Because there is no official border crossing into Ethiopia from Lake Turkana, we were already in Ethiopia but still on our way to Omorate. We were stamped out of Kenya in Nairobi and had 10 days to reach Omorate where there is a border post. We drove right pass the lonely Police Post where we were supposed to stop. After waiting about 10 minutes for Fanie who was driving behind us, we decided to turn back. Only on arriving at the Police office seeing Fanie’s vehicle, we remembered we were supposed to show our Passports there.It caused a bit of explaining and calming the Policeman before we were allowed to drive on. On reaching Omorate late afternoon, we were quickly stamped into Ethiopia but had to come back the next morning for the Carne de Passage to be stamped by Customs. Ethiopia was a real eye opener country. Beautiful and diverse. First the Omo valley and then the huge mountains in the highlands, the Nile, the Rift valley lakes, people on the roads with their animals, hardworking woman and little girls, little boys playing with their whips or doing tricks next to the road, rock hewn churches, castles, historic routes, bad roads, never ending mountain passes, driving short distances that takes a whole day, staying in hotels very cheap, coffee ceremonies, nice Ethiopian red wine, the way the people dress, the Coptic Christian churches, the contours right through the country, ……everything made us feel that we were wandering through the Old Testament of the Bible. It is a tiring country but so much worthwhile to spent time in. In Addis Ababa, we decided to drive to through the Nile valley towards Bahir Dar and on to Gondar and Sudan. These are some of the moments on our northbound trip.
This was not a good Border Post for the Voetspore guys….they had to turn back because they did not have Visas for Ethiopia. Johan Badenhorst warned us to get our Visas in Pretoria
The patience of Africa
The hardworking woman of Africa
The children of Ethiopia. These three came for a bath in the dry riverbed using sand to clean themselves ( Mango Camp)
This 15 year old Ethiopian boy trains hard to become a famous athlete
Crazy kids trying to amuse travellers to receive money. Near Lake Chamo, Arba Minch
Getting water African way
Having a braai at Lake Abeya
People and animals on the road
Woman, girls and donkeys work VERY hard in Ethiopia
Dangerous driving
Camping next Lake Langano
Entering Addis seeing this landmark
The terrible traffic in Addis
Camping at Wim’s Hollands House next to the restaurant
This cat and her babies shared the entrance to our room at Wim’s
Our bathroom at Wim’s 
Man staying in a hole on the sidewalk in Central Addis
Getting lost in Addis looking for a working ATM
Little Coptic monuments
Extreme green of Ethiopia
The dangerous sliding road into the Nile valley
The excitement of having our first glimpse of the Blue Nile
Watchdog (baboon) at the bridge across the Blue Nile
A Landmark moment crossing the bridge over the Blue Nile
Farmers planting their crops in the Nile valley
Ethiopian style horse saddle
Our first coffee ceremony was at the Tilik Hotel in Debre Marcos
The amazement about our journey at the coffee ceremony when the Hotel management looked at the Africa map
Pretty girls in Debre Marcos
VERY steep slope!
A reminder of the war between Ethiopia and Somalia
Carpet sellers on route from Debre Marcos to Bahir Dar
Bible figures
The flooded rivers running into the already flooded Blue Nile
More Bible figures
Rice paddies next to the Blue Nile
The feed their animals on the tar roads
Coptic Christian church and weird looking mountains in the flooded Nile valley
Lake Tana and the origin of the Blue Nile
Little Coptic Christian girl (this was a very special moment for both of us!)
