Hello,

Back again

But it took a few days for various reasons that you will read from here.

Its now Thursdayafternoon and I am actually in a beautiful lodge at the feet of  Mount Kenia near Nanyuki right on the equator.  Yes,  done some miles since Sunday and it almost all went well .

Let’s start Monday 19th.

Took off from Awasa where I had that nice Godolias hotel with a very good bed so slept ok.

Soon outside Awasa roadworks began and they did not stop for 160 km’s.  It was a gruelling day with a road without tarmac but stones on the slopes of the hills and mud in the lower parts.  And it was sticky red mud from which the locals make bricks to build walls and houses.

Of course after several hours of struggling with the bike I fell in the mud. The tyres were full and turned into slicks without any grip.  So I lay there with the bike on the right hand side and I could feel to be covered by the mud.   Onlookers were plentfull and after I crawled up they helped me to get the bike straight after which I took off again and fullfilled the 160 km’s.  It seemed never to end.

Than suddenly I had a brandnew road in front of me all the way to Yabelo for another 150 km’s.

It was a super treat and I rode like a madman.

Unfortunately the fall has damaged the bike further. Already In Egypt the footboard plate broke off from the frame but it also holds the rearbrake and the lower attachment of the engine guard.  Now the latter has no more stenght on the lower end so when I fell the E guard bent backwards and is out of line.

Brake still works but I fear for another time “ rubbers up “  and it could be end of journey.

Again that day i was amazed with the huge number of young people just roaming along the road, doing nothing apart from jelling at me.  Seems none have work and I wonder what they are gonna do with the doubling of numbers within the next 30 yrs.

I foresee disaster.  Millions of them will run North so better  prepare.

Actually there were problems in Ethiopia with the Oromia people.  Not just a smal tribe but a total of 36 million people who live south of Addis.  They are not happy with the government who seems unwilling to take them seriously so they strike and paralyse the country by blocking the roads.  This happened  on the 5th, 6th and 7th March.  Luckily this was noticed by my travelagent who switched those days to the North iso Harar and that was a good decision otherwise we would have been stuck in Harar for 3 days.

The government says all is under control but further actions might come including setting the petroltankers coming from Sudan to Gondar ablaze.  May be you remember I noticed so many burned out tankers on that road but could not know the cause.   Now it seems it happened before .

Also the government blocked the internet in the Oromia area and so I had none for several days.

In Yabelo I went to the only motel around but it was no luxury for 44 dollars.  Dirty and infested with mosquitos, holes in the mosquito net and windows that cannot be clssed.  I sprayed alomost a whole can but was still attacked in the night while it does not favour a good night rest.

Ok, the omelet and the coffee in the morning were ok so I took off at 8 AM to Moyale , the bordertown between ETH and Kenia.  The town is real Oromia area so the guide we had kept me uptodate by Phone on the political situation since last week 10  Oromia people were shot down in Moyale by security forces that are sent there to do the job.  They are from another ethic and do not speak the same language.

You always see that when troubles arise in Africa and their own brothers must stop them and shoot them.  Always another tribe.

In Moyale I set myself up in the Koket Borena hotel.   Again very basic , bit cleaner than the previous one and the food was good and the beer was cold so what else  do you want.  Yes, a good night sleep, but again the airforce was around and the net very porous with holes as big as tennisballs.

Of course, I survived but did not feel really fresh on Wednesdaymorning and it was not the beer !!

Drove to the border and there all went smooth both on ETH and Kenia side.

It all took approx 1,5 hours so by 10 AM I hit the road to Marsabit, once one of the most notorious roads in the world and that’s only 2 years ago.    See Youtube for horrible movies about that road from Moyale to Marsabit or reverse.

Now it is a highway and there was nobody on that road apart from the animals.

I flew to Marsabit in 3 hrs for 250 km’s.     Great riding in a beautiful landscape.

Arrived Marsabit at 13.30 hrs and found a place to sleep.   Did not want to continue since rain was on the way and the next hotel too far in Isiolo.

I booked into the Imperial hotel but I wonder why its called that way.  Nothing Imperial was to be noticed or seen.

But it was clean and the food was good.  Had a favourite and that’s fried goat meat.  Very tasty and you must chew that meat, not suck like the saltwater injected meat in Europe.

All was available in town, money from an ATM ( flappetap ) and fuel from Shell.

The town is surrounded by big vulcano craters and they are so well intact that it looks as if they still worked recently.

The wheather was cold and wet so I did not walk far and hallelujah,a deception.  NO BEER !!

The hotel had also a mosque so beer is not allowed.

Since I am not a muslim I crossed the road to Jim’s liquor store and bought some Tusker’s that I gulped happily away in my room.   Of course the cans were wrapped in newspaper like you see in all Muslim countries like Algeria and Egypt.

Fell asleep  by 08.30 PM  since there was nothing to see, experience or to talk to, just nothing.

Tomorrow I continue.