From Bahir Dar, Dangla, Injibara, Bure, Debre Markos, Dejen and Goha Tsiyon, I cycled 342 kilometres and travelled 180 kilometres on a 20 wheeled truck to reach the town of Toto on the 17th of October, a few kilometres away from my destination to Addis Ababa.

The original plan was to cycle the 180 kilometres instead of hitching a ride with the truck driver but the condition I faced was formidable. Goha Tsiyon had such a great gradient slope; it would be so much difficult to scale the hill than I had anticipated. Two to three kilometres upwards and I got enclosed by 40 to 45 monkeys. The hill had almost zero human traffic, the jungle was run by monkeys and they made it apparent I was invading their home or they just smelt my biscuits and green corns in my haversack. I had a bicycle pump that scared the monkeys off because I guess it looked like a gun to them. I realised the abundance of monkeys were going to make my journey up tricky besides the sharp slope. Furthermore, I was not in the pink of health. I was also running out of time to reach Addis Ababa by the 18th of October because my visa for the country was ending by the 20th so seeing the truck gave me a better option of reaching the town in one piece and on time.

One of the things that makes all this touring so worth it is the people I meet everyday. While I was in Injibara, I was followed by some 20-30 young kids pestering me for money. Every tourist’s rule is not to give out cash to not encourage them further so I tried my best to smile but ignore their requests. I was on my bicycle and the huge troop ran after me, somewhere along the way my camera had dropped from my bag. I was resting in a small restaurant for lunch when a bigger group of 50 to 60 kids came to me as I got out of the restaurant, patiently waiting for me. Seeing the large group, I felt a little tense until I realised they were just waiting to pass me my camera. I was touched by their honesty. They could have easily sold off that camera for money or kept it for themselves but they chose to return it back to me without any cost or advantage for them. They just knew it was the right thing to do so I offered them US $ 10 out of respect for these little kids with good hearts. They refused the money, they said it was just the culture, just what they do to tourists, they actually do not ask for money because they want it but for the fun of it and if I wanted to pay them for their kindness, $1-$2 would suffice. Somehow I convinced them to take the $10. It always feels nice to meet people like that but the mentality of a small town person is way different from a person living in the capital city. Just yesterday, I nearly became the victim of two pick pockets in a day.

So far I am enjoying myself as I wait for my visa for South Sudan. Stay well, be happy and have fun!