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There is one particular river crossing I will relish forever, not only because it is a famous river, but because I did it in the most beautiful way one can imagine: I swam.

One Year Africa: Swimming in the Blue Nile, Walking Abay-avenue

Maarten de Boeck
2006-05-01 17:28:33

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One crosses many rivers in a lifetime. During my journey I crossed many famous rivers in Africa: the Ruvuma, the Zambezi, the Limpopo, the Vaal river, the Orange river, but there is one particular crossing I will relish forever, not only because it is a famous river, but because I did it in the most beautiful way one can imagine: I swam.

The river's name is the Blue Nile, meandering in the heart of the Ethiopian Highlands, locally known as the Abay and as much worshipped as feared by the local people, giving birth to many legends and stories. Crossing the river was part of another idea of mine, to go between Mekane Selam and Mertule Mariam on foot. Both places are remote towns at the end of the roads leading to them, and in both of them I was the central figure of attention. Between them there is no road running because they are separated by the river's enormous canyon. The only manner to go between them is to follow local pathways, guided by a knowledgeable local.

This was my mission when I travelled to Mekane Selam on Saturday March 8th 2003. A week had passed since I had returned from my journey to the Danakil Depression. The journey to Mekane Selam, though scenic, wasn't without any trouble. In the morning it had been a tedious affair: waiting, riding around, changing vehicle, again waiting, ... Finally on my way I got anxious about malaria. I had had some insect bites returning from the desert. It didn't seem a nice prospect getting it in the middle of nowhere. Along the way the car had a breakdown, and we were waiting about two hours before the men managed to improvise something with wood. It had become dark when we arrived in Mekane Selam. As soon as I got out of the car I was surrounded by a bunch of young men causing tumult around me. Soon I would learn that any privacy ...