Desert floor, 1997
Towards Illeret (Part two)
We drove on towards Illeret. Around a bend we came across two police Land Rovers. Four young police officers stood in front of the vehicles; another man was on the bunk of one of the cars. We stopped to say hello. The men spoke a little English. We offered water, which was gladly accepted. I asked if the man in the back wanted water too. The police said it wasn't necessary. I said, I really had enough water with me, to which the police said it was okay if I really wanted to. The man in the back was handcuffed to the vehicle. When I gave him the bottle, I saw a wound in the abdomen, probably a gunshot wound. I told the policemen that I had bandages with me - whereupon they made me understand that it wasn't necessary. I didn't dare to insist and we set off again.
Later Illeret came into view. Two helicopters and military trucks could be seen from afar. We didn’t think anything good. When we got there, they made it clear to us that we couldn't think of going any further. A gang of around 100 robbers from Ethiopia had crossed the border two days ago to steal cattle. Several people were killed, including two police officers. Now we were suddenly able to classify the experiences of the last few days!
We weren't allowed to cross the border. There was nothing left but to drive back 500 km and reach Ethiopia via the main route (another 500 km). Our mood had sunk to rock bottom. Only the last bottle of whiskey from the couple from the second Rover helped us to get through the evening reasonably well.
Camera: Nikon F90
Film: Kodachrome 200
Scanner: Epson V850 Pro
Desert floor, 1997
Towards Illeret (Part two)
We drove on towards Illeret. Around a bend we came across two police Land Rovers. Four young police officers stood in front of the vehicles; another man was on the bunk of one of the cars. We stopped to say hello. The men spoke a little English. We offered water, which was gladly accepted. I asked if the man in the back wanted water too. The police said it wasn't necessary. I said, I really had enough water with me, to which the police said it was okay if I really wanted to. The man in the back was handcuffed to the vehicle. When I gave him the bottle, I saw a wound in the abdomen, probably a gunshot wound. I told the policemen that I had bandages with me - whereupon they made me understand that it wasn't necessary. I didn't dare to insist and we set off again.
Later Illeret came into view. Two helicopters and military trucks could be seen from afar. We didn’t think anything good. When we got there, they made it clear to us that we couldn't think of going any further. A gang of around 100 robbers from Ethiopia had crossed the border two days ago to steal cattle. Several people were killed, including two police officers. Now we were suddenly able to classify the experiences of the last few days!
We weren't allowed to cross the border. There was nothing left but to drive back 500 km and reach Ethiopia via the main route (another 500 km). Our mood had sunk to rock bottom. Only the last bottle of whiskey from the couple from the second Rover helped us to get through the evening reasonably well.
Camera: Nikon F90
Film: Kodachrome 200
Scanner: Epson V850 Pro