"The only wild animals I got a good look at during the entire tour of the country were some Gelada Baboons, on the edge of the escarpment. Though while in this same area, I did also get a sighting of an ibex, in the far distance. 
 
The next day's treck was to be spent walking along the undulating edge of the escarpment, at an altitude of between 9 and 10,000ft. I would like to have gone on to some of the far off peaks, but was told to reach one of them and get back would take at least another 4 days, way beyond my budget.
 
Our lunchstop was at the ruins of a small hotel that had been destroyed by a bomb during the war. At least the nearby spring still ran, enabling us to have a wash and get some water, so I could make a drink of tea for us all, on my small stove. That evening, after a suberb day's treck, we arrived at a farm, similar to the one where we had stayed the previous night, and again I was made very welcome. I think what made this treck so enjoyable for me, was that I got on so well with the guide and rangers, and they in turn, had, I felt, gone out of their way to make me feel at home. I can’t help but wonder whether I would have had such an interesting experience had I been part of a group. 
 
On the 3rd and last day of my treck we had a final look at the view from the escarpment, then started what was to be an easy walk back down a well worn track towards Debark. About halfway we stopped for a coffee at the farm of another of our ranger's relatives. Again, the home -brew came out, making for a relaxing break.
 
We arrived back in Debark at 5:00pm after another enjoyable day. The treck had cost me about £75, far more than I had planned on spending, but I had no regrets. It had been the most enlightening experience which I will have fond memories of for years to come. That evening after a meal at the hotel, where I had been able to join a Japanese traveller who had just arrived, and was about to make a similar treck to mine. I had a last drink in the hotel bar with the guide and rangers before turning in for a well earned rest. 
 
The following morning I had a leisurely breakfast and was just setting off for a walk when my guide came running up to tell me a bus with a wedding party on it was about to leave for the Tekezé River and they could give me a lift. The part of the route ahead up to Aksum had been a worry from the start, as I had been told that the bridge over this river had been destroyed in the war and the only way across was by a beaches boy. Because of this there was no official public transport going beyond Debark, and I knew that if I was to travel this section I would have to rely on a vehicle going upto the river, then after I had got across, finding another lift from the other side. I rushed back to my room, quickly packed, paid my bill, and within a few minutes had joined the bus that had been waiting for me. Though the bus was fairly crowded they found me a seat near the door, enabling me to get pleanty of good photos through the door's open window of some spectacular scenery. 
 
For the most part the passengers on the bus seemed a happy bunch. A mix of all ages, family and friends, some wearing smart western style clothes, while others were in local dress. The bride and groom, still in their wedding outfits, sat in the seat behind the driver, with a group of lads behind them, whose job seemed to be to hand out food to the rest of the guests, including myself. Further down the bus a group of older men were singing to the accompaniment of a young lad playing  a Krar, a local 4 stringed instrument. Combined with the breathtaking scenery along this section of road, I soon got the feeling this was going to be another memorable day. On reaching the river we all had to walk about a quarter of a mile to where a cable had been strung across, with a simple gondola like basket hanging from it, which was being used to convey people to the other side. This process was taking around 20 minutes to get 4 people across, and with other parties waiting I figured it would take hours before I reached the other side. It was about as hot as I have experienced anywhere and I soon found waiting in the sun far too exhausting. I wandered off to look for some shade and came across some local lads wading across with baggage on their heads, where the river was fairly shallow. After watching them for a while, and seing how deep they went in, with my bag high on my back, I decided to follow them. Though I must say I found it scary at times, when the water came upto my chest and I had a job to keep my balance in the strong current, but I made it. Despite being sosaked from the chest down, within half an hour in the heat I was almost dry. - MH