Day 162
Sleeping location: Something Hotel, Tiya, Ethiopia
Distance (km today/total): 88 / 11543
Estimated climb (m today/total): 1000 / 85600
Meals: 5
Distance (km today/total): 88 / 11543
Estimated climb (m today/total): 1000 / 85600
Meals: 5
Day in three words: Out of Addis
As is always the case when we’ve spent a while somewhere our setting off was slow, and as is always the case when this happens I mention it in the blog. Things weren’t (or were) helped by us having two breakfasts, the first in the hotel involving leftover cake and strawberries (and coffee), and the second in a nearby cafe involving eggs and weird very dense fried scone things (and coffee). We didn’t set off for good until almost noon. The route out of Addis was much busier than the one I’d taken on the way in, and perhaps I had previously been lucky with it being Ethiopian Christmas Eve. Despite the masses of traffic and fumes it never felt unsafe; Ethiopians may have some issues with respecting personal space but that doesn’t extend to their driving. Out the other side of the city we entered a landscape of rolling hills, wheat and grass that was similar to the one we’d come through on the way into Addis. The road was really bumpy and, coupled with Rebecca feeling ill and me having a mostly flat back tyre but not realising, progress was slow and uneventful.
The people weren’t especially friendly and there was a bit of mild aggression; someone threw a stick at my front wheel, and a kid did some kind of ludicrous high kick when I wouldn’t stop, but I don’t think he was actually trying to hit me. The stick thrower got a suitably withering look and the kicking kid ran away into the bushes when I stopped, so I had some fun pretending to make a phone call whilst looking at him so he thought I was calling in some kind of security to sort him out. In general we’re pretty done with the intensity of Ethiopians, it usually comes from a good place but it’s exhausting being shouted at every few minutes, especially when it’s almost always one of five things*. I started to ignore all shouts of “farenji” but then realised that one such shout was coming from a little girl who was waving and grinning frantically, so excited to see a real life farenji, and this made me resolve to try and interact with people more in our last week here.
Despite the late start and poor roads we made it to our goal, the village of Tiya, with some determined riding. It had the standard budget hotel of this kind of village, but we found some surprisingly good food at not one but two places. The first place was basically a family home but they did a tasty vegetarian “fasting” injera plate, which was our starter, then we ruined all the healthiness by getting a sizzling clay pot of very fatty and very tasty lamb odds and ends. What with the two breakfasts, we ended up having five meals.
*”Farenji”, “You you you”, “Where are you go”, or “Money”, or a whistle (the last one annoys the most, I am not a cow).
As is always the case when we’ve spent a while somewhere our setting off was slow, and as is always the case when this happens I mention it in the blog. Things weren’t (or were) helped by us having two breakfasts, the first in the hotel involving leftover cake and strawberries (and coffee), and the second in a nearby cafe involving eggs and weird very dense fried scone things (and coffee). We didn’t set off for good until almost noon. The route out of Addis was much busier than the one I’d taken on the way in, and perhaps I had previously been lucky with it being Ethiopian Christmas Eve. Despite the masses of traffic and fumes it never felt unsafe; Ethiopians may have some issues with respecting personal space but that doesn’t extend to their driving. Out the other side of the city we entered a landscape of rolling hills, wheat and grass that was similar to the one we’d come through on the way into Addis. The road was really bumpy and, coupled with Rebecca feeling ill and me having a mostly flat back tyre but not realising, progress was slow and uneventful.
The people weren’t especially friendly and there was a bit of mild aggression; someone threw a stick at my front wheel, and a kid did some kind of ludicrous high kick when I wouldn’t stop, but I don’t think he was actually trying to hit me. The stick thrower got a suitably withering look and the kicking kid ran away into the bushes when I stopped, so I had some fun pretending to make a phone call whilst looking at him so he thought I was calling in some kind of security to sort him out. In general we’re pretty done with the intensity of Ethiopians, it usually comes from a good place but it’s exhausting being shouted at every few minutes, especially when it’s almost always one of five things*. I started to ignore all shouts of “farenji” but then realised that one such shout was coming from a little girl who was waving and grinning frantically, so excited to see a real life farenji, and this made me resolve to try and interact with people more in our last week here.
Despite the late start and poor roads we made it to our goal, the village of Tiya, with some determined riding. It had the standard budget hotel of this kind of village, but we found some surprisingly good food at not one but two places. The first place was basically a family home but they did a tasty vegetarian “fasting” injera plate, which was our starter, then we ruined all the healthiness by getting a sizzling clay pot of very fatty and very tasty lamb odds and ends. What with the two breakfasts, we ended up having five meals.
*”Farenji”, “You you you”, “Where are you go”, or “Money”, or a whistle (the last one annoys the most, I am not a cow).
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