Bante woke me early as I was set for an epic journey to Axum. I slept well last night and not a single flea bit me! As I had a cup of tea, Bante told me he couldn't get a hold of a friend who was driving from Gondar to Axum, and that even if he did I'd likely be asked to pay like 500 birr. He did know of a bus that was heading up that way, so I had all my gear ready at 7 AM and we walked up the dusty dirt road. I could immediately tell this was going to be a journey. One hell of a journey! I handed my bag to a guy placing all these various bags and other things and tying them up so they don't go flying into whatever canyon we'd pass by as we go around a switchback. I had to use to the toilet, and it was a good thing I did! The ticket to Shire cost 300 birr; that's a bit more than I wanted to pay but Bante has been extremely helpful and I really thank him for that. My lips are all chapped up, so I made sure to pick up some lip balm for the journey. About a half hour after I got on the bus I was on my way to Axum. I wasn't sure if I'd find a bus in Shire heading for Axum or if I'd have to attempt hitchhiking or spend the night in Shire. Leaving dusty Debark behind it was a series of several hairpin turns down a dusty road into a canyon. All of the windows were closed and the local (about my age) sitting next to me wreaked of body odor. The drive is extremely spectacular but this easily has to be the worst road in the country. Transport, let alone public transport, is very infrequently along this road. There is only one scheduled bus between Gondar and Shire; it leaves very early and is usually full. Those coming from the Simiens usually have someone occupy a seat in Gondar and then swap places with that person in Debark. It took four hours and dozens of hairpin turns to reach Adi Arkay, the first town north of Debark. Whilst a few people were dropped off there would be no breaks to fill our stomachs or empty our bladders. We were not far from Sudan, and the landscape was hot, dusty, and dry, and the homes and buildings are made more out of rock and are colourful.
It seriously felt like the edge of nowhere! This rock is spectacular and reminds me of a familiar place.
Village children posed for me as I snapped away out the window.
We went over the Tekeze River at roughly 5 PM or so, nearly nine hours after this ride began! I thought the ride between Addis and Bahir Dar was tough, but today's ride made that one seem like a trip around the block in a school bus. I was really thirsty by then, and when some passengers were dropped off I was able to get a few donuts and a little bit of water through the window from a roadside vendor. Her home is right next to the river and is made of sticks.
Two hours later we were in the nondescript university town of Shire. It took an astounding 10 hours to travel a distance of about 190 km, entirely along a dirt road with dozens of hairpin turns and no snack or toilet breaks! It took only about an hour later to travel the 550 km between Addis and Bahir Dar. In Shire I was finally back on a paved road. Earlier I had wished to not spend the night, and I got my wish when I was immediately pointed to a minibus headed that way. A guy put my bag on the roof and shortly after I was on bus I realized my bedroll was gone! I was like "damn" but then the same guy ran toward the bus with my bedroll and handed it to me through the open window. Along a smooth road I was on my way to Axum aboard a packed minibus. The sunset tonight was gorgeous! It dipped below the horizon in the distant hills, and as I gazed out, a young professor named Girum started chatting to me. He's a professor of political science at Axum University and we chatted about the Eritrea-Ethiopia situation. We're very close to Eritrea and the border is closed; that's too bad because I'd be on a bus to Asmara in a few days if it were. Girum is from Addis, and it's a 3-day/2-night journey from here to there when he visits his family. Most tourists going from Addis to Axum (or vice-versa) fly, but it's too expensive for the majority of Ethiopians. We were out of the Amhara region and in Tigray; the Tigray police stopped us, making sure we weren't carrying too many passengers. For awhile I was thinking Girum was going to invite me to stay at his home but I felt tonight I really wanted some privacy and a hot shower, so when we reached Axum I checked into the Africa Hotel before meeting up with Girum and his friends whilst they had a beer and I had an Ambo. I'm in Axum, the reputed home of the legendary Ark of the Covenant. Today was exactly as I said it: one hell of a journey! One of my toughest by far. As I said, most travellers fly between the cities of Northern Ethiopia but I'm doing it the tough way and embracing the Ethiopian road, and with another Ambo in hand, what a journey it has been!
