Comments on: And They Stoned Me: The Joy Of Cycling Ethiopia

By: Dave and Deb

Dave and Deb — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:13:37 +0000

Hi Michael,
I think that you are safe to take your girlfriend to Ethiopia. We were taking part in a race and there were a lot of people cycling through at the same time. I think that if it is just you and your girlfriend taking your time going through the country, you will be fine. I think that they were overly excited when groups of people made their way through. It is such a beautiful country. But be warned, I have heard of independent cyclists having rocks thrown at them as well.
Other amazing countries to cycle were…Sudan. They were extremely friendly.
Tanzania-It had great roads and friendly people. Botswana was nice and flat and you ride straight through Chobe National Park. Zambia was amazingly beautiful. Namibia was difficult but breathtaking. Difficult terrain in the Kalahari Desert. Egypt had crazy traffic and South Africa was pure heaven with its awesome roads and campsites. Hope this helps!

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By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 08:34:41 +0000

Great I was trying to convince my girlfriend to cycle with me through Ethiopia, now if she sees this, and my response, my attempt is sunk. Can you suggest any other interesting African countries to cycle through that might be less of a hassle.

Thanks, Michael

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By: Dave and Deb

Dave and Deb — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:18:09 +0000

Ooh, I feel better about that. Thanks

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By: Dave and Deb

Dave and Deb — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:17:06 +0000

I would like to go back and travel through it. We never made it to Lalibela, so we have an excuse to go back. I think it has something to do with being on a bicycle because on rest days we didn’t have a problem at all.

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By: Turner Wright

Turner Wright — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:35:04 +0000

The runner will always overtake the cyclist on the uphill. Sorry the runners had to be throwing stones in this case, though.

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By: brian from nodebtworldtravel.com

brian from nodebtworldtravel.com — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:25:30 +0000

I’m glad I didn’t bike when I went to Ethiopia. But the fact that you stood out and they feel that anyone that can afford to visit can afford to give them money is a sad state of affairs. Beautiful country and so much more than I expected.

Just glad I missed the stoning part…

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By: Ryukyu Mike

Ryukyu Mike — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:38:02 +0000

An awesome story and interesting follow-on comments.

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By: Dave and Deb

Dave and Deb — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:26:58 +0000

Thanks for all the comments and sharing your experiences. Cheers!

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By: Dave and Deb

Dave and Deb — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:26:20 +0000

Those situations can get scary. A nice innocent moment gone bad. Been there before, good thing a bus was coming.

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By: Dave and Deb

Dave and Deb — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:24:46 +0000

Haha, I also remember kids cycling on their old bikes leaving us in the dust. They were fast and they loved racing with us. Big smiles on their faces as they left us behind and everyone on the side of the road laughed and laughed. Crazy.
Definitely give Africa a try, if you can survive cycling Asia, you can survive East Africa.

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