It was still pitch-black out and my headache had all but subsided. Yesterday the whole left side of my head hurt so bad I was incapacitated and I thought I had malaria. Unlike most other Ethiopian towns, Lalibela is astonishingly quiet when it's dark out, and there's a wonderful view from the front yard of Daniel's tukol. Even though it was 4 AM I had all my gear packed and I thanked Daniel with his dreads for his hospitality. Unconcerned about being recognized by a ticket agent or monk I began my walk toward the bus station whilst Daniel's dog, Booby, accompanied me. It's a good thing I didn't take the bus to Lalibela because the bus station is about a 3 km walk from town and it's entirely downhill (meaning it's all uphill coming the other direction). I was at the bus station early but the bus wasn't due to depart until 6 AM. The driver seemed to think Booby was going with me, but I was concerned he might not make it back to Daniel's place. All the way in the front I was, and as the sun was barely up the bus was on its way to Dessie. What would happen? Where would I end up today? I just had to wait and see. I fell asleep for a short while and then enjoyed the view before we stopped for breakfast in Gashema. Most of the drive was literally on the sides of mountains. I sipped a few cups of tea whilst we had a half hour or so to stretch, use the toilet, or whatever. From there it was almost a straight shot to the transport hub of Dessie. Many of the lesser known towns I've visited (Dejen, Maychew, Gashema) have been a highlight but Dessie central is rather depressing with a heap of strip malls lining the main street. Touts tried to direct me to hotels and other buses but I got out of there and stopped at the internet cafe so I could call Kume. He didn't answer but I did send him a message the other day telling him I was on my way back to Addis. From here I was content on attemting to hitchhike back to the capital. It seemed plausible I'd find a truck heading straight for the capital. For a long ways I walked whilst locals shouted out "you, you, faranji, faranji." Dessie is "depressie" I thought as I rounded the corner near a mosque and headed south. As the atmosphere got more rural I felt lost but I marched on undeterred.
Hell, if I got stuck I have my tent or, worst comes to worst I could stay with a local somewhere. A truck picked me up but it turned out I walked down a road that's infrequently used. When I got out I continued on because I was confident it would link up with the main road. Cloud cover with a light drizzle kept me cool as I enjoyed the journey. It seems like I talk as much about the bus journeys as the places I visit, but seriously, in Ethiopia the journey is the destination. Buses and hitchhiking have added as much to the journey as have the Simien Mountains, Gondar Castle, and the "X-rock." Another truck picked me up just before I reached the main road and they were headed to Kombolcha (not Kombucha, that's the probiotic drink). Once there it started to rain. It rained and rained and rained and rained. With pouring rain and palm trees I thought for a minute I was in Fiji but then I saw a camel stroll down the road as a bus with Amharic lettering sped by.
Beneath the awning of a shop I took cover at least until the rain slowed. I've been in Ethiopia for nearly a month, and except for light drizzle on my first day, this is the first rain I've encountered here.
It was still early, about 4 PM or so, and I felt I could at least get a bit further if I didn't find a bus or truck heading straight for Addis. The rain slowed, and I was thirsty and hungry, for both food and adventure! As I walked a few kilometres out of Kombolcha I was near a boarding school and people followed me. Locals seem to be out walking all the time! It is next to impossible to get away from people in Ethiopia. When I saw a sign advertising spaghetti I thought the home sold some but it was merely an advertisement for some restaurant in town. Whenever a vehicle came along I held out my thumb, and people walking by seemed to wonder what I was doing. They didn't seem to understand that I was hitchhiking. I was getting tired, and it was one of those times that I wanted to be left alone. After standing for more than an hour along the road a bus belonging to a church picked me up. Even though it was only going about 20 km ahead I was content that I was getting a little further. It was dark by the time the minister dropped me off and then I got lucky: an overnight bus was heading to Addis. Lizzie told me that overnight buses are illegal throughout Ethiopia but I was thinking "I'm in luck tonight." The driver went around in circles, looking to pack the bus to the brim with passengers. From that point I was fearing for my life! This was a hellish bus ride! Music blasted from a speaker directly above my head; so bad it gave me a pounding headache. A guy sitting in the seat across from me was smoking and, even worse, the driver and his friends were drinking alcohol and chewing qat! And what was worse? The drive was along a winding road with steep, sheer dropoffs to the left of me. I wasn't sure to get off the bus right there, or trust my instincts and hope that we all get to Addis in one piece. Holding on for dear life I was! As I drifted in and out of sleep I woke up for a second thinking we went straight over a dropoff. This ride was not fun! Finally I moved toward the front of the bus to somewhat escape the blasting music, and I had to yell at the smoking passenger to not smoke on the bus. Oh my God, was I on pins and needles or what on this ride! Ethiopian bus rides sure go on forever, and the estimated arrival time in Addis would be roughly 4 AM. When the ride got flatter I was less nervous, but nervous. Some of the drives through Ethiopian mountains would give just about any drive in the Andes a run for its money. At nearly 2 AM I was awoken when we stopped for a tea break in Debre Berhan. A cup of tea felt great as I had almost nothing to eat yesterday and could barely keep my eyes open. As the buildings got more numerous and the lights got brighter I knew we were not far from Addis. Now I was concerned, wondering how I'd get from the bus station to Kume's flat. I wasn't ready to shell out another 200 birr for a taxi. Since I was in Addis last month I have my bearings somewhat, and that paid off as we past the National Museum and then the unfinished mosque that I use as a reference point. Past 4 AM it was, and it was extremely quiet. With my heavy pack, I'm alive! Wow, I'm alive! I made it from Lalibela to Addis, alive! 22 hours in all. The guard opened the gate and after knocking on the door, James let me in. Two other CSers were sleeping on the mattress that I used last month, and another CSer was occupying the couch, so James let me roll out my sleeping pad and crash out on the floor. It should be no suprise since it's 5 AM. Today was raw adventure and, even though I was on pins and needles much of the day, it's true when they say "the journey is the destination."
