I landed at Addis Abeba airport on Christmas eve according to the Julian calendar used in Ethiopia. The airport was modern but chaotic, my flight from London in an A787 Dreamline containing 400 + passengers was not showing on any of the luggage carousels. I was directed by different members of staff to a different one each time. I eventually waited by the one labelled Frankfurt which had the most on it and finally claimed my bag.
Weather at 8am was chilly but sunny, my hotel – the Taitu – is reputedly the oldest western style in Addis and was built for the Empress Taitu around the end of the 19th Century, I had a fairly basic but pleasant room in the old section which had a very colonial feel.
There was little evidence of it being Christmas Eve – a tree in the lobby and lights on the banisters, in the streets a few posters and some gaudy cards for sale. The road the hotel is on, is quite steep and I found the 2500 metres altitude made me a bit breathless!
I did not feel entirely comfortable wondering around. I do not recall any other city with so many beggars and people lying on the pavement, sleeping in the middle of the day. Some of the begging or requests to buy, were quite aggressive and there was one incident were I suspect they were trying to steal my phone! A kid tried to get me to buy a magazine whilst another man brushed against me, I noticed my phone half out of my pocket so yelled “police” – fortunately he stopped and a couple of passer buys came up to help straight away, which was reassuring. Not pleasant though.
On Christmas Day all the shops were closed but otherwise nothing seemed different, all the street stalls were still open and there seemed just as many people on the street. One thing that I liked is that there are frequent, modern, clean patisseries which served a cheap cake and drink. I thought I’d go to the Cathedral of St George as it was Christmas Day, it was surrounded by people sitting on benches praying, or kissing seemly anything – e.g. the gates, doors, windows, but the cathedral itself was closed! I didn’t try the doors as I didn’t want to disturb the kissers. There was a lovely atmosphere in the grounds.
Walking the streets is like walking around a building site, to get to the cathedral I had to climb through a deep trench in which they were installing new sewers – I could find no alternate entry. I had a similar climb to go into a modern shopping mall the next day.
I carried on walking round the city the next day, including visiting the sombre Red Terrors Martyr’s museum. ‘As if I bore them all in one night, They slew them in a single night.’ These were the words spoken by the mother, whose four teenage children were all killed on the same day by the Derg, who officially opened the small but powerful ‘Red Terror’ Martyrs Memorial Museum in 2010. Over the space of a couple of rooms the museum reveals the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie and the horrors of life under Mengistu’s Derg regime.
It is so sad that in recent years I have visited Auschwitz, the Khmer Rouge genocide displays in Phnom Penh, the Kigali Genocide museum and now this. I felt it was right to go but when will this end!
Today I flew to Lalibela, a town in northern Ethiopia that is famous for its 11 monolithic rock-cut churches. Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities a centre of pilgrimage for much of the country. It was built as a new Jerusalem and even has a trickle through the middle called the River Jordan. The churches are magnificent, how they were constructed out of the bare rock is unimaginable, it would be difficult enough today let alone in the 12th Century. I really enjoyed walking around, far less hassle and seemingly less poverty. Strangely the tourists blend in and there was not much commercialisation.
Prices are a little higher than in Addis but you can’t complain at a hotel meal for £4 and tea around 10p. Every church containing praying pilgrims either inside or outside. The Baha’i Holy Places apart, I have never felt so inspired to pray myself. I didn’t participate in the kissing rituals which were prevalent here too! More, justifiable, rock climbing was needed in places, but everyone – security guards, tourists and pilgrims - offered a hand if one was needed. I hauled a lovely lady pilgrim up into one of the churches . I admit to descending on my bottom a few time, some steps were so steep and worn.Two of the churches are connected by a long, pitch black tunnel.
The town of Lalibela is built on the side of a hill, I am sure it is larger due to the number of tourists, but it seems a typical Ethiopian rural town, few tarred roads, few real shops and market stalls lining the road. The roads were always crowded with people walking, far more than any other means of movement which included cars, vans, tuk tuks, lots of donkeys plus a few goats, sheets and cows plus – surprisingly – one elderly man who was walking happily in a crowd of people, stark naked! I walked to the bottom and hired a tuk tuk to return to the top – 60p!
My hotel is in a lovely setting overlooking the valley below with trees grown to encourage many birds. All food is served with the local flat bread – injera – which looks and feels like a rolled up damp flannel but is actually pretty tasty.
My visits to the rock churches beautifully culminated in an outdoor service by one of them. At a rough guess 100 – 150 priests and locals (it was difficult to tell them apart) and a handful of tourists. The chanting was wonderful and the drumming reverberated throughout the rocks. What I did find a little strange is that quite frequently during the chanting, some of the priests chatted away and even the chanter, without pausing, would glance around smiling at people. I would recommend a visit here to anyone, provided they are reasonably agile to cope with the scrambling.
I returned for the night to Addis before continuing to Somaliland. Ethiopian airport security is the toughest I have known, you have to have a thorough check, removing shoes and belts, to get into the airport and then again to get to the departure gate. I have had to change my plans for tonight because when I arrived back at the Taitu the old building (oldest hotel in Addis) had been almost burnt down that morning. What a shame for the owners and staff and also for history. I don’t know how bad the structure had been affected, fortunately for me the rooms where I had stored my rucksack was untouched so I have booked into a nearby hotel, clean but very basic – costing only. £4. A nearby café who has lost all cooking facilities due to the fire let me use their wifi – very kind.
I am getting to like Addis much more and feel much more comfortable, just as I come to leave it!
Initial impressions of Hargeisa are good. One of the smoothest entries to any country, there didn't seem to be any customs! Very little evidence of guards except at the entrance to the airport, no guards at the entrance to my hotel. Very few beggars - I saw one in an hour's stroll - and virtually no hassling; rather the people seem genuinely friendly. The do have a currency problem though! The money changers literally carry notes in a wheelbarrow (see photo), I changed $20 and received 143 - 1000 shilling notes.
My exploration of Hargeisa has not changed my initial opinion. Very friendly people who just wanted to say hello, this rarely developed into mild hassling, even in the market. No evidence of armed guards, only banks had guards on the doors and they were unarmed, the only guns I saw were a bunch of police seemingly going on patrol out of town, they all had automatic rifles, but were larking around not watching people and didn't seem mildly threatening. It seems a town that want to get on it's feet. There are very few tarmacked roads - mainly the central street - independence Ave., and the road the airport, the rest are just sand, so it's not too much fun to walk on. There are few modern buildings and many upper stories are in ruins with evidence of the fighting during the civil war some 20 years ago! Animals freely roam the street and appear to be wild, I saw sheep goats and a few oryx! There are no "sights" - the only one listed in my guide book is a MiG jet which forms the civil war memorial. It was just a fun place to explore. Weather quite hot (mid 20s), but dry.
It is possibly the most religiously observant Muslim town I have been to, at prayer times most shops close and there are crowds communally praying along the street. Some folk carried on as normal - I would say 50 -50 observance, there seemed no pressure either way.
The last 24 hours, whilst not being something I would repeat, have been a fascinating experience. To get from Hargeissa to Djbouti there are two choices - an hours flight, which including the hefty $50 departure tax would cost around £250, or overland for $45. Guess which I chose!
Four wheeled drive vehicles leave around 6pm and travel overnight to avoid the heat. I ended in the far back of a Toyota Land Cruiser next to a plump Somalian. That actually worked out well because there were three on the opposite seat and the lady provided excellent cushioning for the often very bumpy ride .
I think the worst part was the first 90 minutes, it was so frustrating. We were fully loaded - 14 people including a couple of kids, plus the drivers mate/engineer who rode on the roof!! No one spoke English so I had no idea why we were waiting. We eventually got under way at 6.50 and traveled to a fuel station, and then a shop and then some where I couldn't work out why! Eventually we started, initially it was pitch back and moonless, though the moon rose in the middle of the night. The journey is about 320 km but until the last 20 km beyond the border all off road, We were told we should arrive around 11 am, 17 hours later but sometimes the road is blocked due to mud and can take 3 days!! No one mentioned the improvised workshop repairs that would be needed. For the first few hours we had regular stops every hour or so to - repair a wishbone, repair the clutch hydraulics, replace the oil filter and all the oil (I think we knocked it off on a rock).
We only had two official stops where I splashed out on a mug of hot sweet black tea for 10p - actually very nice. The repair stops we just wondered around in the desert. The second half of the journey was more fortunate we only had two unplanned stops, one when our vehicle got bogged down in sand - we were traveling in convey with another 4WD in case of problems - they only had one spade between them. They dug us out and we then pushed and followed the vehicle to hard ground - the sand was like a dune!! The second time was when we went though some very muddy ground (I have seen no rain!). Both vehicles got though OK but we found a massive lorry leaning at 45 degrees with one set of wheels so embedded in the mud I can't see how it would ever get out. The drivers and mates tried to help out but then we gave up and just managed to get past.
Despite no English, everyone was very friendly and I did not feel at all isolated. We eventually arrived at the Somalialand/Djibouti border and that's when it wasn't so much fun! Getting out of Somaliland was fine same friendly approach, also efficient with passport reading machines. Djibouti was the opposite. Despite being far more materially well off, there were grumpy officials who did not believe my visa was valid because it was issued by the French Embassy in London. "We have an embassy in London, why did you not go there". I didn't argue and was apologetic but am certain there is no such embassy! They spent ages passing it up to the next in command and then eventually ringing someone. This took probably 45 minutes as everyone, when given the passport, spent some time chatting, chewing Qat or generally avoiding the problem! Eventually it was accepted so the top man copied all my details by hand into a ledger!
Where I was waiting was at the border police post, one of the interruptions was when about a dozen youths were marched in, stripped to shorts (it was mid twenties, quite hot) made to sit in two rows in front of the boss with hands on the shoulder of the one in front while they were photographed before being made to sit in front of what I assume were the immigration cells - I thought it would not be sensible to enquire! The cells themselves seemed chock a block full.
My poor introduction to Djibouti continued when I got a cab from the border. I knew the normal fair from the airport was $10, so as the border is 3 times as far I knew I would have to pay more. I got in a pickup taxi with driver and his wife/mother. She spoke no English and little french so negotiations were through nearby - willing and helpful onlookers. I agreed on $20 if they would take me to my hotel. I thought this was agreed but after a few km they stopped at a college and got someone to tell me they wanted $60. I hit the roof and threatened to get out and find another cab - I'm glad they backed down because I'm not sure how easy that would have been! Eventually they took me to the hotel with no more fuss (apart from rejecting my first $20 as it had a small tear!). However they couldn't get closer than a couple of hundred yards due to security. I had to pass everything through airline type security, empty my pockets etc.,, only for this to be repeated at the entrance to the lobby!
I think I have found out the reason, Djibouti is the base for the US piracy operations and at the meal this evening I have never seen so many US service personnel, the Sheraton seems to be their club.
I hope tomorrow my impressions improve - still my room is lovely with a view over the pool, beach and sea and I have booked diving with whale sharks on Saturday and Sunday!
Djibouti is very different to many other sub-Saharan cities I have visited. The main difference being there are far fewer people walking the streets, more comparable to European numbers. There are beggars though similar numbers to Hargeissa and London but little hassling. The city centre has an "African area" and a "European area". The latter could be a slightly run down, southern French city whilst the African area is full of street stalls and bustle. I have spent a fair time walking around and felt perfectly safe.
I had an enjoyable couple of days on the boat, snorkeling and diving, sadly this year is proving to be a poor one for whale sharks visits and we only saw 3 babies, quite briefly. The reefs are pristine and full of wild life. We were also served with a sumptuous lunch each day!
The Sheraton seems more a NATO base rather than just US, I have spotted uniformed troops from Germany, Japan, France and Canada as well as the US. The boat trip required an early breakfast and I was surprised to find that when I went in the dining room at 06.15, it was nearly full of service personnel, all of whom left by 7!
I am spending my last couple of days relaxing, mainly by the pool, reading, swimming and sunbathing, before returning to the UK on Wednesday - overnight stop in Addis - before arriving home on Thursday.
Horn of Africa 2015
Photos at: https://plus.google.com/photos/106027128611804476034/albums/6103106369469950145
I landed at Addis Abeba airport on Christmas eve according to the Julian calendar used in Ethiopia. The airport was modern but chaotic, my flight from London in an A787 Dreamline containing 400 + passengers was not showing on any of the luggage carousels. I was directed by different members of staff to a different one each time. I eventually waited by the one labelled Frankfurt which had the most on it and finally claimed my bag.
Weather at 8am was chilly but sunny, my hotel – the Taitu – is reputedly the oldest western style in Addis and was built for the Empress Taitu around the end of the 19th Century, I had a fairly basic but pleasant room in the old section which had a very colonial feel.
There was little evidence of it being Christmas Eve – a tree in the lobby and lights on the banisters, in the streets a few posters and some gaudy cards for sale. The road the hotel is on, is quite steep and I found the 2500 metres altitude made me a bit breathless!
I did not feel entirely comfortable wondering around. I do not recall any other city with so many beggars and people lying on the pavement, sleeping in the middle of the day. Some of the begging or requests to buy, were quite aggressive and there was one incident were I suspect they were trying to steal my phone! A kid tried to get me to buy a magazine whilst another man brushed against me, I noticed my phone half out of my pocket so yelled “police” – fortunately he stopped and a couple of passer buys came up to help straight away, which was reassuring. Not pleasant though.
On Christmas Day all the shops were closed but otherwise nothing seemed different, all the street stalls were still open and there seemed just as many people on the street. One thing that I liked is that there are frequent, modern, clean patisseries which served a cheap cake and drink. I thought I’d go to the Cathedral of St George as it was Christmas Day, it was surrounded by people sitting on benches praying, or kissing seemly anything – e.g. the gates, doors, windows, but the cathedral itself was closed! I didn’t try the doors as I didn’t want to disturb the kissers. There was a lovely atmosphere in the grounds.
Walking the streets is like walking around a building site, to get to the cathedral I had to climb through a deep trench in which they were installing new sewers – I could find no alternate entry. I had a similar climb to go into a modern shopping mall the next day.
I carried on walking round the city the next day, including visiting the sombre Red Terrors Martyr’s museum. ‘As if I bore them all in one night, They slew them in a single night.’ These were the words spoken by the mother, whose four teenage children were all killed on the same day by the Derg, who officially opened the small but powerful ‘Red Terror’ Martyrs Memorial Museum in 2010. Over the space of a couple of rooms the museum reveals the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie and the horrors of life under Mengistu’s Derg regime.
It is so sad that in recent years I have visited Auschwitz, the Khmer Rouge genocide displays in Phnom Penh, the Kigali Genocide museum and now this. I felt it was right to go but when will this end!
Today I flew to Lalibela, a town in northern Ethiopia that is famous for its 11 monolithic rock-cut churches. Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities a centre of pilgrimage for much of the country. It was built as a new Jerusalem and even has a trickle through the middle called the River Jordan. The churches are magnificent, how they were constructed out of the bare rock is unimaginable, it would be difficult enough today let alone in the 12th Century. I really enjoyed walking around, far less hassle and seemingly less poverty. Strangely the tourists blend in and there was not much commercialisation.
Prices are a little higher than in Addis but you can’t complain at a hotel meal for £4 and tea around 10p. Every church containing praying pilgrims either inside or outside. The Baha’i Holy Places apart, I have never felt so inspired to pray myself. I didn’t participate in the kissing rituals which were prevalent here too! More, justifiable, rock climbing was needed in places, but everyone – security guards, tourists and pilgrims - offered a hand if one was needed. I hauled a lovely lady pilgrim up into one of the churches
. I admit to descending on my bottom a few time, some steps were so steep and worn.Two of the churches are connected by a long, pitch black tunnel.
The town of Lalibela is built on the side of a hill, I am sure it is larger due to the number of tourists, but it seems a typical Ethiopian rural town, few tarred roads, few real shops and market stalls lining the road. The roads were always crowded with people walking, far more than any other means of movement which included cars, vans, tuk tuks, lots of donkeys plus a few goats, sheets and cows plus – surprisingly – one elderly man who was walking happily in a crowd of people, stark naked! I walked to the bottom and hired a tuk tuk to return to the top – 60p!
My hotel is in a lovely setting overlooking the valley below with trees grown to encourage many birds. All food is served with the local flat bread – injera – which looks and feels like a rolled up damp flannel but is actually pretty tasty.
My visits to the rock churches beautifully culminated in an outdoor service by one of them. At a rough guess 100 – 150 priests and locals (it was difficult to tell them apart) and a handful of tourists. The chanting was wonderful and the drumming reverberated throughout the rocks. What I did find a little strange is that quite frequently during the chanting, some of the priests chatted away and even the chanter, without pausing, would glance around smiling at people. I would recommend a visit here to anyone, provided they are reasonably agile to cope with the scrambling.
I returned for the night to Addis before continuing to Somaliland. Ethiopian airport security is the toughest I have known, you have to have a thorough check, removing shoes and belts, to get into the airport and then again to get to the departure gate. I have had to change my plans for tonight because when I arrived back at the Taitu the old building (oldest hotel in Addis) had been almost burnt down that morning. What a shame for the owners and staff and also for history. I don’t know how bad the structure had been affected, fortunately for me the rooms where I had stored my rucksack was untouched so I have booked into a nearby hotel, clean but very basic – costing only. £4. A nearby café who has lost all cooking facilities due to the fire let me use their wifi – very kind.
I am getting to like Addis much more and feel much more comfortable, just as I come to leave it!
Initial impressions of Hargeisa are good. One of the smoothest entries to any country, there didn't seem to be any customs! Very little evidence of guards except at the entrance to the airport, no guards at the entrance to my hotel. Very few beggars - I saw one in an hour's stroll - and virtually no hassling; rather the people seem genuinely friendly. The do have a currency problem though! The money changers literally carry notes in a wheelbarrow (see photo), I changed $20 and received 143 - 1000 shilling notes.
My exploration of Hargeisa has not changed my initial opinion. Very friendly people who just wanted to say hello, this rarely developed into mild hassling, even in the market. No evidence of armed guards, only banks had guards on the doors and they were unarmed, the only guns I saw were a bunch of police seemingly going on patrol out of town, they all had automatic rifles, but were larking around not watching people and didn't seem mildly threatening. It seems a town that want to get on it's feet. There are very few tarmacked roads - mainly the central street - independence Ave., and the road the airport, the rest are just sand, so it's not too much fun to walk on. There are few modern buildings and many upper stories are in ruins with evidence of the fighting during the civil war some 20 years ago! Animals freely roam the street and appear to be wild, I saw sheep goats and a few oryx! There are no "sights" - the only one listed in my guide book is a MiG jet which forms the civil war memorial. It was just a fun place to explore. Weather quite hot (mid 20s), but dry.
It is possibly the most religiously observant Muslim town I have been to, at prayer times most shops close and there are crowds communally praying along the street. Some folk carried on as normal - I would say 50 -50 observance, there seemed no pressure either way.
The last 24 hours, whilst not being something I would repeat, have been a fascinating experience. To get from Hargeissa to Djbouti there are two choices - an hours flight, which including the hefty $50 departure tax would cost around £250, or overland for $45. Guess which I chose!
Four wheeled drive vehicles leave around 6pm and travel overnight to avoid the heat. I ended in the far back of a Toyota Land Cruiser next to a plump Somalian. That actually worked out well because there were three on the opposite seat and the lady provided excellent cushioning for the often very bumpy ride
.
I think the worst part was the first 90 minutes, it was so frustrating. We were fully loaded - 14 people including a couple of kids, plus the drivers mate/engineer who rode on the roof!! No one spoke English so I had no idea why we were waiting. We eventually got under way at 6.50 and traveled to a fuel station, and then a shop and then some where I couldn't work out why! Eventually we started, initially it was pitch back and moonless, though the moon rose in the middle of the night. The journey is about 320 km but until the last 20 km beyond the border all off road, We were told we should arrive around 11 am, 17 hours later but sometimes the road is blocked due to mud and can take 3 days!! No one mentioned the improvised workshop repairs that would be needed. For the first few hours we had regular stops every hour or so to - repair a wishbone, repair the clutch hydraulics, replace the oil filter and all the oil (I think we knocked it off on a rock).
We only had two official stops where I splashed out on a mug of hot sweet black tea for 10p - actually very nice. The repair stops we just wondered around in the desert. The second half of the journey was more fortunate we only had two unplanned stops, one when our vehicle got bogged down in sand - we were traveling in convey with another 4WD in case of problems - they only had one spade between them. They dug us out and we then pushed and followed the vehicle to hard ground - the sand was like a dune!! The second time was when we went though some very muddy ground (I have seen no rain!). Both vehicles got though OK but we found a massive lorry leaning at 45 degrees with one set of wheels so embedded in the mud I can't see how it would ever get out. The drivers and mates tried to help out but then we gave up and just managed to get past.
Despite no English, everyone was very friendly and I did not feel at all isolated. We eventually arrived at the Somalialand/Djibouti border and that's when it wasn't so much fun! Getting out of Somaliland was fine same friendly approach, also efficient with passport reading machines. Djibouti was the opposite. Despite being far more materially well off, there were grumpy officials who did not believe my visa was valid because it was issued by the French Embassy in London. "We have an embassy in London, why did you not go there". I didn't argue and was apologetic but am certain there is no such embassy! They spent ages passing it up to the next in command and then eventually ringing someone. This took probably 45 minutes as everyone, when given the passport, spent some time chatting, chewing Qat or generally avoiding the problem! Eventually it was accepted so the top man copied all my details by hand into a ledger!
Where I was waiting was at the border police post, one of the interruptions was when about a dozen youths were marched in, stripped to shorts (it was mid twenties, quite hot) made to sit in two rows in front of the boss with hands on the shoulder of the one in front while they were photographed before being made to sit in front of what I assume were the immigration cells - I thought it would not be sensible to enquire! The cells themselves seemed chock a block full.
My poor introduction to Djibouti continued when I got a cab from the border. I knew the normal fair from the airport was $10, so as the border is 3 times as far I knew I would have to pay more. I got in a pickup taxi with driver and his wife/mother. She spoke no English and little french so negotiations were through nearby - willing and helpful onlookers. I agreed on $20 if they would take me to my hotel. I thought this was agreed but after a few km they stopped at a college and got someone to tell me they wanted $60. I hit the roof and threatened to get out and find another cab - I'm glad they backed down because I'm not sure how easy that would have been! Eventually they took me to the hotel with no more fuss (apart from rejecting my first $20 as it had a small tear!). However they couldn't get closer than a couple of hundred yards due to security. I had to pass everything through airline type security, empty my pockets etc.,, only for this to be repeated at the entrance to the lobby!
I think I have found out the reason, Djibouti is the base for the US piracy operations and at the meal this evening I have never seen so many US service personnel, the Sheraton seems to be their club.
I hope tomorrow my impressions improve - still my room is lovely with a view over the pool, beach and sea and I have booked diving with whale sharks on Saturday and Sunday!
Djibouti is very different to many other sub-Saharan cities I have visited. The main difference being there are far fewer people walking the streets, more comparable to European numbers. There are beggars though similar numbers to Hargeissa and London but little hassling. The city centre has an "African area" and a "European area". The latter could be a slightly run down, southern French city whilst the African area is full of street stalls and bustle. I have spent a fair time walking around and felt perfectly safe.
I had an enjoyable couple of days on the boat, snorkeling and diving, sadly this year is proving to be a poor one for whale sharks visits and we only saw 3 babies, quite briefly. The reefs are pristine and full of wild life. We were also served with a sumptuous lunch each day!
The Sheraton seems more a NATO base rather than just US, I have spotted uniformed troops from Germany, Japan, France and Canada as well as the US. The boat trip required an early breakfast and I was surprised to find that when I went in the dining room at 06.15, it was nearly full of service personnel, all of whom left by 7!
I am spending my last couple of days relaxing, mainly by the pool, reading, swimming and sunbathing, before returning to the UK on Wednesday - overnight stop in Addis - before arriving home on Thursday.