I am now in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, after a loooong trip north from Dar es Salaam.

Needless to say, a great deal has happened since I last wrote. As much as I’d like to share the nutty and educational experiences I’ve had, it would take too long. I think the interesting events will come out in stories over the next few months, so I’ll just do a quick recap. If you have access to a map, this might be a good time to learn you some east African geography.

First, I’ll go back a bit to mid-March, when I made the decision to turn south to Rwanda. This was motivated mainly by the urge to see the country I had read and heard so much about. Because I also knew that I wanted to head north to Ethiopia, this meant that I would not be able to keep up my leisurely pace… no more language classes, or weeks on the beach, or weeks hanging out in one town.

But I felt ready for this accelerated pace. Rwanda was, as a result, only five days. It is a small country and easy to handle in this time. My stay was made much more enjoyable through the use of CouchSurfing.com. Yes! It is what it sounds like. Thanks again John the forest ranger for pointing it out and Chris the roads engineer for providing the couch. Spent most of my time visiting museums and genocide memorials.

Second, a dash across northern Tanzania. Highlights: hitching across the border, and three day stops in Mwanza and Arusha. The latter is the site of the UN’s Tribunal on Rwanda, which is free and open to the public. I’ll need to post about that experience: I spent a day watching the American defense and the British prosecution wrangle over first a witness and then one of the accused, the police chief of Kigale.

Then, a week in Dar es Salaam with a trip to the former sultanate of Zanzibar. Again, whole posts could be written about life in the port city and the island town. Visited more museums, night clubs, the local Patel Saraj (like an Elk’s club, but for the south asian community), Rwandan businessmen to try to change my remaining Rwandan francs, and spice farms and beaches on the island. Liked both places very very much; there’s just something very appealing about the slow, relaxed oceanside life. Can’t figure out what that might be.  Lowlight was the crazy Brit who talked all night on the overnight ferry back from Zanzibar to Dar.

OK! Glossing over lots here. Dashed up the coast via Tanga to Mombasa, again. Sweet home Mombasa, I missed you so. This is now Kenya, but still the Swahili coast. Spent about 20 minutes before finding a bus north to Voi, a small town in between the port and Nairobi. Helped a friend of a friend by following up on a water supply project. Local NGO run by a charismatic former government official… shades of my old job in Qinghai province, PRC.  Felt good to do a bit of “work” along the way. Then to Nairobi for a very quick acquisition of an Ethiopian visa.

Too quick, sadly. With a new American traveling companion, I decided to set out the same day I acquired the visa in order to save time, and to capitalize on some travel tips given by a Somali truck driver from Minneapolis who was headed the same way to see his mother. Yes. I was confused too.

This meant not re-connecting with many different people I met during my last visits to Nairobi.  I suppose I’ll just have to go back.  But leaving quickly meant I got to Ethiopia quite quick:  17 hours in the back of a pickup truck.

Again, this is a novel-length adventure.  Bargaining at a truck depot in a Nairobi suburb at dusk.  Hunkering down with seven men in the back of a government pickup.  Dusty, open truck.  Bumpy, jarring roads.  Almost endurance sport levels of determination, mental focus, and patience required.  But, this is instead of three days in a cargo truck or the rather sketchy local bus. 

Ethiopia!  New culture, new faces.  New language too, Amharic dominates.  You might remember it from Mel Gibson’s Passion film… in part because Ethiopia is the second oldest Christian nation on earth.  It is also basically the only African country not to have been colonized.  So a proud, independent place with a really fascinating history.

And terrible transportation.  Ten days from Moyale to Jinka and through the Oro Valley.  Visiting National Geographic-level local cultures, the kinds where birthday suits are every day garb and large plates hang from the lower lips of the women.  Really.  Mind-blowing. 

Looped northward after some waiting and waiting and waiting for the Isuzu trucks that service the area.  No buses.  Lots of riding in the backs of trucks.  Finally arrived in Addis on Saturday, and have been wallowing in pizza and hot showers.

Right now working on Sudanese visa. More coherence later…