Inn
On Tuesday August 3rd, we reached the eastern borders of Sudan to Ethiopia. Sudan side calls the land of crossing Galabat, the Ethiopian side embraces the name Metema. Worth noting it’s the only crossing to Ethiopia from Sudan. The borders were an inbred of chaos and randomness. It is interesting how the border office “building” (and building is a very generous term for the hut-like office) have no access to the power grid of Sudan, nor Ethiopia’s. Therefore the borders close down at 6pm. The randomness reaches a whole new level while there is actually power grid pylons right next to the offices. If you get stuck between the two countries you are bound to stay exactly where your feet stand till the break of dawn (around 6am) when you can continue the surreal task of crossing.
Tape recorder
Bureaucratic procedures finished at around 8pm local time, leaving us with little choice of whether to start our journey in the unknown territory in complete darkness or spend the night in Metema, the Sudanese truck driver’s delight . Whores, alcohol and mud are the three main characteristics of Metema during rain season.
I woke up after maybe 2 or 3 hours of sleep in totaL. The truck driver’s inn, offered more beer / less comfort for the hefty price of $1 a beer and $10 for a single bed. Packed my stuff and got into the car, slept for maybe another hour or so.
Hut & Tree
My day started for the second time with a splitting headache, in desperate need of a relieving piss and a good breakfast. Instead I found myself in the middle of deep green canyons, rolling hills ,waterfalls and drizzling meadows of the finest short grass. It was July 27th, 2002, and as far as I was concerned I was not awake yet.
Nile Springs / First Falls
13 months of sunshine and a whole country staged on a 2500 meters high plateau is a very very different game. Time rolls differently here.
Little boy
Woman carrying lumber to the top of the gorge
Shepherdess
