Simien Mts to Axum

Young girl herding sheep outside Debark	Hillside farm with thatched huts	Descending along the Simien escarpment on the road to Axum	The road from Debark to Axum crosses part of the Simien Mountains National Park
The Italian-built road from Debark to Axum	Along the road north from Debark	One of the world's great drives, the road north from Debark	The rugged landscape we had seen from atop the Simien Escarpment
Looks like a patch of hillside land was burned	Rugged landscape north of the Simien Mountains makes for slow travel	At least the dirt road is in reasonable condition	Crossing a bridge
Rugged landscape north of the Simien Escarpment	Rugged landscape north of the Simien Escarpment	Distinctive peak	Shark's tooth peak with a small village
Shark's tooth peak with a small village	It's a very scenic drive...	The Italian road snaking its way through the rugged landscape	Getting closer to the mesas and pillars we had seen from the escarpment
Adarkai, Ethiopia (903 km from Addis)	"Monument Valley"	"Monument Valley"	"Monument Valley"
No matter how remote an area we thought we were in...	...when we would stop, kids would magically appear	Partially terraced hillside	The first bit of flat land north of the Simien Mountains
Another village, north of Adi Ar Kay	What's with the red "X"?	Roadside village, Buya or Haida?	Maytsebry, Ethiopia - a wide dusty avenue like the Old West
A straight stretch of road	The road from Debark to Axum around Haida	The road from Debark to Axum around Haida	Village of grass huts
Interestingly, the dirt surface of the road changes color	Last village before the descent to the Tekeze River	Looking across the river valley of the Tekeze River to the Italian road climbing into Tigray Province	This section of road was also carved out of the mountain by the Italians
His passengers were French and had been stuck with improper tools for about an hour	The other drive wasn't able to get his spare off the mount	Our driver stopped to help out another Land Cruiser driver in distress	We were lucky and didn't have any mechanical trouble with our ancient Land Cruiser
Our driver helping another driver with a tire change	Tekeze River, a major tributary of the Atbara River, which joins the Nile north of Khartoum	Stragetic bridge across the Tekeze River	The Tekeze River has carved a canyon 2000m deep in places
Ruins of a hilltop fort along the Tekeze River	Driving along the Tekeze River	The Tekeze River separates the Ethiopian states of Amhara and Tigray	Cattle crossing the Tekeze River
Upstream several hundred km, the Chinese have built a giant hydroelectric power station on the Tekeze	The bridge across the Tekeze River, a major link between northern and southern Ethiopia	Remains of an older bombed out bridge from one of Ethiopia's earlier conflicts	Bullet scarred fortifications on the north bank of the Tekeze River progecting the bridge
Skeletal remains of another destroyed bridge across the Tekeze River	Crossing the bridge over the Tekeze River	Bullet ridden fortifications, Tekeze River	The tiny village on the north shore of the Tekeze River in Tigray Province
Looking back to the Tekeze River Bridge	Baobab along the dusty red road	Tracks completely covering the hill after centuries of grazing	Hills on the northern bank of the Tekeze River
Criss-crossed goat paths on a hillside	Togo Ber, the first village on the Tigray side of the river	Togo Ber, stone huts with rubble	Cones rising out of the flat plain
Interesting tree along the road	2257m	The first camels we've seen in Ethiopia	Endabaguna, Ethiopia
Endabaguna, Ethiopia	Endabaguna, Ethiopia	Endabaguna, Ethiopia	Pack camel, Endabaguna
War memorial, Endabaguna	The road north to Axum	War relic from 1991, a Soviet-built T-55 tank	T-55 tank stripped of its tread
T-55 Main Battle Tank	The tank must have been defending this crossing	T-55 tank	Keith the Conqueror
War relic along the road to Axum - T-55 tank	War relic along the road to Axum - T-55 tank	Don't think I'll make any calendars...	Destroyed T-55 tank
Landscape looking west from the Axum road	Another disabled T-55 tank from 1991	This does look like "good" tank terrain	Disabled T-55 facing north along the Axum road
T-55 relic from the 1991 civil war	Soviet-built BTR-60 armored personel carrier with a turret-less T-55	T-55 tank, abandoned where it's stood since 1991	Shady tree and rocky bluff
The Chinese are improving the road to Axum	Chinese road building equipment outside Shire	Construction shell with not much activity, Shire	Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Shire (Endaselassie)
New building nearing completion, Shire (Endaselassie)	Mian roundabout, Shire (Endaselassie)	Camel in the roundabout	General Hayelom Araya monument, Shire
Mosque of Shire	Shire (Endaselassie)	Gebar Shire Hotel, Endaselassie	Beer depot, Shire (Endaselassie)
Lunch break at the Africa Hotel, Shire (Endaselassie)	Menu of Ethiopian dishes, Shire	Parked camel, Shire	Billboard for Dashen Beer, Shire-Axum road
Chinese-led road construction crew improving the road from Shire to Axum	When complete, that will make the journey much easier, but probably just as dangerous as people will drive too fast	I'm no expert but looks like the Chinese are using child labor in Ethiopia road construction...	Chinese road equipment, Shire-Axum road
Chinese road equipment, Shire-Axum road	Pack camel with large pottery jugs being led along the Shire-Axum Road	Village between Shire and Axum	Landscape between Shire and Axum
Some kids of cactus looking plant	View south from the Shire-Axum Road	View south from the Shire-Axum Road	Another destroyed T-55 tank from the 1991 Civil War
I'm a bit surprised they've just left these here for 18 years...	T-55 war relic between Shire and Axum	Soviet-built T-55 tank between Shire and Axum	Me on top of a T-55
Me walking the barrel of the gun	Roadside village between Shire and Axum	Minaret of a small mosque near Axum	Some kind of mining operation outside Axum
Detour ahead	More much needed road construction	License plate - Ethiopian military DF	When they're done, this should be a nice paved road
Village outside Axum	Yellow and aqua-green seem to the the Ethiopian mosque coloros	Village a short distance west of Axum	Depot of China Gezhouba Corporation Ethiopia AAS Road Department, near Axum
Succulent vegetation outside Axum