Awash

We are heading north again, this time to the Afar region and the desert area of Danakil. A stop-over in Awash allowed us a brief round through the Awash National Park, the first place where we do see some larger mammals, in numbers. Gazelles, and especially the majestic Oryx, as well as Kudu and what I think are Hartebeests are crossing our road, or rather, the park tracks. Plenty of birds, as well, of course. A viewpoint at a safari lodge provides our first glimpses of the Awash River, the river that Wilfred Thesiger – about whom more later - followed, some 80 years ago, to explore its course.

(1) on the way to Awash, the disused Addis Abeba - Djibouti railway, or rather, the alternatively-used

(2) I wonder where these people are heading - on the way to Djibouti, they may well hide once closer to the border

(3) sunrise (!) in the Awash National Park

(4, 5) an oryx (above) and a gazelle of uncertain origin (below)

(5) plenty of birds, this being one of them

(6) and a view of the Awash River, from one of the lodges in the park

Awash also has the Buffet d’Auouche, the hotel built next to the railway station, and obviously dating from when the Addis Ababa-Djibouti line was opened. Apparently, here is where Haille Salassie slept, and Charles de Gaulle, amongst others – likely in the same fabulous room, with private veranda and rocking chair, that we occupied for the night. This is one of those gems, stuck in a previous era, a bit run-down by now, but still with all its romance from a time long gone. And the best of it was, they had Gordon’s and Schweppes! So, temporarily back in gin and tonic mode, and what better place to have it than here!

(7) the railway crossing, in Awash town

(8) Gordon's Gin and Schweppes Tonic, an unbeatable combination

Addis Ababa

So there we are, finally, in Addis Ababa. A huge city, not particularly pretty. There is not really an old core, the town has been established only a little over 100 years ago, in 1887, and has been added to afterwards, by the Italians who invaded Ethiopia in the run-up to the Second World War, and quite likely also by the Derg, the communists who overthrew emperor Haile Selassie in 1974, and their allies: lots of buildings have this Soviet-era look: functional architecture, euphemism for square box devoid of any fantasy. Not pretty. There is the city center, with all the businesses and state offices, and two areas where most of the hotels and restaurants are, the Piazza - as the name suggests established by the Italians -, and a newer area around Bole road. Neither is particularly attractive. Large avenues connecting the various neighbourhoods are somewhat busy, lots of taxis – every model Lada ever made, I guess - and mini-buses, but few heavy trucks. Traffic is a lot less chaotic than one would expect, and a lot less aggressive, too. Many of the larger streets have sidewalks, but these are sometimes interrupted, for no apparent reason – the tiles used just run out, sidewalk continues into a gravel patch, and with luck tiles appear again a little further. More dangerously, sometimes there are huge holes in the sidewalk, I mean, you could disappear in one of those. All of this creates a bit of a shabby look, but at the same time most of the town is reasonably clean, at least visibly (although in many places the smells suggest this town is also being used as public toilet).

So why are we here in the first place?

The railway

Less than two days to departure, I can’t wait – partly to do with the fact that it has started freezing and snowing in The Netherlands.

As I wrote earlier, we had to adjust our program, which means that Djibouti – for which I have always had this inexplicable desire to visit - will now not be our first stop anymore, in fact it will not be a stop at all. Which also means that we will not take the only railway in the Horn of Africa anymore, the train from Addis Ababa to Djibouti.