The next morning (I went back to Taitu Hotel because I knew that there is internet access) 40$ left. Damn it, I need money! I wrote an email to my mother. Most of my money is in my big luggage which is stuck in Amsterdam but I need money - that's what I told her. If she can send me.... maybe 200€ what is around 255US$ by Western Union. Well not that much money but at least it is something plus that would make my adventure much more... interesting! I need to go really cheap. So once again a day went by. I was going around with a guy who showed me the main post station and invited me for - guess what? Right" - Injera. I bought some post cards which looked like they are from the 70s. There don't seem to be many people who wanna send post cards from Ethiopia. I'm wondering why? I decided to send a card with two black, completely naked guys with spears in their hands to my neighbour who once in a while seemed to be a bit racist. Harrharrharr... nice one!
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| Outside the bus |
After that we took a ride by mini bus to Bole area, where some embassies are to get my Somaliland visa. I applied for a tourist visa in an office which looked like a big garage. Few minutes later I was brought to the office of the ambassador who gave me the necessary stamp and we left. Next stop was a Western Union shop to receive my money (thank God!) and from there we took a ride to the Selam Bus station. Selam Bus is one of the two big bus companies in Ethiopia. Their slogan is: "German quality, Chinese prices!". Before we reached the office - again a small garage like room - we had to go through some sandy, muddy ways and broken down houses. In front of the office there stood a lot old big busses which had to be repaired. I was glad to hear that the bus I'd take would be another one - a big western like coach. Nice! But German quality? Couldn't wait to see it! 12€ for the ticket to Harar what is around 700km from Addis I think. Well, price seems to be Chinese. Let's wait for the quality.
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| Ethiopian highlands |
This night I stood in a cheaper hotel which cost around 8€ per night. Again no warm water and the shower didn't look very trustworthy so I decided to wait for the next shower. Again. The third day. Yummy! I'm in Africa, that was my comfort. I went to bed early because I had to leave very early in the morning. Around 4:45h I went out of the hotel and took the taxi which I ordered last day and stood in front of the door. All Selam busses leave from a very big square in the middle of the city so I left and waited for my bus. I was suprised to see such a new busses when nearly everything seems to come from the 70s here.
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| Sweet litte me in the coach |
My bus left at 6:00 in the morning just in time and when the sun rose, the rainy clouds disappeared. Good start. Inside the bus everything looked like we know it from a western coach. Two TVs with nice Amaric movies about college students in love, murderers and a suicide. Everything a good movie needs. I don't remember the name of the bus brand, but I remeber that it definetly wasn't German but Chinese also. Didn't matter, the bus was cool and much better than I expected. During the drive all passengers got a piece of cake and cool drinks what I found very good and nice.
With a hour break we had a 11h ride and arrived at 5pm in Harar. My plan was to take a room for a night and on the next day I wanted to drive via Jijiga to the border to Somaliland and then Hargeisa. When we arrived I was told that there is a Muslim festival in three days in Harar and most of the hotels are fully booked or if free they take four times the prices they usually take.
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| Big camel flock |
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| Inside the mini bus |
No thanks, where is the mini bus station?! I decided to take the next mini bus to Jijiga. The sun went down slowly and I thought the sooner I leave the better it is, because I heared that driving in a mini bus in the night isn't the best idea. Soon I found the bus station and after a few minutes seesaw with the driver I sat in the bus which soon got full. We left the station with 16 people in the bus what I heared later isn't that bad at all. With 24 people it becomes poky I was told. Well, good for me!
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| Landscape around Jijiga |
During the ride I saw on the right side of the street a crashed mini bus with a blue canvas over it and maybe 50m further on the left side another crashed car with a blue canvas as well. The guy besides me, his name is Yonathan, told that these cars crashed into each other few days ago and because it is in the middle of nowhere the dead bodys are still under the canvas. That really appeased me!
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| My bed in my "prison cell" |
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| Door and window of the "hotel room" |
After 3 hours we reached Jijiga and lucky me my neighbour Yonathan wanted to show me around a bit. He brought me to a "hotel" which looked more like a prison. But I couldn't complain. It was the cheapest hotel I had on my whole trip - 2,5€ a night! A very large bed, a bucket to pee into and one small green light bulb at the ceiling. Pretty cool! The window and the door where made of metal what underlined the prison-like feeling. I left my stuff in my room and went with my new mate to a restaurant which is called Restaurant Djibouti. Very good food in a strange, end of the world atmosphere, sitting in a large, neon-lighted room, eating and watching Al Jazeera. Awesome!
After dinner he left me and I went back to the hotel where I soon found a guy sitting right in front of my door at a table. He had a beer and I asked him to sit down to him....
just want to say thank you very much for sharing the trip to jijiga information! so nice.
ReplyDeleteIm going to Ethiopia for first time, sunday (15.09) and will be in ethiopia, somalia, tanzania and kenya for 3 month.
So its really now to know how much ticket cost and hotel around somalia/ethiopia.
Thank you again and hav fun
Thanks for your comment!
DeleteFirst of all I want to wish you all the best for your trip and a great adventure!
The ticket from Addis to Jijiga costs around 320 birr, which is around 18-19 US$. Then from Jijiga to Wajale (border town to Somaliland) is a few dollars. The whole way through Ethiopia is nice, because the roads are new and only 3-4 years old.
A night in a hotel in Jijiga is relatively cheap. You can get a room for like 4-5$, but don't expect much. It's a room with a bed and that's it. Regardless what you want, everything is pretty cheap there: food, drinks etc. because there are no tourist prices which is because usually there are NO tourist! ;-)
However, when you cross the border to Somaliland everything gets a bit more expensive. The ride from Wajale to Hargeisa can really be a pain in the ass when you have to take one of the non-official taxis, which are usually the only way to get to Hargeisa unless you know someone who can pick you up at the border. The ride Wajale-Hargeisa cost in 2011 around 10$ and took around five hours. Small car, too many people and no roads. It's really a ride through the desert, so I hope for you that at this time of the year everything is dry already and no wet sand roads will make your ride even more comfortable.
Hotels in Hargeisa aren't cheap either. I have only been in one hotel, the Oriental Hotel, which I could recommend, as long as you want to spend 15$ a night. But you'll get a warm shower, clean room and good service. However, there are now lots more hotels so you have a diversity to choose from.
Take care and have fun!
PS: When you are in Addis, never ever go to the Taitu Hotel. Total rip off and wasted money (25$) for shit rooms! I have been to one hotel which was called "Wutma", also not a good one but at least I spent less money there...
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