The Road To Addis, Part 2: Isiolo

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We arrived at the hotel at about 7pm, as soon as our bags landed on the floor we left again to try too sort out how to get to Moyale and some food.

While wondering around trying to find some where that served chips (I didn't want to eat anything that could potentially upset my stomach) we were approached by some one who started talking to us. My normal course of action is to ignor them, people can see that your lost foreigners and think that your loaded. Mike, however, engaged him in conversation. After dinner we taked about him and decided that it would save alot of hassle on our part if we just let him do the work. I'm not sure if its his real name but he told us it was Carla.

Half an hour later Carla returned telling us that there were no private cars upto Moyale, but there were trucks. Mike handled the negotiations for his payment. I was thinking 100 Shillings, but Mike paid over 700. If I wasn't so tired I would have told the guy to get lost as all we had to do was walk around the corner at 2 am.

As it was, 700 shillings had just been handed over at which point the guy said that he was off to buy some meera and would see us at 2 am. Handing over the money first was a mistake because the chances are that you'll never see them again, but good riddance.

Alarms set we went to bed for a short sleep before waking up.

The guy actually turned up!!! I wish he hadn't though. I REALLY wish he hadn't. He was smashed on chewing meera (a plant that has certian cocaine effects and is addictive) He also bought along his new pet cat. The poor, poor cat.

We tried to haggle the driver down from his demanded price of 1500 shillings Carla didn't help. He tryied to get the driver the best price! The driver, however, had the advantage as he was the only lorry going north that day and until Tuesday morning. We reluctantly settled for 1200 shillings a person. Also the seats in the cab were taken, so we had to ride in the back of the truck in the small space between the boxes of cargo, We shared this space with the wheel barrows they were transporting. Uncomfortable wasn't the word.

We loaded our bags and tried to make ourselves as comfortable as possible waiting for the lorry to depart. It was at this point that our self appointed guide decided that he would start to talk to us again, after not being very helpfull during the negotiations.

He first told us that he had a new pet cat (which we had mentioned earlier) and needed to buy some milk for it. He then demanded another 100 shillings. We refused. Someone reminded us that we needed to take water with us, so Mike jumped off and went to get some (yes there were shops open at 2 am!).

Carla then climbed onto the truck as well and tried to have a normal conversation with us, asking us when we would return. I told him I would be back in a month in the misplaced hope that this would mean that he would go away.

He didn't.

Instead he lost his cat into the truck and had to go scrambling after it (I think the cat sensed what type of person he actually is and decided that life as a stray would give it a better chance of survival). Afterwards he came back up to where I was perched and started telling me that he needed to buy some milk for his cat. I politely refused but this guy wasn't giving up that easily.

Next he tried getting a cigarete. I refused again by telling him that I didn't have any. He then told me that I could buy some and that I could send Mike to get them they would only cost 100 shillings!!! I was through being polite and just said no. This guy really wasn't getting the message.

Then came the abuse. It was dark but he still saw the look I gave him, and started being nice again. The lorry started its engine. This was his last chance to get some money out of us. He told us that he needed 100 shillings. I asked him what had happened to the 700 we gave him earlier. He looked at me as I was from another planet. The lorry started to move and the drivers assistant told him to get off.

Finally, at long last, the a******* went away.

After trying to sit/lay between/on the wheel barrows I decided that sitting on the metal plate was a better idea, so I pulled out my rain jacket (as its wind proof and reasonably warm) and tried to prop myself up against the back of the cab. Unfortunately it was too uncomfortable. Leaning against the super structure was also out of the question as the road was too bumpy. In the end I curled up side ways, initially paranoid at the thought of falling off, but I was in the end I was just too tired to care.

I awoke as the truck ground to a halt. It was daylight and there was sand/dust everywhere. We had stopped to pick up more people. I could tell by the people sitting around me that this was going to be a regular feature of this trip.

About mid morning we stopped off at a town called Merrell (I think).

Imagine a stereotypical ghost town from an old western. Add Africa and put yourself in the middle of dry, dusty bushland as fas the eye can see.

After a undefined legnth of time stop for some breakfast (the others ate, I really wasn't hungry) we set off again for what I thought was Moyale.

What I found out was that we wouldn't reach Moyale until the next day and that we weren't even half way there as the truck was overloaded. The thought of another uncomfortable night was yet another depressing factor on top of the long hours and the lack of sleep.

At about 2.30 we arrived in Marsabit. Now I knew we were in Africas' own version of the Wild West...

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