I have written two versions of each item so if you are in a hurry read the short version. If you like detail skip the short version and read the long version further down.
Short Version:
Having been delayed in Arba Minch we need to catch up with the other team who we thought were at Senkele Sanctuary. Leaving early we drove through the countryside, arriving at Senkele just as we received a call from Taryn; the Landrovers shocks having come loose again. Unfortunately there was nothing we could do and so the Landrover drove slowly to Shashmene to have the vehicle repaired while we mapped the unmapped Senkele Sanctuary, the scenery stunning but the roads really rough; more like cattle trucks. We ended up spending the night in the park after finishing near sunset, camping amongst the Hartebeest under a huge tree!
Long version
Having been delayed in Arba Minch the day before, we decided to leave early and had packed up and left (after a little pronturo) at 6am with another goregous red sun rising over lake Chama. As we headed down town we nearly collided with a donkey cart which had sped out of one the adjacent roads. Just a few metres further on we saw a woman walking with skew feet. In the west she probably would have had surgery and been walking normally but here she had to make do with what she was given. Not 5 meters further we saw a young teenage boy boy walking on his hands and knees in road, using flip-flops to protect his hands. He looked up and gave us huge smile. Its so inspiring to see such positiveness in the face of adversity and hardship in life.
Unfortunately and unbeknown to us the petrol stations were not open at this time so we had to kill time until about 7am. We did this by waypointing the hospital, with its brand new road and pavements nogal! We also found a grocer open and bought some supplies and vegetables. By the time we were done the garage was open and we filled up. This time we were able to work out the Beasts fuel consumption...23 litres per 100km!!!!
On a side note one of the challenges we have is keeping all our electronic equipment charged and usable. This challenge was exasperated in that all the charging through the invertor seemed to be having a negative effect on our deep cycle batteries that run our fridge. Fortunately our headlamp problem of the night before had a positive spinoff as the cleaning of the terminals by Simon C meant that these batteries were now being charged properly. This meant no more annoying beeps from either the invertor or the battery monitor...yeah!
Finally we left Arba Minch tracing the shores of Lake Abaya, red with Ferrous Oxide or as you and i know it; rust! Around 8:30am with the scenery becoming sort of tropical we managed to buy some mangoes and lemons on the side of the road really cheap; 75c for bowl of lemons! A little further on we saw charcoal sellers selling big wicker containers of charcoal. To make it they light fires in big pits and cover it for a few days to create the charcoal.
At around 9:45am the heavens opened up and every pothole and depression became a little lake, the Beast handling it well although the going was really slow. The landscape changed again with green wheat farms lining the road until we passed through the town of Sodo at 2133m covered in mist. From there it became hilly with lots of erosion causing big dongas on either side of the road exposing the dark, rich brown earth inside.
Ten oclock brought us to the town of Bodin situated in a very wooded area. Here lots of long building poles were being sold by the side of the road along with straw which is used to cover the very large beehive shaped dwellings they make. As we left the town of Bodin we started to notice more buses on the road. Also along the way i saw handmade pottery being sold, not fancy stuff but functional pots for storage.
At around 11:45am we stopped along the way for a toilet break and noticed a huge Donga, almost like a mini canyon. Curious we took a look and noticed a maybe 7m deep by 5 m wide hole in the earth narrowing at the bottom. At one point a huge tree bridged the devide with roots that looked like twisting, outstretched arms. Local kids came to investigate and we took some photos of them crossing the donga using the trees roots as a bridge. They were fascinated by the pictures we took of them. As we left i opened up a packet of dried fruit that i had forgot about and excited gorged myself sharing with Simon who after his first few said he had enough, but then kept accepting more everytime i offered them. They were rather addictive!
The landscape changed again becoming a little bit drier with aloes being commercially grown. At midday we came across marked and tarred road as we entered the town of Alaba, the first marked road we had seen in Ethiopia and the surface was excellent! Shortly afterwards we found the junction to the sanctuary we were going to. The dirt road, quite narrow in places, was lined with fields of potatoes, corn and wheat. In the road were young muslim girls with their donkeys on their ways to collect water, a big yellow drum strapped on each side of the donkey. Seeing the car, they pushed their donkeys out the way in a small panic, at the same time flashing big smiles in our direction, the older ones waving shyly. In the fields men tilled the soil while young boys chased the Beast shouting "give, give". The whole scene was so near picture perfect, a photographers delight and it reminded me of a village scene out of Lord of the rings or some 15th Century European rural painting.
As we reach park headquarters of Senkele Sanctuary Taryn phoned, the Landy having a problem a with its front right shocks and shock mounting. Good thing we just happened to be in the park. We followed the park roads tracking towards the gps location Taryn had given us, ending up at a lovely view point on a mountain where they were stuck. They were a stressed, with the car problems causing tension and arguing between them. They also did not appreciate my Landrover recovery vehicle comments but i really appreciated the way in which Deon conveyed their unhappiness to me. He must be really stressed as he had one of Simon C cigarettes even though he is not a smoker...guess he is one now!
There was nothing we could do for the Landy so after much debate they drove off to town hoping they would not break down. We continued mapping the sanctuary as we were in cellphone reception and could just be a call away! Getting across what we wanted to do to the person in charge was very challenging so we took a teenage boy who spoke better english along with us in order for him to translate for us. Along the way we saw amazing trees that looked like giant bonsais and large number of Swaynes Hartebeest (there are over 700 in the sanctuary), and a few wharthogs and Oribi. We drove up and down, side to side and along the border of the park in our quest to map roads (or cattle tracks as we like to call them). The roads were bad, requiring a 4x4 and if you didnt concentrate you would probably end up in a donga or break a wheel. The landscape was a combination of lush, green savannah, and small mountains overlooking valley's and mountains; simply breath-taking.
Along the border of the park were many beehive dwellings and at one point there were something like 8 of them in a row that were used as mosques, the whole area being Muslim. Everyone was warm and friendly with the exception of one child who stoned our car as a sort of game. When this happened the ranger guide got out and gave the child a harsh talking to...I hope he learnt his lesson. It was also unfortunate that the fences around the park have been taken down and that the grazing is being shared with the local cattle which are the cause of all the damage to the roads. However the sanctuary is a stunning place with sweeping vistas and for me it was a picture of what I would think of as Africa.
At 6pm and after hours of up and down and all around we called it a day, dropping off and thanking the ranger, and heading to our improvised campsite situated under a nice big tree in the middle of nature, surrounded by the Hartebeest. After we put up the tents Simon made a yummy spaghetti bolaignaise while i fixed the cylinder bracket and did some tidying. Simon headed to bed early while i stayed up an hour or so later being engrossed in my work. It was another night of bush-camping!
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