Connecting to Kenya.

Connecting to Kenya!

July 24^th, 2013. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Waiting for 5 hours at the Jijiga Airport. One step closer to Kenya.

I sit here at the Bole International airport, celebrating what has to have been the craziest 48 hours of contrast I have experienced in all my travels to date.

I awoke the morning of the 22^nd of July in Hargeisa, Somaliland, and it is from this city that I embarked on 48 hours trajectory that will land me in Kenya tonight!

Shared Taxi from Hargeisa to the Ethiopian border.

That morning, I boarded a taxi, rushed over crushed dirt tracks, along a wide open savannah to arrive at the border with Ethiopia. I checked in, haggled for a bus and made my way to the city of Jijiga, the capital of the Somali province of Ethiopia. I spent a night at a hotel, owned and operated by a man from Seattle, and with our forged Pacific North West connection, he gave me a solid discount and directed me to where in town I could grab and ice cold brew to celebrate the incredible experience in Somaliland.

OK, so sometimes there can be road trouble on the way.

After having a nice ice cold Harar beer, I went to the Ethiopian airways office to arrange my ticket back to Addis Ababa, as I had already booked and paid for an open ticket, this was a mere formality. I got to the office, where the attendant informed me that the system was down, but there was space on the flight that was due to leave Jijiga at 10:15 am the next day. I was a bit skeptical, but what could I do, I had to trust that it would work out. And this is where it all gets a little crazy!

Jijiga centre, the capital of the Somali region of Ethiopia.

I found a small Christian run eatery in Jijiga, lovely folks in Eastern Ethiopia.

 The next morning I arrived at the airport at 8:30am, as instructed by the attendant, from here I began a solid 5 hour wait for the flight to arrive. Now, things in Africa are not known to always be punctual, but this is apparently the continents flag ship carrier (Although I disagree, in favour of South African Airways). I took 4 flights in total in Ethiopia, including the one I am about to board, and none have been on time, but the 3 hour delay was a new record, even by African standards. Even the locals were outraged, lol, which made me feel a little more at ease, since at times I feel I am the only one who ever has places to be, but they were with me all the way on this one.

Checking in at Jijiga airport, and the wait begins.

I find it kind of hilarious, if a flight in North American, Europe, Brazil, China, Japan were 3 hours late they would at least offer a complimentary beverage or something, and Ethiopian airlines, which flies to all the above destinations, and is directly competing with the airlines of these countries said not even a word of apology, lol. All I could do was laugh it off and say, T.I.A (This is Africa).

One step closer to Addis.

Still the best domestic flight network in Africa.

I did eventually get to Addis, with the intention of taking a bus to Kenya, but since we arrived so late, all ticket offices were closed, and I would have to get up at 4am, to try and hope to get a bus, after of course being extorted by a Taxi driver, it sounded so unappealing, but what were my options?

Then, whilst having a few brews with some awesome New Zealanders I met at the hostel, I met an American woman named Katheryn, whom was flying to Kenya the following evening. I thought to myself, why don’t I just hitch on, and give it a go! What do I have to lose?

Back to Addis, one step closer.

Well needless to say, between the Kiwis, the Americans, the Ethiopians and the lone Canadian, we had quite the night, and I got to have my first gin and tonic in over a month, at one of the coolest little bars down the street from our hotel.

I paid for it the next day, waking up on the couch of my room, shared with the two Kiwis.

I set about jogging over to the Hilton hotel to get a ticket to fly to Kenya, ASAP. And this is where the adventure gets interesting. I went to the Kenya Airways office, they responded, all flights are full for the next 4 days, and on the 5^th day, July 30^th, it is only business class, charging upwards of 1500 US dollars. I tried Ethiopian airways, and after 45 minutes of waiting to be seen by an attendant I was sorely informed that all flights were booked for the next week, except business class, which again was between 1300-1500 USD. I was devasted! I went to the bus station, all the buses headed south were full for the next week, and on top of that, the idea of being extorted by the sluggishly slow mini buses was only adding to my demoralized state.

I did what I often do, I stopped what I was doing, and I said a prayer. I prayed that if there was a way to get to Kenya that I would find it. I got up and I started walking down the streets of central Addis, then I remembered! The attendants had only looked at the flights for the coming days! Not TODAY! Or TONIGHT! There may be a chance!

Running around Addis, trying to find some transportation. What a day!

I ran back to the Hilton office, checked with the secretary, and wouldn’t ya know it! There was a flight TONIGHT at 5pm, for 300 USD! They told me to go to the airport right away, as it was now 2pm, and buy the ticket there. I sprinted out! Grabbed a taxi, went back to the hostel, grabbed my bag, and ONWARDS I went to the airport.

I arrived, and there was no one at the ticket office! Why? I kept asking for explanations? It is 2pm, this is an international airport, housing one of the largest international carriers in the world….. And yet there is no one selling tickets? I asked around, finally got through to a supervisor, a lovely woman who instructed someone at Ethiopian airlines to issue me a ticket, and FINALLY I got it! I had been told by a few lesser staff members just to sit and wait for the ticket attendant to come back, which according to them was to be at 6pm! I guess being persistent worked this time.

WE MADE IT! Kenya Bound!

I made it through customs, I managed to meet up with Katheryn, grab a quick macchiato, celebrate having got the ticket and the opportunity to go to Kenya. We parted ways at the terminal, and here I sit waiting to go to Nairobi!

In 48, I will have gone from Somaliland, through Eastern Ethiopia, had a whirlwind of adventure in Addis Ababa, met some incredible folks and be in Nairobi, Kenya!

All I can say now is… WHEEEEEWWWW! I did it!

Let’s go climb Kilimanjaro!

Cheers to all and thanks so much to all those that helped make this connections possible throughout the last 48 hours! Katheryn, YOU ROCK!

William Delaney

Africa’s hidden secret- Somaliland.

Africa’s hidden secret- Somaliland.

July 21^st, 2013.

Hanging out in the caves of the famous Las Geel with my body guard, Mohammed.

I have spent many long weekends in different destinations around the world. From Portland to Toronto, from Cape Town to Istanbul, but none have compared to this weekend here in Somaliland, a place hidden to most tourists on the trail in Africa, and what a shame, it is a legendary land, just waiting to be re-discovered.

I made my way from Harar to the Eastern frontier city of Jijiga, from where I changed busses and made my way to the border, Wajale. It was here that I switched passports, changed gears and ventured into the unknown.

Border crossing with Ethiopia.

Somaliland, a self-declared Republic since 1991, split from Mogidishu, and the rest of Somalia during the civil war that was made famous in North America by the film, “Blackhawk Down”. It has been a beacon of stability, peace and tolerance in a country that has not had a central government in a generation, and has been overrun by warlords, Islamist insurgents and continuous droughts and famine.

A giant Tortoise? In Somaliland? And this guy was only half the size of the first one we saw.

Yet, here I am, in the capital of this Northern region, Hargeisa.  The biggest irony I found is that despite the poverty, the lack of roads, and the fact that “Officially” this is not even a country, I have the best internet of anywhere on my trip, here at the Oriental Hotel, in the centre of town.

Memorial to the Somalia civil war.

My first night in Somaliland, I went about exploring the capitals outstanding market places, went for dinner, and discussed with local Somali’s the state of their “country” and their southern brother. It made for a fascinating night, and the outward kindness, handshakes, hugs and questions from locals made this first night very memorable. It also dawned on me, I am the only tourist here, maybe in the entire country.

I owe the inspiration for this venture largely to my friend Devin Holterman. For it was during our countless lunch shifts together a few years ago that we would discuss African politics at length, our mutual love for the continent and for adventure, spurring each other on. I had the pleasure of visiting Devin twice this year in Toronto, and with each visit, my passion to return to Africa grew, and the temptation to go to Somaliland began to simmer over the top.

The fine locals of Hargeisa. Love me some Samosa too!

So cheers to you Dev! And thanks for the inspiration.

Now, back to business! My first full day in the country was as I just mentioned, about getting down to business. I had to first go to the Ethiopian embassy, and get a new VISA to re-enter Ethiopia. And secondly, I had to arrange for all the paper I would need to explore further afield beyond the capital, something I am quite well versed in after visiting Sudan.

The famed rock Paintings of Las Geel.

Guide describing the different animals and peoples on the rocks at Las Geel.

The beautiful countryside in central Somaliland.

The Ethiopian embassy was quite hard to find, hidden behind a few ruined buildings, down an alleyway teeming with goats, but I did find it after all. I have to say, it was a lot less busy that the embassy in Sudan, just myself and a few others. I got in and got my VISA pretty promptly, however, the confusion on the faces of the men their when they saw I had two passports, one from the U.K and one from Canada was priceless.

On top of the world with my guide and the soldiers of Somaliland.

 Once I explained to them that my mother is from England, and that Canada is part of the Commonwealth of Nations, they proceeded to lecture me about the glories of the Ethiopian democratic state, which includes only single nationality. They also managed to switch the discussion to how horrible the USA is, even after I mentioned my parents live there, and how Barrack Obama is a “gay lover” for his talk in Senegal about gay rights in Africa. I just sat, and kept my mouth shut, which is VERY HARD for me, my main motivation, if they deny me the VISA, I will be stranded in Somaliland, a country that does not officially exist, with a less than predictable security situation. Regardless, I got it and got out!

Gazelles in the Deserts of Somaliland. WOW!

Now, round two of business in Hargeisa, get permits. I organized a tour, visited the “ministry of tourism”, got a letter of passage, arranged for an armed escort and finalized all preparations for my transport tomorrow around Somaliland.

Look at the tusks on these guys!

The next day I awoke bright and early, 6 am, and set out of the capital just as the sun was rising to explore the ancient rock painting of Las Geel, and the port city of Berbera, where the Ethiopians exported coffee for hundreds of years all around the world.

The ancient port city of Berbera. On the Gulf of Aden.

The journey to Las Geel showed some incredible country side, beautiful mountains, valleys, dried river beds, and surprisingly quite abundant wildlife. I saw warthogs, Gazelles, large Tortoises, and the largest clan of Baboons I have ever seen. That combined with some of the best preserved rock paintings in Africa, discovered only in 2003, which depict the life of the early inhabitants of this region, a region not far from the cradle of humanity in the Great Rift Valley of Southern Ethiopia.

Hanging out on the gulf, they need a serious trash collection.

Berbera proved a tad less exciting than the rest of the trip, but staring out at the Gulf of Aden, knowing just beyond those seas lies Yemen and Arabia was exciting enough, and my guide and armed escort turned out to be quite the comedians as we drove, it could have been the large consumption of “chat” throughout the day that turned them around from being ultra-serious in the morning to downright hilarious by late afternoon.

A little road trouble on the way.

I sit now, back at my hotel, on my last night of this short stopover in Somalia, very satisfied, for I came here with little expectations, and will leave feeling for now that this may have been the high light of my trip to Africa thus far. I can only hope that in the future the rest of Somalia will find peace and prosperity, and will open up for the rest of the world to see.

Plenty of Camels to go around in the deserts of Somaliland.

Many believe that to be an impossibility right now, but I always mention that when my parents were my age now, Vietnam was a NO-GO, having just finished a war with the USA, Russia and most of Eastern Europe were at the brink of nuclear war with the rest of the world, Nepal was essentially a closed Kingdom, South Africa was still under Apartheid, Argentina was at war with the UK, and the list goes on. All of these places I have visited now, and loved them all. So I believe that just maybe in the future, Somaliland and the rest of Somalia may make it back on the travel map.

The largest pack of Baboons I have ever seen.

As for now, it is off to bed for this guy, I got to catch a bus early back to Ethiopia and onwards to Kenya.

Cheers to all, and thank you very much to all those that helped make Somaliland a reality.

Cheers,

William Delaney.

Hyenas of Harar

Eastern Ethiopia- Harar

July 19^th 2013

Hyenas of Harar

Feeding the Hyena! WOWZA!

As was discussed in the last post, the journey to Eastern Ethiopia and onwards to Somalia was originally put on hold. However, the more people I met, raving about Harar and how different the East was from the West of the country, this opportunity could not be passed up, and let me tell you, IT WAS WELL WORTH IT!

The flight route went through Dire Dawa, where a met a newly engaged Scottish couple, Jamie and Natalie. The three of us embarked on the short hop over to Harar.

Bustling markets of Harar from my window.

Harar is an ancient walled city, home to the heart of Islamic Ethiopia, and the change of pace in life, the curtsy of the people, and the cool high land air made this a wonder stop over on the road to Somaliland. We set about our day by first indulging in the local brew, “Harar Beer”, advertised all over the country, but hard to come by outside of Harar. 

Shoa Gate of Harar old town.

A fine Lager.

Needless to say, after a couple pints, the three of us were ready to go. We explored the maze of the old city, taking in the wild markets, which our hotel gave an outstanding view of from above. We had heard that at dusk there was a famous Hyena feeding, where by one can have the opportunity to feed these wild beasts, it was too good to pass up.  

The mazes of the old city of Harar.

By night fall, we went about in search of the Hyenas, sitting there as the sun went down, and literally like clockwork, with the calls of the locals, the Hyena pack began to appear out of the darkness, their incessant cackling, and glowing eyes. This was the first time I had seen these animals since a wild Braai night in Zimbabwe, where we lured them in by stopping our truck and stormed away before they could nab us. So needless to say, with the memory of how sneaky and dangerous these dogs were in Zim, I was not all that keen to get face to face with one. The locals reassured us that these Hyenas are a bit more tame than the ones in the wilds of the Zambezi valley, but still I was a tad sceptical.

Fallana Gate at dusk, time to find some Hyenas.

 Jamie was the first to go about feeding the beasts, and after watching this Scottish warrior’s courage, I guess a bit of my Irish blood kicked in and I went for it. You place a piece of meat on a stick, in your mouth, and the Hyena comes as grabs it, WHAT A RUSH! It was exciting none the less, maybe not the most sanitary, but who cares, it has to be one of the coolest things I have done of my travels. 

Scottish courage.

We then watched a bus load of Ethiopian from Addis frantically go about their turns with the Hyenas. They got pretty excited, and the evening continued to become increasingly awesome.

The famed beasts of Harar.

We spent the night hanging with a few other travellers we met at our hotel, crushing back the local brew and telling tales of our mutual adventures. I have to say, due to the destinations of choice on this trip, I have few moments to just chill at a hostel and share stories, so needless to say, this was long over due, and by the end of the night between the five of us, the table was littered with bottles, all in good fun.

Bound for Somaliland.

I awoke the next day, pounded back a couple fine Ethiopian coffees, and a big breakfast, for I am about to enter the land of Ramadan once again, and fasting shall be in good order. It is time to grab a bus and head EAST! Onwards to Somaliland!

Cheers to all those I met in Harar and those reading back home.

William Delaney

Business in Addis

Business in Addis

July 18^th 2013

Addis Ababa, Central Ethiopia.

The bustling streets surrounding the Merkato in central Addis.

Welcome to the beating heart of Ethiopia, the capital of the African Union, a city that to most is their gateway to the great “Horn of Africa”. For me, this city signifies the middle point of my overland journey to Mount Kilimanjaro.

The staff at my Cozy lil guest house in Addis.

I remember thinking when I first set out on my trip that I would need to cancel my planned excursions to Somaliland and Djibouti, but the more I pondered on my long bus rides in Sudan, and with the sudden discovery of how cheap domestic flight travel is in Ethiopia, I came to a revelation, JUST TRY! Why not right?

It's Business Time.

Addis gave me an opportunity, arriving here ahead of schedule because of the domestic flight advantage I set to work. My tasks, get a VISA for Somaliland, get a flight to the east of the country, and make a move.

The first task proved to be quite an adventure, but what is ever so simple when trying to go to nations that do not officially exist?

I went jogging my first night in Addis, wandering through the maze of embassies in search of the sign that says “Somaliland”, but it proved harder to find than one might imagine, and well google searching the building did not help either, it seems they have moved numerous times in the last few years. Asking for local help, also quite priceless, as Ethiopians tend to be a very helpful bunch, we found this embassy even more elusive. I kept getting led to the “Somalia” embassy, and despite my thirst for adventure, a flight into Mogadishu is still something I am not quite ready for, maybe one day, but not on this trip, and an overland down to the “Mog” is quite frankly, suicide.

The river that snakes through Addis.

Needless to say, the next morning, with a bit of help from a fine gentlemen who had grown up in Ohio, and spoke with one of the finest mid-western American accents, we trans versed the embassy district, asked directions from the local Somali refugee population, and found it! Hidden down some back alley behind the Japanese embassy, SUCCESS! I felt like Henry Morten Stanley in search of Dr. Livingstone, except I was only looking for an embassy, lol.

I knocked on the gate, and after about five minutes of pounding some fella answered the door and led me in. I said “VISA OFFICE”, he nodded and smiled. The women working at the office were all to kind, but seemed quite tired, as they were surely participating in Ramadan, a common practice in the Muslim world, but not common here for the vast majority of Ethiopians, as Christianity is still the dominant faith. The ladies gave me the forms, I filled them out, paid 40 dollars, sat in the next room and had some tea, five minutes later, there it was, my VISA to Somaliland.

One of the many fine churches that dot the landscape of Addis.

I felt like I was on top of the moon that morning and I ran back to my hotel, celebrated with an ice cold beer and went about exploring the city. I stopped at the Hilton Hotel, booked my flights to Harar, and a return ticket from Jijiga, a city just on the edge of Somaliland, where upon returning from that country I will fly back to Addis.

Canadian cafe in Addis, I LOVE IT!

The city was bustling with excitement, people from all walks of life buying, selling, shouting, moving around, sitting at cafes, taking in the cool mountain air of the capital. I met a bunch of fantastic European volunteers at my hotel. It seems Ethiopia, next to Ghana and Uganda is a hot bed for volunteers and NGO’s. I gathered some fantastic info from these folks and cannot wait to continue my journey further afield into Ethiopia and onwards to Kenya.

The rise of the African continent. T.I.A.

I awoke the next day and boarded a plane bound for Harar, the Eastern regional hub of Ethiopia, a city that is shrouded in history. This trip just keeps getting better!

Harar bound!

Addis has been a success, and the journey continues to grow with excitement.

Next up, Harar, and the road to Somalia!

Cheers,

William Delaney

Northern Ethiopia- Where History meets Nature.

Northern Ethiopia- Where History meets Nature.

The cross of Saint George, the most famous monument in Ethiopia.

July 15^th 2013- Lalibela, Ethiopia.

Northern Ethiopia is a gateway to another world. With the sands and heat of The Sudan behind me, I now have embarked on green mountains, ancient churches and castles, raging rivers, waterfalls and a lake that resembles an ocean. The north west section of Ethiopia is also hands down the most touristic section of the country, and after coming from Sudan, where there are no tourists at all, I was naturally in for a bit of a shock, in more ways than one.

The mighty castle of Gondar.

First stop, Gondar. What many often call the “Camelot of Africa”, except the fascinating part of this is that Camelot is mythical, and Gondar is VERY REAL! The castle, the bustling streets and markets, the delicious coffee and beer made this city a welcome respite after Sudan. It was almost like I climbed these green mountain and emerged in a mystical kingdom, sort of like a journey to Narnia, but this was no dream, it was ohhhh so real, and Gondar was only the beginning of Ethiopia’s incredible relics.

Church of the Trinity and  the Mountain of Light, Gondar. (Debre Birhan Selassie)

The down side of all this incredible tourism can tend to be that the locals use and abuse tourists. Now mind you, I am aware that we live in a much different economy that they do, and I always expect a little bit of haggling over goods and services. However, Ethiopia has to be one of the worst I have seen for price gouging, right up there with Thailand. The local bus ride from Gondar to Bahir Dar, roughly 80 Birr, or 4 dollars. They will ask for 500 Birr, and if I was not told the correct price by my hotel, how would I know? Often, a man will approach you, who speaks decent English, and he acts as a middle man, luring the tourists in, forcing them to pay extreme prices, taking a big cut, and then paying the bus what the original price should have been. It becomes sad in a way, as this spills over into the children, and everywhere one goes in a touristic area of Ethiopia, the scams keep coming, the constant shouting of “You, you, you, money….” And the endless following and stories of being a student and needing money for various things.

Hiking the Simien Mountains.

The thing I kept reminding myself is that 90% of Ethiopians are very good people, very helpful and kind people, and often times as I dug in my feet at the bus station, local people would come to my aid and stop the injustice that was taking place. It is a reassuring feeling about humanity, and it has made me fall in love with these people.

After Gondar I ventured down to Lake Tana, staying in the town of Bahir Dar. I used this town as a base for exploring the wonderful Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile that flows to Khartoum in Sudan and meets up with the White Nile, before heading North to Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. This town is also within reach of the amazing Blue Nile falls, Africa’s second best water falls after Victoria falls in Zimbabwe. And with it being rainy season, these water falls proved to be a spectacle like no other.

Blue Nile Falls in full force.

 It was also ironic that while walking the trail away from the Blue Nile falls, about to get the boat across the Nile, I strolled through a field of “Chat”, a mildly narcotic leaf that the Ethiopians chew all afternoon to get a little buzz in their day.

Hippos in Lake Tana

The monasteries around the lake proved to be a wonderful spectacle and learning about the history of Christianity in this land, which is really the jump off point for the faith that spread all across the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa was amazing. We also managed to spot some wild Hippos where the Nile feeds into Lake Tana, coining the title of this blog, history and nature side by side. Ethiopia has it all!

Up close and personal with Africa's most dangerous beast.

The final destination on my list for Northern Ethiopia was to be the famous Lalibela, the most famous site in all of Ethiopia. However, on my journey to Lalibela I got a strong reminder of how travelling Africa is all about the “journey” and not the “destination”, lol. It took me two days to get there. I arrived at the bus station in Bahir Dar at 10 am, waited for 4 hours for the bus to fill, then drove 5 hours to a town called Gashema, where I stayed the night at a small “local” hotel, home to goats, sheep, horses, donkeys and some of the most lovely Ethiopian villagers. My room up in this highland village was a whopping 30 Birr, 1.50$, and the entertainment we made that evening, truly priceless. I introduced the Ethiopians to Katy Perry, making a parody of “California girls” and replacing it with “Ethiopian girls”. This was quite a hit with the locals, and when they broke out the “Tej” or local honey wine, the evening really took off.

Homestay in Gashema.

I finally made it to Lalibela after three hours of waiting for the bus and two flat tires. I had some lunch, checked into my hotel and went about exploring the fantastic ruins of what the Ethiopians coin “The New Jerusalem”. The city was carved out of solid rock nearly 1000 years ago, and these rock hewn churches leave one with many questions, puzzling the power of faith, and how far people will go to praise god or one of their leaders. Lalibela ranks up there with Petra, the pyramids and the Great Wall of China as one of the most famous historical sites on earth.

Up close and personal with the rock cut churches of Lalibela.

Lalibela's finest.

I boarded my first domestic flight the next day, and jetted across Ethiopia down to Addis Ababa, to take care of some business before heading to the east of the country.

Domestic travel at its finest! Ethiopian airways bound for Addis.

Northern Ethiopia has proven to be a wild excursion, and has exceeded all expectations. If any of you are planning on visiting Ethiopia in the future, this area is a must see! As for now, it is time for me to hatch a plan to get to lesser seen east of Ethiopia and onwards to Somalia.

Let the journey continue!

Cheers,

William Delaney