The best made plans and all that. We are now back across the border in Kenya
and our Ethiopian adventure kind of came to a early end. Our plans of
visiting the Omo Valley and the various tribes there came to nothing as we
thought they might. In Arba Minch we enquired at the very helpful tourist
office as to whether a guide was necessary to visit the Omo area and they
suggested it would not be easy visiting without one. Obviously for us with
only 2 seats in Mufasa taking a guide is not really an option, well apart
from having the poor chap sit on the roof rack! The villages we would have
visited are a bit remote and communications with the local people would be
tricky without someone to help. The other big problem is that you get mobbed
by people wanting things from you especially money for taking photographs
and without someone to shield you from the worst of it the experience would
not be great, not that it would be great anyway. We are not comfortable with
the meat market approach to tourism of picking people that you want to
photograph, having them stand where you want them, snapping away, and then
paying for the privilege. It just is not our way of doing things. I know it
is how these people make their living these days as tourism is their only
real income but it just doesn't do it for either of us. So we made the
decision to just aim back to Moyale and cross back to Kenya instead, and if
you want to see pictures of the various colourful tribes from the Omo Valley
then try the internet!
We stayed the night in Arba Minch at the Bekele Mola Hotel (N6 00.317 E37
33.095) camping in their grounds and it was an intoxicating evening, of the
alcoholic type! The alcohol was courtesy of a very nice young couple Wiz and
Juju (not sure if that is how you spell their names so apologies to the two
of you if you get around to reading this) who are on their way to Kenya from
the UK. Juju is Kenyan and is returning home for a while. They should now be
in the Omo Valley but I don't think they had plans of visiting the villages
as they are not into the meat market approach to tourism either!
Before leaving Arba Minch we were very grateful for the services of the
mechanics at the Mekane Yesus Technical College for giving our rear drum
brakes a good clean out. There were making all sorts of nasty noises and had
half of Africa clogging them up!! The college is part of a project run by an
Evangelical Church mission there and they have such a good reputation that
they are affiliated to Toyota in Ethiopia! It was quite an experience having
them do the work and we were charged the outrageous amount of Birr60 (£3)
for the labour, about an hour, oh and at least 10 or 12 keen workers!! Best
£3 I have ever spent.
Our last night in Ethiopia was spent where our first night was, camping in
the grounds of the Yabello motel (N4 53.031 E38 08.414). It was still as
average as it was a few weeks ago but at least the smelly toilet now flushed
and there was water in the tap outside. So good for them, some sort of
progress!! No goats to slaughter this time, just a couple of inquisitive
cows and a donkey. Thankfully the border crossing was a breeze today. No
waiting around for the Ethiopian side to open up as we made sure we were in
Moyale during the opening hours. The Kenyan side was efficient and we were
back at the KWS campsite by midday. So tomorrow its back on the bumpy road
to Marsabit before heading west to Lake Turkana rather than continuing south
to Isiolo.
Our impressions of Ethiopia, an amazing country with so much to offer but
whether it will get there or not who knows. Everything was pretty cheap,
from diesel to food and accommodation. The people were very friendly and
more than willing to help out if needed. The good old Faranji Frenzy was an
experience and pretty amusing most of the time although the constant
attention does get a bit tiring.
N3 31.081 E39 03.007
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