nile.

I'm staying at the Marwa hotel for 6 Egyptian pounds (US$1) per night in a dorm. It's grotty and cheap but in a likeable way. Even though every surface is dirty and it looks like nothing works, actually this place has everything a more expensive hotel has, but at 1/20th the price. There's aircon, hot water, a fan on the ceiling...plus the owner is a cool guy. Bob Marley posters adorn the walls. I dig this place.

On the Road

Cairo. I flew in from Brussels this morning and it's good to be back. Hectic and hot but I'm dealing with it. I'm staying just long enough to get my letter of invitation from the NZ embassy, which I need for my visa to Sudan. The visa for Sudan I'll get down in Aswan. By Thursday evening, I should be on the train heading south.

At sunset this evening I made my way to the Kahn al Kalili market and with the aid of a little baksheesh got up on top of a mosque to get a view over the city.The Imams were wailing, and the sounds of the market drifted up from below. Just an awesome spot to get back into the groove of being 'on the road'.

One Night in Paris

Nicolas and I spent the Sunday evening after the wedding in Paris. We relaxed in front of the Sacre Couer, watching the sun set over the city. A band played some chilled out tunes to an appreciative audience, while the crazy Mustafa danced to his own groove.

Goodbye Party

Here's a photo Eric just sent me from my Badenfahrt Leaving Party. It rocked, thanks to all who came and thanks for the cool leaving present!

At the Wedding

After a big stress Christina, Nicolas and I finally made it to Marc and Claire's wedding in Paris. I managed to forget to pack my shoes, but an early morning shopping trip in a nearby village solved the problem. Picked up some decent shoes for just 5 euros!

For me it was also the point of no return. I've now left Switzerland! It all happened in such a rush that I barely realised it. Now, a few days later, this fact is slowly sinking in...

Welcome!

Welcome to everyone tuning in to my blog! It's simple, but I hope you like it.

I decided to create this blog to inform everyone who's interested about my upcoming travels in Eastern Africa and subsequent return to New Zealand. After 7 years of Switzerland, I'm finally leaving. It's time for some adventure and to experience life on the other side of the world for a while.

My plan to return to New Zealand, where I grew up and lived until I was 23, became concrete at around the time of my 30th birthday, just over a year ago. It has taken this long to put the plan into action. Leaving Switzerland is not easy! After 7 years here I have a lot of friends and it is now my second home. I actually intend to return to Switzerland in 2009, but it is just that: an intention, and one which makes saying goodbye easier. Such intentions are notoriously uncertain. I originally intended to live in Switzerland for one year, and I ended up staying for seven...

Fortunately, my girlfriend Christina will join me in New Zealand. She's not coming to Africa, but we'll meet again when I arrive in NZ in mid-December. Christina is Swiss and a primary school teacher. I'm currently trying to organise three weeks of work experience at Hamilton East Primary School (my old school) for her, while she waits for me to arrive. I know it will be a challenge for both of us to find work in the same city for 2008, but I'm sure we're up to the task.

The adventures begin on September 14. Christina and I will take the TGV to Paris, where I'm Best Man at the wedding of Marc and Claire, two good friends of mine. For me, it will be a farewell to Switzerland for what could (unfortunately) be quite a long time. It will also be a sad farewell to Christina. I won't see her again until I arrive in New Zealand. After the wedding, she'll return to Switzerland, while I will take a train to Brussels for my flight to Cairo on September 18.

Cairo is the starting point of my 'Road to Nairobi'. I'm looking forward to returning there, as I have fond memories of my last visit back in 2004. My old website has some pictures of Cairo and Egypt here. My route south to Nairobi is not yet decided. One thing is certain: it won't be direct. I'll definitely visit Sudan. Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo are all possible destinations en route. I am constrained by only one (extremely) hard deadline: My flight to Auckland leaves Nairobi on December 12.

That's it for now. I'll keep you all informed of progress.