We had to say goodbye to our friends Bob and Pam who left tonight, we all hope that the return trip will be at the same time….I love the fact that this journey has introduced me to new friends in California, Michigan and New York…I believe Gemechu and I will have some summer adventures driving coast to coast.
Journey North
Today was also our last big adventure, a journey to northern Ethiopia. The north is mountainous and at higher elevations, we reached over 10,000 feet. It was also full of winding roads cut out of the mountains, which made it a dizzy drive and although I had been feeling fine, today was a little rough. Along the way we stopped for pictures and the children would come running with their treasures to sell...Alemu helped us to barter a good price. The children would attempt to win you over by telling you what grade they were in and where their school was located... I might add they spoke all this in english....it was impressive. We finally made it to the hotel and then had a buffet-style traditional lunch.
In the afternoon we drove thru the Blue Nile Region and witnessed beautiful scenery. As we winded thru the mountains headed towards the bridge, which crossed the Nile, the temperature became warmer. We saw many monkeys as well as the usual suspects cows, donkeys, sheep, and goats. It was impressive how the animals and people traveled thru the area, on a narrow road with a cliff drop off on one side and the mountain on the other side. The road we traveled is maintained by the Japanese government. The also built the new bridge which crosses the Nile. There were many semi trucks on the road since it is the road to the Sudan. We even witnessed a few kids and teens hitching a free ride on the back of the trucks. We crossed the new bridge on foot and then walked across the old bridge. The river is low due to the lack of rain but it was still quite massive. Much like the US Saturdays seem to be the day for weddings and we saw more than one wedding party. As we passed a wedding in the middle of a photo shoot, we stopped to take a few pictures as well. They in turn took pictures of the crazy Americans. We headed back up the mountain and to a local town for a drink then onto the hotel for dinner and bed. It is amazing how exhausting it is to sight see. A new family arrived today; they traveled north with us and hope to visit their sons tomorrow afternoon. Since one of their children is at Enat Alem, I may get a bonus visit with Gemechu- WOO HOO!
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