30/09/2009 - A down day in Addis

I woke up in the morning feeling rather tired. I had not slept so well and my legs felt dead; like I had done some major hike the day before. I guess thats what happens when you do a little walking after you have been in bed for days! Nevertheless I got up, and with an old toothbrush got cracking on the beast, the perfectionist in me coming out. I took a break for some pronutro and tea and then Teddy arrived. He knew the right money exchangers to get me a significantly better rate for my dollars and I needed to change money to pay for the vehicle repairs. We arrived at the money exchanger with Teddy handling everything while I simply sat in the car. Afterwards we counted the money in the car; me looking around, waiting for something to happen.

Fortunatley nothing happened and so we headed to GMC so I could get the money off my hands as quickly as possible. I needed some airtime so Teddy told me to give a boy on the side of the street about R65 to go buy some. After waiting and waiting I figured he had taken the money and run and Teddy climbed out of his car furious. As he climbed out berating the boy; the boy reached my window to give me the card. I had a good chuckle at Teddy who didnt know quite what to do with himself; having worked himself up for nothing.

Having paid GMC i walked back to my hotel, where, dead tired, I hit the bed. I guess sometimes your body need to rest after being sick for so long. Finally getting up again, I continued my cleaning work on the Beast. At 12pm, feeling very peckish i had spaghetti bolaignaise, Ethiopian style which meant a lot of pasta with a few pieces of meat.

Afterwards i carried on working until i headed back to bed for another rest after praying Zhur. It was a dream filled rest with evil spirits and haunted houses. Rousing myself from my slumber I got myself going again. I really felt like all the energy had been taken out of me. Climbing into the Beast I headed out in search of someone to repair the punctured tyre. The service attendant at the petrol station was very helpful and he directed to me to a small shop i had seen earlier. Driving down the wrong side of the road (it was just easier :P) I pulled in and the guy was able to quickly find the problem and switch the tyre on my vehicle for me. Along with my "No-energy" day was "Injury-myself" day. This meant that the whole day I had been bumping into things, cutting my fingers etc. Naturally this continued when I put the tyre on the car rack, scratching skin off my finger in the process. Then I did the same thing shutting the rear door and on it went.

On the way back i decided to have my favourite freshly squeezed orange juice. While sipping the orange juice and watching the world go by I noticed a man, completely naked, sitting on the corner of the junction as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He puzzled at something in his hand and then threw it in the road and then went back to sitting. Pedestrians; many muslim women, walked by as if he simply wasnt there. I have to say i was rather intriuged!

On arriving back at the hotel I made acquaintances with three German bikers that had driven from Cape Town. The one, Alex had the same symptoms as me. He was looking for a doctor or hospital so I supplied him with the card of my doctor and the waypoint to get there. It was nice being able to help him, especially as I knew what he was going through. I continued chatting with them for quite a while, while putting on car seat covers and cleaning the Beast.

Afterwards I headed back to my room to pray and do admin (entering invoices). Kasahun came around to check up on me and so I, needing to eat (3 meals in one day!) headed to the restaurant and ordered what can be thought of beef schintzel without the crumbs. As the restaurant was smoky and smelt of beer I quickly left with Kasahun bringing my food to me in my room (is that great service or what!). The food was actually not bad; especially after I added the tomato relish to it. To drink I had the R20/l orange juice. It was really good and was actually a mix of orange and grape fruit juice. The brand is Dewlands and i dont know why they dont sell it locally in SA as i would certainly prefer it to fake Ceres (yeah they are now adding "nature identical" flavourants to all their fruit juices so boycott them and dont buy!).

Well thats it for today. Still feeling dead so am heading to bed...night night!

29/09/2009 - Feeling better, still waiting on shocks

I woke up early (well for recently) and was out of bed, ready to take on the world around 7:30am. I got busy with the Beast, cleaning the interior and repacking it in a more efficient, logical way and writing down where I put everything. I also stripped all the seat covers and had the ladies wash them. The result was a car that has a lot more space inside then before. A few more tweaks and I will have it perfect. The whole day i felt full of energy. I had breakfast ( a change) of Pronturo and then for lunch i had fried fish with my new favourite sauce; a sort of mexican tomato relish. I must say Kasahun has done a great job in having the cook modify her cooking style more to my tastes. This means more vegetables, and they are crunchier and less oily!

In the afternoon I headed to a nearby cafe for my local freshly squeezed orange juice which is always so uplifting, especially in the unusually hot sun. I also had two visits paid to me by the mechanics who were...how should i put it...eager to get paid. I was very unhappy about the quote they had given me versus the actual amount. It was not the inaccuracy of the quote per say; it was that they had left the vat of and at 15% its works out to a lot...around R1000! Although they acknowledged they had made a mistake they took zero responsibility in meeting me half way. In the end I left it in Gods hands. Since they wanted payment in cash they would have to wait another day. Oh I also removed the dressing from the guards head-wound. He still refuses to go to a hospital so perhaps Taryn can check it out on her return.

In the evening I thought I would go and check out what the supermarkets had to offer and head to Bole Road. On the way I stopped at an internet cafe where they literally dialed the telephone line so I could use the internet...and not beep, beep beep...no it was the old fashioned one like back in the 80's! I did managed to check up on my email and my rss feeds. I realised how my unnecessary the information I was inputting into my brain each day was and how much time was being wasted. Hopefully I can stick to my changed ways!

Next I visited Ethiopia "Supermarket". Now these "big" supermarkets are about 1/10 of Pick n Pay Constantia Village. They sell the full range of foodstuffs, albeit just very limited and VERY expensive for anything imported...which is just about everything :P.

After Ethiopia I tried Shoa Supermarket. Take cheese, the cheddar or Gouda you and I eat for R45 a k/g. Here its around R300/kg, I kid you not! The local cheese, which I bought, is about R55/kg and tastes something like salted rubber, reminding me of the the cheese patties i bought in the villages of Peru when hiking. Pure fruit juice (from Cape Town interestingly enough; although i have never seen the brand there) goes for R20/l but i am so glad they have!!!

Heading home, I read the qu'ran, prayed, watched some television and headed to bed. For a change I had really worked hard!

28/09/2009 - A day I dont remember!

Hmm, cant remember much of this day so it could not have been so special :P. I do remember meeting a nice group that had driven from London. I was really impressed with their Landcruiser which was fully customised. In the front fender they had popout shower hoses, complete with hot water! Their water tank was pressurized so that the water squirted out. What was also super impressive was that they had 4 adults in it + a baby! The wife was also pregnant again which i had to laugh at considering that the two roof-top tents were next to each other. They were also able to give me vlc media player which i had been wanting since forever. This meant i could play one of the movies on the laptop and so i retreated to my bedroom to watch a rather terrible movie called basketball.

Afterwards I got busy on my expense sheets and brought it all up-to-date, sending it off to March in the evening. Simon C and I had not done to badly on the expense side (well at least the personal expense) as we had spent far less than our budget. I had probably spent a lot less than everyone else considering I didnt drink any refreshments (no coke, beer or coffee). Well i must have gone to bed as its another day :P

27/09/2009 Not so lekker in Addis still

Well yesterday I unfortunately regressed a bit with a sore stomach
again and heavy head. The highlight though was the family
atmosphere that the staff bring to the establishment, with Kasahun
checking up on me regularly. Also, being a Sunday they held a
coffee ceremony which i was invited to where they served coffee (I
abstained) and sweet bread. The ceremony is very involved with a
special box to put charcoal in to keep the coffee hot and various
other pieces of equipment that make up the ceremony. The ceremony
itself my Laney, the owner's daughter. A sort of cut grass and
flowers were spread all over the restaurant and it was so nice to
be part of the festivities. Oh i also went to a 'cafe' which was
very smart. There i had a fresh mango and pineapple ( I so need
fresh fruit juice) and a ginger tea (a LOT of ginger) and and
icecream (make that flavoured ice). Other than that i watched a
movie or two, slept and had fitful night; getting up and vomiting
after about an hour of horrible coughing fits. Oh well, some you
win and some you dont :P. On the positive side i could to pray
properly all my prayers which was really nice. I think my room is
a problem too as i always feel worse and start coughing so i will
change my room today

26/09/2009 - A little excitement in Addis

Well the day started early. Feeling a little better i decided to get up for Fajr and then went back to bed but couldnt sleep. After a restless thirty minutes i switched on the light and started writing an email before Analia made a suprise phone-call from Argentina. We had, I think, an hour's discussion on logistics, what to bring and all the little things that go into travel. I really enjoyed her enthusiasm and energy that she had for the trip. After a little more writing Teddy arrived at 8am to pick me to take me to the doctor.

The doctor, as Teddy had promised, was indeed very knowledgeable and thorough. He asked all the right questions, gave me a full upper body examination and had a series of test runs on my urine, stool and blood. After going back home to await the results I headed back about 2 hours later and finally had an answer to what was wrong with me. Pus and high levels of bacteria in my stool indicated a bacterial infection in my stomach. It was all a little strange as i had had no problems with my stomachs for the first 2 days of my illness. Also coincidentally the doctor was a regular visitor to Cape Town and his clinic is sponsored by a company in Cape Town (or at least South Africa). This allows him to offer much lower prices. A consultation fee is about R28 but he makes his money with his lab. While waiting at the clinic i befriended and elderly muslim gentlmen who was a physcial education teacher. He invited and insisted i come visit his school and I readily agreed as long as i was better. It once again so nice to meet some and brighten their day a little.

On the way back to the hotel i picked up the required pills, a thermometer etc and quickly gulped down my first pill willing it to work instantly. Fortunately my temperature was already down although my head was still one big blob of hot lead.

Around 1:40pm while lying in bed in my semi drunken state (not drug related :)) I heard a commotion outside that seemed to grow in strength. I thought to myself that everyone says you should not get involved in local disputes but i thought ,well maybe i could just see what was happening.

Once again all the staff were gathered around staring while the guard was having a very distraught conversation or argument ( i wasnt sure which) with a cleaning lady. The guards shirt was spattered in blood and he wore a sort of turban also covered in blood.

Seeing as no one was doing anything i quickly came out of my zombie-like state and started organizing with my new friend, Kasahun (the waiter) helping. I have been so impressed with Kasahun as you will have read. Calmly he put my requests into action. First he had to calm the very distraught guard down and get him into the restaurant. The wound was about 2 cm by 2cm and about 5-8mm deep and would definitely need stitching. Having Kasahun at hand really helped with the language barrier. First I asked them to give him a coke. Now first aid manuals ( i happened to have one) stated not to give food or drink to anyone in shock but my doctor friends tell me otherwise and I figured it would calm in down. He cant be drinking and yelling :P. With the patient calmed down, I iasked for any strong alcohol (plenty in bar :)) while i got my first aid gear. Then I cleaned the wound and put some cotton wool on to stop the bleeding while i went to fetch some Staaldruppels i realized i had. Cleaning the wound again (reminder to self not to use cotton pads on open wounds) I sponged some of the Staaldruppels in. This almost almost instantly stops the blood...fantastic stuff. Then i got my steristrips (plaster like stitches) and with Kasahun's helped pulled the torn parts together and stuck them in place...they fitted rather well :P. Then a gauze pad and a nice bandage around the head and we were done. Finally I gave him one of the shirts that was in my bag (I think its one of Rory's old ones :P) to replace his blood spattered one...yes and of course i washed my hands thoroughly :). I was surprised at myself that i could instantly flip from sick boy to action man...i guess its all about necessity!

Afterwards, after reading my first aid manual, I went back to Kasahun to get him to get the guard in a quiet place lying down with his head raised. He ended up sitting in a chair instead but hey :P. I realised afterwards that i to had an adrenline rush and was feeling much better! I also wondered what had happened because as first Kasahun was not sure. A little later he was able to tell me that at religious holidays groups of people come around begging for money for festivities. Tomorrow being one such holiday they had come around to the hotel. When the guard had said there was no money they had got violent, with two of them grabbing him and beating his head.

I wondered what i would do in said situation. Normally i am a peacebroker but in that situation with the guard already attacked i might just have gone in to help, the adrenaline overcoming any sickness. I certainly know i am capable of going beserk in defense of my family and friends. Strange that when i write this i get teary-eyed. I really miss my family and friend a whole, whole lot!!!

In the afternoon i rested and continued writing. At 5pm feeling much better, I headed to the restaurant and had some more lamb. My stomach has now shrunk to such an extent even though i am only have one meal a day my stomach cant even fit it all in and i am quite happy with it though. The meal of lamb bits was excellent and they made it specially for me with out chill (doctors orders). While i ate i watched on television a grand parade happening downtown in honour of the holiday and it was quite a spectical. Terry, my taxi driver had asked me to go but i had not been feeling well so had declined. Still it was well done and i especially like the brass band as their tunes were snappy :). I must mention how nice the staff our again with both owner having come every day while he was here to see how i was doing and offering advice. Likewise Kasahun has come 4-5 times a day to see if I need anything. Again today he invited me to a bombfire (part of the holiday celibration) and it felt so special to sitting there; the staff clearly one big family and the clients all equals just enjoying the moment. The cutest, humblest little girl got up to dance and dance she did, showing all sorts of moves belieng her age. She went on and on with a huge smile on her face clearly enjoying the dance. Likewise the guard who i had patched up earlier was equally enthuastic, dancing around like a little kid, the girl and him facing off having a wonderful time. I was so glad he was back to his normal self. The staff handed our free drinks and I had another coke not wanting to be impolite in saying no to one they had just opened for me. I also got to have a brief chat with a guy with for the African Union in the financing section. You never know where you can make a contact! It was short evening, but a memory i will certainly treasure and as i sat there i felt myself getting stronger. I knew by the end of tomorrow i would be fine again God-willing!

In the late evening i finished up some emails (including this blog :p), sent them off and headed to bed. While i was busy the guard came back to my room to drop off my chair. He thanked me profusely in his own language for helping him and i was so shy and humbled. He also tried to ask about his head but i would have to leave that for tomorrow when i could have a translator. I always feel so humbled by people who had so little, yet are so grateful. And heres a thought: Isnt it so true that in general those who have the most are the least grateful and those that have the least are the most grateful?

25/09/2009 Day 26 - Yip, Still sick in Addis

Well there was not much too tell. Taryn knocked on my door to inform me
that Deon and her were going up North to do sightseeing and might be
back around the 2nd but couldnt promise. I was quite happy for them to
do this as it made the best use of a standing vehicle but i did have
them a problem with them been gone longer that the 2nd as i would
already have that stage been sitting in Addis for 11 days... I have my
limits. Well Analia and I would just go map a park if they were not back
in time.

I was quite excited as in the morning i had sweated out the fever and
was feeling a little better with no temperature; just a messed up head
and nausea being the worst of my remaining symptoms.

They also didnt seem keen to take Simon to the airport suggesting we get
a taxi. May I never do that to a friend unless that want it! Anyway I
called a taxi and accompanied an only slightly better Simon to the
airport. This was against both my advice and the taxi driver who had
suggested that Simon arrange his change of flight at Kenya Air's offices
in town. It turned out there were no offices at the airport and so back
we went into town and spent some time sitting while Simon got it his
tickets sorted out. The price for a flight from Addis to Nairobi (3 hrs)
was a horrendous 300 dollars! Compare that to a south african local flight.

While Teddy (our super friendly, helpful taxi drive) and I waited for
Simon we got to chatting he mentioning what a lovely, geninue woman
Taryn was. She is definitely the most social person in our group, always
talking to strangers...reminds me of my mum! We also covered topics like
SA and Ethiopian politics and once again they couldnt understand why South Africans elected Jacob Zuma. I tried to explain man of the people, mans man thing...

After dropping Simon off at the airport we returned to my hotel with
Teddy telling me about a local doctor he thought was really good.
Desperate for any cure, i agreed to see the doctor with Teddy
outstanding, taking care of all the pre-check that normally would have
had to be done. After being dropped off I had a rest and then headed to
the restuarant to watch some tv, instead chatting with Kasahun and
learning that he had actually tried to sneak in to South Africa; been
caught and then sent back to Ethiopia. After our chat i ended up having
an omlette as i felt i need to eat something. Then it was some tv and
bed after being strong enough to pray properly once again!

24/09/2009 Still sick in Addis

Taryn knocked on my locked door at around 9am but i was too ill and cold to get up and let her in. Taking more panados (as i had done through the night) i waited for my temperature to drop. Alas this time the panados did not seem to have any effect and so i got out of bed and had a cold shower which managed to bring my temperature down a degree or two. After much discussion and calls to Rory (who Taryn feels is more knowledagable in this area) Taryn decided to have more tests run on my blood. Fortunately the hospital still had my samples from yesterday and so i did not have to go in. The others went out again to do more sight seeing while i watch a bit of tv in the restaurant and typed up some more entries for my blog. With my temperature rising again and starting to shiver i headed back to bed where despite wearing a thick polar fleece and my -15'c sleeping bag i still shivered uncontrollably. While sleeping March phoned to discuss the shock issues. Simon had gone down earlier to see if the Beast was ready as promised. Unfortunately; despite the best attempts no suitable shock could be found and so we had emailed March to see if he could organise shocks. From our conversation it seemed he would probably send them up from SA which would mean more delays and time wasted. However with my being sick it didnt really matter. Earlier in the morning the other 3 had decided that the following day they would go up to see the castles but when they returned at 5pm I found out that Simon C was running a temperature too. Furthermore my new blood tests showed my blood to be normal. Taryn forwarded the results to Rory who would consult and then recommend a course of action.

After my rest i got up and watched an Indian movie which was in English and really good. I do love Indian movies and it took my mind off my fever. Also, for the first time in over 15 yrs i had a coke to try and get my energy levels up as i had not eaten breakfast although earlier i had had two oranges, a quava and a sweet roll. I also couldnt face any heavy food. I am not sure whether it was because of what i ate but i started refluxing, coughing heavily and heading to the toilet. Rather than getting better i seemed to be getting worse :)

I should mention a little bit about my "hotel" for R65 I get a room with a double bed and bathroom with "hot" water (90% of the time its cold due to power fluctuations). Now beside the 4 Mapa people staying at the hotel there are maybe 2 or 3 other rooms occupied. The staff complement includes 2 waiters, a security guard, cashier, barman, manager, 3 cleaning ladies. Now ALL of these staff work all hours... I mean from 7am to 11pm everyday. Its totally crazy and they are such nice, humble friendly people. You quickly realise how good we have it South Africa. Despite the large staff compliment the hotel keeps going even though there is hardly any customers. Furthermore the staff in the restaurant have the same impeccable service levels i have come to expect from Ethiopian restaurants!

After the Indian movie I decided to have supper around 9pm which was a vegatable stirfry which although good had too much salt and butter...oh for a little Kuaui food or healthy stirfry or anything fresh really. Afterwards having not being able to finish my food I went back to my room. There I carried on reading "The Life of Prophet Muhammad" which is generally very good except for its strange extremely strong anti-Jewish stance. It incorrectly tries to justify this based on Jewish behavior during the time of Muhammad. Such writing destroys bridges, it does not build them! Fortunately everything is else very insightful.

I headed to bed and after a fitful sleep ended up throwing off all the covers because i was too hot. I now know what it is like to have hot flushes and it feels like you are on a roller coaster ride! Being awake I decided to get up and pray the midnight pray and read some more until i was sleepy again which was not too long afterwards