Ethiopia 2011 - The Ides of March

Dear Dorothy

Tuesday - The Ides of March

How many times have I written that while on a trip ? At least half a dozen.
Back in Arba Minch, different hotel this time. Nicer room, great courtyard the view is lacking though. I'm not certain if the trade off is even or not. The view there is spectacular, this place has hot water .... when they have water. The town seems to be out of water so I guess it's a choice view or luxury, because they are both about the same price. $19 here vs. $15 there. It will be fine for 18 hours before Addis tomorrow. EXCEPT for the fucking nearby church. Some guy is yowling over loudspeakers and it is getting a bit bothersome.

The roads back there were the usual mix. Some good, some really good and some not roads. But I have said about all OK not quite finished about roads. We were coming down this hill to cross a bridge and ran into a Cow Jam. They owned the bridge at that moment so we just had to wait before bossy sauntered her bony asses across MY bridge. I asked driver if the farmers thought they or the cars own the road. He said they are equals. I guess if you flatten a goat you suddenly own a goat and it aint cheap. 6 to 700 Bir about $40. Considering the wage in Jinka was 400 Bir for a month for the waiter at the hotel, goats are gold. We did almost mash a Paris Hilton size dog I didn't ask how that much would have been. Maybe the owner would have thanked us.

Ethiopia 2011 - Arba Minch

Dear Dorothy

Thursday March 11 2011
Arba Minch, Ethiopia


(I think that translates to a place in the edge of nowhere. Tomorrow we delve in to deepest part of the middle of nowhere)

450 km ( About 270 miles) over mostly paved roads to get here from Addis. Left about 8:30 and got here around 4:30. Had to shop for a hotel. The first one was kinda nice, but over priced. This one is a flea bag (I hope not literally) but really cheap. Under $20. A place to sleep and hopefully shower, if the water comes on sometime.

The first part of the trip was wide open well paved roads. I kept fantasizing driving a hot car, like a corvette or Porsche on them. They were virtually empty. I doubt we passed 50 vehicles coming to us or away in 2 hours. We were cruising at a comfortable 55 mph the entire time. Then the construction began. One mile of pavement, 2 miles of gravel. Sometimes the gravel was a better surface than the macadam. The roads were jammed. Not many cars, but cows, goats, small children, school kids, women carrying loads, men just wandering. One town we passed through had their weekly market. The line of people and goods reminded me of the photo I've seen of war refugees. Metal wheeled carts loaded tallre than a man pulled by a donkey or maybe a cow. Then individual people with packages of who knows what on their heads, or perhaps pushing a wheelbarrow contraption made out of lumber and rolling on the equevelant of a mettal skateboard wheel.

The scenery was really varied. Mountains, savanahas, banana plantations small subsitance farm. I/we passed through 2 good sized towns and a multitude of villages. the houses ran the gamit from near palaces, to mud huts, one cave and the ubiquitous Tina Turner thatch roofed round huts. There were monkeys, one big primate ( Baboon ? It had a long tail with an pom-pom on the tip. Raptors slowly circling on the thermals and a flock of cranes or storks. All at the same time as we dodged kids, bikes, and tuk-tuks.