Djibouti City was literally a pit stop for us. Within 24 hours of docking, Ethiopian visas in hand (US$25 each and issued the same day), we were on our way west to the lowest point on the African continent - Lac Assal situated 150m below sea level. Despite the strong wind, it was noticeably warmer by the time we reached what remains of the lake itself. A large part of the lake has now dried up and the water that remains is surrounded by a large area of flat salt plains. Putting a tent up on this stuff was not easy and it wasn’t too comfortable to sleep on either…

The following day, on the way to the southern border with Ethiopia, we got to try something we’ve been wanting to do for some time now - Windsurfing on wheels!! Djibouti’s large expanses of flat and hard terrain are perfect for letting loose on these three-wheel sailing machines.
Maybe we didn’t reach speeds that some of the pro’s do, but we did manage to at least get one of the wheels off the ground

We reached the Ethiopian border by late afternoon and although the formalities were pretty straight forward (read: no bribes were asked for or paid), by the time we completed the whole process the sun was already setting. Not too keen on searching for a camping spot in the dark, we setup our tent in the customs compound. The officials were good hosts and the next morning showed us a really cool place for breakfast. This was starting to feel like the Africa we were expecting.

Our next destination was Harar. The gravel road tracking along the border with Somalia had many abandoned tanks, a reminder of the recent conflict. We were in Harar to see the traditional hyena feeding ceremony. Well it wasn’t much of a ceremony (just a guy feeding the hyenas some meat out of a bucket), but we did get to see our first wild African animal up close and personal.

Something we have noticed in Ethiopia is the negative influence that western aid has had on the lives and syche of the common Ethiopian. Many now see visitors to their country as just an opportunity for more handouts. Kids constantly harrass us on the streets and call out “Faranji Money!” whenever we ride by. Its sad to see and emphasises the fact that you can’t fix a problem by simply throwing money at it.

From Harar we decided to get off the tarmac and take some side roads all the way to Addis Ababa. The dirt roads led us through some really scenic mountains and gave us a chance to meet locals not accustomed to seeing foreigners. What a difference! Instead of holding out their hands for money, they were the ones offering help and food. We even got to try some sugarcane, local style…

By the third day of riding, our fuel tank running dry (because we’d taken some unintended side trips ) we reached Addis Ababa - Ethiopa’s capital. It’s a town spread out over a very large area and not particularly attractive, but due to the varied influences over the years it does have some interesting parts. We’re staying in the Italian quarter, who’s centre is called the Piassa and there are many restaurants serving tasty machiatto’s.

Having had a tough time getting into Africa, we’ll be kicking back here for a few more days enjoying the cheap beer (US$0.50!!), then setting off for the remote south-west corner of Ethiopia, in search of some traditional tribes. From there it’s onto Kenya probably spending Christmas in Nairobi, often called “Nairobbery”. But we hope it’ll be good to us…