It was in the south Omo region of Ethipoia I met the most impressive people of the whole trip. The MURSI . The most dangerous tribe of Ethiopia and maybe the most dangerous tribe of Africa.

These are the ones I had to go to. It took me three days to drive through the far remote area of South-East Ethiopia. The South Omo region where the Omoriver supports the wildest area I've ever been. These people appeared to me like a trip. It was unreal. They don't look like human beeings. I felt like I reached the end of the world and maybe a bit further when I arrived there.

Behind this place there is nothing anymore. They make the border between life and death. And that is what they showed me. The only known things I saw in this area were kalashnikovs. About 15 of them. Two of them very very close. One on my chin and one in my face. I already saw myself in a big pan on the fire. I survived tse-tse fly attacks and the worst tracks of the whole journey so far. I crossed broken bridges by driving through several rivers in spite of that I never reached the Omo.
I never saw that stream of energy that brings all that life, that WILD life, there. I'm wondering about the way the people I want to visit say hello to somebody. It used all the braveness and courage and experiance and power to survive this game. I made it.

Mursi look like fabulous creatures in dreamland out of the strangest tale one can imagine. They are naked. Their bodies are covered in ashes and painted with white stripes. Woman wear these lipplates. Most of them have no hair. Their faces are painted with extraterristical-like patterns in white. The pattern continues in their hairstyle if they have hair. Some of them very simple. Asymetric. A white stripe from the forehead to the chin and a white circle around one eye only. They have these plates in their ears and lips. From far away it looks like they have three big eyes. Childern carry spears or sticks. The man are basically naked too but every man wears a shotgun. A man without a rifle is no man.

Communication is not possible. Their language sounds like the one from extraterristicals. -Aliens. But I was the alien here. Like John Dunbar in 'Dances with wolves'. I couldn't find out who their chief is but I relied on a ghost like girl with big white circles painted around here eyes and two big feathers on her head mounted like feelers or antennas for spirits. An angel out of another world some 8 million miles from home.

This is not the world as I know it.

I left them on the same day as I arrived as a friend. A friend of the farest people. I understood they are in a warsituation like they are always as the ethiopians told me and I could not go to reach my goal: to see the Omoriver.
The last bridge was broken and the Mursi on the other side of the river the ethiopians said are NOT friendly as the ones on this side of the river. And the bridge was really broken and that river to deep and the current to strong and nature won. I turned around. There was no possible way for me to get there. This will be for next time. Later I found out that there is another way to a place called Omorate. A village at the Omoriver where people dance in Leopardskins. I considered going back but then rains and the fact that I've been for almost a month in a remote area of Kenya (around Loiyangalani) already with tribal people, made me continueing towards north.

In Kenya I stayed with three of the most impressive tribes of Kenya. (The Samburu, the Turkana which look Mohican like and the Rendille the testical cutting moon-relying tribe) I like the way these people deal with the basics and develop much more culture as whites ever did. And somehow its good that this bridge is broken. Like this the Rivermursi are left alone and they keep their way of life without influence of our 'modern' way of life. I know that I bring some influence to them as well but I also try to learn from them. Not to teach them as all these missionarys try to do. And I did learn from the Mursi. Maybe now I'm not going to heaven anymore... sorry.

By the way September 11th is newyear in Ethiopia. They use the Julian solar calendar which has its roots in ancient Egypt and is made of 12 equal moths of 30 days each and a 13th month consisting of 5 or 6 days. So I'm looking forward to 1991 because here at the moment it's still 1990. HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Paul