Home » Ethiopia » Cycle to the Summit Part 13 - Northern Ethiopia

13th - 22nd March 2002

Cycle to the Summit Part 13 - Northern Ethiopia

Toby Hammond
2006-06-25 19:53:22

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source: http://www.cycletothesummit.org.uk

13th March 2002 - near Galabatt to near Metema 36km

We pushed our bikes up a short steep hill with Ethiopian flags at the top. There were no fences or gates and no official looking buildings or people but when I tried to take a photograph of an impressively huge pile of onions, an armed man appeared out of the crowd almost instantly to object. At the top of the hill a small boy led us off the main track between the mud huts to a small non-descript round hut that was the immigration office. Ducking to get in the door, it contained one nice man, a desk, boxes of records in date order, but most surprisingly, a little suggestion box in the corner of the room. We are used to officials on borders having a 'like it or lump it' attitude, unsettling, as both parties know they have the power to make life very awkward. Customs was a mixed group of men women and children sitting in something resembling a wood and straw bus shelter. No one was in uniform; they could have been anyone routing in our bags. Again the atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly. Having completed the necessaries all that was standing between us and the holly grail (a cold bottle of beer), was getting hold of some Birr, the Ethiopian currency. This was acquired from a kiosk / shop, presumably the black market; it is hard to tell the difference here. The lager was good, damn good, just like a malty continental lager. As with most of the border towns, Galabatt was lively with a good selection of goods being traded. We had had warnings that the kids were a real pain in Ethiopia. They certainly were not shy and reserved like the Sudanese. They surrounded us and held on to our bikes, the only escape seemed to be in the hotel grounds where they kept their distance. The scenery changed on the border from flat sandy Sudan to steep vegetated rounded hills with a scattering of trees, giving ...