Martin:
We were anticipating Ethiopia being one of the great highlights of our journey. The rock cut churches of Lalibela, the blasted deserts and active volcanoes of the Danakil Depression, the possible home of the Ark of the Covenant at Axum, the tribal people of South Omo, maybe even a glimpse of the rare Ethiopian Wolf. Ethiopia would also mark our most northerly point before turning south again – for another two months or so of travelling before heading home.
In the end though things have not quite turned out as planned. We knew we were already running late before we entered the country and that meant we would have to head straight for Addis Ababa to renew Annemarie’s visa which was close to running out.
Border officials were all smiles on the Kenyan side as we left but in Ethiopia they had just gone for lunch. After an hour’s wait they returned but maybe lunch hadn’t been to their liking. Immigration especially were the surliest we have met so far – literally throwing our passports back at us after they had finally deigned to stamp them. Not a good start.
On the drive away from the border there were a number of incidents of kids throwing stones. It’s just a game for them but still Ethiopia was losing a little of its promise. Yet despite an overnight stay in a rather rough motel in Yabello our spirits lifted as we headed west along dirt roads on a circuitous route to Addis. We’d heard the main highway was undergoing serious repairs and would be very slow so we were taking the long way round. The countryside up to Arba Minch for our second stop was stunning, really beautiful – despite sporadic stone chucking.
But as we arrived on the outskirts of Addis on day three Hektor began to chuck out enormous clouds of blue/white smoke. Something was clearly wrong. We struggled on through heavy traffic making it to a hotel just as it got dark.
The next day there was no time to fix Hektor as we had to go straight to immigration to sort out the Visa. A whole day of being shifted from room to room – each seemingly randomly numbered – Room 12, Room 77, Room 89, Room 7. I’m sure we entered Room 77 several times from different directions. Eventually charged $150 for a ‘fast track ‘ service – that unfortunately might not be ready for another 4 days we were told. After a considerable amount of arguing we managed to get agreement that the Visa could, maybe, be ready for pick-up tomorrow, Friday – if we knew which room to go to.
Annemarie spent half of Friday waiting for the Visa but was eventually granted it. I’d meanwhile convinced myself that Hektor’s smoking habit might be due to a little plastic part called an oil breather – it separates out droplets of oil from the air going into the engine and returns them to the sump (I’m turning into a mechanic). It would be a simply job to clean it if I could get some kerosene. Unfortunately there wasn’t any to be had in any of the garages near us. In the meantime though I had found the address of what looked like Addis’s only Land Rover garage – fantastic.
Saturday we took Hektor to the garage. I pointed to the oil breather, but the mechanic was convinced the only problem was dirty fuel so suggested we’d be OK once we’d burnt it up. Well that was a relief. Reassured we managed to drain half a tank of diesel out at a local Total station and filled up with clean fuel. We then set off out of Addis towards all the sights we wanted to see in the north.
We only managed a few kilometres before the clouds of smoke started to grow significantly worse. The smog was now positively volcanic, Addis’s roads are polluted at the best of times but we were laying down a smoke screen that might have heralded a second front on the Somme. If Hektor had wings and could fly al la Chitty Chitty Bang Bang we could have practiced sign writing in the sky. We were also losing power fast.
We struggled back into town. Being sworn at by truck drivers for throwing out more pollution than they were. It wasn’t meant to be a competition! By the time we got back the garage had closed for the weekend. We’d have to wait until Monday. Finding the Ark of the Covenant was clearly not going to happen anytime soon.
A frustrating weekend of making plans not knowing what was wrong with the car followed. Then on Monday came the bad news that we needed a new turbocharger shipped from Dubai. Incredibly it arrived the next day. But customs kept hold of it for another 48 hours. When they finally released it they’d kindly slapped enough tax and duty on it to make the cost of a £400 part now £1200. Apparently Ethiopia receives a larger share of the UK’s aid budget than any other country – well it’s just gone up a few quid!! That’s the last time I ever donate money to Bob Geldorf.
It’s now Friday and after two days of installing the new turbocharger the mechanic and I go for a test drive. The smoke is as bad as ever. We get back to the garage, I point to the oil breather, he removes it, gives it a quick clean in kerosene and pops it back in. Five minutes work and …. bingo. No more smoke. Did we need the new turbocharger? The whole garage is absolutely convince we did. The mechanic has 11 years experience don’t you know … there must have been a second problem. Anyway it is fixed now.
We now have just 4 days left in the country before my visa runs out. No we’re not going to Axum, or the Danakil, or Lalibela or South Omo. No I’m not going to immigration on Monday.
Instead, early tomorrow morning, we’re off the wilds of the Bale mountains to recuperate on the way back south to Kenya. And who knows maybe we’ll see the rare Ethiopian Wolf – we have to have some luck in this country surely!