Marizanne: 11 Junie

Last night at dinner in Debre Marcos we had a memorable time. For some
reason (read whiskey and tiredness) we laughed and joked for a long
time after we finished eating. The other people in the restaurant
definitely thought that we forgot to take our medicine.

I think I got the toilet to almost function. It is an art I still need
to master.

Early this morning we started driving towards Bahir Dar. On the way we
saw a lot of Ethiopian women carrying water in cisterns (huge clay
pots). I think it feels like carrying an obese baby the biggest part
of the day.

We also passed children trying to sell a homemade alcohol concoction.
They bottle it in used scotch whiskey bottles. Lodie says the mixture
can be deadly.

We also stopped to have coffee and buy bananas. The people are more
considerate regarding personal space than I thought. I?m not going to
lie: the streets and the walls are still filthy. What is the reason I
ask? Is white a different colour for me than it is for them? Do they
like it this way (highly doubtable)? Have they no faith that it will
stay clean ? for a while at least? I think I?ll learn Amhari just to
get the answer to this question.

We drove past at least four army tanks that were used in the civil war
in the 1990?s. Lodie placed an Africa Our Home sticker on one of them.
The metaphor was so powerful: conflict and difference versus
cooperation, friendship and acceptance.

Every time that we stop somewhere the children are the first to come
and greet us. They usually ask for: money, pens, T-Shirts, exam pads.
It breaks my heart to think how many pens I have lying in my room and
they are begging for one. I think a few wet wipes, dustbins and family
planning will also go a long way here.

Today we listened to my I-pod in the car. Lodie thinks my taste in
music is ?wild?. My new alias therefore is Marizanne The Wild One
Knoesen. Lodie christened Inge- Inge Happy Snappy van Rensburg.
Annami will be Annami Toodledoo Mailovich from now on and Lizelle is
probably Lizelle To Be Determined Lötter. This trip will probably
read like a comic in the end ?

After six hours in the car we arrived in Bahir Dar. The impression is
a lot better than what I had in Addis. We are staying in the Ghion
Hotel. It almost feels tropical. The trees are big and sit high in the
sky. The flowers are real (something you do not see often) and here is
a round veranda that looks out on the Tana lake. The rooms are located
on the outside of the quart yard. The toilets are working at the
moment but the electricity is out. Africa will make sure that one
stays humble ? something which we as Westerners might need more than
we think.