The first really big animals
Now I'm already a bit longer on the road. In a few days it will be 6 months. I have seen many people, gigantic and breathtaking buildings, endless landscape, went down to the depth of 30 meters water in the Red Sea, swam along with 4 of the 5 most venomous fish of this planet, in the snow, rain, frozen at Ararat, and camped at 49 ° C in the Nubian Desert, drunk crazy stuff with motorcycle rockers in Sofia, eating grashoppers and I puked out the soul from the body 3 times, got a dinners as a gift from soldiers on the Turkish-Iraqi border and followed the thief of our emergency warning triangles on Ethiopian altitude roads by motorcycle. But I still lack something. I have to wait long for this moment. To see one of the great African animals for the first time.
We drive in the Nechisar National Park and find a wonderful campsite in a bay of Lake Choma. And there it is, by which most people in Africa are being killed. Hippos! In peace they bob in the water. We often see only their eyes and ears looking out of the water. But if they move, they want to impress each other, we can see their giant mouths with the deadly teeth. Their bodies look so fat and lazy, but they move with an unprecedented ease in the water. For hours we can watch and listen to them. Just go up nearer we can not. For one we do not know how they would react, and the other lying on the shore innumerable crocodiles, and these are the first that I see in the wild. This is then the question of an evening bath is not necessary. We cook again on the open campfire, Ryan manages yet again with only one pot to cook a wonderful meal.
Continues through the National Park Although we have only paid for one day's entry, but we will leave the park on a little-traveled road to the south on which there is no checkpoint.
But first we glimpse in the distance a small herd of zebraon the savannah, or "Disco Donkeys" as Ryan called them. But unfortunately they are very shy and let us not come up to them.
We leave the park on bush tracks in a wide arc to the south-west to the road from Konso to Aber Minch. At the southernmost point we pass a village and ask for security for directions. But they don't show us further west, to the main runway. They tell us that we can follow from here a track to the south. The road was much shorter than the long way across the main runway 60 km further west. The dirt road is not in any of our printed or digital maps. But why not? For the rest of the day we follow the dirt road. We meet only once a vehicle. It's all the time up and down. In the evening, it is already dark, but sometimes find it one horizontal space on which to camp. We park virtually on the slopes.
After breakfast I make myself walk on the road. The guys are leaving in about an hour and pick me at the roadside. It is for me a very special experience. Simply because a wandering white one has not yet seen here. And even without any equipment or luggage. Again and again I am asked where I go. I always answer that I'm on the road to Konso. It is very surprising, since the walk to there would last the whole day. But more astonishing to me is that no one begs. Since I do not have any valuables with me, I will not even begging. On the contrary, even invite me to a local beer. But it's just 10 clock in the morning, I reject with thanks. They laugh and understands my objection. A group of women were to get the water, accompanied me on my way for a few hundred meters. Since I am not a burden to bear, I am a little faster than they move. Time and again I hear behind me run up in order not to lose the connection. They try to communicate with me, but there is a lack of english. We laugh a lot, because no one understands so really, what the other says.
The other day takes us through green valleys, Konso always head west. Along the way, we repeatedly locals in their traditional tribal dress. Our goal is Jinka, but this is too far for that day. We spot a roadside sign advertign to a new camp. Here, somewhere in nowhere!? After a few hundred meters the road is getting narrower, too narrow for the Land Cruiser. Ryan and I run a few meters along and ask a local. This means where we want to open a metal gate and along the way which leads to a field actually more than one way. From there it goes up on increasingly steep hairpin bends of a mountain slope. The road is not much more than a dirt track. Finally, we come to two cottages and a large rock along with a thatched roof. Wonderful scenic! 3 men are welcome, but are somewhat surprised when we come here. It turns out that this should be a Ecolog in future. In the next few days they want to create a passable way. However, we must set up our camp here. At night, then it starts to rain so hard that the rooftents are like a dropping cave. I take refuge with my sleeping bag on the rocks, where the locals are already 2. Gratifying as I adjust to my body shape and size in exactly one of the hollows of the stone. Dry and comfortable, I sleep through until late morning.
Jinka is the gateway to Omovalley. The part can be found in Ethiopia in which one of the world-famous women with clay plates in the lips and ears. But the sky is pulling together clouds. In addition, one must visit the park only with a guide and a soldier and each photo will be paid. In view of the bad weather we only spend a day in Jinka, Ryan sleeps all the time, or when he is awake once he runs to the toilet, and then resolve to back on the path towards making Addis. Unfortunately, to date still has nothing new to me about my result sent DHL tires. Several times I've tried to call to get new information. Unfortunately, in vain. Again we pass beautiful scenery and stop at Koko. Here is just the market. Many of the hammer from the surrounding villages get here. We do already provide a photograph here of fun could be expensive as a "youngster" comes running to us. Fortunately, Nigisti understand him and his brothers, then dive on it. The poor boy has a mental impairment, which makes him not unsympathetic. Delighted and proud he leads us around and shows us, finally, the land of his family. His parents sell home-brewed beer, which of course we also have to try. It tastes strange and I still have all day with very little of it ;-) great enthusiasm he has noticed our cameras. Time and again we have to take photos and show them to him. Or does he even own photos under my guidance. Of course heIdo not pay for the photos of the hammer, and thus we get some pics of the locals.
In the evening we will hold in the Strawberry Field Eco Lodge (http://www.permalodge.org/) in Konso. The operator and owner of Tanzania tried so far is it possible to use natural materials. The huts are made of clay and straw, the electricity is generated by solar panels or wind generator, the vegetables are even grown, the water comes from a well, and the quiet village of a compost toilet. Satisfied, we sleep under our moskito nets.
The road back to Addis leads us to Yabello, the last major city before Moyale on the border with Kenya. Many travelers stop to refuel fuel, or to sleep. We meet a couple of travelers from Germany and Switzerland. They tell us that the slope after Moyale is miserable and at the moment very muddy. They have left a motorcyclist in a village, and he now wants to try to get his bike by truck to Moyale. However, he got well since Cape Town only on asphalt and has no off-road experience. For us, we have long before realized that we won't take that route. We want to drawn deeper into the Omo Valley and Lake Turkana. But first just 500 kilometers back to Addis to see about Miss Mary - my bike.
We will spend 3 nights back in Addis. Even my package with the new tires seem to have arrived. It takes only half a day to locate the location of the package in Addis. At the Post Office the employee have to open to verify that there is nothing forbidden in it. All I need is in. The new tires and heavy-duty tubes, a few small parts and to my great surprise, a new mascot. From now on the companies mascot of Klaus will take part. But first it needs a name. Soon it will be baptized in the name of Mr. Bready. And it turns out he is a real womanizer. The tax collector must also smile. But then it goes to the canned. Of course, I have to pay duty for my package. The tax collectors make to it to find my tires in their duty lists. Oh miracle, they can not find tires of this type in their lists. The appropriate they move on to a survey. Result of this survey is then the sum of the payable duty. I can see an extreme burden on me to get my credit card. I have to pay then 5 Birr. It is 0.27 euros, or about 0.1% of the goods values. My bike got a little bit fixed. Is still not repaired really, but it should hold up to Nairobi. So, we go on.