30 May 2009
Saturday morning we had to be on the road by at least eight o'clock. The frontier post to Ethiopia in Moyale closes for a longer period on weekends. Lodie tried to sell Anja for a few camels. In the process he managed to put a smile on more than one face. The one man even said: "…but you must love her?" It was plain sailing into Ethiopia.
After arriving at the Ethiopian authorities we realised that they were still closed for another half an hour. However a young man approached us with a smile on his face. His name was Brooke. He even bought us our first Ethiopian coffee. Brooke is very much the complete opposite of his countrymen.
As we entered the Ethiopian Immigration Post we witnessed a dramatic attitude change. This time round Lodie did not make any sales-jokes. The man behind the desk created a very uncomfortable atmosphere. According to Lodie he had to unpack all his belongings the previous year.
When he asked to have a look at our vehicle I had a chill down my spine. It would cause immense effort to unpack everything. Luckily the border guard was not keen to search a filthy vehicle. We have just been travelling through the desert. Therefore, dust was an obvious reason for him not to make his hands dirty.
We left Moyale much earlier than expected.
Through each settlement we drove a lot of faces surrounded us. We were always the centre of attention. In Kenya people were also interested in us, but in a more reserved manner. Ethiopians were constantly in our personal space.
The first time we were confronted with this, was in a settlement called Mega. Last year Lodie stayed over in this little town. That night the owner got drunk and was apparently very rude to him. He mentioned the owner in his book and wanted to see if he would be able to get his signature. Unfortunately he was not there any more.
The window on Anja's side of the vehicle was a bit open and it could not close properly. She was forced to stay in the vehicle and while I took pictures of an entire Ethiopian entourage some of the locals surrounded her.
As we travelled along countless settlements we endured this. It was a never ending annoyance. Now and then people charged towards the vehicle in an attempt to sell something to you.
Ethiopian main roads are tarred, but with people and animals wondering about it, Lodie had to be a very cautious driver.
We stopped on the outskirts of Yabello. Here we spent an early night in a green paradise. A watchman armed with a knobkierie kept an eye on us.
Before heading for bed, Anja and I admired the star filled sky. If you stretched a bit, you could have reached one.
The Southern Cross was still visible.
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