Blogs from Ethiopia, Africa - page 93

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Africa » Ethiopia » Addis Ababa Region » Addis Ababa April 22nd 2007

Before I start this blog, I have noticed that in my other two there is one serious ommision....Ferenji fever. With the exception of Addis my days have been filled by little children, and some adults in rural areas, shouting 'You You!...Ferenji' at me, with some of the more enterprising adding 'Give me money'. I try to handle it with poise and good grace, but it is fucking hard...as (unknowingly admittedly) these bastards are just so fucking rude. Also what in god names makes someone shout out what the see (apart from that funny disease I can't spell and therefore won;t mention; I mean shouting 'Ferenji' every time you see a white person is like me shouting 'Mailbox', 'Car', 'Cat'...grrrr....anyway.... Well as you read in my last blog I left Addis, and Tatjana, heartbroken; knowing she ... read more
Lalibeal (Mass)
Lalibela
St Georges Church, Lalibela

Africa » Ethiopia » Addis Ababa Region » Addis Ababa April 20th 2007

Well, I'm not dead....yes I can hear the disappointed groans (from Fordy more than likely); I have just being very very lazy. So finally I am going to write this....oh god, nearly 30 days...this is going to cost me so much (internet is 25cents a minute which equates to....almost 1.5p). I am going to split this mammoth task into stages....Addis + Bahar Dar, Gondar + Addis, and Laibela, Axum, + (you guessed it) Addis; hopefully I will have all 3 done before I leave for Kenya...actually thats not very likely...but heres the first bit anyway. Pictures will follow when the internet isn't suicidally slow. Well I left Cairo after getting fairly hammered the previous night at the incredibly expensive Grand Hyatt Hotel, with James, Marius, and the Aussie guy who's name I forget but who ... read more
Lucy
Imperial Crowns
Gardens at the Ghion, Bahar Dar

Africa » Ethiopia » Oromia Region » Moyale April 19th 2007

just got off the bus at the ethiopia-kenya border, at the border town of Moyale.. was thinking of grabbing something to eat and then heading for the border and spend the night at Kenya.. when i saw this internet cafe.. woah! never expected it.. Bus ride from addis to hear was an easy 2 days ride.. too easy actually.. and i'm thinking the journey can be done in one day.. ticket costs about 87birr.. first day, bus left addis at 630am, arrived at Dilla at 130pm to stop for the night.. 130pm!! but ok lah.. stayed at a nice hotel.. Hotel Zeleke.. 25birr... 2nd day.. bus left Dilla at about 630am as well.. and we arrived here 220pm.. the journey here was good.. pretty flat ground.. good sealed roads most of the way.. something with ... read more
Enroute to Moyale
Another shot of the town..
Self-shot of me with the kids that were following me..

Africa » Ethiopia » Addis Ababa Region » Addis Ababa April 17th 2007

Ok! I've decided last night to skip harar so that i'll have more time in Uganda.. the fact that somebody gave his ugandan guide book to me helped a little towards this decision.. wanted to leave this morning.. but was not prepared mentally.. so decided to stay one more day in addis.. man.. really stayed here for 4 nights.. no plans today.. maybe just hit some internet time.. and catch up on the updates.,. possibly 4-5days of blackout days to come.. and i've confirmed going to dubai for the training.. leaving nairobi on the 5 may.. and going back to nairobbery on 12 may.. there was an overland truck tour that leaves on 13th may to capetown (arrive 23 june).. excellent for my timing.. but they just emailed me that they are full.. shit.. so will ... read more

Africa » Ethiopia April 17th 2007

All photos up to today are uploaded.. and some entries have more details added to them.. I still owe myself the 3 days journal of travelling across the desert to Khartoum.. will update them.. sometime.. i think.. =)... read more

Africa » Ethiopia April 16th 2007

Today is my second and last day in Addis Ababa.. will take a bus to Harar tomorrow, and back to Addis on Thurs, and on Friday morning, I'll make my way to the Kenyan border.. The entire jouryney from addis to nairobi will take 4-5 days.. dun think i'll have internet access during this journey.. Oh! I'll have a reprieve from this trip in early May.. i'm to fly to Dubai for a week of training.. and then i'll fly back to nairobi and continue on my journey.. haha.. but HR is checking out if i can wear my columbia pants and tshirt to the training.. and i'll have to check out the flight costs etc.. so see how.. if on.. then when i reach nairobi.. i'll go straight into Kenya to Jinja at Lake ... read more
Chat Party in Ryan's room
Chat Party
The hang out place at Baro

Africa » Ethiopia » Amhara Region » Dessie April 13th 2007

Woke up 430am this morning to bus to Addis, which is supposedly 1.5days away.. so i hope tomorrow is the 0.5days cos today is really one long bus ride day.. the bus journey is quite scenic.. but scenic can't last you 12hrs on the bus.. furthermore, didn't get a good seat.. window can't open.. baby at the seat behind puked and the puke flowed forward... stuffy air.. and in the afternoon we drove into a storm.. as in STORM.. the trees are almost breaking that kind.. then i remembered, oh shit, my bag on top of bus.. and i was too lazy to put up the rainguard this morning.. so the backpack kena full force of the rain.. luckily i still keep my stuff in plastic bags.. it even hailed for a short while.. read ... read more
Pee Break
Scenery along the way 2
Bus broke down for a while

Africa » Ethiopia » Amhara Region » Lalibela April 11th 2007

Arrived at Lalibela! Hurrah! but internet here is even more expensive.. 1birr/min.. so i think my internet time will be very limited here.. planning to stay here for maybe 3 nights before heading down to Addis.. Staying at the alief paradise hotel.. pretty nice room.. have my own bath.. 50bir/night.. but it's downhill.. so if want to go town centre mus walk uphill.. pant pant.. lalibela is where this king called Lalibela answer God's instruction and built 11 churches hewn into rocks.. and supposedly wih the help of angels.. will see how impressive these churches are maybe tomorrow.. woke up this morning and boarded the bus at about 530am.. again. the same mad rush when gate opens etc.. the gate guy wanted to let us foreigners in first.. but there was this ehtiopian girl who ... read more
Morning mass at Giyorgis 1
Morning mass at Giyorgis 2
Morning mass at Giyorgis 3

Africa » Ethiopia » Amhara Region » Nefas Mewcha April 10th 2007

Took a morning bus this morning from gonder to lalibela.. well not really... there's no direct bus to lalibela.. so you have to take a bus that's headed for Dessie.. and get down at Gashena.. and then try to find a transport going north to lalibela.. getting to lalibela from gonder or bahir dar is not that convenient.. best way is to fly, but it cost about 9x as much.. and i didn't want to spoil the 'overland' concept by flying.. hehe.. so.. i went to the bus station at 5am in the morning.. gate is still closed.. huuge crowd already gathered at the gate.. 530am.. gate opened.. CHIONG AH!!!!! haha.. pushed my way to the ticket windows.. none opened.. somebody pointed the bus i'm supposed to be taking to me.. so.. CHIONG AH!! managed ... read more
My room in nefas mewcha
View from my room
Scene of the local bus

Africa » Ethiopia » Amhara Region » Gondar April 9th 2007

After spending two nights at Bahir Dar, i bade farewell to Dave and our partnership in travelling.. and took a lift from a british couple to Gonder.. north of Bahir Dar, 3hrs private car ride away.. The drive with the British couple was great.. they drive quite fast .. =) and we stopped by this Guzawa Castle along the way.. perched on a hill top.. qiute nice. .we had the entire castle to ourselves.. no admission charge.. and 2 little ethiopian kids (3-5yrs) came and wanted to be our guide.. haha.. they opened a gate into the castle for us (which we could have found on our own anyways actually).. and blabbered lots of amharic (the ethio language in the north) to us which we did not understand.. in the end, the british couple gave ... read more
On the Way to Gonder
Ruins of Castle Guzawa
Guzawa at 10mm (x1.6)




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