Home » Tanzania » Arusha, Tanzania - 20 March 2001

It seems an awful long time ago that we said goodbye to Sudan but after filling up at Gedaref (petrol much cheaper than Ethopia) we said our farwells and left. And so into Ethopia following in the footsteps of all the good Sudanese who apparently regularly pop over the border for a swift pint - what would Allah say!
We started climbing into beautiful mountains - such a relief after seemingly months of desert and accia scrubland. Arrived at Gondor (stayed at the Bella hotel) and downed our first beers for a month - and at 25cents a pint it would really have been rude not too.

Arusha, Tanzania - 20 March 2001

Pam.tom
2005-10-15 19:22:25

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It seems an awful long time ago that we said goodbye to Sudan but after filling up at Gedaref (petrol much cheaper than Ethopia) we said our farwells and left. And so into Ethopia following in the footsteps of all the good Sudanese who apparently regularly pop over the border for a swift pint - what would Allah say!
We started climbing into beautiful mountains - such a relief after seemingly months of desert and accia scrubland. Arrived at Gondor (stayed at the Bella hotel) and downed our first beers for a month - and at 25cents a pint it would really have been rude not too.
Spent the next morning exploring the royal palaces - an impressive complex of buildings built when Gonder was the capital. Suprisingly European in design they were once covered in gold, silver and ivory and are set in beautifully cool gardens. Although they are now in a pretty advanced state of disrepair rennovations are now taking place and they will be stunning when finished. Then it was onto Bahar Dar and the monastry islands of Lake Tana. We passed scores of tanks rusting on the side of the road. A brutal reminder of the country's bloody revolution in 1991. We camped at the Ghion hotel on the lake shore and took their boat trip the next morning out to the islands.
The monastries (several of which don't allow women in) are fasinating. The Ark of the Covenent was believed to have been hidden here at one time.
Tom fished for our tea (or actually very late dinner by the time he'd hauled in enough) and impressed the locals with his bush man rod of bamboo.
On the road again to the monolithic churches of Lalibela. The route climbs steeply through amazing mountains. The narrow road at times dropping steeply on either side hundreds of feet into spectacular gorges. Luckily we found the turn off for the new road (N11 41 647 E 038 55 323) - it's very easy to miss and saves lots of km's. We had a lot of trouble finding somewhere quite to bushcamp - typical ...