Though I only took a few pictures of our trip to Gesses, I decided to post them for you to see. This may help you to understand why we call it a journey (though the pictures do not do justice to the spectacular scenery nor the potholes on seemingly smooth roads).
The back of this landcruiser (that we are borrowing until end of October) does not have seats so we packed it with our ikka (stuff).
This is the smooth, straight road out of Addis before we hit the mountains. Addis is actually 8000 feet above sea level and Gesses is 1500 feet. We have to travel through mountain passes so we have lots of travelling both up and down and around switchbacks.
There are hundreds of Gumuz villages throughout this region.
We figured since we were so close to home (5km), if the Gumuz owner saw it happen, he would find us. A day later, he did and Rolf had to pay. (I think the price settled on was equivalent to $10). And in the process, we learned a Gumuz custom. If there is a dispute or a need to agree on a price, each person comes with an elder and the elders then agree together on the price. So Rolf used one of the evangelists to be his elder and it was an easy discussion.
We started our journey by double buckling Joel and Ariana together. They lasted for about 3 hours and then we had to do some rearranging.
This children did experience some car sickness but I gave them some meds before leaving Addis which helped a lot. Flat prairie Manitoba land does not prepare our children for mountain travel. We left Addis around 3pm and drove until 7pm at which time we found a hotel. Though we only drove 3.5 hours (and had one stop), we were well on our way and it would make the next day easier (or so we thought). The hotel we found looked clean but the next morning we discovered it wasn't so clean.
We were thankful that our children enjoy injera because the only supper served was injera with shiro (ground bean spicy stew) and kitfo (raw ground beef with spices). We asked for the kitfo to be well cooked. There were 50 men in the restaurant and our family. We were noticed to say the least.
The next morning we left at 5:30am and the kids slept until 8am. We travelled through the Nile Gorge. It is breathtaking and it would be nice to stop to take pictures as these do not do justice.
The new bridge (on the right) was recently completed and opened (in the past 2 years). It was constructed jointly by Japan and Ethiopia.
A much needed break. We choose all our breaks in areas that are suitable for running and stretching legs, have as few people as possible and have some bushes or trees. Stopping in towns means our car will be surrounded by no less than 50 people looking in our windows and the toilets are much to be desired. This open space on the other hand is a touch of heaven!
We can buy fresh bread along the way and travel with a supply of peanut butter and jam or cheese and water. Occasionally we can find lentil samosas along the way as well. I had also baked 3 dozen cookies in Addis before we left so this was a treat!
Above the clouds!
The children loved seeing all the horses, donkeys, sheep and goats along the way. Here they are nicely grazing in a field but most of the time we have to slow down for them as they move around on the road.
The last leg of the journey. The main road was too mucky to drive on due to a heavy truck making deep ruts. We had to make a detour into the ditch. At this point, we were all "done" and the travelling was slow. The night we spent in a hotel was difficult. Three of the children got bedbug or flea bites and the mosquitoes kept me up. We left at 5:30am and now it was past lunch time.
Gumuz country. Until this point, the people we saw were highlanders (Ethiopian Highlanders have light skin which people commonly say is red in color). The Gumuz people are as dark as Sudanese.
This is the town closest to Gesses. It is called Dibate and is made up primarily of highlanders. Highlanders are excellent shopkeepers and Gumuz are hunters and gatherers. The highlanders sell basic goods and strong drink to the Gumuz. The produce sold here is potatoes, onions, garlic and sometimes bananas and tomatoes. Hurray....we are almost there!
The Gumuz grow maize and sorghum, beans and pumpkins though these fields may well belong to highlanders in the area. The last 10km (from Dibate to Gesses) is a fairly new road and so we were able to move from 20km/hr to 75km/hr. Unfortunately, 3 dogs belonging to Gumuz crossed the road and one got hit. The general rule we follow is we don't stop for hit dogs. If we hit a goat, sheep, donkey, etc we know that we have to pay (even though they crossed a road used for vehicles).
We figured since we were so close to home (5km), if the Gumuz owner saw it happen, he would find us. A day later, he did and Rolf had to pay. (I think the price settled on was equivalent to $10). And in the process, we learned a Gumuz custom. If there is a dispute or a need to agree on a price, each person comes with an elder and the elders then agree together on the price. So Rolf used one of the evangelists to be his elder and it was an easy discussion.
Arrived in Gesses about 2pm (after 8 hours driving). The yard was quiet as we arrived Sunday afternoon but shortly after we arrived, we were greeted by Gumuz and the Schwenk family. Amazing.....we are actually here.
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