Today is my birthday and I'm incredibly lucky to share this date with the prophet Mohammed; since this is a holy day for Muslims, there are no classes! Even though I have no work today, I decided to celebrate my birthday early. Yesterday, a group of friends and I went to Dire Dawa to spend some time lounging by the pool. I bought myself an early birthday present a week before: a bicycle! I thought that I could go 10 months without biking, but every time I saw a biker, I got more and more anxious. I searched high and low for a bicycle shop in Harar, but found nothing. Then, I looked in Dire Dawa - on a Sunday, but all the shops were closed. I went back the next day and was extremely disappointed that the few shops there were only sold poor-quality Chinese bicycles for almost $200 USD. I was about to leave Dire Dawa empty-handed when I saw a group of four guys and about eight bicycles on the side of the road. I figured I might as well inquire and see if I could pick up a cheap used bike. I was more than surprised to see two Bianchi road bikes...newer and nicer than the 1986 Bianchi I ride back home. I asked them if they were for sale and one of the guys told me that they were not - they were government-owned bikes used by the local team/club. I had seen someone riding a Bianchi bike a couple months earlier in Dire, so he must've been part of the city team. I think the guy could sense how much I really wanted a road bike, so he told me to a wait a moment. A few minutes later, a boy came back with a retro-looking road bike. Needless to say, I was excited. It just so happened that this bicycle was the perfect size for me; I went for a little test ride and did not even have to raise or lower the seat. I knew I needed this bicycle; there was no way that I would find anything more suitable (unless I was in Addis or had something shipped to me). I only had a certain amount of cash on me, so I bargained with the man and borrowed a little money from my friend, Mark. In the end, I paid 3,500 birr (about $180 USD) which is a ridiculous amount...this would be a year's salary for many Ethiopians and I could probably get a similar bike in the US for less than $50. However, considering that it is a steel road bike imported from somewhere (possibly Germany...there is a sticker with some German on it) - it was a good deal. It would cost $100 just to ship a bike here and for the convenience of picking up the bike in Dire Dawa, it was well worth it.
So, I spent all of the cash I had (luckily pay day was only a few days later) and left with a huge smile on my face. The next issue was getting my bike back to Haramaya. The usual transportation is a mini-bus (which is actually a 12-passenger van stuffed way beyond capacity); sometimes these vehicles have a rack on top, but I knew they'd tried to charge me a faranji price for putting my bicycle up there. Mark agreed to try hitchhiking with me. We stood on the road that leaves Dire Dawa back toward Harar. The first truck I flagged down actually pulled over for us. It was a pickup truck with just the driver, a Sudanese man who had moved to Ethiopia a few years prior to manage a farm. I put my bicycle in the back cab of the truck and Mark and I jumped into the back seat. We had a great conversation with the driver and hope to visit his farm near Babile soon...I was super excited to find out that he grows mangoes, but they won't be ripe until early summer.
For my birthday, I decided to celebrate on Sunday, so I'd have Monday to rest and recover. One of my best friends here, Solomon, has the exact same birthday as me. The first day that we met each other, we found out that we were born on the same day of the same year, we each have one sister, and we both defended our master's thesis in May 2013! We were meant to be friends. I decided to bike to Dire Dawa because I wanted to get a long ride in and it's all downhill the second half (about 40 km/25 mi total). I left a little bit earlier than everyone else so that we'd get there about the same time. I really enjoyed the bike ride except for the few children who threw stones at me (unfortunately, I've heard from most bikers in Ethiopia that this is a common occurrence). The stones that they throw are small and they usually miss, but it is scary nonetheless, and disheartening as well.
So, I spent all of the cash I had (luckily pay day was only a few days later) and left with a huge smile on my face. The next issue was getting my bike back to Haramaya. The usual transportation is a mini-bus (which is actually a 12-passenger van stuffed way beyond capacity); sometimes these vehicles have a rack on top, but I knew they'd tried to charge me a faranji price for putting my bicycle up there. Mark agreed to try hitchhiking with me. We stood on the road that leaves Dire Dawa back toward Harar. The first truck I flagged down actually pulled over for us. It was a pickup truck with just the driver, a Sudanese man who had moved to Ethiopia a few years prior to manage a farm. I put my bicycle in the back cab of the truck and Mark and I jumped into the back seat. We had a great conversation with the driver and hope to visit his farm near Babile soon...I was super excited to find out that he grows mangoes, but they won't be ripe until early summer.
For my birthday, I decided to celebrate on Sunday, so I'd have Monday to rest and recover. One of my best friends here, Solomon, has the exact same birthday as me. The first day that we met each other, we found out that we were born on the same day of the same year, we each have one sister, and we both defended our master's thesis in May 2013! We were meant to be friends. I decided to bike to Dire Dawa because I wanted to get a long ride in and it's all downhill the second half (about 40 km/25 mi total). I left a little bit earlier than everyone else so that we'd get there about the same time. I really enjoyed the bike ride except for the few children who threw stones at me (unfortunately, I've heard from most bikers in Ethiopia that this is a common occurrence). The stones that they throw are small and they usually miss, but it is scary nonetheless, and disheartening as well.
It was so nice to be able to stop and take photos wherever I want. Whenever I ride in a vehicle to Dire Dawa, I am in awe of the gorgeous scenery: the windy roads, the terraced mountainsides, the acacia trees, the stone houses, and the local village people. I also decided to stop in a village that had always caught my eye. Just a few kilometers outside of Dire Dawa, there is a small village that has a distinct wall through it. Apparently, the name Harla refers to an ethnic group that lived in this area centuries ago. Now, all that remains of this ancient civilization are remnants of the wall, foundation of an old mosque, and possibly some prehistoric paintings.
As I was locking my bike up to a sign in Harla, I was immediately surrounded by children who wanted to show me around. I didn't feel like fighting them off and I had no idea where to go, so I followed their lead. The took me by two amazing trees (both very large and strangely shaped) and a house made out of plastic bottles. They pointed out the foundation of the old mosque and claimed that it was 2,000 years old. Finally, they took me up the side of a mountain to a rock that had a footprint on it. I'm not sure whether the footprint was a natural phenomenon or if it was some sort of primitive rock painting; either way, it was neat. I didn't spend too much time in Harla because I had to continue biking to meet my friends in Dire Dawa. To thank the boys who helped me, I bought them each a bottle of Coca-Cola. They all insisted on giving my bicycle a test ride, but I insisted that I had to go.
The rest of the ride was slightly downhill. I took a picture by the "Welcome to Dire Dawa" sign and then went scouting for avocados. Recently, I have become addicted to guacamole, but avocados are not easily found in this area. I can only find them in Harar or Dire Dawa (not in Haramaya), but many times there aren't any at all. Sadly, I couldn't find any birthday avocados, but I did find apples and plums...neither of which I had tasted in Ethiopia. I think there are imported from Djibouti, but they tasted fresh and delicious!
The rest of the ride was slightly downhill. I took a picture by the "Welcome to Dire Dawa" sign and then went scouting for avocados. Recently, I have become addicted to guacamole, but avocados are not easily found in this area. I can only find them in Harar or Dire Dawa (not in Haramaya), but many times there aren't any at all. Sadly, I couldn't find any birthday avocados, but I did find apples and plums...neither of which I had tasted in Ethiopia. I think there are imported from Djibouti, but they tasted fresh and delicious!
I met everyone at the Samrat Hotel as planned. I immediately jumped in the pool to cool down and created a little synchronized swimming routine with Helen. We ate lunch, sipped wine and beer, played cards, and enjoyed another dip in the pool before heading back to campus. Mark and I hitchhiked again since I had my bicycle. It took us a little bit longer to find a ride this time, but eventually, we were successful. Some men living in Harar who were headed back home gave us a ride in their pickup truck. They dropped us off on the main road, so I still had to find another ride back to campus (just 5 km, but too dark to bike/walk).
When I made it home, we had a small get-together at our house to continue the birthday celebrations for Solomon and me. We ate some banana bread cupcakes that I had made the afternoon before and danced to some reggae tunes from DJ Mark. All in all, it was a wonderful birthday!
View the rest of my bike/birthday photos here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/113203084550986862848/albums/5968333638516650033
When I made it home, we had a small get-together at our house to continue the birthday celebrations for Solomon and me. We ate some banana bread cupcakes that I had made the afternoon before and danced to some reggae tunes from DJ Mark. All in all, it was a wonderful birthday!
View the rest of my bike/birthday photos here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/113203084550986862848/albums/5968333638516650033