Twenty years ago Julia and I set out on an adventure to explore and meet the tribes of southern Ethiopia. We had been in northern Ethiopia in 2004 to visit the stone hewn churches of the orthodox Christian’s.
We set out from Addis Ababa with a driver-guide, Atnafu, and cook, Mustafa, in a Toyota SUV packed with camping gear on our journey to Lake Turkana on the border with Kenya. There are not many “camp grounds” in Ethiopia but Atnafu had a plan. We would drive until we found a suitable site and set up camp. We were quite a site and you can imagine we always grew a crowd of onlookers. To say it was hot and dirty would be an understatement but we always found a way to get a shower at the end of the day. We saw a few animals along the way: giraffes, Cape buffalo and the largest crocodiles we have ever seen to this day. We met people from tribes we were searching for including: Hamer and Mursi tribe members.
All in all that part of trip was quite an adventure and the plan was for us to rendezvous with our Kenyan guide at lake Turkana and continue our journey up the Omo river to the stronghold of where these tribes live.
Eventually our Kenyan guide, Halowyn, arrived in two boats for our journey up the river, one boat full of gear, a second for us explorers. After an unimaginable lunch of fresh greens in a salad and wonderful charcuterie, we headed for the mouth of the river. As we reached the area of a sandbar we had to cross to enter the river, it was sadly evident there was not enough water to float our boats. We were in the water up to our knees but were unsuccessful in getting the boats to move over the sand. With crocs in the water our pushing efforts did not last long. Our plans to explore the Omo River delta were dashed. We did go on to have an enjoyable time with Halowyn, exploring other places and tribes around the lake.
So now we sit on the shore of the Omo just above the delta where we were stuck 20 years ago.
This year we started about midway down the river and spend time in a camp near the Mursi tribe. On we traveled down the hersey brown river in the very same boat as 20 years ago to a second camp to visit the Hamer and Kara tribes and we finish our travels with the Dasenach tribe in the river delta just above where we had been stuck.
After 20 years there seems to be little progress in the lives of these tribes. There is a random cell phone in a few guys hands and a solar panel near the odd hut. They are guardedly friendly and curious towards us as we stroll through the village. Last night we were in a remote village that may see no more than a handful of outsiders a year. The reception was slightly guarded at first but gradually the people warmed to us.
So after 20 years we close the chapter on our Omo adventure having come full circle. I don’t imagine we will ever be back in this area but we leave having met wonderful people just trying to survive with their families. Lovely people although our worlds could not be further apart.
We started this trip at the Bwindi Community Hospital for the ground breaking of a new clinic, an effort to improve the sight and dental condition of those in Bwindi, Uganda. Next we went to Queen Elizabeth park to see some animals and left with the hope of putting a tracking collar on a lion to better understand the lions habits and travels. Next stop was the DRC and saw the conservation efforts of African Parks as they fight to defend the animals and nature from marauding poachers. We have been exceeding priviledged with opportunities in travel.
I guess Julia and I are lucky to have found each other with both of us enjoying to travel to what seems to be the end of the world. The heat and dirt and bugs don’t seem to be a deterrent, although challenging at times. We don’t know what’s next but remember this thought I have picked up somewhere.
“Travel is the only purchase you make that makes you richer”
Adventures with Julia 