On Friday, I decided to do some sightseeing in Harar. I did not know how to get there using the local transportation, so Muluken showed me how. We walked outside of the university’s gate and got onto a “mini-bus”. This kind of “mini-bus” is actually just a 12-passenger van…although they gladly cram more than 12 people inside. For the 30-minute ride, the fare was 10 birr ($.60 USD). Muluken and I first stopped at the bus ticket office. I want to go to Addis Ababa next week to see the Meskel celebration (I’ll talk about this more in a future post). I was unable to buy a ticket that day, but they put my name on a list and I have to go back on Monday.
Before leaving me on my own to explore, Muluken took me out to lunch. We went to a local restaurant with Ethiopian food – I should explain that every restaurant serves Ethiopian food, even if there are a few western items on the menu, like pizza or hamburgers; there are only a few exceptions in Addis Ababa that serve only Chinese or Korean food. The restaurant that we went to served only Ethiopian food. We ordered tibs fir fir and kitfo. Kitfo is finely minced beef that is usually served raw, but you can order it partially or fully cooked as well – we ordered it raw. I was not hesitant to try it since I’ve already had raw meat in Korea and Japan. It was even better than I imagined it would be. The consistency is so soft that it practically melts in your mouth. The meat itself does not have a strong flavor, but the spices that are mixed it, make it scrumptious. As I write this post more than 30 hours after that meal, I am happy to report that I did not get sick!
After lunch, I did my own little walking tour of Harar. I have the latest edition of the regional Lonely Planet guidebook, so I felt confident that I’d be able to navigate on my own. Harar is an amazing city that is divided into two main sections: the old town and the new town. The old town is also known as jugol and is enclosed by a thick stone wall. The wall was built in the 16th century to deter Oromo invaders. There are six gates through which you can enter and exit the old town. The main gate, Harar Gate, was renovated to be wider and allow for vehicular passage. The entire old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and deservedly so. Many people consider Harar to be the 4th most Islamic city in the world after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. For a city of only 100,000 or so, there are over 80 mosques! The neat thing is that you can still find Orthodox churches in same area – a superb example of religious tolerance and harmonization.
After lunch, I did my own little walking tour of Harar. I have the latest edition of the regional Lonely Planet guidebook, so I felt confident that I’d be able to navigate on my own. Harar is an amazing city that is divided into two main sections: the old town and the new town. The old town is also known as jugol and is enclosed by a thick stone wall. The wall was built in the 16th century to deter Oromo invaders. There are six gates through which you can enter and exit the old town. The main gate, Harar Gate, was renovated to be wider and allow for vehicular passage. The entire old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and deservedly so. Many people consider Harar to be the 4th most Islamic city in the world after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. For a city of only 100,000 or so, there are over 80 mosques! The neat thing is that you can still find Orthodox churches in same area – a superb example of religious tolerance and harmonization.
The architecture in Harar is unique; the homes are constructed from clay and are designed to stay cool no matter what the outside temperature. The outside walls are whitewashed and many are then painted colorfully (mostly pink, teal, and purple). There are few streets in the old town, instead narrow, winding cobblestone walkways get you from one point to another. I wandered down these quaint pathways for my enjoyment, but also to avoid the hordes of young men wanting to be my tour guide. As I walked along, I saw just as many goats, donkeys, cats, and camels that I would in any other part of Ethiopia. There were also plenty of children; most would ask me to take their photo in exchange for 1 birr. I really did not want to reinforce this behavior, so I did not pay any children and avoided taking pictures of people.
I paid about $1 USD to get into the Harar National Museum and another $1 to visit the Harari Cultural Center. The National Museum was forgettable and disappointing. The Cultural Center was worth a visit to see what the inside of a traditional Harari house looks like. There are a couple of other paid “attractions” in Harar, but I decided to save those for another day; I just continued to wander around instead. After walking around the inside of the walled city, I walked around the entire outside of the complex. I saw an old airplane that was split into two pieces sitting in a random spot and a beautiful tree that seemed to be growing out of a small, concrete mosque.
I bought a few more supplies before heading home: powdered milk and oranges. Then I had to try to catch a “mini-bus” back to Haramaya. I went to the right area, but the drivers were trying to cheat me; there were telling me it was 200 birr when I knew it should only be 10 birr. I kept walking around and talking to different people and finally found one headed to Dire Dawa that was willing to charge me only 10 birr. I was dropped off in the town of Alem Maya (same name as Haramaya – just the difference between the Amharic version and the Oromo version of the name) which is 6km from the main campus. I bought some potatoes, carrots, and cabbage since Almaz recommended me to do so. There were so cheap – about $0.15 USD for a head of cabbage, $0.20 USD for a pound or two of potatoes, and $0.25 USD for five big carrots. As I purchased these items, I drew a lot of attention from the locals, especially the children. By the time I was ready to leave the town, I had about 15 kids following me. In this small town, it must be rare for a white faranji to stop by; most people just drive through on their way to Harar or Dire Dawa. It was very fun to interact with the kids; they would repeat anything I would say to them. They had knowledge of a few English words, like body parts ad basic greetings. We also sang the “ABCs” together. Finally, after about 2 miles, they turned around to go back to their homes. The last part of my walk was in the dark, but it was pleasant. However, after an entire day of walking around, I was ready for bed! I’ve gotten into a routine of going to bed around 10pm and waking up around 6am. Actually, I wake up at 4:55am to the sounds of the Muslim prayers coming from the loudspeakers of the nearby mosques. The chants are very soothing though, so I am usually able to fall back asleep for another hour or two.
I bought a few more supplies before heading home: powdered milk and oranges. Then I had to try to catch a “mini-bus” back to Haramaya. I went to the right area, but the drivers were trying to cheat me; there were telling me it was 200 birr when I knew it should only be 10 birr. I kept walking around and talking to different people and finally found one headed to Dire Dawa that was willing to charge me only 10 birr. I was dropped off in the town of Alem Maya (same name as Haramaya – just the difference between the Amharic version and the Oromo version of the name) which is 6km from the main campus. I bought some potatoes, carrots, and cabbage since Almaz recommended me to do so. There were so cheap – about $0.15 USD for a head of cabbage, $0.20 USD for a pound or two of potatoes, and $0.25 USD for five big carrots. As I purchased these items, I drew a lot of attention from the locals, especially the children. By the time I was ready to leave the town, I had about 15 kids following me. In this small town, it must be rare for a white faranji to stop by; most people just drive through on their way to Harar or Dire Dawa. It was very fun to interact with the kids; they would repeat anything I would say to them. They had knowledge of a few English words, like body parts ad basic greetings. We also sang the “ABCs” together. Finally, after about 2 miles, they turned around to go back to their homes. The last part of my walk was in the dark, but it was pleasant. However, after an entire day of walking around, I was ready for bed! I’ve gotten into a routine of going to bed around 10pm and waking up around 6am. Actually, I wake up at 4:55am to the sounds of the Muslim prayers coming from the loudspeakers of the nearby mosques. The chants are very soothing though, so I am usually able to fall back asleep for another hour or two.