Impressions of Ethiopia

Before leaving the camp in Khartoum, we came in contact with the national sudanis federation of handicaped people, they discussed 3 days about improving their situation 

...here the result for a women in weelchair

After Khartoum it´s getting more and more africaaaa

typical subsaharian houses

Bordercrossing to Ethiopia

the nomads go north, with a lot of animals, but we drive south
and end up in a bordel at the border for the night,
no good sleep on a lot of flees

After crossing the border, everything changes - like a cut with a big knife, here some impressions:

Roads

road-



conditions

 

People



the girls



and the boys

the men

and, I put no pictures from the women, because
they are too beautiful, if you want to see them just
fly down here...

Friends

new friends, ups and a beautiful women

the gunman was compulsory to cross the Simien Mountains,
so i had him 5 days on my back, friends...

Surroundings

Blue Nile Falls, now in the end of rain-season the water is brown

the Landscape, Ethiopian Highland,
we move allways between 2500 and 4200 meters,
so our tent is frozen every morning

water falls not only from the mountains - we get
our first thunderstorms after 2 month

Religion



no more islam, now we are in orthodox territory
with its famous rock hewn churches 



The way of working

rural farming

shoe for you

woodworks

So we want to show here only a few impressions about northern Ethiopia, to much different pictures are in our heads, so we do not have a fixed meaning about this country, and we are still in the middle of Ethiopia
 in Addis Abeba, so we looking forward south.
Here in Ethiopia, the year has 13 month, time is totally different, for 7 am, ethiopians say 1 o`clock, because it is one our after sunrise and by the way, here they call not 2011, but 2004, so back to the future...

A lot of nice people, but also a lot of rock-throwing children, people who are shouting at us, extreme poverty, beautiful landscape, stopping at the steet for a piss ends after half minute with at least 50 people standing arround you watching...
our brains are under construction!

Sudan, tamam-tamam

After Visa-Marathon and Ferrybookings we are looking forward to Sudan

Aswan, South End of Egypt

We was very lucky, the ferry from Aswan to Wadi Halfa in Sudan took also our bikes, so we had not to wait for the Vehicle-Ponton which arrive in Wadi Halfa some days after the ferry.

Lucky...we and our bikes on the ferry...

...and a few others...

Start in the Nubian Desert, yes, now it is getting really hot

...also for a rest during the day it is too hot..

...cameltrophy...

...sunset, resting, sleeping...

What a life...

tireshop in Nubian desert

...the desert was eating our first tube

...without problems...

tamam - everything ok

Sudanese woman at a waterhole in the Nubian desert

Khartoum, capital of Sudan, huge, dirty and chaotic

Familypark in Khartoum

Fisherman at the meeting of Blue and White Nile

One day of work but in the end we got it, let`s go Ethiopia

Yes, Ethiopian Visa...

...we celebrate with baklava and coffee at our quiet camp

EGYPT 1600 Km UP-SIDE-DOWN - Sinai - Cairo - Aswan

UP: It is very easy to find lonely sleepingplaces at the Sinai beachside

Ras Sudr, west Sinai. White sand, no people

Side: But with the cossing of Suez and the smell of the Nile it is getting busy...



Cairo, 15 mio. people, Kati found our way in and out!!!



... and we drive 1200 km Down the Nile, 95 % of Egyptians are living in this huge oasis




so we know nearly all Egyptians...



...and their brothers, sisters, unkels, cusines...



Follow this oasis south means not only culture - special for us... 

Luxor Temple... or something like that...

...but also very close contakt to the locals, and crazy sleepingplaces

Got stucked for 2 days at a farmer family
and their 200 brothers,sisters...welcome...

It took us 5 crazy nights from Cairo along the Nile to reach Aswan. The Nile is realy the stream of life with a lot of small streams beside, one huge oasis used as farmland, growing everything and is extremly populated

"NO NILE - NO EGYPT"

Stand of the things after crossing Egypt:

We arrived quite exhausted in Asswan, Kati did a great ride but catched a cold with fever, she is resting in bed for the next days.

I try to organise Visa and ferryticket for Sudan, but ramadan finished yesterday, so now will be

Aid (= Muslem Chrismas) for the next 3 days and all offices are closed. People

celebrating on the streets.

So i will repair some oil- and caburatorlinkings at Katis "Gundulus" (name of her bike), and do some more wellness to our bikes. No crashes no spares, both bikes was working without problems. 

Hopefully they do so, after my "repairment"...

Not only the trafic seemed quite chaotic, childrens drive the car, no police, no checkpoints, no convois, - which was obligatory at Mubarak times. All Egyptians which we are talking to are speeking of the big change/chance after Mubarak-area and a no more government resticted Egypt "...we feel free..." -  and we hope it will work out good for the people here...

 The heat is quite a problem for us and our bikes, which we knew 

- but we didn`t feel it before...

For those who want to see pictures of Aswan try at google :-) our internet here in Aswan is to slow to load more pictures in the blog...
We are staying here in a hotel straight on the Nile, opposite of us is the island Elephantine, an obvious important turistmagnet with Mövenpic-Hotel. After 1200 Km without white faces it feels quite strange to see so many tourists, but it is nice to relax at the rooftop of our hotel and watch them getting cheated by lokal hasslers.

From middle east we dive down to africaaa...

After crazy discussions with israel border-police we got a very warm welcome from jordan officers.

Happy to meet old jordanian friend Mohamed in Aqaba

Got a perfect home with pool

But have to leave with tears in the eye...

Waiting for ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba (Egypt)

and arrived in Sinai, where we heard, that the Ashdod port (our port of arrival in Israel) was bombed last night

sunsplash divers in dahab, a place of peace, THANK YOU ANITA!!!

we found a new hobby...

because after 11.00 am. it is not possible to kick the bike



the hot air is hurting us and our bikes

So let`s go south to Sudan to find some sun...

On the road...

From Italy by containership

and escortservice

in 6 days

to Ashdod Port in Israel, where it took us a lot of money

and more then 8 hours to leave the port

to get stucked in israely peaceful revolution

...but Jordan, we are comming...

Let`s go africaaa...



...home sweet home...



A BIG THANK YOU to all who supported our dream of transafrica.

"If you can dream it - you can do it"

SPECIAL THANK to our families, Papas and Mamas, Grandmam and Brothers for good talkings, the one or other hand, the garage, the asyl, your love and everything you did for us. Without you this trip could never come true, so it is dedicated to you!

...Yes, we take care of us...

Folding Bike

To dismantle rear suspension you have to fold the bike...

...and after taking off the linkage you can put the bike in your backpack and go for a walk...

I love my YAMAHAHAHAHA...