Then away to Addis back along the same road that we had driven 2 days before hand.

Lunch at a very much local restaurant with what seems all of the patrons were going to Kulubi. They looked really happy and were in a jubilant mood. Not wanting a large meal, I asked for spaghetti expecting like the previous meals spaghetti and some sauce to come in a bowl with at least a fork. It came with injera so another meal eaten with my right hand. Apparently they had no knives nor forks. Eating long spaghetti kind of rolled up in the injera was interesting.

Driving along I saw a train in front of me … What's up? A train but the railway line was just being rebuilt by the Chinese (of course!). It turned out to be a Chinese made engine on the back of a truck being taken to the railway line currently being built from Addis to its neighbouring country Djibouti which is land locked Ethiopia primary port entry.






















































































A brief coffee / coke stop at Awash then the final leg of today's 525 km journey was finished with taking the 99 km expressway that had literally no traffic at all. We were able to travel well above the 100 km speed limit at 120 km. Why didn't we take Expressway on our way east 2 days ago?
 


Dropping Susanne off at the Hilton Hotel where she was being picked up by her friends, it was off to the ETT office to settle my financial compensation for now having 2 people on my tour.

Finally dropped off at Bole Ambassador Hotel and joined 7 of the 11 including me on this trip as they finished their dinner. I didn't wanted a large dinner and to my surprise most of the pasta items were not available.

Rift Valley wine for 220 birr / NZ$14.70 / US$10.80 was charged to some of the group though the menu stated just 85 birr / NZ$5.70 / US$4.20. I suppose that because of what I had just been through at ETT office negotiating my reduced trip cost, I waded in as well. In the end the hotel relented and accepted that they had made an error.

As for the room ... wow, nothing like the previous G Adventures joining Ras Hotel. Pity I was only here for a few hours to sleep and did not really have time to really enjoy the luxurious room, especially after my 2 weeks down south in those more than adequate hotel / motel / lodge rooms that we stayed in!