Page 3 of 3: backtracking3

As I begin the final ascent I cannot recall riding a path this tiny through the bushes. I nail my boots to the footrests, stand on the bike, look up, grit my teeth and accelerate. The jungle swallows us. The characters that appear in front of us greet us but do not beg. Not many whites make it this far. So isolated, the people here are guardians of a treasure whose value they do not know.

I find the skeleton of the palace and the remains of a tower. All around lie scattered stones that formed the walls of the church. The peasants have used them to build their homes. There is not even a single latticed Portuguese arch left. Nothing remains of the Jesuits. Ironically the Englishman known as Speke has a plaque on Lake Victoria in Uganda as the discoverer of the sources of the White Nile. Whereas Páez owns a black hole in a remote location. How different are the nations in the treatment of their children.

However, sniffing the pregnant and peppermint forest aroma, and contemplating this amazing landscape, brings to my memory the outrageous circus of tourists around the castle of Gondar. Perhaps this perfect solitude is the best tribute to a great man named Pedro Páez.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

• Visa obtained at the embassy—$ 20
• Carne du Passage issued by the RACE

CURRENCY

• 1 Euro = 23 Birr

TYPICAL FOOD

• Injera and tibs: acid-flat bread and spicy meat to pour over the bread

WHERE TO SLEEP

• Gondar: Hotel Ghoa. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Good views over the city, clean Internet. 50 Euros
• Bahir Dar. Ghion Hotel. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. euros. A little decrepit but centrally and conveniently located on the shores of Lake Tana
• Gorgora: Camping Tim & Kim. Lodges This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. without running water. 15 Euros. Idyllic situation. Environment travelers

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