Today was Alexis' birthday! Happy 27th GF!!!
This morning at 9 am, we drove 200 km (through the rift valley) south to Awassa. Surprisingly the road was in better condition than some of the highways in Saskatchewan. We made it in 4 hours due to filling up for gas (7.13 birr/ L ~ $0.713CAN/L), macchiato (coffee) break, stop by strawberry farm for fresh strawberries (very good), and slowing down to avoid numerous collisions with packing donkeys, horse drawn carts, cattle, dogs, sheep, goats, and pedestrians. Apparently to hit a goat/sheep is no big deal, to hit a donkey is a big deal, and to hit a cow we can't guarantee your safety. It was a gentle slope down to the rift valley, but the escarpement was obvious in the distance. Surprisingly, the journey to Awassa was relatively flat, kinda like driving in Saskatchewan, but with different vegetation. There were numerous Acacia trees (our fav, and classic African symbol) and cacti (acting as hedges and fences). We saw fields of maize, onions and some unidentifiable cereal crop. There were also tons of Dutch greenhouses growing flowers to supply the European market. The range land was sparse, and over-grazing was apparent. We also stopped by the road to check out the massive termite mounds, we contemplated climbing it, but we decided against it (termite + 4 hours of driving = no fun).
Awassa is very different from Addis Ababa! There is almost no traffic on road except for the auto"rickshaw" - think of a three wheel enclosed golf cart for passengers. We are staying at the recently built Pinna II Hotel, what a contrast from our hotel in Addis. It has wireless internet - which is great for blogging! It has a working shower, nice clean floors, lots of room and no bugs (so far). We will miss our balcony and our romantic candle light rendezvous. Within minutes of our first walk down the main drag, we were surrounded by kids!!! They really enjoyed holding our hands, which we had no choice but to reciprocate. They also loved getting their picture taken and see themselves on the camera. The kids are very cute and friendly, the girls are a bit shy but they are absolutely gorgeous!!! (Dani is thinking about adopting(taking) a little girl home) The kids were okay at first, but then we were definitely got mobbed by the crowd. We finally retreated back to our hotel for a breather (and to feverishly wash our hands!).
We have found several comforts here at our home away from home. St. George's beer is the most refreshing beverage to enjoy on the patio, especially on a hot day like today (28C compare to Addis at 22C). We have also found a good restaurant in Awassa, it served many dishes that you would find back home. Walking in Awassa is definitely a lot safer than in Addis, we can even walk outside at night.
After our lunch/supper, we walked around lake Awassa. It's a beautiful lake (definitely a hidden gem), we can't wait to go see the hippos!!! Other wildlife we've acquainted to are these ginormous vultures that could be closely related to pterodactyls or pelicans.
Tomorrow we start our class with Abebe, we hope the class don't get too stuffy and we can stay awake and get out of this vacation mode!
Blog soon!
Dani, Amanda, Jenn, Alexis, Melissa, Michelle
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