Journey back to Addis

We are so pleased that we were able to spend 2 full weeks in Gesses before returning to Addis.  The only downside was that we didn't want to leave.  The trip back to Addis went smoother in some ways since we now knew the road and approximate length of time it would take us to travel. 

Leaving Dibate.  Isn't the view beautiful? 

 This is a typical nice bridge.  One vehicle can cross at a time.

 We are not sure where the driver is.  This happened to be on a part of the road that we could travel at a decent speed so we had to slow down.   We have to be constantly aware that at any turn in the road, there may be something or someone.  Rolf is an excellent driver and I am quite happy to be a passenger and care for the needs of the children (and keep a lookout for possible mishaps).

 All along the way, we had to slow down for herds of cows (this includes in towns) so our average speed is about 30km/hour.

 On the slow stretches of the road, Kalia and Joel travelled in the back since it was basically empty.  There are no seats at the back but this gives everyone some extra space.  Our 3 sleeping beauties....

Another detour on the way from Gesses to Injebara (nearest big town).  This is the slowest part of the road with lots of muck and potholes.

A typical small town that we travel through.  A rainy day so we didn't stop for bread though it was nearing supper time.  We had hoped to stop in Injebara for the night (3 hour drive from Gesses) since we left at 3pm Sunday afternoon.

What we didn't realize is that Injebara has no hotels worth staying in. We really didn't want to get more flea bites and bed bug bites since Ariana was still suffering with her wounds. So after 1/2 hour of driving through this town, we decided to continue towards Debre Markos (which we knew had a hotel). This meant 2 more hours of driving though and it was 6pm. It is not wise to travel after dark (7pm) but we trusted that we were making the right choice.

 Well after one hour and JUST at nightfall, we travelled through the town of FinotaSelaam.  We happened to pass right by a 2 story hotel and we knew this was the place!  Hurray!  We checked in and the kids sat on leather couches.  They had huge chandeliers in this hotel as well.  We felt a bit awkward about it and it was certainly more costly than we were comfortable with but there weren't many choices.  The $3 hotel next door that was certain to have insects or this hotel for $15 per room.  Obviously we can afford to pay $15 but the cost of 2 rooms together is the monthly salary of many Ethiopians.  It would be like choosing between a $30 hotel room and a $150 hotel room in our home country. 

We made the right choice for our circumstances and enjoyed supper, hot showers and hard beds (with no bugs) for a total of $30.  We drove a total of 4 hours on the hardest parts of the road so we were hopeful that the next day would go smoothly.

 This is our bathroom with hot water - hurray!  It was our first hot shower in 2 weeks.

A typical shower head.  They don't have shower curtains or enclosures so when you shower the whole bathroom gets soaked. 

Joel and Kalia ordered French toast for supper.  It came without syrup but with French fries.  Some interesting menu items.   I think we also shared a spaghetti, some fish and shiro.  They do love oil. Most dishes cost about $2 each.

 The general drink selection in the country.  Miranda, Ambo (mineral water), Coke and Sprite.  They come in glass bottles and cost approximately 50 cents each.

The next morning, the children were thrilled to order hot milk (25 cents) for breakfast with bread.  Actually, while Rolf rearranged the vehicle, refueled and went to find bread for the day, we were going to have our breakfast.  When we ordered the hot milk, we were told that there was none.  We were quite disappointed so we walked out of the hotel to wait for Rolf.  Within 5 minutes, we were all called back inside because now they had hot milk.  Joel wondered where they found it so quickly....so did I.  Maybe next door at the $3 hotel?

 Oh yes, our 2nd floor rooms had lovely verandahs looking out on......the restaurant butchery.  The children were not too impressed that they were butchering sheep.  Is is a mommy sheep or a baby sheep?  Rolf assured them that those are too valuable to butcher.

We left town about 8am.  After a few hours of driving, we had a lovely break by a river.  The reason for our break unfortunately was because Nadia threw up.   The car sickness came on rather suddenly.  "Oh no, mommy, tummyache."  Then she clapped her hands over her face and threw up.  I kindly did not take a picture of her head.  We had to stop for 45 minutes while we cleaned up Nadia and her carseat. 

 Everyone was getting queasy so I gave some anti nausea medication and the kids had afternoon naps.

 Beautiful farmland and we are almost back in Addis again.

 Nadia travelled the rest of the way with a container close at hand.  She had a few more episodes of car sickness but not so messy.

We also encountered some heavy fog on the way.  We are always so thankful to be finished the journey without harm.  We are also thankful for everyone who prays for safety as we travel.  There are few conveniences in road travel.  We arrived at the SIM guesthouse at about 4:30pm.  So it seems (that with necessary pit stops) the travelling time is about 12 hours.  With an early start and good road conditions, it could be done in a day and this is something to consider for next time.