Rainier’s co-driver, Sam Roach, reports from the car and updates us on their epic “Cape to Cape 2.0″ world record attempt to drive from Cape Agulhas to Nordkapp in Norway. (More details on the attempt here).
Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
“After crossing the border into Ethiopia yesterday afternoon we felt it was very different to the areas that have come before it on our adventure. As soon as we entered the country the smooth and empty road started climbing into the mountains, eventually taking us up to 2 500 m. The higher we climbed, the more green and fertile the land became with fields of banana trees, sugar cane and coffee beans everywhere.
“As nightfall came, we landed up on the worst road that we’ve driven on so far. The pothole filled road that started this sector progressed into an incredibly rough dirt track. Struggling to get above 20 km/h for fear of damaging the Touareg, navigating this road at night required endless patience and intense concentration to manage our way over the bumps, avoid the worst of the ruts and stay out of the way of the oncoming trucks and buses, especially at points where only one lane was usable. Sections of the road had turned to thick red mud after rain while the dry parts were thick with dust hanging in the air. It took us a full seven hours to reach the end of this road at 01:00 this morning which made for seven hours of the hardest driving I’ve ever done, despite being so slow.
“The experience last night had made me unsure if I was going to enjoy Ethiopia but any doubts I may have had were washed away the exact moment I opened my eyes this morning after grabbing a few hours sleep in the back of the Touareg. We had stopped at the top of a gorge and deep down below us lay the Blue Nile surrounded by fertile green fields and small villages of thatched huts. The sunrise was just appearing over the valley, with clouds and mist hanging deep below us on the floor; an incredible view to open my eyes to.
“I think I had some preconceived ideas that Ethiopia would be a dry and arid place, probably based around the awful images from the ’80s of drought and famine but it was quite the opposite. In the areas that we’ve travelled through, mainly the Ethiopian Highlands, the altitude keeps the area comparatively cool and wet so lush greenery across the hills and valleys are always in sight. It’s hard to describe how beautiful some of the landscapes we’ve seen this morning have been. Perhaps the closest description for us Europeans would be like the Alps in summer but with bright red earth, villages of small thatched huts and more exotic plants and trees.
“One thing that stood out for us the most was the sheer number of people we saw wherever we drove. Ethiopia has a population of 90 million which is the second highest in Africa. The towns and villages are packed with people everywhere, even out deep into the countryside there is a never ending flow of people walking along the roadside, often with animals or one of the many donkey and carts. Whilst there are almost no private vehicles here, there are countless minibus taxis and endless ‘tuk-tuk’ 3 wheel taxis all of which made the driving a challenging. Of course there are still a number of donkeys, cows and goats wandering around on the road to add to the driver’s list of things to look out for. What is clear is just how friendly the Ethiopians are and even though very little English is spoken here and communication is near-enough impossible we always get a group of smiling curious onlookers wherever we stop.
“As Ethiopia is the origin of the coffee bean and is still Africa’s biggest producer of them we had a final short stop in a roadside café in the mountains next to the Nile brewing strong bitter coffee for us.
“We’re right on schedule for the World Record objective at the moment, and as we near the end of Ethiopia, in some ways we’ve almost completed the most challenging and risky parts of the journey. All three of us are feeling good, and spirits are high. The long straight desert roads of Sudan and Egypt will, in comparison to the last few days of driving, be relatively undemanding for us and the Touareg so hopefully we will get a chance to catch up on some rest as we take turns to drive. With a little more time on our hands over the coming few days now, we’re hoping to use these blogs to introduce you to the team a little more, along with some behind the scenes info on some of the rather clever systems that our sponsors have provided for us here in the Touareg.”
– Sam Roach
