Thurs 29 started with a bit of a panic. Read small print on the ticket which said hold luggage had to be checked in 4 hrs before departure. Well, my departure was 10 a.m. Wasn’t taking any chances so decided to just have hand luggage. Only had my rucksack so had to compress everything and minimise liquids. Left the shampoo out. Little toothpaste in tube was ditched and replaced with a bit of body lotion. Taxi came an hour earlier and I got to the airport and queued. Eventually made it to check in and as my bag was less than 5kgs, it got on as hand luggage. All a bit stressful but made me realise how I could reduce my baggage weight.
Only an hour flight and arrived Dire Dawa Intl airport safely after flying over some very arid land. A small walk to the taxi, which the driver said was 51 years old. And it looked it. He dropped me at the MM Htl and I checked in at the expected price of 800 birr per night. Nice big room with aircon, but as it turned out I really didn’t need the aircon. Took a while for the room to be ready but I then had most of the afternoon free.
First mission was to find the Greek church but as it turned I walked in totally the wrong direction. But on the way back I enjoyed my first Dire Dawa (DD) Ethiopian coffee which had a medicinal herb called Tena Adam dipped in it. Went to the bar next to the hotel…called the Beer Garden. Spoke with German guy Sigi who was a flying instructor . Bavk to hotel to change. Then to the Beer Garden for dinner, but only food choice was cold spaghetti with cold Injera…oh well.
Fri 30th. The hotel room incl b’fast. After b’fast I walked ( and it was quite a long way) to find the Greek orthodox church. The gates looked locked, but fortunately thete was a lady on the restaurant across the road who said she could get me into the church grounds. I met a 95 year old half Eth half Greek lady …Eleni…who lived on the church property. The Eth lady acted as translator as she spoke a bit of English and a bit of greek ….as she had a sister living in Greece…that was lucky. Then the church was opened up for me. Quite emotional to imagine my mother, her siblings, her parents all using that church in the 1930s & 40s.
Walked all the way back to the hotel and decided to treat myself to a chicken curry at the hotel that evening…..a bit expensive but very tasty. I checked the location of the minibus stand for my journey to Harar the next day. Had a nice chat with a couple of bus drivers at a food/coffee stall…
Sat 1st. After b’fast, over to the minibus stand and paid my 35 birr fare to Harar. About 65p. Only 50 kms but it took an hour and three quarters….uphill the first half of the journey. We climbed nearly 2,000 feet between DD and Harar and the minibus didn’t have a particularly strong engine.
After I was dropped off I wandered around for an hour. Was a bit lossed and needed a toilet and was getting tired. I found some old city wall , but didn’t know if it was a part of the old wall which Harar is famous for. I peed against someone’s wall .. noone came by. Eventually I found a place called Memory cafe where I had a couple of coffees. I decided at this point I was too tired to find the other Harar attraction….the feeding of the hyenas…and looked for the bus stand. I was nowhere near it but luckily found a young guy who was also heading back to DD and he escorted me. Well, it was a short tuk tuk ride…which he kindly paid for.
Hour n quarter back. Well, down hill mostly and a better minibus. Lady on my right was breast feeding….but she was wearing a mask !!! 40birr trip…all that way, but paid 70birr in the tuk tuk to get me across DD town. I thought he’d ripped me off, but actually not. I’m finding Ethiopian to be very honest. Relax. Shower. Went and found a local bar which is much cheaper than using the hotel. I discovered Doppel brown beer around this time…tasty. Then ended up at the beer garden, mainly because it showed football. They had no food at all that evening…only tomatoes !
I went up the road opposite the hotel and had a very nice dinner and chat. That’s where I watched Adanech’s food preparation…near darkness and chopping vegetables at great speed. Was concerned about her fingers, but of course I needn’t have worried…expert. My plate of food….vegs wrapped in Injera plus a tea and a coffee came to 45birr…about 80p. That was more like it !!
Sun 2nd. Easter Sunday. Got a tuk tuk to the Church . Let myself into the grounds. All quiet. There was nothing happening. Apparently, because it was Sunday and it was a holiday. Well, I thought that was precisely when it should be open ?? Anyway the Church was opened and candles lit, but the congregation consisted of just me. I stayed an hour …..left a message in the guest book….then left. Eventually i went to a bar in the afternoon. My dinner and coffee options were closed because of the rain. The restaurants/stalls are partly outdoor. I explored DD and managed to find a place that sold chips…that was my dinner..a plate of chips. Went to the beer garden and the hotel bar to watch football highlights. The beer garden wad absolutely packed so I didn’t stay long as I didn’t want to part of a big crowd.
Oh, I forgot to say that I took the opportunity to ask how I could get a warm shower as I could see there was a dangling wire and plug actually in the shower cubicle. I didn’t want to risk touching it !! Just needed plugging in…fine, I got someone to do it. Only problem was there was no control over the water temperature and it was scalding !! I couldn’t win with the shower…actually, colder was better.
Mon 3rd. After b’fast…..was really enjoying the b’fasts, by the way….I took a tuk tuk to the old train station. Amazing to think that my grandfather used to work there. He was a railway engineer, I think working for a French company that built the railway between Djibouti and DD. And Mum and the rest of the family would’ve gone from there on holiday to Djibouti. The train line should really have gone to Harar, being the regional capital, but the elevation was too high/steep and that’s why DD grew to be quite an important town. I wanted to take a picture of the railway station from the tracks but needed a ticket and the relevant office was closed….so I made do with a photo from the old ticket office which sells bus tickets now.
I walked 15 mins to the old cemetery, thinking I might find some gravestones with Greek names on, but it was closed and derelict. Gave up on that idea. I walked back passed the railway station and on to the Greek church. I said goodbye to Eleni. Very strange to be in eastern Ethiopia and having to dredge up all my knowledge of Greek to speak to the old lady. It was very basic Greek but I managed ok.
It was pouring with rain. The restaurant across the road was closed. Had my light rain jacket on. Managed to stop a tuk tuk. A few hundred metres from the hotel, his engine packed up. Sat in it whilst rain pouring down( tuk tuk covered of course), but my concern was that another vehicle with impared visibility might ram us from behind. That didn’t happen, and after 25 mins when the rain eased I went off on foot. I still paid him, for which he was grateful. Quite a fun experience . Went to the same bar as the afternoon before because the manager and waitress had helped me fend off some unwanted attention from a couple of very drunk guys. Then to Adanech’s for a lovely