Time For More Ethiopian Coffee

Remember that tire? You know. The one that flew off my motorcycle in Zambia and that was miraculously found more than a month later. But perhaps more amazing was that the founder schlepped it to a Christian mission where a missionary eventually contacted me. And thanks to the kindness of Lusaka’s KTM dealer, Ray Wilson […]

Market Meandering & Historical Heresy in Addis Ababa.

Hazy Addis. Not so much pollution but humidity effect. Above entrance to what was once palace to Selassie and below fountain in the gardens. My taxi driver Debebe Asafa (+251-911-190-418) and I hanging in front of the Addis University Museum. This was once palace to Halie Selassie At the National Museum in Addis a painting […]

Ras Tafari – Returning Home To Africa

While I consider myself to be attune and aware of world history, and topical events of the 19th and 20th centuries, I have to admit my ignorance to the influence of Haile Selassie on Jamaica and his importance to the dope-smoking, reggae playing and laid back lifestyle of Rastafarians. Nor did I know of his […]

All Roads Lead To Addis.

Addis Ababa. Say it three times. Okay. Four. It’s fun. But here in Ethiopia it’s simply: Addis. The ride to Addis takes you through a valley passing between lakes AbIyata and Langana where cattle and goat herders make attentiveness even more important. Villages with traditional round floor plans and thatched roofing and of course there’s […]

Speed of Life.

It seems that since leaving Kenya a scant week ago, I’ve been on the run. And after a couple day of riding through the both verdant hills and semi-arid deserts landscaped pocked with people sporting gleaming smiles evoking a contentment that would be hard to contemplate back home where our lives are sped up and […]

The Donkey Did It.


Stones thrown or throwing stones. Breaking mirrors in Ethiopia.

The road from Konso to Yabelo is slow going at times and others it’s easy to pick up the pace — albeit with the usual chattering noises of spitting gravel and stones and the incessant vibration of the handlebars and other parts on the bike. Pissed that I came this way only to turn around […]

Hard Rains Come & Gone

When I started this journey nearly three years ago Ethiopia wasn’t on my list of countries. And I’m not sure why. But I’m more than pleasantly surprised. And happy. It’s hard to express. This feeling I’ve got about Ethiopia. Beyond the images of malnourished children, the stories told by Bob Geldof or the warnings of […]

Ripped Off In Kenya, And The Amazing Return.

What was supposed to be an early start for the Ethiopian border crossing now was looking to be a mid-afternoon departure. First things first. I had to get the bike unloaded from the lorry. My preference was to unload it somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of this Kenya border town. Getting both the […]

No Man’s Land: Nairobi to Moyale.

With the rain pelting the windshield and the windshield wipers offered additional percussion to the Kenyan music blasting distortedly through the trucks sole speaker I knew I was in for a long ride. I didn’t have much information either. Sitting in a cab with my driver Abdulah and Sofia, a young 14 year old girl […]