Monday December 8th – Out of Sudan - Welcome to Ethiopia

..but not so quick first the remaining formalities have to be dealt with. We need the passports stamped by Sudanese immigration to clear the border. The officials give a distinct hostile impression and when they find that Ian and Colin (against better advice) have not officially registered in Sudan our progress is further delayed. The black market currency dealers take the chance to change our Sudanese Pounds into Ethiopian Birr.

From two Transafrica cyclists we learn the exchange rates which helped (1 USD = 9 Birr, 1 Spound= 4 Birr). We thought we were made in the Borgi - this couple are doing it on bikes! They found Ethopia tough.

Finally after 3 hours we leave the Sudan behind and enter Meteme in Ethiopia. Here the immigration officer sits in a mud hut and before placing the entry stamp in our passports sifts through several ledgers to check if we are undesireables or whatever. Across the road is the customs office but here we have no luck as they run out of the right import forms for the Borgi.

(Horn training begins early at the Ethopian border!)

Import Forms ??!! ..Not a problem – a customs office 30 klicks down the road is to do the work. In the little time that has now passed two things become clear about Ethiopia, firstly, little bureaucracy and secondly begging is rife (one Birr, pen, T-shirt, etc.). So off we go but the roads are bad and the travelling speed drops right down. By a stroke of good luck the customs office in Shehedi is next to a watering hole and numerous bottle tops are being lobbed off. Dry Sudan is history.

Don't drink and drive!

It’s a little late now but we are merry and as we pass one village after to other the boom box is cranked up. Feeling generous we give two young locals a lift to the next market town where they hope to sell some maize, vegetable oil and wood. Soon after they come abord the Borgi is acting up on us losing power on the steep climbs which become more frequent and severe. We have now reached 2000m and the sun is beating down so we decide to strap on the additional fan but is no use. Could it be the Carburettor settings ? Adjustments are made but again the outcome is non-conclusive only when the petrol filter infront of the petrol pump is being checked we strike gold – it is full of muck.
During our stop we are being surrounded by people appearing from nowhere (as always happens in Africa) with two chaps sporting Russia made WW2 Carabiners. They gave us no trouble and waved us off as the Borgi was on the march again. The days objective was Gondor but it was not to be as sunset was approaching fast. Just before the town of Aykel we had to throw off our by now glum looking passengers to look for a place to camp. Near the peak of a mountain pass we turned into a gravel road that took us to a perfect spot where we could enjoy the sunset undisturbed. Quick dinner and then it was Gute Nacht. ian.