TravelStream™ news feed for member spooky388 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/spooky388 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:58:47 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1223405760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1223405760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1223405760/tpod.html Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:58:47 -0500 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ankara, Turkey

It was slow going after Istanbul. It wasn't due to poor roads, these were fine. It was the hills that cut our speed down. 70km before Ankara with Rick driving we pulled over to find hot brown water pouring from the roof area. This was the radiator overflow and we had boiled it. Our lack of temperature gauge might be an issue over the next few weeks.
We had a concerning 5 minutes as the engine stop button failed to work, as did the emergency fuel cut off. We couldn't stop the engine from running until Bill undid the fuel pipe. Bill then found oil leaks and fuel leaks from some gaskets. We had better get those fixed too.
We stopped for the night by a lake at a small town, parked outside a small restaurant. Tibbs set off with his rod and some corned beef but failed to find breakfast for us.
I cooked for the group then most of us found our way to the restaurant to sample the local hospitality. There was a wedding going on again, although this one was just the bride and groom. They obviously found the morbid turkish music too depressing and left. We drank Danish lager and marvelled at the appalling decor before turning in.
I awoke at 6.30am to find Kev already getting dressed. I was behind the wheel and we were on the road before 7am, heading south again. The scenery has changed to arid scrubland, almost desert looking. We went past a huge salt lake and its flattened out somewhat.
Bill wanted some rubber to fix the gaskets and we also needed to sort out the tyre to cure our wonky card table. In Sereflikochisar we picked up our first passenger. Ali, a turkish tyre fitter could offer us an inner tube but no facilities to fit it. He jumped on board and came 20km with us to a small shack by a filling station. Here he inflated our dodgy tyre and demonstrated how the side wall had huge bulges in it. The tyre was dead. He rolled it away towards his tyre pile, much to the concern of a panic stricken donkey tethered there.
We donated a Weymouth football strip and football to Ali who was overcome with joy. He shook my hand and kissed me on both cheeks. Nice. We are spreading goodwill and Weymouth football shirts far and wide
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1223126760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1223126760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1223126760/tpod.html Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:56:26 -0500 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Brussels, Belgium

Dawn broke in a rather dismal, half hearted way as we docked in Calais and Kev was behind the wheel for the first leg on foreign soil. the north of the continent can seem a little dull and featureless, not improved by drizzle and traffic jams. We were stuck behind a large lorry 10 miles from Calais in slow moving traffic when the side opened and a dark skinned male dropped out on the road, shortly followed by 3 more. They ran off before we could offer them a lift back to North Africa.
Being on a double decker bus should make things seem smaller, but it doesn't always. Take Belgium for example.I'm sure in a car it only takes a few hours to cross it, it's only a small country after all. We took 6 hours. We're averaging just over 40mph so far and it's been pretty flat. We still have Austria to come.
I slept for an hour or two in the afternoon and woke up in Germany to find Eileen in a cheerful mood. He must have found the only speed camera in Europe that we would be capable of triggering and he had been flashed. It was apparently set at 40 kph. So, we are now fugitives from the law, making off in our discrete bright red double decker bus, heading for the Austrian border.
I'm off to bed now whilst there is a spare bunk. The bunk I'm using is at the back, close to the engine and fuel tank. It has limited headroom and limited oxygen, with no opening window. I should have chosen an upper bunk, but they were taken or reserved. It's not so bad with ear plugs in and to be honest, after the stress and hard work of recent weeks, I could sleep anywhere right now. I've got the graveyard shift of 4am to 6am to drive. I should hopefully take us to Vienna but we'll see if Austria is as hilly as they say it is.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225572060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225572060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225572060/tpod.html Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:41:24 -0500 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

I awoke with Eileen's alarm at 530am despite my earplugs and started the engine for him using the screwdriver in the relay trick we have had to use for the last week or so. It's a pain in the neck, having to remove the side panel, unscrew the box and put a screwdriver across the terminals every time we need to start it.
This is the main road to Addis, one of the arteries of the country, and it has been paved since I was last here in 2003. Alas, I can only guess, poor workmanship has left sections still rough and lumpy. We encountered a bridge at high speed and found the tarmac missing on the approach. I think that may have woken the sleepers as we all bounced a foot or two in to the air.
At around 8am we started the winding descent down in to the Nile Gorge. Switchbacks aplenty as the road clings precariously to the side of the cliff. The tarmac was intermittent and in one place over half the road had just slipped away down the hill. It looked fairly fresh. Finally, after about 15km of descent we found the bridge. Well, bridges, they have built a new one but it isn't in operation yet.
I had been told that overheating on the climb out of the gorge was just about compulsory. I'm pleased to announce though that we managed the gradient without doing so. We did have a 40 minute break to change drivers a little way up but I still think the old girl did well.
We passed the wreckage of a lorry and slighty further on you could see a tanker still wedged nose first down a cliff. Its a worrying bit of road and our last major obstacle before Addis.
Bill took over for the last 50km in to Addis and at a filling station on the outskirts we met up with the new owner of the bus. Beline is an American Ethiopian who has lived in Seattle but is currently over here working on the Mount Entoto project. She guided us to her aunts house in a salubrious district where we were fed and watered. Traditional food and local beer in a lounge that felt and looked very Western.
I was expecting to feel euphoric. Here we were at the end of the trip, our goal achieved. A trip that at several, no, numerous times, I didn't think we would complete. Definate feelings of sadness though as I contemplated handing over the bus. It will feel like losing a friend. She has been home to us for a month and has been a big part of my life for a year or so. We have put her through Hell and with a few hiccups, she has coped. A fine piece of British engineering, she has done us proud.
Later that day at Beline's flat we viewed Ricks photos of the trip. It seems like months ago that we set off. Beline then showed us some images on a powerpoint from the project, showing the living conditions with some facts and figures of how much it costs to feed a person there. The figure of 10 birr for 3 meals stuck in my head. We then went out for a celebratory meal and spent 10 times this each. I really don't know how to feel about that.
From what I've gathered, up until very recent times, the tribes of this area that has become Ethiopia were hunter gatherers and farmers. This is the Cradle of Humanity, humans have existed here for millions of years without aid from other countries. So why do they need it now ? Money and wealth are Western concepts and so poverty, the lack of money and wealth, must also be a Western concept. The West has introduced the needs and desires that weren't there previously. Kids used to be content with a football, now they need a full Man Utd kit, Nike boots and a Nintendo to play football games on.
The bus is likely to be sold apparently. From what I've gathered it should fetch well in excess of what we paid for it. This money will help to fund the project for some time and hopefully help them to achieve their goal of becoming self sufficient. The medical equipment, educational equipment, generator and other stuff will also be put to good use.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225663020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225663020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225663020/tpod.html Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:26:32 -0500 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

And so, our last day of an epic trip. 10,450km, 5 deserts, hills, rivers, roadblocks, breakdowns, border crossings and miles of dust and appalling roads. Good times, bad times, mind-numbing tedium and intense pressure. We've met some really nice, genuine people and some real crooks and shysters. We've been helped along the way by some and hindered by others. It has been an amazing experience from start to finish. It should also be the end of a colossal amount of work, over many months. I've lost close to a stone in weight since we set off, mainly due to skipping meals as we were driving hard, working hard and the non stodgy, non European diet.
We awoke in a secure compound next to a dentist. Jo and I were in my pop up tent whilst the others were having their last night ever on the bus. Beline collected us and took us out for breakfast nearby, something sweet and sickly, covered in honey and some strong black Ethiopian coffee.
We were supposed to be linking up with the Ethiopian Rugby team, but Fekade has proved to be difficult to get hold of. I only have his e-mail address and he hasn't been in touch for a while. I can't seem to get on to Hotmail on the incredibly slow Ethiopian internet, so I have no idea if he has tried to contact me to make any arrangements.
We drove north out of town to a large football field. It was just like any large football field you would find in towns and cities across England, except the goal posts were a little more 'rural' than in England. Straightish branches instead of white painted and planed wood made the goals, varying sizes and heights. No pitch markings either, so in true 'jumpers for goalposts' style, wingers had free reign to take the ball as wide as they liked and cross it in from half a mile out, if they saw fit. Throw ins are just a myth in Ethiopia.
Beline had rounded up a group of locals to give us a game. I dragged out a Weymouth FC strip and a Dorchester FC strip to use. My dream of a Weymouth v Dorchester local derby under African skies was finally going to take place. I just couldn't believe that the location and the weather seemed so non African. A grassy pitch with grey skies.
The altitude here is about 8,000 feet, around 2,500 metres. I may have lost some weight, but also I haven't had a chance to do any fitness training for ages. It seems I wasn't the only one on our team. Within 10 minutes we were all wheezing and blowing. Bill, our nippy winger, the wrong side of 40 and the wrong side of 16 stone, Eileen on the other wing, younger but similarly unslim. Even Ian, who must play rugby on a regular basis was panting and gasping for breath. Unsuprisingly, Dorchester took a 3 goal lead in to half time.
The second half saw a Weymouth fightback, or possibly a severe attack of Dorchester apathy. It might even have been due to the addition of a late player to the Weymouth team, a player who was fresh, used to the altitude and could actually run without risking a cardiac arrest. Weymouth drew level and to save life, I blew the whistle to bring the game to an end.
We took the bus to another housing estate with the intention of sorting out our own personal luggage and sorting out what kit we were leaving for Beline to take on. Another interesting trip, avoiding phone lines and barriers, tight corners and ditches. It seems we are also donating half of Sudan in dust form. I managed to pack in the candelabras, my metallic boule set, 3 tents and various other items left by others that had to be taken back to England. There is still a huge amount of sports, medical and school equipment to be distributed. We also had a lot of food left over, including most of a sack of rice, lots of dried noodles and even a large tin of mushy peas. There is also a fair bit of other kit, such as a generator, charger, mountain bikes, a gazebo and other stuff, all of which I'm sure will be put to good use or sold off.
After a fast food lunch, we set off in a minibus towards Mount Entoto. I must admit that this visit left me feeling apprehensive. Visiting a compound with many seriously ill, desperately poor locals was never going to be a picnic. Stuffing our faces with pizza on the way just seemed to make me feel, well, uncomfortable.
Whilst we had sorted out our own kit, Beline had been using the rice and packets of noodles to make up food parcels. She will go through the bus contents and work out the best use for all of the items in slow time. The food parcels were just an immediate fix.
It was raining heavily by the time we got to the compound and we were hurriedly shown in to the 'landlords' home. It's a mudbrick building, a reasonable size lounge with a grotty looking old settee. Just off this is a smallish room where the whole family sleeps. The landlord rents out all of the other homes, which are basically one bedroom houses made from mud. The rain creates small ravines and streams through the compound. Windows and doors are made from sacks. we were advised to wear shoes rather than sandals due to the possibility of needles from the medication that many are on every day to keep HIV under control.
Beline employs a male nurse, Yosuf. He is HIV positive and receives 50 US$ a month for administering medication to the inhabitants of the compound. Around 60% of the inhabitants are HIV positive, there are also other serious ailments, such as TB. HIV is not just a death sentence out here, it also means that you are shunned by society and denied many basic requirements, such as education.
People are attracted to Mount Entoto because of the church. A woman who was diagnosed HIV positive was baptised here. sometime after the hospital tested her and she was found to be clear of HIV. She died a few months later from another condition and the hospital admitted that her negative test was just an error, but still rumours persist of people being cured, hence serious ill people coming to Mount Entoto from many miles around. Some people forgo their HIV medication, for themselves and also for their children, instead putting their faith in baptism and saviour from above.
The church is a fairly wealthy organisation in Ethiopia. This church has a large amount of land adjacent. Beline is trying to negotiate for the people in the compound to be able to use this land for farming. The church is strangely reluctant. Beline believes this is because the church fears it's congregation one day being fit enough to leave the area and hence leave the church.
In between heavy showers we wandered around the compound, distributing the food parcels on the instruction of Yosuf, who knows the needs of all of the inhabitants. This compound of about 60 people is one of several, giving a permanent population of about 1500 people. Self sufficiency looks to be a fair way off, but hopefully our kit and the proceeds from the bus will help to push them in the right direction. Personally, I'd rather help a few people with a significant aid package, rather than just donate a few quid to a seemingly meaningless cause. Do you really think Bob Geldolf and chums have truly eradicated poverty, as promised with Live8 ?
It was the kids in the compound that I found most thought provoking. Gibbering away cheerfully in a language I couldn't understand, excited to receive a pencil each and fascinated by digital cameras and photos, they survive in this squalid village. The worry was that we were advised to be aware of needles due to risk of infection. These kids wore flip flops or bare feet. I can only guess that if you weren't infected when you arrived here, it would only be a matter of time.
It was a subdued group that came down from the mountain and back to our hotel. I was deep in thought. You see things like this on TV as you sit in your cosy, centrally heated cocoon. This was a bit more 'in your face' for us all.
In the evening, most of us popped out for food and drink. Rick didn't, Ian and Sean departed early, leaving 4 of us to sample Kitfo. Raw, tepid, minced beef and chilli. Sounds revolting and highly dangerous. Eating raw meat in Ethiopia surely can't be sensible, however no ill effects experienced. We wound up in the 'minibar' . A tiny pub which the 4 of us just about filled.
Early start tomorrow, a 6.20am flight means a 3.30am rise and a taxi ride to the airport, followed by a 10 hour flight, a 3 hour time adjustment and a 4 hour car trip. Sounds wonderful.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1226092740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1226092740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1226092740/tpod.html Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:51:02 -0500 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

I awoke early as the sun was coming up. I think it was a tapping on the window. I peered out to see a sea of grinning black faces peering in at us as we slept on the bus. Where the hell do they all come from ? No matter where you park in Ethiopia, within a few minutes your double decker bus will be surrounded by chattering, excitable Ethiopians.
I got off the bus and saw we were in a small town. So much for the picturesque rural location I suggested to Eileen that we should find to spend the night.
One of the crowd was wearing a grubby blue coat and held a booklet of tickets. "Parking. Parking" he repeated. Oh hell, an Ethiopian traffic warden. I feigned innocence, confusion and French, started the engine, closed the doors and made off before he could explain Ethiopian parking regulations to me.
Ian attracted my attention an hour later by throwing up noisily in a bowl. He wasn't well it seems ever since the previous evenings meal, which unfortunately he cooked. He was looking pastey and unwell and he stayed that way for the rest of the day.
We found our way out to Tisissat Falls near Bahir Dar. This is classed as the starting point of the Blue Nile. Its a reasonable, hilly hike from the carpark and you have to run the gauntlet of gourd sellers and guides to get there, but the falls themselves are impressive. Helped by the fact that the hydroelectric plant wasn't diverting water away from the falls today.
For lunch we visited the Bahir Dar Hotel, which is apparently the 5th best restaurant in Ethiopia. Oh dear. One of those will be the Sheraton in Addis and I expect the next 3 are McDonalds. The food was adequate, the smell from the toilets gave you something to chew on between courses.
A boat trip on the lake was a fairly underwhelming experience. No hippos, the outlet from the lake and a monastry with a corrugated iron roof. This contained a shrivelled old monk who happily showed us his allegedly 900 year old hand written bible in Geez, the ancient language of the monks. The pictures in the bible looked like they were drawn in crayon.
We were on the road by 5pm with Rick taking us out of town. I'm sure most Ethiopians have a death wish and so do their cattle and goats. They saunter across the road in dark clothing, seemingly oblivious to oncoming vehicles. Driving after dark is a truly worrying experience over here.
A lorry overtaking a donkey cart approached us on the wrong side of the road, causing Rick to swerve late and we clipped mirrors. It could have been a lot worse. I was stood up downstairs in the kitchen area as I watched the rapidly approaching lights. It happened so quickly that I didn't have time to speak or react. If we had collided, I would have been straight out through the front windows, together with Sean and Jo who were stood with me.
Bill drove us up in to the mountains near Debre Markos and we pulled over to cook and sleep. I had just got in to my sleeping bag when a truck pulled up and 5 men all carrying AK47s got out. "Ethiopian Poleece" they informed me. "English Poleece" I informed them. Fantastic lime green wellies, something I'd never get away with wearing, especially not on duty.
This area is known as The Gojam. I'm not sure why it needed 5 armed police officers to patrol up here in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't sure if their presence made me feel safer or more nervous.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225397580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225397580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225397580/tpod.html Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:18:48 -0500 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Gonder, Ethiopia

With the bus still not well, I was up in good time to go over to the mechanics. He wanted me there at 9am when he contacted his mate in Addis to get a price for a seal. That's a rubber part, not the aquatic animal. Bill was expecting a price of a few pounds. I was a little taken aback when he quoted 6800 birr, that's about £425. He made the final total about £950. It gave me some serious questions. Was it financially viable to carry on to Addis ? What was the alternative ? I would be gutted to get this far and not actually make it to our final destination. The mechanic would still want paying for the work done so far and the bus isn't moveable now the old, damaged seals have been ripped out. We were at the mercy of the mechanic. He could offer us what he wanted for a non working bus in his yard and we would be obliged to accept what he offered.
An alternative solution was to get the seals shipped out from England where they would probably be cheaper but wouldn't arrive for at least another day. It was 6am in England and with the parts in Addis needing to be on an internal flight in under 2 hours, yet again the clock was working against me. Jim was up and trying his hardest to make contact with the Bristol Bus Company but in the end I was forced to bite the bullet and go through with the order. The mechanic had managed to negotiate a discount of 1900 birr, but it was still extortionate.
We were advised to come back at 5, so we arrived en masse at 4 to be disappointed by the lack of progress. The exhaust was still off and we were informed that the seals were still on their way from the airport. We set to work cleaning and washing up, to make the bus vaguely habitable and remove the 3 tonnes of fine powder from the bedding and elsewhere.
At 6pm I went to check on progress again and was given the new expected finish time. Midnight. Wonderful, a seven hour delay. There was nothing we could do about it so we cooked, ate and read. In the end it was about 1230am when it was ready. The mechanic then invited us over to his desk to discuss finance. The price had gone up by over 1000 on what I believed he had quoted as the full price in the morning.
So, with the bus blocked in and 1am approaching we were locked in discussions and the mechanic was suggesting we should go to the bank tomorrow. A Mexican stand-off. I wasn't happy paying anywhere near what he wanted, he was determined to have close to what he was asking. With the bus still blocked in by other vehicles, we couldn't leave. I doubt he would have been happy to leave us overnight in his yard either. Step forward Eileen, the negotiator. We settled on 13500 birr and 5 minutes later we were finally, finally moving again with Eileen taking us south towards Bahir Dar.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225310340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225310340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225310340/tpod.html Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:08:02 -0500 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Gonder, Ethiopia

The bus, with its leaking seals and gaskets, blowing exhaust and bodged pipes was in bad need of some TLC. I can't believe the battering the poor old girl has taken over the last few weeks on poor roads and worse. The huge slick of transmission fluid under the bus was not a good sign for us or for the hotel owner.
I drove the bus under direction to a scratty mechanics workshop. The lack of transmission fluid made the steering heavy. It was also sounding awful as the exhaust pipe had a large hole that's going to need fixing.
The mechanics yard was full of young apprentices of varying sizes who set to work immediately trying to diagnose all of the buses ailments. There are many, but the fluid leaks are the most concerning. Here we are, only 700km from our final destination and we are going to have to spend some money on fixing up the bus before we hand it over in under a week.
We used the spare time to view the castles of Gonder. A relaxing hour or so but I couldn't help feeling underwhelmed by it. There are similar and better castles in England.
After the castles, we were taken out to the Dashen Brewery for a free visit and promise of free t-shirts and refreshment. Ian now has plans to turn the Black Dog in to the first Ethiopian bar in Weymouth.
The news from the mechanic wasn't very positive. He had already spent a few hundred pounds on parts and needed to order in some new seals from Addis. He couldn't give me or even estimate the final cost, which concerned me greatly.
On our return to Belegez Pension we found the porsche and Shogun of the 5 from Plymouth we had met in Aswan. They had needed some welding doing in Khartoum, hence they were behind us. Its odd how you bump in to the same faces on routes like this.
In the evening we took in a tej bar. I had pleasant memories of a night in Lalibela in 2003, drinking the sweet honey based drink and teaching Worzels songs to the locals. This tej bar was more like someones back yard and the tej was rancid, sour and overpriced. We forced it down though to be polite.
We made a brief visit to a local music bar before we headed for home. There was a traditionally dressed woman doing the shoulder shaking dance that the do around here. African people have definately got more rhythm than people from other continents. Ian and Bill stayed out a bit later than the rest of us, sampling the local entertainment and keeping Laura, Louise, Ben and the rest of the porsche team company. Apparently they bumped in to the chap who tried to steal Ian's camera and had a few words with him.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225137000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225137000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225137000/tpod.html Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:52:31 -0500 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Khartoum, Sudan

I was tasked with driving down the fairly new section of road from Abu Dom towards Khartoum. No great hardship, in fact a doddle after the last 2 days. It was wonderful knowing we were actually putting some real distance on the clock. My concerns on the tight timescale were getting worse. Previously I was working in days until we had to be at Bahir Dar to meet Jo and Sean. Now I was counting hours and realising that we could only make the deadline by driving constantly at speed.
Eileen took over driving 50km out of the city. As we approached on a fast section of road, travelling at about 50mph, out of the darkness we saw a roadblock of tyres and wood. No lights on it so we both saw it late. I'm not sure which was louder, the scream of the tyres as all 4 wheels locked or us. We stopped with inches to spare and with heart still in mouth and eyes on stalks I had to answer the standard police questions. He agreed that he should really have some lights on his roadblock but making motorists scream seemed to amuse him.
Khartoum is not a fun place to drive. The roads authority have made some significant savings by not bothering with any direction signs. Hence, I was left to jump on and off the bus in the early hours, trying to ask directions from anyone we could find. This may be a dry country, but like towns and cities across the world, Khartoum is full of morons at 2am. Many hadn't heard of the large town of Wad Madani up the road. Some pointed vaguely. We took the road out of town after several suggested this was the right way, only to find the one and only direction sign in Sudan after 40km telling us we were on the wrong road. It finally took us over 4 hours to negotiate Khartoum.
I awoke a few hours later to find we were pulling over. No air in the brakes and no accelerator. 7.30 and we were still 800km from Bahir Dar and Jo was due to land in 1 hour. It felt so disappointing that after 3 full days of hard driving, little sleep and occasional food we were so far away from making it.
Bill took about an hour to work out the problem then we took another few hours to locate the tiny piece of metal that was lodged in the air valve keeping it open. After a 5 hour delay we were off again. Jo was already resigned to the fact that she wouldn't see me before tomorrow, her birthday.
I drove fast for the first 30km. Alas there were some well disguised lumps and bumps in the smooth looking road. I had the front wheels airborne a few times. Bill complained of a bad back and having to catch the spare wheel table before it bounced off the beer terrace. I slowed down a bit.
On the road from Getaref to the border we encountered a toll gate. Well, it was a man in police uniform and another man, with 4 bollards demanding a toll of 13 Sudanese pounds to use the road. We were able to barter them down to 7.5. I took his name and demanded a receipt. We noticed most vehicles went straight through. This wasn't a road toll, it was a foreigner tax. The man agreed that this was correct. Racism is alive and well in Sudan it seems.
Over the next 100km we encountered a further 5 or 6 police road blocks and had to show our passports at each one. We were asked for photocopies at one police hut. No facilities to get a copy, it just seemed like a scam to extract a bribe. I played dumb, refused to pay and finally we were allowed through.
We were held up to join a convoy, for safety apparently. This was made farcical when the bus in front of us stopped to let off passengers and hence left us well behind the main group.
We sailed through the Sudanese border. Literally. The Ethiopians sent us back over the bridge to complete the exit stamp bit. With the 9pm close fast approaching we managed the Sudanese paperwork in record time and crossed the bridge in to Ethiopia. There is a narrow, rutted path through the undergrowth to the Ethiopian passport office. We got here to find it had shut at 8. Despite begging and pleading, it wasn't going to be open before 7am. We were stuck in No Mans Land overnight.
We spent our remaining Sudanese pounds on a few bottles of beer. Bliss, after 8 days. Ice cold Stim is fine, but not a patch on beer.
I won't be going back to Sudan. Not many good experiences, awful officials and far too much dust.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225106940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225106940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1225106940/tpod.html Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:49:26 -0500 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Metema, Ethiopia

I awoke to hear people moving around outside and looked out to see hussle and bustle of a huge number of people. Why ? Its 6am, the border is still closed and there is nowhere for people to go. We had a disagreement with the bloke who sold us the beer. We hadn't drunk it all and he wanted the empties back or he wanted us to pay another 2 Sudanese pounds each bottle. We had only paid 3 for a full one.
The passport office is a mud walled shed with 3 women who have to manually check passport numbers in a large book to see if you are an undesirable. Luckily we were all desirable. The paperwork went smoothly and we fobbed off the beer seller with a few Egyptian pounds and other loose change. Whilst he wasn't looking we drove off at speed in to Ethiopia.
I was under the impression that this road was supposed to be paved. It wasn't. We had more gravel tracks, deep ruts and a new obstacle, rivers to ford. 5 in total, one deep enough to allow water in to the bus.
Along the whole road our bus seemed to be drawing attention. Children came running down to the road, adults stopped to wave or gawp. The terrain varied from atrocious to paved and back again.
I had estimated 4 or 5 hours. Jo had been told it was a days drive. She was closer. 5 breakdowns, serious slopes and gullies in the road and roadworks all contributed to us taking over 10 hours to get there. Jo had been waiting since lunchtime and I was unable to update her. The weariness, frustration and so many days of constant driving were showing, I was in a foul mood. During one of our breakdowns in a small town the bus was surrounded by children. Ian had some of his belongings dragged out of a window, Eileen was propositioned by an attractive young lady, but saying that, we all were.
Finally, after the sun had set, we hit the main road and soon after entered Gonder. We picked up a few locals who offered to show us to the hotel. We do need to be more careful as one of them tried to pinch Ian's camera.
Finally Jo appeared up the road where she had been waiting for us. It was an emotional meeting, its been over 3 weeks but felt more like 3 months. So much has happened since she saw us off on The Esplanade. I think I've aged a few years and lost weight in to the bargain.
It was 9pm by the time we were showered and sat around eating and drinking. We had somehow managed to reverse the bus in to the courtyard so we could drip oil and other fluids over the ground. The bus was truly bleeding to death
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1224947400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1224947400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1224947400/tpod.html Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:14:37 -0500 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dongola, Sudan

Desert is traditionally supposed to be yellow or orange sand. Gritty and with definate particles. I'm guessing this bit of desert has been around a bit longer and the particles have been ground more. Think of grey flour and you are close. There is no substance to it. If you compact it, its still loose and soft. And this is what we found ourselves bogged down in up to the axles at 8am, with our tight schedule.
My first job at dawn was sorting out the rancid toilet. We think the barge crew had broken in and soiled it, so it wasn't too pleasant. So, to find myself shovelling dust and sweating profusely all before breakfast, was not. The ideal start to the day.
Ian tracked down a farmer with a tractor. He tried to tow us out, failed and returned to his dust farm. Our sandboards, which had doubled up as bed and settee bases were forced under the wheels, where they cracked, splintered but finally, after 2 hours, enabled Bill to rip the bus out of the soft dust and park it on some firmer dust.
We piled on, dragging boards, shovels, chains with us then Bill treated us to some hard core overlanding at speed. This was of course contrary to his nagging of yesterday, but it is apparently how they advise you to drive on Top Gear. We'll forgive him his rally driving and 3 prangs though because it got us out of the dust and on to the firm, velvetty smooth, new, black tarmac in good time.
With whoops of joy, survivor photos and excited chatter we started cleaning dust from inside the bus, reinflated the tyres and set off at high speed. Our mood was deflated a little as the tarmac ran out 4km further and Bill drove us in to an area of loose sand and got us bogged down again. Luckily there was a nice chap with some road making equipment to drag us out and 40 minutes later we hit the proper tarmac. We were through and on our way again ! That track must surely rank as some of the most ludicrous terrain possible for bus travel.
So, with half the day still left and brand spanking new tarmac under the wheels, we were off, at speed, across the desert then south towards Khartoum. All of us filthy, dusty, sweaty and willing to exchange family members for just a few minutes of hot, steaming running water, soap and a towel.
I made do with a bucket of green Nile water and a strip of hand towel. It was a start.
]]>