The remains of the war
Last night we slept higher up, so it wasn’t as hot and we got a much better rest. The bed at the Hotel Africa was comfortable, and I made the most of it to sleep like a baby.
We leave Midda heading for Were Ilu. It will be a long stage, but fairly flat. The tracks are tiresome, very stony, but the scenery is lovely. We pass through several small villages of mud-and-straw houses, while the remains of the war remind us that this beautiful place also had its dark past.
We stop for lunch in Degolo, a small village where we take the chance to flop down in the shade and recover from the intense heat, which is fierce again. And what better way to do it than with a real Ethiopian coffee.
The road ends in the pretty village of Were Ilu, where a small hotel awaits us. Were Ilu is an interesting place. It isn’t very big, and it has a church and a mosque. In the evening we head to the village bar, and what at first looks like a simple trip to a bar for a cold beer turns into a very interesting night. The bar’s boss doesn’t let things get out of hand, and to be honest it’s very pleasant: as soon as someone has had one too many, he throws them out. People come over to talk to us, ask about our trip and take photos. It’s plain that there isn’t much tourism round here… One of the people who come over to talk to us is the village policeman, who, Kalashnikov in hand, welcomes us and lets us know that he’s there and we can relax. To be honest, we weren’t nervous. We thank him for the gesture by buying him a beer, which he turns down at first, without much conviction, and finally agrees to drink. He even walks us back to the hotel. Once again, the best part of the day has been the time spent with the villagers.