Distance: 67.0 km
Ride time: 4:21:23
Average: 15.4 km/h
Max speed: 37.1 km/h
Total: 52154 km
It had been a rough ride along the lakes of central Ethiopia, and I was now very much looking forward to a break. I was only 67 kilometers from Addis Ababa as I left in the morning. The capital city of Ethiopia is located at 2400 meters above sea level – right up there among the highest capitals of the world (#5 actually).
It was a steady climb all day through a suburban landscape. Not the most charming ride, but the fact that I was not passing any small villages meant that I didn’t have a single rock thrown at me all day. How I like to be back in civilization!
Back in 2011 I had spent a week with my good friend Paddy in Hyderebad, India. Now Paddy had put me in touch with Sakti, a fellow Indian living in Ethiopia. Sakti had invited me to stay at his house as long as I needed. What a beautiful show of Indian hospitality.
The prospect of meeting Sakti, enjoying some good food, and sleep in a real bed made me very excited about my stay. Apart from socializing with Sakti I had a couple of other important tasks at hand; applying for my visas for Sudan and Egypt, and getting my bike back in shape. Two out of three tasks turned out easy enough – the last would be a real struggle.
After cycling through a strong rain shower I made it to Sakti’s house and was received with open arms. I have rarely enjoyed the good company, food, and red wine as much as I did this night in rainy Addis Ababa. It had been a real challenge to get here.
