25. To weld a chassis

Lake Langano is our first stop out of the capital. We don’t have any real plans (do we ever) about seeing anything special on our route out of the country but the lake is a nice spot to totally relax for a couple of days. About 300 km further we stop at Arba Minch and decide to go into the national park the next day. Although rain season should have stopped a month ago, the clouds have been pouring down water. We haven’t had a lot of rain but the entrance to the national park tells another story. Not even 500 meters after having entered the Arba Minch NP we start to wonder if this was a good idea. Nobody at the gate told us the road was that bad. But as we have paid and more so as we have our proud as a farangi (no, we shall not be those tourists who did not dare to go on in their own car LOL), we continue our drive into the park. It takes us a while but after some serious climbing and some slipping and sliding Kosta drives us safe and sound all the way to the open dry plains. And good thing we did so ‘cos this is one rewarding park. Not only is the adventure of driving on that first part of the road fun, but the plains with all its animals are a rewarding site. We are just having a great great day looking at the zebras going by, spotting the crocs far away and watching as the baboon family takes its time to cross the road.

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This is one of the better parts in the beginning Winking smile

Arba Minch is also the place were we start travelling with our Dutch friends again and another German family. Together we will make our way down to the border with Kenya. Not the Moyale border like so many people take, but the crossing via the lake Turkana route. It has been raining there a lot so it is safer (and always more fun) to do it together with other people.

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It takes us a couple of days but we then finally arrive at the border town of Omorate. The sun is shining but it is more than obvious that they had their share of rain just a couple of days ago. With our feet in the mud and in the water the 11 of us go and get ourselves stamped out of the country. Kees and his family decide to wait for us out of town while we have lunch. And good thing they decided not to drive to far out ‘cos as we arrive with our bellies full of food, our Dutch friends have noticed that their chassis is broken. Yes, their chassis! Only 3 centimetres more and the chassis will consist of two separate parts! Now you have to know, we are in the middle of nowhere. Omorate might be a town but it is a tiny one. But sometimes in life you are lucky while being unlucky. They are welding a barge in this town and that might just be the solution. Normally you wouldn’t weld a chassis but a traveller has got to do what a traveller has got to do. So we all drive back together, hoping the chassis does not break all the way during this short ride. And as you can imagine the 11 of us are the attraction of the day. People are all around us, it is just too much not to get annoyed by it. But it is all worth it as a couple of hours later the Dutch truck drives out of Omorate. We my friends are ready to start a border crossing!

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1 comment:

  1. Speciaal voor Kosta :o))

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe3FG4EOgyU

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