Where is Ron?
Ethiopia: January-March 2006
Ron, windblown in Malta, February 2005
Report from Dire Dawa and Harar, Ethiopia
22-26 March 2006
28 March 2006
Afton, Virginia, USADear family and friends,
Following is Ron's report on the ancient city of Harar, his last destination before he returned to Addis Ababa (where he is now) for shopping and packing before leaving to come home on 30 March. And happily, no financial crisis in this report!
Love to all,
Ellen
To see photos from Harar, click on the thumbnail at the left.
The forbidden Muslim stronghold
To see photos of feeding the hyenas in Harar, click on the thumbnail at the left.
Harar, Ethiopia
27 March 2006The train ride from Djibouti to Dire Dawa was a good experience. As we passed through what I considered barren country, there would suddenly appear a small town made out sticks or dirt. How people live and eat in such a terrain is a mystery to me.
As we got closer to Dire Dawa water started to appear in wet spots. The vegetation started turning green.
If someone were going to make this trip, my advice would be to make it in reverse. Get a double entry visa if you can -- I couldn't -- for Djibouti in Addis Ababa. Take the train from Dire Dawa to Djibouti, arriving Tuesday afternoon, hoping the Eritrea Embassy is open late enough to allow you to leave your visa request and passport overnight. If not, go very early the next morning and maybe you can get it in the afternoon. Then fly to Eritrea on Wed evening. Better yet, find a group going by land in a van.
The way it worked for me coming from Eritrea on Sunday (the flight only goes on Sundays and Wednesdays), I had to wait until Wed for the train, which left at 4 in the morning.
Having purchased my ticket in advance (either 10 in the am or 1 am in the morning) I was there early and got on quickly, getting a good seat with a window that I could prop open with a plastic water bottle.
Sunrise in the middle of nowhere was a nice experience. The scenery was quite barren, at times flat and at other times I was surrounded by mountains or hills. In the middle of nowhere I would see people walking somewhere.
It will be after I arrive home before any of the pictures will be available. Time is too short and the Internet speeds too slow to try sending them in my remaining days. I was really lucky to have found such a fast connection in Djibouti.
At the border of Ethiopia I was given a receipt with a stamp on it for my passport, and I took it to immigration in Dire Dawa, where I was told to come back the next morning to get my passport and visa. The next morning, after paying for the visa, I was sent out in the yard where the top person was having coffee under a tree in the courtyard. There were a couple of chairs set up like a small office. Here he signed and stamped my papers and sent me on my way. I liked the outside office.
Getting a mini-van to Harar was cheap and easy, and I managed to get the front window seat to take pictures as we climbed the something less than 2000 feet up. According to the Lonely Planet, the railroad was supposed to be through Harar but because of the "burgeoning costs" it was relocated to the lowlands to avoid the Chercher Mountains.
Staying at the Tewodros Hotel outside of the old city walls but close to the Harar Gate, I had checked in and was organizing my stuff for a walk to the old city, when there was a loud explosion and I could feel the blast on my body in my room. I went to explore as lots of other curious people were doing also, and discovered that the hotel was perhaps 4-500 feet from the police station and a car bomb had just exploded outside on the road. No one was injured as far as I could find out. I was told this was the third bomb, set by Muslim people who live outside the city in the rural areas.
Most of the population is Muslim and the town has a long and interesting history. It felt ancient and had a different feel than other cities I have visited. The buildings were very old and I was told new building have to be built in the same style and manner (dirt and stone). The streets were narrow and unpaved. It was crowded and also felt poorer. On the second day I had a guide who sort of adopted me as I wandered around following the Lonely Planet Guide to various old mosques, tombs, and old buildings. The book and guide pointed out the gate that Richard Burton entered in 1854 when he was the first European to enter this "forbidden Muslim stronghold."
The guide and I had met the evening before when I went with some Polish travelers to see the hyena feeding. Now I must admit that was one of the most different and strangest events I have gone to on this trip. You will just have to wait for the pictures.
The man doing the feeding has been doing so for many years, as his father did before him. I understand the hyenas live over 20 miles away, but come every night to be fed. And if they were not fed, then they would be taking the local livestock. They were fed camel meat, which I have seen hanging in the meat markets in the old town. Very fatty meat. I was offered a raw piece but declined the chance to taste raw camel. I don't think I would even be interested in a cooked piece.
The Polish guide took a picture of me with my camera while I was feeding the hyenas. It came out pretty good. He often sells his pictures when he gets back to Poland from his trips to Africa and Asia. I had a lot of trouble with the flash and digital camera delay taking so long between pushing the button and the flash going off, so that most of the times the hyena had taken the meat and backed away before the picture was taken. So I had to take pictures of what I thought was going to happen in the future. With enough tries, I got a few good ones, I think.
I have enjoyed wandering around, finding an Internet Cafe, when the power is available and they are open. Fresh orange juice. But it was probably more exciting to Richard Burton before the Internet. I am also looking forward to continuing my journey back home to Afton and will see you soon.
How cold do you think it will be when I arrive in Dulles? [Our forecast is for temperatures in the 40s F on Thursday evening.]
Love you and look forward to seeing you in a few days.
Ron
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Last updated: 17 April 2006
