Stayed in a great modern hotel with good food by a large lake
Managed to pick up seven places and we are not sure how I guess winging to the officials all the way may have helped
Today we left with sam driving all day, on a fast run straight form the hotel with the roads closed and villages shut down for us to run through flat out
Crowds everywhere, and sometimes very big, but they didn’t have any choice. Police and military with sticks and guns.pretty good roads with occasional disastrous potholes
The fast Datsuns came form behind us flat out over the potholes only to find them not far up the road with broken suspension and wheels
How the leaders continue is a marvel. 30000 pounds for the suspension on one of the porches.
The BMW 4wd has broken the rear suspicion but continues on. The m5 BMW has not been seen
One of he old pug 504s has pushed a shock absorber through the top mount
Back a few days, The 2 door merc arrived late Jeddah after some repairs somewhere and found that the timing chain tensioner had failed. They were towed onto the ferry but had been left at the Sudanese port and the full story is not know, but they had a part driven up from Adidas ababa, they had mechanical help, and when they were reassembling the motor they saw sand had fallen into one of the pistons, they had to pull the head off, then managing to pop one of the valve springs off somehow. Anyway it was all a bit of a chore then they drove non stop form their to the last hotel in Ethiopia at………
They had entered to win having built up a racing motor but they are quickly destroying the car in the process, and they sit at last place maybe in an unrecoverable position
We continue to drive slowly and we hope efficiently
We had a timed section for 100kms and made our time sitting on over 130kph on another closed road but lowly populated, then a 100 km run to the border on a continuing good road in Ethiopia
There have been a number of Chinese factories in Ethiopia, one was. A leather factory and another large on near the border to Kenya, withe Chinese on the side of the road waving us all on
We cam down off the Ethiopian plane from about 2500m and lush farm land, moving into the heat and harsh and poor cattle country visually a bit like far western new in drought
Different people on the way as well, and different dress and much more colour in the clothes. The bigger population evident.
The border was relatively quick but not as many staff as the entry, then across a bridge into Kenya, and customs took about. 5 minutes, into morale.
Well, we’ve arrived in a museum town. No bitumen, no roads, just washed out dirt and little fuel, luckily we could get fuel off resellers out of 20l drums, for us $5 a gallon. There was no fuel all the way in Ethiopia for Bout 300kms, which caught all by surprise.
We are in a a muslim owned hotel 5 stories high. The guy who owns it also owns the mosque next door, so I’m up early catching up on the typing
The shops really are classics. Roads are low and worn out and rutted dirt. Shops have poorly formed steps up to them and the insides are made out of old timber with timber shelves and small choices of products. There a few barber shops and they would be the cleanest and brightest. Overall amazing to see.
We have lots of local police and military on guard, and I’m informed they have g3 German issued weapons. We have Ben advised to stay inside at night. Their remain some bandits and rebels and not so long ago a couple of tourists were shot. Apparently between the border and Nairobi is not a place to be. Not only do we have rebels and bandits, the framers and stock managers have g3s and ak47s which they use to settle disputes
I had forgotten to note that since arriving in Ethiopia many of the farmers and blokes just walking down the roads are well armed.
We had a good. Dinner, and beers were purchased across the road in the shop that sold printing stuff. A Few found a pub, All of which look like the 1800s western towns.
Tomorrow we head off across to Marsabit. The locals don’t think we will make it
The porsche with 3 support 4wds (4 entries in total and somehow within the rules) has pulled their suspension apart and lifted the car about 4 inches and I has a very sophisticated suspension. Apparently the owner has done 5 Paris Dakars.
The 4wd Porsche he said a truck to follow him across just in case he can’t get through. Apparently the road has deteriorated since the recon, and since some of the reports I have read. We have been given 10 hours to do 250km. This is much more time than allowed for in the worst roads in Mongolia on the Peking to Paris.
Should be a fun day!
