My original plan had been to spend a day or two at Wim’s Holland House in Addis Ababa, a meeting point for many overlanders, and I had really looked forward to meeting other travelers. A quick calculation of the remaining distance to the Kenyan border at Moyale, made it clear that there would be no chance of a stopover at Wim’s - I would have to go straight for the border to meet the 28/9 deadline.

Leaving Hotel Time in Dessie around eight, I headed south for Addis Ababa. I wanted to cover as much ground as possible. Some distance from Dessie the road turned really bad. I just could not believe that a main road to a capital city could be in such terrible condition. The road was being repaired, but far from finished and only made conditions worse. The weather had also changed, and the sky was looking ominously dark. There just seemed to be no end to this bad road. Every time I reached the crest of a hill I gazed into the distance to see if I could see some tar! No luck.

The temperature dropped, thunder and lightning all around, and suddenly the heavens opened. I had put on my Scott rain suit which handled the rain well, but the road was quickly turning into mud and water streams. All traffic stopped and people ran into their buildings. Even the normally daring motorcycle drivers with 3-4 up on their Chinese bikes, had to wait the storm out. I soon realized that I would have to stop as well, and spotted a big tree against a wall where I drove up an embankment and parked, hoping for some cover from the rain. Almost immediately a young guy came up to me, and indicated that I should come with him to his house just across the road. “Big rain. super rain, come” he said to me. I thought the downpour would be over soon, and decided to stay. A moment later the guy was back with a big rectangular metal lid, that he held over his head to cover me and himself. Tucked in at my legs were to small boys, waiting the storm out. The rain continued, and a few minutes later the young guy decided to call it a day, and ran across the muddy road to his house. I stood a few minutes longer holding the lid above my head, covering me and the boys, before I decided to run for shelter. It was a small mud house, filled with perhaps 15 people. No light, apart from the little bit that came through the door way. People were eating, and I was immediately offered food, and someone made room for me to sit down. A young guy in a rusty red suit and cream colored slippers, took the stage. He spoke reasonable English and translated my reply to the others, who thought everything was hilarious. At one point they got hold of my reading glasses that clips onto my nose, and everyone in the house had to try them on for size! The banter continued, and half an hour later the rain stopped, and I could be on my way. I thanked them all for their  hospitality, and walked back to my bike across the road - all told, an experience I wouldn’t have been without.

I waited a few minutes for the water to drain from the roads, and a couple of guys helped me get the bike down the embankment and on to the road. The Chinese bikes were out again, driving cautiously, for a change. While sheltering in the house the young guy had told me there was another 5 km of bad road before it got better. He turned out to be almost right. After 10 km a perfect section of road started, and continued. I reached the small town of Debre Sina late in the afternoon and looked for a hotel which had been mentioned on the iOverlander website. I quickly found the Zermarkos Hotel, and was shown the room - complete with squat toilet and a shared bathroom and shower in the corridor. For 5 $ I guess you can’t expect the world. I decided to sleep in my own sleeping bag that night, something I always do if things look a bit questionable. There was no parking at the hotel, which was right on the main road, so we decided to carry the bike up the stairs, through the restaurant and into the courtyard. The following morning when leaving, I simply drove the bike back through the restaurant, down the stairs and onto the road.

Tomorrow I will have to cover some distance!