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:
Leaving at 8am after a delay necessiated by some homework and research we head off without the Belgians and made our way over dangerous muddy and potholed mountain passes. Eventually arrived at Shashmene we then turned South arriving at the Toyota Dealer in Awasa at 12pm. Unfortunately we had forgotten that it was Saturday and they closed at...12pm! Utilising an alternative garage to do some minor work we then head to the town of Sodo along really good tar roads with the odd bit of gravel. Simon C did a good job of avoiding shootings dogs, donkey's, AWOL sheep, pedestrians and the odd white, malnourished horse standing in the middle of the road. Around 5:30pm we arrived at Sodo and after a bit of hide and go seek with the Hotel we wanted we checked in. Tired i took a rest, did some homework and blogging and then had a shower. Following prays i headed to bed...tomorrow would be Eid!
Long version:
I awoke at 5:30 and lay in bed before getting up as we had a lot to do before our planned leaving time of 7am. Alas the power outlet was faulty and so i was unable to check email to see if the other team could accept Peter, the other Belgian in their car. So instead i got busy packing up, cleaning dishes and then rearranging the car to accommodate our two passengers. When all was done and with the laptop now charged i was able to check email but unfortunately there was no email from Team 2. Probably as a result of the same problem i was having in that i was not able to send. Based on this information the Belgians decided to rather hitch hike; a rather difficult and time consuming option but they did not want to split up without being sure that they would all get back safely to Awasa. Awasa was our intial destination for the morning as we need to go to the Toyota dealer and mechanic there...the closest one on route which would necessitate a 50km detour...oh well, best to get the vehicle one hundred percent we thought.
After a delayed start due to needing to do some homework and research we head on our way stopping of at the research office. We needed to see if we could get hold of a gentleman by the name of Kashuan who had important gps information for Omo National Park which had little information on how to get there. As such his tracks would be very useful. Fortunately though we did have some directions to get there and thanks to Rhoda's research some good maps with the breadcrumbs of towns on it.
As we headed into the town of Dinsho, a 16 wheeler truck blocked the only entrance into the town. Investigating on foot i decided the Beast could cut around the truck down a steep slope. Simon C driving, had a heart stopping moment as he took the Beast down the embankment and it swayed side to side almost toppling over. He should have taken it straight down the embankment instead of an angle. Lesson learnt. Of course it was only because of the useless rear shocks that it swayed at all. The roads had all become wet; either muddy or with potholes filled with water. This meant slow going on the dangerous roads; less than half the speed we averaged on the way to Dinsho. Climbing up the pass we passed a truck that had jack-knifed on the muddy road. In the pass the road was just mud, with the beast sliding out every so often despite crawling along at 30km/h in 4x4 with the centre diff engaged. I really worried for Deon and Taryn who had to drive back through Web valley as those roads would be even worse. Perhaps they should have taken my advice yesterday and come back to Dinsho when the rain had started falling?
This might be a good time to mention the general condition of the main roads in southern Ethiopia. What seems to have happened is that lovely new smooth roads have been constructed and graded but then; for whatever reason they have just been left. This has meant that we have to drive small bumpy roads while looking at a lovely graded road next to us. Only on the rare occasion do we get to use these new roads and even rarer still the road is tarred.
In the pass we drove by families taking the goats, cows and donkey's to pasture. The environment is harsh and they were wrapped up tighthly in blankets with their back bent against the slope and biting wind.. Despite this a little girl's stern expression cracked into a smile in response to mine and it felt good to bring a little happiness.
Around 11:30am, having passed through one village after another we finally made it to Shashamene and good, tarred roads! This presented its own challenges as people drove faster and there were more cars on the road. This made overtaking difficult especially as there were still people and animals on the side. Simon C did a good job of avoiding shootings dogs, donkey's, AWOL sheep, pedestrians and the odd white, malnourished horse standing in the middle of the road. I am beginning to wonder if this white horse that we have now seen in three villages in the middle of the road is some sort of sign!
Around 12pm we made it the Toyota dealer in Awassa. Unfortunately we had forgotten it was a Saturday and they closed at...Yip you guessed it...12pm :(. We drove into town to find an alternative garage. A nice young lad named Ted offered to show us and off we went. At the garage they replaced more bushes in the rear suspension and a rubber holding mount for the exhuast. Our issues of the Beast rocking front to back and side to side were not solved , neither were our engine issues but at least we could drive. Since we did not want to wait around until Monday for the Toyota dealer to open we decided to head to Jimma which was much closer to our destination of Omo National Park and would keep us busy the rest of Saturday and Sunday.
Leaving Awasa we passed through Shashamene where we filled up with petrol and then headed west on combination of really good tarred roads and gravel...and of course people, trucks, donkey carts, goats, cattle etc etc. At around 5:30pm we heard knocking on the rear and after having a look around and jumping up and down on the car, Simon C spotted that the same right rear shock was loose. Fortunately we were close to a town and with keen eyes I spotted a roadside mechanic. Although he didnt speak English, a very friendly chap (i forget his name) who was studying education acted as interpereter. The mechanic managed to remove the shock, add a bush (it must have broken off) an refit it which allowed us to continue. While the mechanic was busy i popped into the local mosque next door (interesting how mechanics and mosques are close by :P) and caught up my prayers.
With the shock sorted (for now...) we head to the town of Sodo. Arriving at sunset in Sodo we drove up and down the hill on which it is set trying to find the hotel we wanted. Unfortunately the Bradt map we had was a little inaccurate but we managed to find the hotel by chance. We checked in having to take a room each. Our attempt at a joke when we asked for a discount for Faranjis was instead taken as an insult of sorts; the lady thinking we thought she was charging us a higher faranji price. Fortunately another customer who's English was excellent smoothed things over as we desperately tried to explain that we were making a joke.
After checking in I took a nice rest before informing the others via email where we were. They were some way behind us in Shashmene. Later after doing some blogging I showered, prayed and headed to bed. Tomorrow was Eid!
No comments:
Post a Comment