I spent around a month in Ethiopia with the benefit of a pillion who can wave early!... and pretty much continuously. We saw quite a few rocks in hand which were immediately dropped in order to wave. I don't feel it has the same meaning as we in Europe think. It is a cultural difference that we are not familiair with or really understand, but there seems to be no malice in it. All part of travel.

I've never had rocks thrown at me, but I did experience goat shepherding youths firing catapults at me while riding through the back blocks of Afghanistan in 1977.

Is this where you got your idea from Tim?

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

A mate of mine was in Ethiopia on his motorcycle and he also had rocks catapulted at him by herd boys up in the mountains. One hit the side of his tank leaving quite a dent and the other wizzed past his head. He wasnt speeding at all, he was on windy roads, he felt it was just the national sport of bored shepherds.

While he was there he met a chap on a motorcycle who did received a direct body shot which resulted in him having a nasty accident.

Had the same experience in my 6 weeks tour around Ethiopia in 2009, And It is a shame…


My rules of engagement where simple: “Fire only when fired upon”. Always had a rock or two in the jacket pocket, and practice made
Good results. Feels great too…
Shoot back/turn around at the bagger!

This thread shows two radically different takes of Africa and its inhabitants.

One is "Nice place - shame about the people"

Two is "Go slowly and give a friendly wave to the people and they'll wave back"

#1 seem to travel in a state of war with pebbles in their pockets.
I belong in #2, thank you (and never had a rock thrown at me).

The OP highlighted Ethiopia. The thread title clearly refers to Ethiopia. One other person referred to Morocco. Since then everybody has been on-topic(ish). So why now your summary of the views of everybody being about "Africa"?

In addtion, as you're quoting me as a summary of one side (your #1) of the discussion on "Africa and its inhabitants", I'd like to clarify I also didn't have any rocks thrown at me in Ethiopia, or anywhere in Africa for that matter. Maybe it was because I was waving too?

In Ethiopia I found the persistent You You You shouting annoying and that virtually everybody I met wanted to share my wealth (begging, inept b/s story etc). Having also travelled in other parts of (financially poor) Africa/ Indian subcontinent/ SE Asia/ Central/ South America I found the overwhelming majority of "non-Ethiopians" only wanted to talk to me because I'm a nice person / practice their English or just ignored me. It was only in Ethiopia where I felt they only wanted my money and I had to lock myself away to avoid them. I suppose their recent history (colonialism/wars/famines etc) hasn't helped their dispostion, but that's the same for lots of other parts of Africa too.

cheers
Chris
PS. I did throw a few stones myself: But only at rabid dogs sprinting next to me trying to chew my leg

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We are currently traveling through Ethiopia on a TVS Apache Motorcycle and have been dismayed by the number of rock throwers we have encountered. It seems the rock throwing has now expanded to include any object at hand. We have had water bottles, clothing and toys thrown at us. Some children, lacking a throwable item, will spit out the food from their mouth into their hand and throw that at us! While the gesture may have initially indicated "slow down" it seems to have become a wide spread habit lacking any discernible meaning. Two Spanish cyclists we met encountered a great deal of rock throwing. They ran into the biggest problem when riding uphill because they couldn't ride fast enough to get away from the kids. On more than one occasion the kids would hop a truck and ride ahead of them so that they could throw rocks at them again. Unfortunately, this habit, if continued will start deterring foreign travelers.

We can't figure out why everyone keeps yelling Ewe! Ewe! Ewe! as we ride through towns. We haven't seen many sheep...

I have to admit, as one of those "highly educated westerners" (in relation to those who advocate education as the answer to the issue of rock throwing), that I have been highly tempted to shove a stick into the front wheel of those who ride too fast in certain circumstances.
A pick axe handle should do the trick.
The last time I had these dark thoughts was on the route of the Stella Alpina actually, where I was riding at the time and sharing the track with complete knobs (come to think of it, there is an unlimited supply of rocks up there also!).
I don't have any right to make the decision about what is too fast, but I think the local people do have that right, in Ethiopia, or elsewhere. Anyone for a 20 MPH speed limit for their local city highway in the UK?

I have also had these negative thoughts regarding those who ride in places where it just isn't "right"; those who think it is a great weeze to attain an altitude record where, in fact, bikes have no logical reason to be there in the first place; those who ride off-road in the UK where it is not permitted.
All of this stuff just equates to a form of vandalism for me.

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Dave

The rock throwing in Ethiopia is not due to travellers that speed.

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We're the kind of people who try pretty hard to make sure we never knowingly offend. We read up and sought advice about stone throwing before arriving in Ethiopia and formed a strategy.

Go slow (we always go pretty slow so this translates as go VERY slow)
Windows down
Eye contact
Smiling/waving

It worked like a charm for our first few weeks on the road and passed our newly acquired wisdom on to other travelers. Some weren't impressed - particularly the chap who had a rock the size of an orange come through his rear window whilst almost stationary (it narrowly missed someone in back seat and smashed a laptop).

Week 6 - as we waved and smiled and braked to a crawl a stone took out a side window costing us plenty of cash/trouble/good feeling.

Conclusion.

This is a cultural thing - kids throw rocks at passing cars. They are excellent shots as they throw the same rocks at their herds of goats and sheep day in, day out and as such will always have a rock in their hand. No particlular message or sentiment involved. Just something they do.

Don't take it personally and don't expect to manage it. You'll either get lucky or you won't.

It's still a fantastic country to travel in and I would go back in a car without hesitation.

They only throw little stones...... And they only seem to aim at the big expensive looking bikes.

And it's worth it when you stop.. Laugh, and pretend to shoot at them with a pretend gun !



GIMMI BIIIR

GIMMII PEN.



Ethiopia is a FANTASTIC country.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I fully agree with McCrankpin's post.

We were there for about 6 weeks last year and I remember that one or two times to small kid throwed a stone to our car. These were tiny stones and probably we forgot to wave (although our hands were in the automatic waving mode for weeks). I absolutely loved almost all the children in Ethiopia; they were cute and natural models for our photos.

A topic about warnings for stone (even: rock!) throwing in Ethiopia does not do justice to that lovely country, the great travel experience and the sweet kids; in my view it's a little exaggerated, like so many things.

Another good reason to let Africa fester in the depths of hell.

Would I go to Africa to be thrown with stones, rocks and boulders?

Not on your life.

vette

Wow, that's an interesting opinion .

Let's indeed all go to Texas, I've heard it's great out there.

When we started our trip I carried under the roof rack of my Landy a big piece of polycarbonate cut to measure on the windshield just in case anything would happen in Ethiopia or elsewhere, well it is still there unused...
I absolutely agree with the others that waving and smiling is the best way.

We did experience other funny things though, like people pretending to jump in front of the car and then jumping right back laughing or, worst of all, pushing a sheep in the road as we were approaching.
I suppose that if you spend you life on the top of a mountain looking after sheeps day after day you may get a bit bored at times...
Cheers