Woldiya is at the edge of the Rift Valley, so it is warmer
than the mountains. My choice room included a small balcony, which I had left
open to let the night breeze in. I actually slept very soundly, but was awaken
around 4 am by the sound of heavy trucks milling around. Of course my hotel had
to be adjacent to the big traffic circle where trucks from Addis or Mek’ele
take to the mountains, with much rumbling and crashing of gears. I enjoyed the
symphony until about 5 am, got up, and by 6 am was loading the car and getting
ready to go. I asked a young woman sitting in the veranda what was the way to
Mek’ele, and after a moment reflection she showed me the way and asked me if I
could give her a lift to Alamata, which was about half way to Mek’ele. “Sure.
Hop in.”
And so I met Frehiwot, who totally reminds me of Mma Makutsi
from the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels. She had come from Bahir Dar the
night before (must have been an 8 hour bus ride), and now was heading to
Alamata to an interview with some sort of non-profit, non-governmental
organization (NGO). She was dressed in nice jeans and leather jacket, and new bright
red shows (if you know Mma Makutsi you might remember her love affair with
colorful shoes), but had as her only luggage her laptop case.
Frehiwot has functional English, and pretty soon we were
chatting away, half understanding each other. I thus learned that she had a
degree in Psychology (97% ?) and had worked her way through different NGO’s
from data analyst to Project Coordinator. Unfortunately her last NGO had
finished its job in Ethiopia
and she was now unemployed and looking for a new job. What a funny parallel
with Mma Makutsi.
On the way we saw dromedary camels. Lots and lots of camels.
Herds of as many as 30 camels, including four or five babies. We also saw
strings of working camels, loaded with empty water canisters, and camels dragging
poles. Camels standing under the shade of Grar trees (acacias or camel-back
trees), or cavorting among the maize plants. I learned from Frehiwot that a
camel may cost up to US$ 250 and must say I am really tempted.
The presence of the camels is yet another reminder that we
are now driving along the shoulder of the Rift Valley. It is hot and dusty
here, and the main ag product seems to be maize. All dry agriculture, even
though every few kilometers we cross the gravel-filled valley of a braided river.
I see with some satisfaction that the banks are protected from erosion by
gabion walls, just as I had recommended 17 years ago!
Once we reached Alamata, Frehiwot and I had breakfast and
coffee together and said goodbye, but she expressed concern about letting this
clueless ferengi (foreigner) go alone
on his way (all Ethiopians are convinced I am certifiably insane for traveling
by myself), and insisted on getting my phone number so she could check on me.
And she did, twice, until I was able to tell her I had made it to my hotel
without incident.
But I lied. I had a small incident. In one of the million
swerves to avoid rocks on the pavement I ended stepping on a sharp rock, and
punctured a tire. Fortunately I noticed right away, so I pulled off the road in
a convenient spot, pulled out the jack and spare tire, and got down to
business. 10 seconds later I had a small crowd around me, all trying to take
the swivel of the jack from me, and 30 seconds later a minibus stopped, a few
dozen people poured out, and the minibus driver took over the changing of the
tire. No big deal, and 5 minutes later the changing of the tire was over (as I
was worried about how I was to tip such a big crowd). The driver shook his
hands, gave me a big smile and waving went back to his minibus without giving
me a chance of offering a tip, his passengers miraculously all fitted back in,
and they were gone! Yet another demonstration that Ethiopians are super helpful
people J
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