To Debre Markos

We hadn't filled any fuel since Sudan and we needed to fill up to reach Debre Markos which is only 255 km from here. It turns out that there is a shortage of fuel in Ethiopia and that in Bahir Dar it is getting rationed which meant that we had to go to a government office to get a slip to get some fuel and we were only permitted 10 liters each.



At the station Ali and I fill 10 each, and then when Hussain went to the pump it was out of fuel, so we went to another station and got only 5 liters for Hussain before it also went dry. We were told that there would be fuel after 84 km from here but we discovered it was after 170 km.

At this point the landscape was beautiful it was as if we were riding in France or Switzerland only the people were much poorer and had a darker complexion. The donkeys and livestock were all over the roads and in all directions which made our pace slower even though the roads were very good.

We left Bahir Dar around noon, and arrived in Debre Markos at 4 pm.

Lake Tana

We took a tour of the town and a boat ride to the start of the Blue Nile and the Debre Mareyam Monastery on one of the islands of the lake.



We then went into town for some ethiopian coffie and then dinner at the Hotel.

To Bahir Dar

After another breakfast of Dates and Digestive, we packed our tents and sleeping bags and headed out of Sudan and into Ethiopia. We started at 9:00 am and finally got the letter faxed to an Ethiopian town 35 km. from the border, then waited for the fixer to go get it and got into Ethiopia by noon.

We also discovered that the Ethiopian Calendar is 2003, and Ethiopian Time is 6 hours ahead. Once we left the border it was 39 deg. C and didn't get any cooler until we started getting into some elevation about 120 km later.

The terrain started to change and we started seeing mountains. I saw a snake cross the road and we all saw some monkeys.

We all didn’t get the proper rest from the border town so we rested along the road; however the locals are always curios and kept Hussain up while Ali and I rested.

We reached the town of Bahir Dar and decided to stay an extra night to see where the Blue Nile starts at Lake Tana.

The Way to Al-Qallabat

We left the hotel around 9:30 am and headed to Al-Qallabat which is the border town between Sudan and Ethiopia. We had to stop several times at check posts since all foreigners need to register entry and exit. We passed several villages that are starting to take a different look than the ones we had seen in the past.

After a few hours we stopped for fuel but the petrol station didn't have any so we headed to Gedarif to fill up. On our way towards the border right before Doka we passed a couple riding bicycles from Spain who started from Sharm Al-Shaik in February. We said hello gave them our contact email in hopes that we keep in touch.

When we reached Al-Qallabat we were told to register at the local authorities, and then a fixer mentioned the need for a guarantee letter for our bikes from the embassy to enter Ethiopia. After finding a "Hotel" yard to sleep in Ali went with the fixer to the Ethiopian side to inquire about this letter since we hadn't heard of it before. It turns out it is a new rule that any foreigner needs a letter from his embassy stating that he will not sell his vehicle in Ethiopia. It is Friday, and tomorrow the Kuwait Embassy is closed for the weekend. So Ali called Mr. Adel Haider from the Kuwait embassy in Ethiopia to see about getting the document faxed to us by tomorrow when we enter Ethiopia.



An hour later the letter was ready but we needed to wait until tomorrow to get it faxed.

The Nile

We took a taxi to where the white and blue Nile comes together, unfortunately we couldn't see much since there is nowhere to view it from unless you are in the car on a bridge.

We take the rest of the day off to rest for the ride tomorrow to the border.

Visit Kuwait Embassy in Khartoum

We visited the Kuwait Embassy in Khartoum where we met Mr. Khalid Al-Harbi, and Mr. Nawaf Al-Nemran, we also got interviewed by KUNA and Kuwait TV Channel 1.

To Khartoum

After waking up for prayers and breakfast consisting of a few dates and cookies we set off on our way to Atbara with a distance of about 400 Km. We passed many villages with old mud houses and rode along a railroad track that looked abandoned, however we did hear a train last night so may be it is still in use.

When we reached Atbara we didn’t like the hotel there so we decided to move on to Khartoum, but before we did we had lunch at a local restaurant since Hussain wanted to taste Nile fish.

We moved on to Khartoum and reached there near sundown where we stayed at the Rotana Al-Salam Hotel. When we wanted to register we found out that credit card companies are not operating in Sudan, and that our ATM card would not work here either. Luckily we have our cash to relay on in such situations.

We were very surprised by the weather; it was 36 to 37 deg. C with a nice breeze