Party Time!!!

This is another rest day for us.  I can't believe it's been a month since I started this journey. We've already logged about 3000kms.  Tonight, TDA has organized a theme party.  The theme is "Where are you go?"  This is a phrase that we hear all the time on the ride in Ethiopia. 

Stage 24 - Every rider agreed that today was a really nice day to ride.  After our 2 day break in Gonder, it was nice to get back on the bike.  A couple of us went to town on the last day in Gonder.  We stopped in a coffee shop for a cup of espresso and slice of cake.  It was crazy to see a multi-thousand dollar Italian coffee machines in street coffee shops.  These coffee shops were every where.  Ethiopia is also famous for their fresh juices.  I had a "sprice" which is melody of avocado, mango, pineapple, and guava juice in 4 distinctive and colorful layers.  Yes, avocado juice was very nice.  A cup of espresso was 2.5 Birs, or 15 cents US.  Two of the riders had dental problems today: one lost a crown and another lost his filling.  Thank goodness, there was a dentist in town, but it cost $500 USD to replace the crown.

Rodney (Australian living in Israel) explained to us that roots of Christianity can be traced to Ethiopia.  There was a tribe of people lived in Gonder claimed to be one of the twelve tribes from times of Solomon.  There people wanted to be repatriated to Israel.  The Israeli government sent a group of experts to witness these people's customs and habits.  Although there were no written records and the people were African by race, their customs actually met the requirements to be "Jewish."  These people were eventually repatriated to Israel.  Actually, they started to walk towards Israel.  This was a very popular move by the Israeli government.

So we took off from Goner in the early morning. The students that received uniforms met us at the town square.  They thanked us again.  We took a couple of pictures with them as well.  Sadly, Tony (the person organized the charity), had his computer stolen as well.  Leaving Gonder was tough on the lungs.  Heavy diesel trucks, buses, cars, and tuk tuks, spew dirty exhausts right by us.  Once we got out the city, the air was much improved.  The scenery was simply gorgeous.  Mountains with strange rock sticking out treated us along the way.  There was a World Heritage site that we went past.  I need to do more research to know what is was.  The temperature was simply perfect.  We started with 70's and gradually went to the mid 80's with no humidity.  There were two long but steady climbs and two long down hills as well.  I didn't go more than 50kmph on down hills today, for safety reasons.

They kids also yelled at us again: you, you, you, where you go, give me t-shirt, money money money, etc.  At the second Coke stop, I actually took a cold beer to relax.  It was very refreshing.  The beer was only 25 cents!!!

 

Stage 25 - This was a short day, 60km only.  We also get a rest day at Bahir Dar, near Lake Tana, the source of Blue Nile river. The day started out very chilly, 50F at dawn.  We had some very sick riders last night, a few people threw up all night.  I've been feeling fine so far, thank God.  Washing my hands often and practice good hygiene are the only ways to prevent stomach illness. 

The morning ride to Bahir Dar was fairly flat with rolling hills.  Adults and teenagers from the villages and fields were busy carrying vegetables, on their head, to the town.  I saw a kid that had a tub full of tomatoes on his head that must weighed at least 25lbs. A lot of people even walked barefoot.  Always weary of the kids, we are now focused on detecting possible "rock throwers."  Today I got a surprise attack from a kid hidden behind a stack of tomato crates.  The tomato hit me squarely on the hit.  The kid, completely naked, laughed.  I stopped my bike and kid ran away.  A Ethiopian rider just behind me also stopped and talked to some adults.  He asked if I was OK and told me that he told the other adults to keep an eye out for the kid so other riders won't get hit.  46% of Ethiopian population are children!  The odds are against us.  We also learned that charity organizations hand out shirts and money to these poor villages.  That may be why when kids see us they shout: money money, shirt, etc.  On the way to the city, I also saw two rusted tanks, a woman breast fed a baby on the street, and a School for Competence. 

We saw a lot of people carry rifles along the road.  Ethiopia was at war not that long ago with Eritrea.  Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was never colonized by anyone.  I suppose the rough terrain had something to do with that. 

Once we got into town.  I quickly did my laundry and went to town.  The city of Bahir Dar is pretty small.  There were some interesting shops along the main street: a Walmart Supermarket that's no bigger than a normal living room; and Starbacks (not Starbucks) Coffee that had a similar logo as it's more famous counter part.  The city market is a crazy place.  I think all the stuff that was not good enough for Goodwill ended up here.  A guy was trying to sell a really used shirt to a rider for 50 Bir, or about $3USD.  Another rider bought a brand new pair athletic pants with the word "Addis"" stitched across and the Adidas logo just below.

Tomorrow I'll go visit Lake Tana, Blue Nile falls and three monastaries.