We hear about the weekly market in Turmi. On the way back, we still encounter a group of young warriors. They are full body painted with beautiful patterns. Again, we must pay. With mixed feelings we leave the area, knowing that we have made ​​our contribution to its possible demise. We cannot think a lot, because we already have caught up with reality. We do not get up a mountain, it is too steep, we are too heavy. Unloading also does not help. We try hard but ruin our front tires to the mesh. Blessing in disguise, a truck comes by, after long negotiations they tow us up the hill for 500 birr (about 37 U.S. dollars), 300 meters up the mountain.

Somewhat annoyed by the insolence we have no choice but to pay. Also, this is Africa.

Arriving at the hill we pack our rescue belt back again. From here there are no steep mountains more to Jinka. I wonder if I switch to the spare tire here, I decide against it, maybe the tires stay to Jinka, where I can change the tires at the camp. We also hope that we can get our dimension in Jinka, then we fit it to these rims.

Annoyed and disappointed we drive on the wire meshes on to Jinka. It should be another 10 kilometers.

I have no idea whether we survive driving through water with these tires, let’s try it s, we can always change them.

Worked, now a river crossing, supposed to go well.

Well gone and already we are in Jinka. The place is the last outpost and who wants to Omo should stock up here thoroughly, gasoline, water, food, and there is a market where you can buy fruits and vegetables.

The village is very busy because within a day’s journey, there is nothing here, the farmers come from the surrounding villages in long marches here to sell a cow or deliver the crops.

We stop here, but we do not get tires. So quickly we change to our spare tires and without spare wheel, we go to Key Afer.

There we meet again, Joachim, a South African of German descent, we had met for the first time in Lalibela. He is on his way home to Cape Town. Spontaneously, he invites us to spend a few days with him in Cape Town. But Cape Town is still a long way and we will not know how long it will take us there. But here we buy a heavily used spare tire for 150 U.S. dollars, at least we have one.

Together with Joachim we make our way to Turmi, we have heard of the weekly market, where different tribes come together from all over the area to trade at the market.

The track is not bad, the red soil in the dry state can be well traveled, but when it rains, these slopes are huge slides and muddy.

We meet the first Hamer – women, very friendly people with always a smile on the lips. A strong contrast to the Mursi.

We stop, of course, two different cultures, but just as curious as we, are the Hamer – women. We say goodbye and soon arrive in Turmi.

In Turmi the market has already started, we leave the car at the campground, and walk to the market. The ethnic mix is interesting. We plunge into the crowd and enjoy.

There are all sorts of things here to buy. Fresh fruit and vegetables are offered by Karo women.

The market stalls are kept simple, a few wooden poles and a piece of fabric roof and finished is the market stall.

The Karo people are a very small tribe, it is estimated that there are only about 1,000 tribal members left. They are closely related with the Hamer, what makes their differentiation difficult. Originally they were ranchers, but they have lost, due to anthrax disease, most of their animals, and today they live mainly from agriculture. Also, they are notable for body painting. Also significant is the headdress of men.

On the market there are also many utensils and jewelry to buy, jewelry plays an important part in the lives of the Karos, but also an important part of the Hamer.

Numerous gourds can be found in different style, form and ornamentation. It is an everyday vessel in which milk, oil or cereal is stored.

There are wooden headrests, which are used as pillows.We can not imagine that this is comfortable, but must be good, because they are used in almost all of Africa.

And little fetish figurines may not be missed, otherwise it would be no African market.

For a while we watch a craftsman at the carving. He proudly shows us his art.

But not only we marvel, also we strange creatures are admired. We often wonder what they think about us, but our language skills do not allow for conversation. Too bad.

Of course they want to sell something, but we often get the impression that the sale is not in the foreground, but a welcomed reason to get in contact with us strangers, to see how we are and what we carry with us.

We are exhausted and go back to the shady campsite. It is a community campsite. It offers plenty of shade, fireplaces, and showers, the water from an old oil barrel is fed into the line. Simple and good.

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The next day we leave early for the Mursi tribe, because we want to go as far as possible, and the information about the road conditions are very vague. So we start in the morning and immediately are slowed down by a herd of cattle.

The cattle is followed by goats, trucks and cars rummage through the crowd, that is Africa.

Now things get tight, nobody knows really, where to go, but here in Africa everybody respects the others, everyone can use anything and have the same rights, as an African woman once told us in a shop: “Africa is sharing” and this is actually true.

A little later we are once again on a gravel road. Average speed is walking speed, because we could go on foot, but driving is still more comfortable.

Gravel roads are a big problem for vehicles, even for off-road vehicles, but for our European road limousine a gravel road cannot be driven without damage. We are planning to buy a Land Rover in South Africa and continue. But the problem is to sell the van.

Even here in absolutely remote areas, roads are being built. Often gravel roads are completely replaced, but often only repaired after the rainy season, because the waters wash away the loose material and every season they need to be repaired.

Feasible only here in Africa because labor costs are very low, a road worker earns about 100 US$ monthly.

We have reached Jinka and visit Mago National Park in which the lip plate – people live, called Mursi.

We must take a guide and an armed soldier, as the Mursis are dangerous, and soon Mursi warriors block the road.

They do not want to let us pass – our guide negotiates. What they want is not clear. It is not money. Our leader speaks the language of the Mursi because he has lived a long time with Mursi people, on an outpost of civilization.

After some back and forth and a little pressure with our vehicle, they give the road free. Our guide is a bit concerned.

After a few kilometers, we reach a Mursi village. We are viewed at suspiciously.

Our guide explains to the chief who we are and where we come from and the purpose of our visit.

The Mursi live in Stone Age. They are a small tribe of less than 4,000 people who live between Jinka and the Omo river in a barren landscape. Their main villages are situated on a plateau surrounded by mountains, which does not lead to progress because of the remoteness.

The Mursi are cattle farmers, utilized are mainly blood and milk.After the rainy season, they also have a little agriculture, especially on the banks of the Omo, after the high water has drained. The most striking feature of the Mursi woman is the unusual beauty clay plates, which they wear in the cut lips. Scarification and body painting are for beauty, not only for women but for men as well. In the Mursi there is still circumcision of girls and young women. It can be observed that the living conditions of the Mursi in the last 50 years have not changed. They live in the same inhospitable area, the housing situation has not changed, new are hand-operated water pumps and a police station was built.
Sources of income have not been established. By decreasing density of wild animals hunting is difficult. There formerly common animals such as antelopes, oryx, zebras, ostriches, giraffes and buffalo are found only in small numbers.

The only income they have recently, is the entrance fee to their villages, and you must pay for each photo. If you want to negotiate fairly well, they very easy get aggressive. Unfortunately, these revenues are often converted into alcohol which means a huge problem in their villages.

The future of the Mursi is uncertain. Many questions arise to which there are no answers, or answers that are no solutions. The danger that they degenerate into living objects is high, the chance that they may retain their traditonal way of life is low. Due to the seclusion in which they live, these processes can be delayed but not stopped. Will Mago National Park be a living ethno museum? We do not know and can only hope the best for this ethnic group.

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Despite many warnings we decide to go to the Mursi people, the plate lip people. It’s a pretty long distance and a very bad road, but we want to go there. But before we visit Nechisar National Park.

We leave the Rift Valley and turn onto a dirt road towards Arba Minch. Here again, life changes dramatically. In Africa, progress and development takes place only along paved roads. Once you get on a gravel road, people live back 100 years. Donkey carts and huts dominate the landscape. This has to do with the distances. On a paved road you need an hour for 100 kilometers on a bad gravel road a whole day. This inhibits the transport of goods and merchandise, and also the way to educational institutions are in fact unattainable.

We drive along the lake Abaya and have only a few miles to Arba Minch. Since we cannot visit Nechisar National Park without 4×4, we join two Dutch couples and take a boat trip to the Nechisar National Park .

With a minivan from Toyota, we go to the shore of the lake where the boat men wait for us. The Dutch are as well on their way to Cape Town. We have a lot of fun with the two couples, so the tour promises to be quite funny.

The last few meters, we have to walk to the boat and the adventure begins here, because we need some kind of balancing over a wooden ladder that is just laid on the water. In each hand bags and backpacks, of course we get our feet wet, thank God there are no crocodiles around.

Quickly we are sitting in the boat and off we go. The boat ride is nice, because the scenery is beautiful and the temperature on the lake is not too hot, the breeze of the wind cools a bit.

After just a short drive, we see the first crocodiles. Impressive are the huge animals. Up to five meters in length, they can grow,explains the boatmen.

The boatsman sees hippos in the distance. We drive closer. Hippos are more dangerous than crocodiles for boats because if they feel disturbed, they sometimes attack a boat, dive under the boat and throw it over. There are frequent accidents with hippos report the locals.

Also impressive is a pelican colony, but the waves get higher and the nutshell rocks pretty hard. We must return to shore.

The trip was shorter than planned, but was a great experience and the boatmen were very busy to show us a lot of animals. Again wet feet, the rest of the day we spend on the terrace of the campsite, which is connected to a hotel. From here we have a great view of the park.

In Ethiopia, there is actually no camping, so it is customary, that hotels let their lawn for camping, usually you get the key for a room, so you can use the shower and toilet.

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On a new bridge we cross over the Blue Nile and make the break after the bridge to enjoy the view of the Nile.

The Blue Nile rises in the highlands of Ethiopia and during the rainy season from August to September delivers 68% of the Nile water. End of August the flood reaches Aswan and late September Cairo. During this period the White Nile, which originates in central Africa, provides very little water.

We have reached Addis Ababa, where we check in at Wim’s Holland House at the campsite. Wim is a popular meeting place for Overlanders and we also meet other long-distance travelers.

Like Michel and Laurence with their Land Rover, they are from Switzerland and started months earlier.

Wim is Dutch, and his wife Ethiopian, and together they run the restaurant and campground.

New are the two German motorcyclists Wolfgang and Sibille, who started with their motor bikes in Germany and go to Cape Town.

Addis Ababa is a loud city and construction sites are everywhere. Interesting is how they build it.

Lots of sellers try to find their luck and income in the streets of Addis Ababa. Also vegetables are sold in the streets in an unusual way.

Because we recognized that we will not make the trip to Cape Town in the scheduled time, my wife Alexandra reluctantly quit her job in Austria. Now we are free and no longer have the pressure, to be somewhere at a certain time. We drive to Lake Langano.

The weather gets dramatically worse, but we enjoy the ride anyway, because there are so many things to see along the road and now that we have time, we decide not to be stressed because of the weather.

At Lake Langano we make a stop. Swimming in the lake is due to the high ash content, absolutely safe, there is no risk of schistosomiasis, and the water is really pink and feels very soapy.

Here we stay for a few days and relax. Alexandra uses the soapy water for washing clothes.

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We organize a boat trip to the Lake Tana island monasteries. In the morning we leave. In a nutshell, with a very nice boat man and three other participants, we start to the first island.

Our first monastery is Entos Eyesu. It is a circular building with simple construction on a hill overlooking the lake. It is an active monastery, two monks live in the compound. Not at all monasteries women are allowed to enter.

On the way at Lake Tana we see many Papyrus boats. The boats can be up to 10 meters long and are made ​​of papyrus stalks, which are tied into bundles. The lines are obtained from the fig tree. After some time of usage it must be dried again. To date, a large part of all goods, such as wood are transported with such boats between the islands and the mainland. Supposedly, the boats can carry up to half a ton.

We land on the island monastery Zeghie. Actually a peninsula that is accessible only during the dry season over land. As more visitors come here, souvenir stalls have established. A simple building forms the entrance to the monastery area.

The monastery church is well attended. It is a simple wooden structure with grass roof, beams and wonderful structure which forms a covered porch.

The interior is rich with images. The paintings are mainly from the period before 1900. Very much alive here are the various saints and their legends from the Bible are painted, for example, the escape of the Israelites from Egypt.

Near the monastery district an ancient monk watches the monastery’s treasures. We marvel at the four silver crowns, a coronation robe and an ancient manuscript. We are surprised that these originals are not better protected.

We take some pictures, admiring the Kalashnikov and walk back to the jetty, where we wait for the others. Here we see the everyday life of Ethiopians. Fetching water from the lake despite Bilharzioses, which is carried in jars and cans for miles to their houses.

One monastery is still on our agenda. Dehre Maryam. The building can not assume that it was a famous monastery, in which even two councils were held. Despite its simplicity it pleases us.

We also marvel at one of the oldest manuscripts, the tetra Psalter with valuable illustrations, dated between 1360 and 1380.

Our day trip is over. In brisk ride we go back to Bahir Dar.

At the campsite we make ourselves more comfortable and in the morning we start to Addis Ababa, we must organize the yellow card insurance and want to get Kenya visa.

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Lalibela is our next destination. The animals and humans have not yet adapted to the higher speeds on tar, therefore, extreme care is necessary while driving.

In the mountainous hinterland beyond Adigrat Bine and Bodo want to visit a rock monastery. Picturesque it is on the edge. As we can see the wooden stairs structure, we do not want to climb up any more but Bodo and Bine give it a try.

From here our route runs just to the south, we want to get to Lalibela, but until there it is still two days to drive.

We find a place to sleep beside the road and quite a few children are here to observe us. My wife asks them a lot of questions which the boys do not like and they are leaving, which ensured a good night.

After the obligatory cup of coffee in the morning, we travel on.

The last 30 kilometers before Lalibela, we are already tired of the corrugated road and increase our speed to 70km/h because you do not feel the pumps at that speed and sail over the pumps but you have little control over the vehicle. Conclusion: I can hear our bearings.

The churches of Lalibela are a highlight of our tour through Ethiopia.

They belong to the last rock-hewn churches built in the 12th Century. These churches are rectangular layout, as opposed to churches built round the 16th Century. However, each of the 11 churches has its own character. King Lalibela had built the church into the red tuff, so the legend says. Angels have continued to be built them at night and accomplished so double the work performance.

More realistic is, that they had been built under several kings, among whom was a King Lalibela. It is still not entirely clear why there is this unique concentration of various rock buildings. Lalibela is a symbolic representation of Jerusalem. There is a place Golgotha​​, a grave of Adam, and a grave of Jesus.

Although a fee must be paid for the entrance, Lalibela is not a museum but an active faith center, there are still active services held in front of believers and they speak their prayers and religious songs.

Unfortunately, this also is the place where we separate from Bine and Bodo after two months of traveling together. Bodo and Bine go a different route, it takes us to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana.

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The fallen stela was already broken at the time of its construction. Stelae are markers of tombs. Over time they have developed into high-rise buildings decorated with entrance door and floors, similar to the houses as they are found in Yemen.

The major Aksum monuments in the town are the steles, which can be seen already from the distance. These obelisks date back 1,700 years and are for sure the identity of the Ethiopians. The bigger site is the Northern Stelae Parkwith the Great Stele reaching 33 metres in the heights and it is said that it has fallen and broken already during construction.  The Obelisk of Axum was robbed by the Italian army in 1937, and returned to Ethiopia in 2005 and reerected in 2008.  The 2nd tallest is the King Ezana’s Stele with 24 metres in height. Three other stelae are 18.2 m, 15.8 m and 15.3 m (50 ft) high. The stelae mark graves The Gudit Stelae to the west of town, unlike the northern area, are interspersed with mostly 4th century tombs.

We are more interested in the carts with the yellow and red tanks. They transport water from the river or pond, because there is no running water in the houses of Axum.

We leave Axum north from here there is brand new tarmac and it is a pleasure to glide through the beautiful landscape.

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The Ethiopian highlands are of rugged beauty, sparsely populated, averaging over 2,000 meters above sea level. Only a few roads go from north to south, little traffic, therefore gravel roads, only maintained rarely.

Ethiopia spends little money for infrastructure, mountain roads are expensive to maintain and build. We move forward slowly. We are heavily loaden, have spare diesel on board, and the slopes are difficult. For hours we meet no other vehicle.

We enjoy the scenery, enjoy the deep gorges and forget the effort it takes to travel here.

We are exhausted and take a coffee break. The entire transportation of goods to the north runs through this route. Truck drivers know the route and need two days from Gondar to Axum. We will take us four days.

There are only a few villages in the north. The farmers live in scattered huts and plough the barren ground. They plant corn and other crops and keep cattle, but more frequently goats.

The northern highland is divided into broad plateaus characterized by table mountains and deep valleys. While the population in Europe has settled in highland valleys, here they inhabit the high plateaus. The valleys divide the land and prevent communication in many places. The valley sections north of Gondar are the borders between the provinces Begemder, Tigray and Simien.

As soon as we stop at the roadside, out of nowhere numerous children appear. They are usually shy at first, but curiosity wins and they get closer. Bodo shares his snack. The heads of the girls and boys are shaved to prevent lice and fleas, probably. Traditionally they wear floor-length dresses.

The red earth is for us like hell, because the fine dust gets in our vehicles and covers everything with a thick layer. It is already late afternoon and we are tired. We begin to look for a place to stay. The road winds down to the river Tekezze where we want to set up our camp.

Early morning we scare up a camel, which can not decide which side it prefers to escape.

In a bigger village we find ourselves in a procession. It could be a national or religious holiday. We do not know, but the colorful umbrellas are beautiful to look at.

A detour. Road construction is in full process across the country. Above all, China is building the roads, in return for economic impact and the hedging of future markets for Chinese goods.

After some time we reach Axum and take a look at the columns.

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Soon after Gondar begins one of the most breathtaking areas of Ethiopia. The area is becoming increasingly inhospitable and rough, the villages poorer, the Ethiopian roads worse. We have heard a lot about the North, boundless poverty coupled with wonderful scenery, friendly people, but also robberies and bandits, it is controversial – the North, only a few people travel to the provinces of Gondar, Wollo and Tigray. In the media we often hear from the crisis-hidden region of Tigray. Why do we want to go there, we do not know, is it adventure, is it curiosity, anyway we are already on the road, some 400 km of rocky roads ahead of us, we will have to camp in the bush, because there is no accommodation or camping.

We leave a last outpost of civilization to the Ethiopian Highlands. From now on, we will not see any settlement for days because of the bad road we reach an average speed of 12 km per hour, daily maximum 100 km, then you fall dead into the bed of the camper. We have a squeaking noise at the vehicle. Will we get into a bigger problem? Shock absorbers, wheel bearings, or even a transmission or engine mount? We do not know. There is no return, so we go on. Maybe we can locate the sound and fix the damage in Axum.

We get a lot of dust. The dust is pulled into the car through the back door, everything is covered with a finger-thick layer of dust. Before the night the car must be properly cleaned. The road always takes its tribute. Again we see trucks on their sides. Axles or lack of concentration could be the cause.

The day is coming to an end, we will soon have to find a safe place for the night to continue further on in the morning.

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The next morning we leave Tim and Kim Village and heading back on the gravel road. Roads are often washed away and you have to dodge around the area, this time we just have to pass a dry river bed.

In the early afternoon we reach Gondar, the historic royal city. First, we visit the palace district, the so-called Gemp. The plant was started in 1630 and over the years more buildings have been added to construction. The whole district includes 7,000 square meters and is surrounded by an enclosure wall with 12 gates. No buildings are alike.

The best preserved is the palace of Fasilides, it is the oldest on the site and is the symbol of Gondar. A legend says that an old man had advised the Emperor to build, instead of a pond, his palace here. First he had built four towers, one for himself, one for his wife, one for audiences, and the court.

The space in between was roofed over later for banquets. The Palace has almost square floor plan of 25 x 25 meters. The interiors are still used for official events occasionally. From the palace you have a good look at the archive. This two-story building with corner tower is now a ruin.

In the yellow plaster building is the library of the Emperor John. The upper floor is reached by a staircase. Today the management of the Gemp is housed here. Emperor Dawit III had built later this singer hall.

At the very end of the complex there is the Palace of Mentewab. The Empress built the palace in a trench, the upper floor is accessed via a bridge. The turret is to be construed more as an ornament than as a defensive tower. Door and window frames are divided beautiful. The palace now houses the town library of Gondar.

Ethiopia is famous for its churches and monasteries. We visit the monastery of Debre Berhan Selassie. One enters the plant, which is surrounded by a wall through a gatehouse with tower. The Monastery was built in 1700 and consecrated the same year. Into the perimeter wall towers and apartments are built for the monks. According to legend, it was not only the strong wall that saved the monastery in 1888 from the onslaught of the Mahdists. A swarm of bees attacked the assailants, who then fled from the monastery.

The church itself is built in an odd shape. The long rectangular building copies the form of a basilica in Axum, dealing with pillars, as the rock church Medhane Alem in Lalibela.

On the ceiling winged heads of angels are painted, with the big eyes, typical of the style of Gondar. The wall paintings are among the finest in Ethiopia. Today’s paintings have been restored during the 19th century. On the walls there are almost all aspects of Ethiopia’s religious paintings represented.

We drive on to the bath of the Fasilides. The unique water tower stands in a garden overgrown with large trees. On site is a pool of 70 by 40 meters, in which the castle is built. The pool is for reasons of preservation not filled with water all year round. Just for Timkat celebration, the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus, is it filled with a water pipe from the river. After people had spent the night in prayer, the Bishop of Gondar inaugurates the water by dipping his cross, which is the sign for the children to jump into the sacred waters of the basin. A wooden cross is allowed to float on the water, from the direction in which it floats, the priest read the future.

We are tired of culture by now, we want to explore the more remote parts of Ethiopia, especially the northern parts around Axum. Early morning we leave our guest house. We could park and camp in the courtyard, a little cramped, but definitely with a flair.

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