Worldtripping Newsletter #6

[Simon and Leah]

Hello from Addis Ababa,

Well, we finally made it to the capital of Ethiopia.

After leaving Khartoum an eternity ago, we sailed over the last few
Sudanese kilometres, and crossed the sleepy border bridge into
Ethiopia.

It was round about this time that our troubles really began.

A recurring abscess under a bodged filling in Leah's mouth flared up,
and this neccessitated a week long stop in a one truck town while we
sought antibiotics, a hospital and an X-Ray machine. We left with
antibiotics and the advice to travel to the next big town.

The next big town had a real dentist, but no X-Ray.
Leah took more antibiotics, and we planned our escapeto the capital
city.

While we sat waiting, eating our daily pizza and donuts, Simon
developed giardia. Leah was soon vying for toilet time, closely
followed by Simon, he having had a relapse.

After three weeks, many pills and a couple of hospital visits, we left
Gondar, and set out to cross the highlands to Lallibella. Within a
couple of hours, and a few kilometres, we were stoned by teenagers for
the first time.

Finally, after four days, many flying objects, an incident with a
whip, and a rapid change of plan, we found sanctuary by Lake Tana,
Bahar Dar. Onward then to Addis, meeting other cyclists who had not
been so lucky. One had a broken arm following a stoning attack;
another, a gashed head following an attempted roadside robbery.

And now?

We have resolved to make a swift exit from the country, and all of our
efforts are trying to secure this end.

From here we will head South to Kenya, and then West towards Uganda.
From there, our intended route is to cycle part-way around Lake
Victoria and into Tanzania where there is a ferry waiting to carry us
the length of Lake Tangynika towards Zambia.

But these are only today's plans, and one thing we have learnt over
the past few months, is that we need to be flexible and willing to
change our intentions at the drop of a hat.

And, as we while away the hours, watching the sun and moon change
places; we drink cold beer, eat fantastic food and wait for all of the
pieces of the jigsaw to drop into place.

So, we hope that this mail finds you well. Hopefully, in the next few
days, we will be asphalt bound once again, and heading slowly but ever
onward, Southwards.

All the best,

Simon and Leah.

====================================
mail - simo...@worldtripping.net
site - http://www.worldtripping.net
====================================

All intellectual improvement arises from leisure.
Samuel Johnson.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

You are receiving these irregular missives because;

i) You know us.
ii) You have contacted us.
iii) You have signed our guestbook.
iv) You requested that a website be in our links page.

At any time you may contact us and request that these mails be
stopped.

Rest assured that your mail address will never be exploited for
commercial use, or given to a third party. (We hate that.)

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+