We drove through the Blue Nile Gorge (between Fiche and Debra Markos) where the Italian-built, steep, narrow road winds and twists making two-lane traffic almost impossible. A kilometer deep, the impressive gorge cradles the fabled, romantic waterway of the Nile.

One of several patches of mud trapped a bus so we waited in scorching heat as an enormous tractor pulled out the beaten, old, blue vehicle loaded with people and their belongings. Throughout the day, the rocky road abused us, jerking our bodies up, down, right and left. We could travel no faster than 30 to 50 km per hour making the 550-km stretch to Bahar Dar a very, very slow one, but through spectacular country.