Ethiopian Encounters

Riding at my own speed I had extremely interesting encounters with the locals.

I had an English class on the hilly road to Gondar with a 12 year old boy whose mind was sharper than his tongue.
A young man offered me a demonstration of his riding skills in the historic town of Gondar.
Several times I had young children push my bike up the hill when the going got tough. "You not can drive?" was the inevitable question under raised eyebrows. "Nope" was my smiling reply. And right away they offered their help. Crowds cheered and encouraged me when I was slowly making my way up the hills and into the villages grunting and sweating.
I had men taking their hat off when greeting me, women showing me their brightest smile and children screaming at their loudest, their little voice failing out of too much excitement.