Hi guys,

So following our experiences with the Sudanese police, we managed to enter over into Ethiopia relatively easily. We spent our first evening having a couple of beers (we had been dry for a week!), and playing volleyball with the locals in a small town where we were staying. Driving through Ethiopia to Gonder was absolutely stunning, its such a pretty country and so green - don't believe the charity ads, the countryside is very lush hehe! You could instantly tell though that the country is a lot poorer than Sudan, with the housing and also the dress of the people.

In Gonder we visited the Royal Enclosures which were just ruins (apparently we bombed them during the second World War as the Italians were using them as shelter), before heading off into the Simbien Mountains for a couple of days. The mountains were picturesque, looked a bit like the Grand Canyon, and were stunning. We also saw Gelada Baboons which was cool. Following on from Gonder, we travelled to Lalibela to visit the rock strewn churches (in the picture). They were interesting, as they were carved down into the ground, but as they are so well known and revered, I was a little disappointed that they weren't amazing. Anyway my body decided to give up on me during this time and I didn't really eat (except a bit of bread) for 3 days. Managed to still do everything, but felt pretty shocking - even more annoying is that despite not eating, I didn't lose any weight at all!!

From Lalibela, we went to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana, to visit the Blue Nile Falls and to see hippos in the lake. The Blue Nile Falls have been described as being a little smaller than Niagara Falls, but when we went, they were a tiny trickle - we weren't amused at all! We also didn't see any hippos in the lake, so it wasn't a great day, but as with everything here, we're just having a laugh and being silly, so it was fine.

So from Bahir Dar, we drove to Abbis Ababa where I currently am. Abbis is pretty cool - its quite a large city and is pretty lively. We went out last night to local bars and got a little bit drunk. Managed to negotiate double vodkas for 1 pound each and ending up dancing in some random bar, but it was lots of fun. The guys here are as sleazy as Egypt, but managed to get one of the boys to be my fiance for the night, so I had a pretty hassle free night. Today we've been to the largest market in Africa, which is a little crazy and visited a supermarket - you forget just how exciting the little things are when you travel! As you've probably guessed I'm back on normal food and alcohol, which has been the most exciting part of my week, so tonight we're off for our last bit of western food (and meat!) for a week. We've got 5 nights of bush camping travelling down through Ethiopia and into Kenya, so I'm savouring my last shower tonight! I don't think we're in Kenya for long before we travel across to Uganda and Rwanda to visit the mountain gorillas, which I'm so looking forward to!

I've enjoyed Ethiopia but not as much as I thought I would. The country is beautiful, but I'm not a fan of the people. Everyone demands money off us, and one lady wanted the trousers I was wearing. I can only think its a result of aid, as they must just assume that every westerner will give them anything they demand and thats why they're so demanding. The men are also pretty sleazy, so we've been using our fists a bit!

Not sure when I'll next get internet, but would be good to hear from everyone - hope everything is going well! xx