Road Trip?

Today a gentleman came into the office that I met when he was visiting DC a couple of months ago. He was visiting with Getu, the Chief of Party of one of our project out here, and he has invited me to go out to visit his farm, which is one of the most advanced farms in Ethiopia. Getu has set it all up, I think. The problem is that I just realized that it means leaving tomorrow afternoon and returning on Wednesday evening, and then leaving to go home on Thursday. That does not give me a lot of time to get done what I need to do before I go. I think that I am going to have to go into the office tomorrow morning and see if I can get out of the trip without offending anyone. It’s a shame because it would be really interesting, but probably not the responsible thing to do. But if I don’t post for a couple of days, it’s because I’m in boonies.

Lounging in Langano

This morning I realized that I was at Lake Langano exactly one year ago today. I was looking at the scraps of paper in my birdbook where I write my bird lists and came across one from Lake Langano dated October 30! This trip to Ethiopia must have been meant to be.

I woke up this morning with awful food poisoning. I had spaghetti with tomato sauce last night for dinner, which I would have thought was safe, but I have a feeling that the sauce was sitting out all day and was not heated properly. So my birdwatching this morning was a little less energetic than I had hoped. I did see a few new species and the highlight was definitely watching Black-winged Lovebirds (which are endemic to Ethiopia and Eritrea) making out. They are spectacular bright green birds with a red patch over their beaks and like all parrots, they mate for life with one other bird. I had stumbled upon their nest and watched a pair preening each other and just rubbing cheeks. It made me a little jealous.

I am now back in Addis Ababa for the (hopefully) final four days of my trip. I checked back into the Queen of Sheba, and they gave me a different room which is complete luxury compared to my last room. It even has a balcony with a (distant) view of the Hilton – which is still fully booked for an African Union conference. This evening the streets of Addis Ababa were lined with machine gun toting military for protection of the dignitaries. I guess they tightened security ever since there was an assassinate attempt on Hosni Mubarak while he was visiting Addis 5 years ago. Hmmm, I wander if Mugabe is coming.

Lake Langano

When I told one of my colleagues yesterday that I would be staying in Ethiopia for another week, he immediately picked up the phone and planned a weekend away for me. So I am now at Lake Langano, an excellent bird watching spot. I hired a car (an SUV no less) and a driver and we leisurely made our way up here today, stopping off as I pleased to take photos, look at commercial floriculture ventures or look at birds.

We stopped off at Lake Koka in the town of Ziway to check out the birds (and the hippos). I saw quite a few birdies, but no new ones for my list. But don’t worry, the stop was hardly mundane. I watched a Pied Kingfisher catch a fish and then beat its head on a branch until it was dead before swallowing it. Right after that, I saw a Squacco Heron catch a fish that was bigger than its head and then take about 3 minutes to swallow the thing alive. Who says that bird watching is boring.

My driver, Getu, is an interesting guy. He started off the trip by telling me that Ethiopia will never get ahead until there is a change in government policy. And then he referred directly to the massacre a few months ago of 36 or more citizens who were protesting the latest election results, believing they were rigged by the governing party. Since the massacre - which the government says was a necessary response to a crazed mob - the government has banned all protests. A month ago was the Meskel holiday* a major Ethiopian Orthodox Christian holiday to celebrate the date that they believe the true cross - that on which Jesus Christ was crucified - was brought to Ethiopia. (I witnessed it when I was in Ethiopia last year.) Thousands of Ethiopians gather in the main square of Addis Ababa named Meskel Square to celebrate. This year the opportunity was used to gather people together to voice their dissent. According to Getu, they protested the President, the party, and even the Pope. This Thursday is Eid, the Muslim holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan. Ethiopia is about half Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, and half Muslim. I was told that there will be a large crowd in the National Stadium on Thursday to pray and celebrate and that there is some concern that there could be violence. The joke going around Ethiopia is that the Government has decided to extend the fasting period of Ramadan in order to avoid Eid. Let's just hope that will be praying for peace in the stadium on Thursday. (Ethiopian and Eritrean relations have also taken a recent turn for the worse with ambassadors withdrawn and arms buildups on both sides – all over a border dispute over a small patch of wasteland. They previously fought for 5 years over the same issue with 70,000 lives lost).

On a lighter note, and sort of related, as we were driving down the road today, Getu interrupted a period of silence by stating, “We call those Al Quaida”. He was referring to a mid-sized industrial Isuzu truck. I had to ask him to repeat himself because I really was not sure if I had heard him correctly. He explained that they got the name because they killed so many innocent bystanders. Their drivers have a reputation of chewing too much Chat, a locally grown and consumed stimulant, which obviously is not conducive to good driving. The joke gave a little bit of insight into how the Ethiopians perceive their more radical Moslem brethren.

Man Lake Koka

De-hulling maize

Flowers under irrigation

Extended stay

I left work at 3pm yesterday and went home to sleep. I was starting to go a little nuts from the lack of sleep. So when I got into the office this morning, I received an email asking me to extend my stay by a week. It was not at all what I wanted to do, but at the same time I have been frantic trying to get everything done that I needed to do and now I don't have to be so frantic. I did compromise and I am now flying out on Thursday - don't worry all you DC readers, the post Halloween costume party is still on.

So instead of spending my day running around conducting interviews, meeting potential partners and collecting CV's, I spent the day running around changing my ticket, changing more money and making plans for the weekend. I’m off to Langano – one of the good birdwatching sites in Ethiopia where I went last time I was here. I’ll report in on Monday.

This evening while I was on my way to the Hilton for a massage my taxi was pulled over for going straight in a turn only lane. Not that the lane was demarcated (neither the lane itself nor the fact that it was a right turn only). This is a city with chaotic traffic and where earlier today I saw three traffic police standing yakking on the side of the road while cars literally pushed their way through hoards of school children who had just been released from school. Amazingly, the taxi driver said he did not get a ticket. I did not have a clear view peeking in the rearview mirror, but I would be surprise if money did not change hands!

I had an average massage, but for ten bucks you really can't complain. Then I moved over to the Jacuzzi - new since my last stay at the Hilton. I was reveling in the relaxation after a crazy week. Then an Ethiopian woman came and joined me. At first she sat on the top step and seemed a little apprehensive. I assumed she was uncomfortable with a fanaji around. But after a short while she climbed down into the tub and immediately started giggling. She just couldn't stop. It turned out that this was her first time in a Jacuzzi. Needless to say, she loved it and so did I. Her giggles made me enjoy it that little bit more.

Fiteness

This morning I got up early for a meeting. As I left the hotel the most incredible scene lay before me. There must have been 100's of Ethiopians all dressed in shorts, tank tops and t-shirt and running up the main drag of Addis Ababa. There were groups running in unison and others sprinting up the hills on their own. As I drove past Meskel square I saw troops racing up and down the stairs round and round the square. Ever since Ethiopians started racking up the wins and the prize money, Ethiopians - who have a natural running ability - see it as a way out of poverty. I cannot think of any other developing country where people place such high value on fitness.

Jamaica provides an interesting comparison. Earlier this year while I was on vacation in Jamaica, I met one of the Jamaican Olympic bobsled team. He said that when he in the Olympic village, all the other Olympic athletes were lining up to get their autographs, but when they are home Jamaicans don't even realized that they have a bobsled team, never mind recognizing the team members. Maybe if there were more money in bobsledding ...

Lag

So much for no jet lag. I am now shaking continuously and I feel nauseous simply from lack of sleep. I have been awake until at least 1 am every night since I arrived. This means that I skipped one whole night of sleep and have been getting an average of 6 hours a night since then.

I just figure that it's not worth trying to adjust as I will be back on my own clock again on Sunday.

Fran from Australia thought it was funny that John Cusack came up in a post from Ethiopia, well, here's another strange one. I went salsa dancing tonight. Yes, in Ethiopia. I went with the group from DFID that I met on Sunday. It was a fun evening out. This is turning out to be a much more social trip that usual!

9 to 5 (or is it 11)

I working until 11pm last night, but somehow I am not exhausted. I am sure that it will hit me at some point, but hopefully not until I am on the plane on my way home when I can sleep. It’s sort of sad that nowadays I look forward to the long flights so that I can catch up on some sleep.

It was another hectic day of meetings that was altogether uneventful. It's amazing how I can be in what I consider to be the most fascinating place in the world, but just have a normal day at the office. The highlight of the day was receiving a call from the DFID folks I met on Sunday (as I was sitting on the couch watching Gross Point Blank while eating dried out pizza) to invite me to dinner tomorrow night.

Endangered species

I started off my day with a breakfast of bland tiny pineapples (and stale but uncooked French toast – or is patriot toast), which is poignant because I am here to work on developing a proposal for the agricultural sector. I spoke to the manager of an Ethiopian agribusiness who told me that a farmer here wants to plant 50 hectares of pineapples here but he can't get the plant material to do so. I just wander where he would find a market if this is the standard Ethiopian pineapple!

I had my first day in the office. I was a bit nervous heading in as there are lots of sorts of about the Chief of Party floating around. Fortunately, I found that most of them were untrue. Well, at the very least, we get along very well and he was very helpful. I spent a busy day setting up meetings and going to meetings.

I ended the day on a high note. One of the hardest things to find in Africa is data. Real live spreadsheets that are filled with accurate numbers are an endangered species. Today I had a sighting…in fact, I caught a big one. By a stroke of luck, the project here put me in touch with someone in the statistics office who not only provided me with all the data that I needed, but he had it ready to load on my memory stick when I arrived! Truly a unique experience.

Looking Up

Things are looking up. This morning I spent an hour or two searching for a better hotel, but then gave up and decided to make do with what I have. I then spent an hour or so working to prepare for the hectic week ahead and as a reward I took the rest of the day to spoil myself, even if it is not as much fun when you are doing it on your own.

I went to the Hilton hotel and had a lunch that lasted for two hours and would have been hours more if I had not called the waiter over several times to ask for a menu, ask to place my order, ask him when my meal would arrive, and even ask for the bill. Is it any wander that Africans are the most patient people on earth and that they find it funny when we harried westerners become frustrated when things don’t move quickly?

Next stop: massage. While I was here for two months last year I went for weekly massages at the hotel. I cannot think of a better way to spend $12 (for a full hour!) Feeling increasingly relaxed, I went to the next stop, poolside. I jumped into the warm waters that are heated by a natural hot spring and immediately felt the tension of the journey disappear. While paddling a bit, I met a group of DFID (the British equivalent of USAID) people who are here doing IT training for their local office. There are 5 of them, 4 below 35. I wish I traveled with that sort of group! They took pity on me and invited me to join them for dinner. We had a good meal at the Zebra Café which was a restaurant that I knew well from my last visit here as it was just up the road from my old office. I had my usual, coconut beans and rice.

When we got back to the hotel for a nightcap (of Coke for me as I am still on antibiotics getting rid of unwanted passengers from my last trip 5 months ago), there was a wedding going on. The blend of traditional Ethiopian culture and Western influence was fascinating. The bride wore a silver Cinderella dress complete with poofy skirt and lace up bodice. Her bridesmaids wore floor length red prom dresses, and by 10:30 they were curled up together on a sofa in the lobby. The feast was laid out just as any buffet would be in the US, with one exception: there were four carcasses of raw beef at the entry way waiting to be prepared into the luxurious Ethiopian delicacy Tere Sega. This is a dish or raw minced beef that is often served by the wealthy at weddings.

The guests were a blend of two cultures. Many of the women were dressed traditionally in white cotton accented with detailed colorful embroidery around the hem and wearing matching shawls that were wrapped around their head and shoulders. Walking in beside them were other women arriving in dresses that would not be out of place at a five star restaurant in New York City. This is a refection on the Ethiopian culture which is extremely traditional in many ways, especially religion, but because of the many Ethiopians in the US some of the American culture has been transplanted. Many Ethiopians have adopted Western fashions, although it is still rare to see an Ethiopian women with her knees bared, and it is not uncommon to meet Ethiopians that you think have been living in the US for years and are home on a visit, only to discover that in fact they have never left their country.

Quite a social day for a gal on her own in Ethiopia! Hopefully I will meet up with the Brits again later in the week, but I am keenly aware that I am going to be a little busy this week.

Outward journey

This trip did not get off to a good start. On the first leg of my 24 hour journey I was stuck in the middle seat between two overweight people (one of whom knew my ex boyfriend in Sweden!) I did not sleep a wink and given the increased instability in the back of the plane, I threw up as we landed in Amsterdam at 3Am my time. I guess this is what happens when you buy your ticket three days before you fly.

I managed to grab an hour of sleep in the Amsterdam airport on one of their chaise longes (a brilliant idea for an airport) but the chill of the air conditioning woke me up. The second leg of the journey was much improved. We stopped off in Sudan (which was a surprise to me) so I had an interesting guy sitting next to me who works for the UN in Sudan. Another interesting guy was sitting behind me who is in Ethiopia to collect samples of stalactites for a climate change study. That said I slept for six hours straight (not even waking when the guy next to me climbed over me to go to the bathroom). That’s why I always try to book the window!

Arriving in Addis was sadly a bit of a let down. I arrived at my hotel at 10:30pm to discovr that I am staying in the grottiest hotel. I was assaulted by a foul odor as I walked in the door; there is a used toothpick that has been sitting on the desk for over a day now; and the couch I am sitting on as I write this is split at the back and the arms are rubbed bare so that you can see the foam underneath. I wander when was the last time it was cleaned. Gross thought. All decent hotels in Addis are fully booked for the next month for some conference or another. With both the African Union and the Economic commission for Africa based in Addis, this is a common event.

If I am really honest with myself, I know that a part of my disappointment with the hotel is disappointment with myself. There was a time when I would have thought of this accommodation as palatial - it is called the Queen of Sheba after all. Now expect to be in a nice “Western” hotel and that does not come cheaply. I used to look down on development types who spent so much project money on fancy hotels. Now I am one of them. But I also now realize how difficult this insane life can be (I found out I was coming to Ethiopia just 3 days before my departure) I can better understand the need to be in a place where you can feel as at home as possible. The irony of it all is that this trip is coming out of my company's overhead and not from aid money!

I woke up at 4 am to the call to prayers form the Ethiopian Orthodox Church nearby, and then again at 5am for the Muslim call to prayers from the mosque around the corner, even with earplugs. I am just thankful that DC is not so religious.