If you have ever thought about doing an “Indiana Jones” and have a pre-war Lancia, (or any other classic) now’s the time to get in touch with Bart Kleyn for next year’s Via Flaminia Coloniale Ethiopian Rally. Bart has recced out the route and below are some of the places he’s got scheduled.
And as everyone by now knows, Ethiopia was once a hotbed of neat Italian cars…some still surface here and there. According to Kleyn, “In the five years that the Italians did colonize Ethiopia they left a deep impression. Most of the road system we know in this vast country was constructed during that period, just before the war. With the Italians came not only the roads but also the cars. In that period regular races where held with Alfa’s, OM , Fiat, Maserati and Lancia.”
He’s not sure anyone will find a barn full of old Alfas, but the scenery and history will be fantastic. For 24 days…maybe a a maximum of 30… predominantly pre-war, cars will cover 2500 miles over excellent, Italian based road now covered with with a fresh layer of Chinese asphalt. You’ll venture where others (aside from Indiana Jones perhaps) have feared to tread and discover lost Christian churches hidden away for centuries. Topping it off, you’ll visit the church where the Ark of the Covenant now supposedly resides (bring along a copy of “The Sign and the Seal” for a good read on the way). Visit ExchangeandMart.co.uk for a wide selection of older vehicles.
And what could be a better way than to finish off this adventure by being introduced to the real “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”? The world’s oldest hominoid was found at Hadar in Ethiopia and named for the Beatle’s song which was playing on the radio the evening of the discovery by Donald Johansen in 1974. So get that Astura ready to go!
More information and all you need is available at his website, Via Flaminia.com.
Here are just a few of the high spots of the Coloniale Rally:
November 8 2013: Djibouti
The first day will be spent collecting the cars at the harbour depot and making some last minute checks. And when that is settled it is time for a last plunge in the Indian Ocean. Welcome diner at Bavaria les Acacias Hotel.
November 11, 2013: Lalibela and the underground churches.
Monolytic underground church in Lalibela.
We stay two nights in the best hotel in Lalibela. Early in the morning we visit the 12th and 13th century churches, which are built underground into the rock. These churches are not just there for the tourist but they are a daily part of religious life.
Underground places of worship and stil in daily use today.
November 15 2013: Wikro -Adigrat and the rock-hewn churches.
Until quite recently the rock-hewn churches of Tigray were even unknown to most Ethiopians, let alone the outside world. And even today, some churches are still being “discovered”.
Tigrea rock hewn churches are hard to get to but worth it.
The churches do not function as tourist attraction but are in daily use, some easily accessible, some only accessible after a long walk and a climb (along a rope).
Visits by foreigners are generally tolerated, sometimes welcomed and occasionally met with visible distrust. But the experience of visiting these thousand-year-old churches is worth the trip. Life stands still. In the morning some minibuses will pick us up for the drive to one or two churches nearby. The afternoon is only a short drive to the provincial town of Adigrat.
November 16 2013: Adigrat – Inda Salase and the stelae field of Axum.
Is the fabled Ark of the Covenant behind these walls?
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims that the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum houses the Biblical Ark of the Covenant in which lie the Tablets of Law upon which the Ten Commandments are inscribed. This same church was the site where Ethiopian emperors were crowned.
The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion.
November 20 2013: Bahir Dar and the lake monasteries.
In Bahir Dahr we have a day of rest and remain in a truly excellent resort with a lake-side swimming pool. A good place to relax after almost two weeks, but also a good staging point for excursions to the 14th century monasteries found on the many islands on the lake.
Religious art from the Lake Tana Monastery.
Many of the monasteries house fascinating treasures. Kabran Gebriel houses a library of almost 200 ancient books. Daga Istafanos has the mummified remnants of five former emperors of Ethiopia, while at Tana Krikos stand three pillars which support the legend that this island kept the Ark of the Convenant for 800 years.
November 21, 22 2013: Bahir Dar – Addis Abeba
The high-lands between Bahir Dar and Addis Abeba are only interrupted by the Blue Nile Gorge. Over a distance of 45 kilometers, the road first meanders sharply down into the blistering heat of the gorge, some 1000 meters below and then meanders back up. On the way up and down you are sure to run into the occasional (overloaded) truck, which has broken down or gone through its brakes. A fascinating sight, this gorge.
Nile Gorge is more than 1000 meters deep.
From Addis the rally ventures south, where we meet African indigenous people with bead-woven clothes and decorated skin. We will be visiting diverse tribes all with their specific cultures.
November 27, 28 2013: Turmi – Konso – Arba Minch
The afternoon can be spent with a visit via 4×4 to Chencha. This little village is set at an altitude of 2,900 meters and has incredible views back to the Rift Valley lakes. The Dorze people build their houses entirely from organic material and can measure up to 6 meters high. When the bottom starts to rot they cut the house loose from the ground and move it to a fresh place, thus reducing the height of the construction.
One of the unusual huts, which are cut from the bottom and moved as the organic material decays.
On December 1st, we will meet the Ethiopian High Land Rally entrants who will bring the best of their rally cars for a race in Addis. Italians never lose their passion for cars, passing it on to the next generation even while far from “home”.
Before bringing the cars back to the containers who will ship them back to Europe via Djibouti, we have one last parade through the streets of Addis Abeba to the National Museum. There the prizes will be awarded under the watchful eye of Lucy, the oldest known humanoid.