Travelling North

There are two choices when travelling from Addis Ababa to Abi Adi.  You can use a series of buses, through a number of towns, along the way and take about 4 days.  Thankfully, for my first trip, VSO chose the latter.  This involves flying to Mekelle (about 100km from destination) where the college picked me and my 80kg of luggage up at the airport.  It seems a lot but I took 46kg, bought various items and have been provided with many more from VSO for the house.

 

The previous night, I said my goodbyes to a great bunch of people, who I had only known for a short time, all with similar emotions and challenges ahead.  I may only return to the capital once or twice in my time here.

 

Internal flights are early, so we departed around 6am.  This should have been a simple affair, however, in an effort to counteract corruption, Ethiopia appears to be obsessed with bureaucracy (not always in an efficient manner).  A simple trip to the airport involved an unnecessary detour to the VSO Office to pick up a spare box, leaving a very undignified and un-Ethiopian dash for the airport.  For a country very much at ease with itself and time-keeping, they have an innate desire to be first on any form of transport – despite seat reservations.  Someone has suggested this is due to their buses, where the best seats are at the front of the bus (where the suspension is).  Although at the airport my boarding pass is checked more than usual, purchasing excess baggage involves checking in your suitcases then going elsewhere (back to the entrance) to pay, before continuing back into the lounge.  Further checks involve, a man at top of the escalator adding a black dot to your pass so that another can check you have a black dot at the bottom.

 

So I travelled north with a number of other volunteers who will be working in the Tigray region (see You Tube video below).  After an hour-long journey we landed in Mekelle (home for some), which is much hotter than the capital (its 8.30 and 20 degrees).  I spend the day buying a few more bulky and food items, enough to keep my going for the first week.  Prices are more expensive out of the capital and have also risen dramatically everywhere (due to world issues).  Thankfully, Thasika (Canadian volunteer, leaving Abi Adi for Mekelle) is doing an amazing job of showing my around everywhere.  There is no need to say goodbyes to those I have travelled here with, as I understand that Mekelle will be my second home, as a college car and twice daily buses will provide a small amount of civilisation every so often. 

 

Later on that day a college car takes me on my final stage.  There is a good unsurfaced road leading off into the hills which should take about 3 hours.  For most of the journey I can not avoid sleep, but for the times I am awake, the scenery is amazing as the road zig-zags up and down the mountains and through a number of small, expanding villages.  A few hours later, I arrive at my final destination! 

 

Ahead of me I see a small town nestled in a valley, the fields around, although sandy are still very green.  I am told that within a month, the place will be dusty and brown.  Crossing the bridge on entering Abi Adi, I see that the rainy season has had little impact on the dried up river.  The town centre is nothing more than a roundabout where four roads merge.  The driver turns and stares at me as I shout out and exclaim that I recognise the bank (see picture below of grey building).  The college where I will be working and living is a short distance on the other side of Abi Adi.

 

I waste no time and head off to sample the local delicacy and beverage.  On the menu tonight – tibs (small chunks of goat meat) with chilli and injera, all washed down with the local brew – a fine lager called St. George!

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