Today is going to be busy. I have already started packing in preparation for flying home from Addis tomorrow, but before we leave we have to move the Enterprise across the road to the grass compound for storage. That is going to be where the bridge building comes in.
2 days ago another overland vehicle arrived. We had met Australians, Miles and Marina, in passing in Uganda. As they were the first similar vehicle we had seen, we stopped for a chat and have been in email contact ever since. They were on their way to Nairobi for repairs and have taken a more difficult route to get here. Anyway, their truck was the first to test driving over the lowered concrete manhole cover which had prevented us from entering the opposite gate. It failed and broke! it They are now trapped in the camping compound and we can't get in! The plan is for building a bridge using our metal sand plates but the hole is too wide and may cave in. We don't really want to end up in a sewer. What excitement.
You can tell that we have spent too much time here already! We have been enjoying the company of an eclectic mix of travellers, all with interesting stories to tell. We are also relaxed as we have a letter from the Customs Office giving us until 14th December before the vehicle has to exit Ethiopia, over 2 months longer than we asked for. Nor do we have to leave the key and number plate with them. It defies all logic.
Miles and Marina had a similar experience when applying for their Sudanese visas yesterday. The rules say you have to produce a letter from a sponsor in Sudan, proof of funds and accommodation, an Egyptian visa to show you will leave the country, etc. They went fully prepared but were asked for none of that.
It will be good to get home to warmer climes. We are hoping it will stop raining here long enough to cover the Enterprise in the large sheet we had made in South Africa and pleased we brought it with us.
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