A burned out, rusted fuselage next to the taxiway. Vultures lurking on the tin roofs of the terminal. The air thin and wood-smoky. Welcome to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the world’s third highest capital at 7,200 feet. Jim braved the restrooms. Before we could catch our breath, we were off again; Cape Town landing in six hours. From Addis to CPT, it’d be our last plane flight. Another good reason to take two years to do this trip – we don’t care to get on another plane for a long time.

The last (and only) time I was here was in 2011 when I accompanied a woman I’d only just met to assist her in driving her car from Addis to Nairobi. Too stupid to be scared, I had the time of my life. Another unrepeatable experience; the road from Moyale to Archers Post has been paved since then. Not that the tar will last forever, but chances are it won’t be like it was in 2011. Winding around the thick mud in a 1988 Isuzu bakkie, men helped us find a path around the lorries stuck axel-deep in the mud. They’d been there for days and we could only drive by.

Short rains turned into long rains. The Omo valley was inaccessible and we made Archers Post and the Umojo Women’s camp with nothing but luck and my companion’s wild driving skills. We saw no white people for days. The desert was stunning and green as all getout. Can’t repeat this one, so it’s on to the next African experience, with Jim.