I wish I'd have had my photo camera with me this evening.
As I sat down with this guy in front of my cell eeeh room in the so-called hotel, I asked him, if he could set up my mobile with the new Ethiopian sim card because my Amaric wasn't good enough (haha) to understand what the voice was telling me. I sent an sms to my girlfriend. Didn't work. Good! I tried for some times and after this disappointing result I changed the sim card back to my German one.
When the waitress came we ordered a beer. I think it was around 10 Birr for 0,5L St. George beer, what is around 0,60US$. What a price! The guy, I don't remember his name, worked in Jijiga for few years as a plumber. He told me that this city is surprisingly boring (what do you expect in the middle of the desert, at the boondocks?!) but he will meet a friend this evening. He asked me if I wanna join them, they wanted to go to a bar. So after my second beer we went to see his friend in this bar. It is a traditional bar, he said, so don't wonder if people are looking strange at you. Oh really? Haven't seen a white person for more than one day!
The bar was cool, looked like something in the Caribbean with bamboo bar, loud traditional music etc.. We found his friend and sat down. The music was so loud that it was hard to order something or not to mention to have a conversation. So we only drank some more beer and suddenly all was black! Some how I wasn't shocked or surprised. I don't know why but I think the atmosphere in such an area makes you prepared for everything - getting chased, getting stopped by AK47 militias, running for you life, straaange food and even blackouts. Seconds later the bar staff came around and put candles everywhere so at least we could see something. It took a few minutes and suddenly there was music again. But not in our bar! It was the bar next door. A minute later we were on power again and music was as loud as hell again. Beer....beer...beer...beer.... blackout... beer...beer. The bar next door was on power before us again so we decided to leave and go there.
Now when I'm writing that I wonder why it didn't feel that strange doing it as it feels like by remembering it.
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| In the Somali region desert |
After this answer she turned around and left - without saying anything, even not thank you for the beers! What a bitch!
It was late anyway and I've had a few so I decided to go back to my room. I also had to leave at 8am so one of the guys brought me back to my hotel. Meanwhile it was raining like shit and the sandy streets became damn muddy. After saying good bye to my companion I locked myself in the room and went to bed.
Nice evening at all!
After a few hours of sleep I woke up because the hotel staff was cleaning the floor infront of the rooms. Too bad that there stood some metal chairs and tables and they didn't seem to be interested that it was 5:30am and maybe someone was still sleeping. Well, not anymore. I got up at 7am and packed my stuff and left the room. There were some people in the dining room and I asked them where the mini bus station is from where I can get to Wujale, the border town to Somaliland. One of the guys was so nice that he brought me with his motorcycle taxi to the bus station.
After a few minutes of asking around I was brought to the right bus and again a few minutes later of negotiating I gave my luggage to the roof and sat down in the bus.
We left Jijiga and drove through the desert.
Hi Rene! This in Masa, thank you for inviting me to this nice blog! And sorry for my late reply. Because I had to study and acquire a licence called CCNA recently.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I read this entry, that was funny story. I heard that Jijiga is a famous town as a red-light district, or brothel. So I think she wanted to be taken to your hotel to earn her living expenses. But her demand was refused by you, and she became such a bitch, haha.
The hotel which I stayed was also a type of brothel. The hotel has a place to stop and a place to eat and drink. There, many guests eat their own foods and pretty girls is to be with guests to entertain and seduce him. But owner of the hotel was a very kind mother and she worked with some young girls and her little cute child. So the atmosphere of the hotel was something like homey rather than brothel.